Ash wasn't acting like himself.

That was the first thing Gary noticed.

The two of them were hanging out in Gary's observatory, but instead of lounging around comfortably, Ash was stiff—his movements slow and deliberate, as if every shift of his body required serious thought. Normally, Ash flopped onto the couch with all the grace of a stunned Magikarp, but today, he sat down carefully, keeping his arms close to his chest.

Gary narrowed his eyes. "Alright, spill it, Ashy-boy. What's wrong?"

Ash flinched, just barely, but it was enough for Gary to catch. "Nothin'," he muttered, hugging a pillow against his torso.

Gary frowned. "Nothin'? Right. You're sitting like an old man, and you're holding that pillow like it's a lifeline. You sick or something?"

Ash shook his head quickly. "Nope! Totally fine!"

Gary crossed his arms, his expression unimpressed. "Uh-huh. And I'm the Champion of Sinnoh."

Ash snorted, but it came out strained. The moment he laughed, he tensed, gripping the pillow harder.

Gary's eyes sharpened. "...Ash."

"Nope."

"You're hurting."

"No, I'm—ow—fine!" Ash protested, shifting slightly. That movement alone made him wince, and he hunched over a little more.

Gary leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "Where?"

Ash hesitated. "I—I dunno what you're talking about."

That answer? Wrong.

Gary's eyes flicked to the way Ash was subtly protecting his chest, and it clicked. "It's your ribs, isn't it?"

Ash went still. He didn't answer. That was all the confirmation Gary needed.

"Ash," Gary said, his voice softer now. "Let me check."

"Nope."

Gary sighed. "Ashy-boy, don't make me do this the hard way."

Ash tightened his grip on the pillow. "I'm fine, really."

Gary raised a brow. "Then why are you acting like I'm about to steal your lunch money?"

Ash made a face. "Because I know you. You're gonna poke and prod and—"

"—Figure out what's wrong before you get worse," Gary finished. "C'mon, kiddo. Just let me see."

Ash stayed stubbornly silent.

Gary exhaled through his nose. "Okay. Fine. If you won't tell me, I'll just have to figure it out myself."

Ash's eyes widened. "Wait, what does that—"

Too late. Gary shifted, moving to sit beside Ash on the couch. He was careful, slow, like approaching a nervous Pokémon. His hands hovered near Ash's sides. "I'm not gonna do anything sudden," he said. "Just let me feel, alright?"

Ash still didn't answer, but he didn't move away, either. That was good enough for Gary.

Gently, he pressed his fingertips against Ash's ribs. Immediately, Ash tensed, his entire body rigid like a statue.

"Breathe, Ash," Gary murmured. "Deep breath in. That's it."

Ash did, shakily.

Gary's hands moved carefully over his ribs, feeling for anything unusual. When he reached a certain spot near Ash's side, he felt a subtle but definite shift—like something wasn't sitting where it should be.

Gary's stomach dropped.

"...Ash," he said carefully. "You dislocated a piece of your rib."

Ash blinked. "...What?"

Gary's brows furrowed. "Yeah. It's out of place. That's why it hurts."

Ash's mouth opened, then closed. "Uh. So... what do we do?"

Gary hesitated. "I have to put it back."

Ash stiffened. "...No."

Gary sighed. "Ash, I know it sounds bad—"

"Nope. No. Not happening."

"If we don't fix it now, it could get worse—"

"Nope."

Gary pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ash, buddy, listen—"

"NOPE."

Gary groaned. "You're such a pain sometimes, you know that?"

"Yup," Ash said quickly. "And I'm keeping my ribs right where they are, thank you very much."

Gary exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Ash, this isn't up for debate. You wanna keep breathing without feeling like a Donphan's stomping on your chest? Then we gotta fix it."

Ash hesitated, chewing his lip. "...It's gonna hurt, isn't it?"

Gary softened. "Yeah. It will."

Ash lowered his gaze. "...I don't want it."

Gary hated seeing Ash like this—nervous, uncertain. He thought for a moment, then sighed. "Alright," he said, tugging off one of his gloves. "You can hold onto me if it helps."

Ash blinked up at him. "What?"

Gary held out his arm. "I know you're scared, kiddo. So here—just this once, you can hug my arm if you need to."

Ash stared at him like he'd just sprouted a second head.

Gary rolled his eyes. "Take it or leave it, Ashy-boy. I don't offer twice."

Ash hesitated... then, after a long moment, he slowly wrapped both arms around Gary's forearm, squeezing tightly.

Gary let out a breath. "Alright. Just hold on. I'll be quick."

Ash nodded against his sleeve.

"Three... two..."

Gary pushed the rib back into place before he could say one.

Ash's body jolted, and a strangled noise escaped his throat. His grip on Gary's arm tightened like a vice, and Gary winced, feeling his circulation nearly cut off.

"Ash, breathe," Gary said gently, rubbing his back. "It's done. You're okay."

Ash trembled against him, his forehead pressing into Gary's sleeve. "That—sucked—" he rasped.

Gary chuckled, reaching up to ruffle Ash's hair. "Yeah, well, you did good, buddy."

Ash groaned, still clinging to Gary's arm. "I hate you."

Gary smirked. "You say that, but you're still hugging me."

Ash grumbled something unintelligible but didn't let go.

Gary just smiled. "Come on, kiddo. Let's get you something to drink. You earned it."

Ash huffed but allowed Gary to guide him up. And as they walked toward the kitchen, he still didn't let go of Gary's sleeve.

Gary pretended not to notice.

Ash was acting weird.

