Ash Ketchum leaned back on his bed and closed his eyes.
Man, I wish this headache would go away.
It was the week before Christmas, and Ash still hadn't figured out what to get Misty. He had bought presents for everyone else: Pikachu, Brock, Tracey, his mom, and even Professor Oak. But Misty was by far the hardest of all. Her present had to be just right: not too mushy, yet not too impersonal, either.
He couldn't ask his mom about what to get Misty because then she'd assume that Misty was his girlfriend and would probably do something to embarrass him. Ash had thought about asking Brock, but since the three of them spent all their time hanging out together, he was afraid that Brock might mention something to Misty about it. Same story with Tracey. It was times like these that Ash wished that his dad was still alive, but he had died when Ash was just a baby. He really needed a man's advice.
"Pika?"
Pikachu jumped onto the bed and regarded Ash with a quizzical expression.
"Hey, Pikachu," Ash said as he picked up his Pokémon and hugged him. "I wish I knew what to get Misty for Christmas."
"Pika-pi," Pikachu suggested helpfully.
Ash chuckled. "I don't think Misty needs a baseball cap like mine, but thanks for the idea."
Ash sat up and stared out the window. The windmill spinning atop the hill next to his house caught his eye.
"Hey, yeah! Why didn't I think of that before?" Ash pulled on his jacket. "Come on, Pikachu. Let's go see Professor Oak."
---
"What do you mean, 'Professor Oak isn't here'?"
"Sorry, Ash," Tracey replied. "He went to Pewter City. He should be back pretty soon, though. Want to come inside for a while?"
"No, thanks." Tracey couldn't help him with his problem. "I'll stop by some other time."
"If it's something here at the lab, I'm pretty familiar with Professor Oak's research."
"That's okay, Tracey. I'll see you later."
A dejected Ash started back down the hill to his house, but decided to take a short cut through the gardens that surrounded the Oak lab. Since it was mid-December, the trees were bare and, except for a couple of holly bushes, the gardens were brown. As Pikachu rustled through the dead leaves on the ground, a flash of red caught Ash's eye. He moved closer to investigate and saw a bright red flower in the middle of a patch of dead foliage.
"Look at that, Pikachu. I didn't think flowers bloomed this late in the year. I wonder if Misty would like that?" He leaned over to pick the flower, but it wouldn't budge.
Must be stuck on something, Ash thought as he pulled harder. As he gave it a good hard tug, the flower and the Pokémon that was attached to it flew out of the bushes. Ash then found himself face-to-face with an angry Bellossom.
"Bell!" With an angry scowl, the grass-type Pokémon shot a cloud of sparkling powder in the direction of Ash's face.
"Oh, no! Stun Spore!" As Ash tried to get away, he stumbled and fell into a patch of thorns.
Pikachu, sparks flying from his cheeks, raced over to the Bellossom and prepared to attack the Pokémon that had caused his trainer to get hurt.
"Pikachu? What are you doing here?" Professor Oak, who had just returned from Pewter City, had heard the commotion in the garden and decided to investigate.
"Bell! Bellossom!" The grass Pokémon said angrily, gesturing in the direction of the boy who lay moaning facedown in the briar patch.
"You say that the boy tried to pull your flower off?" Professor Oak translated.
"Bellossom," the Pokemon responded in affirmation.
"Oh, I'm sure it was an accident, Bellossom. Why don't you go on now, and I'll tend to him."
"Bellossom," the Pokémon huffed indignantly as it walked away.
---
"Hold still, Ash."
Ash was sitting on a table in the Pokémon examination room in the laboratory while Professor Oak was administering first aid to the injured boy.
"Ow!" Ash yelped. "Don't you have any antiseptic that doesn't sting?"
"You still haven't answered my question, Ash," Professor Oak said as he doctored yet another cut on the boy's face. "Why were you bothering Bellossom?"
"I…uh…" Well, he did come over to ask Professor Oak for advice. "I was trying to find a Christmas present for Misty."
With an amused grin, Professor Oak turned his attention to the large cut over Ash's eye. "A Christmas present, eh? How did that involve Bellossom?"
"I…well, I saw the flower and thought that Misty might like it. I didn't know it was attached to Bellossom."
"I see. Hmm, that cut looks pretty deep. I don't think a bandage alone will suffice. Wait here." Professor Oak disappeared down the hall and returned a few seconds later with a tray of instruments. Ash's eyes opened wide as Professor Oak produced a syringe.
"Uh…what are you going to do with that, Professor?" Ash asked nervously.
"It's just a local anesthetic so you won't feel the stitches," Professor Oak explained as he drew up several cc's of a clear solution.
"Stitches?!" Ash hopped off of the examination table. "Uh, I think I hear my mom calling me. I'd better go."
"Suit yourself, Ash. But your mother will end up having to take you to the doctor, which certainly won't be cheap. I'm willing to help save you the expense and trouble of a doctor's visit."
Ash paused for a moment. Professor Oak did have a point. Reluctantly, Ash climbed back onto the table.
"Don't worry, Ash," Professor Oak reassured the boy. "I've stitched up hundreds of Pokémon. I even stitched up my own leg once when I had a run-in with one of Sandslash's claws. You can barely see the scar."
Ash closed his eyes. "Okay, Professor. Whenever you're ready."
"Why don't you lie down, Ash? It'll be easier for me to work on you." With some trepidation, Ash obeyed. "Now, you'll feel a small sting as the needle goes in….There, now let's give that a couple of minutes to work."
Ash opened his eyes and saw Professor Oak holding a needle with suture material.
"So, you haven't found a present for Misty yet. Christmas is in a week, you know."
"I know, Professor Oak. That's why I came over. I need your help."
"My help? For what?"
"Well, you're a guy, aren't you?"
"The last time I checked, I was," Professor Oak said with amusement as he touched the needle to the cut over Ash's eye. "Can you feel that?"
Ash shook his head. "I…I need a guy's advice on what to get a girl for Christmas," Ash explained as Professor Oak started suturing his wound.
"Did you ask Brock or Tracey about it?"
"I can't do that. They might tell Misty. Besides, they're not old like you."
Professor Oak made a face. "I'm not that old, Ash."
"I didn't mean it like that, Professor. What I meant was that you've got more experience with women and stuff like that. You know what women like, don't you?"
"Ash, if I knew what women liked, I'd be ahead of every other man in the world." Finished with Ash, Professor Oak stepped back to admire his handiwork. "There. Not a bad job, if I do say so myself. Let me go find a bandage for that."
"You're done already? That was fast."
"It was only two stitches. Now unless you want your mother to have a heart attack when you get home, I suggest that you keep the bandage on those."
"Thanks, Professor. I owe you one."
"No trouble, my boy. Just let me know if there's any redness, pain, or swelling around the stitches. Which reminds me…when was the last time you had a tetanus shot?"
Ash's eyes grew wide.
"Can't remember? Well, I think I might have some around here…"
As Professor Oak searched through the cabinets, Ash quickly hopped off of the table and ran down the hall. He had almost made it to the front door when he collided with Tracey.
"Hey, watch it, Ash! Why are you in such a hurry?"
"How can you work for that guy? He's needle-happy!" Ash exclaimed as he flew out the door.
Professor Oak stuck his head out of the doorway. "Tracey, did you see Ash come your way?"
"He's gone already, Professor. Something about needles."
Professor Oak smiled and shook his head. As he headed back to the examination room to clean and put away his instruments, he realized something.
I haven't bought Delia a present yet, either!