Leaving behind Saffron City with the Marsh Badge in tow for Ash, and a promise of a rematch for Gina, the party decided to continue their journey towards the east.
Their destination was Celadon City. It was there they could find the next Pokémon Gym that housed the Rainbow Badge. Once they had obtained that badge, they would be able to circle southwards and take the renowned Cycling Road down to Fuchsia City, where yet another Gym awaited them.
Along the way, the group found a comfortable resting place just off the forested traveling path. It was close to a river with rock formations around, and dense trees formed a line that led deeper into the woodlands. The trainers decided that it would be the best place to set up camp, giving both them and their pokémon a chance to rest and have Lunch.
Gina watched as Nidorina helped her recently evolved Kadabra become more accommodated to walking upright as she laid out the plates for feeding the pokémon. He could stand on his own power rather than being carried or teleporting everywhere, but the Psi Pokémon was still carefully clutching onto her paws as she guided him around the camp. Gina intended to make use of the pair against Celadon Gym given that it utilized Grass-Type Pokémon, and most of those in Kanto had a secondary Poison-Type.
Rattata was busy with training herself, bouncing between the rocky formations with Quick Attack in quick succession. Double Team was in effect as well so, at present, it was akin to four blurs bouncing back and forth. It was clear she was approaching the point where she had nearly mastered it. Teaching her Protect next to shore up her frailty now that her Technical Machine was fixed was the final step before letting her evolve.
Eevee was being entertained by Wartortle. The Turtle Pokémon blew Bubbles into the air for the former to use Swift to pop, a mix of training and playing. Neither one of them was suitable for the next Gym though, so her final choice would be… Spearow.
The Tiny Bird Pokémon had been swapped out from her Grandfather's care with Geodude now that he had finished growing out his new feathers. He was less irritable, but the fact that he was still perched on a rock and looking down on all of them strengthened the impression of how anti-social he was. She would have to step up his behavior training before he evolved.
His keen eyesight picked up her gaze upon him and he gave an inquisitive caw. "Row?"
"Your new coat looks nice," Gina told him sweetly, which was true enough. His feathers had a very noticeable gloss to them. And considering how he raised his beak with pride and spread his wings for her to see them better, she suspected Spearow was vain enough that he basked in the compliment.
Gina went over to Brock once she finished setting the plates down. The former Gym Leader was in the process of using a large cooking pot to create a soup for them to enjoy. It was a mixture of berries and meat that most of them would enjoy, with his Geodude in the process of stirring the pot for him while he used a saucer to taste some of it. Zubat, perched on his shoulder, squeaked pleadingly and he allowed it to have a taste as well. "Here you go."
Gina watched amused as the Bat Pokémon flapped its wings delightedly as he drank it before asking, "About done?"
"Yep." He took a feeder that resembled a bottle and began to fill it up with the broth. "It turned out well, and I even managed to incorporate the berries we had from Saffron City. I think everyone will love it. Speaking of which, can you take this to Misty?"
Gina nodded before making her way down to the water. There Misty had stripped down to her swimming suit to get into the river alongside her pokémon. "Brock asked me to bring this to you."
The Water Pokémon Trainer looked up from using a brush to scrub the gaps in her Starmie's legs. Since her pokémon couldn't exactly clean themselves through normal means, Misty had decided to take the opportunity to do so to keep it and Staryu healthy. Taking the feeder into her grasp and getting a feel for the temperature, she turned to the Star Fish Pokémon waiting to dry out on the shore and asked, "Staryu, can you help cool it down?"
The red core blinked before it shifted its topmost limb. Then it sent a thin ray of condensed frost towards the bottle held in the water. The sound of crackling ice briefly rang out before the beam cut off. The feeder was left stuck in a small ice floe, bobbing in the water.
The sudden flash of cold naturally drew the curious Dragon Pokémon. Horsea chirped inquisitively while fixing his eyes on it before turning back to Misty. "Sea?"
"It's a treat to go along with your normal food." Misty soaked a cloth in water and then used it to gently scrub away the algae that had been loosened by the brush. "It should be more nutritious than the Berry Powder we add to your flakes and help you feel better. You can keep playing until it cools down."
Its curiosity sated, Horsea took that as a cue to continue relishing the fact that he now had a larger body of water to swim within by racing back and forth. The inflatable tub only gave him so much space to move and could never really match the depths of the ocean that the Dragon Pokémon once called home. Soft, delighted sounds filled the air from his tiny frame as Goldeen followed to ensure he did not get lost.
"Same for you, Tentacool," Misty said, looking over to the Jellyfish Pokémon that was adrift on the opposite riverbank. Its response was basically to show it had heard her by flopping a tentacle out of the water dismissively. Then it turned its attention to anywhere other than her.
