Chapter 5: March of the Mad Mankey!
The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Ash, Peter, Lillie, and Scorbunny were continuing their journey across the Kanto Region.
Now, since Ash wanted to defeat all of the Gym Leaders across the Kanto Region so that he could participate in the Pokemon League, and considering how the Gym in Viridian City was closed due to the fact that the Gym Leader was away, the most logical thing to do would be to just go to the other Gyms that were located in the other cities and wait until the Viridian City Gym reopened, right?
Well...
Unfortunately for Peter and Lillie, who were tagging along with Ash on his quest, the raven-haired boy wasn't exactly the most logical person in the world...
"Remind me again why we're on Route 22?" Lillie asked Peter as the pair of them watched Ash and Scorbunny crawl around in some nearby tall grass for some reason. "The next Gym is in Pewter City, and to get there we have to get through Viridian Forest. Going on to Route 22 is a waste of time, don't you think?"
"Trust me, I get you," Peter sighed. "But Ash really wants to catch a Pokemon here before going to Pewter...I suggested that he should just catch one while in Viridian Forest, but he said that it would be easier to catch one here because they're a 'Lower Level' according to him..."
"Hey, it's true though!" Ash exclaimed as he poked his head out of the grass to look up at Peter and Lillie. "Just ask my Rotom-Phone!"
The wannabe Pokemon Master then proceeded to take out his Rotom-possessed smartphone and point at it, prompting it to speak.
"Bzzt! Bzzt! Once trainers from Pallet Town are done exploring the beautiful city known as 'Viridian City', they are given two options to continue their journey. They could either head through Viridian Forest, which will in turn lead to Pewter City, where the next gym is located, or they could head to Route 22, which in turn leads to the Kantonian Pokemon League HQ! Please note that the guards at the Pokemon League HQ will not let trainers with less then 8 badges to enter, so please refrain from going there until you've collected all of the badges! It is recommended that if newer trainers wish to level up their Pokemon, they should head to Route 22 to battle the Pokemon there, as they are weaker compared to the ones found in Viridian Forest! Bzzt! Bzzt!"
"See? And since me and Scorbunny didn't get a lot of training in on Route 1, I think we should train here before heading to the next gym!" Ash exclaimed with a grin. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some Pokemon to try and find!"
Ash disappeared into the tall grass once more, looking alongside Scorbunny for some Pokemon to battle.
"This is going to take a while..." Peter sighed irritably.
"Alright, Scorbunny! Let's try to find a Pokemon that we can battle against!" Ash exclaimed as he crawled through the grass like a dog.
"Scor-Bunny!" Ash's fire-type exclaimed with a grin, crawling in a similar way to Ash. "Scor Bun Bun!"
"Haha! Yeah, that's the spirit, Scorbunny!" Ash exclaimed with a grin.
The bunny Pokemon then surprised its trainer by pushing its nose to the ground, sniffing it. This caused Ash to raise an eyebrow.
"Uh, Scorbunny? What exactly are you doing?..." Ash asked confusedly.
Ignoring its trainer's questions, Scorbunny continued to sniff the ground, and then began to move forward. Ash simply shrugged in response and followed his partner. It was a pretty hilarious sight to see a human and a rabbit-like Pokemon crawling in the grass like dogs, but the two of them didn't really care. Who was watching them anyways?
The Pokemon-Trainer duo continued crawling, when an idea dawned on Ash.
"Oh, I get it! You must have found a Pokemon's scent and are following it, right buddy?" the raven-haired boy asked his partner. "I thought that only dog Pokemon like Growlithe could do that, though..."
"Scor Bun Bun," Ash's partner irritably replied, causing Ash to be even more puzzled.
"I...Don't really understand you, Scorbunny..." the wannabe Pokemon Master told the fire-type. "I really wish the Expo had a REAL translator device...Then you and I could communicate with each other better!"
Scorbunny once again ignored Ash and continued crawling.
Eventually, Scorbunny abruptly stopped in its tracks, an innocent grin forming on its face. Ash didn't expect his partner to randomly stop like that, so his face ended up crashing into Scorbunny's backside.
"Ow!" the raven-haired boy exclaimed as he rubbed his face.
Scorbunny hopped up to its feet, its head popping out of the tall grass, before pointing to something that Ash could not see excitedly. "Scor! Scor-Bunny!"
"Did you find a Pokemon?!" Ash excitedly asked his Pokemon partner, eager to finally be able to battle once more. He popped his head out of the grass and excitedly got to his feet. He dusted himself off, looked up, and...
…He saw a large pile of fruits and berries in a small cave?!
"H-Huh?!" Ash exclaimed as his partner hopped over to the pile of delicious, fresh, and juicy food. "Scorbunny, were you...Were you sniffing this fruit pile the whole time?!"
"Scor-Bun!" Ash's partner exclaimed as it sat down next to the pile and grabbed a large, pink fruit called a 'Pecha Berry'. Although it was called a Pecha 'BERRY', it was pretty big! So big, in fact, that it was half the size of Scorbunny!
