In the episode gotta catch you later when ash was catching up with Gary he was like " GARYYYYYYYY!" like a best friend would

So they are best friends and you can't say anything that will change my mind

" Garyyyyyyyyy!" Ash called as he ran up the hill and stopped in front of Gary.

Gary raised a brow. " Ash, you realize I'm only going for a day, right? I'm gonna see you again tomorrow."

" I .... Know....." Ash panted.

" Then ..... Why'd you come?"

Ash handed Gary a bag and nearly collapsed. " You.... Almost.... Forgot your bag."

Gary looked on his back. There was nothing.

" Whoops. Thanks Ashy. Stay safe, got it?"

Ash nodded. " I .... Will. You.... Should.... Too."

Gary raised his brow again. " I'm the careful one. It's you I'm worried about."

" Don't... Worry..... About.... Me....."

Gary sighed. " That's what you always say ...."

Tracey chased an Oddish, while Ash tried to calm Gary's Dodrio. " Hold on!" He yelled as he went flying everywhere on its back. " I just wanted to pet you! Calm down!"

" Bulbasaur!* Bulbasaur tried to reason with the Oddish, but it wouldn't listen.

" Come ba- oh, no!"

Ash watched as Tracey abandoned his chase to go and stop a Tauros. " Don't -"

" Break the fence. Oh....." Tracey sighed.

Oak tried to hold a Pancham, but it slipped away. " Wait!" He cried. " You need to eat!"

Ash sighed and rubbed his temples. " This is a mess."

Tracey, who had finally returned the Oddish to its Pokeball, put it in its enclosure and sighed. " You're telling me."

Oak sighed. " We need Gary's help."

Ash raised a brow. " And why's that?"

" Because four people are better than one."

Ash sighed in relief. " So, he can't calm Pokemon down?"

" I wish we all could. But, unfortunately we can't."

Ash sighed again. " Well, Gary's not here. And no one else would be willing to. So we'll have to handle it ourselves."

Tracey, who was chasing another Pokemon, looked up. " How?" He asked.

Ash grinned. " Let's catch them the old fashion way."

He turned to Tracey and Oak. " Gather your best Pokemon and tell them to attack these Pokemon. With enough luck, we might be able to put them in their Pile Balls as if they weren't already ours."

Oak nodded thoughtfully. " It might work."

" But I only have three Pokemon." Tracey pointed out. " And they all came to me out of luck. They don't know how to fight."

Ash smiled. " You don't have to."

" I don't?" Tracey looked confused.

" No."

" Then what will I do?"

" Do what you're best at- sketching."

" Ready?" Oak asked Ash.

Ash gave him a thumbs up. " Ready."

He looked up at Tracey, who was sitting in a lawn chair. " Ready?"

" Ready when you are!"

Ash grinned. " Let's catch some Pokemon."

Ash pointed a finger at  a Natu. " Pikachu, thunderbolt, now!"

" Pika... CHUUUUUUUUU!"

Natu's eyes began to glow purple. " Pikachu, now! Use Iron Tail and don't look!"

Then he turned to Charmander. " Charmander, use ember attack, now!"

" Char!" Charmander took a deep breath, opened its mouth, and let fire come out. It enveloped the Natu, and it fell to the ground.

" Pokeball.... Go!"

It touched the Natu, and it disappeared.

Ash ran and picked it up, then ran to its enclosure as it came out again.

" Sorry, Natu!" He called as he locked the door.

Then he looked up at the sun.

" Tracey, what time is it?"

Tracey checked.

" Four Twenty one."

Ash gasped.

" Professor, we have to hurry!"

Oak was carrying ten Poke balls to five different places. " I know!" he yelled as two slipped out of his grasp. Ash picked them up, and the professor ran again.

Ash sighed. " Okay, uh.... I just put away one Pokemon, and the professor ten.... That makes eleven.... And since we have to round fifty up..... We have four left!"

Pikachu stared at him. Ash noticed. " What?"

" Chu." Pikachu tapped the board.

