"Goh, this is getting too dangerous," Chloe whispered urgently, tugging on his sleeve. "We're way too far from the Summer Camp. If something happens, we won't be able to get help in time. We need to go back. Now."
Her brow was furrowed with worry.
Before arriving, her father — Professor Sakuragi — had made one thing absolutely clear: follow the rules, and above all, do not disobey Professor Oak. Yet here they were, stomping through forbidden forest territory like it was a backyard playground.
And worse?
They were breaking the rules in front of Professor Oak, a man whose name carried weight across the entire Pokémon world. He wasn't just some aging scientist — he was a living legend, and when he spoke, the League listened.
Especially considering Goh's spot in the camp was part of the last-minute additional ten. He wasn't originally on the list. If something went wrong out here?
Chloe wasn't sure Oak would even bother to step in.
But Goh shrugged it all off.
"What's there to be afraid of?" he said, arms crossed with smug confidence. "This forest just sounds dangerous. We've been in here for a while and haven't seen a single wild Pokémon. I'm not leaving until I catch something strong."
Chloe was about to protest again when a strange voice suddenly echoed in her mind:
"Chloe's too timid. If she weren't the only friend I even halfway respected, I wouldn't waste my time dragging her around."
Her eyes widened.
She spun around in alarm.
There was no one there.
The trees rustled softly in the breeze. The forest was quiet — too quiet.
She turned back, her face pale. "Goh… did you… did you just hear someone speak just now?"
"Huh? No?" Goh blinked. "There aren't even that many Pokémon around here. Who'd be talking?"
"Ugh. If I'd known Chloe was going to be this nervous, I'd have left her behind. She's just slowing me down."
Chloe's mouth opened slightly.
This time, her expression hardened.
That voice wasn't just a whisper anymore — it was Goh's voice. Inside her head.
And she was very sure she wasn't supposed to be hearing what he really thought.
Just as Chloe tried to steady her thoughts, another wave of inner monologue hit her like a jolt of electricity.
"Heh, again? You think you can trick Grandpa Goh into turning back with that little stunt? Dream on! Forget it — there's a fork ahead. I'll ditch Chloe when we get there."
"???"
Chloe froze.
Her eyes slowly turned to Goh, staring at him in disbelief.
"Ugh, now she's looking at me like I'm the problem. What, did she follow me in here just to glare at me? Shadow-level clinginess and now this drama queen act — unbelievable."
Chloe's lip trembled.
It all clicked.
He didn't care about her.
To Goh, she wasn't a friend — just someone to drag around when it suited him, and abandon when she became inconvenient.
Her hands clenched into fists. Her eyes welled with tears.
With a sharp breath, she turned and snapped, "Goh, I hate you!"
Then she ran — blindly, wordlessly — disappearing down a side path through the trees.
Goh blinked in confusion.
"What the heck is her problem?"
"So dramatic. You're scared, just say so. That fake crying? Worse than a Poochyena trying to act."
And once again, his thoughts were broadcast loud and clear — the Mind Voice Transmitter doing its cursed job with stunning efficiency.
Combined with the Disgust Enhancer Ash had activated earlier, the last scraps of goodwill Chloe had for Goh instantly disintegrated.
Somewhere nearby, Ash — hidden in the brush with a hand over his mouth — was trying very hard not to laugh.
"System items... truly top-tier," he whispered. "The effect is instant."
But then his expression turned serious.
Chloe had run off in a random direction — and Ash wasn't sure it led out of the forest.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Wave Guide Power… within my heart."
A soft glow pulsed in his chest as he activated his Aura sensing. He extended his awareness toward Chloe's path.
…There.
He felt it — a familiar presence.
Gary.
Ash exhaled in relief. She'd unknowingly run in the same direction as that overconfident rival of his.
Better yet, he didn't detect any nearby aggressive Pokémon in that area.
With that worry settled, Ash turned his attention back to the real problem.
Goh.
Still oblivious. Still smug. Still very, very cursed.
To be honest, Ash had to admit — Chloe was definitely pretty.
But romantically? He didn't feel anything for her.
That said, he wasn't against nudging her toward Gary if the opportunity ever came up. With her intelligence and temperament, pairing her with Goh would be a total waste.
Ash quietly made a mental note: If I can help steer things toward Gary, why not?
Just as he returned his focus to Goh's direction, something else caught his attention.
A small pink figure hovered silently in the air, half-transparent in the dappled forest sunlight.
Mew.
It floated just above the treetops, tail lazily twirling behind it, its big blue eyes fixed on Ash with curiosity.
"Mew~"
There was something… strange about this human.
Something hidden inside him, something powerful and familiar. Mew couldn't quite understand it, but it felt drawn to him. The child's Aura shimmered like an ancient melody only Pokémon could hear.
Meanwhile, back on the forest floor…
The Curse Talisman decided it was time to activate.
A lone Spearow, barely past fledgling age, wobbled through the air overhead. As it flapped clumsily above Goh, it suddenly let out a triumphant chirp — and dropped a steaming payload directly onto Goh's unsuspecting face.
Splat.
Goh froze.
His face twisted.
Warmth. Moisture.
He reached up, touched the mess with trembling fingers, and slowly brought it to his nose.
The next second, his face darkened to the color of a roasted berry.
"WHAT THE—?! AUGH! STUPID SPEAROW!! YOU POOPED ON MY FACE?! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
Consumed by rage, Goh grabbed a nearby rock and hurled it with startling accuracy. The small Spearow was hit squarely in the side and crashed to the ground with a dazed squawk.
From a distance, Ash squinted at the scene.
"…That throw. He really is the One-Ball Wonder."
But then he shook his head, clicking his tongue.
"Still, not the brightest move. Of all Pokémon to provoke, you chose a Spearow?"
