"To protect the world from devastation! To unite all peoples within our nation!
To denounce the evils of truth and love
To extended our reach to the Stars above
Jessie
James
Team Rocket Blasting off at the speed of light
Surrender now or prepare to fight
Meowth! That's right!"

Gary took his Poke ball out, but before he could do anything, he heard a voice.

" Hey, team Rocket!" Ash called, waving his arms from a rock. " If you're so sure you're worthy of getting these Pokemon, why don't you prove it!"

" What?! No!" Jessie said. " We do not waste time with a little twerp."

Ash smirked. " Your choice. Just goes to show you're a loser."

Gary gasped. " Oh no."

Oak looked at him quickly. " Uh oh? What uh oh?!"

Gary turned to his Grandpa. " That's what I told him! A really long time ago!*

Oak raised a brow. " And.....?"

" I only said it when I was about to battle him!"

Oak stared at him. " You don't think......?"

Gary nodded. But before he could say anything, Rocket has already released Arbok and Wheezing.

" Come and catch me!" Ash taunted before disappearing into the forest.

Jessie growled. " Arbocm, Wheezing, search for the twerp and destroy him! We'll hold his friends here at bay."

The two Pokemon nodded and slithered/ flew off.

Gary narrowed his eyes. " Umbreon, I choose you!"

The black Pokemon came out. " Umbreon!"

" Umbreon, Iron Tail!*

Meanwhile, Ash was running like crazy, glancing behind his shoulder every few seconds and speeding up.

" Maybe this wasn't my best idea...." He muttered as he dodged a poison sting.

" Wheezing!"

Ash knew what he was going to do. He jumped into a tree and leapt to Arboks head, then Wheezing's, knocking them both out cold.

" Great! Now I just have to run...." Ash panted slightly as he rounded a courner and touched his body to the tree, panting slightly.

' that.... Was... A good.... Run...." He panted.

Then he turned, to find a.... What was it?

Ash took Dexter out.

" Yanmega. The big Pokemon. This bug can use Big buzz and Double team."

Ash sighed. " Well, at least I could catch it!" He said brightly.

Then he saw the tag.

A red R.

Team Rocket.

" Oh, no."

" RUN CHARMANDER RUN!* Ash yelled as he glanced back to see a very angry yanmega.

" Char char!"

Ash took his Poke ball out. " Charmander return!"

Then he threw another Poke ball. " Bulbasaur!"

" Bulba.... Saur...." The grass Pokemon took one look at the creature and let out a scream.

" Easy, Bulbasaur, easy!" Ash groaned as he returned it. " Okay.... This is gonna be just great. Uh...."

Before Ash could say anything, the Big Pokemon flew to Ash and kicked his hard on the face.

" Ow ow ow!" Ash yelled as he clutched his eye. " Ow!*

He staggered up. " I am a Pokemon master! You will not stop me!"

But then Yanmega did Double team.

" Pikach- oh, right. He's with Misty, spending the day at that fashion show. Ugh." He shivered just from the thought.

Then he tried to concentrate. One was moving a split second after.... So maybe.....

Suddenly he felt a punch in the head, and he flopped to the floor.

But he didn't faint. He struggled to get up, and weakly threw a Pokeball. " Squirtle... I... Chose.... Youuuuu......."

The turtle came out and looked at Ash. " Squirtle?"

Ash nodded his head. " Now, Squirtle. Use water gun!"

Gary brushed off the dirt he had on his shirt and put his hands on his hips. " Well, we did it. Those two are gone. Again."

Oak stood up and sighed. " I still can't believe their Meowth can talk...."

Gary shrugged and sat on a log. " It is what it is."

Suddenly he jumped. " Ash!"

Oaks eyes widened. " He must still be fighting!"

" Grandpa, you stay here! I'm going to look for him!"

Ash stumbled on a tree and groaned as he pulled himself up.

" Squirtle?"

Ash managed a weak smile. " I'll be fine...."

Then he squinted. " Now I have to find my way back ....."

" Not alone you won't!" A half amused half cocky voice said.

Ash turned. " Oh ...... It's Gary."

Gary's face changed completely, from smirkyness to concern. " What happened?"

" N.. nothing...."

Gary walked to Ash, slipped an arm under his, and held him steady. He reached a hand and gently pried Ash's hand from his eye.

" Ash.... How long?*

Ash shook his head. " Not.... Long...."

Gary sighed. " Come on, let's hurry. You need to rest. The Observatory is nearly."

" That's great to knoooo........*

And with that, Ash was plunged into darkness.

Ash groaned. Why did his head hurt so much?

He cracked an eye open. He wasn't is his room, that much was clear.

