"Mr Brawly!" The male teacher in question lifted his eyes from reading the newspaper. staring at his students who all ran towards him in an anxious and frightened manner. He placed the papers down on the gym bench and walked towards them with a concerned expression plastered on his face. The session today was a simple one, to visit the different docile pokemon in the enclosure and get to know them better. So why did he students looked like they ran a marathon just to see him?

"What's wrong? Is someone hurt?" While the pokemon in the ranch were mostly friendly, they are some asshole students who tried to agitate them out of pure fun and amusement. So if any of them do stir up trouble, then he as the teacher have to be responsible for it and deal with it accordingly.

"Well we tried to befriend all the pokemon in the ranch, but Gary got attacked by a Braviary." Oh no, not that Braviary. Brawly muttered words of profanity under his breath, completely forgetting that the ranch's Braviary were vastly different from the other pokemon in the enclosure. He took a deep breath, calming himself and assessing the situation in his had. He quickly took Hariyama's pokeball from his belt, rushing towards Gary's direction with his students guiding him. There was no way that the Braviary can be defeated by first form pokemon, even with the type advantage or sheer numbers by their side. The eagle pokemon knows the ranch better the students and can easily out maneuver them with ease.

"Did Gary try to catch him?" Brawly spoke in a cold and calm tone, he knew that the only time Braviary get this riled up is when someone try to catch him, thinking that by defeating the majestic bird they can be the rightful owner of it. Of course, seeing the reluctant nods from his students did made him sigh in frustration. Braviaries are known for valuing honour, pride, and freedom. Those qualities make them an excellent partner, who's loyalty and strength make them a valuable ally. Unfortunately, they are also extremely difficult to acquire as a partner pokemon. Hotheaded in nature, these valiant flying types only acknowledge trainers who share the same qualities and values as them. So even if you defeat it in battle, there is still a high chance that they would not join you and would even break their pokeball out of spite.

'I never gave any of my students pokeballs, unless Gary secretly bought some in.' All of the pokemon in the ranch belongs to the school, and catching the pokemon in the ranch without approval from the school is strictly prohibited. For Gary to smuggle in his own pokeball just to catch a pokemon to gain an edge over his classmate is highly unacceptable, not to mention he broke the rules of the school that his grandfather helped created.

"He's right there!" Brawly turned to a corner and narrowed his eyes over the a boulder that obstructed their path, no doubt that a fierce battle has recently been here before. His heart started to pound faster at the thought of his students being hurt, and immediately called out Hariyama who cleared the path before them in ease. The students behind him watched in awe as Hariyama effortless destroy the giant boulder in front of them with a strike of a palm.

"Stay here." Brawly gave a stern order, overlooking the path before him as he heard the faint sound of a pokemon battle within the distance. Without thinking too much, he and his Hariyama run towards the direction, leaving his students behind him.

"Hey you think Mr Brawly would fight the Braviary?" The students began to converse with each other, not knowing what they should do at the moment. While they wanted to leave the ranch and head towards safety, they also wanted to stay and see their instructor fighting the Braviary.

"Probably." Tyson, a classmate of Gary spoke while holding his Meowth in his arms, staring over the horizon out of concern for his classmate and his teacher. Initially when he saw Gary fighting the Braviary with his Squirtle, he was frozen solid by the screeching shriek of the flying type. It was a horrifying moment, when Gary's Squirtle was easily knocked out by Braviary with the chilling realization that it might for go Gary as well. Fortunately, Clemont rallied their classmates to help find Mr Brawly while the more able trainers stayed back and calm Braviary down.

"Charge." Paul hold onto his footing from the large gale winds Braviary created. He swiftly gave off a command, staring at his partner pokemon who was busy storing up large amounts of electrical energy. He learned from past mistakes to never overload his Elekid, and to unleash the charged up attack whenever he was at his limit. The normally stone cold trainer stared towards his classmates, feeling a sense of dread and worry over them as their pokemon were also at their limit as well.

"Trip, take your Snivy and get out. You're at a severe disadvantage." The Unova trainer stared at Paul, shaking his head out of pure defiance. At the very least, he could stall out the Braviary until their instructor finds them. He wasn't going to take the easy way out and have Paul to mock him for his cowardice. Amidst their conversation, Braviary charged into their pokemon with Wing Attack in a blinding speed, knocking them out before they have a chance to issue an order.

"Shit." Paul quickly recall his Elekid into his pokeball, all this time and effort building up electricity has all gone down to the drain. Now they were all defenseless, with only one pokemon left in their arsenal. Paul turned to Ash and was relieved when his Pikachu managed to dodge to wide coverage attack from the Braviary. Though that only meant all the focus would be shifted to Pikachu who won't survive the attack.

"Paul, Trip, get Gary back now." Trip approached the unconscious Oak who were knocked out by Braviary, he lifted his body with the aid of Paul who flinch at the sight of blood being drawn Gary's injuries. They glanced back at Ash and his Pikachu who were slowly being cornered by the Braviary, it approached him in a calm manner, not showing any signs of attack or provocation.

