Ash had been uncomfortable all morning. It wasn't the usual post-training soreness—this was sharper, deeper, and every time he took a breath, it felt like something was wrong.

At first, he ignored it. Then, he tried to ignore it. Then, after attempting to stretch, twist, and shake it off, he gave up and went to find Gary.

Which was how he ended up sitting on the edge of an examination table again, arms crossed tightly over his chest while Gary stood in front of him, looking him over with his usual sharp, calculating stare.

Gary sighed. "Again?"

Ash scowled. "What do you mean again?"

Gary motioned vaguely at him. "First the jaw, now this. At this rate, I'm going to have to put you in bubble wrap."

"I don't need bubble wrap."

"You do need bubble wrap."

Ash huffed. "Just figure out what's wrong already."

"Yeah, yeah, let's see what dumb thing you did this time." Gary pulled on his gloves and motioned for Ash to sit up straighter. "Where exactly does it hurt?"

Ash frowned, pressing his hand to the left side of his chest. "Around here, I think? It's not, like, a heart thing, right? Because if it is, I don't wanna know."

Gary's eyebrow twitched. "If it is, you don't wanna know?"

"Yeah." Ash nodded seriously, still pressing his hand to his chest. "I think I'd rather just, you know, not know."

Gary sighed heavily. "Ash, if it was your heart, you wouldn't have a choice but to know. Now, shut up and let me check."

Ash begrudgingly obeyed. Gary pressed his fingers against different spots on Ash's chest, pausing every so often. "Tell me when it hurts."

"Okay." Ash nodded.

Gary pressed slightly below Ash's collarbone.

"Okay."

Lower.

"Okay."

He pressed near Ash's ribs—

"OW!"

Gary immediately stopped, brows knitting together. "That bad?"

Ash scowled. "Would I yell like that if it wasn't?"

"...Yes," Gary admitted.

Ash glared at him.

Gary ignored it, narrowing his eyes as he lightly traced along the ribcage with his fingers. Then, suddenly, he frowned. "Oh. That's not good."

Ash tensed. "What's not good?!"

Gary sighed, pressing at one specific spot. Ash nearly jumped off the table.

"Yeah, I was right," Gary muttered. "You dislocated part of your rib."

Ash stared at him. "...I what?"

"You popped a rib out of place."

"HOW?!"

Gary gave him a flat look. "I don't know, Ash. Maybe you fell, twisted too hard, or I don't know, got hit in the chest by something—"

"Oh," Ash muttered, realization dawning. "Maybe Pikachu ran into me at full speed yesterday."

Gary stared at him. "You think?"

"Yeah. That might've done it."

"Might've?"

"Yeah, I mean, he was going really fast, and I wasn't looking, and then—"

Gary rubbed his temples. "You are going to give me gray hair."

Ash waved a hand. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad."

Gary gave him a deadpan look. "Ash, your rib is literally out of place."

"Yeah, but, like, I can still breathe and stuff."

Gary pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not for long if we don't fix it."

Ash blinked. "...What do you mean?"

Gary dropped his hand and looked him in the eye, serious. "If you leave it like this, it can start messing with your breathing, the surrounding muscles can spasm, and it could cause bigger issues. I need to pop it back into place now."

Ash immediately leaned away. "Nope."

Gary grabbed his shoulder. "Ash."

"Nope."

Gary narrowed his eyes. "Ashy Boy."

"Absolutely not."

Gary groaned. "Do you want to breathe or not?"

"I'd rather struggle to breathe than let you do that!"

"ASH, YOU LITERALLY NEED YOUR RIBS TO FUNCTION."

"And I need you to not snap my bones back into place while I'm alive!"

"You won't even feel it for long—"

"I will feel it at all, and that's too much!"

Gary dragged a hand down his face. "Oh my Arceus, I do not have time for this."

Ash crossed his arms, wincing when it made his ribs hurt. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't."

"There has to be!"

"There isn't, Ash!"

"I refuse!"

"I do not care," Gary snapped. "You are not leaving this room until your rib is back where it belongs."

Ash dramatically flopped backward onto the table. "Why do I even tell you these things?"

"Because you'd literally die if I wasn't here."

Ash groaned loudly, covering his face with his hands. "I hate this."

Gary huffed. "Well, I love it."

"You're a liar."

"You're right, I hate it too, but I'm still doing it."

Ash groaned again, but before he could argue more, Gary placed a firm hand on his chest.

"Ash, look at me."

Ash peeked at him from between his fingers.

"It's gonna hurt for, like, two seconds," Gary promised. "And then it'll be fine. Okay?"

Ash groaned but finally muttered, "...Fine."

"Good," Gary said, placing his hands in position. "On three."

Ash narrowed his eyes. "You're lying again, aren't you?"

"One—"

"Gary—"

"Pop."

