Ash groaned. " Why do I have to stay in here and " relax'?"

Gary shot him a look from his desk. " Because of yesterday."

Ash rolled his eyes. " You guys are no fun." He sulked. " Come on Pikachu."

" Pika!* Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder, and he walked off.

Gary sighed and turned to Professor Rowan. " What do you think?"

" About?" Rowan asked

" Ash."

Gary leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "About Ash, of course. He's always this stubborn, but today-he's been extra. I swear, it's like he thinks he's invincible or something."

Professor Rowan chuckled softly, adjusting his glasses. "Well, Ash has always been a bit... spirited, hasn't he? But sometimes, Gary, he does need to be reminded that he isn't invincible, especially after his wild stunts."

Gary let out a frustrated sigh. "You don't think I've been trying? The guy thinks he can just go charging in without thinking about the consequences. It's like he gets a kick out of making my blood pressure rise."

Rowan nodded, his smile fading as he gave a thoughtful look. "I understand. But don't be too hard on him. His heart is in the right place, even if his methods are... unconventional."

"Unconventional doesn't even begin to cover it," Gary muttered. "He's lucky he didn't get himself into real trouble yesterday."

Just then, Ash's voice drifted from the hallway. "Hey, Gary, I'm bored! I'm not gonna just sit here doing nothing!"

Gary rubbed his temples. "And there he is, being a perfect example of what I just said."

Rowan chuckled again. "Well, he's never been one to stay idle. Perhaps you could give him something to do that isn't so... dangerous."

"Like what?" Gary shot a pointed look at Rowan. "Maybe give him a Pokémon to train? Or tell him to relax some more?"

Rowan thought for a moment. "How about a task that's productive but doesn't involve battling or getting into trouble? Something that will keep his mind busy."

Gary stared at him blankly. "And what would that be?"

"Well, he could always help organize the research materials, or assist with some of the data analysis we've been working on. That'll keep him busy without risking his health or sanity."

Gary paused, considering it. "I suppose that would work... at least he won't be running off into trouble."

A moment later, Ash popped his head through the door, looking impatient. "So, any ideas yet? Can I go outside? How about a walk? Or-"

Gary cut him off with a sigh. "Alright, Ash. You're gonna help me organize these files. No more running off for today, understood?"

Ash blinked, clearly unenthused, but then his eyes widened. "Wait... files? Boring! I mean, uh... sure, files! I'll totally help! I'm practically a file expert."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Right. Get over here, then."

Ash slumped into a chair next to Gary's desk, clearly still bored out of his mind, while Pikachu jumped onto his lap. "This is not what I had in mind when I thought of 'relaxing.'"

Rowan chuckled softly to himself. "Ah, young Ash... it'll take more than a pile of files to slow him down."

Suddenly, someone pecked his head. He turned and found...

" Starivia?" He asked. " What happened?'

Starivia grabbed ash 's hand and flapped its wings eagerly as it landed in front of Ash, chirping loudly.

* Huh?*

Starivia sighed and grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him outside.

Ash blinked in confusion, rubbing his eyes. "What happened, Staravia? Why'd you pull me outside like that?"

Before he could get an answer, Staravia grabbed Ash's hand gently with its beak and tugged him along, pulling him toward the open field outside Professor Rowan's lab. Ash stumbled a few steps, trying to catch up, and when he finally stepped into the clearing, his eyes widened in disbelief.

Standing in front of him, looking slightly worn out and tired, was his Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur?" Ash gasped. "Is that really you?"

The familiar grass-type Pokémon looked up at him, its eyes dim with exhaustion. It swayed on its feet, clearly struggling to stand tall. It wasn't the vibrant, energetic Bulbasaur Ash remembered from his travels; this one looked like it had been through a lot.

Ash's heart dropped. "Bulbasaur, what happened to you?" he muttered, rushing to its side. He knelt down, gently placing his hand on its shoulder. As he looked closer, he realized that Bulbasaur didn't just look tired-it looked drained, like it had been traveling for a long distance.

