" So, my boy, how has research been going?"

Gary looked at his grandfather. " Good, actually. Especially now, since Ash finally remembered to send me that meteorite rock I asked him for."

Crystal raised a brow. " You asked him.... For a rock?"

Dora looked just as confused as her sister. " Yeah, what's so great about that?"

Gary grinned. " Ash and I loved to camo when we were young. The night sky, being all cozy- it was the best. So naturally when I heard there was a meteorite shower in Cerulean city, I asked him to get a piece for me. Looks like he didn't forget."

Suddenly Oak's phone rang. " Excuse me." He apologized as he fished for his phone. " Hello?"

On the loudspeaker, Ash's voice came though, all tired. " Did .... Gary..... Get it....?" He panted.

Oak raised a brow. " Yes, but why are you panting?"

" No rea...son. Pikachu, thund...derb... Bolt, now!"

" Pika- CHUUUU!"

They heard yells and yelps and growls.

" Ash , what is going on there?!" Gary asked as he stood up, alarmed.

" A pack of wild Wild Pyroar, that's what! Bulbasaur, vine whip!"

Gary's eyes widened as Ash's words sank in. "A pack of Pyroar?" he repeated, looking at his grandfather in shock. "Ash, where are you?"

"Doesn't matter!" Ash panted on the other end, clearly in the middle of some chaotic battle. "We're handling it—right, Pikachu?"

"Pi...kaaa!" Pikachu's exhausted voice chimed in over the phone.

"Wait, wait, Ash! You need backup. Where exactly are you?" Gary asked urgently, already moving toward his bag to grab a few Poké Balls.

"Near... Cerulean City... on the outskirts. Don't worry... we’ve got this..." Ash’s voice was a bit breathless, but he sounded confident as ever.

Gary shook his head. "You and your 'we’ve got this' attitude... Stay where you are, Ash. I'm on my way."

Crystal and Dora, who had been listening in confusion, exchanged glances. "Is Ash always like this?" Crystal asked.

Gary sighed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "You have no idea."

Oak frowned, looking at his grandson. "Be careful, Gary. Wild Pyroar can be very dangerous, especially if they're in a pack."

"I know, Grandpa. But someone’s got to make sure Ash doesn’t get himself fried trying to play the hero."

"Classic Ash," Oak muttered, shaking his head with a small smile.

Gary ran out the door, throwing his Dodrio and hopping on. "Ash may be used to dealing with this kind of craziness, but I’m not letting him take on a pack of Pyroar alone," Gary muttered under his breath.

As he hurried off, Oak stood by the phone, shaking his head fondly. "Those two will never change."

When Gary finally arrived at the outskirts of Cerulean City, he saw Ash and Pikachu standing face-to-face with a pack of Pyroar, and to his surprise, Ash wasn’t commanding any battle moves. Instead, he was arguing with a Pyroar—the leader, judging by its larger mane and imposing stance.

Ash’s face was flushed red with frustration, and Pikachu’s cheeks were sparking, ready to act if necessary. But it seemed that Ash was more focused on trying to reason with the giant lion Pokémon.

“I told you, we didn’t mean to disturb your territory!” Ash shouted, waving his arms. “We just wanted to camp here for the night!”

The Pyroar growled deeply in response, stepping forward aggressively, its eyes narrowed.

“Ash!” Gary called as he sprinted over. “What in the world are you doing?”

Ash glanced over at Gary, clearly exasperated. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m trying to explain to these Pyroar that we weren’t trying to pick a fight!”

Gary blinked in disbelief. “Ash, you can’t reason with a pack of wild Pyroar like that! They’re not going to just let you off with an apology!”

Ash threw his arms in the air. “Well, what else am I supposed to do? They attacked us out of nowhere, and we didn’t even do anything wrong!”

Gary facepalmed, shaking his head. “You’re unbelievable sometimes, you know that?”

Just as Gary spoke, the leader Pyroar let out a ferocious roar, and the rest of the pack took a step closer. Pikachu immediately tensed up, sparks flying from its cheeks, ready to defend Ash if things escalated.

“Pikachu, hold off for a second,” Ash said, holding up a hand.

Gary groaned. “You’re still trying to talk your way out of this?!”

Ash shot Gary a stubborn glare. “Trust me, I know what I’m doing!”

Gary crossed his arms. “If you really knew what you were doing, you wouldn’t be standing here in the middle of an argument with a pack of Pyroar!”

Ash opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, the leader Pyroar growled again, lowering its head as if preparing to pounce.

“Enough talking, Ash! We need to act!” Gary said, stepping in front of him. “Arcanine, let's go!”

Gary threw a Poké Ball, and with a flash of light, his powerful Arcanine appeared, standing tall and growling at the pack of Pyroar.

“Listen, we don’t want to fight,” Gary said, trying a different approach, “but if you keep pushing, we’ll have no choice.”

The leader Pyroar locked eyes with Arcanine, and for a tense moment, it seemed like they were about to clash. But then, unexpectedly, the Pyroar let out a snort and turned its back, signaling the rest of the pack to stand down.

Gary blinked in surprise. “Did... did that just work?”

Ash grinned triumphantly. “See? Told you I had it under control!”

Gary shot him an annoyed look. “You had it under control? If I hadn’t shown up, you’d probably still be trying to have a conversation with them!”

Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Well... yeah, but it all worked out, didn’t it?”

Gary sighed. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“Yeah, but that’s why you’re here, right?” Ash said with a grin. “To help me out when things get a little crazy.”

Gary rolled his eyes but couldn’t help a small smile. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”