Ash yelled.

"—Three," Gary finished smoothly.

Ash lay there, panting, gripping the edge of the table with a death grip. He blinked up at the ceiling, wide-eyed and betrayed.

"...That sucked," he finally croaked.

Gary patted his arm. "Yeah, but you're not gonna suffocate now. So, you know. Win-win."

Ash slowly turned his head to glare at him. "I hate you."

Gary smirked. "You'll get over it."

Ash muttered under his breath, rubbing at his sore ribs, while Gary helped him sit up.

"Now, let's get you some ice and make sure Pikachu doesn't tackle you again for at least a week."

Ash sighed dramatically. "A week? Gary, that's impossible."

Gary just shook his head. "You are impossible."

It started as a dull ache. Nothing serious, just a weird, nagging pressure in his chest. Ash ignored it at first. He'd been through worse. Probably just a muscle strain or something—maybe he slept weird, maybe he overexerted himself during training. Whatever. It wasn't a big deal.

Then it got worse.

The dull ache turned into a sharp, stabbing pain every time he breathed in too deep. A twinge if he moved wrong. By the time the day was half over, it hurt just to exist.

Gary noticed immediately.

"Ash, why are you moving like a grandpa?"

"I'm not."

"You are." Gary squinted. "You're literally clutching your chest right now."

Ash quickly yanked his hand away. "No, I'm not."

Gary sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, you know that I can see you, right?"

Ash pursed his lips, avoiding eye contact. "...Maybe."

"Ash."

"Gary."

Gary exhaled sharply and crossed his arms. "What hurts?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"I'm fine."

"You're hunched over like a ninety-year-old man."

"Style choice."

Gary's eye twitched. "Ash."

Ash made the very poor decision to turn and walk away.

Gary grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back.

"NOPE," Gary snapped, forcing Ash to sit down. "You're getting checked out right now."

"I refuse—"

"Too bad."

Ash huffed but didn't fight when Gary started pressing lightly along his chest. The moment Gary's fingers touched a certain spot, though—

Sharp pain.

Ash flinched hard. "Ow—Ow—hey, don't do that!"

Gary frowned. He carefully moved his fingers, testing different areas, and Ash kept wincing. The pain was concentrated along his ribs, just off-center, and—

Gary's stomach dropped.

"...Ash," he said slowly, his voice serious. "Did you hit something? Fall? Crash? Get tackled by a Tauros?"

Ash blinked. "Uh... no? I don't think so?"

Gary stared at him. "You don't think so?"

Ash shrugged. "I mean, I crash into things a lot, so I don't keep track—"

Gary groaned, pressing a hand over his face. "Unbelievable."

Ash fidgeted. "...So, uh, what's wrong?"

Gary dropped his hand. His expression was grim.

"You dislocated a piece of your rib."

Ash stared. "I what?"

"You popped part of your rib out of place, Ash," Gary repeated, stressed.

"...Is that bad?"

Gary nearly throttled him. "YES, IT'S BAD."

Ash winced at the volume.

Gary exhaled sharply, trying to keep calm. "Listen to me. If I don't fix this right now, it could mess up your breathing, hurt your heart, or press against nerves in a really bad way. I have to pop it back into place immediately."

Ash immediately shook his head. "Nope. Nope, nope, absolutely not."

"Ash—"

"No, Gary, you already relocated my jaw against my will, and I am not doing that again!"

"Ash—"

"I would rather live with chest pain for the rest of my life!"

"IT COULD KILL YOU, YOU IDIOT!"

Ash clamped his mouth shut.

Gary ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Look. I know it's gonna hurt, okay? I get it. But if I don't fix it now, it's just gonna get worse. And then you will end up in the hospital, and I know you don't want that."

Ash scowled, arms crossed tightly, stubborn as ever. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't."

"...Are you sure?"

"YES."

Ash looked absolutely miserable.

Gary sighed. His voice softened. "...Ashy Boy."

Ash's jaw clenched. He refused to look at Gary.

"...I know you're scared," Gary said quietly. "But you trust me, right?"

Ash hesitated. His fingers twitched.

"...Yeah," he admitted, barely above a whisper.

Gary squeezed his shoulder. "Then let me do this. I promise I'll be quick, okay?"

Ash swallowed hard. His breathing was slightly uneven, his shoulders tense. But after a long moment—he gave a tiny, reluctant nod.

Gary didn't waste time.

He placed his hands carefully, adjusted his grip, and before Ash could second-guess his decision—

Pop.

A sharp, intense pain flared through Ash's chest—he yelped, his back arching slightly. Then—just as quickly—the pain dulled. Not completely gone, but better.

Ash was panting slightly, eyes squeezed shut. "I hate you," he mumbled.

Gary smirked, ruffling his hair. "You'll get over it."

