This will be the first chapter of the two-part "movie" used to reintroduce Primeape. It will not be as long as Mystery of the Cave. But it will begin to lay the foundations for the rest of the series.
Since it's been a while since that chapter was published: A Quick Reminder: Erika was out of town, preventing Ash from challenging her a few chapters ago, which is why the gang traveled around Celadon to Dark City, reaching closer to Fuschia City, where, on the outskirts, the team has now reached the small town hosting the Pokemon Number One Grand Prix! Now let's get on with the show!


Reaching the small town that hosts the P1 Grand Prix just after midday, our gang of heroes is understandably chipper: Misty, having successfully captured a new Water type Pokemon; Ash, who was well on his way to the Pokemon League and meeting an old friend; Anthony, whose training had brought out the very best in his and his friends Pokemon. But will the Grand Prix be as easy as it was the last time around?

"Primeape!" Ash screamed in delight, seeing the Pokemon standing near a small tree dashing off before Pikachu could climb aboard again.

"Pika," Pikachu sighed before bouncing off towards his trainer.

Ash skidded to a stop, seeing that his Primeape was backed up to the tree by three other Pokemon.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Ash demanded.

A Gallade, Blaziken, and Makuhita turned around to face Ash.

"BLAZIKEN!" Blaziken charged loudly, firing up.

"Gallade, Gallade, Ga-llade," Gallade warned.

Primeape kicked Gallade in the back, but was charred by Blaziken's flamethrower immediately after.

Makuhita tackled Primeape back into the tree.

"Pri—" Primeape whined.

"PIKA PI—" Pikachu cut them off, sparking loudly.

"BLAZE!" Blaziken tried to look menacing, but Pikachu used Thunder! "BLAAAAAAAAAZEEEEEEE!" \

The other two Pokemon were caught in the crossfire of the powerful electric attack and were shocked as well. The three scurried off, running into three tall female trainers.

"What," the center one said loudly," is going on here? Why did your Pikachu attack my Blaziken?"

"I'm sorry but Pikachu was protecting Primeape," Ash said, going to point at the three aggressors. "They were ganging up on my friend here."

"Well, they should. A loser Pokemon like that deserves to be treated like filth..." the girl with the blue hair, beside Makuhita, goaded.

Faster than Ash could have reacted, Primeape bounded towards the trainer with his fist raised for a strike that was quickly intercepted by Anthony's Hitmonchan.

"Primeape," Anthony said firmly. "I told you these three weren't worth it." Primeape looked down on itself dejectedly before walking to Anthony's side. "As for you ladies, if your Pokemon are going to start unfair fights, I'm going to have to report it to the Prix—"

"Go ahead and try," the redhead beside Gallade egged him on, "our daddy's the one in charge of it this year. "Now you and your loser Pokemon won't stand a chance."

"Oh don't worry,' the blonde in the center told him. "We'll play fair. But our father won't let us be disqualified for trivial issues."

"Trivial?" Ash repeated angrily, contemplating having Pikachu send them off with a thunderbolt. "We'll see who's trivial after my Primeape kicks your Blaziken's butt in the Prix!"

"Oh, this is your Primeape," the blonde said condescendingly. She clicked her tongue, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

The three girls and their Pokemon left with Ash more hotheaded than Mankey after James kicked it away, causing it to evolve into Primeape.

"PRIME!" Primeape called out in agreement, loudly pounding together its enormous fists.

"Well, that wasn't the entrance back into town I was expecting," Anthony confessed as a young girl ran up to them.

"Dad!" She screamed in delight as she hugged her father. "You're back."

"Yeah, couldn't stay away forever pudding. And I found our old friends," Anthony gestured to Ash and Misty.

"It's good to see you," they exchanged greetings.

The four of them went quickly to Anthony's house to talk about the girls they met.

"Who were they?" Misty asked, noticing that Ash had not taken the offered seat at the dining room table. Instead, he was looking outside at Primeape, Growlithe, and his other Pokemon.

"Their names are Ruby, Sapphire, and Emery," Anthony explained. "Their father's a three-time champion Pokemon trainer on four different leagues, as well as a retired Frontier Brain for the Battle Frontier."