The fire-type Pokemon immediately dug into the tasty food that it had discovered, and Ash simply sighed in response.
"Scorbunny, I thought you were looking for a Pokemon, and-" Ash began, but was cut off by the sound of his own stomach rumbling. Scorbunny gave Ash a smug look, and the Pokemon trainer bit his lip. Seeing all those tasty and juicy fruits just lying there was making him kind of hungry...
"Alright, fine. Let's dig in. We can find a Pokemon to battle against later!" the raven-haired boy exclaimed as he quickly sat down next to his partner and grabbed a fruit, digging into it with the same speed and vigor that his Pokemon was displaying. "Man, this stuff is so good!"
"Scorbunny!" Ash's partner excitedly exclaimed in response. The two of them had the same opinion on the food!
The two of them began eating the pile of berries, not even stopping to think as to why the random pile was even there in the first place.
After quickly finishing his berry, Ash grabbed another one and began munching on it, which prompted his partner, who noticed its trainer's speed, to start eating a faster pace as well.
Ash noticed Scorbunny's increased speed, and grinned, deciding that HE wanted to out-speed Scorbunny.
Scorbunny then noticed ASH'S increased speed and tried to eat faster then HIM.
One thing led to another, and the next thing the two of them knew, they were competing to eat faster then the other!
"I...Yum...Bet I can beat you...Mm, that's good...Scorbunny! I can eat faster you!" Ash told his partner in-between bites as he spit out some seeds.
"Scor...Bun...Ny!" Ash's partner responded in-between bites.
This went on for a bit, until...
"Aw man, Scorbunny, I'm so full! I couldn't eat another bite!" Ash told his partner with a happy sigh. He stretched his arms out, still sitting down. "That was so good, though!"
"Scor-Bun," Ash's partner replied with a happy sigh of its own. It was slouched against the wall of the tiny cave, and patted its stomach, signifying that it was full.
Ash glanced at the area where the fruit once was and let out a laugh. "Man, we ate the whole thing! I guess I was hungrier then I thought, hehe!"
Scorbunny grinned in response. "Scor!"
Silence befell the two of them as they just sat there, content with the food that they had just eaten. Patting his stomach, Ash got up to his feet and stretched his arms out.
"Oh man, that was great...But I think we should finally get some training in. What do you say, Scorbunny?" the raven-haired boy asked his partner, who jumped up to its feet in response.
"Scorbunny!" the Pokemon exclaimed excitedly while hopping up and down, ready to battle some opponents.
The duo exited the cave in search of some strong opponents, but, unbeknownst to the two of them, they were being watched...
"Key! Key!"
Ash looked down at Scorbunny.
"Uh, did you say something, buddy?" the raven-haired boy asked his partner after hearing some sort of odd sound that sounded like a Pokemon's cry.
Scorbunny shook its head in response. "Scor-Bun."
"Huh. Must have been my imagination, then..." Ash replied before the two continued on their search for a Pokemon to battle.
"Mank! Ey!"
Ash once again stopped in his tracks, and this time Scorbunny did so as well.
"Alright, you definitely heard that, right Scorbunny?" the raven-haired boy asked his fire-type partner, who quickly nodded in the affirmative to his question. "I think...I think something's following us!"
"Scor-Bun!" the rabbit Pokemon exclaimed as he gestured behind himself using his head. Ash nodded in response, understanding that Scorbunny wanted to surprise whoever or whatever was following them. So, after counting to three under their breaths, Ash and Scorbunny quickly turned around and saw...
…Absolutely nothing.
"Huh. That's weird..." Ash muttered as he rubbed his chin. "I was sure that something was following us! Maybe it's hiding somewhere?..."
As the raven-haired boy pondered the location of whatever was spying on him and Scorbunny, his fire-type starter noticed something...Weird in a nearby tree, and immediately pointed at it worriedly.
"Sc-Scorbunny!" the Pokemon exclaimed.
"What is it, pal?" Ash asked as he turned around and looked at where Scorbunny was pointing at.
Sitting in a nearby tree, glaring angrily at Ash and Scorbunny, was a strange Pokemon that the raven-haired boy did not recognize. The creature had brownish-white fur, and looked like an odd mixture between a monkey and a pig.
"Scorbunny! Scorbunny!" Ash's partner exclaimed as it flailed its arms around randomly, trying to convey to its trainer that the two of them should run away.
"I've never seen that Pokemon before..." Ash muttered as he took out his Rotom-Phone and pointed it at the creature. It immediately began to give information regarding the odd Pokemon.
"Bzzt! Bzzt! Mankey, the Pig Monkey Pokemon! A fighting type! Mankey has a very short temper and can become enraged over the tiniest of things! Once it becomes angry, it is very difficult to calm it down! Bzzt! Bzzt!" the orange device buzzed.
"Scor-Scor-Scor!" Ash's partner exclaimed worriedly as it was practically running around in circles now, creating a trail of flames behind itself.