Gina took notice of it. "Still having trouble with that one, huh?"
"It's what I expected," Misty confessed. "His only interaction with people until now was negative and he lost a lot due to one woman's selfishness. But he knows that I don't want to hurt him and about my promise with Tentacruel, so he pretty much tolerates me taking care of him for now. But I'm sure one day we'll get closer and build a friendship."
"I hope so too," Gina agreed. She had seen the prognosis after they had gotten to the Pokémon Center in Vermillion City. It was not a stretch to say that Misty had put her own life at risk to save its life. But that didn't change the fact that many of its kin were not that fortunate because of Nastina. As sad as it was, tolerance was the best they could hope for when all was said and done.
With that delivery finished all that was left was to go tell Ash that it would not be long before the food was prepared. She could spy the majority of Ash's Pokémon doing their own thing along the grassier portion of their campsite. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Pikachu were huddled in a small circle as they seemed to be talking amongst themselves. Pidgeotto was perched in a tree nearby, pecking at his feathers in what she assumed was an attempt to groom them. Haunter was nowhere to be seen, but he was a Ghost-Type so that was probably to be expected.
As for Charmander…
"Fire Spin!" The sound of a command followed by a flare that illuminated the rock formations that were strewn around drew her to the source. She peered from behind one of the outcroppings to see that Ash was in the middle of actively training with Charmander in the least flammable section of the campsite. "One more time!"
The Lizard Pokémon exhaled an orange stream of flames towards one of the larger rocks before the tongues of fire curled around the stone. The way it encircled the stone while rising reminded her of a coiling Snake Pokémon wrapping prey until his breath faded. The flames petered out and left the rockface scorched and blackened.
Then the adorable little guy turned back to Ash with an inquiring, "Char?"
"Yeah, that was great." Ash crouched down and gave him a tender pat on his head, which caused him to wag his tail that was aflame. The affection was clearly appreciated. "You're going to do just fine against the next Gym."
Gina figured he intended to use the Charmander given that he had the best Type-Advantage against the Gym. But then she considered that Lizard Pokémon didn't seem as battle-hardened as some of Ash's other pokémon. Was it because of how he had been mistreated by his previous trainer that Ash had chosen to acclimate him slowly?
She didn't have time to think about the subject for too long once Charmander noticed her and let out an amicable cry that alerted Ash to her presence. He stood up and took a moment to gather his words together. "Oh… how's it going…?"
…Bless his heart he was trying. But the aftermath of Sabrina's Shadow still weighed on him with the reveal of her own feelings. He seemed to be able to maintain some semblance of normalcy when they were with other people, but when it was just them things were… just awkward. Painfully awkward.
So awkward that even Charmander could feel it as his big, green eyes bounced back and forth between them. He tilted his head in confusion. "Char?"
"It's time for Lunch," Gina told him. "Brock made something nice for all of the Pokémon, so let's go back to camp."
Charmander beamed at the mention of food before hurrying off towards the camp, leaving the two of them to follow as they rounded up their pokémon. Most of them hurried over towards their collective bowls Gina had set out that now had the berry soup, while in the center was a large plate of standard pokémon food. There was another plate and bowl set aside for Spearow given his antisocial behavior, keeping him further away from the rest. Haunter was still nowhere to be seen.
"Ash, where's your Haunter?" Gina finally asked.
Ash made a roundabout gesture with his hand. "He's somewhere around. From what I can tell, he doesn't mind being out in the light, but he prefers staying in the shadows or dark when he can."
"Are you going to use him against Erika?" Misty asked, shifting the topic to their next upcoming obstacle.
Ash gave it some thought before he answered. "I was going to use Charmander with Pidgeotto for sure. But, while I was considering Haunter as my last option, I remembered how he beat Sabrina's Kadabra. I don't think that'd be fair to the others or to him if I sent him out against every little thing."
From the way he put it, Gina guessed that Haunter was extremely powerful. More powerful than his other pokémon. Ash could in theory defeat Erika using that pokémon alone, but the others wouldn't have a chance to put their training to the test and grow from the experience.
It was then that Brock made a request. "If it's all right then would you mind if we made a stop by Caesar Street after the match?"
"What's that?" Ash asked.
"It's a boutique section of the city aimed towards Pokémon aesthetics," Brock explained. "I've been corresponding with a Pokémon Breeder over the last year who operates there, and they wanted to meet in person."
Oh, that makes sense, Gina realized. Brock may not have been into the boutique aspect of Pokémon care, but he aspired to be a breeder. Having correspondence with one was the best method of learning by proxy. "Well, we aren't in a rush so there's no harm in it. Besides, we've benefitted from your help so it's only fair."
