Deep within the Rock Tunnel…
The communicator on Proton's wrist beeped the Rocket Theme.
"This is HQ. What is your current status, sir?" a Rocket Grunt asked.
"Things are going quite well. We've unearthed large quantities of Pearls, Stardust and evolutionary stones." Proton responded calmly.
There was a roar of approval on the other end of the receiver.
"Archer said to hurry up and bring what you have here!" the Grunt insisted. "We've received intel that those kids who messed up Ariana's takeover of the S.S. Anne are nearby! We can't afford to risk losing more potential supplies."
Proton nodded.
"Understood."
The communicator went silent.
Moments later, the Rocket Executive gave new commands to his squadron of Grunts:
"Listen up! I've been ordered to take our quarry to headquarters. One third of you will come along to aid in the transfer. The rest of you stay here and keep digging!"
There was some whispering among the Grunts who were instructed to stay.
"Sir, what should we do if those kids come by?" a concerned female Grunt asked.
"What else? Destroy them! Ariana tells me their Mankey and Pikachu are particularly strong, so don't underestimate them! Understand?!" Proton ordered.
"Yes, sir!" the Grunts said in unison.
One grunt who was wearing a long black coat snickered.
"As long as I'm here, failure is impossible!" he bragged.
Proton sighed as he hauled a box of gems into a truck.
"Just make sure you get it done. Then you can brag all you want."
As Proton and most of the other Grunts drove off into the darkness, the Grunt snickered again. The large, muscular Pokémon at his side mimicked his arrogant laughter.
"Oh, I'll be bragging all right, sir. Once I've crushed the weakling who stomped you, I'll be the Executive!"
Route 10 Pokémon Center, North Rock Tunnel Entrance…
"Okay, then. Let's head through Rock Tunnel and get to Lavender Town!" Trace said cheerfully.
As he headed for the door, Brayden got another idea.
"Hold on, Trace. I need to make a call home." he said seriously.
"Huh? Oh, okay. That's a good idea." Trace said as he walked over to the PC where Brayden was standing.
Brayden typed in a number and pressed SEND. Then, the boys waited.
"Wait. Didn't you tell me your mom doesn't have a PC? Who are you calling?" Trace asked, confused.
Brayden grinned knowingly.
"You'll see!" he said to his friend.
After a few seconds, a familiar face appeared on the computer screen.
"Ah! I was wondering if I would receive a call from you soon. Hello, Brayden!" Professor Oak said.
The eyes of both Trace and Charmeleon sparkled.
"Hi, Professor! I figured I better let you know how I'm doing. Is my mom there, too?" Brayden asked.
Oak shook his head.
"She came by earlier and asked if you had called, then went off to Viridian City to get some groceries. But I'll be sure to tell her everything when she gets back." Oak promised.
"PROFESSOR OAK! Charmeleon and I have really wanted to see you again!" Trace suddenly shouted exuberantly.
"Charmeleon! Char Char!" Charmeleon added as he jumped into Oak's view.
Brayden, Wartortle and Professor Oak were caught off guard by the sudden outburst. Pikachu leered at Trace, quite annoyed.
Trace and Charmeleon went red with embarrassment.
"Heh heh… Sorry about that." Trace apologized sheepishly.
Oak smiled and shook his head forgivingly.
"That's quite all right. I get that sort of reaction more often than you'd think. The price of fame, you might say," Oak admitted.
"Now aren't you the boy from Vermilion City I gave a Pokédex and Charmander to?"
"That's right! You remember me!" Trace said excitedly. "Did you notice Charmander evolved?"
"I did! That's truly wonderful. Good for you, Charmeleon!" Oak said to the Flame Pokémon.
Charmeleon smiled brightly.
"Now then, Brayden, tell me all about what you've been up to these past weeks." Oak said to Brayden.
Minutes later…
"…And after Blue left, we came here." Brayden concluded.
Oak folded his arms and shook his head.
"Where on Earth did that grandson of mine get such a cruel streak? It's certainly good that you found Electrode before he did."
Brayden clenched his fists.
"I know you want to defeat him, Brayden, but right now we need to discuss Team Rocket. Do you truly intend to stop their comeback?" Oak asked him seriously.
Brayden nodded.
"I do! SOMEBODY has to stop them!" he said courageously.
Wartortle, who was on Brayden's shoulder, also voiced his determination to fight. "Wartortle!"
