Pokemon Indigo League stories

The Rainbow and the Pokemon Master

" Well lucky you, huh? You got to explore!"

" Charmander!"

Suddenly, a bird swooped down low. The two boys looked and the bird..... Was headed straight for Ash.

Of course.

Ash managed to duck, but the bird knocked Ash's hat off.

It went tumbling down the cave

" My hat!" Ash exclaimed as he looked around. " W... Where is it?!"

Pikachu looked into the cave. " Chu....."

Ash looked down and groaned. " Oh you have got to be kidding."

" Chu!" Pikachu jumped, but Ash caught it.

" Nuh uh. You're not going down there, Pikachu." He said firmly as he gave Pikachu to Gary. " Stay up here, understand?"

Then he looked down and started to climb down.

And he lost his footing.

Again.

But he managed to catch himself.

He sighed in relief and got his hat, then stood up

But what he didn't notice was a rock over his head.

Gary did, though. " Ash, look out!" He said in alarm.

But it was too late. Ash hit his head hard, and he had to lean onto the rocky wall for support.

Gary set Pikachu down. " Hold on, I'm going down."

Ash shook his head. " It's.... Fine...." He managed to say in a weak voice.

Gary gave him a look. "stop trying to act like a hero."

" I'm not."

Gary rolled his eyes at Ash's stubbornness as he began climbing down carefully, making sure to test each foothold. He reached Ash quickly, who was still slumped against the rocky wall, blinking rapidly in an attempt to stay focused. Gary could see that Ash’s eyes were slightly unfocused, and a small cut above his eyebrow was beginning to bleed.

“Alright, big hero,” Gary muttered under his breath, reaching out to steady Ash. He put one arm around Ash’s shoulders and guided him to a safer, flatter spot in the cave. "Sit down before you fall down," he said firmly, helping Ash lower himself onto a large rock.

Ash winced, leaning back as he held his head. "I’m fine, really," he mumbled, though he didn't resist as Gary knelt in front of him.

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Kalos," Gary shot back with a hint of sarcasm. He reached into his backpack, swiftly pulling out a small medical kit. It was standard for him to carry it around, especially with Ash's habit of diving headfirst into danger—literally. Pikachu watched anxiously from the top of the cave, shifting from foot to foot, its ears perked up in worry.

Gary quickly disinfected his hands with a small bottle of sanitizer and pulled on a pair of thin gloves. He could see Ash struggling to stay alert, his breathing slightly ragged. “Hey,” Gary said more gently now, tapping Ash’s cheek lightly to keep his attention. “Stay with me, alright? How many fingers am I holding up?”

He raised three fingers in front of Ash's face. Ash squinted, his vision still a little blurry. “Uh… three?”

Gary nodded, his expression relaxing slightly. "Good, that’s a relief. You’re not completely out of it." He quickly went to work, inspecting the cut on Ash’s forehead. “This is going to sting a little,” he warned, using a cloth soaked in antiseptic to clean the wound.

“Ow, ow, ow! That’s not 'a little,' Gary!” Ash complained, squirming slightly but staying still enough for Gary to work.

"Stop whining," Gary said, though his voice was calm and professional. He pressed a small bandage over the cut and then checked the back of Ash’s head with gentle fingers, feeling for any other injuries. "You don’t seem to have a concussion, but that was a pretty hard hit. You need to be careful."

Ash gave a weak grin, the color starting to return to his cheeks. "Yeah, yeah, I know… I’m just not used to looking up in caves."

Gary huffed in frustration. "You need to start paying attention. I can’t be patching you up every single time we go on an adventure." He took out a small flashlight and shined it into Ash's eyes, checking his pupils. "Well, at least you’re not seeing stars anymore."

Ash chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess I'm lucky you’re here, huh? My personal doctor."

"Yeah, yeah," Gary muttered, though his tone was lighter now, clearly relieved that Ash was more alert. He reached back into his bag, pulling out a cold pack, cracking it to activate the cooling effect, and pressing it gently against the bump forming on Ash’s forehead. "Hold this here," he said, guiding Ash’s hand to keep the pack in place.

Ash did as he was told, leaning back a little and letting out a long breath. “Thanks, Gary. Sorry for the trouble... again.”

Gary shook his head, starting to repack his medical kit. "You’re always trouble," he said with a wry smile. "But hey, at least I get a lot of practice. Now, you’re not moving until you feel steady, got it? I don’t want you cracking your head open again."

“Fine, fine,” Ash said, though his playful grin was back. “I’ll stay put… for a few minutes. Then we’re going after that bird."

Gary gave him an exasperated look. "Unbelievable," he muttered, but he couldn't hide the small smile tugging at his lips. He reached up and waved to Pikachu, who was still watching nervously. "It’s okay, Pikachu! He’s going to be fine."

Pikachu’s face brightened, and it gave a relieved cry of "Pika!" before scampering down the rocks to join them, nuzzling Ash's leg with a comforting “Pika-pi.”

Gary sighed, feeling the last of his tension melt away as Pikachu settled next to Ash. "You’re both impossible, you know that?” he said, ruffling Ash's hair lightly. “But I guess that’s why I’m here.”