" Hold still, Goh." Gary advised as he stuck the thermometer in his patient's mouth. " We need to make sure you're okay."

Goh nodded sluggishly, and Gary brought him an extra blanket and laid it on Goh just as the thermometer beeped. Gary took it out and looked at it with a weird look.

" Yep. You've come down with a cold."

Goh's eyes widened, and he sat up. " I can't have come down with a cold!" He argued. " I can't!"

Gary took a stethoscope out of his bag and put it on Goh's chest. " Yeah? That's not what your body's saying."

He put his stuff back in his bag and gave Goh a firm look. " Listen. You have to stay here. You're in no condition to go climbing and whatsoever."

" But this is Project Mew!" Goh said desperately. " I was chosen! I have to!"

" Gary's right, Goh." Dakina said. " Your health is not worth being risked for a legendary Pokemon."

Goh groaned, and burried himself deeper in the blanket.

You have a call from Ash. You have a call from Ash.

Goh fumbled with his phone but took it out. " Yes?" He asked as he squinted his eyes.

" Goh!" Ash said with a hint of worry. " Don't go out after the sun sets! It's not safe up there!"

Goh sat up again. " What do you mean?*

Ash started pacing around. " Well, Professor Oak and Rowen both did some studying, and it turns out up on that mountain, anyone who stays out after the sun sets gets..... Well, cold. Because of  how cold it is up there."

Then he squinted. " Oh, please don't tell me you went out after the sun set!"

Goh sheepishly scratched his head. " Okay, I won't tell."

" Gooooooh!" Ash sighed.

" Okay, listen. Stay right where you are. I'm coming."

Goh raised a brow, but before he could say anything, he saw Ash running. He looked down at the phone. " I'll see you soon! Bye!"

Goh waved, but as soon as Ash ended the call he flopped back onto his sleeping bag.

" Goh will not be able to help with the search of Mew," he heard Dakina say to Quillen.

Goh turned on his face. Why, why, why?!

Gary pat him on the back. " Don't worry. If you stay inside today you'll be up and active tomorrow."

Goh nodded, but he didn't feel good.

He felt defeated.

Just then, a pigeon let out a cry, and Goh heard a familiar voice say, " Pigeotto, return!"

Then that familiar person walked into the tent. " Hi Goh. Hi Gary."

Goh lifted his head just enough to see Ash standing at the entrance of the tent, a slight grin on his face despite the worried tone he had earlier. "Hey, Ash," Goh mumbled weakly, his voice muffled by the blanket.

Gary stood up and dusted off his hands. "Good timing, Ash. I just got him to stay put. He’s got a cold, so no Mew-hunting for him today."

Ash frowned as he sat down beside Goh. "Goh, you should’ve listened. This mountain isn’t something to mess with, especially when you’re not feeling well."

Goh groaned, burying his face into the pillow again. "I know, I know… but Project Mew… I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity."

Dakina, standing by the tent’s entrance, crossed her arms. "Opportunities come and go, Goh. You won’t get another chance at your health if you push too hard."

Ash chuckled lightly, trying to ease the tension. "Besides, you wouldn’t enjoy it if you’re coughing and sneezing all over the place."

Goh rolled over and peeked out from under the blanket. "I guess... but I’ve trained so hard for this."

Gary leaned forward, his expression softening. "And you’ll get your chance. But right now, rest is the best thing you can do. Trust me on this."

Ash nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we can tackle Mew tomorrow. There’s no way Mew is leaving this mountain in a day. It’s still out there, waiting for you."

Goh finally let out a resigned sigh. "Okay, fine… I’ll rest."

Gary smiled and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Good call."

Ash grinned and pulled out a bag of supplies he had brought along. "While you’re resting, I’ve got some warm soup and tea. Pikachu and I brought extra just in case."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu chirped from behind Ash, giving Goh a friendly wave.

Goh couldn’t help but smile a little. "Thanks, Ash. You always know how to make things better."

Ash laughed. "That’s what friends are for."

" Come on, Goh. Cheer up." Ash said brightly. " So you're not out today with the others looking for mew. That doesn't mean you become depressed!"

Goh pet Grookey. “ Easy for you to say. You weren’t accepted in a project and can’t even participate because you’re sick!”

“ Hey. Gary said you’ll be fine tomorrow.”

“ Are you sure?“

“ Gary’s always right about these things."

" Really?"

Ash nodded. " Yep. Gary can predict anything about these types of things!"

Goh nodded.

Ash reached for the plastic container. " Here's some soup. My mom made it."

Goh sighed as he took the bowl of soup from Ash, staring at it blankly. "This is all my fault," he mumbled. He stirred the soup slowly, the steam rising up to his face, but his expression remained downcast.

Ash, sitting cross-legged beside him, shook his head firmly. "No, it's not, Goh." His voice was steady, filled with the kind of reassurance only a close friend could give. "You didn’t plan on getting sick. These things just happen."