"Ash this is insane you can't fight him alone, let's just get out of here." Trip shouted, not wanting his classmate to be killed because of them. Personally, he didn't like Ash, but he did care for his wellbeing. His heart pounded in fear and worry, not wanting to stay here any much longer without his pokemon.

"He's faster than us, even if we ran away from he would still catch on to us. Go now!" Refusing to go with them, Ash knew that he had to buy time for Paul and Trip to carry Gary back to the infirmary. Pikachu cackled sparks around his cheeks in an act of intimidation, he knew Ash was counting on him to come out unscathed and he would do his best to safeguard his trainer from harm. Cautiously, Ash started to back up bit by bit when he noticed Paul and Trip was nowhere to be seen which made him breath a sigh of relief, finally they're gone.

'Deep breaths Ash, stay calm." A loud cry from the Braviary stunned him momentarily, it kicked up high speed gale winds by flapping its mighty wings, sending pebbles and dried leaves towards Ash's directions. Small cuts around Ash's arms and body started to form, drawing blood from it. Most fortunately, it was surface cuts and none of it caused deep wounds. But that didn't mean Ash was calm and happy over his situation. He glanced at his starter and could tell that it was as afraid as he was, seeing the towering Braviary looming over them.

"Braviary!" The flying type in question turned around, glaring at the Hariyama that stood between him and the person who called out to him. And there he was, Brawly standing with his arms crossed, seemingly unfazed by the fact Braviary has a type advantage over his ace pokemon. Then again, he had fought this matchup a thousands of times, flying types are no trouble for the seasoned trainer.

Seeing his saviour and instructor, Ash took the oppurtunity and let Pikachu climbed onto his shoulders as the two started to slip passed the flying type when all of sudden, a wide slash Wing Attack were sent towards Ash and Pikachu, sending them flying towards the ground. Horrified by such an attack against his student, Brawly's unbridled rage was then unleashed towards the avian.

"Hariyama Smack down." Wanting to fight on even grounds, Hariyama quickly leaped to the skies and smacked the Braviary down with the back his hand, not giving it time to react. The blazing speed from the large fighting type was astonishing to watch as it started to crack its knuckles, starting to get pumped up over his first real battle in ages. The flying type shook its head in pain, not liking the fact he unable to use flight to his advantage. It glared daggers at the pokemon who grounded him, normally the move Smack down would be in the form of a orange projectile shot at him, so for Hariyama to get up close and personal was entirely unsuspected. Not wanting to prolong the battle much longer, Brawly was keen on ending the battle as soon as possible and tend to Ash's injuries.

"High power Force Palm." Gathering it's inner energy, Hariyama struck his palm straight into the chest of Braviary, sending it flying towards the nearby boulder. The dust kicked up by the impact made Brawly squint his eyes, wanting to be sure that the Braviary was down before approaching Ash. Once the dust settled, and the swirl on Braviary's eyes was all he could see, Brawly sighed in relief and quickly ran towards Ash and Pikachu with Hariyama standing near the Braviary to ensure it stays down.

"Ash! Hey!" He held the unconscious teen in his arms, grimaced over the cut wounds he sustained. He picked Ash up and recalled his Pikachu into its pokeball, swiftly running back to the infirmary with Hariyama running next to him.


"Gary are you alright?" The young Oak in question nodded, staring at his current girlfriend Gisselle who held onto his hand. He was currently surrounded by his classmates, including the two who had carried him to safety. He smiled at them, giving an uncharacteristic humble and grateful nod to them.

"Thanks Paul, Trip. You two really saved me." The two felt the eyes of their classmates on him, it was a weird feeling but it was nice to be praised for doing something nice for once. Paul rubbed his shoulders, speaking in a low voice that had a laced of concern behind it.

"We carried you, but Ash was the one who stayed behind to buy time for us to escape." Gary's expression of concern was not surprising.

"Where is he? Is he okay?"

"I don't know Gary, Mr Brawly bought him to the infirmary but he was unconscious." The silence within the room was deafening, with only the beep of the heart monitor for Gary emitting it's noise. He felt the guilt within him to slowly swell, as he prayed to any deity out there that Ash comes out alive and well. The silence of the room was soon broken when a tired Brawly entered the room.

"Mr Brawly! Is Ash okay?" Barry's words of concern reflect the sentiments of his classmates who were as equally concerned as he was. The male instructor nodded with a reassuring smile, with the sighs of relief from his students being heard around the room.

"He's fine, in fact he's awake. But I think we should let him rest for the moment." He turned to Gary and frowned at his injured state.

"Gary, what the hell were you thinking? Challenging a fully evolved pokemon just to catch it? If neither of your classmates were there, you would have been done for! Did you think you can catch any pokemon you please just because you are the grandson of Professor Oak? It doesn't work like that Gary, it truly does not. I'm sorry, but I am putting you on suspension for 3 months." Gary didn't even attempt to retort, he simply accepted his punishment knowing full well he went too far this time.

"I-I understand. My actions have caused so much harm."