"Haha! Mankey, huh? I think it looks pretty cool, and strong, too!" the wannabe Pokemon master exclaimed with a grin before looking down at his partner as he put his Rotom-Phone away. "You look you're ready to battle, Scorbunny! You're even running around in circles! Ready to fight?"
Scorbunny comedically stopped in its tracks and looked up at Ash with a look that basically asked 'Are you kidding me?'.
"Huh? What's wrong, Scorbunny? Do you not want to fight anymore?" Ash asked as his partner crossed its arms and looked away. "Is there a particular reason for that? You wanted to fight quite a bit just a few minutes ago..."
"Bzzt! Bzzt! Mankey is also very destructive! Many people and Pokemon choose to stay out of its path because if you're caught in the middle of one of its outbursts, you will almost certainly kick the bucket! Bzzt! Bzzt!" Ash's Rotom-Phone randomly explained from within his pocket, causing a single bead of sweat to trickle down his forehead.
"W-Wait a minute...Kick the bucket? You mean?..." Ash started, his eyes slowly widening as the Mankey in the tree continued to glare at him. "...That Pokemon wants to KILL US?!"
"Bzzt! Bzzt! Precisely! I'd run, if I were you, Bzzt! Bzzt!" the raven-haired boy's Rotom-Phone answered in a comedically monotonous voice.
Mankey jumped down from the tree and slowly walked towards Ash and Scorbunny, who proceeded to slowly back away from the fighting-type creature, fearful of what it might do to them.
"C-Come on, Mankey...You're a good Pokemon, right? You wouldn't kill a random trainer and his Pokemon, right?" Ash asked sheepishly with a nervous chuckle. His hands were raised at the Pokemon, trying to signal to the angry creature to stop. "Why are you so mad anyways, Mankey?..."
"Bzzt! Bzzt! It must be because you and Scorbunny ate its berries! Bzzt! Bzzt!" the Rotom-Phone suddenly explained, despite the terrible situation that Ash and his partner were in. "Bzzt! Bzzt! Everyone knows that Mankeys like to keep their food in caves, Bzzt! Bzzt!"
"Now you tell us..." Ash responded bitterly under his breath.
"Scor-Bunny," Scorbunny stated, having a similar reaction to its trainer.
"Mank...Mank...MANKEY!" the slowly approaching fighting-type shouted. It seemed that listening to how the two of them had eaten its food simply angered it even more!
"Rotom-Phone, can you please be quiet from now on?" Ash comedically asked his smartphone.
"Bzzt! Bzzt! Sure, Bzzt! Bzzt!"
Mankey continued its march towards the Trainer-Pokemon duo, causing Ash to glance at Scorbunny and gesture behind the two of them with his head. The fire-type nodded in response, understanding that its trainer wanted to try and make a getaway...
…
Immediately, Ash and Scorbunny dashed away from the Mankey as fast they could, only enraging the Pokemon even further.
"MAN...KEYYYYYY!" the angered Pokemon screamed at the top of its lungs before chasing after Ash and Scorbunny!
Peter and Lillie were still in the exact same spot that their raven-haired friend had left them, waiting for said friend to come back. Peter was swiping through his Rotom-Phone, which had a red and blue spider theme, while Lillie was playing with Nebby, who was still in her bag.
Suddenly, Peter felt a slight ringing in his head. It was his Spider-Sense, a special power that that was able to warn him of immediate danger! But why was it activating at a random time like this?...
Immediately after having that thought, Scorbunny jumped in and crashed into the secret superhero's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. This was followed by Ash bumping into Lillie.
"S-Sorry!" Ash exclaimed to his two friends before immediately looking back worriedly. He gave little attention to them even though he and his partner had just pushed the two of them to the ground by accident.
"Pew?" Nebby asked from within Lillie's bag.
"W-What's wrong, Ash?" Lillie asked as she got up and dusted herself off. She had a pretty nice outfit and it would be a shame to get it dirty. "You look like you've seen a ghost-type Pokemon or something..."
"Scor! Scor! Scor!" Ash's partner immediately shouted, causing Peter and Lillie to both raise an eyebrow.
"Scorbunny, we have no idea what you're saying," Professor Oak's assistant told the fire-type, causing the rabbit-Pokemon to immediately slump its shoulders with a sigh.
"We accidentally angered some crazy Pokemon..." Ash panted as he put his hands on his knees. "Me and Scorbunny accidentally ate its food, and it went absolutely crazy because of that! The Rotom-Phone said that it wanted to kill us..."
Peter and Lillie blinked twice. A Pokemon wanted to kill them? The two of them raised their eyebrows...
…Before laughing at the duo!
"Oh come on, Ash!" Peter explained with a wheeze. "You said it yourself! The Pokemon here are low-leveled! How would they 'Kill' you?"
"I-I have to agree with Peter, Ash," Lillie told her raven-haired friend with a giggle, trying to contain her laughter. "It seems a little silly..."
"Pew!" Nebby exclaimed. It seemed that the gaseous Pokemon agreed with its caretaker. It looked happier then usual!