Gary had noticed it the moment they started walking back to his house after training. Normally, Ash was full of energy, chattering non-stop about battles, strategies, and whatever food he was craving next. But today? Today, Ash was quiet. A little too quiet.

At first, Gary thought maybe Ash was just tired. Training had been rough, and Ash wasn't the type to complain even when he was exhausted. But as they walked, Gary started to pick up on something else—something small, something subtle.

Ash wasn't swinging his arms like usual. He was holding his right arm a little too close to his chest.

Gary frowned, watching him from the corner of his eye. "Hey, Ashy-boy, you good?"

Ash immediately straightened up. "Yeah! Just... a little sore from training," he said quickly. Too quickly.

Gary narrowed his eyes. "Sore where?"

Ash hesitated. "Uh... everywhere?"

Gary wasn't buying it.

When they got back to Gary's place, Ash plopped down on the couch, exhaling sharply like he was relieved to sit down. That's when Gary noticed it again—Ash's hand subtly pressing against his ribs, as if he was guarding something.

Gary sat on the armrest of the couch, crossing his arms. "Alright, spill it. What's going on?"

Ash waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing. I told you, I'm just sore."

Gary wasn't having it.

He reached forward and poked Ash's side—not hard, just enough to see if he reacted.

The second his fingers made contact, Ash flinched violently, jerking away. "Ow! Don't do that!"

Gary's eyes widened. "Ash... What the hell was that?"

"I said I'm sore!"

"That was not 'sore.' That was 'I am in pain, and I don't want you to know about it,'" Gary countered.

Ash huffed, looking away. "It's not a big deal."

Gary rolled his eyes. "Okay, yeah, because normal people totally flinch like that when they're 'just sore.' Ash, come on, let me check."

Ash shook his head, gripping his side protectively.

Gary sighed. "Ash."

"No."

"Ashy-boy."

"No!"

Gary exhaled slowly, trying not to get frustrated. He reached forward again, this time moving more gently. "I need to see what's wrong."

Ash squirmed. "I don't want you to!"

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Ash hesitated. "...Because you're gonna do something about it."

Gary blinked. "Uh, yeah? That's kinda the point?"

Ash hunched over slightly, his fingers clutching his ribs. "It's gonna hurt, isn't it?"

Gary's face softened. "I don't know yet. I can't help if you don't let me see what's wrong."

Ash bit his lip, clearly debating whether or not to trust him. Finally, after a long pause, he sighed in defeat. "...Fine."

Gary nodded. "Alright, lie down for me."

Ash grumbled but did as he was told, shifting onto his back while Gary knelt beside him.

Gently, carefully, Gary lifted Ash's shirt, revealing his torso. Immediately, his eyes locked onto the problem.

One of Ash's ribs was slightly out of place.

Gary swore under his breath. "Ash, when did this happen?"

Ash shrugged. "I dunno. Sometime during training, I guess."

Gary groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. "You dislocated a rib piece, you idiot."

Ash blinked. "Huh?"

Gary sighed. "A rib piece is out of place. That's why it hurts. And if I don't pop it back in now, it's gonna mess with your breathing and cause more problems."

Ash immediately tensed. "Wait. Pop it back in?"

Gary nodded. "Yeah. It's gotta go back where it belongs."

Ash's face paled. "...And that's gonna hurt, isn't it?"

Gary hesitated. "...A little."

Ash's arms immediately shot up, crossing over his chest protectively. "No. Nope. Not happening."

Gary groaned. "Ash."

"I'll just deal with it."

"That's not how this works!"

Ash shook his head furiously. "I don't wanna do it!"

Gary sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Ash, listen to me. I know you don't want to, but if I don't do this now, it's gonna get worse. You might have trouble breathing. You might get dizzy. You might—"

"I don't care!" Ash snapped. "I just—I know it's gonna hurt, and I don't wanna do it!"

Gary softened. He knew Ash. Knew how stubborn he could be. But this? This wasn't just stubbornness. This was fear.

"...Alright," Gary said quietly.

Ash blinked. "Huh?"

Gary held out his arm. "You can hold onto me if you need to."

Ash hesitated. "What?"

Gary shrugged, keeping his voice casual. "If you're scared, you can hold my arm. Just this once."

Ash swallowed, looking at Gary's offered arm like it was a lifeline. After a moment, he slowly, hesitantly reached out and wrapped his arms around Gary's forearm, gripping tightly.

Gary smiled a little. "Alright, Ashy-boy. Just hold on, okay? I'll make it quick."

Ash nodded nervously.

"On three," Gary said, positioning his hands. "One... two—"

He did it on two.

There was a sickening pop as the rib piece snapped back into place.

Ash gasped, his entire body seizing up. The pain was sharp, sudden, and immediate. A strangled noise escaped his throat as he clenched his teeth, tears pricking at his eyes. His grip on Gary's arm tightened, fingers digging in desperately.

Gary let him.

Ash trembled, breathing hard, his face buried against Gary's sleeve. "That—sucked—" he choked out.

Gary huffed a quiet laugh. "I know, buddy. I know." He reached up, ruffling Ash's hair gently. "But it's over now. You did great."

Ash didn't respond right away. He was still shaking, still holding onto Gary's arm like his life depended on it.

Gary let him.

After a long moment, Ash finally loosened his grip, sniffling slightly. "...That was really bad."

Gary nodded. "Yeah. But you handled it."

Ash wiped his eyes quickly. "I'm never letting you do that again."

Gary smirked. "Yeah, well, let's try not to dislocate anything next time, huh?"

Ash groaned. "Ugh... I hate you."

Gary chuckled. "Love you too, Ashy-boy."