A/N: Hey, everyone! I know this chapter is up a couple of days earlier than usual. That's because last week I forgot I would be gone all of this coming week. I managed to squeeze out this chapter in time before I leave, though, so it all worked out. I give a shout out to Howard576 for helping give the idea of an alternative take on Primeape. Yes Ash will keep it in this fic as stated before. Enjoy the chapter!
One more thing: Please no more "When will Ash and Serena get together" questions. I have answered this question a hundred times in all ways, shapes, and forms. Look in past chapters or author notes.
Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. Pokemon.
Chapter 25: The Strongest Primeape
With Celadon City behind them, the group was now continuing on to Saffron City. To their great relief, they learned that Saffron City wasn't too far, and it would only take them about three days to get there. They were glad they wouldn't need to be camping for a whole month between these two cities like they had with others. At the moment, they were enjoying a nice lunch prepared by none other than Brock and in high spirits. The Pokemon were either eating, playing around, or introducing themselves to the new members of the team, Eevee and Psyduck. Eevee happily introduced itself and wanted to play with everyone while Psyduck just gave them all a blank stare with only a mumble to indicate it even heard them.
Serena noticed how well Eevee was getting along with everyone and smiled to herself. Eevee was a very playful and friendly Pokemon. It just liked to play a little too rough since it tackled Serena too many times. It had been two days since she caught it so she was beginning to get used to it. That didn't help ease the pain of falling on her behind very much, though.
Serena also noticed Charla's attitude towards Ash's Charmander had changed since it evolved into Charmeleon. Charmander would try to go over and converse with Charla, but Charla would just give a disappointed sigh before saying anything rather than gushing like it did before. This seemed to upset Charmander. Serena supposed with evolution came new personalities sometimes, or maybe Charla was waiting for Ash's Charmander to one day become Charmeleon, as well. In Charla's mind, it imagined Charmander evolving into a Charmeleon before it did. Then it would have strong, handsome Pokemon to sweep it off its feet, but instead, the opposite happened so Charla wouldn't be able to live out that fantasy now.
Serena then looked over at Ash, who was sitting next to her and slurping up his stew. She didn't know why, but Ash was being unusually close to her since they left Celadon City. There was no doubt she enjoyed being this close to Ash but still wondered what caused this sudden attachment. Maybe Ash was doing it unintentionally, but Serena didn't want to ask in case it would make Ash uncomfortable. She decided to just enjoy this closeness with Ash while it lasted.
Ash must have noticed her gaze as he looked at her and gave her a smile, which Serena returned. As a test to see what would happen, she scooted a little closer to Ash to see if he would widen the gap like he usually did or stay where he was. As she expected, he didn't pull away this time so maybe he was staying close to her on purpose, after all. Did he enjoy being this close to her like she did with him? Were Leaf and Misty correct about Ash's feelings towards her? He liked her as much as she liked him but just didn't realize it? Serena blushed at the thought that Ash might actually like her back.
While on her thoughts of Ash, she realized his birthday was only two weeks away. He would be turning eleven years old then. Her birthday was only two months after his. Where did the time go? It was hard to believe they have been on a journey that long. As Serena thought about Ash's birthday, she began to think about what she could get him. He would no doubt want something that was helpful on his Pokemon journey. Ash loved cake so he would also want one of those as well. She then realized what a nice gesture it would be if she actually made the cake herself rather than having someone buy it at the store like in the past. The only problem was she didn't know how to bake. Her mother was an excellent cook and was going to teach Serena at one point, but Serena left before her mother could get around to it. She then looked over at Brock. There was no doubt Brock could make anything. Maybe she could ask Brock to teach her how to cook, possibly even clean as well. That would know doubt lighten Brock's load if she took over the chores sometimes. It would also allow Ash to be impressed with how great a wife she might make one day. Of course, she wasn't going to do everything so Ash would need to learn some things, as well.
Serena then began to blush furiously. Did she actually just think about Ash and her getting married?!
"Hey, Serena. What are you doing?" Ash asked once he saw Serena's weird expression and red face.
"Eheheheheh! It's nothing!" Serena said quickly with a nervous laugh.
"Well guys, we better start packing up to leave so we can get to Saffron City as soon as possible," Brock told the group as he stood up from the ground.
"Good idea. I've had my share so I'm good to go!" Ash agreed.
"You had more than your fair share, Ash. You had four bowls of Brock's stew!" Misty teased.
"It's no more than I usually eat," Ash defended as he and the rest of the group began to return their Pokemon except Pikachu to their pokeballs.
"You can say that again," Misty muttered.
The group was then interrupted by a rustling in the bushes. They looked over towards them to see a Mankey poke its head out.
"Oh, cool! It's a wild Mankey!" Ash exclaimed.
The Mankey then came out of the bushes and walked over towards the group.
"Hey there, Mankey. I don't have any stew, but I have a doughnut. Would you like to try one?" Brock asked in a friendly tone.
"Mankey!" the pig monkey Pokemon responded happily before going over to Brock.
Brock then reached into his backpack before pulling out a box of doughnuts. He then pulled one out and handed it to Mankey. The Pokemon then sniffed the doughnut and began eating it happily.
"You know, guys. I could really use a fighting-type Pokemon since I haven't caught one yet. What better way to start than with a Mankey!? I should be able to get it while it's distracted," Ash said as he pulled out a spare pokeball.
