Professor Rowan knocked on Gary's room's door. " Excuse me, Gary?"

Gary looked up from his book. " Yeah, Professor?"

" By any chance do you know where your friend is?"

" Who, Ash? Nah. He's been gone for days."

" Well, apparently, he invaded Hunter J's aircraft. He's alive, but he's not in... The best shape."

Gary dropped the book. " Where is he?!"

" He's outside. He-"

Professor Rowan didn’t even finish his sentence before Gary bolted past him, nearly knocking the old man over in his rush. His heart was pounding so hard he swore it might burst out of his chest.

Hunter J’s aircraft? Hunter J’s? Ash was on that thing?!

And he was alive—but not in the best shape?

Gary didn’t waste a second. He flew down the hallway, nearly crashing into a lab assistant before shoving open the front door.

And then he froze.

Ash stood there, barely.

His clothes were shredded, covered in dirt and way too much dried blood. One of his arms was wrapped tightly around his middle, and his face was littered with bruises. A cut above his eye was still bleeding, trailing red down his cheek. He looked… wrecked.

But the worst part?

That stupid, exhausted, sheepish grin.

“Hey, Gary,” Ash rasped. “Guess who ticked off an entire crime syndicate?”

Gary saw red.

“You absolute—” He marched forward and smacked the back of Ash’s head.

“Ow!” Ash yelped, wincing. “What was that for?!”

“WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” Gary shouted, rage mixing with the burning fear still clawing at his chest. “You maniac! You invaded Hunter J’s aircraft?! Alone?! What were you THINKING?!”

Ash blinked. “Uh… that I had to save the Pokémon?”

Gary looked like he wanted to strangle him. “You—you—”

He grabbed Ash’s arm—and Ash hissed.

Gary immediately dropped it.

“…You’re hurt,” he muttered. The anger drained from his face, replaced with pure, sharp concern.

Ash let out a weak laugh. “Kinda?”

Gary’s hands fisted at his sides.

“Inside. Now.”

Ash sighed but didn’t argue—mostly because he looked two seconds from collapsing.

Gary guided him inside, gritting his teeth as he saw the way Ash staggered.

The second they got to his room, Gary shoved Ash onto the bed.

“Alright, spill,” he ordered. “What’s broken? What hurts? And don’t you dare lie to me, Ketchum.”

Ash gave him an exhausted grin. “Define ‘broken.’”

Gary glared at him.

“…Okay, okay,” Ash muttered, relenting. He touched his ribs and winced. “Ribs hurt a lot. My arm’s kinda useless. And I might have a tiny concussion?”

Gary pressed his fingers to his temple. “You are so lucky you’re alive,” he muttered.

Ash smiled faintly. “I know.”

Gary sighed, grabbed the med kit, and got to work.

This wasn’t over. But for now, he just had to make sure his idiot best friend didn’t fall apart on him.

Professor Rowan didn’t even get to finish his sentence before Gary was already moving, shoving past the older man and sprinting down the hall.

“Ash, you idiot,” he gritted under his breath, practically flying down the stairs. His heart was pounding—Hunter J? Ash invaded Hunter J’s aircraft? Alone?!

Gary barely registered the people in the lab as he shoved open the front door.

And then he froze.

There, standing near the entrance, was Ash—barely.

He looked wrecked.

His clothes were torn to shreds, and dried blood stained the edges. His right eye was swollen shut, and there was a long, angry gash trailing from his cheek to his jaw. One of his arms was cradled close to his chest—probably broken—and his breathing was labored. Bruises covered almost every inch of exposed skin.

Gary felt sick.

“Ash,” he breathed.

Ash turned his head slightly, his one good eye focusing on him. A slow, weak smile tugged at his lips.

“Hey, Doc.” His voice was hoarse. “Nice day, huh?”

Gary wanted to throttle him.

Instead, he marched over and grabbed Ash by the collar. “You absolute idiot,” he snapped. “What were you thinking?! Hunter J?! Are you insane?!”

Ash winced but still had the audacity to chuckle. “Probably…”

Gary shook him—gently, because he was very aware that Ash was barely standing. “Do you have any idea how stupid that was?! You could’ve died, Ash! Do you get that?! You could’ve DIED!”

Ash’s smile wavered slightly. “…But I didn’t.”

Gary let out a furious sigh. “That’s not the point!”

Ash swayed on his feet, and Gary immediately grabbed his uninjured arm, cursing. “Okay, you know what? I’m done yelling at you for now. You’re going inside.”

“No, no, I’m fine—”

“Ash.”

Ash froze at Gary’s tone.

Gary’s grip tightened. “Inside. Now.”

Ash hesitated… but the moment his knees buckled, Gary caught him and hauled him inside.

“We’re getting you patched up,” Gary gritted as he half-carried, half-dragged Ash toward his room. “And then we’re gonna have a very long conversation about how you do not invade criminal organizations alone.”

Ash sighed but didn’t fight him. “…Fine.”

Gary just shook his head and kept walking.

Professor Rowan hesitated. “He refused medical attention and insisted on coming straight here.”

Gary shoved past the professor without another word, bolting for the door.

And then he saw him.

