Gary led Ash into one of the quieter rooms in his clinic, gesturing for him to sit on the examination table. "Alright, Ashy-boy, just a quick check-up," he said casually, grabbing the blood pressure cuff.

Ash sighed, swinging his legs slightly. "You say 'quick,' but I know how this goes," he muttered. "You're gonna poke and prod me like a lab experiment."

Gary smirked. "Oh, please, don’t be so dramatic. Just hold out your arm."

Ash huffed but did as he was told, letting Gary wrap the cuff around his bicep. As Gary pumped the cuff, Ash sat stiffly, his hands clenching into fists.

After a moment, the machine beeped. Gary checked the reading… and frowned.

"Huh."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "What? What ‘huh’?"

Gary tapped the screen. "Your blood pressure’s high."

Ash groaned. "Ugh, it’s always high when you check it."

Gary hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah, I’ve noticed that." He leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "You’re a healthy guy, no major conditions… and yet, every time you’re in my clinic, your blood pressure is up."

Ash shrugged. "Maybe I just don’t like being here."

Gary smirked. "Oh, I know you don’t like being here, but I wanna test something."

Before Ash could ask, Gary reached up and unbuttoned his lab coat, shrugging it off and tossing it onto a chair. Now, in just his casual black t-shirt and purple pants, he looked a lot less like a doctor and more like his old rival.

"Alright, same test, different look," Gary said, rewrapping the cuff around Ash’s arm. "Let's see what happens."

Ash snorted. "This is dumb."

"Shut up and sit still."

The machine beeped again, and Gary checked the numbers. His eyebrows shot up.

"Well, well, well…" Gary grinned. "Would you look at that?"

Ash blinked. "What?"

Gary turned the screen toward him. "It’s lower now. Still not perfect, but way better than before."

Ash stared at the numbers. "...What does that mean?"

Gary smirked, crossing his arms. "It means my dear, dear best friend has white coat syndrome."

Ash’s eye twitched. "What the heck is that?"

Gary chuckled. "It’s when people’s blood pressure shoots up just because they’re in a medical setting or around doctors." He gestured to himself. "Or, apparently, when I’m in a lab coat."

Ash groaned, rubbing his face. "Oh, come on. So you’re saying I get all worked up just because you look official?"

"Pretty much." Gary wiggled his eyebrows. "Guess that means I intimidate you."

Ash scowled. "Oh, shut up."

Gary snickered, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "Don’t worry, Ashy-boy. Next time, I’ll just show up in casual clothes and pretend I’m not a doctor."

Ash rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

But Gary couldn’t stop grinning. This was gonna be fun.

Gary led Ash into one of the quieter examination rooms of his clinic, closing the door behind them. Ash plopped onto the chair beside the desk, swinging his legs slightly as Pikachu hopped onto the counter nearby.

"Alright, Ashy-boy," Gary said, grabbing the blood pressure cuff. "Let’s check your vitals."

Ash groaned. "Come on, Gary, I feel fine."

Gary rolled his eyes. "You always say that, and then five minutes later, you’re passed out in a field somewhere."

Ash huffed but didn’t argue as Gary wrapped the cuff around his arm and started pumping. As the machine did its work, Ash fidgeted in his seat.

Then the reading popped up.

Gary frowned.

"One-thirty over ninety?" He glanced at Ash. "That’s pretty high for a kid your age."

Ash blinked. "Is that bad?"

Gary sighed, rubbing his chin. "It’s… not great. But then again, your blood pressure’s always high whenever you come in."

Ash tilted his head. "Maybe I just run on pure adrenaline."

Gary snorted. "Wouldn’t surprise me."

But something didn’t sit right. Ash was one of the most active kids he knew, but even with all the running, battling, and occasional reckless stunts, his blood pressure shouldn’t always be this high.

Gary leaned back, thinking.

Then an idea struck him.

"Hold on," he muttered. He unbuttoned his lab coat and slipped it off, tossing it onto the desk. Now, in just his casual T-shirt and jeans, he looked way less like a doctor and more like his old self—the Gary Ash had grown up with.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Uh… what are you doing?"

"Just testing something." Gary wrapped the cuff around Ash’s arm again and took another reading. The machine beeped, and when the numbers appeared, Gary’s eyebrows shot up.

"One-ten over seventy-five."

Ash blinked. "Is that… better?"

"Way better."

Gary narrowed his eyes, looking back and forth between Ash and the discarded lab coat. Then, as if a lightbulb went off, he smirked.

"Ohhh, I see what’s happening here."

Ash frowned. "What?"