"Shouldn't you at least let it finish the doughnut first?" Misty asked. "Mankey are known to have horrible tempers."
"Maybe you're right," Ash relented as he clipped his pokeball back to his belt. The last thing he wanted to do was anger the Mankey.
The Mankey finished eating the doughnut and looked at Brock with pleading eyes as if asking for more.
"Sorry about that, Mankey," Brock said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "All the doughnuts are already gone."
Mankey gave a sad look at first, but soon nodded its head. It then turned towards Ash and its eyes lit up with excitement.
"Hey what do you guys know? It looks like Mankey likes me," Ash smiled once he saw the Pokemon giving him a happy expression.
Mankey then leaped forward as if it were going to give Ash a hug. Ash opened his arms for the embrace but was in for a rude awakening. Instead of hugging Ash, Mankey reeled back its arms and punched Ash in the stomach, causing him to grunt and bend over in pain.
Mankey then reached out and grabbed Ash's hat and placed it on its head. It seemed Mankey only liked Ash's hat rather than Ash himself.
Serena, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu cringed when they saw the painful blow to Ash's stomach. They then saw the Mankey pointing and laughing at Ash.
"Hey, Mankey! Give me my hat!" Ash shouted once he recovered from the punch to his stomach.
Instead, Mankey turned its hat back and imitated throwing a pokeball, mimicking Ash's movements. Ash got an angry look that he was being mocked by this Pokemon.
"I'll show you!" Ash cried as he lunged forward at Mankey.
Mankey easily jumped out of the way which caused Ash to faceplant right on the ground. He lifted himself off the ground and glared at Mankey.
"Fine, Mankey! If that's the way you want it, I'll take it back by force!" Ash yelled. He then turned to his faithful rodent partner. "Go, Pikachu!"
Pikachu ran in front of Ash and glared at the Mankey. The Mankey glared back. They were in a staring contest.
"Use Quick Attack, Pikachu!" Ash ordered.
The yellow rodent ran forward to slam into Mankey, but the pig monkey Pokemon jumped over Pikachu before it could reach it. It then landed a short distance away. Mankey then left Ash and gave him a taunting look by mimicking him again. It then began to run away.
"Oh no you don't!" Ash yelled as he took off after the Mankey.
"Wait, Ash!" the group cried as the followed him.
Ash was running after Mankey as fast as he could. That was his official Pokemon League hat that Mankey had. Ash couldn't let it get away. He had to send in a million post cards to win it. Unfortunately, it seemed Mankey was a lot faster than Ash. As Ash was chasing it, Mankey saw some thick trees at the entrance to a small forest. It then hopped into the clearing and disappeared into the sea of trees.
Ash stopped running and began searching as hard as he could for any trace of where Mankey had gone to. By that time, the rest of the group had caught up to Ash and were panting heavily.
"Did you…get…your hat?" Serena asked while panting.
"No. I lost it," Ash muttered sadly. He couldn't believe his favorite hat was stolen just like that by some wild Pokemon.
"Oh, well. It was just a hat," Misty shrugged, which caused Ash to glare at her. Misty clearly didn't know the value Ash held to his hat.
"Hey! That is my official Pokemon League hat!" Ash argued.
"So? What's so special about it?" Misty scoffed.
Serena knew how much that Pokemon League hat meant to him. He wore it every day, and the only time he took it off is when he was sleeping or bathing. Ash and his hat were rarely seen apart. Serena could say she felt the same way about her favorite pink hat. However, it was special to her for a different reason than Ash had with his hat. Ash had given her this hat on her last birthday, and she would be crushed if it was ever stolen.
"It's okay, Ash. I'm sure we will find your hat. Remember, Pikachu can track the scents of other people and Pokemon," Serena assured as she gave him a smile.
"Oh yeah! That's right!" Ash remembered. He then turned to Pikachu. "Do you think you can track down that wild Mankey, buddy?"
"Are we seriously going to stop our traveling just to search for your hat?" Misty asked in disbelief.
"Come on, Misty. Try to understand how Ash feels. That's his favorite hat so he can't just get a new one," Brock told her.
"This is ridiculous," Misty muttered.
"Oh yeah?" Serena countered. "How would you like it if Mankey stole your Misty fishing lure?"
Misty froze. That fishing lure in her image was her favorite thing. She had made it herself. She would certainly be upset if it was ever taken despite being somewhat silly. Maybe she was being too hard on Ash.
Misty sighed, but then gave Ash a small smile. "Fine, Ash. Let's search for you hat."
Ash smiled at Serena for sticking up to him, and then he turned to Pikachu. "Have you come up with anything yet, Pikachu?"
"Pikachu!" the rodent responded as it began to run down the pathway.
"It think Pikachu is on to it!" Ash said excitedly as the group followed it.
It turns out Mankey had covered quite a bit of ground in such a short time. They had been on Mankey's scent for fifteen minutes and still hadn't caught up to it yet. Just when the group thought they might never catch up to the pig monkey Pokemon, they began to hear quite a bit of noise.
Pikachu stopped in its tracks and perked its ears in the direction of the noise. It then motioned for the group to stop and put its finger to its lip. Pikachu then pointed one of its short fingers in the direction of a few bushes that were off the main pathway.