"I already informed you grandfather, he would be here shortly to visit you." Gary sighed, not looking forward the lecture his grandfather would give him. Worst still, his parents would probably ground him for life for causing so much trouble and reputation damage. If the media picks up on this, boy oh boy would he be in so much trouble.

"Thank you sir."

"But I am glad you're safe. Braviaries are very picky when they choose their trainers, not everyone is worthy of that tittle. Understand this everyone, catching a pokemon isn't about defeating it in battle, it is also the bonding experience that comes with it. Excuse me." With those parting words, Brawly gave Paul and Trip a proud and approving smile before heading towards Ash's room, in hopes of seeing him. He greeted the nurses of the school as he passed by them, and when he finally reached his destination, he sighed before knocking on the door.

"Come in." Hearing the feminine voice coming from the room, Brawly knew that Ash had company. He opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see him being surrounded by his female classmates, Misty, Korrina and Bea respectively. They sat down next to him on his bed, with his Pikachu snuggling on top of his waist.

"How are you feeling Ash?" Seeing that the sits were all taken, he placed his hands in his pockets and grinned when Ash gave a thumbs up, only to wince in pain over moving too much. His grin widened when the girls around him reached towards him, asking him not to move too much and to stay put.

"I'm fine Mr Brawly, how's Gary?" Brawly thanked Korrina when she gave him her seat, she reached for the kettle in the room and pour a glass of water for him and for Ash respectively. With Ash unable to hold the water steadily with his hands, Korrina sat on the edge of Ash's bed and served the water for him by helping him drink. Only for the young boy to blushed at how close and nice Korrina was to him as she adorned her usual bright smile on her face.

"He's fine, recovering well. But he's suspended for 3 months for breaching school rules and causing harm to his classmates." He trailed off, watching the interaction between Korrina and Ash with great amusement.

"Serves him right, how stupid can someone get?" Personally for Misty, she was thrilled that Gary was suspended. His actions alone almost caused death of her classmates. His ego would be the end of him, figuratively and literally.

"That being said, Ash what you did was incredible selfless and reckless. Did you know how territorial and ferocious Braviaries can get?" Ash shrugged, not really caring about rationality and logical thinking when he was a in a tense situation. In the face of terror, all facts and logic seize to exist. For him, survivor's guilt is a hell of painful feeling. So he rather be the one to get hit than others.

"I can't just stand there and let the Braviary have his way with Gary and the others right? Besides, Pikachu was the healthiest among all of the pokemon we have so I have to stay and buy time for you to arrive." Having a pokemon with a type advantage over the Braviary and the fact he was one of the best battler in class, meant that Ash had the social responsibility to stay behind to look after others. Brawly sighed at Ash's explanation, can't really lecture him for doing what's right now can he?

"I won't deny that what you did was right, but please be careful next time. Think about yourself first." Seeing the 3 girls looking at him, Ash felt the immense pressure to say yes. It seemed that the promise he is giving to his instructor also applies to the girls too. Still, he didn't want to make them worry so he agreed to it anyway.

"Don't worry sir, I will." Brawly nodded in a satisfactory manner, glancing at the clock in the room before a thought crawled onto his mind.

"You still have one more class with miss Erika right? I can inform her of your situation." Ash shook his head, he hates missing out on class because he has to play catch up. Not to mention that the dateline for their essay assignment is due tomorrow, so he still have a few things he had to consult with miss Erika with.

"Nah its fine, nurse Joy said that I'm fine and I can resume my classes." Brawly was about to order Ash to rest when the girls beat to him to it.

"You're not going to class, you're resting." Bea spoke in a firm manner, not wanting him to move about after sustaining a direct hit from a pokemon. While she personally had wrestle and fought with her pokemon hand to hand, they were always careful and gentle around her to ensure they did not go overboard. Ash on the other hand took a full Wing Attack to his body while the cuts and lacerations over his body drew blood. It made her stomach churn when she saw Nurse Joy wrap the bandages around Ash as he grimaced and flinch from the pain.

"I still have to write my essay assignment." Ah there it is, using his homework and assignments to support his own argument. The only time he was grateful to have an assignment.

"Ash you can barely move now, and your wrist is injured." Korrina spoke in a gentle voice, knowing how much it sucks to be unable to move and having to rely on others. She has suffered from nasty falls from skating before, so she knew what its like to be bedridden and not being able to do the things you want.

"I will ask her to extend the dateline for you, I'm sure she will understand." Brawly spoke in a reassuring manner, Erika was considered one of the nicest teachers he knew. He was more than certain after hearing Ash's noble efforts to safeguard his classmates, Erika would be more than happy to extend the dateline for Ash.

"Arceus I hate being bedridden." Misty sighed, scratching the back of Pikachu's ears in a comforting manner as he gave off a coo.

"It's no different from you staying at home anyway." At the mention of that, Brawly was immediately reminded of Ash's caretaker.

"Right about that, do you want me to call your family for you-" Ash waved his hands in the air frantically, feeling the full effects of the pain soon after. Misty quickly held onto his arm and placed it by his side, massaging it in order to relieve the pain.

