If you have medical phobia I do not recommend you read this

Gary took a deep breath, his hands moving quickly and precisely as he finished sterilizing the tools he would need. The stainless steel tray beside him was lined with scalpels, forceps, sutures, and gauze-everything had to be perfect.

Ritchie lay on the operation table, his breathing shallow but steady. His forehead was slick with sweat, his face twisted in discomfort. The anesthesia Gary had given him was starting to take effect, but Gary still checked his vitals every few seconds. He wasn't taking any chances.

Ash stood nearby, shifting from foot to foot. His face was pale, his hands clenched into nervous fists. "G-Gary... are you sure you can do this?"

Gary snapped on his gloves, his heart pounding in his chest. He had to do this. There was no other option.

"I can do this, Ash," he said firmly, adjusting his surgical mask over his face. "And I will. But I need you to stay calm, okay? You're my assistant."

Ash swallowed hard but nodded. "O-okay. What do I do?"

Gary pointed to the heart monitor he had hooked up to Ritchie. "Watch this. If anything changes-if his heart rate spikes or drops-you tell me immediately. Got it?"

Ash nodded quickly and stepped closer, his eyes glued to the screen.

Gary took another deep breath, steadying himself. He moved to Ritchie's side and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alright, Ritchie... I need you to count backward from ten for me."

Ritchie's eyelids fluttered, his voice slurred. "T-ten... n-nine..." His voice trailed off, and within seconds, his body relaxed completely.

Gary clenched his fists, then exhaled.

It was time.

He picked up the scalpel, his grip steady despite the adrenaline rushing through his veins. Carefully, he made the first incision just above Ritchie's lower right abdomen. His movements were precise, controlled.

Ash gulped. "Th-there's blood..."

Gary's voice was calm, but his focus didn't waver. "That's normal, Ash. Hand me the suction tube."

Ash scrambled to grab the instrument and passed it to Gary with shaking hands.

Gary worked quickly, clearing the excess blood from the incision site. Then, with careful movements, he used forceps to gently separate the muscle layers, exposing the inflamed appendix.

His stomach dropped.

The appendix was bad. Swollen, red, and dangerously close to rupturing.

"We don't have much time," Gary murmured under his breath.

Ash was practically vibrating with anxiety. "I-is that supposed to look like that?!"

"No," Gary admitted, his voice tight. "But that's why we're doing this now."

He reached for the surgical scissors and carefully clamped the appendix's blood supply to prevent excessive bleeding. Then, with expert precision, he cut the infected organ free.

Ash gasped. "Y-you got it?! Is it over?!"

Gary wasn't done yet. He worked quickly to cauterize the area, ensuring there would be no internal bleeding. Then, using fine sutures, he carefully stitched up the muscle layers, ensuring everything was secured properly.

Finally, he applied a sterile dressing over the stitched incision and stepped back, letting out a huge breath.

"It's done."

Ash stared at him, eyes huge. "Y-you did it?!"

Gary nodded, peeling off his gloves. "Yeah. Ritchie's gonna be okay."

Ash collapsed into a chair, hands in his hair. "Dude... you're insane."

Gary chuckled tiredly. "Yeah, well... it worked, didn't it?"

They both turned to look at Ritchie, who was still unconscious but now safe.

Gary slumped against the counter, exhaustion finally hitting him.

That... was the scariest thing he'd ever done. But it had worked.

Ritchie was going to be okay.

The small, hidden surgical room in Professor Oak's lab was dimly lit, sterile, and cold. The walls gleamed with stainless steel cabinets filled with medical tools. A bright overhead light shone down onto the operating table, where Ritchie lay, pale and sweating. The room smelled faintly of antiseptic, metal, and something sharp-something clinical.

Gary stood at the metal counter, snapping on a pair of surgical gloves, his heart hammering. His hands were steady, but his mind was racing.

I can do this. I have to do this.

Ash stood by the counter, hands clenched into nervous fists, his eyes darting between Gary and Ritchie. "Gary... are you sure about this?"

Gary took a deep breath, turning to Ash. "Yes." His voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt. "We don't have time to wait for an ambulance. If I don't do this now, Ritchie's appendix could burst."

Ash swallowed hard, nodding. "O-okay... What do you need me to do?"

Gary turned back to the table, grabbing a sterilized mask and slipping it over his face. "First, I need you to stay calm," he said, his voice slightly muffled. "I need an assistant, and I trust you."

Ash's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded. "Okay... okay. I can do that."

Gary pulled out a small vial of anesthesia and a syringe. His heart clenched at the sight of it-he hated using needles on his friends. But there was no other choice.