Ash let out a dramatic groan. "Why does this keep happening to me?"

Gary chuckled, shaking his head. "Because you're a reckless kid, that's why."

Ash huffed but didn't argue.

"Come on," Gary said, patting his shoulder. "Let's get you some rest before you somehow manage to dislocate your spine next."

Ash whined. "Don't manifest that, dude!"

Gary just laughed, leading him out of the room.

It started with a twinge.

Ash had been minding his own business, stretching after a long day of running, battling, and doing whatever reckless things he always did. He reached his arms over his head, twisting his torso, when suddenly—POP.

Pain. Sharp, searing, deep in his chest.

He immediately froze, breath catching in his throat. His heart pounded. He tried to inhale normally, but every breath sent a sharp, stabbing sensation through his ribs, like something was lodged out of place.

"Uh... That's not good," Ash muttered, pressing a hand against his chest.

At first, he thought maybe he had just pulled a muscle. He tried to shake it off, but as the minutes passed, the pain didn't ease. It got worse. Every movement sent a fresh wave of discomfort up his side, like something was shifting in there.

He didn't like it. Not one bit.

But he really didn't like what it meant.

Because now he had to go see Gary.

—

"You what?" Gary demanded, staring at Ash in exasperation.

Ash sat on the examination table, looking incredibly unenthusiastic about the whole situation. "I dunno, man, I was just stretching, and then it was like pop and now it hurts and breathing feels weird."

Gary pinched the bridge of his nose. "Pop?"

"Yeah, like a pop!" Ash flailed one hand vaguely in the air.

Gary gave him a flat look. "Ash, you dislocated a rib piece."

Ash blinked. "...Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." Gary sighed. "You probably twisted wrong and forced part of your rib out of alignment. And guess what? We have to fix it right now."

Ash tensed immediately. "What? No. No, no, no, we do not have to fix it right now—"

"Yes, we do."

"No, we don't!"

"Ash, if we don't, you won't be able to breathe properly, and you could develop serious complications."

Ash pointed at him accusingly. "That sounds fake."

Gary deadpanned. "It's literally not. You could end up with inflammation, nerve compression, even lung issues."

Ash crossed his arms. "Sounds like a future Ash problem."

Gary's eye twitched. "Sounds like a right now Ash problem because I will pop that rib back into place whether you like it or not."

Ash paled. "No, no, I really don't want you to do that."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to keep your dislocated jaw too, and look how that turned out."

"Yeah, but this is different!" Ash pressed his arms protectively over his chest. "You're not touching me."

Gary exhaled slowly, clearly trying not to strangle him. "Ash, this is going to get so much worse if you don't let me fix it right now."

"I refuse."

"Ash—"

"Nope!"

"Ash, listen to me!" Gary snapped, stepping closer. "This isn't something you can just ignore! If I don't pop it back now, your body is going to compensate for the misalignment, and you're going to end up with way worse pain."

Ash still looked unconvinced.

Gary groaned. "What if I just distract you while I do it? Like before?"

Ash's eyes narrowed. "Last time, you lied about counting to three."

Gary didn't even look guilty. "And it worked, didn't it?"

Ash huffed, crossing his arms tighter.

Gary softened slightly. "...Ash, I know it's gonna suck for a second. But trust me, this will be way better than leaving it."

Ash still hesitated, biting his lip.

Then a particularly sharp jab shot through his ribs, and he instinctively clutched his chest, sucking in a breath. He winced hard.

Gary frowned. "...That one was worse, wasn't it?"

Ash didn't respond. He didn't need to.

Gary sighed and placed a careful hand on Ash's shoulder. "I promise I'll be quick, okay?"

Ash clenched his jaw. "...Fine."

"Okay," Gary said, rolling up his sleeves. "I'm gonna have you lie down."

Ash hated everything about this already. But he reluctantly eased himself down onto the table, wincing as the motion tugged at his ribs.

Gary positioned himself at Ash's side, one hand steadying him. "Alright. Deep breath in."

Ash inhaled sharply—

And POP.

A jolt shot through his chest. His vision briefly whited out. He gasped as the pain peaked—then, suddenly, like a snapped tension wire, it was gone.

Ash just lay there, stunned.

"...What. The. Hell."

Gary grinned. "Told ya I'd be quick."

Ash groaned loudly, rubbing his face. "I hate you so much."

Gary patted his shoulder. "You're welcome."

Ash scowled at him—but when he carefully tested a breath, realizing the sharp pain had vanished, he begrudgingly muttered, "Thanks... I guess."

Gary smirked. "Guess I should start keeping a tally for every time I save your reckless ass."

Ash huffed. "Keep dreaming."

Gary just laughed, grabbing some ice packs. "C'mon, hero. Let's get you patched up before you somehow dislocate your spine next."