The group quietly made their way over to the bushes. As they were getting closer, the noise was turning out to be a lot of grunting and yelling. The group peaked over the bushes and stared in surprise at what they saw.
There was a small group of Mankey, about eight, that were formed in a circle, all cheering and making all kinds of noises. In the center of the group of Mankey, was another Mankey and a Primeape.
Ash gasped when he saw the Mankey that was in the center was the one who stole his hat. Sure enough, the Pokemon still had Ash's hat on top of its head. It appeared to be in some kind of fight with the Primeape.
"Maybe while it's distracted, I can get my hat back," Ash whispered.
"I don't think that is such a good idea. Do you really want to get in the middle of a group of Mankey who are fighting each other?" Serena whispered back.
Ash saw her point and shuddered at the thought that he would be beaten to a pulp if he attempted to take his hat back now. He and the rest of group decided to secretly watch from behind the bushes to see how this played out. Upon seeing how Mankey and Primeape were looking at each other with hatred, it was clear they were bitter rivals.
The Mankey and Primeape were glaring at each other for a while before the Mankey made its move. It jumped up into the air towards the Primeape to deliver a Karate Chop. The Primeape was ready, however. It reared its fist back and slammed it into the Mankey's face before it could connect with Karate Chop.
Mankey sailed towards the ground and landed painfully. The Primeape then approached Mankey and began to pummel it with its fist continuously. Mankey wasn't even getting a chance to retaliate. The group of Mankey surrounding the two continued to shout and cheer at the fight that was taking place. They didn't seem to care who was losing and who was winning.
Once the Primeape seemed satisfied with the amount of damage it did, it quit its barrage of punches and stood back to see if Mankey would get up. Mankey slowly got up to its feet and glared defiantly at the Primeape in front it. Surprisingly, Ash's hat had managed to stay on its head. The larger pig monkey stared back at Mankey for second before it began to laugh cruelly.
Upon seeing that it was being made fun of, Mankey charged at the Primeape with every ounce of strength it still had. Once again, Primeape wound its fist back and slammed it in Mankey's face. Mankey immediately dropped to the ground. The Primeape then went over to Mankey and began to kick it back and forth. Mankey was giving out grunts and cries of pain with each kick.
The group grimaced at the brutality of the Primeape. Those two must have a very strong dislike for each other.
The Primeape finished pummeling the Mankey and stood back to see if it would stand up again. It's mouth wasn't visible, but it was clear the Primeape was smirking right now. The Mankey raised its head off the ground and stared defiantly at the Primeape once more. It then couldn't take the pain anymore and fell face forward on the ground.
The Primeape went over and planted its foot on Mankey's backside. It then raised its right fist in triumph at its victory. The rest of Mankey cheered and grunted in approval at the fight that had just taken place. The Primeape gave one last disgusted look at the fallen Mankey before smirking and walking off, all the Mankey that formed a circle following suit.
Once the Primeape and Mankey were out of sight, the group saw how hurt Mankey was and decided it needed some help fast.
They went over to it and knelt down to see if it was okay. The Mankey raised its head off of the ground and looked at the group in confusion.
"Hey, Mankey. How are you feeling," Ash asked as he reached forward to take his hat from Mankey's head.
Upon seeing what Ash was doing, it got an angry look and slapped Ash's hand away with its own before grimacing at the pain it was in.
"Ash, maybe now isn't the best time to take your hat back. Wait until Mankey feels better, and then try it," Brock told him.
"Right," Ash nodded as he rubbed his stinging hand.
Brock quickly checked its condition and got a grim expression on his face. "Nothing appears to be broken, but it does have some pretty nasty bumps and bruises on it. I recommend we get it to a Pokemon Center as fast as we can," Brock reported.
"But there aren't any Pokemon Centers in the area," Serena said sadly.
The group thought for a moment before Brock spoke up again. "I know!" he said as he put his fist in his other palm. "We can gather some plants from around this area and turn them into medicine like Melanie taught us a while back!"
"Great idea, Brock!" Misty agreed. "Let's go!"
"You guys go on ahead. Pikachu and I will stay here with Mankey to make sure it's okay," Ash told the group.
Serena, Brock, and Misty nodded their heads and went off in different directions to find the proper plants to make medicine with.
Ash got his sleeping bag out from his backpack and lay it down on the ground. He then gently picked up Mankey. I weakly struggled in Ash's arms but soon relented because it was too weak. Ash then placed it on the sleeping bag for a more comfortable place to lie down than on the ground.
Ash gave Mankey a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mankey. We are here to help you. I promise I won't try to take my hat back from you anymore."
Mankey raised its head off the sleeping bag and gave Ash a curious glance.
As if reading Mankey's mind, Ash went on. "Yeah. It's true that hat is incredibly important to me. I was pretty furious when you stole it, but right now the most important thing is making sure that you are okay," he said.
Mankey continued to stare at Ash in confusion. It had just stolen this kid's hat yet he was more worried about its well-being? Who did this kid think he was? Just because the kid was being nice to it now didn't mean it was going to give up the hat. Plus, Mankey thought the hat looked much better on it than it did on this kid, Ash, was it?
Mankey gave a huff before it placed its head back down on the sleeping bag.