He turned to Ritchie, whose breathing was shallow and fast. "Hey, Ritchie," Gary said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to give you something to make you sleep, okay?"

Ritchie blinked up at him, his fevered eyes glazed. "W-will it... hurt?"

Gary hesitated for half a second. "Only for a second, buddy. Then you won't feel a thing."

Ritchie gave a weak nod, his fingers trembling slightly as he tried to grip the edge of the table.

Gary took a steadying breath, swabbed a small spot on Ritchie's arm with alcohol, and carefully inserted the needle.

Ritchie flinched, his body tensing-then, after a moment, his breathing slowed. His fingers relaxed.

Gary glanced at Ash. "Time it. He should be fully under in about a minute."

Ash grabbed his Pokégear and tapped on the timer, his hands still shaking. "G-Gary..."

Gary turned to the tray of sterilized tools, his mind shifting into complete focus. "We don't have time to be scared, Ash," he murmured, picking up the scalpel. "I need you to trust me."

Ash took a deep breath. "I do," he whispered.

The timer beeped.

Gary turned back to Ritchie, his voice soft but firm. "Alright. Let's begin."

He exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening around the scalpel as he positioned himself beside Ritchie. The bright overhead light illuminated the surgical drape covering most of Ritchie's abdomen, leaving only the prepared area exposed. The antiseptic scent of iodine filled the air, the dark orange solution glistening against Ritchie's pale skin.

"Ash," Gary said without looking up. "Hand me the forceps."

Ash gulped and hesitated for a second before reaching for the sterilized forceps with trembling hands. He placed them carefully into Gary's outstretched palm.

Gary gave a small nod. Good. He's listening. "Okay... I'm making the first incision."

Ash stiffened as Gary carefully pressed the scalpel against Ritchie's lower right abdomen. The blade was sharp-so sharp that it cut through the skin and the underlying layers with almost no resistance. A thin line of red appeared, but Gary worked with precision, quickly blotting the area with gauze before blood could pool.

Ash's breath hitched. "G-Gary..."

Gary didn't look up. "Ash, keep breathing. You're doing great." His voice was calm, reassuring-but his hands never stopped moving.

Using the forceps, he gently pulled back the cut tissue, exposing the swollen, inflamed appendix beneath. There it is. His stomach twisted at the sight. Ritchie's appendix was dangerously close to bursting-engorged, red, and surrounded by irritated tissue. If it had ruptured, sepsis could have set in.

Gary let out a breath. We made it just in time.

"Ash, suction," Gary instructed.

Ash fumbled with the suction tube but quickly adjusted, clearing away the small amounts of blood pooling in the surgical site. His face was pale, but he was keeping it together.

Gary grabbed the surgical scissors next. "I need to cut the mesoappendix-this part here." He pointed briefly to the thin connective tissue holding the appendix in place. Carefully, he clamped it with forceps, ensuring there was no excessive bleeding before making a precise cut.

"Now, I'm going to tie off the base of the appendix so it doesn't leak anything dangerous into his abdomen." He reached for the silk suture thread and began tying a tight ligature around the appendix's base. His hands were steady-this part was critical. If he didn't seal it properly, things could go very wrong.

Ash's voice was barely above a whisper. "And... then you take it out?"

Gary nodded. "Yeah. Almost there, buddy."

Once the ligature was secured, he carefully severed the appendix just above the knot. Done. He placed the removed organ in a sterile tray before quickly checking the area for any signs of infection or leakage.

Satisfied, he began the closing procedure. "Alright, we're closing him up."

Ash exhaled in visible relief, stepping back slightly as Gary carefully sutured the layers of muscle and skin back together, ensuring everything was neat and secure. Once finished, he covered the incision with clean bandages and took off his gloves with a deep breath.

He turned to Ash, who looked like he was about to collapse.

"You okay, buddy?"

Ash nodded weakly. "Y-yeah... Just... I can't believe you actually did that."

Gary smiled, exhaustion finally creeping into his voice. "Believe it, Ash. Ritchie's gonna be okay." He placed a gentle hand on Ritchie's forehead, feeling for fever. "We'll keep him monitored, but he should wake up soon."

Ash blinked at him, then suddenly lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Gary.

"Thank you, Gary," he whispered, his voice shaky.

Gary hesitated, then sighed, returning the hug. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He patted Ash's back. "Now let's get cleaned up before Gramps finds out we just turned his lab into a full-on surgery room."

Ash finally let go, wiping his eyes. "Yeah... Good idea."

Gary glanced back at Ritchie, who was breathing evenly, his face no longer twisted in pain.

Yeah... We did good.