Chapter 2: What Makes a Mankey?

You would think a near death experience like that might deter Nate. If Nate were a reasonable human you might be correct, but unfortunately, Nate was a die-hard pokemon fanatic. "If there are pokemon in that treefall, then I'm gonna see those pokemon dammit," he thought to himself. Reaching into his backpack, he grabbed one of his seven remaining granola bars and unwrapped it. Once again, Nate approached the treefall gap, but much more cautiously than last time. He kept his eyes peeled for the angry ball of fur, and sure enough, once Nate got close the pig-monkey reappeared. Nate was prepared this time, however. As soon as he spotted the pokemon, Nate got on his knees and placed the granola bar in front of him, kowtowing before the pokemon and lowering his eyes to avoid meeting the it's gaze. The pokemon didn't seem to expect this, and for a few seconds neither party moved.

"I apologize for intruding on your territory," said Nate. He had no idea if the pokemon actually understood him or not. Pokemon in the anime generally understood human speech, but who knows if this was the anime world or not. "I only wanted to enter the gap. Please accept this food as an apology."

At the mention of food, Mankey snorted excitedly. Nate heard it cautiously approach, but he didn't dare look up. Once the sounds of Mankey's approach stopped, Nate very slowly raised his head. He saw Mankey, holding the granola bar in both hands inspecting it from all angles. Once Mankey was satisfied with the visual inspection, it moved on to sniffing it.

"It's a granola bar," Nate said, making sure to keep his volume down, despite the excitement from seeing a pokemon so close. "They're great for keeping you full despite their small size."

When Mankey finished the sniff test, it went on to take a cautious nibble. " Y'know, I've never really thought about Mankey's mouth before." Mankey must've liked what it tasted, because it practically inhaled the rest of the granola bar, snorting happily as it chewed. "At least I hope those are happy snorts." Once it had swallowed, it turned it's gaze back towards Nate. "Here goes nothing, I suppose."

"Did you like it?" Nate asked.

Mankey nodded it's head/body happily in response

"Thank Arceus, I might not get torn limb from limb by an angry furby."

"I'm glad you did, I just wanted to apologize for startling you, I was just trying to get into the treefall gap, would you let me pass?"

"Man Mankey!"

"Great! Thank you so much." As surreal as seeing a living, breathing pokemon in front of him was, Nate had to admit that having a conversation with a furball that barely came up to his knees, who only communicated via snorts, grunts, and it's own name, made him feel a little silly. Nate stood up and brushed the dirt off his knees. "Are there any other pokemon in the gap I should be aware of?"

"First rule of traveling, the locals know best," thought Nate.

Mankey paused for a moment in thought, before replying.

"Mankey, ManMank Man Man. Mankey Mankey!"

"Second rule of traveling, make sure you can understand the locals"

"Uhhh, would you mind showing me around?" Said Nate, "I really don't want to start any trouble with any other pokemon."

"Mankey Mankey!" It said, nodding happily.

"Despite the rough introduction, it sure is a friendly little thing," Nate thought to himself. "Maybe it was just hangry."


Nate watched Mankey effortlessly weave between the normal-sized trees and duck under the chest high brush which slowed Nate considerably. If Mankey was annoyed with Nate's sedate pace, it didn't show.

"Mankey?" Asked the pokemon with concern.

"I'm doing fine, it's just a bit harder to navigate an area like this when you're as big as me."

Mankey huffed in understanding. "You know, I've only known it for less than half an hour, and I already feel like I understand it better. Maybe this is the fabled 'Power of Friendship' anime protagonists are always talking about" After a few more minutes of scrambling through brush and getting branches whipped in his face, Mankey let Nate to a very welcome clearing.

"Mankey Mankey, ManMan, ManMankey Man!" Nate's new friend yelled into the trees surrounding the clearing. After a few seconds several puffballs emerged from hollows in the trees and climbed down to the ground. Once everyone was on ground level, Nate counted three adults, four juveniles (or maybe just short adults) and eight or nine babies. He couldn't get an exact count because of how hyperactive the little tykes were. The adult Mankey were having an animated conversation punctuated by the occasional glare in my direction. The babies seemed much more relaxed, one even tried to come close to inspect me, but it was quickly caught by one of the older juveniles.

Once their conversation was over, the adults shepherded their children back up the trees. One Mankey stayed behind, the original who led Nate here. "Honestly, the only reason I know which one it is is because it's the biggest. All the other adults looked identical to my eyes."

"Mankey!" the pokemon said excitedly.

"Was that your family?" Asked Nate. Mankey nodded to his question.

"So you tried to chase me off because you thought I might try to hurt them?" Mankey nodded again, having the grace to at least look a little bashful at the near-murder. "Don't worry about it," I attempted to assuage Mankey's guilt "You gotta make sure to protect your home."