"Don't push yourself," Ash warned gently.
"Pika Pi," Pikachu agreed
Mankey grunted and glared at the two. It didn't want to receive any help from this kid or his friends. It was too proud for that.
About twenty minutes later, the rest of the gang arrived with a few different plants. They then set them on the ground and pulled out some utensils from their backpacks.
"With these plants, we should be able to make some impromptu medicine. It won't be as good treatment at a Pokemon Center, but it should still make Mankey feel a lot better," Brock reasoned.
The group then began crushing the plants into fine powder with their various utensils and adding a few ingredients like Melanie had suggested. Then they got a glass of water from one of their water kegs and added the medicine to it for Mankey to drink.
"Here, Mankey. Drink this. It will make you feel better," Ash said gently as he held the glass up to Mankey's lips.
Mankey promptly turned away and grunted angrily.
"I know you are in a lot of pain right now, and you aren't going to get any better unless you drink this," Ash tried again.
Mankey turned around and saw the sincerity in Ash's eyes. It trusted the concoction in the boy's hands would make it feel better, but it was too stubborn. Its pride already took a massive hit by being crushed by that Primeape. It didn't need to be humiliated again by accepting help from humans.
"Please," Ash said sincerely.
Mankey finally decided the pain was too great and begrudgingly began to take small sips of the medicine. The medicine was pretty bitter, but it wasn't the worst thing Mankey had ever tasted before. It swallowed and rested its head back on the sleeping bag.
"Thanks, Mankey," Ash smiled happily. "Now you just need some nice rest. We will keep watch over you to make sure nothing bad happens while you are recovering."
Now wait just a minute here! Mankey appreciated the medicine the group gave it, but it refused to be babysat like some weakling. It shakily stood its feet, made sure Ash's hat was firmly on its head, and began to shuffle away from the group.
"You shouldn't try to walk right now, Mankey!" Ash warned.
Mankey turned around to glare at Ash. It then delivered another punch to Ash's gut and resumed walking.
"Ash!" Serena cried worriedly once she saw Ash double over in pain. She then ran over to help him back to his feet.
"Pika Pikachu!" the yellow rodent said angrily as it ran in front of Mankey and sparked its cheeks at it for the sucker punch it gave Ash.
"It's fine, buddy," Ash coughed as Serena helped him up.
Pikachu glared at Mankey one last time before allowing it to pass by it. Mankey continued to shuffle along the path until it collapsed once more. It clearly still wasn't feeling very well despite taking some medicine shortly before.
Ash went over to it. "Mankey, I know you don't want really want our help, but if you don't get enough rest, you could injure yourself more than you already are. At least stay long enough to feel better, and then you can leave." he said.
As stubborn as Mankey was, it knew Ash was right. If it wanted to recover anytime soon, it would need to receive help from these humans. It finally stopped staring defiantly at Ash and allowed him to pick it up. Ash did so and carried it back to the sleeping bag to rest Mankey on it. Deciding to give Ash a break for a change, Mankey took Ash's hat off its head and handed it back to Ash. The raven-haired boy was rather surprised at this gesture from the previously hostile Pokemon.
"Wow. Thanks, Mankey," Ash said gratefully as he took the hat.
Mankey said nothing as it lay its head back on the sleeping bag. It then closed its eyes to try to get as much rest as it could.
It was now almost eleven o'clock at night, yet Ash was still up watching Mankey. Pikachu was curled up next to Ash, fast asleep. Brock had volunteered a few times to watch Mankey to give Ash a break, but Ash refused each time. He didn't know why, but he felt a connection with this Mankey. Was it because it had stolen his hat? Was it because it had punched him in the stomach twice already? He wasn't sure.
"Ash, it's getting pretty late. Shouldn't you be getting to sleep?" Serena wondered as she went over to where Ash and Mankey were.
"I will in a little bit," Ash promised. I just want to give one last dose of the medicine to Mankey before I do, but that isn't for another thirty minutes.
"In that case, it's getting a little chilly out here at nights now. Brock heated some hot chocolate for you over the fire. Would you like some?" Serena asked as she held the cup in front of Ash.
"Thanks. I would," Ash smiled as he took the cup from her hands. He turned around to face Brock who was getting ready for bed and gave a slight wave to show his appreciation. Brock smiled back and nodded his before he got into his sleeping bag. Misty had just gone to sleep a few minutes ago. Ash then took a small sip of the piping hot liquid and smiled at how good it was. Brock was phenomenal when it came to fixing food and drinks.
"Hey, Ash. Would you mind if I stayed up with you to watch Mankey?" Serena asked somewhat shyly.
"Not at all. Go right ahead," Ash replied while giving her a warm smile and patting the spot on the ground next to him.
Serena smiled back and sat down next to Ash and took a sip of her own hot chocolate. A few minutes went by without them saying anything to each other before Serena decided to break the silence.
"So Ash? What have you thought of your Pokemon journey so far?" she asked him.
"What do you mean?" Ash replied while giving her a curious glance.
"I mean, is it what you thought it would be? I have to admit, when we first began this journey, I didn't think it would be this hard. I thought we were going to stay safe as long as we had our Pokemon, sleeping soundly under the beautiful stars every night, and seeing and catching new Pokemon every other day. It was pretty naïve of me to think that, though," Serena answered.
