Ash ignored Gary's teasing and continued flipping through the participant profiles, scanning each one quickly—until his eyes landed on a certain entry.
Goh.
Ash paused. Then frowned.
No—the clown.
Calling him "Dog Goh" would be an insult to actual loyal, brave, dependable Pokémon like Growlithe or Arcanine. Even the Growlithes in the lab might file a formal complaint if they heard that comparison.
As Ash scowled at Goh's picture, a familiar sound chimed in his mind.
Ding!
System Notification:Host's emotional readings show extreme disgust toward Goh. Public sentiment analysis confirms wide viewer dissatisfaction.Special Mission Unlocked:"Operation Prank Goh!"Objective: Prank Goh as much as possible during the Summer Camp.Reward: Scales with the creativity and intensity of your pranks.Notes: Target is identified as high-luck. System will conceal the host's Aura signature.Restrictions: None. Let chaos reign.
Ash's eyes gleamed.
"Well, Goh... if you're gonna blame anyone, blame your scriptwriters. I'm just a pawn obeying the system," he thought with a smirk.
Honestly, Ash didn't even need the reward to do this. Just messing with Goh would be reward enough. But now? He could annoy him, relieve some stress, and still get paid for it.
Talk about a win-win.
Ding!
System Notice:Mission accepted. As a result, the System Shop has refreshed with special limited-time prank items. Host may browse freely.
"Oh? Look at that. Goh's got the gods and the algorithm against him!" Ash laughed internally. "Alright then—if I run into him again after this camp, I'll make sure to show him extra... attention."
He opened the System Shop.
Right at the top was a featured item:
Curse TalismanA simple yet sinister tool. Duration: 7 days.Range: Global.Effects: Stackable, misfortune-inducing.Usage: Hold the talisman and silently recite the target's name.Price: 100,000 League Coins per talisman.
No ritual, no flashy theatrics — just whisper the name and let fate do the rest.
Ash didn't hesitate. He bought ten on the spot.
He tried to purchase more, but the system flashed a message:
Purchase limit reached. Try again after restock.
Still, ten was more than enough for now.
Goh wouldn't know what hit him.
The second item in the shop was even more outrageous.
Stone of HatredWhen worn, it emits a mocking frequency that irritates all nearby creatures.Duration: 30 minutes.Range: 10 meters.Effect: Unnatural levels of hostility directed toward the wearer.Ideal for: Chaos.
The third one had truly diabolical potential.
Social Death StickerOnce attached to a target, it causes their most embarrassing and awkward moments to be noticed, shared, and amplified by others — consciously or not.Duration: 1 year.Effect: Continuous secondhand shame.Warning: May result in severe psychological trauma (for the target).
Ash chuckled.
"Now that's evil."
Next:
Mind Voice TransmitterBinds to a target. Transmits their negative inner thoughts to those nearby.Effect: Auto-fills the gaps in others' minds for maximum misunderstanding.Duration: 10 days.Side effect: May cause instant social isolation.
And finally:
Disgust EnhancerOnce activated on a target, others will subconsciously feel repulsed just by looking at them.Effect: Universal dislike.Duration: Until effect fades (variable).Simple trigger: Speak the target's name.
All five items were one-time use. The last four could only be purchased once.
Ash didn't hesitate. He casually dropped over eighty million League Coins to buy the entire set.
Of course, he didn't plan to use them right away. The Summer Camp hadn't even officially started yet. If the Curse Talisman worked too well and drove Goh away early, then items like the Stone of Hatred or the Social Death Sticker—which required physical attachment—would go to waste.
Patience, after all, was the key to pranking perfection.
Soon, Professor Oak arrived with Ash and Gary at the Summer Camp base.
As they stepped out of the car, a hush swept over the campgrounds.
Dozens of eyes turned toward them.
Or rather—toward Professor Oak.
Children from all over the region stared at him with starry-eyed admiration. A living legend stood before them — the man behind countless Pokédex entries, groundbreaking discoveries, and iconic League research.
Professor Oak smiled warmly and stepped forward.
"Welcome, everyone," he began. "I'm Professor Oak, the organizer of this Pokémon Summer Camp. Over the next ten days, you'll get the chance to meet and interact with Pokémon in the wild — some for the first time in your lives."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the eager young faces.
"This is a rare opportunity. You'll learn, explore, and grow. But I must emphasize — for your safety, certain rules must be followed."
His expression turned serious.
"First: do not leave the campgrounds without permission.Second: never venture into Viridian Forest on your own. It may look peaceful, but it's full of wild Pokémon — many of which are territorial and dangerous."
"Do you all understand?" he asked firmly.
"Yes, Doctor!" the children chorused.
Professor Oak's face softened. "Good. Good children are obedient children."
Ash stifled a grin at the old man's tone.
And with that, the Summer Camp had officially begun.
As Professor Oak wrapped up his warning, his gaze subtly shifted toward Ash.
He didn't say anything, but the message in his eyes was clear.