"Scor-Bun!" Scorbunny angrily exclaimed, waving a finger at the two of them
"You guys might be laughing right now, but you should've seen the look on that Pokemon's face!" Ash exclaimed in response to his friends' laughter. "It looked really, really mad! You guys are lucky that me and Scorbunny managed to run away from it in time!..."
"Well, whatever floats your boat, Ash," Peter grinned, finally finding it within himself to compose himself and stop laughing. "I just think that-"
Suddenly, Peter felt a ringing in his head. His Spider-Sense? Again? But Ash and Scorbunny had already made a scene by crashing into him and Lillie! What could be activating his Spider-Sense now?
Peter, however, simply decided to not take any chances and decided to dodge whatever was coming at him.
Immediately, Peter took a side-step to the right, using his powerful Spider-Sense to dodge an incoming Tackle from a Pokemon. The Pokemon continued its Tackle attack, and ended up crashing into Scorbunny, causing the fire-type to fly away and smash into a nearby tree!
"Scorbunny..." the fire-type muttered before comedically sliding down the tree trunk.
Ash, Peter, and Lillie had all blocked their eyes due to some sand that had picked up into the air because of the Pokemon's bizarre entrance, but, when the dust settled and the trio got a good look at the Pokemon...
…Ash felt horrified!
"See?! There it is! That's the, uh, what was it called again?..." Ash asked as he scratched the back of his head, forgetting the name of the Pokemon that had literally tried to murder him and his partner just a few moments ago. "Monkey?...Manaphy?..."
"MANKEY?!" Peter and Lillie exclaimed in unison. It seems their opinions on the 'Murderous Pokemon' had changed quite a bit! "You stole food from a Mankey?! That's so dangerous!"
"I-It was Scorbunny's idea!" Ash quickly responded in defense, earning a glare from his partner who had gotten up and walked back to his side. "B-Besides, you said that the Pokemon here were low-leveled and that we had nothing to worry about!"
"That was BEFORE we knew you pissed off a Mankey!" Peter snapped at Ash. "For a person who wants to be a Pokemon Master, you sure don't know a lot about Pokemon!..."
"I once read in a book that once you get a Mankey angry, it's impossible to get it to calm down," Lillie added in, furthering Ash's embarrassment. "And not only that, it's extremely dangerous when angered..."
"Alright, alright. Point taken..." the raven-haired boy muttered.
Mankey jumped at Ash but, luckily, Scorbunny was there to protect its trainer by unleashing a powerful Double Kick attack at the mad Pokemon, causing it to fly back a bit and crash onto the ground. Scorbunny had also transformed into the fighting-type because of this action.
"Thanks, Scorbunny!" Ash exclaimed with a grin at his partner, who grinned at him in response. However, Ash's face quickly contorted to one of determination as he noticed the enraged Pokemon get up. "Looks we'll be having a Pokemon battle after all!"
"Be careful, Ash!" Lillie warned her friend. "I don't really like it when Pokemon battle, but if it means that Mankey will calm down, then go for it!"
Peter simply nodded as he looked on at the battle with his arms crossed. "Mankey's a very dangerous Pokemon. If things get ugly, I might have to intervene..."
"Alright, Scorbunny,! Let's start off this battle on our own terms! Use Ember!" Ash commanded his partner, who found a red aura briefly surround its body.
"Scor...BUNNY!" the fire-type shouted as multiple balls of fire burst from its mouth and towards its desired target, the angry Mankey.
The Pig-Monkey Pokemon simply moved its head to the right, letting all of the attacks zoom past it. Mankey then proceeded to rush at Scorbunny, who was ready for the attack. Raising its hand, Mankey brought down a 'Karate Chop' attack at Scorbunny, hitting it in the head. This caused Scorbunny to stagger back a bit, and Mankey followed up with a 'Low Kick' attack, causing Scorbunny to fall over.
"Scorbunny! Are you okay?!" Ash asked his partner worriedly. However, much to his surprise and delight, the fire-type managed to get to its feet. It locked eyes with its trainer and grinned, causing Ash to grin in response. "Alright, then! If you can still battle...Use Tackle!"
"That was a bad move on Ash's part!" Peter mentally exclaimed as he narrowed his eyes. "Sure, it'll give Scorbunny the opportunity to get in close and dish out some damage, but it makes him susceptible to Mankey's fighting-type attacks, which are super effective against the normal-type Pokemon that Scorbunny will turn into if it uses that move!"
"Scor-Bunny!"
A white aura briefly lit up around Scorbunny's body as it rammed its side into Mankey, causing the already enraged Pokemon to get even angrier then before. Being pushed back a bit, Mankey raised its arm, ready to unleash a super-effective Karate Chop!
However, Ash had a plan.
"Alright, Scorbunny, now use Double Kick!" the raven-haired boy quickly commanded to his partner Pokemon, who promptly unleashed two kicks at Mankey. Unfortunately, they weren't very effective since Mankey was a fighting-type, just like the attack that Scorbunny had tried to use. However, damage wasn't what Ash was looking for. It was the change in Scorbunny's typing that he needed.