"I know," Ash agreed. "When we first started out, I never would have pictured some of the things we would face. We were getting into all sorts of danger almost every day: the Spearow attack, the Beedrills, our unfortunate run ins with Team Rocket, and meeting people like Paul and Damian."
Serena frowned at the things Ash was telling her but nodded her head in understanding nonetheless before Ash continued.
"But then I think of all the great things so far of being on this journey, and they definitely outweigh the bad. I have had a lot of fun on this journey so far. I've met great friends in Misty, Brock, and Ritchie. I have the best Pokemon a guy could ever ask for. I get a chance to grow up and become independent now that I am away from home. If I could do it over again, I would choose to come on the journey every time just so I could have even one of the good things so far," Ash said.
"I think of our journey the same way," Serena agreed. "It may not be as easy as we first thought, but we are having a lot of fun."
"Yeah, and…it helps that you are traveling with me, also," Ash finished the last part somewhat nervously.
Serena blushed at Ash's words but went unnoticed by the raven haired boy because of the only source of light being the dimness from the fire. She then held her hand over her heart.
"I'm really glad I'm traveling with you also, Ash," Serena said sincerely. "There isn't anyone else I would rather travel with."
The two trainers sat in silence for a few more minutes before Serena decided to take a chance with something she hadn't done yet, lay her head on Ash's shoulder. She never would have tried this at the start of their journey, but felt they had grown much closer since then with all the things they had been through together. It also helped that Ash seemed to be more receptive of her closeness to him than he had been previously if his behavior since they left Celadon was any indication.
Serena slowly began to lean her head in Ash's direction. She gave a quick glance to see if he was giving any kind of reaction. He wasn't. He was too busy staring straight ahead at Mankey. Serena kept leaning a closer towards Ash. She was almost there! She began to blush furiously and then…..
"Oh, I better give Mankey its medicine," Ash said as he got off the ground to go to Mankey, completely oblivious to what Serena was trying to do at the moment.
Unfortunately for Serena, she had leaned over too far by the time Ash got up. She missed his shoulder and fell over sideways onto the ground.
"Are you okay, Serena?" Ash asked in worry as he turned around to face her once he heard the thud.
"Hahaha! Yeah, I'm fine, Ash! You should go ahead and get Mankey its medicine!" Serena replied nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. This time she was blushing from pure embarrassment.
"Same old Ash, after all," she thought to herself. Maybe it wasn't quite the time to try that, after all.
The group was awoken to the sound of grunting and screaming. They looked around frantically at the rude awakening but didn't see anything. The sound appeared to carry so it was some distance away, but the group still was wondering what was causing that noise. It did sound familiar, though.
"Woah!" Mankey's gone!" Ash cried in alarm once he saw his sleeping bag was vacant.
"Where do you think it could have gone?" Misty asked.
"I bet we'll find our answer if we follow this noise," Brock suggested.
The group quickly shook of their grogginess and ran to the source of the noise. They entered a small clearing in the forest and saw Mankey and most likely the same Primeape facing each other with glares on their faces. There was also a crowd of Mankey formed in a circle around the two like before.
"Mankey isn't actually going to battle that Primeape again so soon, is it?" Serena asked worriedly.
"I think it's because of Mankey's pride," Brock explained. "It is sort of similar to when Pikachu faced Lt. Surge's Raichu. Those two are apparently big rivals so Mankey has to beat it to prove itself."
"It still shouldn't be battling right now," Ash said firmly as he went out into clearing. "Hey, Mankey. You still haven't fully recovered yet! You need to save your energy!"
Upon hearing Ash's voice, Mankey turned around and faced Ash angrily. It grunted and began to ferociously stomp the ground with its feet.
Ash took this as a sign to back off before he made Mankey go on a rampage which would have been a very bad thing. There was nothing Ash could do to help it anymore.
"Ash….," Serena trailed as she watched Ash come back to the group.
"I just don't want to see Mankey end up being hurt again," Ash muttered as be grit his teeth.
"We did our best to help, Ash, especially you. If it doesn't want to listen, it isn't your fault," Brock said reassuringly.
Ash nodded but still had a worried look on his face as he watched the fight was just about to take place.
The two pig monkey Pokemon continued to stare at each other angrily before Mankey decided to make the first move once more. It gave what sounded like a battle cry and charged for the Primeape. Mankey leaped into the air for a Karate Chop once more. Having been through this before, Primeape once again reared its fist back and punched Mankey as hard as it could. Mankey went flying backwards and landed painfully on the ground. Primeape went over to Mankey and began to pummel it back and forth with its fists once more.
The group could see this fight was playing out just like the last one. They wanted to intervene but knew they would have the whole group of angry Pokemon after them if they did. They could only watch helplessly.
Once Primeape was finished, it lifted Mankey off of the ground, and began to swing it around and around.
"I think Primeape is getting ready for a Seismic Toss," Brock stated in a grim tone. "Mankey might be down for the count again after this."
Ash looked on worriedly at Mankey. He didn't care if he got a black eye or another punch in the gut for this. He wasn't going to just sit by and let this Mankey keep hurting itself.
Once Primeape had swung Mankey around to a suitable speed, it let go and Mankey went sailing through the air towards a tree.
Ash took off running as fast as he could in attempt to stop Mankey's path. Mankey continued to fly towards the tree.