"No sudden movements Ash!" Misty and Bea him down by rubbing his arms soothingly. Ash scowled at how helpless he was before turning to Brawly who was waiting for his explanation.

"No! I mean, I don't want my mom to know. Just, let me handle this." He would be breaking several rules for not informing Ash's parents, but considering he was begging him not to, he would let it slide. Besides, it didn't seemed like Ash was staying with his mother anyway. So maybe they could get away with it.

"Are you staying alone or with roommates?" Misty raised her hand, drawing Brawly's attention.

"Dawn and I are staying with Ash." Brawly nodded slowly, his brain trying to realize that his student was staying with two other girls. Good lord he's popular with the ladies isn't he? Given Ash current predicament, it doubled down Brawly's image of Ash.

"Oh, then I assume Ash is in capable hands?" Referring to Misty, the redhead felt her face flushed as she slowly nodded. Not really sure what her teacher was implying when the other two girls stared at her with a cheeky grin on their faces.

"Mhmm, we can take care of him." Ash didn't think that Misty and Dawn need to do much, he still can move his limbs around, all he had to do was to bear the pain. Besides, while human healing capabilities are severely limited compared to pokemon, some pokemon such as Chansey and Audino can speedup the process of healing for humans. Whether it is broken bones, torn ligament or flesh wounds, Ash knew that the healing capabilities of pokemon are far superior than any man made machine.

"Alright then, but I expect a routine report of Ash's condition from you Misty." With that, Brawly decided to leave the room and inform his colleague Erika regarding Ash and Gary's condition. With their instructor out of the room, Bea glanced at her phone and frowned at the fact the next session of class would be starting soon.

"We have to go, class starts in 5 minutes." Misty and Korrina stared at Ash who gave them a nod, ushering them to go ahead to their classes.

"I will be fine. Make sure you jot down the notes so I can copy them." Misty rubbed Pikachu's fur, feeling the reluctance to leave Ash's side.

"Yeah, yeah. Are you sure you will be okay?" He truly appreciates their concern, really he did. But at this point they sound like broken record who kept repeating the same lines over and over again.

"It's just a flesh wound Misty, I'm fine."

"Alright, I will bring Dawn here to visit you later okay?" Right, Dawn wasn't aware of his situation yet. Knowing her, she would probably run down from her class just to see him if she received word of his injuries.

"I will bring Serena too." Korrina added as she wanted to inform her best friend regarding Ash's situation. While she knew Serena and Ash aren't really the closest of friends, she knew that the honey blonde teen care deeply for him.

"Thanks girls." With that interaction, Bea reassured Ash that he would fully recover and expected a full day of sparing with him once he was healthy again. Pikachu help him waved to the girls as they reluctantly left his room to head back to their classes, with the silence of the room taking full effect immediately.

"They are very caring huh Pikachu." Pikachu nodded, nuzzling his trainer's hands as it curled on top of him.

"I hope I don't burden them, and both of us can have a speedy recovery." The electric rodent nodded, understanding his trainer's wholeheartedly. The last thing his trainer wants is to burden others for his sake, something he can get behind.

"Pika." Seeing Pikachu snoozing off to the distant lands of Narnia, Ash scrolled through his social media feeds, and decided to watch a random Youtube video to pass the boredom. Apparently, some bloke in Kanto updated a new series called Journey across Kanto, escape to MT Moon. It was entertaining watching a cynical sarcastic bloke from Galar exploring Kanto through their own experiences, showing off what the region has to offer to the world.

"Good morning and welcome back to journey across Kanto, escape to Mt Moon, journey of wonder and despair." While watching the semi entertaining video filled with witty sarcasm and self-deprecating humour, a knock on his room door caused him to turn off the phone, wanting to look like he was actually resting. Pikachu also woke up from his slumber, wondering who would visit his trainer at this time. Most of his trainer's friends should be in class right now.

"Come in." Surprised that miss Erika was the one who entered the room, Ash sat upright and noticed that she was carrying a tea jar that was native to Kanto. She smiled at him and sat next to him, handing the container to him who Pikachu helped by holding it in place. Astonished by his teacher's generosity, he stared at the label of container and felt a sense of familiarity and nostalgia over the fragrant scene of the tea. He stared at the clock hung onto the wall, has it been an hour already? How long has he been binge watching Youtube videos?

"These herbal tea help with relieving muscle pain and inflammation." Ash nodded, he would gave her a curt bow if it weren't for the fact his body wouldn't allow him. It was awfully generous of his teacher to give some as rare as authentic Kanto tea to him in Sinnoh where the frigid weather does not allow the growth of tea.

"Thanks for the gift miss Erika, you didn't need to." She waved him off, taking the materials from her bag and placing it on the nearby table. She eyed Ash's bag and looked at him, wondering if she could help evaluate his workload and to see whether his assignment was on the right track.

