Ash gasped as he heard the thunder get louder. He took all four of his Pokemon out and looked at each of them.

" Listen," he said loudly as the thunder clapped. " You four go back to my house and stay there, understood?"

The four wouldn't.

They couldn't.

Ash sighed. " I love you four. Remember, I'm alright when you are."

Suddenly, they heard a cry. Ash's eyes widened.

" Go!"

Without hesitation, Ash jumped and ran, leaving his four Pokemon behind.

" Pika pi!" Pikachu yelled, but then rocks fell.

" Bulba!" Bulbasaur used Vine whip to get him to safety.

" We have to go after him!" Pikachu yelled.

" We will!" Bulbasaur replied. " After we get backup."

" Ash could be in trouble!" Pikachu argued.

" Bulbasaur has a point, Pikachu." Squirtle said.

Charmander walked up to Pikachu. " Pikachu, I want to get Ash too! But they have a point. If we go in now, we might get stuck! But if we head back and tell someone, they might be able to help us!"

" But who are we gonna tell?" Pikachu asked.

The other three shared a look. " Gary."

Pikachu's eyes widened. " Gary?" He exclaimed. " Gary can't even understand us! He's Ash's enemy!"

" And friend." Bulbasaur reminded. " Remember?"

" He has a point, though." Squirtle added. " How are we gonna get him to understand us? He's all the way in a lab on some island!"

Bulbasaur looked determined. " We're gonna row our way there."

The three Pokemon looked confused. " Huh?"

" This is an island," Bulbasaur explained. " We had to row our way here. If we figure out where Gary's island is....."

" We'll find him!" Charmander exclaimed.  " Good idea!*

Squirtle nodded. " Good call."

Pikachu sighed. " Fine. We'll do that."

Gary sighed as he sipped his lemonade. " Huh." He muttered as he studied the papers. " I wond-"

" GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARY?"

Gary sighed. " YEAH, GRANDPA?"

" COULD YOU COME DOWN HERE?!"

" SUUUUURE!"

" HURRY!"

Gary raised a brow, put didn't argue. He pushed off his desk and walked down the twisting stairs to the ground floor, where Oak was standing at the telephone, looking nervous.

" What happened?"

" Dora called."

Gary's eyebrows shot up. " Huh? Dora?"

" Uh huh. She told me four Pokemon showed up. The Kanto starters and a Pikachu."

" So?"

" The Starters will go into their Pokeballs, but the Pikachu won't. And Gary, you won't guess what they did."

" Showed a picture of their owner? A lot of Pokemon do that."

" Yes, but you won't guess who their owner is."

" Who?"

" Ash."

Time froze for Gary. 

" AAAAAAAAAAASH?!" Gary yelped as he jumped up. " What?!"

Oak winced. " She's transporting the Pokemon over. But remember, as soon as Pikachu's over-"

" It's gonna come out. I know."

The Pokemon swapper glowed, and a Pokeball came out.

Then a yellow thing shot out. 

" Pikachu!" Gary yelled as he ran to save the creature.

Then came a red creature a blue one and a teal/ turquoise one.

" What happened?" Gary asked.

" Pika pi!"

" Bulba!"

" Mander!"

" Squirtle!"

The Oaks both raised their brows as they watched the four Pokemon wave their arms and trip and stuff.

" Okay, okay, calm down..." Oak said.

Gary sighed. " EVERYONE CALM DOWN!"

Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle all froze mid-action as Gary's voice boomed through the lab.

Gary sighed, kneeling down to face them. "Alright, Pikachu, start from the top. What happened to Ash?"

Pikachu frantically gestured with its tiny arms. "Pika! Pika pi! Pikachu!" It tried to convey that Ash had run off into danger, but the gestures looked like wild flailing to Gary and Professor Oak.

"Uh... right," Gary muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly not understanding Pikachu's frantic explanation.