Trace watched Brayden, once again in awe of his friend's courage. Charmeleon looked at Wartortle, thinking the same thing.
"Uh…I'll try to fight, too!" Trace said, though somewhat hesitantly.
"Char… meleon!" Charmeleon agreed.
Brayden knew full and well that his friend wasn't really certain about that.
"You're still scared? After how great you were before?" he said.
Trace hung his head in shame.
Brayden sighed. But then, he smiled.
"You don't have to worry. As long as we work together, those goons can't lay a finger on us! We beat Ariana, and I beat Proton all by myself! If we find them again, we'll win just like always!"
Professor Oak did not like how Brayden said that.
"I must warn you, Brayden. Do not become overconfident! Team Rocket will take any advantage they can find! Do not underestimate them! Understand?"
Brayden understood, but such a warning would hardly help Trace's confidence.
"I'm just trying to help my friend, Professor. It's important that neither of us hesitates, right?" Brayden asked in an annoyed tone.
"Errr… right. I just worry about you, that's all." Oak responded carefully. "In any case, we must prepare for another attack. I imagine their next target may be Celadon City, since their main goal is to obtain supplies. I'll contact the Gym Leader so she can set up defenses around the Department Store. But just in case, I want you boys to go there and help out. Can you do so?"
"You can count on us, Professor!" Brayden exclaimed.
"Yeah! We'll do it!" Trace said, suddenly sounding more sure of himself.
"Excellent. Do your best, boys!" Oak responded pleasantly.
As Brayden tried to log off, he heard Oak speak up again.
"Wait a moment! I just remembered something else!" the Professor said hurriedly.
"Uh, what? We kinda need to get going, sir." Brayden said impatiently.
"Er… It's about the Pokémon Tower at Lavender Town. But…"
Oak thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Never mind. We'll discuss it once you get there. Goodbye!"
With that, the PC flickered off.
"Huh? What was that all about?" Trace wondered as he and Brayden walked out of the Pokémon Center.
"I don't know," Brayden said.
"But now I have a bad feeling. Let's get through Rock Tunnel as fast as we can!"
Inside his Poké Ball, Mankey was listening in carefully. He, too, felt uneasy as Brayden stepped inside the cave.
Whatever was awaiting them in the depths of this tunnel was exceedingly powerful, no doubt.
The Pig Monkey had been thinking about what his Trainer had said to him back at the Power Plant:
"We have to stay in sync, or you will never get to battle at the Pokémon League!"
Mankey decided that he would try listening to Brayden, just to see if it would truly make him stronger.
Otherwise, he would use Rage and win HIS way instead.
Hours later, midway through Rock Tunnel…
"Sheesh, how long does this tunnel go on? Mt. Moon wasn't this long!" Brayden growled.
"Well, it can't be too much longer… wait, is that light up ahead?" Trace wondered.
Brayden looked into the distance, and as Trace had said, there was an unmistakable bright light coming from over there. The sounds of what had to be mining echoed across towards them.
"That'd be great, except it doesn't look like sunlight. Someone must be here setting up lights for travelers." Brayden said thoughtfully.
Trace stared at Brayden, perplexed by Brayden's words.
"How is it bad? Now your Butterfree doesn't need to keep using Flash for us! And I bet the workers can direct us to the exit, too!"
Brayden nodded in understanding, but something still didn't sit right with him.
"Even so, we should be careful." he said to Trace.
As they closed in on the light source, they began hearing voices.
"Ugh, I'm so tired of doing this! I joined Team Rocket to steal things and have fun, not for manual labor!" one voiced moaned.
Brayden and Trace stopped walking at once when they heard that.
"We have to have supplies to maintain our operations, idiot!" a sharper voice shouted. "So keep working and stop whining!"
Another voice growled in frustration.
"Why aren't YOU helping?! You've got a super-strong Fighting-type that's actually built for this stuff!"
"Butterfree, lights off." Brayden whispered to the Butterfly Pokémon.
The bright light shining from Butterfree's eyes slowly dimmed away.
Brayden stuck his head around the cave wall. What he saw was a massive chamber, fully lit, populated by at least 20 Rocket Grunts. Though strangely, one Grunt was wearing a long coat.
"I'm in charge, and the one in charge gives orders! Do you question my authority?! Huh?!" the coat Grunt snapped at the other Grunt.