Immediately, right before Mankey's attack landed, a brown aura surrounded Scorbunny, signifying its shift to the fighting-type.
Because of this, when Mankey's attack hit, Scorbunny simply grinned and took a hop back, causing much confusion to Mankey.
"Man...Mankey?" the fighting-type asked in confusion, unaware of the little trick that Ash had just played on it.
"Scorbunny has the Hidden Ability Libero! Because of that, its typing changed when it used Double Kick!" Ash explained to the confused Mankey with a grin on his face. "In other words, even if we use an attack like Tackle, which will make us weak to fighting, we can always turn back into the fighting-type to receive some not very effective damage instead!"
"Scor, Scor-Bunny!" the fire-type Pokemon proudly exclaimed as it rubbed its nose.
Mankey blinked twice, seemingly confused by Ash's explanation. Sure, it was powerful, and it got mad easily, but it definitely wasn't the smartest Pokemon in the world. Unfortunately, not really understanding Ash's strategy...
…Only made Mankey angrier!
"MANKEYYY!" the Pokemon screamed at the top of its lungs, clutching its fists and facing its head to the sky. Immediately, its muscles grew in size by quite a bit.
"W-What's going on?!" Ash exclaimed in confusion. "Why are its muscles getting larger?!"
"It's using the move 'Bulk Up'!" Peter shouted to Ash. "Bulk Up increases the user's attack and defense stats! Be careful!"
"Alright, I will!"
However, as Ash said this, Mankey pretty much vanished and reappeared in front of Scorbunny, surprising it. The Pig-Monkey Pokemon pushed its foe to the ground and proceeded to deliver an intense beatdown, much to Ash's shock.
It seemed that the usage of 'Bulk Up' on Mankey's part had changed the tide of battle!
"Do you think Ash can win this?" Lillie worriedly asked Peter with a raised eyebrow. "Scorbunny is getting beaten up out there...I can't bear to look!"
"To be honest...No, he can't," Peter stated before grabbing a Pokeball from his waist. "That's why I'm going to help out!"
"Wait, really?" Lillie asked, confused by Peter's words. "But...Which Pokemon will you use, Peter?"
"You'll see, Lillie! You'll see!" Professor Oak's assistant shouted as he tossed the Pokeball in front of him. "Go, Bulbasaur!"
"Bulba-Saur!" Peter's Pokemon exclaimed as it materialized in front of him and Lillie in a brilliant display of blue light.
"Alright, Bulbasaur! We're in a bit of a jam here, so use Sleep Powder on that wild Mankey for me, please!" Peter commanded his grass and poison type Pokemon, who promptly did as it was told.
"Bulba...SAUR!" the Pokemon exclaimed as it began wiggling its body. As it did this action, the bulb on its back slowly began opening, and some blue dust was released from said bulb. The dust was blown towards Mankey by the wind, and was inhaled by its large, pig-like snout.
"MANKEY! Mankey! Mankey. Mankey..." the fighting-type Pokemon exclaimed, progressively getting drowsier and drowsier. It was quite humorous to see as, although it was still terribly angry, the Pokemon was having trouble keeping its eyes open, much to the confusion of Ash and Scorbunny. This went on until...
…The wild Mankey collapsed onto the floor, completely asleep!
"H-Hey! That's not cool, Peter!" Ash angrily told the brown-haired boy, turning to face him with his hands on his hips. "Me and Scorbunny totally had that under control! Right, pal?"
"Scor-Bun!" the fire-type exclaimed, having a similar opinion as its trainer.
"Chill out, you two!" Peter told the trainer-Pokemon duo with a laugh as he returned Bulbasaur to its Pokeball. "Besides, shouldn't the two of you be trying to catch that Mankey now? It IS asleep..."
"Oh yes! You should definitely try! It's much easier to catch Pokemon if they're asleep!" Lillie exclaimed. Ash, Peter, and Scorbunny all stared at her, wondering why she randomly let out a burst of knowledge. The blonde girl blushed in embarrassment and sheepishly looked away. "I read a lot of books..."
"Uh, anyways..." Ash started as he took a free Pokeball from his waist and aimed at the wild Mankey. "I think its time I catch this thing!"
Scorbunny, Lillie, and Peter all watched with interest as Ash aimed at Mankey, ready to catch the powerful wild Pokemon.
However...
"PREPARE FOR TROUBLE!"
"AND MAKE IT DOUBLE!"
Ash's concentration was shattered by the shouting of two voices that he recognized quite a bit, unfortunately. This caused Scorbunny, Lillie, and Peter to fall over comedically.
"TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM DEVESTATION!"
"TO UNITE ALL PEOPLE WITHIN OUR NATION!"
"Those voices...It's those people from the Pokemon Center! Jessie and James from Team Rocket!" Ash exclaimed as he looked around. "But where could they be hiding?..."
"You mean the ones with the strange elf?!" Lillie asked the raven-haired boy. "I really would like to see that man you told me about...He seemed funny..."
"TO DENOUNCE THE EVILS OF TRUTH AND LOVE!"
