Mankey and Primeape

Although it hadn't yet reached the ramshackle stage, the house had seen better days. The white paint was peeling off the weathered wood, the porch railing was shaky, and the shingles were coming loose. On the bench swing, an older man was sitting back, playing a harmonica. He too had seen better days. A Primeape was nearby, looking in a smudgy mirror. Every so often, she adjusted her fur. Out in the yard, a Mankey was sitting absolutely still, legs crossed over each other. He was staring at a tall cactus.

Once the Primeape was satisfied with how her fur lay, she picked up a hairclip with a giant silk flower on it, formed like a pink hibiscus. She secured it to the right side of her hair. There, perfect. She fancied that it made her more exotic, like a tropical Pokemon.

A rumble of an engine and the crumble of gravel caught her attention. As her Trainer was still absorbed in his harmonica, she jumped onto the post to see who was coming. It was a mismatched pickup, with a blue body, a red hood, and a light green passenger door. Despite the decidedly unprofessional look, there was a magnet sign on the driver's door. She couldn't read, though, and she didn't recognize the pattern.

The truck shut down with a sputter. A man dressed in a white jacket and tan pants came out. He had a clipboard in hand and some kind of machine attached to his belt. He came up the stairs and smiled briefly at the Primeape. Then he looked to the Trainer. "Mr. Shipley?"

Shipley finished the bar he was playing. No matter what anyone tried to do, he always took his time. He spoke with a drawl like molasses that definitely wasn't from the region of Orre. "That would be me."

"Good. You've joined the effort to heal the Shadow Pokemon that were captured in the recent raid against Cipher, and we thank you. I've come to check on its progress." He looked quizzically at the flower-wearing Primeape.

He chuckled. "Not 'er. That's 'im out there in the yard. Sophie, would you mind checkin' on 'im?"

"Not at all," she replied, jumping off the post into the yard. She hopped over to sit by him. "Hey, kid."

The Mankey didn't blink. He didn't budge. He kept staring at the cactus.

"Kid?" She stepped closer and waved her hand in front of his face. "Hellooo?"

He kept staring.

Sophie frowned. She still wasn't sure what to make of this kid. He spent most of his time staring off at inanimate objects. If he wasn't doing that, he was probably angry. That was quite normal for their kind, and yet he wasn't normal. He had an odd glaze in his eyes and she often felt uncomfortable around him. But Shipley had told her to be friendly, so she'd try.

She sat next to him and stared at the cactus too.

"Do you have his Pokeball with you?" the clipboard man asked.

"Course I do." He spent a moment unlatching it from his belt. "I usually let 'em roam around, unless they're bein' ornery."

He took it and attached a wire from his belt machine to it. "Are you an expert on their species?"

"Mm," he rubbed his chin. "I reckon I am. Trained 'em mostly over the years. A few others here'n'there, but mostly the Mankey family."

In the yard, the Mankey turned to Sophie. Maybe he had blinked, but he'd finally acknowledged her presence. "Hey."

She turned to him and appeared friendly. "Yes?"

"You look stupid with that flower on."

She glared sharply as her blood began to boil. "WHAT?"

The clipboard man's machine beeped. He checked the readout. "He seems to be healing nice and steady. Do you battle with him?"

Shiply shook his head slowly. "Nope."

"But you're listed as an Ace of Mount Battle."

"I am, but," he paused for a slow shrug, "these Shadows aren't that reliable for as powerful as they are. An' I've been workin' on Sophie for some time; she just evolved yesterday, she did."

"You look stupid," the Mankey repeated. "Girly."

"I am a girl, idjit!" She jumped up to kick him, but he backed out of it, then jumped in to punch her.

"Then if you're not battling with him," a furious howl from the Mankey pierced his sentence as the Primeape blocked his punch with one arm and punched him with the other, "what are you doing to heal him?"

"Mmm, well," a rock kicked by one of the two struck the doorbell, causing it to clamor off-key. "Well I do laundry for some of the busy folks out here for extra money. I throw an old towel in the dryer an' later toss it on top of 'im with a fresh dryer sheet. They're the scented ones, mountain fresh, I think."

"A warm towel and a dryer sheet?"

"Ayup. It's cheaper then those fancy perfumes and colognes they sell for this purpose. A couple a pennies or a couple grand; what're you gonna pick?"

"I see." He made a note on his clipboard. In the yard behind them, Sophie and the Mankey were wrestling aggressively, growling and spitting at each other. He tried to bite her ear. "Is he giving you any extra trouble?"

"Not particularly." Sophie yelped and slammed the Mankey into the ground. They rolled for a few feet. "As I said before, I've trained 'is kind for a long time. Can't really tell now, but I reckon 'e's one of them mild types, you know?"

The Mankey gave a fierce bark, enough to make the clipboard man jump slightly. "You think this Shadow is a mild one?"

"Ayup. I've seen much worse tempers than 'is."

"Really?" He glanced back at the two fighting primates. The Primeape had been pinned to the ground, but she got her legs up and kicked the Mankey into the mismatched truck. After leaving a brand new dent in it, he dropped to the ground, dazed.

"Really. Sophie, come 'ere."

She calmed down immediately. Being called by Mr. Shipley was the only certain thing that did so. Once her blood cooled, she hopped back to the porch beside him. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and soon had her hairclip undone. "Rats," she said sadly. "My flower wilted." She held the scuffed and bent flower to him.

He took it. "Don't worry, gel, I'll fix it up. You go get yourself one of the others and we'll make up some banana shakes, alright?"

She tensed for a moment at a scraping sound, then let loose a backwards punch as the Mankey tried to tackle her. He got knocked onto his back again, although not as powerfully as before. "Alright, we'll have banana shakes!" She started back inside, but then glanced back at the Mankey. "Hey kid, behave yourself."

The Mankey put his hands over his eyes and moaned. "I have a headache..."

…

Mankey Fire Red entry: Light and agile on its feet, and ferocious in temperament. When angered, it flies into an uncontrollable frenzy.

Primeape Emerald entry: When it becomes furious, its blood circulation becomes more robust, and its muscles are made stronger. But it also becomes much less intelligent.

I'm not entirely sure what the title Ace of Mount Battle means. It just sounded cool. Probably that he's beaten the Mount Battle challenge several times.