The Grunt seemed like he wanted to say "yes", but instead he turned back to his work without a word.
Brayden ducked back behind the wall and tip-toed back to Trace.
"There's a bunch of Grunts in there, but no sign of the Executives. Let's beat them, stop whatever they're doing, and get out of here!" he whispered.
Trace, though truthfully relieved that the Executives were absent, was still very worried. Charmeleon clung to his Trainer's leg, shivering just as he had back at Vermilion Harbor.
"Brayden, we don't have Lt. Surge to help us this time. Are you really sure we can win?" Trace asked his friend fearfully.
Brayden placed a hand on Trace's shoulder and smiled encouragingly.
"I know we can. And my Pokémon believe in us, too!"
Trace and Charmeleon looked at Butterfree, Mankey and Wartortle. All three of them were unafraid and ready to battle!
Pikachu looked into Trace's eyes, showing the same determination to fight.
"Wow, you guys really are super brave. Thanks for believing in me. I'll do my best! Trace said, full of gratitude. "Ready, Charmeleon?"
The Flame Pokémon nodded, still looking a bit nervous. But the flame on his tail seemed to be burning slightly more intensely than usual.
"Okay, let's do this!" Brayden exclaimed quietly as he tossed a Great Ball into the chamber.
The sound of the capsule opening echoed across the walls of the cave. The Grunts stopped digging and looked around for the source of the sound.
The cloaked Grunt heard something fall into the nearby crates. When he turned to look, he saw an Electrode grinning back at him as its body began to darken.
"WHAT THE?!" was all he could shout as he dived away from the ensuing Explosion that shook the entire cavern.
"All right! You did it, Electrode!" Brayden cheered as he, Trace and their Pokémon ran into the area.
"Trode trode!" the Ball Pokémon chuckled as Brayden recalled it to its ball.
The cloaked Grunt was overcome with exasperation.
"HEY! You stupid kids just destroyed our loot! You're going to make me look bad.
Everyone, attack now!" he shouted, pointing at the two boys.
"Yikes! Poliwhirl, come out and give us a hand!" Trace panicked.
"Pidgeotto, Oddish, we need you, too!" Brayden shouted.
Now all of our heroes' Pokémon, save the fainted (but satisfied) Electrode, were out! They braced themselves as the Grunts ran at them and sent out their own Pokémon to attack.
For a few minutes our heroes battled back and forth with the Grunts. Poliwhirl got knocked out midway through, but the Grunts still could not stack up to Brayden and Trace's combined team.
The cloaked Grunt had seen enough. He had finally realized just who these two intruders were, and he refused to let the lower-ranked Grunts take the glory of crushing them away from him.
"STOP!" he bellowed. Everyone covered their ears as the scream boomed through the cavern.
"Enough already, you idiots! Clearly I am the only one suitable for this simple task," he added.
The Grunt stepped forward as the other Grunts got up and backed off. Many of them cursed under their breath for being forced to let him have his way.
"I guess you're some sort of elite Grunt, then?" Brayden asked inquisitively.
The Grunt flashed a sickeningly proud grin.
"That's right!"
He looked around at his underlings and added, "See? Even our enemies are capable of addressing me by my proper title!"
The Grunts who had murmured rolled their eyes, but the Elite Grunt didn't notice as he had fixed his attention back on Brayden.
"I've been told some kid defeated Executives Proton and Ariana. That you?"
Trace gulped.
Brayden nodded slowly.
"Yeah. You want to avenge their humiliations or something?" he asked, unamused.
The Elite Grunt laughed hysterically.
"Of course not! See, it just so happens that I'm the strongest member of Team Rocket's ranks, except for Master Giovanni, of course. And yet…"
He clenched his fists and scowled at the Grunts.
"Nobody here has any respect for me! They wouldn't even make me an Executive, even though that pathetic SLOB Petrel is one!"
Brayden raised his eyebrows. He didn't recognize that name at all. The Elite Grunt had just given him the name of one of the other two Executives!
The Grunt clutched the Ultra Ball at his side, then forced his scowl into a terrifying smirk.
"But that's all going to change right now. If…no, WHEN I defeat you, the one who thought he could stop our glorious comeback, I'm sure to finally get the respect and position I truly deserve!"
With a ferocious shout, the Elite Grunt threw the Ultra Ball straight up into the air. When it shot open, a large grey-colored Pokémon with humanoid proportions thudded to the ground.