"Well I heard from Misty that you needed help on your essay so here I am! Don't worry, I already extended the dateline of your assignment and I'm here to help." Isn't this favoritism? He felt like had an unfair advantage over his classmates. Screw that, to have his teacher to personally visit him felt a bit weird, a good kind though.

"Doesn't this seem unfair for like others? I mean you are here and-"

"Relax, I gave additional materials to your friends during the session today. So I'm not giving you an unfair advantage, I already gave the same materials to Gary." That make sense, miss Erika just wanted to give her students an edge before their submission date.

"Oh thanks." Erika sat on the chair next to him and sighed, her soft hazel brown eyes showed her concern and compassion over him.

"Ash, I know Mr Brawly had told you this, but please do not risk your life like that ever again." Ash felt like sighing but refrained from doing so seeing that she looked serious. He spoke in a calm tone, one that embodies his values and ideals.

"Hard to agree when I'm placed in a situation where it forces my hand." Erika bit her lower lip, feeling guilty that she did not sympathize with Ash's situation before commenting on it. Given that she has not been in that particular situation herself, she can't really lecture him for something he does not have control over. However, seeing his teacher's guilt-ridden look and the fact his words were too harsh and blunt, he quickly soften his expression.

"Sorry I didn't meant it like that its just, you know-" It was hard to explain to others what went through his head when he decided to stay. It really was.

"I understand, I didn't mean to nag you either. I just want you to be safe. Anyway! Let's start our lesson, are you feeling it Ash? Or do you want more rest?" Her bubbly and positive tone was refreshing to hear, he knew that she wanted to put that conversation behind them and start their session together as soon as possible.

"Let's get this over with." Erika only chuckled at Ash's deadpanned expression that showed his lack of enthusiasm over his assignments.


Dawn ran past the nurses within the infirmary, her eyes lit up at the sight of the numbers 204 plastered on one of the room door. She looked at her friends who managed to catch on to her, panting and recovering their breaths. When the news of Ash's injuries was first told to Dawn, she quickly asked about his condition and how he was doing. The fear and concern within her voice was obvious, and no one would blame her considering Ash was one of her best friends.

She took a deep breath, her heart pounding at thought of Ash being in severe pain or being bedridden. She would try her best to support and cheer him up, to the best of her abilities at least. She opened Ash's door and was surprised when she saw her former homeroom teacher chatting with her roommate in a casual manner, talking about what they miss in Kanto. For Ash, it was the fact he couldn't believe some of his classmates would wear shoes to their beds. Who the hell do that anyway? What kind of lunatic would wear shoes to bed?

"Oh hi Dawn." Ash waved to her with his Pikachu waving his stubby paws. The blunette approached him and sat next to him with her hands placed on his shoulders gently, she looked at his wrist and gasped at the cuts and laceration he took from the blades of winds Braviary helped created. Misty bit her lower lip, knowing that it was hard for Dawn to see Ash like this. Hell it was hard enough for her when she first saw him being carried into the room. His blood trickling to the floor with his body covered in soot and dirt.

"Thank goodness you're okay." Erika was taken aback when Dawn held Ash's hand in a delicate manner, which raised some question over the nature of their relationship, though she decided not to dwell on it. She turned towards her other students and was pleasantly surprised over who came to visit Ash, she would have thought Barry, Ash's deskmate would be present but he is nowhere to be seen. Instead, Bea, Korrina and a girl that she wasn't familiar with was here visiting Ash.

"Hi Ash how are you feeling?" The honey blonde teen approached him, sitting on the chair opposite of Dawn. She stared at him felt a sense of relief that Ash came out unscathed. When Korrina told her that Ash took a direct attack from a Braviary, she thought the worst had happened. She thanked Kalos's deity Xerneas for Ash's safety, seeing him coming out in one piece was certainly reassuring.

"I'm fine Serena. Just a little worse for wear." Ash looked around his relatively small room, he thought that it was spacious before. Now it looked so crowded with so many of his friends and even teacher occupying the room. It was rather surreal and weird.

"When are you able to leave?"

"Well nurse Joy said that I'm able to leave by tonight. Look, I still can move my legs." To prove his point, Ash moved his legs up and down through the blanket. It was fortunate that the Braviary did not aimed for his legs, otherwise he might be wheelchair bound. But given Audino's potent healing capabilities, he was sure that he still be able to walk again even if his legs were crippled.

"Can you stand up?" Serena spoke with her hands clasped together.

"Let me try." Ash slowly but surely moved his body, placing his legs by the side of the bed. Dawn quickly helped him up, supporting him with her arms as he awkwardly placed his arm around her shoulders. He could feel her delicate fingers dancing around his waist, with her other hand holding onto the back of his back.

"See I'm fine. Thanks Dawn." The blunette slowly let him go and soon enough, Ash was standing on his own. He walked a few steps, feeling the lack of pain from walking around. He grinned at his success and the fact he could return back to his precious PC that awaited him.

"Mr Brawly said that Misty and Dawn are your roommates. I hope both of you can look after Ash." Ash didn't like the fact that the whole world knew Dawn and Misty were his roommates, the image he is giving to others at the moment ain't that flattering. Either he looked like some sleazy bastard or a pompous playboy, neither tittle seemed too appealing to him.