"The Battle Frontier?" Misty asked, having only heard rumors about it and not having much knowledge of it.

"A lot like the Pokemon league," Rebecca told her. "You have to beat Frontier Brains instead of Gym Leaders and the King of the Pyramid to win."

"It's a lot more intense than regular gym battles, since all Brains have had to battle and win against the Pyramid King." Anthony pointed out. "Very few trainers can make it that far, let alone beat someone like Brandon in battle."

Ash thought of his own battles with Brandon, remembering fondly the feeling of victory when he finally beat him after two failed attempts.

"Sounds like you'd have to be a pretty impressive trainer to win," Misty commented, looking at Ash and wondering if he'd heard of it. "Have you ever tried the Battle Frontier?"

Ash nodded, "It took me three tries to beat him, but yeah."

"You beat Brandon?" Anthony asked for clarification.

Ash nodded again.

Rebecca whistled appreciatively, "I didn't realize how strong you'd become."

"It was right before I went to compete in the Sinnoh League," Ash explained. "I learned a lot there, especially working with a trainer like Brandon who keeps you on your toes."

"So, their dad's the real deal?" Misty asked.

Anthony nodded, "He doesn't compete much these days. But his daughters get a little big-headed because of their father's success."

"That's why we're going to beat them," Ash said, turning to face Anthony. "I want to train my other fighting Pokemon with Primeape."

"Your other fighting Pokemon?" Rebecca asked.

Ash reached for his belt and opened two Pokeballs, releasing Electabuzz and Riolu from their containment.

"BUZZ!"

"RIO!"

"What do you say?" Ash asked. "Will you help me?"

"I'd be honored," Anthony told him. "But we'll have to train harder than you've ever trained them before if you want them to catch up to Primeape."

"But Ash, Riolu's just a baby," Misty reprimanded him for forgetting. "He only hatched a couple months ago."

"Riolu wants to start battling more serious opponents," Ash told her. "And he and Electabuzz are both fighting types. Training with Anthony will be perfect for them!"

"Just don't train too hard," Rebecca pleaded with her father.

"Don't worry honey," Anthony said to his daughter. "Ash can only enter himself and one of his Pokemon anyway. After we finish training, he can decide whether he wants to stick with Primeape or one of his new friends."

"What if I entered with one of them?" offered Misty. "Have Ash work with Primeape so the two can get stronger together, and I'll help Electabuzz while I'm training Glaceon and Wartortle."

"You'd do that?" Ash asked.

Misty smiled and did her signature wink, "It'll be good for both of us."

The two clapped hands the way they always did before, holding each other for a noticeable degree of time before shyly backing away.

"Let's get training," Ash grinned.

The Prix was in one week.

Together, the three trainers (plus Rebecca, who reluctantly offered to help Riolu get his feet wet in the preliminary battles to get into the Prix) and their Pokemon went for runs. Anthony taught all of the Pokemon how to effectively use their fighting techniques and sharpen their reflexes, as well as demonstrating Pikachu and Growlithe's speed to help them all increase their speed.

"Electabuzz, use Mega Punch!" Misty cheered.

"Primeape, Low Kick!" Ash called.

It was bitter work, but by the time the Prix began Ash's, and Anthony's, Pokemon were stronger than ever.

DING DING!

Commentator: "WELCOME TO THE P1 GRAND PRIX FIGHTING POKEMON FESTIVAL! Today, we introduce our trainers from around the globe with Pokemon more unique than ever before!" The crowd cheered in response as Ash, Anthony, and the other contenders entered the stadium, which had been extended significantly as a result of a higher amount of participants and fans. The commentator went through every name alphabetically, reaching Misty at what had to be last, "All the way from Cerulean City, the Water Pokemon Gym Master, MISTY WATERFLOWER!"

Ash clapped for his good friend and couldn't help but notice how good she was looking today.

'Gotta focus,' Ash told himself. 'I don't wanna end up like Brock.' Ash shivered just thinking about how crazy Brock would be going about all the girls that were here. He'd always thought it was weird, but now that he was fifteen, closing in on sixteen in three short months, he was starting to understand the allure of pretty girls. Especially Misty.