"MA CHAMP!" it shouted.
Both Brayden and Trace went wide-eyed. A chill went down their spines as they realized they were face-to-face with a Machamp, a Fighting-type widely regarded as the strongest in existence. The Machamp showed off his strength by throwing some air punches with its four powerful arms.
"My name is Loki, one of the three Elite Grunts of Team Rocket! You had your fun, boys. But playtime is OVER! Machamp, Rock Slide!"
Machamp slammed a fist into the ground, and countless stones broke from the ceiling, falling directly towards our young heroes.
"Move it!" Brayden shouted as he, Trace and their Pokémon scrambled to evade the rocks. Oddish, however, merely watched in horror as a particularly large stone fell straight towards her.
Seeing this, Pidgeotto reacted quickly, batting her away with Wing Attack, but getting struck by the stone in the process.
"No! Pidgeotto!" Brayden cried out.
"Oddish!" Oddish said worriedly.
The Bird Pokémon had taken far too much damage, and so Brayden recalled him. He leered at Loki, filled with anger.
"Oh? Was that 'unfair' of me?" Loki jeered.
"Okay then! Machamp will just stand where he is and wait for you to attack. Go on! Take your best shot, not that it'll help! Ha ha ha!"
It occurred to Brayden that this Grunt was much like Blue, but somehow even more overconfident and more uncaring of Pokémon. Worse yet, he was part of Team Rocket. Brayden knew he absolutely had to win this battle now that it had gotten personal.
"No way are we losing to someone like you! Trace, let's take him down!" Brayden shouted.
Trace seemed frightened by Brayden's anger, but knew there was no other way they could escape.
"O-okay, Brayden! Charmeleon, use Metal Claw!"
"Wartortle, Rapid Spin!" Brayden commanded.
Wartortle ducked into his shell and whirled towards Machamp as Charmeleon sprinted up and readied his claws.
Unfortunately, Loki was far from through using dirty tactics.
"You IDIOTS! Just two Pokémon can't beat ME! Machamp, Thunder Punch those weaklings!" Loki ordered with relish.
Using two of his four fists, Machamp knocked both Wartortle and Charmeleon flying with electric punches.
"Oh no! Charmeleon!" Trace said worriedly.
"Wartortle!" Brayden called out.
The two Starter Pokémon struggled to get up, but the force of the punches were simply too much for them, and they collapsed.
"Come on! You still got more Pokémon. Keep trying, I DARE you!" Loki said sadistically.
"Or are you going to give up and accept defeat?"
Brayden felt hopelessness and despair descending upon him. Had it truly been just luck that enabled him to win against Proton and Ariana before? He felt horrible for having dragged Trace into this. He had ignored the warnings of Brock and Professor Oak and allowed his overconfidence to lead him astray, and now Trace would suffer the consequences along with him. He turned to the no-doubt terrified Trace to apologize.
"We're not…giving up yet!"
Brayden couldn't believe his ears. TRACE had just said that?
"I won't surrender and let you take our Pokémon away!" Trace shouted forcefully, as though he was struggling to contain his panic.
"As long as Brayden and I fight as a team, we can't lose! Right, Pikachu?!"
"Pika Pikachu!" the Mouse Pokémon agreed, his cheeks crackling with electricity.
Mankey turned to Brayden, slammed his paws together, and nodded.
A determined smile swept across Brayden's face, and he turned his cap around.
"Well put Trace. Couldn't have said it better myself. Let's show this arrogant jerk that the power of friendship is stronger than a Machamp's arms, Mankey!"
"Mankey!" the Pig Monkey cried as he did a short backflip. Pikachu grinned at him.
Loki was flabbergasted.
"How can you possibly have any hope left?!" he snapped.
"Machamp, Cross Chop!"
Machamp lunged for Mankey and Pikachu, but this was a mistake.
Brayden grinned.
"I was waiting for you to do that! Mankey, use Mega Kick and aim for Machamp's head!"
With a ferocious shout, Mankey soared through the air and smacked Machamp right in the face with his kick. The Superpower Pokémon clutched his head in pain and began falling over.
"Wait, what?! Focus, Machamp! What are you doing?!" Loki yelled.
"Okay, now it's your turn, Pikachu! Strike 'em with Thunder Shock!" Trace called out.