"Man Mankey!" Mankey seemed to brighten on hearing my words.

"Do you mind if I sleep in your clearing tonight Mankey? The sun looks like it'll set in a few hours, and I'd feel a lot safer here than out in the wilds." Mankey was positively beaming after hearing my suggestion. "Honestly, is this really the same pokemon that nearly killed me less than an hour ago? Does Mankey suffer from mood swings? Or maybe it just liked the granola bar that much"

Nate spent the remaining daylight preparing for a night in the woods. First he cleared an area of stones for sleeping on. Next he gathered soft-looking ferns and grasses to make an impromptu mattress. It wouldn't be comfortable, but it would be better than laying on bare dirt. There honestly wasn't much else he could do. He still had no way to start a fire. "Maybe tomorrow I'll try making a fire drill..." Nate was dragged out of his plans for tomorrow by the rumbling of his stomach. "But first dinner."

Nate indulged in a very hearty dinner of a single granola bar. He considered eating more, but he'd rather be hungry for a while than full right now and starving later. As he washed down the granola with a swig from his bottle, he considered future plans.

"Now that I have a water source, food has become the number one priority. Tomorrow I should ask Mankey where they get their food from. After that, I definitely want to see what other pokemon are living in this treefall gap. Maybe Mankey could even direct me out of the forest. Although that seems like a pipe dream honestly. Realistically, only a flying type would be able to point me to the nearest city"

With his head swimming with plans for tomorrow, Nate drifted off to sleep.

He must've been more tired than he thought. To be fair, he had a long day.


Nate woke to the sound of screeching. After a few seconds of flailing, he managed to extract himself from his ersatz sleeping bag. Nate glanced around in a panic, trying to find the source of the noise, but the forest was dark, Nate could scarcely see three feet in front of him. Suddenly, a shrill cry, followed by the furious screeches of several Mankey pulled his attention upwards towards the treetops.

More screeches, taunting chirps, and other sounds of general mayhem came down from the trees. Nate's heart was pounding as he ran away from the clearing and into the underbrush. "Is there a fight going on up there? If the fighting descends to the ground, I want to be as far away as possible," Nate thought to himself. He remembered the stone Mankey threw at him earlier in the day. "If a casual warning is enough to nearly kill me, I don't want to know what a serious battle between two pokemon out for blood looks like."

After an agonizing wait that felt like hours, but realistically couldn't have been more than three minutes, the sounds of violence blessedly stopped. Nate looked up to the treetops again, and saw a shadow flying away. It was only visible thanks to the backdrop of stars behind it, and it was retreating fast.

"That's a Noctowl!" Nate thought to himself. "Damn, I always thought Ash's Noctowl was so cool, why did this one have to be such a jerk." As the excitement from the fight (even though Nate saw none of it) wore off, Nate's thoughts turned to worry for his hosts.

"You okay up there?" Nate yelled into the treetops. A few seconds later he heard a tired-sounding "Mankey Mank."

"I hope that translates as 'yeah'."

With the battle over, Nate shuffled back to his makeshift bed, having a little trouble finding it in the dark. As tired as the previous day's events left him, the lingering adrenaline had him struggling to sleep. Nate tossed and turned all night, riding the line between awake and asleep, until the black of the night sky turned dark grey, then silver, then finally the pinks and oranges heralding a new dawn.


After a breakfast of, you guessed it, a granola bar, Nate finished off his water bottle and retreated into the woods away from the clearing in order to take care of some, uh, biological functions.

"Okay, I'm never taking toiletries for granted again. As soon as my food situation is sorted, I'm going back to finding my way out of this forest. Magical pokemon adventure be damned, I need a shower ASAP."

Arriving back at the clearing feeling significantly dirtier, Nate found a few of the Mankey milling about.

"Hey Mankey, I'm gonna head back to the stream to refill my water bottle, I'll be back in an hour or so."

The lead Mankey gave Nate a look of incredulity, before grabbing his hand and leading through the forest. "Does Mankey think I can't find my way without its help? That's actually kinda sweet. Also patronizing. My sense of direction isn't that bad." Contrary to Nate's expectations, Mankey did not lead Nate back to the stream, but instead to a spring hidden inside a small cave. "Well, this makes gathering drinking water much easier, but I can't exactly bathe in this spring, can I?"

"While we're out and about, do you mind showing me where you forage? My granola bar supply won't last forever, after all." The idea that Nate doesn't have an infinite supply of food seems novel to Mankey, who needs a few seconds to process what it had just heard. Suddenly, it grabbed Nate's hand and began pulling him through the forest at a breakneck pace.