"Mankey!" Ash cried as he leaped towards the Pokemon and caught it at the last second. Unfortunately, the force of the impact knocked Ash backwards and he ended up hitting the tree instead.
"Ash! Pika Pi!" the group and Pikachu cried worriedly once they saw Ash crumple to the ground.
Ash groaned in pain at the impact. Mankey looked up at Ash worriedly. It couldn't believe that Ash had just saved it like that. This kid really cared about it.
"Hey, Mankey. Are you okay?" Ash asked between the pain.
Mankey grunted in response to show it was fine. It then brushed the dirt off Ash and looked up in concern.
"I'm fine. Thanks for your concern," Ash responded appreciatively. He then got off the ground with Mankey holding Ash's hand to help him up.
Mankey continued to look at Ash curiously. What a strange human this was! It had done all sorts of mean things yet this boy proved time and time again he really cared. After being saved multiple times, maybe this kid was pretty cool, after all.
"Hey, Mankey. You still have a battle to win. What do say we beat this Primeape together?" Ash suggested.
Mankey grunted in approval and turned back to face the Primeape. It then began to glow a bright white in color.
"Wow! You're evolving, Mankey!" Ash said happily as he watched the Pokemon grow larger. The rest of the group watched in awe as well.
Once it stopped glowing, a Primeape stood in place of where Mankey was.
"Priiiiiime!" It shouted.
The other Primeape looked in surprise that Mankey had evolved and was even going to fight alongside a human, but soon returned to its angry glare.
Ash and Primeape stood next to each other. They were ready to battle.
"Okay, Primeape! Use your Low Kick!" Ash yelled.
Primeape charged at the other Primeape once again. It reeled its fist back ready to punch the daylights out of the former Mankey again, but was in for a surprise. Primeape instead ducked under the wild Primeape's incoming fist. It then delivered a clean sweep which knocked the opposing Primape right off its feet. It then hit the ground with a thud.
"That was awesome, Primeape!" Ash said as he gave it thumbs up. Primeape nodded in return. "Now let's try your Karate Chop while it's on the ground!"
Primeape then brought an outstretched hand towards the downed one. The wild Primeape caught the chop in its own hands, but Ash's still had a free hand.
"Use Mega Punch!" Ash called.
Primeape then delivered a punch to the opposing Primaeape's face for a change. It felt good for a little payback with as many time as it was punched in the face by this thing.
The enemy Primeape yelled out in pain before jumping to its feet and began thrashing about. It began to attack Primeape mercilessly now that it was on a rampage. It pummeled Primeape to the ground and saw Ash. Who said this human could join this battle? He should mind his own business! It then began to charge towards Ash, ready to punish him as much as it could for helping its rival. Primeape looked on worriedly as the enemy Primeape charged at Ash. This boy had saved it. Now it was its turn to return the favor!
Ash braced himself for what seemed like a lot of pain coming, but it never came. Primeape had jumped in between its enemy and Ash and delivered another Mega Punch to the enemy Primeape, smashing its fist into its face.
The enemy Primeape was knocked to the ground and struggled to get back up. It glared hatefully at the other Primeape before the other one raised its fists protectively in front of Ash. Knowing, its defeat the opposing Primeape took off in another part of the woods, the group of Mankey following it.
Primeape then raised both its fists into the air and grunted happily at finally beating its rival.
"You protected me from that other Primeape. Thank you," Ash said gratefully.
Primeape turned around and nodded at Ash.
"That was really great, Ash! You two did awesome!" Serena exclaimed as she and the rest of the group went over to join the two.
"You two work really well together!" Misty agreed.
"We do make a great team, don't we, Primeape?" Ash asked the pig monkey Pokemon.
"Priiiiime!" it agreed. Primeape had to admit, it didn't think it would have won against its rival if it wasn't for Ash.
"If it's okay with you, Primeape, what do you say we continue fighting as a team and grow stronger together?" Ash suggested.
Primeape seemed to think it over for a moment. It never would have guessed it would ever become a trainer's Pokemon. It had wanted to be independent its whole life. On the other hand, if it wanted to reach its maximum potential, Ash definitely seemed to be the way to go. Primeape then nodded its head and held out its hand for Ash to shake.
"That's great, Primeape. Welcome to the team!" Ash smiled as he shook Primeape's hand.
Then without warning, Primeape punched Ash in the stomach and took his hat before placing it on its head, which caused everyone to sweatdrop. It still seemed to have not gotten over that habit. Just because it and Ash were friends now didn't mean Primeape was going to stop taking Ash's hat every chance it got!
"Well, it seems you and Primeape are a team now. Just make sure to hold onto your hat from now on," Misty said in amusement.
"I will," Ash mumbled as he held his stomach in pain. He then took his hat back from Primeape and took out a spare pokeball. "Alright, Primeape! Return!"
The pokeball shot out its read beam towards Primeape where it willingly allowed itself to enter the pokeball. The pokeball immediately dinged to signify Primeape's capture. Then Ash watched sadly as the pokeball was teleported to Professor Oak's lab since he had more than six Pokemon with him at the moment.
"We will battle together real soon again, Primeape. I promise," Ash thought.
"You know, Ash. You have become a really great trainer since I've known you," Brock praised.