"Pika…CHUUUU!" Pikachu shouted as he blasted Machamp with a large bolt of electricity.
Machamp crouched down on one leg as he tried to recover from Pikachu's attack.
"Wait a second… that wasn't Thunder Shock!" Trace said excitedly.
"Right! Pikachu learned Thunderbolt, Trace! Sweet!" Brayden exclaimed.
"Pika Pikachu!" the Mouse Pokémon cried in jubilation as he jumped up and down.
"You…little…" Loki snarled.
"We found your weakness! Machamp is strong all right, but he's also super slow! You don't have a chance of catching our speedy Mankey and Pikachu!" Brayden said confidently.
Machamp was shocked by this statement. He remembered Proton saying the same thing of his Flying-type Pokémon when he and Loki had last battled them. His pride hurt, the Fighting-type got back to his feet, looking quite furious.
"Ready to wrap this up, Grunt? You're going down just like all the others!" Brayden declared. "Mankey, Brick Break!"
"Pikachu, Mega Punch!" Trace said.
Pikachu approached Machamp from the front, and Mankey from behind. They were going quite fast, and Brayden was certain there was nothing Loki could do.
Unfortunately, Loki had one final trick up his sleeve. A triumphant grin spread across his face.
"MACHAMP, COUNTER!"
Machamp's body glowed bright red. When Pikachu and Mankey's attack's struck, Machamp didn't flinch, but instead smiled cruelly before punching both Pokémon away with unbelievable force.
"No! Mankey! Pikachu!" Brayden and Trace shouted together.
"Did you like that move?" Loki asked sarcastically. "Counter allows the opponents to strike first, then strikes back with double the power! Can your speedy Pokémon withstand such an attack?!"
Pikachu tried with all his might to get back up, but to no avail, much to his frustration. Trace knelt down and picked up his little yellow friend.
"Pikachu… I'm so sorry. I got careless," Trace said as tears fell from his eyes.
"Looks like that one's finally out of luck!" Loki taunted. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of your Pikachu and Charmeleon! Maybe! Aha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Machamp joined in his Trainer's laughter and pointed at Pikachu and Trace, apparently enjoying their sadness. Even the other Grunts laughed, their hatred of their substitute leader overshadowed by their love of watching others suffer.
Brayden couldn't stand to see this. Fury overcame his senses and tears of his own welled up.
"All Trace ever wanted was to have fun with his Pokémon and be the best Trainer he could be! How could you do this to him?!" Brayden bellowed at Loki.
The Elite Grunt simply scoffed at him.
"Because I don't care about his feelings, you stupid kid. I'll do whatever it takes to be Team Rocket's second-in-command! Including crushing YOU!"
At that very moment, Mankey got back up and ran back over to Brayden. He, too, was outraged by Pikachu's defeat. And he was ready to listen to Brayden.
Loki was exasperated by Mankey's continued determination to fight.
"Oh, come ON! Just give up already so I can get my reward! You will NEVER beat me!"
Brayden's righteous fury had reached new heights, and he was through trying to win the right way.
"SHUT UP! MANKEY, USE RAGE!"
Though some small part of him was confused by this command, at this point, Mankey didn't care anymore. The fiery aura consumed him, and he flew into a rage that was comparable to Brayden's.
Trace looked up and was shocked and scared at the same time.
"Brayden actually TOLD Mankey to use Rage?! This can't be good!"
"USE MEGA KICK!" Brayden screamed.
"MAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!" Mankey roared as he rushed at Machamp.
"Machamp, Cross Chop!" Loki shouted.
Somehow, Machamp was able to get his palms out and smack Mankey away before Mega Kick could land.
The Pig Monkey sank to the ground. However, the Rage continued to persist.
"WE CAN'T LET HIM WIN, MANKEY! GET UP NOW!" Brayden snapped.
"DON'T BOTHER, YOU WORTHLESS WEAKLING! THERE'S NO POINT!" Loki screamed in disgust.
"Machamp Ma champ!" Machamp added.
There was a moment of silence, though the previous screams continued to boom through the cave.
Nobody could've expected that what would happen next would be an utter catastrophe for both sides.
Mankey arose, and, still consumed by the Rage aura, screeched even louder than anyone else had just then. Then, another bright light overlapped with the aura.
"That light…" a Grunt said.
"That little fur ball is..!" Loki realized.
"Mankey's…evolving..?" Brayden said quietly.
