Gary hurried down the hallway, his mind racing. Ash? On the ground? And with a bag from his grandfather? He could only imagine what kind of ridiculous situation his best friend had gotten himself into this time.

As he reached the front door, the sight before him made him stop in his tracks. There was Ash, crouched on the floor, shivering in his jeans, shoes, and a short-sleeve black shirt. He was holding a bundled-up Pikachu in his arms. The little Pokémon was swaddled in Ash’s jacket, hat, and what looked like at least three scarves. Pikachu’s ears peeked out from the top of the mound of fabric, and it gave a small, worried "Pika?"

Gary pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ash," he said slowly, his tone laced with exasperation. "What in the world are you doing?"

Ash looked up at him with an awkward grin. "Hey, Gary," he said sheepishly. "Uh, I won’t bother you or anything. Just dropping this off." He gestured to the bag at his side, still clutching Pikachu tightly. "So, uh… bye!"

Gary crossed his arms, blocking Ash’s path as he tried to stand. "Oh no, you don’t," he said firmly. "You’re not going anywhere until you explain why you’re out here in freezing weather dressed like that." He motioned to Ash’s short sleeves and lack of proper winter attire.

Ash blinked, clearly trying to come up with an excuse. "Well, uh… Pikachu was cold," he said, as if that explained everything.

Gary stared at him, dumbfounded. "So you decided to freeze yourself instead of bundling both of you up? What’s wrong with you?"

Ash shrugged, still grinning awkwardly. "It made sense at the time?"

Gary groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Of course it did. Only you, Ash, would think freezing yourself to keep Pikachu warm was a brilliant idea." He bent down and picked up the bag, glancing at it. "What’s in here, anyway?"

Ash perked up. "Oh! It’s from your grandpa. He said it was super important and that I should bring it to you right away."

Gary shook his head, muttering under his breath. "And you didn’t think to, I don’t know, wear a coat? Maybe gloves? Something warm?"

Ash rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at Gary. "Well… I was in a hurry, and Pikachu didn’t have a jacket, so…"

"Pikachu’s a Pokémon, Ash!" Gary snapped, though there was no real anger in his voice. "It can handle a little cold better than you can. Look at you, you’re practically a popsicle!"

"Pika-pi," Pikachu said softly, nuzzling into Ash’s chest as if agreeing with Gary.

Gary sighed, grabbing Ash by the arm. "Come on. You’re coming inside before you turn into an icicle. And don’t even try to argue."

"But I—"

"No buts!" Gary interrupted, dragging Ash toward his office. "You’re staying here until you warm up. And then we’re going to have a serious talk about your decision-making skills."

Ash groaned but didn’t resist, knowing Gary wouldn’t let this go. "Fine, but only for a minute. I’ve got places to be, you know!"

Gary rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Places like the hospital if you keep this up."

Ash muttered something under his breath, but the warmth of the clinic was already starting to make him realize just how cold he’d been. As they reached Gary’s office, Gary grabbed a blanket from the couch and tossed it over Ash.

"Sit," Gary ordered, pointing to the couch.

Ash reluctantly obeyed, clutching Pikachu and the blanket tightly. "Thanks, Gary," he mumbled.

Gary smirked, though there was a hint of fondness in his expression. "Don’t mention it, Ashy-boy. Just… try not to give me a heart attack next time, okay?"

Ash chuckled softly, his teeth no longer chattering. "No promises."