Gary crossed his arms. "You, my dear Ashy-boy, have white coat syndrome."

Ash made a face. "White what now?"

"White coat syndrome. It’s when someone’s blood pressure shoots up because they’re nervous around doctors." Gary pointed at himself. "Or, more specifically, people wearing doctor’s coats."

Ash blinked. "Wait, you’re saying my body freaks out just because you’re in a lab coat?"

Gary grinned. "Yup."

Ash looked at Pikachu, then back at Gary, as if trying to process. "...That’s so weird."

Gary chuckled. "Not really. It’s actually pretty common. Some people just associate doctors with bad experiences—shots, exams, getting poked and prodded, y’know. So their body automatically tenses up."

Ash huffed. "Well, that’s dumb. You’re my best friend! Why would I be nervous around you?"

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I don’t know, maybe because I’m still a doctor? And you hate medical stuff?"

Ash crossed his arms. "I don’t hate it."

Gary gave him a flat look. "Uh-huh. That’s why you literally shook like a leaf the last time I had to give you a shot?"

Ash scowled. "That was different!"

Gary smirked. "Sure it was."

Ash slumped in his seat. "...So what do I do about it?"

Gary shrugged. "Nothing, really. Now that we know what’s causing it, we can work around it." He grabbed the lab coat and waved it in front of Ash playfully. "Or maybe I just ditch this thing when you come in, so you don’t go into panic mode."

Ash scrunched his nose. "I do not go into panic mode."

Gary just smirked. "Tell that to your blood pressure."

Ash groaned, but Pikachu giggled, giving an approving "Pika~!"

Gary laughed, tossing the lab coat onto the chair. "Alright, Ashy-boy, no coats next time. Doctor’s orders."

Ash huffed but couldn’t help grinning. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Doc."

Gary led Ash into one of the exam rooms at his clinic, motioning for him to sit on the padded table. Pikachu hopped up beside him, watching curiously as Gary prepped the blood pressure cuff.

"Alright, Ashy Boy, let’s check your blood pressure," Gary said, rolling up Ash’s sleeve.

Ash groaned, swinging his legs slightly. "Do we have to? I feel fine!"

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before. Just sit still."

Ash huffed but didn’t argue as Gary wrapped the cuff around his arm and started pumping. The machine beeped softly, and as the numbers came up on the screen, Gary’s frown deepened.

"Still high," he muttered.

Ash tilted his head. "Huh? What’s wrong?"

Gary sighed, scribbling something on his clipboard. "Your blood pressure’s high. Again. It’s always high when you’re here."

Ash blinked. "Maybe it’s just… always high?"

Gary gave him a look. "That’s not normal, Ash."

Ash shrugged. "I dunno, maybe it’s a trainer thing!"

Gary tapped his pen against the clipboard, deep in thought. Then, an idea struck him.

"Alright," he said, setting the clipboard down. "Let’s try something."

Ash watched in confusion as Gary pulled off his white doctor’s coat, draping it over a chair. Now, in just his regular clothes—his dark T-shirt and pants—he looked way less like ‘Doctor Oak’ and more like the same old Gary Ash had known since they were kids.

Gary rolled up Ash's sleeves and grabbed the blood pressure cuff again. "Let’s see something real quick."

Ash frowned. "Uh… okay?"

Gary wrapped the cuff around Ash’s arm once more, pressing the button. The machine beeped, and after a moment, the new reading popped up.

Lower.

Noticeably lower.

Gary leaned back, staring at the screen. Then he smirked. "Hah. Knew it."

Ash blinked. "Knew what?"

Gary crossed his arms. "You, my dear Ashy Boy, have white coat syndrome."

Ash’s face scrunched up. "White what now?"

"White coat syndrome," Gary repeated, pointing at his lab coat. "It’s when someone’s blood pressure goes up just because they’re in a medical setting—like a clinic—with a doctor." He smirked. "Or, in your case, because I’m the doctor."

Ash stared at him. "Wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me my blood pressure goes up just because you are wearing a coat?"

Gary nodded smugly. "Looks like it."

Ash groaned, flopping dramatically back onto the table. "Oh, come on! That’s not fair! I wasn’t even scared!"

Gary chuckled. "Doesn’t matter if you feel scared—your body still reacts."

Ash groaned again, covering his face. "Ughhh. So what, does this mean I need to, like, meditate before coming here now?"

Gary shrugged. "Either that, or I just treat you without the coat."

Ash peeked out from behind his hands. "…That’s an option?"

Gary smirked. "For you? Maybe."