He was in a room with all sorts of Pokemon books and posters and journals and.... Loads of Pokemon balls.

Ash sat up, and Gary, who was nearby scribbling something on a notebook, looked up.

" Ash!" Gary picked his medical bag and sat on the edge of his bed. " How ya feeling?"

He took his stethoscope out and put the disc on Ash's chest.

" Okay, I guess."

Gary, stethoscope in hand, looked up and ash. " Why'd you do it?"

" Do what?*

" Risk your life for me and Grandpa and the Pokemon?"

Ash blinked at Gary, still feeling the fogginess in his head. "What kind of question is that?" he asked, his voice a little groggy. "Because that's what friends do."

Gary's eyes softened slightly, but he still looked frustrated. "But you were completely outnumbered, Ash. You didn’t have to go up against them by yourself."

Ash shrugged, wincing at the movement. "I’ve always done stuff like this. Besides, I couldn't just let Team Rocket get away with hurting the Pokémon... or you and Professor Oak. That’s just not who I am."

Gary sighed, putting away his stethoscope and looking at Ash more seriously. "Yeah, but you could have been seriously hurt. That Yanmega wasn’t messing around."

Ash grinned weakly. "You worry too much, Gary. I've handled worse."

Gary leaned forward, his expression intense. "This isn't about me worrying too much, Ash. It's about you always putting yourself in danger without thinking things through. What if I hadn’t gotten there in time?"

Ash gave him a lopsided smile, his usual optimism shining through. "But you did, didn’t you?"

Gary groaned in exasperation but couldn’t help the small smirk creeping onto his face. "You’re impossible, you know that?"

Ash chuckled. "Yeah, but that’s what makes me a Pokémon Master, right?"

Gary shook his head, but there was a trace of fondness in his voice. "One day, Ash, you're gonna run out of dumb luck."

"Not today though," Ash replied, his grin widening.

Gary chuckled lightly and stood up, ruffling Ash's hair. "Just rest up, okay? We’ll have to check in with Grandpa later, and you’re not going anywhere until I say you're fully healed."

Ash groaned but nodded. "Fine, doctor’s orders." Then, with a softer tone, he added, "Thanks, Gary."

Gary paused, looking at Ash for a moment before nodding. "Just… don’t make a habit out of this, Ash."

Ash smirked. "No promises."

" Gary, go easy!"

" I'm trying! Stop moving!"

" I'll stop moving when you stop hurting my eye!*

Gary sighed as he put the bandage roll down. " It's still hurting, huh?*

Ash fidgeted with Gary's blanket. " Why do I have to stay in your bed? Why couldn't I just... I dunno.... Sleep on the couch or something?"

Gary sighed, sitting back as he carefully finished securing the bandage over Ash's eye. "Because you got hit pretty hard, and I need to keep an eye on you. The couch isn’t exactly the best place for that."

Ash grumbled, still fidgeting. "I feel fine... well, except for the eye. But I don’t need to be in your bed."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "You do realize this is the best spot in the house for me to monitor you, right? Plus, I know you, Ash. If you were on the couch, you’d sneak out the first chance you get to go train or catch some wild Pokémon."

Ash opened his mouth to protest, then paused, realizing Gary was right. "Maybe," he mumbled under his breath.

Gary smirked. "Exactly. So, you stay here until I say you’re good to go." He stood up and crossed his arms. "Besides, it’s not like you’ve never crashed here before."

Ash sighed, defeated, sinking back into the pillows. "Yeah, but this feels different. I’m not here to hang out, I’m stuck because I’m hurt."

Gary's expression softened. "Ash, I just want to make sure you're okay. It's not a big deal. You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?"

Ash paused, then nodded. "Yeah... I guess you're right."

Gary chuckled. "Of course I am. Now stop fidgeting, or your eye's never gonna heal properly."

Ash groaned. "Fine, but you could be a little gentler next time."

Gary smiled. "No promises."

Five minutes later Gary walked back into the room, holding a fresh roll of bandages. Ash raised an eyebrow, eyeing the supplies.

"What’s all that for?" Ash asked, sounding a bit suspicious.

Gary set the bandages down on the bedside table and crossed his arms. "Your arm. I saw the bruise when I was checking you earlier. You didn’t think I’d notice? I can't trust you to tell me anything, can I?"

Ash sat up straighter, frowning. "That’s not true!" he protested. "I just... didn’t think it was important."

Gary gave him a skeptical look as he took Ash's arm gently and started wrapping the bandage around the bruised area. "Not important, huh? You’ve got a bruise the size of a Pokéball on your arm, and you’re acting like it's nothing."

Ash winced slightly but tried to play it off. "I mean, I’ve had worse. I’m fine, really."