"TO EXTEND OUR REACH TO THE STARS ABOVE!"
Suddenly, purple smoke enveloped the area, and the silhouettes of two figures became clear. Two figures that Ash and Peter recognized...
And, as quickly as the smoke appeared, it vanished, revealing...
"JESSIE!" the magenta-haired woman shouted.
"AND JAMES!" the purple-haired man shouted in an equally loud voice.
Ash, Peter, Lillie, and Scorbunny all glanced at Mankey, worried that the Team Rocket grunts' stupidly loud motto would wake up the sleeping Pokemon that had caused them so much trouble.
"TEAM ROCKET BLASTS OFF AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT!" Jessie exclaimed before striking a pose.
"SURRENDER NOW OR PREPARE TO FIGHT!" James finished, striking another pose.
The duo's talking Meowth backflipped into the area and crossed its arms in front of the two of them. "MEOWTH, THAT'S RIGHT!"
"A talking Meowth?..." Lillie confusedly thought to herself. "I think Ash was talking about encountering one...This must be it..."
Ash and Peter both narrowed their eyes at the trio of villains. They all looked similar to when the gang last encountered them, but instead of wearing the black uniforms that they were wearing during the Pokemon Center invasion, they were wearing white Team Rocket outfits. Lillie, however, did not notice this since it was actually her first time meeting the villains.
"You're those Team Rocket guys from Viridian, right?!" Ash angrily asked the trio of enemies that had just appeared. There was something about seeing people who stole Pokemon only to sell them that made the young boy from Pallet Town extremely angry. "What are you guys doing here?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Jessie asked the raven-haired boy as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We're here to..."
"...Steal that superb Scorbunny of yours!" James exclaimed, completing Jessie's sentence with a grin. He glanced at Meowth, who in turn continued.
"What else would we do?" the sarcastic Pokemon known as Meowth asked. "Play games with ya? Meow!"
"You'll never have Scorbunny! Not as long as I'm here!" Ash angrily exclaimed, standing in front of his partner and extending his arms out.
"Yeah, and we'll be here to help!" Peter added with a serious look. However, his face quickly contorted to one of sheepishness. "Buuuut, one question, first. Where are the rest of your members? And why did you change your outfits?..."
"Hmph. We're more then enough to steal from a bunch of children!" Jessie angrily exclaimed. "We don't need the 'Rest of our members', you twerp!"
James had a similar response. "Indeed! As for why we've changed our costumes...Well..."
"We just wanna stick it up to one of the Admins of Team Rocket, The Green Goblin, Meow!" the sarcastic Pokemon immediately finished for his purple-haired friend, causing slight irritation for him. "That Green weirdo always treats us like dirt, and we wanna show off to him that we can be competent grunts! Jessie and James are wearing those white outfits because they want to show to the world that we're not a part of the Green Goblin's troop anymore, since all of his grunts wear black uniforms!"
"Yeah, yeah. That's nice, Meowth. Now, you three, if you'll all be good little children..." Jessie started with a smile, before her face suddenly turned to one of intense rage. "...GIVE US ALL YOUR POKEMON! WE'RE LITERALLY THE WORST MEMBERS OF TEAM ROCKET AND WE NEED TO CLIMB UP THE RANKS! WE'VE NEVER SUCCESSFULLY STOLEN A POKEMON BEFORE, TOO!"
Lillie involuntarily took a step back and glanced at Peter, Ash and Scorbunny. "U-Um...I'm not a trainer, I think I'll let you guys take care of this..."
"Sure thing, Lillie!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "Scorbunny, I choose you!"
Ash's partner hopped in front of him excitedly. "Scor-Bun!"
"Hmph, so you're going to use our prize against us?" James asked cockily as he took Koffing's Pokeball from his waist. "Go, Koffi-"
"Uh, guys? I don't think any of us will have to do any fighting..." Peter stated as he nervously glanced to the right. He was able to, once again, notice the imminent danger before everyone else because of his Spider-Sense. Pretty useful power, wouldn't you say? "I think your motto woke up the deadly Mankey that we worked so hard to put to sleep..."
Everyone turned to the right to see Mankey glaring at them, a newly revitalized anger burning brightly within itself. The Pokemon was no longer just angry, it was FURIOUS. Everything was going wrong for it, and it just wanted to let it all out.
"Deadly Mankey? Kid, what in the world are you talking abou-" Meowth asked, before being interrupted by said Mankey.
"Mank...EYYYY!" the Pokemon roared as it zoomed towards Meowth at unbelievable speeds and delivered a devastating, super-effective attack aimed towards the normal-type's face.
"Woah, mind your languaaaaage!" Meowth exclaimed, understanding what Mankey was saying as he could understand the Pokemon language. Anyways, Meowth was comedically hurled into the air and across the horizon, just like Scorbunny had done to it at the Pokemon Center.
After finishing off Meowth, Mankey turned towards Jessie and James, who both looked fearfully at the random fighting-type.
"Uh...Nice, Pig...Monkey...Thing?" James asked with a grin.