"…key." A soft noise left Gina's ears to perk up as she looked around the makeshift seating area. That was when she spotted a cream-colored figure darting around Ash before he suddenly went rigid and reached behind his back, only for said blur to leap from his shoulder and onto the table. It grabbed hold of one of the rice balls that he had set aside before scrambling back down the table, bounding over the distance, and perching itself on top of one of the larger rocks.
"Hey, what gives?" Ash demanded, grabbing the attention of both the trainers and the pokémon from the newcomer. It was only then that he noticed that the rice ball was not the only thing it had taken as his bed of black hair now laid bare. "My hat!"
"A Mankey?" Brock mused as the Pig Monkey Pokémon cheerfully nibbled at its poached prize, completely enraptured by the taste. Ash's hat now adorned its head. "I suppose there might be a troop of them deeper in the woodlands. This one must have been curious and came out or was drawn by the smell of the food."
"Enough that it was willing to sneak past all of our pokémon?" Misty inquired. Part of the reason they allowed all their pokémon out was not just for the sake of training and so they could stretch their legs, but as a deterrent from stray pokémon coming too close. Different species gathering in groups tended to cause the local species to shy away from them.
"The area showed signs of people having camped here before," Brock pointed out. "The fact that it came over to us means that others have been feeding them or letting them take what they want without really chasing them off. It's not afraid of us or them."
"And I can see why," Gina said after reviewing its entry in her Pokédex. "They're docile and curious unless angered, at which point they apparently become hyper-aggressive. There's no point in antagonizing it and risking a fight."
"But I want my hat back!" Ash said. "I'll never find it if it goes back into the forest with it, and you know how hard it was to get that one."
She remembered how he'd brag about winning that contest since she had entered one or two submissions of her own but didn't win. Even if it was just a hat, it had sentimental value to him. And it wasn't like Ash had gone dangling it in front of the Mankey who had stolen it. "Fine. Let's do it this way then. Kadabra?"
The Psi Pokémon turned its attention to Gina upon hearing his name being called. She tapped her forehead twice. The message carried as he brushed her mind before nodding and raising his spoon. Then Ash's hat was wreathed in pale, cerulean light as Kadabra carefully tried to lift it off the Pig Monkey Pokémon's head while it was too busy eating to notice.
It was then that Haunter decided to make its appearance. The middle-staged Gas Pokémon emerged from the shadow of the rock with a mischievous grin on his face. Then his maw opened to reveal his elongated tongue formed from gas.
Perhaps sensing the chill in the air, the Mankey whipped its body around. But it was too late to escape as it received an unexpected Lick that caused it to squeak in surprise as every strand of fur that covered its body stood on end. Its entire body jerked as it proceeded to fall from the top of the rock it was on while Haunter laughed raucously.
As for the rice ball it had only half-finished…
Splash.
The sound of a wet splash and the clank of a bowl drew Gina's gaze over to her Spearow. The Tiny Bird Pokémon was covered in broth and pokémon food. Its new coat of feathers that it was so proud of was soiled in the wet and sticky berry juice. And its eyes were unblinking as they fixed on the Pig Monkey Pokémon.
"Spea—" Before the words even got out of her mouth the Tiny Bird Pokémon was already darting over like a missile towards the Mankey that was scrambling to get back up to its feet. With his beak shrouded in power, he slammed into the simian using Peck and the force of the impact carried them both away from the campsite. "No!"
Fierce cries. Pained shrieks. Fur and feathers flying. A vicious and unrelenting assault by the avian backed by its sharp beak and talons fell upon the unsuspecting Mankey, sending the rest of the pokémon into high alert.
Then came the retaliation as Mankey's primal instincts and aggression surfaced. It screeched as its paws turned a vibrant shade of crimson and lashed out at its foe, tearing a rend across it that sent Spearow to the ground before it pounced to keep him in place by pinning down his wings. Just like that, it began to unleash a relentless attack, swiping furiously to rip and tear him apart. "KEKEKEKEKEY!"
"Ratatta!" Then Gina called out before it could keep assaulting her pokémon, even if he was in the wrong this time. "Knock it away and hold its attention!"
Running light speared across the distance. It struck the Pig Monkey Pokémon like a hammer, knocking the enraged simian off the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Mankey skittered along the ground before getting back up and immediately attempting to attack the Mouse Pokémon, but Rattata split into multiple copies to occupy its attention.
"Spearow, are you okay?" Gina ran over to check on him. "Let me—"
"ROOWW! ROOOWWWWWW!" Her words were cut off as, in an enraged fury Spearow was consumed by a white, searing light. It engulfed the avian and caused his form to bulge and swell, his silhouette lashing out with its spreading wings. He even went so far as to knock Gina away as he rushed towards the Mankey once more while the glow dulled to reveal one of the worst outcomes.