Professor Oak chimed in, "It seems like they're trying to tell us something very important, Gary. Perhaps Ash is in some sort of trouble."

Pikachu's ears perked up, and it nodded vigorously. "Pika pika!" It pointed at the window, mimicking running, followed by motioning towards the mountain.

Gary frowned, still confused but getting a sense of urgency. "Ash went... somewhere dangerous?" he guessed, looking at the other Pokémon for confirmation.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur whipped out its vines and made sweeping motions, trying to recreate the falling rocks that had nearly crushed Pikachu earlier.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle mimicked rowing, like it was trying to tell Gary about the plan to reach him, even though they hadn't been able to.

Charmander tried to help by miming fire, but it didn't seem to help at all.

Gary scratched his head. "Okay, this is going nowhere... But if Ash is in danger, we need to help him fast!"

Pikachu stomped its foot and pointed again, more aggressively this time. "PIKA!"

Gary stood up, a bit flustered. "Alright, alright! I get it! Ash is in trouble, and you want me to help. But where is he?"

Pikachu made the most exaggerated motion it could, pointing towards the mountain range visible in the distance. "Pika pi!"

Gary finally got it. "The mountains! Ash is in the mountains?!"

The four Pokémon sighed in collective relief as Gary finally connected the dots.

"Grandpa, Ash might be stuck somewhere up in the mountains!" Gary exclaimed, turning to Professor Oak. "We need to go now."

Professor Oak nodded seriously. "I'll make a call to get a rescue team out there, but you should head out now with these Pokémon. They seem determined to help Ash, and I'm sure they'll be able to lead you to him."

Gary clenched his fists, determined. "Alright, let's go. Come on, Pikachu. Let's save Ash!"

Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle all nodded with fierce determination, following Gary as he dashed out the door.

As they set out, Pikachu took the lead, bounding ahead with electricity sparking around its cheeks in its hurry. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander were right behind, guiding Gary toward the mountains where Ash had disappeared.

Gary glanced at Pikachu as they ran. "Ash better appreciate how hard I'm working for him right now. Saving him twice in one day... It's like he's always in trouble!"

Pikachu just gave him a look that seemed to say, "Welcome to my world."

Ash groaned as he glanced at his leg. " Oh, great. Now my leg's injured."

But as he looked at the young Shaymin in his arms, he smiled slightly. " But it was worth it."

Suddenly, a burst of frost hit Ash and Shaymin. Ash shivered, but the Shaymin cuddled closer to Ash.

Ash looked down. " Oh, you poor thing." He muttered.

He took his jacket off and set it on the floor, then put the Shaymin on and wrapped it around it. 

Then he put his cap on it and smiled. " There. Now you're warm. And I'm warm knowing you're warm."

The hedgehog looked at him happily. " Shaymin!"

Gary reached the top of the mountain, panting heavily. "Huff... huff... okay... we made it... phew!" He leaned over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Alright, where's Ash?"

Pikachu and the other Pokémon looked around, but there was no sign of Ash. Bulbasaur's vines whipped out as it pointed towards another distant peak. "Bulba... bulbasaur," it said flatly.

Gary's eyes widened. "Wait... wait... what? You mean... we're on the wrong mountain?"

Bulbasaur nodded, looking slightly sheepish. "Bulba," it confirmed, pointing again. This time, the peak was far away—way off in the distance.

Gary blinked in disbelief, then threw his arms up. "You've got to be kidding me! We ran all the way up here just to find out he's over there?" He waved dramatically towards the other mountain.

Pikachu rubbed the back of its head apologetically. "Pika..."

Gary sighed and whipped out his phone, dialing Professor Oak. "Grandpa, we've got a little situation here."

Oak's voice came through. "Gary? Have you found Ash?"

Gary groaned. "No, we climbed the wrong mountain, and now we're staring at the right one, which is really, really far away. Can you send... I don't know, a helicopter or something? Because if I have to climb another mountain, I might collapse."