"Slow down!" Nate yelled, "I wasn't built for this!" Mankey either didn't hear him or didn't care, because its pace didn't slow down in the least.


With a crash, an excited-looking Mankey and a very disheveled Nate arrived at their destination. Nate idly picked leaves and twigs out of his hair as he inspected the place Mankey had dragged him to. It was another clearing, but much larger than the one Mankey claimed as a home. It was roughly square shaped, around 200 feet per side. Nearly the entire clearing was occupied by... farms? Rows upon rows of plants, both familiar and exotic stretched across the clearing. Grass type pokemon stalked the rows, tending to the plants. Nate watched, enraptured, as a Lilligant and a gaggle of Petilil pulled weeds from beneath a raspberry bush. "Or is it a Razz berry bush?" Bellsprout and Weepinbell served as flycatchers for mundane insects, while a Tangela used its vines to deter any errant pokemon trying to steal a snack. Nate watched with fascination as a Paras was sent flying 30 feet backwards by a brutal vine whip, only to get back up and immediately rush back towards the farm. Tangela looked unamused, clearly this had been going on for a while.

Overseeing the whole operation was a mean-looking Roserade standing on a huge boulder in the middle of the clearing. The Roserade kept its head on a swivel, constantly on the lookout for any problems that might need fixing. When it spotted Nate and Mankey, its gaze hardened. Mankey either didn't notice or didn't care, as it sauntered up to the bouquet pokemon happily.

"Mankey Mankey!" It said cheerily. Roserade didn't respond, instead choosing to glare icily at Nate. Mankey's excitement seemed to deflate a little upon receiving the cold shoulder, but it pressed on regardless.

"Ma.. Mankey... Mankey!" Whatever Mankey was trying to say, Roserade was having none of it. Mankey seemed truly distraught at Roserade's disinterest. Clearly, Mankey's plan, whatever it was, had been dashed by the surly Roserade. Mankey turned away from the grass type pokemon and dejectedly looked at Nate, who looked at the pig-monkey trying to work out what the pokemon was thinking. Meanwhile, the sight of Nate's face to Mankey seemed to give it an idea. It turned back to face the Roserade, walked right up to it, and... groveled. Mankey bent down on its knees and begged, speaking to Roserade like a lowly peasant might petition their king. This sudden change in attitude on the part of Mankey seemed to please Roserade, whose disinterested scowl morphed into a smug grin.


Roserade was having a below average day. That dim-witted Paras was still trying to sneak past the guards, and a flock of Hoppip came complaining about some new smell on the wind. "Seriously, what do the Hoppip expect me to do about 'The wind smelling funny.'" Not to mention the Canopy dwelling bird pokemon seem to have stepped up their raids. The only saving grace was that the raiding forces were relatively weak; only a few Noctowl and Tranquill. Roserade continued his watch, enjoying the relaxing sounds of grass pokemon tending to the farm, punctuated by the occasional thwack of vine against carapace. Suddenly Roserade saw two new beings in the clearing and frowned. The alpha Mankey was already a troublemaker, but it was the guest Mankey brought that truly surprised Roserade. Mankey's ignorance of the attention it was bringing on itself only served to annoy Roserade further. As Mankey approached, Roserade was brainstorming all the ways it could punish Mankey's flippant attitude.

"Hi Roserade, this is my friend!" Said Mankey, gesturing at the human. "He said he needs some food, could you help us out?"

Roserade didn't even humor the request, instead choosing to stare down the intruder. "Humans in the Titanwoods are always bad news, but this one seems different. He doesn't have the air of a poacher, and I see none of the capture-orbs indicating his status as a trainer."

"C'mon Roserade, can't you help him out?" Mankey continued prattling on, "You wouldn't want him starving to death on your watch, would you?"

"I wouldn't mind in the slightest." Roserade thought grimly.

Mankey seemed to get the hint, and it looked like he might actually leave without giving Roserade any more trouble, before turning back and marching straight up to Roserade. "So he wants a fight? Good. I've got some stress to work out." As Roserade prepared a magical leaf to fire at the impudent monkey, Mankey made the first move and began... prostrating?

"Please, Roserade! You're the only one who can help us. You're so strong, I'm sure it would be no big deal for you to grow a few extra fruits for him."

Roserade swelled with satisfaction at the sight of the once-proud Mankey groveling at his feet. "It's about time someone showed me the respect I deserve." After letting Mankey compliment him some more, Roserade finally gave in to the request.

"Very well," Roserade heaved a dramatic sigh, "but just this once."

"Hooray!" Cheered Mankey, far too loud for Roserade's liking. "You're the best, you're so cool and smart and talented." Mankey continued to gush as it ran in for a hug, which Roserade quickly stopped with a quick thwack on the forehead.