Gary shook his head. "You always say that. But if you keep ignoring things like this, one day it’s not gonna be fine." He finished wrapping the bandage, securing it carefully. "You push yourself too hard, Ash."

Ash muttered under his breath, "You sound like my mom..."

Gary raised an eyebrow with a half-smile. "Good, because someone’s gotta keep you in check."

Ash sighed dramatically, flopping back against the pillows. "Man, you’re acting like I’m some reckless kid."

Gary smirked. "Aren’t you?"

Ash narrowed his eyes. "No! I’m a Pokémon Master in training, thank you very much."

Gary chuckled, shaking his head as he put the bandages away. "Master or not, you still need to take care of yourself."

Two hours later, Ash found himself sitting propped up in Gary’s bed, feeling more than a little embarrassed. A bowl of bright red Jell-O was in front of him, and Gary was holding a spoonful of it in the air, just out of Ash’s reach.

“Gary, I’m fine,” Ash groaned, trying to lean forward to take the spoon. His head still throbbed from earlier, but he felt much better now.

At least good enough to feed himself.

Gary shook his head firmly, ignoring Ash’s attempt to grab the spoon. “No, you’re not,” he replied, his voice firm but not unkind. “Your body was severely damaged when you fainted, Ash. You’re not in any shape to be eating anything heavy, and even this is pushing it.”

Ash rolled his eyes, frustrated. “It’s just Jell-O! At least let me eat it myself!” He tried again to reach for the spoon, but Gary held it higher, just out of his grasp.

“Not happening,” Gary said calmly, not even blinking as he kept the spoon poised in the air. His expression was calm but resolute, the same look he gave when he was determined to win a Pokémon battle.

Ash sighed, slumping back against the pillows in defeat. “You’re seriously treating me like I’m five years old.”

Gary scooped another spoonful of Jell-O and brought it to Ash’s mouth. “Well, you’re acting like it,” he said dryly. “Besides, after the stunt you pulled today, you’re lucky I’m not making you drink soup through a straw.”

Ash reluctantly opened his mouth, allowing Gary to feed him the Jell-O. The cool, sweet texture slid down his throat easily, but it didn’t make him feel any less irritated.

“This is so embarrassing,” Ash muttered, glaring at the ceiling as he chewed.

Gary raised an eyebrow. “Oh, please. You’ve done way more embarrassing things than this.”

Ash shot him a look. “Like what?”

Gary smirked, setting the bowl down on the table for a moment. “Do you really want me to start listing them?” He began counting on his fingers. “Let’s see... there was the time you tried to ride a Rapidash bareback and ended up with a face full of dirt. Or how about the time you got stuck in a Beedrill nest because you wanted to ‘study them up close’?”

Ash’s face flushed red. “That was years ago!”

“Doesn’t matter,” Gary said with a teasing grin. “Still embarrassing. You’ve got a whole catalog of them.”

Ash groaned, sinking deeper into the pillows. “Why are you always like this?”

“Because you make it so easy,” Gary replied, chuckling as he picked up the spoon again and offered Ash another bite.

Ash hesitated, then reluctantly took the bite, chewing in silence for a moment. He knew Gary was right, even if it annoyed him to admit it. Gary had always been the one to look out for him, even back when they were rivals. He might tease him relentlessly, but Ash knew that deep down, Gary cared about him. Maybe too much.

After a moment of silence, Ash sighed. “I just don’t get why you’re so worked up about this. I’ve been through worse, you know.”

Gary’s smile faded slightly, his expression softening. “I know you have, Ash. But that’s exactly the point. You’ve been through worse too many times. One of these days, it’s going to catch up to you.”

Ash blinked, surprised by the sudden seriousness in Gary’s voice. “What do you mean?”

Gary set the spoon down and sat on the edge of the bed, looking Ash square in the eye. “You’re always pushing yourself to the limit, and yeah, you’re tough. But you’re not invincible. Today, you fainted because your body couldn’t handle the stress. What if next time it’s worse? What if I’m not there to help you?”

Ash opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. He knew Gary was right, even if he didn’t want to admit it. He always pushed himself hard, sometimes too hard. And he hated to worry anyone, especially Gary, but... maybe he had been a little reckless.

“I guess I never really thought about it that way,” Ash admitted quietly, staring down at the blankets.

Gary’s expression softened even more, and he placed a hand on Ash’s shoulder. “Look, I know you’re strong. You’ve proven that a thousand times over. But sometimes, even the strongest people need to take a break. You don’t have to do everything on your own, you know.”

Ash sighed, nodding slowly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Gary smiled, picking up the spoon again. “Good. Now open up. You’ve got a whole bowl of Jell-O to finish.”