She'd grown up, as he had, since they parted ways in Kanto after the Johto League's completion. Her hair was noticeably longer, and her body more mature than it had been when they were ten. Suddenly, he understood why so many of the people he met were curious if Misty was off the table because they suspected she might be with Ash.

Ash saw that Misty was glaring into the stands at the guy who had officiated their previous gym battle(s). Ash never learned his name, nor did he really care too, all he knew was that Misty didn't seem to like him in the slightest.

"And our last contender from Vermilion City, SKYLAR WILLIS!"

Ash saw past Misty a girl with sleek blonde hair, pulled back into a ponytail. He hadn't seen her since the day Professor Oak gave him Growlithe, but he knew that she was the same girl who'd introduced herself as Sky when he was getting to know his new friend.

She gave him a warm smile, which was unexpected as he'd come to expect a certain level of hostility from his main rivals such as with Gary at first and Paul pretty much up until Infernape beat him.

But he and Sky had departed on good terms, and both of them were seasoned Pokemon trainers, making their mutual respect for each other even more than it would have been if they were both kids just starting out.

"I wondered when I'd run into you again," Sky told him after the introductions were made and first round matches were determined. "All this traveling, and I thought for sure you'd be running around somewhere."

"I've been really busy collecting badges," Ash told her as Misty walked up to them, her cheeks slightly red although Ash didn't notice. "One more and I can enter the Pokemon League."

"You only have seven?" Sky asked uncertainly. "Hm, I've challenged twelve gyms in the past few months."

"Twelve?" Ash choked, feeling a sudden pang of unwelcome nostalgia from when Gary had once told him that he'd earned ten badges to Ash's seven.

She nodded and opened a small booklet that revealed her badges. He saw the Elemental badge he'd gained from Pallet, the Earth Badge, the Boulder, Dark, Ghost, Rainbow, Thunder, Marsh, Soul, Cascade, even the Volcano Badge had made its way into the mix. He noticed one that looked familiar but couldn't place where it had come from.

"The Pokemon League Admissions Exam," Sky informed him. "I took the test and passed with 98%, as well as a three-way knock out in the following battle portion of the test. I didn't lose a single Pokemon."

Misty looked at the badges as well.

"That's impressive," Misty couldn't help but admit, not recognizing her from the many challengers she'd faced over the past year. "When did you get the Cascade Badge?"

"Pardon me," Sky said, not trying to be rude, "but who are you?"

"My name's Misty, and I'm the Gym Leader at Cerulean City."

"Oh, you're the daughter!" She exclaimed. "I faced your dad two weeks ago. His Blastoise took out most of my party, but my old friend Seadfra evolved just in time to knock Blastoise out of the ring."

"That's not easy," Misty commented, knowing that her father's Blastoise had a reputation for rarely ever being defeated.

"Are you Ash's girlfriend?"

Both of them turned beat red, unmissed by anyone within a hundred yards.

"NO!"

"NO WAY!"

Skylar's eyes went wide as she backed up, "Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

"We're just," Misty glanced at Ash who'd taken a sudden interest in his shoes, "good friends." She finished.

"What brings you here?" Skylar asked them both.

"We're picking up an old friend of mine, thought we'd give the tournament a try." Ash explained.

"It's a tough one, I've tried twice before and got knocked out both times. But I'm not really going to try to win this year."

"Why not?" Misty wondered.

She shrugged, "I just hatched an egg a couple weeks ago and was hoping to give it some battle experience. Unfortunately, it was still a newborn when I was in Cerulean City. I've been training it, but I thought this would a nice way to ease it into competition."

"I had the same thought with my Riolu," Ash commented, slightly bugging Misty.

"Is that who you're using today? A Riolu?"

Ash shook his head, "I'm using Primeape. A friend of mine is gonna use Riolu just because it really wants to battle."

"What Pokemon did you hatch?" Misty asked, trying to segway the conversation.