"We will miss Erika, thank you for visiting Ash."

"Take care Ash, please don't come to class tomorrow and get some rest." Ash nodded in a reluctant manner, watching her placing the notes she wrote for him inside his bag. He felt like was being spoon fed which wasn't the greatest feeling in the world, though given his current situation he didn't have much choice.

"Thank you for taking your time to see me Miss Erika." She flashed a gentle smile waving to him before leaving the room with her bag. He leaned back to his comfy pillow, glancing at the 5 girls around him who stared at him with a concern expression plastered on their pretty face.

"I'm fine really." Misty crossed her arms, displeased at the fact they were the only one who visited Ash. Where were the rest of their classmates?

"I can't believe none of our classmates came to visit you, all of them went to see how Gary was doing while you were the one were the reason why they are safe." The subtle nod from the others only cemented their agreement with Misty.

"Not really, Mr Brawly was the one who is the hero here. Plus, I don't want this room to be flooded with people, having 5 pretty girls in my room seemed more than enough." Maybe he shouldn't have say that if he wanted to avoid being flirtatious, but Ash wanted to be cheeky to dispel their disappointment in their classmates. Truthfully, he didn't really mind if his classmates didn't parade him like he was some kind of martyr or hero, having his close friends visiting him was more than enough to make him happy.

As Misty about to retort, the door was suddenly opened by the kind nurse Joy. Her adorable Audino stood next to it as it waved towards Ash with her eyes closed. So cute!

"Hi Ash, Audino is here to do her routine checkup. Ladies, if you don't mind please stand aside." Dawn stood next to Misty as they watch Nurse Joy help Ash sit upright, she glanced at them and wondered if she should asked to go outside given that she needs Ash to be topless.

"Would you all mind if I took Ash's clothes off so that Audino have a better reading?" The red blush on their faces were evident but given that they shook their heads, it was an indicator they did not mind. She glanced back at Ash and held back a chuckle over Ash's embarrassment, she knew him relatively well since he often visit the infirmary with Pikachu. So she was quite fond of him.

As Nurse Joy helped Ash took his shirt off, Audino placed her feelers onto Ash's chest. His initial wave of embarrassment was quickly replace a look of concern seeing Audino furrowed its eye brows before smiling, she leaned back and clapped happily over Ash's condition.

"Audi Audino!" Times like these made Ash wished he understood pokespeech. He glanced at Nurse Joy who grinned and patted her partner pokemon on the head, writing down Ash's condition in the process.

"She said you will be fine Ash, you would make a speedy recovery. Audino's Heal Pulse can only heal up your surface level wounds, as for internal injuries, you might need a few weeks before you make a full recovery." A few weeks of not being able to move around freely? Kill him.

"So can I leave?" Nurse Joy sighed at how eager Ash was to get out of the infirmary, such stubbornness.

"Well you can, but you will have difficulty doing normal movements. Even something as simple as opening doors would be difficult." Impaired hand movements huh, that would certainly be troublesome especially at night where he-

"Oh." The disheartened voice from their roommate was hard to watch, but Misty and Dawn were keen on helping Ash out.

"It will be fine Nurse Joy, we can help Ash out." The nurse frowned, not sure if it was a good idea to leave Ash to two teenagers who lack the medical expertise to take care of Ash.

"Including showering? I don't think Ash can shower by himself." Misty and Dawn glanced at each other, their mind wandering to the various scenarios that are nothing short of awkward and steamy. The bright red blush on their faces only made it worse for Ash, the images of Misty and Dawn helping taking his clothes off and washing him was uh, exciting.

"Alright I'm staying in the hospital." Yet he was morally against that idea and decided that he should stay in the infirmary a bit longer. It was fortunate that the school their own mini hospital that were primarily used to treat pokemon, but can help host humans as well. Nurse Joy chuckled at his franticness and helped Ash wear back his clothes, apologizing when she accidentally injured Ash's wounds.

"Oops sorry." He sighed in relief when he wore back his shirt, feeling a sense of security with the fabric around his body. It was anxious and nerve wracking to see 5 girls standing on the side of the room, watching him in a complete silent manner. He dearly hoped he didn't scare them off with his less than flattering body or the scars and cuts on it.

"There, rest well Ash. As soon as you are able to move your arms freely, you should be able to go back home." Begrudgingly he gave a small nod to the nurse at the fact had to stay here longer.

"Great, thanks Joyce, I mean nurse Joy." The nurse in question chuckled at the formalities being thrown at her before glancing at the notes she wrote, returning to Ash once she finished rechecking the details.

"Joyce would be fine little one." She ruffled his hair briefly and stood up, leaving the room with her Audino who walked next to her. The Kanto teen sighed at the fact he was being treated like a little kid, he glanced at his Pikachu who grinned at his misfortune and flicked his starter's forehead, earning a few giggles from the girls.