"There shall be no hugging." Roserade said, resolutely.

"Understood," replied Mankey, rubbing the sore spot on his head ruefully.


Nate watched with fascination, as Roserade's left hand (bouquet?) started glowing, dim at first, then brighter and brighter, until the accumulated energy was released all at once. Suddenly, shoots of grass erupted from the ground in front of Roserade, and grew at an alarming pace, stopping only once they were around seven feet tall. Next, Roserade's right hand started to glow, causing the grass to move as if it had a mind of its own. Strands of grass twisted and looped around each other. Nate had trouble making sense of what was happening, but as more individual strands were conglomerated into the whole, it became clear what was happening.

"Seems like an extravagant way to make a basket, but I can't deny the efficiency. Roserade turned what would have otherwise been hours of mind-numbing weaving into thirty seconds of magic."

Once the basket was finished weaving, Roserade clipped it off the ground with a precisely aimed razor leaf. Roserade then fired a second leaf, much slower than the first. The second leaf flew over Nate's head, striking a sleeping Exeggcute.

"Egg?" The Exeggcute asked, seemingly annoyed at being woken up. "Roserade," the bouquet pokemon pointed at the now-completed basket. Exeggcute nodded in understanding, then suddenly, all six pairs of eyes the egg pokemon possessed glowed blue. The pokemon telekinetically filled the basket with an assortment of fruits and vegetables. Once it's job was done, the Exeggcute went to continue its nap.

Nate glanced at Mankey, who was looking incredibly satisfied. Mankey moved to pick up the basket, giving Roserade a final bow, before easily lifting the filled basket above its head and walking back towards its home clearing. Nate fell in behind Mankey, reaching in the basket and grabbing a blue, apple sized fruit. "Pokemon in the anime always went hog wild for oran berries, let's see if they live up to the hype." Before he could take a bite, a loud crash grabbed Nate and Mankey's attention. It seems like Tangela got tired of constantly batting Paras away, and decided to kick things up a notch by grabbing the bug pokemon with its vines and hurling it with all its strength.

Out of concern, Nate walked towards the noise and found the Paras crumpled in a heap at the base of the tree it had been thrown into. "At least it seems to still be breathing. Damn, pokemon are tough." Nate felt bad for the pitiful bug pokemon. Using his fingernails, he dug a chunk out of the oran berry and held it in front of Paras's mouth. "These are supposed to restore hp, right? In the games an oran berry restored 10 hp, but what happens when you only eat one tenth of a berry? Do you only restore 1 hp? How is damage even quantified in this world?" As Nate wondered these things, the smell of food seemed to wake Paras up. It quickly snatched the small chunk of fruit Nate was holding, the excitement of a free meal seemed to counteract whatever aches it was currently experiencing. Once it had finished the little morsel, it looked up at Nate piteously, as if it was begging for more.

"Fine..." Nate acquiesced, handing the rest of the berry to the bug. Paras squealed happily, gobbling the fruit at an impressive speed before dashing away through the underbrush. Mankey looked unimpressed at Nate's generosity. "What, you can't expect me to ignore a wounded pokemon like that, can you?" Mankey rolled its eyes at the hypothetical question, before beckoning Nate to follow back to the clearing.


Once they got back, Mankey set the basket on the ground. Nate reached for a fruit, but his hand was slapped away. Mankey pointed at Nate, then his backpack, then itself. "Who am I to argue with the one who earned all this fruit in the first place," thought Nate as he opened his backpack. It wasn't hard to figure out what Mankey wanted. After all, the only contents of Nate's backpack Mankey had seen were the granola bars and the water bottle, and of those two it was easy to figure out which one Mankey was asking for. Nate unwrapped a granola bar and handed it to Mankey, who scarfed it down with glee. "Only three left," Nate thought as he stuffed the wrapper into one of the side pockets of his backpack. "Mankey seems willing to trade an entire basket of fruit for a single granola bar. Assuming it can convince Roserade for more fruit, that seems like my best use for the remaining granola bars."

Now that Mankey had been satisfied, Nate could finally eat the fantasy fruits he had been waiting for. Nate decided to start with an oran berry. The taste was... bizarre. It had a faint astringent, medicinal taste. Still, Nate was perfectly willing to pay the price of an unpleasant aftertaste if it meant he could finally eat until he was full, rather than just fending off starvation. Before he knew it the oran berry was gone, and Nate was already reaching into the basket for another fruit.

Nate lied on the ground, satisfied. As it turns out, in addition to their medicinal properties, berries were filling beyond what their small size would suggest.

"I should probably get started on that fire bow I was planning on," Nate thought drowsily, "but first, nap time."