There was a brief pause on the other end before Oak answered, sounding amused. "A helicopter? That's quite the request, Gary."

"I'm serious, Grandpa!" Gary insisted. "We need to get to Ash, and he's halfway across the region!"

Oak chuckled lightly. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. Hold tight."

Gary sighed again, sitting down on a rock and looking at the Pokémon. "We might as well take a break while we wait for our ride."

Pikachu looked at the far-off peak, determined. "Pika pi."

Gary glanced at it. "I know, I know, we'll get to him. Just... not on foot."

" Shaymu!"

Ash turned back to the Shaymu. " You stay out of this! Let me handle it!"

He turned back to the wild Pokemon. " what even is that?"

Before he could take Dexter out, the Pokemon delivered a swift punch to his face. He staggered back and clutched his eye.

" OW!" He yelled.

Shaymin stood up, but Ash stopped it. " I'm fi- OW!" He yelled as he clutched his arm.  He turned away and bit his lip.

When he turned back, though, it was gone.

" Huh." Ash muttered as he limped back to his corner. " Well, that went well."

Shaymin looked at Ash's arm nervously. 

" I'm fine." Ash reassured it. " I'm really fine."

But then he winced. " Let's just hope.... everything is okay..... in the morning....."

As Ash settled back into his corner, trying to convince Shaymin (and himself) that he was fine, a sudden rustle from the bushes caught his attention. His eyes widened. "Not again..." he muttered under his breath, but before he could prepare, the same wild Pokémon that had ambushed him earlier reappeared—this time with an even more aggressive stance."Shaymin, stay back!" Ash warned, holding out his hand, but the wild Pokémon lunged at him with blinding speed.Before Ash could react, it landed another punch, this time to his stomach. He doubled over, gasping for air, but there was no time to recover. The creature swept his legs out from under him, and Ash hit the ground hard. His arms ached from the impact, and he could feel a bruise forming on his ribs. "Ow... seriously, ow!" he groaned, rolling onto his side in pain.Shaymin jumped up, clearly wanting to fight, but Ash raised his hand again, barely managing to sit up. "Shaymin, I said stay back!"Just as he managed to get on his feet, the wild Pokémon came at him again, slamming into his shoulder, sending him crashing into a nearby tree. The sharp pain shot through his back as he slumped against the trunk. "Okay, okay, I'm really getting tired of this..." Ash wheezed, clutching his bruised arm. He tried to move, but his legs gave way, and he stumbled again.The creature stood a few feet away, staring at him with a wild gleam in its eyes. Ash, now battered and bruised all over, could hardly stand."Just... give me... a break," he muttered, barely able to lift his hands in defense.As it reared back to strike again, Ash's mind raced. He couldn't take another hit like this. But then, just as the creature lunged, Shaymin let out an enraged cry."Shaymin, no—!" Ash started, but it was too late.Shaymin charged forward, summoning its full power, and rammed into the wild Pokémon with surprising force. The creature skidded back, caught off guard by the unexpected blow. With one last angry growl, it retreated into the forest, leaving Ash and Shaymin alone.Ash sank to his knees, panting heavily. His whole body throbbed with pain. "That... could've gone better."Shaymin hovered by his side, looking both proud and concerned.Ash gave a small, crooked smile. "Thanks, Shaymin. But next time... maybe we can skip the part where I get turned into a punching bag?"Despite his injuries, he tried to stand up, but his legs wobbled beneath him. "Ow, ow, ow...""Tomorrow... I'm gonna feel every... single... bruise..." Ash groaned, leaning heavily against the wall as he closed his eyes and scrummaged to sleep.

Meanwhile, at the base of the mountain, Gary and the others were still searching for Ash, and it was well past midnight. The mood? Grim. Exhausted. And, for Gary, increasingly frustrated.

"Still no sign of him?" Gary asked, rubbing his temples in frustration. His breath came out in clouds as the cool night air settled over the group. "We've been out here all night. Where does he even go?!"

