Gary adjusted his stethoscope, exhaling as he grabbed a flashlight. “Okay, Ash, let’s start with your eyes. Open wide for me, buddy.”
Ash sat stiff as a board, staring at the floor. His face was pale, his lips slightly parted as if to say something, but no sound came out.
“Ash?” Gary waved a hand in front of his friend’s face. “Come on, snap out of it.”
No response.
Gary groaned, shaking his head. “Alright, fine. Guess I’m doing all the work today.” He leaned forward and used a gloved finger to gently open Ash’s left eye. “Follow the light, Ash,” he instructed, shining the small flashlight.
“Wha—what light?” Ash stammered, blinking rapidly.
“This one,” Gary said patiently, moving the beam back and forth. “Come on, you’ve done this a million times. Just follow it.”
Ash’s eyes darted around the room, avoiding the light entirely. “Uh… uh…”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Gary muttered, clicking the flashlight off. “Let’s move on.”
He grabbed an otoscope from his pocket and tilted Ash’s head to the side. “Alright, I’m checking your ears next. Don’t freak out.”
Ash didn’t move—he was practically a statue at this point. Gary sighed again and gently inserted the tool into Ash’s ear. “Looks good,” he said, switching to the other side. “Still good. Congratulations, you have functioning ears.”
Ash let out a nervous squeak but remained otherwise frozen.
Gary set the otoscope down and picked up a tongue depressor. “Okay, open your mouth and say ‘ah.’”
Ash stared at him blankly, his jaw clamped shut.
“Don’t make me do this the hard way, Ash,” Gary warned, raising an eyebrow.
When Ash didn’t budge, Gary sighed and gently tapped his chin. “Open up, Ashy-boy.”
Reluctantly, Ash opened his mouth just a crack. Gary rolled his eyes. “Wider.”
Ash opened his mouth slightly more, and Gary slipped the tongue depressor in. “Say ‘ah.’”
“Ahhh,” Ash mumbled, his voice barely audible.
Gary peered inside, inspecting Ash’s throat. “Looks fine. Now swallow for me.”
Ash stared at him like a deer in headlights.
“Swallow, Ash. You know, like you do with food?”
Ash gulped nervously, and Gary nodded. “There we go. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Ash didn’t answer, his face still frozen in a mix of fear and embarrassment.
Gary grabbed his stethoscope next. “Alright, shirt off. I need to check your heart and lungs.”
Ash flinched. “Wha—shirt? No, I—”
“Yes,” Gary interrupted firmly. “Now.”
Grumbling, Ash slowly pulled off his shirt, revealing his trembling chest. Gary softened his tone. “Relax, Ash. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
He placed the stethoscope against Ash’s chest. “Deep breath in… and out.”
Ash barely inhaled, his breaths shallow and uneven.
“Deeper, Ash,” Gary encouraged. “Come on, you’ve gotta give me something to work with.”
Ash took a shaky breath, letting it out in a quiet wheeze.
“Good. One more,” Gary said, moving the stethoscope to Ash’s back.
After a few more checks, Gary stepped back and grabbed his reflex hammer. “Alright, let’s test those reflexes.”
He tapped Ash’s knee, but there was no response. “Okay, that’s just you being tense. Relax.”
Ash tried to relax, but his leg still refused to budge.
Gary sighed. “Alright, let’s wrap this up. You’re lucky I’m patient, Ash, because that was the most work I’ve ever done for an exam.”
Ash finally managed to speak, his voice small. “S-sorry.”
Gary shook his head, a small smile on his face. “Don’t apologize, Ashy-boy. Just… try not to freeze up next time, okay?”
Ash nodded weakly, muttering, “I’ll try.”
“Good,” Gary said, ruffling Ash’s hair. “Now get outta here before I start charging you for this.”
YOU ARE READING
Pokemon Indigo League Stories Part 2
FanfictionShort pokemon stories. Some are new- others are minor edits to the episodes. You would know if you read my other book