He knew.
He knew that of all the kids here, Ash was the one most likely to sneak off into Viridian Forest.
And he was absolutely right.
It wasn't that Professor Oak was worried for Ash's safety. With the Wave Aura Ash had awakened since childhood, the boy had an uncanny sense for danger. If anyone could safely navigate the wild forest, it was Ash.
But the real concern?
That the other kids would follow him.
And that... would be a nightmare.
Even though Oak had already sent his trusty Dragonite ahead to alert the wild Pokémon of incoming guests, that didn't mean the forest was safe. Especially not with one particular threat lurking in the underbrush:
Beedrill.
Highly territorial. Aggressively protective of their young. Stirring up one meant stirring up dozens, and their stingers weren't just for show. A single mistake could turn into a full-blown emergency.
Ash, naturally, caught the subtle glance from the Professor and offered a reassuring nod in return.
Relax, I've got this.
Professor Oak said no more. He turned back to the group and guided the children to an open clearing.
"Alright, everyone! First lesson of the day — learning how to pitch your tents."
As the campers pulled out their gear, Oak patiently explained the basics of setting up a campsite in the wild. He covered everything — where to avoid setting up (low ground, bug nests), how to keep food secure from Pokémon, and even how to tell if a Tentacool-shaped rock was just a rock.
After the tents were mostly set up, he moved on to the second part of the lesson.
"Now then — let me tell you about Viridian Forest," he announced, arms behind his back. "This is the largest forest in the entire Kanto region. It's home to a wide range of wild Pokémon, especially Bug-types like Caterpie, Weedle, and Venonat…"
As Oak launched into his well-rehearsed lecture on the Kanto ecosystem and the First Partner Pokémon — Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle — Ash was already tuning him out.
This again?
He stifled a yawn.
After years working at Oak's lab, Ash could recite this speech in his sleep. Heck, he'd seen not just the Kanto starters, but starters from every other region as well. As for Viridian Forest?
Ash had been sneaking into it at least once a week since he was five.
There was nothing "new" about this place to him.
He glanced around.
Most of the other kids were wide-eyed, hanging onto every word the Professor said. Clearly, they hadn't heard any of this before — or if they had, they still found it fascinating.
Ash, on the other hand, had something else in mind.
Now's a good time.
He slowly backed away from the group, slipping into the trees with practiced ease.
What he didn't realize, though, was that he wasn't the only one sneaking off.
Several others had already left the group long before he did.
Ash moved quickly, feet crunching softly against the forest floor, and in no time, the camp was behind him.
He had officially crossed into Viridian Forest.
As Ash wandered deeper into the woods, he couldn't help but frown.
"Did Professor Oak's warning actually work some kind of miracle?" he muttered to himself. "Why does this whole area feel… sanitized?"
The wild Pokémon around him seemed strangely uniform.
Everywhere he looked, it was just Caterpie.
No Pidgey, no Nidoran♀, not even an Oddish peeking out from the undergrowth.
Normally, this section of Viridian Forest was bustling with a mix of common Pokémon. Ash had snuck in here countless times — he knew what to expect. But now? It was like someone had done a cleanup operation.
"Don't tell me Oak actually sent his Dragonite to clear the area," Ash mumbled, half-joking. "What is this, low-spec Rayquaza territory?"
Even the Caterpie were creeping around with this weird sense of nervous order. Like they'd been told not to cause any trouble.
Something's off.
Suddenly, Ash's Wave Aura picked up a flicker of movement — familiar, loud, and irritating.
Two Auras, to be exact.
He narrowed his eyes.
"One of them is... ugh, it's Goh," Ash muttered. "And the other... yep, that's Chloe."
Of course. Where Goh went, Chloe often followed — reluctantly.
But then something clicked in Ash's memory.
Wait a second... wasn't this around the time Goh encountered that rogue Mew in the original timeline?
His eyes sharpened.
If that event was happening now, then this could be important.
Ash reached into his system space and pulled out a sleek, tablet-like device. It looked similar to a Pokédex, but more advanced — a multi-purpose field recorder issued to certified researchers by the Pokémon League. It could capture video, scan and identify Pokémon, store field notes, and sync with League databases.
Time to go full researcher mode.
But before he moved out, Ash paused and grinned.
"Right… can't forget my little 'gifts.'"
One by one, he pulled out three prank items from earlier — the Curse Talisman, the Disgust Enhancer, and the Mind Voice Transmitter.
Each item activated with a soft shimmer of light as Ash muttered Goh's name.
With those effects layered on top of each other, Goh would now:
Be stalked by absurd misfortune,
Repel people with a subconscious aura of disgust,
And unknowingly broadcast his worst thoughts straight into the minds of those around him.
Ash stifled a laugh.
"I almost feel bad. Almost."
Silently, he slipped between the trees and headed toward the source of those two Auras.
Time to see what kind of chaos Goh was stumbling into — and maybe catch a glimpse of something rare in the process.