Unfortunately for the Team Rocket members, Mankey proceeded to launch the two of them over the horizon with one punch as well.
"Darn it! We were bested before we even got to do anything significant this chapter!" James bitterly exclaimed as he crossed his arms. "What a load of crap!"
"Well, I suppose we could always try doing something better next chapter..." Jessie sighed. "Until then..."
...
"We're blasting off agaaaaaaain!..." the duo shouted before disappearing.
DING!
Mankey turned around and faced Ash and Scorbunny, glaring at the two of them with a very serious expression on its face.
"Mankey..." the fighting-type growled. "Mankey Mank Mank!"
"Be on your guard, Scorbunny!" Ash shouted to his Pokemon. "It looks like Mankey might try to use that same attack on you too!"
"Scor-Bun!" Scorbunny replied with a grin.
"I don't really know about that, Ash," Peter stated while narrowing his eyes at Mankey. "The way I see it...I think Mankey only knocked Team Rocket away so that it could have a fair fight with you and Scorbunny!"
"Y-You think so?" Lillie asked Peter, who simply nodded in the affirmative.
"Yeah, just look at it!" Professor Oak's assistant replied with a grin. "It may have anger issues, but it's definitely enjoying this fight!"
"Pew!" Nebby exclaimed from within Lillie's bag.
"I-I guess Nebby agrees with you as well..." Lillie stated with a smile.
Ash grinned as he overheard his friend's conversation, shifting his attention to his wild opponent.
"Is that true, Mankey?" the raven-haired boy asked the fighting-type Pokemon. "Are you enjoying this battle?"
"Mank! Mankey! Mank!" the angry Pokemon exclaimed with a nod in the affirmative. It seemed that, although it was still in an incredibly terrible mood, the fighting-type was actually having some fun with the fight!
"Well, me and Scorbunny are having a lot of fun too!" Ash exclaimed with a grin. "Right, buddy?"
"Scor-Bun!" Scorbunny answered in response. Thankfully, it had gotten over its fear of Mankey.
"Haha! Well, Mankey, even though we're having fun, one of us is going to have to win! And that one is going to be me and Scorbunny!" the wannabe Pokemon Master exclaimed as he bubbled with excitement. "Scorbunny, use Ember!"
Scorbunny nodded as a red aura enveloped its body briefly. It hopped back and began firing some small fireballs at its opponent. Mankey ducked under two of them, but unfortunately got hit by two others.
"Mankey!..." the Pokemon angrily muttered as it discovered that it had been inflicted with a burn. It flinched as some its health was sapped because of its condition. It seemed that the battle was wearing it down. It did not have any experience, and wasn't bred to battle like Scorbunny was!
"Great work, Scorbunny!" Ash shouted. "Keep it up with a Tackle!"
The fire-type transformed into a normal-type before launching itself at Mankey, elbowing the fighting-type in the stomach and knocking the wind out of it.
"Man...MANKEY!"
Scorbunny's foe staggered back a bit, clutching its stomach before it received some more damage from its burn.
The fighting-type couldn't go on.
"Mank...Mankey..." the Pokemon huffed, letting out what little energy it had left. It genuinely believed that it couldn't win the battle. "Mankey...Mank Mank..."
.
.
.
.
"Don't give up, Mankey!"
The fighting-type abruptly looked up to see Ash grinning at it.
"You wanted to kill me and Scorbunny, right? Well, let that anger out!" Ash shouted to the wild Pokemon. "We ate your berries, remember?! Never forget that, Mankey!"
Scorbunny, Lillie, and Peter all stared at Ash in complete shock with their eyes wide and their jaws dropped. Was he trying to get himself killed?!
"Mank...Mankey?" the Pokemon questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Me and Scorbunny needed a training partner, and you just so happened to be the perfect one!" Ash explained, a grin still adorning his face. "You can't give up! Not just yet anyways! We still need to do some training!"
Mankey stood still, processing what Ash had told it.
Then, the Pokemon smirked, showcasing a happy-ish expression for the first time since the gang had met it. Mankey proceeded to ball its hands into fists and shouted, using Bulk Up.
"MANKEYYYYY!" the Pokemon screamed.
"Damn it, Ash! You've doomed yourself!" Peter scolded.
The wild Pokemon's attack and defense immediately rose, and it charged at Scorbunny, a new power coursing through its veins.
"Scor, Scor-Bun!" the raven-haired boy's partner exclaimed in irritation at what Ash had done.
"Don't worry, Scorbunny! I thought about what Peter told us on Route 1, and decided that we really do need a strategy to win! Brute force isn't enough to win every single battle!" Ash told his partner as he took out an empty Pokeball. "Just brace yourself while I throw this Pokeball, buddy! Okay?"
Although he wasn't a fan of Ash's 'Strategy', Scorbunny decided to clutch its fists and listen to its trainer.
"Scor-Bun!..."
Mankey stopped in front of Scorbunny and pulled back its fist, ready to unleash a powerful attack aimed at the bunny-Pokemon's face! However...