Ash sat up, looking at the coat draped over the chair. "Weird…"

Pikachu tilted its head. "Pika?"

Ash sighed, rubbing his arm. "So what do we do about it?"

Gary leaned against the counter. "Eh, it’s not dangerous, just annoying. But now that I know about it, I can work around it."

Ash slumped. "Man, I can’t believe I have something called white coat syndrome."

Gary patted his shoulder. "Hey, look at it this way—you just get nervous around me. I always knew I had that effect on people."

Ash shot him a glare. "Not helping, Oak."

Gary just grinned. "Oh, but I am, Ketchum. I am."

Gary led Ash into one of the quieter exam rooms, motioning for him to take a seat on the examination table. Pikachu hopped up beside him, watching with curious eyes as Gary rolled over the blood pressure monitor.

"Alright, Ash, just a quick check-up," Gary said, rolling up Ash’s sleeve. "I wanna see how your blood pressure’s doing."

Ash made a face but didn’t protest. "Do we have to? I feel fine."

Gary shot him a look. "That’s what you always say, and then I find out you’ve been running on fumes for three days straight."

Ash chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Eheh… maybe…"

Gary shook his head with a smirk and wrapped the cuff around Ash’s arm. As he started inflating it, he noticed something almost immediately—Ash’s fingers had curled into fists, his shoulders were stiff, and he was staring intently at the wall like it was a life-or-death situation.

Gary frowned. The reading came back: way too high for a kid his age.

"Sheesh, Ash. Your blood pressure’s through the roof," Gary muttered, writing it down.

Ash huffed. "Told you we didn’t have to do this."

Gary wasn’t convinced. Sure, Ash was always a little on the high side, but something about this seemed off. His eyes flickered to the lab coat draped over his shoulders.

Huh… I wonder…

A mischievous smirk tugged at the corners of Gary’s lips. "Alright, let’s try something."

Ash blinked. "Try what?"

Instead of answering, Gary shrugged off his white coat, tossing it over a chair. Now in just his regular t-shirt and jeans, he looked far less like a doctor and more like the rival-turned-best-friend Ash had grown up with.

"Okay, let’s do it again," Gary said casually as he re-wrapped the cuff around Ash’s arm.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Uh… is this some kinda weird experiment?"

Gary grinned. "Maybe. Just humor me."

Ash sighed but stayed still as Gary took the reading again.

Beep.

Gary glanced at the numbers—and blinked.

The blood pressure was noticeably lower. Still slightly above average, but nowhere near the previous reading.

Gary stared at it for a second before a slow smirk spread across his face. He crossed his arms, looking at Ash with a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Well, well, well… Looks like someone has white coat syndrome."

Ash blinked. "…White what?"

Gary snickered, flipping his notepad shut. "White coat syndrome. It means your blood pressure spikes when you’re around doctors or in medical settings."

Ash looked horrified. "Wha—No! That’s not true! I—" He paused. "Wait… That’s a real thing?"

Gary nodded. "Yup. Basically, your body automatically reacts to medical situations with stress—even if you don’t feel scared."

Ash gaped at him. "But—but I don’t get nervous at check-ups!"

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then why was your blood pressure sky-high the first time, but perfectly fine when I wasn’t wearing my coat?"

Ash opened his mouth. Closed it. Then narrowed his eyes. "…That doesn’t prove anything."

Gary just grinned wider. "Oh, it totally does."

Ash groaned, flopping backward dramatically onto the examination table. "Ughhhh, you’re making this up…"

Gary chuckled, ruffling Ash’s hair. "Nope. Face it, buddy—you’ve got white coat syndrome."

Ash groaned again, covering his face while Pikachu let out an amused "Pika~."

Gary smirked. "Hey, don’t worry. At least now we know why your blood pressure is always so high here."

Ash peeked out from behind his hands. "…So does that mean I don’t have bad blood pressure?"

Gary rolled his eyes but smiled. "I’ll check again later outside the clinic, but yeah, it’s probably just the nerves messing with it."

Ash let out a relieved sigh. "Okay, good. 'Cause I was about to say, I run around a lot—I should be, like, the picture of health!"

Gary snorted. "Yeah, sure, if ‘health’ means getting poisoned, electrocuted, and half-drowned every other day."

Ash stuck out his tongue. "Still alive, aren’t I?"

Gary shook his head fondly. "Barely," he teased. "C’mon, let’s get outta here before your blood pressure spikes again just from looking at medical equipment."

Ash groaned. "I hate that you’re probably right about this…"

Gary smirked. "Get used to it, Ashy Boy."