"How do you figure?" Ash asked him curiously.
"Think about just now when you and Primeape were battling that other one. At the time, Primeape was an evolved, wild Pokemon, and it still listened to your commands. It takes a great trainer for any wild Pokemon to listen to you, especially an evolved one. If you weren't any good, Primeape would not have battled with you whether you gained its trust or not," Brock explained.
"That was really impressive Ash!" Serena agreed.
"Chu!" Pikachu said happily as it hopped onto Ash's shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.
"Wow. You're right. Thanks guys. I may have what it takes to become a Pokemon Master, after all!" Ash smiled.
"Just don't let it go to your head," Misty warned.
"I won't," Ash promised. "Well, what are we waiting for?! Saffron City is calling our name! Let's go!"
Then just like always, Ash began running as fast as he could towards Saffron City with Pikachu on his shoulder and the rest of the group close behind them. They couldn't wait to see what awaited them in Saffron City.
The President of Silph Co. was very busy at the moment. He had been working on a special type of pokeball for many months now. It was supposed to have the power to capture any Pokemon in the world without fail. He had asked his employees not to disturb him the rest of the day until he gave the word. After much hard work, he was ready to announce the finishing touches needed to get the Master Ball, as he would call it, ready for testing. If the prototype worked, they would be able to have these types of pokeballs in mass production within the next couple of years. This was very exciting and would be Silph Co.'s biggest achievement yet.
He went over to the intercom to make the announcement, but he heard a loud crash downstairs and a whole bunch of shouting and screaming going on in the floors below. The president knew something was wrong and immediately pressed the button on the intercom for the guards but received no response. He then pressed the button for his secretary but received no response from her either. This was a very bad sign.
The President then heard footsteps approaching the door hurriedly. The footsteps soon stopped and frantic knocks were heard on the other side. Sincerely hoping it was one of the guards or his secretary to explain the situation, the President timidly called out, "Hello? Who is it?"
For a moment, there was no response. The President was about to call the police before there was a scream and gunfire rang on the other side of the door. The door was then kicked open, and four people, two in black, two in white, and a Meowth shuffled into the room with evil smirks on their faces, each one holding a gun. All four people had a big red "R" on their uniform The President looked in the doorway and gasped in horror when he saw his personal guard sprawled on the floor.
"Relax. He's just knocked out. There was no sense in killing him unless he tries to defy us," a blonde haired woman of the group muttered when she saw the President's horrified expression.
"Wh-who are you people?" the president asked fearfully.
"Have you really never heard of the infamous Team Rocket?" the red haired woman of the bunch asked arrogantly.
"T-T-Team Rocket?! How did you crooks get in here?! What about the security and our guards?!" the president cried in alarm.
"Oh, your guards? You must mean OUR guards. We've had disguised Rocket members among your employees and guards for weeks now, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. We are sad to say your real guards are no longer with us, if you know what I mean," the blonde haired woman smirked evilly.
The President got a panicked expression on his face. Team Rocket had infiltrated the Silph Co's security so easily. As the president of the company, he felt responsible for everything. How could he have let this happen?!
"What do you crooks want with Silph Co.?" the president asked.
"You will know soon enough. The boss is on his way up right now," a raspy voiced, green haired man replied.
Sure enough, the President heard more footsteps coming down the hallway to his office. Soon the footsteps were revealed to belong to a very tall, intimidating man. He had short, neatly combed brown hair and wore an orange suit. A Persian was by his side.
Once the man entered the room, he turned to the four people and Meowth who were giving him their full attention. "Jessie, James, Cassidy, Butch, Meowth! You have each done a fine job. Now leave us and keep guard. Make sure no one who isn't a Team Rocket member enter this floor."
"Yes sir!" they saluted before leaving the room.
The Rocket Boss turned back to the president and smirked before gesturing to his chair. "Good afternoon, Mr. President. You seem tense. Please sit back down."
The president noticed the dark man's Persian hissing threateningly at him so he decided it was best to do what the evil man said. He slowly sat back down into his office chair behind the desk while the orange suited man went over and sat down on the nearby couch and crossed his legs like he owned the Silph Co. rather than the President.
The dark man than gave an evil smile at the President. "How rude of me. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Giovanni. I am the leader of Team Rocket. You and I have much to discuss, Mr. President."
Okay. The chapters a lot of you have been waiting for are up next. I really hope I made them live up to the hype. I put a lot of thought into how I wanted them to play out, and admittedly, spent quite a bit of time writing them. The first part mainly sets the stage, but the second part is VERY intense.
I didn't have time to take down the poll since I am in a hurry so it will stay up another week before I take it down. Silph Co. will be up next Tuesday. Here's for more "The Road to Become a Pokemon Master" to come. See you guys week! Thanks for all the reviews and support!
Chapter 26: The Silph Company: Part One
Answering the Questions:
Will someone steal Serena's privilege of being Ash's first kiss?
I don't think so. That would be a cruel thing to do to Serena.
Will there be a girl that Ash would quickly fall for by looks like he did with Giselle since he's now starting to understand a bit of romance?
Possibly, but Serena is starting to notice Ash's slight change in attitude towards her so she would be extremely upset if he fell for another girl.