…
…Ash proceeded to throw his Pokeball!
The Pokemon-Capturing device hit Mankey right in the head right before it could attack Scorbunny. Immediately, the device opened up and converted Mankey into some sort of red energy. The Pokeball then proceeded to suck up said energy, shut, and land onto the floor!
"H-He threw his Pokeball!" Lillie exclaimed. "But will it be a successful capture?..."
"We'll have to wait and see to be sure, Lillie!..." Peter replied. "I just hope it is so we can get this all over with..."
…
The Pokeball wiggled once.
"Scor Bun..." Ash's partner stated as it apprehensively approached the Pokeball, reverting back to its original fire-typing.
The Pokeball wiggled twice.
"Be careful, Scorbunny. It could break out at anytime..." Ash warned his partner. However, in his mind, he was truly hoping that Mankey would stay in the ball that he had thrown at it. "Come on, Mankey...Come on..."
The Pokeball wiggled a third time, and...
…
..,Three stars ejected out of the ball, signifying Mankey's capture!
Ash and Scorbunny were silent for just a moment, taking in their victory over their opponent. That Mankey had caused so much trouble for the two of them, and now they finally beat it!
Immediately after that...
…The two of them grinned and jumped with joy!
"We did it, Scorbunny!" Ash exclaimed with a grin as he ran over to the Pokeball containing his newly-caught Pokemon and picked it up. "We caught our first Pokemon!"
"Scor-Bun!"
"Congratulations, Ash!" Lillie exclaimed as she ran over to her raven-haired friend. "But I still think it was a bit dangerous getting Mankey even angrier...You could have caught it while it was tired from the burn that Scorbunny had inflicted onto it..."
"Actually, Lillie, I think Ash's strategy was pretty good," Peter told the blonde girl. "In its anger, Mankey was putting all of its efforts into attacking Scorbunny! It pretty much forgot about defending itself, and that gave Ash the perfect opportunity to catch it!"
"O-Oh...I see..." the girl in the white dress muttered in response. "There sure are a lot of ways to befriend Pokemon..."
"Haha, I know! It's great! Anyways...Mankey! Come on out!" Ash shouted as he threw the Pokeball containing his newly-caught Pokemon into the air.
The Pokemon quickly materialized in front of the group.
"Mank Mank!"
"Hey Mankey!" Ash happily exclaimed as he crouched down with his hands on his knees so that he could look at his new Pokemon. "You, me, and Scorbunny are going to be great friends, alright? We're gonna be Pokemon Masters together!
Mankey blinked twice before looking away with its arms crossed, a bitter tone in both its attitude and voice. "Man Man Mankey..."
"Scor-Bun?" Ash's first partner asked as it tilted its head to the side, wondering why Mankey was still bitter, especially after it was just caught. Pokeballs were, after all, supposed to make Pokemon more friendly towards their trainers.
"Huh? What's wrong, Mankey?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you upset that you got caught?"
"I think it's because this specific Mankey is a pretty competitive Pokemon! It must be a bit upset that it lost to you, Ash!" Peter explained with a laugh. "At least, that's what I think."
"It would make sense, considering that's how a Mankey would usually act," Lillie added with a smile.
"Pew!" Nebby exclaimed from Lillie's bag.
"Oh, so you're mad that you lost?" Ash asked his new Pokemon friend, who simply gave him a nod in response. The raven-haired boy grinned after he saw his Pokemon do this. "Well, me and Scorbunny are definitely going to get stronger on our journey, and I'm certain that you'll get stronger too, Mankey! What do you say? Do you want to travel with us?"
Mankey blinked twice, thinking about what Ash had said.
Quickly after that...
The fighting-type jumped onto its trainer's face and began scratching it joyfully, which was pretty hilarious to Scorbunny, Lillie, and Peter. "MANKEY! MANKEY!"
It seemed that even though Mankey was in a good mood, it was still attacking Ash! How hilarious!
Peter, Lillie, and Scorbunny all laughed at the situation that Ash had found himself in.
"Ash, that is hilarious!"
"How silly, Ash!"
"Scor-Bun!"
"C-Come on, Mankey, get off!" Ash exclaimed with a laugh. He was doing his best to look angry, but just couldn't. Sure, he was getting attacked, but he caught his first Pokemon and made a new friend!
That was progress, in his book.
Progress that he was improving.
Progress that he was one step closer to becoming a Pokemon Master.
And Chapter 5 is done! The next chapter will have the gang going through Viridian Forest. I don't want to spoil too much, but the last of the trainers who received a Pokemon from Professor Oak will be met there, so stay tuned!
I decided that Ash should catch Mankey earlier then he did in the anime because, in the games, you can actually catch Mankey pretty early on if you head to Route 22. Primeape's also just one of my favorite Pokemon, but he's unfortunately always overshadowed by the other Generation 1 fighting types, Machamp, Hitmonlee, and Hitmonchan. I also just hated how Ash pretty much just gave his Primeape away to Anthony. Nothing else to say other than that, to be honest.
Until next time!