" Yeah, we have fourty one more to go."

Pikachu sighed. " Chu...." It muttered.

Oak wiped a brow. " I put ten more in."

" I did five!" Tracey called.

Ash looked at the chart. " And I did twenty."

" That makes forty seven." Oak said as he quickly did the math.

" Three more. And three of us." Tracey said as he brushed his hands.

Ash nodded. * Let's do this! We don't have much time." He looked up and at the clock. Six fifty nine....."

" I'll take Skitty!" Tracey called as he ran off the pink Pokemon."

" I'll do Slakoth!" Oak decided as he walked to the slow Pokemon and put it in its poke ball easily.

" That leaves me with Gyarados." Ash muttered as he stood up and sighed and eyed the lake wearily.

" Oh. Wow. That was actually pretty straightforward and annoyingly calm." Ash said as he spun the Poke Ball on his finger and caught it. " I'm actually surprised."

He walked up to the Lab and gave Oak the Ball.

" Thank you, my boy." Oak said as he put the Poke Ball on the shelf.

Ash stretched. " Well, that's all the Pokemon."

Then he saw Tracey and Oak exchange a look. " What happened?"

Oak hesitated. " Actually, we miscounted. There's one more Pokemon which isn't on its ball."

" Okay... Who is it?"

Tracy took a deep breath. " Gorebyss."

" Ash, maybe we should wait for Gary." Tracey winced as he watched Ash have another blow to his head

" No. I... Refuse." Ahs groaned as he stood on wobbly feet

" But you have blood everywhere!* Oak protested.

Ash closed an eye and looked at Oak. No I don't."

Oak stared at him.

" What?* Ash asked.

If you don't like to see blood then you should go about.... Now. Or try to unfocus and then scroll until you see bold again.

Ash had blood on his forehead, a little on his arm, and a lot coming out of his nose.

And worst of all, one of his eyes was closed because of the pain to it."

Okay here you go

Oak sighed. " That boy doesn't know when to give up."

" Yeah," Tracy agreed. " And that's what's scaring me."

Ash looked at his Pokemon. " All at once." He managed to say. " Pikachu, thunderbolt. Bulbasaur, razor leaf. Charmander, fire. And Squirtle, water gun. Let's go!"

All four Pokémon attacked simultaneously. The other two held their breaths.

" Let's hope that does it." Tracey muttered.

Gorebyss, the dangerous water-type, screeched as the attacks hit it from all sides. The combination of types seemed to do the trick as the Pokémon's wild flailing slowed down. Ash stumbled, wiping some of the blood off his face, but kept his focus.

"Pokéball, go!" Ash threw the ball with the last of his strength, watching as it enveloped Gorebyss in a bright light. The ball shook on the ground, once, twice, three times... then clicked shut.

The room fell silent, save for Ash's heavy breathing. He slumped to the ground, exhausted, but a smile broke across his face. "We... did it," he whispered.

Oak and Tracey ran over to check on him. "Ash, you really should have waited for Gary!" Oak scolded gently, but there was admiration in his voice.

Ash grinned, still lying on the floor. "Well, I guess... we don't always need him, do we?"

Tracey chuckled. "You’re something else, Ash."

Pikachu jumped onto Ash's chest, nuzzling his cheek. "Pika pi!"

Ash reached up, patting his loyal companion. "Thanks, buddy. Couldn't have done it without you guys."

Oak and Tracey helped Ash sit up. "Rest for now, Ash. You earned it," Oak said, smiling warmly.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, glancing at the Pokéball that now contained the fierce Gorebyss. "But next time... Gary's doing the heavy lifting."

Then he looked at the Poke Ball in his hand. " And let's never mention this to Gary. Ever."

When no one replied, he looked at Tracey.

He looked tense.

" Uh, I think it's too late for that."

Ash followed his gaze to the front door and gasped.

There Gary stood frozen, bag slung on shoulder.

And he was looking at Ash.

" What... Happened... To you?!" Gary squeaked.