"Oh great. What's gonna happen now?!" Trace asked anxiously.
Oddish and Pikachu simply watched in awe, hoping that this would be a good thing in the long run.
The bright light subsided, but the Rage aura was still there. The Pokémon that now stood in that spot was similar in appearance to Mankey, but in addition to being bigger and furrier had large fists instead of paws, and the feet were about as thick as the fists. In addition, his tail was completely gone.
"PRIMEAPE!" he bellowed as he beat his chest rapidly.
"You evolved into Primeape! Good! Now take out Loki's Machamp with Brick Break!" Brayden shouted.
Primeape snorted, and without any hesitation charged at Machamp, ready for vengeance.
Loki began to panic. He wasn't expecting this scenario in the slightest.
"M-Machamp! Cross Chop!"
Before Machamp could even react, Primeape was right in his face. But instead of Brick Break, the enraged Fighting-type lashed out with a series of ferocious punches and kicks, all while the aura of anger glowed an even darker shade of red. He was using a Dragon-type attack called Outrage!
Machamp was simply no match for Primeape's onslaught, and thudded to the ground, unable to keep fighting.
"NOOOOO!" Loki cried out as he slapped his hands to the sides of his head. "My promotion!"
Brayden and Trace had beaten Team Rocket once again, but even though they had won Primeape was still lashing out. He turned his attention to Team Rocket's equipment and smashed everything to pieces in seconds. Then, he began attacking the mortified Grunts, all while screaming hysterically.
Even though Brayden hated Team Rocket, he knew that lashing out to this degree was wrong. If he didn't act quickly, things would end badly for everyone.
"Primeape, stop!" Brayden pleaded. "We won! You did it! It's over! Please, stop!"
Primeape immediately turned to look at Brayden. The Pig Monkey walked over and stared at his Trainer, still enraged.
Brayden reached for Primeape's Poké Ball, but without warning, Primeape unleashed a Brick Break on Brayden's arm. The boy screamed in agony and dropped the ball.
"BRAYDEN!" Trace shouted, horrified.
"Wartortle!"
"Odd Oddish!"
"Char! Meleon!"
"Pi…? Pika Pi!"
In his anger, Primeape had completely lost his mind. Loki took full advantage of Primeape's distraction, and ordered the Grunts to retreat in the remaining cars.
"Let's get out of here! That thing is crazy!" he shouted as the Rocket cars sped away.
Primeape noticed the cars driving off, and wasted no time chasing after them, still screaming furiously.
"No…Primeape, come back!" Brayden shouted anxiously as he got up and ran after his Pokémon.
"Brayden, wait!" Trace said as he ran after his friend, with Wartortle, Charmeleon and Oddish hot on his heels.
Ten minutes later, they had finally found their way out of Rock Tunnel. Brayden ran outside and looked around frantically, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of his Pokémon friend, or even Team Rocket.
But…
"There's… no sign of them…Brayden." Trace said sadly.
"Primeape's gone…?"
Brayden couldn't believe it. He felt like he was having some twisted nightmare. Primeape, his friend, his fellow fighter, had left him.
Abandoned him.
Betrayed him.
Even after the pact they had made to win the League together, the Pig Monkey Pokémon had turned his back on Brayden.
Hot tears streaked down the young boy's face as he held his limp and nearly broken arm.
"PRIMEAPE!" Brayden cried out in anguish.
Though Brayden and Trace were successful in their efforts to halt Team Rocket's mining operation, it came at a terrible cost. What will Brayden do now that he has lost Primeape? Will he and Trace recover from this disastrous event? And will they ever see Primeape again? Stay tuned!
Somewhere far away…
Primeape's eyes snapped open. Had he been sleeping? He tried to remember what he had been doing…
Cave…
Pikachu…
Brayden…
Rocket!
The Fighting-type looked all around him, but there was no sign of those irritating people who had insulted him.
No sign of Brayden, Pikachu or the other boy, either.
And… had he hurt Brayden?
It was hazy, but he could recall attacking someone and hearing a cry of pain and sadness.
It was true.
"Prime…ape…"
The great anger that had coursed throughout his body and soul was gone, replaced by new emotions.
Shame.
Regret.
Sadness.
He couldn't bear to face Brayden anymore, so he resolved to not search for him.
And so, the sullen Primeape walked away, completely uncertain of what to do now.