"But Gary, Horace, and Dakina are out there right now, searching for Mew without me," Goh muttered. "They’re relying on me. And I’m here… doing nothing."

Ash put a hand on Goh’s shoulder. "Look, I know how important Project Mew is to you. But your health matters more right now. If you went out there, you’d only be putting yourself—and them—in danger."

Goh sighed again, leaning back on his pillow. "I guess… I just hate feeling useless."

Ash grinned, his energy infectious. "You? Useless? Come on! You’re one of the best trainers I’ve ever seen. You’ll be back on your feet tomorrow, stronger than ever. And when you join the team again, Mew won’t stand a chance."

Goh couldn’t help but smile a little. "You always know how to spin things, Ash."

"It’s not just spin," Ash said seriously. "You’re good, Goh. Don’t ever doubt that."

Grookey, sensing Goh’s shift in mood, jumped onto his lap and patted his face with its tiny hands. Goh chuckled softly, finally starting to relax. "Thanks, Grookey. And thanks, Ash."

Ash handed him a spoon, grinning. "Now eat that soup. My mom always says her soup can heal anything. You’ll feel like a new man in no time."

Goh took a spoonful, letting the warmth fill him. "I hope you’re right. Tomorrow’s another big day."

"It will be," Ash replied confidently. "And we’ll be ready for whatever happens."

" Grookey!" Goh exclaimed as his pet monkey ran out of the tent's flap.

" I'll go get it!" Ash said as he turned. " Pikachu, watch Goh for me!"

With that, he ran after the Pokemon, who had disappeared.

" Grookey," he called. " Where aaaaare youuuu?"

No reply.

" Grookey?"

Still nothing.

Ash looked into bushes, up trees, and once a cliff.

But the Pokemon was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, he heard a noise from a crevice in the rocks.

He walked to it, and found the Pokemon.

" Grookey!" Ash exclaimed. " Come on out! I found you!"

Grookey didn't move. Ash tried to reach, but his hand was too short.

Ash grinned. " I'm coming down!"

He lowered himself in with the rocks, but  as he was smoothly coming down, a rock broke, and he went flying down.

" AAAAAH!" He yelled as he closed his eyes.

Then he stopped. Ash looked.

His feet had spread out, and he had stopped inches from the ground.

Ash sighed in relief and jumped. " Come on, Grookey!"

The Pokemon, though, had other plans. It jumped on Ash's head and jumped back up. Ash looked up and smiled. " You could go back up all this time, huh?"

He started to inch his way up, but just as he was going to step out, he lost his footing, and went flying down.

Then, a hand grabbed his. Ash squinted.

Gary.

" Hiya, Ash. Need a hand?"

Ash blinked up in surprise, still dangling precariously. "Gary!" he gasped in relief, gripping his friend's hand tightly. "Yeah, I could really use one!"

Gary smirked as he effortlessly pulled Ash back up to safety. "You always seem to get yourself into these situations," he teased once Ash was back on solid ground. "What were you doing down there, anyway?"

Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Grookey ran off, and I was just trying to get him. I didn’t think I'd end up... well, almost falling down a crevice."

Gary chuckled, shaking his head. "You're lucky I found you. What would you do without me?"

"Probably fall a lot more," Ash admitted with a grin.

Gary turned and saw Grookey now happily sitting on a rock, drumming with its stick as if nothing had happened. "Looks like Grookey had an adventure of its own," he said, walking over to the Pokémon. "Come on, little guy. Time to head back to Goh."

Grookey jumped onto Gary's shoulder, seemingly unfazed by the whole ordeal. Ash let out a small laugh. "Yeah, Grookey's the adventurous type, that's for sure."

As they made their way back to the tent, Gary glanced at Ash. "How's Goh holding up? Still feeling down about missing out on the search?"

Ash nodded, his expression a bit more serious. "Yeah, he's really beating himself up over it. But I told him he’ll be fine by tomorrow."

"Good call," Gary said. "He needs to rest. There'll be plenty of opportunities to catch Mew once he's back on his feet. He just has to remember that his health comes first."

They arrived at the tent, and Pikachu immediately ran over, greeting Ash with a happy "Pika!" while Goh, still wrapped in his blanket, looked up as they entered.

"Hey, look who I found," Ash said, gesturing to Grookey, who leaped off Gary’s shoulder and ran back to Goh, climbing into his lap.

"Grookey!" Goh exclaimed, relieved. He gave the Pokémon a small smile. "You had me worried there for a second."

Gary crossed his arms, smirking. "Well, looks like the team's back together." He shot a glance at Goh. "How are you feeling?"

Goh shrugged. "A bit better, I guess. Still not great."

"Give it time," Gary said. "You’ll be good as new by morning."

Goh nodded. "Thanks, Gary... and Ash. I guess I just need to be patient."

Ash grinned. "That's the spirit! Now, how about another round of soup?"