Ash stood just outside the lab, barely standing, clothes ripped to shreds and bloodied in more places than Gary could count. His left eye was swollen shut, his lip was busted, and there was a nasty gash on his temple. His arms were covered in cuts and bruises, and—oh, Arceus help him—he was clutching his ribs like they were the only thing keeping him upright.

But the worst part?

He still had that stupid grin on his face.

“Hey, Gary,” Ash croaked, giving a weak wave with his non-busted arm. “Miss me?”

Gary saw red.

“You absolute moron!” He stormed over and grabbed Ash’s shoulders—gently, because Arceus forbid he made things worse. “What the hell were you thinking?! Hunter J?! Have you lost your damn mind?!”

Ash blinked at him, still smiling, but now it looked a little sheepish. “Uh… yes?”

Gary resisted the urge to shake him.

Instead, he gritted his teeth and pulled Ash toward the lab. “I swear—you better not fight me on this, Ashy Boy, or I will knock you out.”

Ash immediately tried to squirm away. “Nooo, I’m fine—”

Gary tightened his grip. “You are not fine!”

Ash groaned. “C’mon, I just got back—”

“And you’re barely standing.”

“I can stand—”

Gary yanked him inside and forced him into a chair. “Stay.”

Ash crossed his arms and pouted. “This is exactly why I didn’t wanna come here…”

Gary glared at him. “You’re acting like I’m the problem here, but you’re the one who thought it was a good idea to take on a notorious Pokémon hunter ALONE.”

Ash opened his mouth—

Gary cut him off. “And don’t say ‘I won, though’ or I’ll actually lose it.”

Ash closed his mouth.

Gary exhaled sharply and grabbed the first-aid kit. “Shirt off.”

Ash’s face immediately went red. “Wha—”

“I need to see the damage, idiot.”

Ash whined but slowly peeled his tattered jacket and shirt off. Gary’s stomach twisted at the sight.

His torso was covered in bruises, his ribs looking especially bad. There were gashes and scrapes everywhere, and—holy hell, his shoulder was dislocated.

Gary sighed heavily. “You’re a disaster, you know that?”

Ash grinned weakly. “Yeah.”

Gary shook his head and pulled on gloves. “Alright. First things first—I gotta pop your shoulder back in.”

Ash froze. “…Nope.”

Gary raised an eyebrow. “Ash.”

“Nuh-uh. Not happening.”

“Ash.”

Ash shook his head. “Nope! I like my shoulder right where it is, thank you very much!”

Gary sighed. “You can’t keep it dislocated, idiot. It’s just gonna get worse.”

Ash huffed, crossing his good arm over his chest. “It already hurts. I don’t want it to hurt more.”

Gary rubbed his temple. “Look, I’ll do it quick, okay? But you gotta let me.”

Ash grumbled, staring at the floor.

Then, after a long moment, he muttered, “Can I at least… hold your arm or something?”

Gary blinked.

Then he sighed, shaking his head with a smirk. “Fine. Just this once, Ashy Boy.”

Ash immediately latched onto Gary’s arm.

Gary chuckled, then got into position. “Okay. Three… two—”

He popped the shoulder back in on two.

“Aghhh!” Ash yelped, squeezing Gary’s arm way too tight. “That was NOT THREE, GARY!”

Gary smirked. “And yet, it’s back in place.”

Ash whined, leaning against him dramatically. “You suck.”

Gary chuckled, ruffling his hair. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll live.”

Ash grumbled something under his breath, but didn’t let go of his arm.

Gary just sighed, already preparing to wrap his ribs.

This was gonna be a long night.

Professor Rowan barely had time to finish his sentence before Gary bolted past him, shoving the door open with enough force to nearly tear it off its hinges.

"Ash!"

The sight that met him outside made his stomach drop.

Ash was standing—barely. His clothes were ripped to shreds, covered in soot, dirt, and dried blood. His left arm was wrapped tightly around his ribs, and his right eye was swollen shut.

He gave a weak grin. "Hey, Doc..."

Gary gawked. "You absolute moron!"

Ash flinched at the volume. "Ow—"

Gary stormed up to him, grabbing his shoulders. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

Ash gave a small, sheepish chuckle. "Well, uh... I wasn't gonna let Hunter J just—"

"I don't care!" Gary shook him slightly, frustration warring with genuine horror. "You invaded a criminal's aircraft?! By yourself?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Ash winced but still tried to smile. "Hey, it worked. I got—"

"I don't care what you got!" Gary snapped, barely stopping himself from shaking Ash again. "Look at you!"

Ash just blinked at him. "What about me?"

Gary's eye twitched. "What about— Ash, you look like you just got thrown into a blender!"

Ash shrugged—then immediately hissed in pain, gripping his ribs tighter.

Gary glared. "Yeah. Exactly."

Professor Rowan cleared his throat. "Perhaps you should take him inside before he collapses?"

Gary sucked in a sharp breath. "Right."

Before Ash could protest, Gary slung Ash’s arm over his shoulder and hauled him inside.

"Whoa—Gary, I can walk!"

"Shut up," Gary muttered. "I'm checking you over, and you don’t get a say in it."

Ash groaned but didn't fight it. "This is exactly why I don't tell you things..."

Gary gave him a look. "Yeah? And this is exactly why you should."

Ash pouted.

Gary sighed as he dragged his battered best friend inside. "Arceus save me, Ash, you are gonna be the death of me..."