Sky shook her finger, "That's for me to know, and you to find out." She said kindly, although as if it were a challenge. "Well, I'm going to go rest up; I hear you're on in an hour," Sky told Misty, who had barely noticed that her name was the first announced. "Good luck you two."

"She seemed nice," Misty managed after standing there silently with Ash.

"Sky? Yeah, I guess."

The two were too embarassed to talk much before Misty's battle with Ruby's Gallade.

"Low kick," Misty called out, forcing Gallade to go on the defensive as soon as the match began.

"Dodge and use WORK UP!" The ginger sister called out, her two sisters behind her as Ash, Anthony, and Rebecca were behind Misty.

"Try a Karate Chop!"

A series of attacks and parries ensued quickly, pushing Electabuzz into a corner and making it difficult to move.

Misty gritted her teeth, 'What would Ash do?"' She thought to herself, knowing that Ash's greatest strength was using creative attacks and defenses that no other trainer could anticipate.

"Electabuzz," Ash called out, "focus on your speed! You can do it!"

Misty realized that Gallade was only powerful as long as it was up front and on the attack.

"Electabuzz," Misty shouted, "jump onto the rope and bound over Gallade!"

The electric Pokemon leaped on command and was behind Gallade before the Pokemon could attack.

"Use Low Sweep!" Misty's order was followed to fruition, taking out Gallade in an intense Knock Out.

DING DING!

"Primeape, use Cross Chop!" Ash called out, striking through the novice's Mankey before the young trainer could issue a command. Mankey fell immediately, speaking volumes of Primeape's strength and the new trainer's inexperience. Ash saw that the trainer had tears in his eyes, so he went over to talk to him. "If you keep training hard, you'll be able to win easy. But you and your Pokemon have to trust each other and be able to work together."

He thanked Ash for his kind words of wisdom and left so that Ash could prepare for the next match.

Anthony's Hitmonchan conquered a Machamp without much difficulty as well, leaving Rebecca versus Skylar as the last match of the evening.

"Go Riolu!" Rebecca pointed, although the small Pokemon seemed to be scanning the crowd for its true trainer moreso than its opponent that had yet to take the stage.

"RIO!" Riolu screeched, sprinting towards Ash who quickly told him to stay in the ring.

"Just like we practiced buddy," Ash told him. "You're gonna be great."

"What Pokemon will Skylar use?" The commentator asked rhetorically.

"Go, MACHOP!"

Riolu was noticeably faster, but Machop was dangerously stronger. Each strike that so much as nicked Riolu did devastating damage to the young Pokemon. the latest attack being a karate Chop that caught the other Pokemon in the shoulder.

"I don't know, what do I do?" Rebecca asked fearfully. "Riolu, try Counter!"

Riolu copied Machop's move and doubled the power, smashing through Machop with even more force thanks to a direct hit as a result of Machop's significant speed lag.

Machop crashed into the other corner of the ring, standing up slightly.

"Now use Reversal!" Rebecca called out, remembering Ash's Growlithe learning the Fighting-type move the other day.

Riolu turned around and looked at its coach, not sure what to do.

"Riolu, look out!" Ash called out as Machop went for a Low Kick.

Riolu sensed the attack and turned, grabbing Machop's leg before twisting and throwing the young fighter over its shoulder out of the arena.

Machop climbed back in wearily before a red towel went up, declaring that Skylar had decided to forfeit the match.

"There's no reason to get yourself hurt over this thing," Skylar told Machop after it got upset with her for surrendering. "We'll have plenty of time to train before the Pokemon League."

Ash observed the dynamic and could barely believe the difference in training strategies between Sky and his old rival Paul.

"Good luck Ash," Sky told him. "That Riolu of yours is one tough cookie."

"Thanks Sky," he said with a smile, which Misty noticed and turned away.

Riolu went past Rebecca to Ash, climbing up his body to his shoulder and finally onto his hat, cockily posing for what it thought would be pictures being taken to commemorate his victory.

"There are no pictures here for the first round," Anthony told the little one, patting its head affectionately. "But you make it to the final and we'll take all the pictures you want."

"Rio, RIO!" Riolu screamed in eagerness.