"It's getting late, all of you should go back home now." The nervousness in his voice was palpable, so much so that Bea was sure that Ash was tired of their presence. Still she knew that Ash was tired and drained after receiving a direct attack from a pokemon, so she never held it against him.

"We visit you tomorrow alright?" Ash smiled towards Dawn, feeling very lucky at the fact he had such caring roommates.

"Sure! Go now, the monsoon season is approaching and I don't want all of you to catch a cold." The frequent thunderstorms and heavy downpour has made it difficult to enjoy the outdoor scenery. The fact they have to reach home before 5 PM was annoying.

"Take care Ash." Korrina and Serena waved to Ash as they reached for the door.

"Be more selfish next time." Bea approached him and whispered softly, her gentle tone was a 180 from her usual tomboyish and gruff voice. Ash stared at the Galar native and gave a reassuring smile to her, he watched her walked to Korrina with her arms crossed, seemingly sad that he was in this state.

"Bye Ash, if you need anything let us know." Misty was the last one to say her farewell, she patted his shoulders in a calming manner before walking off with her friends, closing the door in the process while giving him one last smile.


Despite the heavy injuries he sustained from the Braviary, Ash did made a speedy recovery. After a couple of days of resting, he was swiftly discharged by Nurse Joy as he was deemed healthy enough to take care of himself. His body was still sore from the occasional movement, but at the very least he can open doors by himself and take a can drink from the fridge. Hell he can even play video games on his beloved PC again, which was luxury beyond his wildest dreams.

Currently, he was in his late night gaming session, solo queuing as Barry and Tracey had ditched him to party with Gary and his friends. It seemed that his once best friend had decided to expand his social circle and tag along with Gary's group, abandoning him in the process. Admittedly that did made Ash sad at the fact his best friend for 5 years had left him for someone else.

That and the only tank in his party was gone, which meant he had to kite around bosses for more than 30 minutes.

Still he did understand Barry's and Tracey's decision, he hasn't been hanging out with them as frequent as he thought he would. He pretty much ditched them and hangout with Misty, Dawn, Serena, Korrina and Bea instead. So maybe they felt betrayed that he chose the girls he only met for a month instead of the boys he knew for 5 years. Which to be fair, is a dick move on his part.

The Kanto native leaned back on his expensive yet undeniably comfortable gaming chair, taking his time to reflect on the friends he made along the way. If he could have it his way, he would have involve Barry and Tracey to the outings with the girls and formally introduce them, he would have truly. But given the fact Barry wants to date any girl who showed any sign of kindness to him, it was rather difficult to introduce him to the girls without creeping them out. As for Tracey, well he was incredibly shy when it comes to talking to girls. Behind closed doors however, the portraits and the things he draw are extremely questionable. Hell, he might as well become a lewd artist, he's pretty good at drawing doujinshis and questionable fanart.

All in all, Ash had to sacrifice one friend group for another, which he wished he didn't have to. Amidst his deep train of thought, a knock on his door quickly disrupted his reflective mood.

"Ash it's me." The Kanto native opened the door and smiled when he saw Dawn in her usual nightwear, he opened the door wider and let her come in, curious over why she was visiting him this late at night.

"What brings you here?" She sat on his bed, peering over his chair to look over his monitor. She knew he would be in his usual gaming session, but she wanted to check up on him and see how he was doing. She was still concerned over his injuries, not fully believing that he had fully recovered since Ash has a tendency to tell white lies.

"I thought I check up on you and see if you're okay." Ash was truly touched by Dawn's concern, he turned towards Dawn with his leg crossed onto the other, flexing his muscles to show he was fine.

"I'm fine Dawn." The blunette roller her eyes at Ash's attempt to reassure her, though she wasn't sure how to continue the conversation right now. She rubbed her bare arms, feeling the effects of the cool air conditioned room.

As Ash attempted to stretched his limbs, he felt a sudden pang of pain in his shoulders. He clutched his shoulders and massage it gently, grimacing at the piercing pain that persisted.

"Are you okay?" Upon seeing his pained expression, Dawn stood up and approached Ash as he nodded his head lightly.

"Yeah my body is still sore, its so stiff." Stiff like a wooden plank, Ash felt like the slightest of movements would permanently cripple his body.

"Maybe a massage would help." A massage sounds wonderful, but he's not willing to pay money to some random stranger just to get a massage. The thought of a random stranger running their hands around his body didn't seemed fun either.

"Yeah but I'm not paying money just for a massage." Dawn bit her lower lip, staring at Ash who's body was arguably aching all over. She mustered up her courage and spoke in a cool and confident tone that hid her nervousness. She held the helm of her nightdress and averted eye contact from him, her cheeks slowly turning into the light shade of pink.

"I can help you." Ash blinked at Dawn's words, he stopped rubbing his shoulder and stared at the pretty blunette in front of him with wide eyes.

"W-What?" Dawn twirled the locks of her hair, building up momentum of her sentence slowly.

"As cheerleaders, we learn how to massage our pokemon in order to enhance their beauty and sooth their anxiety before they practice on stage. So I'm pretty good at it." The thought of Dawn massaging him while pinning her body on top of his was certainly intriguing. He could think of the various scenarios that popped up in his mind, none of which was worth mentioning to the teen.