Pikachu, who was leading the search with his ears twitching anxiously, shook his head. "Pika pi..." His usual spunk seemed dampened by the late hour.

Bulbasaur was dragging its vines lazily across the ground, yawning every few steps, while Charmander, now thoroughly fed up, used his tail flame as a makeshift lantern. Squirtle had long since started blowing bubbles to pass the time. He looked like he was about two seconds away from dozing off in mid-step.

Professor Oak, ever the optimist, sipped yet another cup of coffee from his thermos. "Don't worry, Gary. Ash has always been resourceful. He's probably perfectly fine."

Gary rolled his eyes so hard he almost pulled a muscle. "Right. Perfectly fine. Because it's totally normal for Ash to vanish into the wilderness in the dead of night without a single clue. I swear, when we find him, I'm gonna—"

Just then, there was a rustling in the bushes. Everyone froze.

"Finally!" Gary whispered, his eyes lighting up. "Ash, if that's you, you better—"

The bushes parted, revealing... a severely injured Electabuzz.

It staggered out of the undergrowth, clutching its arm and looking absolutely miserable, with scrapes and bruises all over its yellow-and-black-striped body. Its eyes were half-closed, and it let out a pitiful groan, stumbling forward.

Gary's hopeful expression collapsed. "Really?" he groaned, throwing his hands up. "We've been searching for hours, and instead of finding Ash, we find... this?"

Pikachu rushed over to the Electabuzz, concern etched all over his face. "Pika pika!?" he squeaked, nudging the Electabuzz gently.

"Electa... buzzzz," the Pokémon groaned weakly in reply.

Professor Oak knelt down beside it, his usual calm demeanor shining through. "Poor thing. Looks like it's had quite the rough encounter. Probably got caught up in the same mess as Ash."

Gary's frustration reached new heights. "Fantastic. So not only do we not find Ash, but we find one of his victims!" He looked down at the Electabuzz, who blinked up at him with tired, drooping eyes. "Sorry, buddy. But this is not helping my night."

Bulbasaur tilted his head, looking almost like he was about to start snoring. Charmander's tail flickered as he squinted into the bushes, looking for any sign of Ash. Squirtle, meanwhile, had already gone back to his bubble-blowing, clearly done with the entire situation.

"Great," Gary muttered to himself. "I'm out here in the middle of nowhere, it's the middle of the night, and instead of Ash, we find a battered Electabuzz. I'm starting to think Ash is doing this on purpose."

Suddenly, Pikachu jumped back with a jolt, yelling something in a panic. The group turned just in time to see the Electabuzz, now slumped over completely, groaning even louder.

"Okay, that's it," Gary said, pulling out his phone. "Grandpa, I know this is a long shot, but could you send a helicopter? We've found an injured Electabuzz, but no Ash. Also, I'm about to lose it."

Oak looked sympathetic. "I'll make the call. Hang in there, Gary."

Gary threw up his hands. "Yeah, sure. I'll just sit here, in the dark, surrounded by wild Pokémon, while Ash is still missing. This is exactly how I planned to spend my night."

The next morning, when Gary and the others finally rowed to the island, the Pokemon were still asleep.

And truth be told so was Oak.

So Gary was the only one awake.

He sighed as he rowed and rowed and rowed.

" Why me." He muttered.

But then he thought of Ash.

" Who knows what he's done to himself."

So he kept on rowing and rowing.

Suddenly the boat stopped. Gary peeked out

Sand.

He looked up.

Mountains.

And below those mountains?

There was a cave.

With prints in the sand.

Gary gasped. " Gramps, wake up!"

Oak rubbed his eyes. " Yes? What is it?"

Gary pointed to the mountains. " We're here."

He grabbed his black bag and said, " I'm gonna find Ash. Stay with the Pokemon till they wake up "

" Good luck. And be careful, Gary."

Gary nodded and walked to the cave entrance, then looked down.

