Pokemon Indigo League stories

Johto Photo Finish

Ash walked to Harrison and stuck his hand out. " Good match, Harrison. Congrats on your win."

Harrison shook it. " You did good, Ash."

Ash grinned. " Yeah."

Then he put his hands in his pocket and started to walk back to his side.

But three steps after he started to walk, Ash suddenly began to look dizzy. 

Gary, who was watching with a proud smile, furrowed his brows in concern as he pushed off the wall. " Ash?"

Ash stumbled forward. Gary's eyes widened. Without a second thought, he threw his Pokeball. " Umbreon, catch Ash!"

The dark Pokemon ran to its owner's friend and managed to slide under Ash as he fell.

Gary ran to his side as Brock and Pikachu and Misty did. " Is he okay?" Misty asked as she held Togepi.

Gary felt Ash's pulse. " He's unconscious. Help me get him to his room."

Misty looked at Ash anxiously. " Is he okay?"

Gary switched the light off and turned. " Yeah, he'll be fine."

Brock walked to Gary's side and handed him the bowl of water and a rag

" Thanks." Gary said. Then, he dipped the rag into water and wringed it out, then placed it on Ash's head.

" I don't get it." Brock mused. " Why would he just collapse like that?"

Gary took the stethoscope off his neck and pleased the buds in his ears. " Has he done anything out of the ordinary these last few nights?"

Brock tapped his chin. " No....."

Misty snapped her fingers. " I just remembered!"

All eyes turned to her.

" You see, last night Ash woke up in the middle of the night and went out of our room."

" So?" Gary asked as he moved the stethoscope around his friend's chest. " He couldn't sleep."

" Well that's just the thing. He's been doing this for week now."

Everyone froze.

Brock was the first to break the silence. " He's been doing... What?"

Misty nodded. " When I asked him, he would tell me I was dreaming. Now I'm not so sure."

Gary sighed and looped the stethoscope around his neck. " Why, Ash. Why?"

" I think it's because he remembered what happened in the Indigo League. We did kinda sorta tell him it was because he was under prepared....." Misty scratched her head sheepishly.

Gary rubbed his temples. " So he decided to ruin his sleeping schedule?"

Brock shrugged. " I guess. I just want to know why he would think that."

Gary took a blood pressure cuff out of his bag and wrapped it around Ash's arm, then started to pump. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the numbers.

Misty noticed. " What happened?"

Gary looked at the two of them. " Has Ash been skipping meals?"

Brock and Misty exchanged nervous glances.

"I don’t think so," Brock said slowly. "He’s always had a big appetite. I would’ve noticed if he wasn’t eating."

Misty bit her lip. "Well, come to think of it... I did see him push his food around a lot during breakfast a few times. He didn’t eat much those days."

Gary’s frown deepened as he unwrapped the cuff and placed it back in his bag. "His blood pressure is way lower than it should be. He’s been pushing himself too hard, and his body’s not keeping up."

Brock furrowed his brow. "But Ash has been through tough battles before. He’s always bounced back."

Gary shook his head. "This isn’t just about the battle, Brock. Ash has been running on fumes for who knows how long. Between waking up at night and skipping meals, his body’s exhausted. He’s been hiding it pretty well, but now it’s catching up to him."

Misty looked down at Ash, worry etched across her face. "How did we not notice? He didn’t say anything."

Gary sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Ash never says anything. He just pushes forward, thinking he has to prove himself every single time. He’s been doing that since we were kids."

"Well, he doesn’t have to do it alone," Misty said, her voice trembling slightly. "We’re here for him."

"I know that, and deep down, he probably knows it too," Gary replied, glancing over at Ash. "But the pressure to win, to be the best... it gets to him. After losing to Harrison, I bet it made him feel like he wasn’t good enough again, just like at the Indigo League."

Brock crossed his arms, his expression serious. "We’ve got to make sure he knows that pushing himself like this isn’t the answer. He needs rest, not more sleepless nights."

Gary nodded. "We’ll need to watch him closely. Make sure he eats properly and sleeps through the night. If he keeps going like this, his health could get a lot worse."

Misty knelt by Ash’s side, gently brushing his hair out of his face. "Why didn’t you tell us, Ash?" she whispered softly. "We could’ve helped you."

As she spoke, Pikachu hopped onto the bed and curled up next to Ash, nudging his cheek gently with its nose. "Pika pi..." it murmured, clearly worried about its trainer.

Gary sighed, standing up and grabbing his bag. "I’ll stick around and keep an eye on him tonight. If his condition doesn’t improve, we might need to take him to a doctor."

Brock nodded, his face grim. "Right. We’ll be here for him when he wakes up."