"Uh I don't really need it, it's fine." He hoped he can dissuade her right now, otherwise he's body and mind would inevitably accept her generous offer. Having a beautiful girl massaging him on his bed? That was too tempting.

"It's fine come on." Dawn was adamant on giving him a massage. She patted his bed which made her looked strangely erotic, almost as if she was beckoning for him to come to his bed. The Kanto native slapped himself internally, Dawn was just being nice that's all. There is not ulterior motive behind her actions, she was just being a concern roommate that's all! Don't take advantage of her kindness and turn it into something weird Ash Ketchum!

"Thanks." Reluctantly, he laid on his bed with his back facing Dawn. It was hella awkward, so much so that his body stiffened and freeze up when Dawn placed her soft and delicate hands on his back. He was wearing his shirt mind you, so the thin fabric was the only thing that stood between Dawn's fingers and his bare sore back.

"You are pretty stiff." She whispered softly to Ash, feeling the close proximity with her roommate getting onto her nerves. She leaned her body forward and reached towards his shoulder blades, massaging the pressure points gently. He didn't hold back the moan of pleasure that Dawn helped created and started to gradually relax his muscles, feeling the aching pain of his muscles slowly subsiding. In order to get a better angle, Dawn bit her lower lip and straddled on top of Ash's back, causing the Pikachu trainer's mind to went blank. He could feel the warmth of her body onto his skin and pleasant feeling of having Dawn's body on top of him.

"Are you feeling good Ash?" Dawn paused herself after finishing that question, that sounded more suggestive than she thought. Still the fact Ash nodded with his eyes close indicated that she was doing a marvelous job.

"Y-Yeah this is amazing." She couldn't hold back a smile from receiving a genuine compliment from Ash, which motivated her to perform better. As she worked her magical hands around Ash's body, the mood of the room went from terribly awkward into something indescribable. She was never this bold with any boy in her life, so it got Dawn thinking about Ash, it got her thinking a lot.

"Ash? Is Dawn with you?" The sudden voice from Misty got the duo panicking as she sounded so close to Ash's room. As his room door was slowly opened, Misty's expression changed drastically upon seeing her best friend sitting on top of their roommate with her hands around his body.

"Uh." Ash burrowed his head into the pillow, not wanting to look at Misty in the eye. How the hell is he going to explain the situation to her? This looks bad, so freaking bad. Thankfully, Dawn was braver than he was and attempted to rectify the situation.

"I-I'm just giving him a massage! We're not doing anything weird!" Dawn got off him quickly, her face flushed in red as her best friend caught her giving a massage to their roommate. It raised a lot of question for the redhead as she continued to stared at her in dumbfounded manner.

"I just wanted to borrow your phone charger." Misty spoke quietly, her own phone charger was out of commission so she needed to borrow Dawn's. Never did she thought that Dawn and Ash was well, you know.

"Its inside my drawer, the first compartment." Misty nodded, hanging around for the briefest of moment before doing some hand signs that hide her awkwardness and the fact she probably ruin a special moment between her roommates.

"A-Alright, continue what you two are doing." She left in a slow and awkward manner, her mind still wrapping her around what just happened between Dawn and Ash. What Dawn really just giving Ash a massage or was it something more? She sighed inwardly, not wanting to think too much about the situation.

With Misty gone out of sight, Ash sat upright and rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced at Dawn who sat on the edge of his bed, gripping onto his sheets. He sighed, wondering what he should do in this type of situation.

"I think- thanks Dawn. You did wonders for my body- I mean the massage was great! You're great at massaging!" He screwed up his words real bad, he really was at a lost here. He hoped he didn't sound like an ass, but what else could he say to her after Misty caught them in the act? They weren't doing anything questionable right? Just a simple massage between friends who share a platonical relationship, that's all.

"T-Thanks, I should head back to my room now. Night Ash." Leaving no room for a detailed conversation, Ash watched Dawn quickly retreating back to her room. His eyes glancing at her slender figure before noticing her soft free flowing hair that cascaded down her back gracefully. Arceus, was he checking Dawn out in a different light now?

"Night Dawn." He spoke weakly, as she closed his door while avoiding eye contact with him. With his body rejuvenated and relaxed after the wonderful massage Dawn gave him, Ash rubbed his face with his hands before running his hand through his hair, scratching it in the process.

"That was something." He was at a loss here, he really was. What happened between Dawn and him was something he never expected, but he would be lying if said he didn't thoroughly enjoyed it. Every second of Dawn's hands around his body was-

"Get a grip man." Misty probably thinks the two of them are in sort of relationship now, or maybe she thinks they are friends with benefits or something. It would be hard to justify what happened tonight to Misty in the morning, but he knew he had to confront the issue in one way or another. He grumbled lightly and turn off his PC, wanting to get some sleep to forget about what just happened.

But alas, even going to sleep was hard when his mind could only conjure up the images of Dawn massaging him.