There were rocks blocking the entrance.

" Time to dig." He muttered.

As he removed the last rock, Gary sighed softly.

" Good job, grandson." A voice said from behind him.

Gary turned. " Grandpa! Where are the Pokemon?"

Oak pointed to a place full of berries. " They're eating."

Gary nodded. " Good."

Then he looked down. " I'm gonna go in there. Wish me luck."

" I'm following." Oak declared.

Gary nodded, and carefully climbed down, then took a flashlight out to illuminate the cave.

" Now to find ash." Gary muttered

Then, Gary caught sight of something.

He walked and picked it up

Ash's hat

And underneath it was a small Shaymin.

" Awwww, isn't it cute." Gary cooed.

Then he turned to Ash and gasped.

Ash was asleep, but he looked no better. He had a black eye, his leg was swollen, and his arms..... Don't even get me started.

Gary quickly grabbed his stethoscope and put it on Ash's chest and moved it.

It was there.

Gary sighed in relief, but it didn't last long.

His relief at finding Ash alive quickly turned to worry as he examined his friend more closely. Ash was in rough shape—his black eye was swollen shut, his leg looked like it had been twisted badly, and his arms were covered in bruises and cuts. The sight made Gary's stomach turn.

"Ash, buddy... what did you do to yourself?" Gary muttered as he quickly got to work. He grabbed some bandages and antiseptic from his bag, cleaning the wounds on Ash’s arms as carefully as he could.

Ash stirred, his good eye blinking open. "G-Gary?" he mumbled weakly, his voice hoarse.

"Yeah, it’s me," Gary said, trying to keep his tone calm, though his mind was racing. "Don’t move too much. You’ve gotten yourself into a real mess this time."

Ash let out a small laugh, then winced. "Yeah... I guess I have."

Gary shook his head, biting back the urge to lecture him right then and there. "Hold still. I need to fix your leg before it gets any worse."

Ash nodded, watching Gary work as he wrapped the swollen leg with a makeshift splint. "Thanks, Gary."

"Don’t thank me yet," Gary muttered, his worry clear. "You’ve got a lot of healing to do." He placed his stethoscope back around his neck, still feeling relieved that Ash's heart sounded steady.

Ash shifted uncomfortably as Gary continued to clean his bruises, his good eye following Gary’s every move. "You know... I’m not used to seeing you this worried."

Gary shot him a quick glare. "That’s because you don’t usually get yourself into this kind of trouble. What happened, Ash?"

Ash groaned softly. "It’s a long story. Some wild Pokémon didn’t exactly welcome me with open arms. I didn’t want Shaymin to get involved, so I told it to stay back."

Gary glanced at the little Shaymin, which was huddled beside Ash, looking up at them with concerned eyes. "Well, good job on protecting it," Gary said dryly. "But next time, maybe don’t let yourself get beat up in the process?"

Ash chuckled weakly, but it quickly turned into a wince as pain shot through his side. "Yeah... next time."

Gary paused for a moment, staring at Ash with concern. "You’re an idiot, you know that?"

Ash gave a half-smile. "I know."

With Ash bandaged up as much as Gary could manage, he finally let out a long sigh, sitting down beside his injured friend. "You really scared me back there. I thought we were going to find you... you know." He trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud.

Ash’s smile faded slightly. "I’m sorry."

Gary glanced over at him, then shook his head. "Just... try not to get yourself killed, okay?"

Ash nodded, looking sheepish. "I'll do my best."

"Good. Because next time, I’m not rowing all night just to find you like this again," Gary said with a teasing smirk, though his voice was still tinged with worry.

Ash chuckled softly. "Deal."

The two sat in silence for a moment, with Shaymin curling up beside Ash and Oak finally joining them in the cave. Despite the relief of finding Ash alive, Gary couldn’t shake the feeling that he had come dangerously close to losing his best friend.

"Next time," Gary muttered under his breath, "we're both bringing helicopters."