A low, dangerous Growl echoed from a nearby tree.
Ash glanced over and saw the branches begin to shake.
Then the sky darkened.
A cloud of Spearow and at least a dozen Fearow burst forth, screeching with fury. They had witnessed the assault on their young — and they weren't going to let it slide.
And the injured Spearow?
It recovered mid-air, let out a high-pitched chirp, and launched itself beak-first at Goh's backside, pecking with unholy vengeance.
"GYAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Goh howled, sprinting in a wild panic as the bird horde closed in. The lead Spearow let loose another payload. Then another. Then another.
Infinite feces mode: activated.
The rest followed suit.
Dozens of birds swooped in to deliver nature's most humiliating combo attack — poop, pecks, and pain.
They didn't try to kill Goh, but they absolutely gave him the worst beating of his life.
Ash, still watching from a hidden perch, gave a silent thumbs-up.
"This Bad Luck Charm… top-tier. If this were a permanent item in the shop, I'd sell every coin I had for an unlimited stock. The ROI is insane."
He tilted his head.
"Now then… what kind of chaos will the other two items cause?"
After seeing the glorious performance of the Bad Luck Charm, Ash was now genuinely excited to witness the effects of the other two buffs he had stacked onto Goh.
This wasn't just a prank anymore.
This was a comedy showcase.
And now, the curtain was rising on what could only be described as… Goh's exclusive day of suffering.
Still reeling from his battle with the Spearow Squadron, Goh sprinted through the forest with both hands over his head, trying to dodge the remaining aerial attacks. But luck — or more accurately, the lack thereof — wasn't done with him yet.
Every few steps, he'd step on something wet and squishy, the unmistakable stench of wild Pokémon dung clinging to his shoes. At one point, he tried to dive into a bush to hide — only for a furious Weedle to shoot a string of silk into his mouth.
Another time, just as he stopped to catch his breath, a wild Pidgey dropped a Berry from a branch that bonked him directly on the skull.
If it wasn't bird droppings, it was rogue gusts, random skills flying through the air, or Pokémon suddenly getting territorial over the rock he tripped on.
Ash, still hidden in the treeline, wiped away a tear.
"This… this is art."
Eventually, Goh stumbled out of the underbrush and found himself standing beside a wide, clear river.
Completely drenched in sweat, mud, feathers, and questionable organic material, Goh groaned, "Finally... water."
Without thinking, he limped to the river's edge and flopped in with the grace of a half-conscious Psyduck. No caution, no concern. He didn't even check if the river was safe.
Ash raised a brow. "Still hasn't learned a thing, huh?"
Sure enough, the moment Goh splashed into the water, a shadow stirred beneath the surface.
A sleek red figure swam toward him with surprising speed.
Now, to any normal person, this would seem like a potential threat. But Goh?
He was too focused on scrubbing poop off his jacket to notice the approaching Pokémon.
Even when it surfaced — revealing itself to be a Magikarp — he paid it no mind.
"Pfft. Just a Magikarp," he scoffed.
Big mistake.
This particular Magikarp apparently had beef.
As soon as it locked eyes on Goh, it started ramming him, flailing madly with its tail and fins.
Slap! Splash! SMACK!
It was like watching a water balloon take revenge.
"Gah! What's your problem?!" Goh yelled, swatting at it in frustration.
He finally lost patience, raised his hand, and slapped the Magikarp across the cheek.
Ash's eyes went wide.
"Oh no. You didn't just slap a Magikarp."
And then — something miraculous happened.
The Magikarp that had just taken a slap across the face from Goh suddenly began to glow.
Its entire body lit up in a swirl of radiant energy as its form grew larger… and longer… and angrier.
Ash's eyes widened.
"No way. Did he just slap it straight into evolution?"
Goh, still waist-deep in the river, saw the transformation too — and finally panicked.
"Wait, wait, wait—what?!"
He didn't even bother finishing his rinse. He turned and thrashed toward the shore, scrambling like his life depended on it.
Which, to be fair… it kind of did.
Just as he reached land, the evolution completed with a blinding flash.
Gyarados.
A towering, serpentine beast now hovered over the river, mouth opening wide as crackling energy began to surge and swirl between its jaws.
It wasn't just angry — it was insulted.
Because across all Pokémon species, there exists one universal truth:
A slap is a declaration of war.
Ash, hidden behind a tree and still recording the whole scene, nearly dropped his device.
"Holy crap... that's a Hyper Beam."
Energy condensed rapidly in Gyarados's mouth. The attack was already charged — no time to wait.
Ash didn't hesitate.
He raised his left hand and summoned an Aura Sphere, the energy forming with a quick shimmer of blue light.
Just as the Gyarados roared and fired, Ash's Aura Sphere soared forward and intercepted the blast mid-air, creating a thundering explosion that shook the surrounding forest.
Smoke and water sprayed in all directions.
Goh was flung backward, coughing and confused, but mostly unharmed.
He didn't stop to question how he was still alive.
"WHAT IS GOING ON TODAY?!" he screamed, staggering back into the forest like a wild Mankey. "Why is my luck SO BAD?!"
Ash exhaled, lowering his hand.
"Phew. That was close."
He wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead.
Sure, the Hyper Beam probably wouldn't have killed Goh... but it would've left him in a full-body cast — and the real fun was just getting started.
No way was Ash letting the show end early.
He was about to follow Goh and enjoy the next phase of the chaos when a soft sound drifted through the trees:
"Mew~ Mew~"
Ash turned.
And there, floating effortlessly in front of him, was the same pink cat-like Pokémon he'd sensed before — curious, graceful, and sparkling with gentle power.
Mew.
It was no longer hiding.
It was here.
And it was staring directly at him.