Ash's eyes widened in realization. "Professor Oak's lab... It's really far from here!" he exclaimed. "Wait... how did you even make it all the way here? And why didn't you just call me sooner?"

Bulbasaur gave a weak whine, nuzzling Ash's hand in a way that almost seemed apologetic. Ash's eyes softened as he stroked the back of its head.

"You wanted to see me, didn't you?" Ash said, understanding dawning on him. "But I wasn't answering my calls, so you came all the way out here just to make sure I was alright?"

Bulbasaur let out a soft grunt, nodding its head weakly. It seemed to have pushed itself to the limit, just to get to Ash.

"Aw, Bulbasaur..." Ash whispered, his heart swelling with affection for his Pokémon. He leaned forward, gently lifting Bulbasaur's head. "Don't worry. You're not alone anymore. I'll make sure you're okay."

He turned to Pikachu, who had been silently observing the scene from his shoulder. "Pikachu, buddy, can you call Professor Oak? Let him know Bulbasaur's with me now, and that I'll take care of it?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded enthusiastically, hopping down to grab Ash's phone from his pocket. The little Electric-type quickly dialed the number and put it on speaker.

"Hello, Ash?" Professor Oak's voice crackled through the phone.

"Professor Oak!" Ash said, trying to keep his voice calm, though the concern in his tone was clear. "Bulbasaur's here with me at Professor Rowan's lab. It looks like it made the journey all the way from your lab, but it's really tired. I think it came to check on me since I wasn't picking up my calls. It's been a long journey for it."

Professor Oak's voice softened. "I see. I should have expected Bulbasaur would be the one to do something like that. You're right, Ash, it's been trying to reach you for a while now, but I'm glad it finally found you. Take good care of it, and let me know if it needs anything."

Ash nodded. "I will, Professor. Don't worry. I've got it covered."

He turned to Bulbasaur, who seemed to be slowly regaining some energy just from being in Ash's presence. "Let's get you some rest, okay? You've been through enough."

As Ash led Bulbasaur toward the nearby shelter, he looked back at the sky. "You always manage to find me, don't you, Bulbasaur?" he whispered with a grin. "I'm glad you came."

Inside the lab, Gary looked up from his desk when Ash walked in, carefully helping Bulbasaur to a resting spot.

"What happened?" Gary asked, his brow furrowing as he noticed the exhausted Bulbasaur and Ash's concerned expression.

Ash waved it off, trying to brush off the seriousness of the situation. "Nothing," he said with a small shrug, though his tone suggested otherwise. "But, if you wouldn't mind, could you get loads of Pokémon food? Like... enough to feed two Pokémon? And water too, please. Bulbasaur's been on quite the journey."

Gary raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced by Ash's nonchalant response, but he didn't push it. "You sure everything's okay with Bulbasaur?" he asked, his tone more serious now as he noticed the way Ash was fussing over the tired Pokémon.

Ash nodded, though there was still a hint of worry in his eyes. "Yeah, it's just... It looks like it traveled a long way to find me. I just need to make sure it's well-fed and gets some rest. It's been through a lot."

Gary sighed, already standing up and grabbing a bag of supplies. "Alright, I'll grab what you need. You've got quite the knack for getting your Pokémon to do some wild things, Ash."

Ash chuckled, looking over at Bulbasaur, who was lying down now, its eyes half-closed in exhaustion. "I guess that's just the way we are, huh? Always looking out for each other."

Gary paused at the door, glancing back at Ash and Bulbasaur. "Well, don't get too caught up in the nostalgia, Ash. You've got a job to do now. Take care of Bulbasaur, and make sure it gets what it needs."

"I will, Gary. Thanks," Ash said sincerely, giving him a quick thumbs-up.

As Gary left the room to gather the supplies, Ash knelt beside Bulbasaur again. "Rest up, buddy," he said softly, brushing a leaf on Bulbasaur's back. "We'll take it easy for now."