Will Ash's Charmander reach the Charizard stage before Charla since it was only a Charmeleon for about 3 episodes before evolving into Charizard against the battle against Aerodactyl?
Charmander will be in the Charmeleon stage a little longer than it was in the anime. It and Charla will evolve at the same time into Charizards.
Will Charla be referred to as Charza when it becomes a Charizard?
No, it will still be Charla.
When serena battles a gym leader will it be with ash against liz and tate?
Serena will battle a gym leader soon.
Will ash have his battle with max that he promised?
Something like that is waaaaaaaaay to far off for me to even think about right now. I'm not even in Johto yet and Max hasn't even made an appearance and won't for a while. Ask me a question like that when I'm in the Hoenn arc.
Will there be a chapter that focuses on brock's crush on a girl?
Sort of. It will be the secondary focus of the chapter and will co star Brock. Misty will have a chapter as well.
Please remove Misty after Indigo league.
I've already done a poll to see what readers wanted me to do with Misty. More people wanted her to stay through Johto than leave after Kanto. Sorry.
Will you have Ash pretend to be "oblivious" as a way to cope about his growing feelings for Serena?
He will sometimes act oblivious and other times he won't. He will continue to show his feelings more and more as the story goes on and Serena will catch on. The last half of this story will be full of amourshipping moments after a very particular chapter. (Spoiler) The moment was actually hinted at in this chapter.
Will Serena ever fall for another guy?
No.
What if serena could get a lapras at silph co. like in the game?
Sorry. The Pokemon that Serena gets in Saffron City isn't Lapras.
Is anyone from the group going to get new Pokémon from the Silph Co. arc, like Lapras? Will Porygon be in it and be caught by Ash or Serena?
Serena will get a Pokemon in Saffron City and Ash will get his first noncanon Pokemon there, also. Whether it is at the Silph Co or some other way will be shown soon enough. A Porygon will make an appearance in this story but not at Silph Co. You will just have to see if a group member catches it.
How long will Calem be a recurring rival character?
I know he will appear a couple of more times in Kanto, and I have him set for at least one appearance in Johto. Any time after that I haven't planned yet.
Is Charla now going to randomly attack Charmander in order to get him to evolve quicker?
Lol no.
After Ash faces Paul and Gary before the Indigo League, will have a drama scene set up where Ash questions himself if traveling with a group is holding him back?
Something of that nature, but it may not be those exact questions.
Is it possible that Squirtle will learn Hydro Pump earlier?
That is certainly possible.
Will Serena ever get a Fennekin? And will Unova and Kalos pokemon be in the story even though your not doing those regions?
I'm not sure yet.
Will Clemont and Bonnie appear in this story?
Even though Ash isn't going to Kalos, I do want them to appear in this story in some way (same with Iris and Cilan). If they do make an appearance, it probably won't be until Sinnoh or the last story, and they won't be Ash's traveling companions.
Will Calem try to embarrass Ash to get in with Serena?
No. I didn't make Calem out to be that sort of person. I wanted Serena to have at least one pleasant rival.
Since Serena has an Eevee now, can you wait until the Johto or Hoenn Arc for Eevee to evolve?
Yes. That was my intention.
Will serena's eevee evolve into sylveon?
No. It won't be a Sylveon. I already planned which Eeveelution it will get.
Will you have Ash and Serena keep in contact more with their parents?
One can assume they talk to their parents on the video phone. The scenes just aren't shown in the story. I will have some inclusions of talks between them in the future, same with Professor Oak.
Will you be making the connection with Ash and Sir Aaron?
Yes.
Will Serena ever kiss Ash?
Of course.
What are the qualities of a Pokemon Master so we can know what Ash needs to aim for in this fanfic?
A good question. My definition of a Pokemon Master is as follows.
. filled up their pokedex (not necessarily captured all Pokemon for reasons stated before)
. divine knowledge and skills of Pokemon battling and every Pokemon's type, abilities, and available moves
. knows everything there is to know about Pokemon
. love and accept all Pokemon the way they are.
. has Pokemon of every type
. has every badge there is to earn (so far)
. at least a region Champion
. Beaten all of the Elite Four
That's all what comes to mind at the moment.
Will Ash catch his own Eevee?
Maybe.
Since you said that Calem was from Kalos, will he be using any Kalos Pokémon in the future?
I'm not sure.
When will Ash's Charmander evolve?
Soon.
When Ash's Charmander evolves, will it be disobedient like in the anime?
Charmeleon will still listen to Ash. Charizard will be mostly obedient but Ash will still have to learn to understand Charizard's needs.
Will Ash catch any other pseudo-lengendaries besides Dratini and Gible? Will Serena catch any?
Yes.
Will any other characters from the games(Brendan, Lucas, Hilbert, Hilda, etc.) appear at some point in the story?
Yes.
Can you write at the beginning of each chapter what pokemon each character has on them?
Sure. I can do that every few chapters so no one gets confused. It will especially be needed when they start rotating their Pokemon. I'll start that next week.
Since Serena got the Eevee, will you put up a poll in the future to determine which evolution Eevee will become?
Sorry. There won't be a poll for that. I already know what Pokemon I want Eevee to become.
In the Johto arc will Ash keep the Larviatr he hatched from the egg
It's possible.
Will Brock be replaced by Tracey like in the anime?
Yes, but only during Orange Islands.