A fight-or-flight-induced evolution. "FEEEEAAARRROW!"
No longer tiny, the Beak Pokémon barreled down on the Pig Monkey Pokémon with its sharp talons, not hesitating for a second at nearly clawing Rattata in the process as she barely managed to scramble out of the way. Capturing the simian by its thin arms, Fearow whipped around and then sped right towards the very same rock it had been perched on at top speed before releasing just as he passed overhead—slamming Mankey into the solid stone headfirst.
"KEY!" There was an audible impact as it tumbled down to the ground. Its wiry arms closed in as it curled up to where it had been driven into the wall, hurt and in pain. Fearow immediately came around at a higher altitude with his eyes narrowed that served as the signal he was going to attempt a diving attack to try and finish it off.
"Enough already!" Red light speared out and slammed into Fearow before he could begin his descent, robbing him of his physical form. Forced back into an energy state, the Beak Pokémon was dragged back into his ball in Gina's grasp. She sat upright on the ground where he had pushed her down with the rest of her pokémon crowded around her.
Then the ball began to violently shake. He was trying to force it open to keep fighting, intent on tearing Mankey apart. She hit the trigger to set it into an inactive state, shrinking it down and causing the shaking from the ball to stop as he was put into stasis.
However, her hand still trembled as she stared down at the ball. At this rate, he'll be too dangerous to let out of his ball unless I do something.
She had been worried that with his attitude he would only get worse once he evolved. That was why she had been intending to quell it before then. Her fear had been proven correct, and if she didn't use all her effort to rein in his behavior, he would become a threat to not only herself but for others—let alone risk using him in a Gym Battle.
"KEYKEYKEYKEY!" Violent, chittering emerged from the downed simian as the pain bled into rage. A white-hot fury that swaddled its form before its body began to swell and bulge in erratic motions. Its limbs elongated, its body grew taller, and its paws now resembled something closer to punching gloves.
Gina felt her blood freeze in her veins when the newly evolved Pig Monkey Pokémon fixed its beady, narrow eyes on her. The vein on its forehead was throbbing. The slits of its snout were flaring. Its muscles tensed and its fists balled tighter.
Then it came rushing towards her, a mass of fur and muscle rushing to take out its anger upon the trainer. "AAAAAPPPPPPEEEE!"
Before she knew what was happening, Gina felt a soft grasp on her back. A sense of weightlessness overtook her. The world vanished along with the mass of fur.
[-oOo-]
Ash watched as his childhood friend vanished along with her Kadabra. It was just in time as the Primeape came crashing down with a lunging slam of its fist, upturning the earth around them and scattering the pokémon that had been crowded around. He felt a sense of relief that quickly faded when he noticed that it was getting even madder while being right in the middle of their camp.
Gina's pokémon were the first to react now that it had actively threatened their trainer, showcasing a cohesive level of teamwork. Nidorina charged the simian and delivered a Double Kick to knock it off balance. Then Wartortle exhaled a dense Bubblebeam that hit it like a solid wall, bowling it over so that it was prone. Eevee sent a flurry of Swift stars forth to keep it pinned down, her normally jovial nature replaced by what passed for anger. And then Rattata went in to deliver a finishing blow with Hyper Fang—
"APE!"
—but the finishing blow was cut short as the Pig Monkey Pokémon's body turned red as it used Focus Energy to accumulate its massive might. Then it slammed its fist into the incoming threat, meeting the shining fangs head-on. Might versus might, Rattata's attack faltered as her tiny body was sent careening off to the side with a meaty sound.
"Ni-Nido!" Nidorina hurried over in a panicked rush to check on the Mouse Pokémon. It had been a vicious hit that left her unmoving and unconscious. With them out of the way, Primeape barreled its way through the bombardment of stars and bubbles that followed as it charged for the nearest foe—which happened to be Wartortle.
The Turtle Pokémon spotted the enshrouded fist coming towards her. Reflex kicked in and she retreated into her shell with Withdrawl as he brought his arm down for a Karate Chop. But the blow had been brutal and delivered so hard that the shell cratered into the ground, a pained cry leaking out. "Warrr!"
Then it had the audacity to pick her up and chuck her at Eevee. The hardened shell smashed into the Evolution Pokémon before she could scramble out of the way. It left them both crumpled into a heap while Primeape marched forward to keep attacking them even after they were defeated.
"Bulbasaur, bind it with Vine Whip!" Ash commanded. The Seed Pokémon obeyed, spearing its sinuous vines across the distance. They ensnared the lean but muscular limbs of the simian before it could continue its assault. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
As the Electric Mouse Pokémon's cheeks sparked with crackles of electricity, Primeape's eyes narrowed. Then it gave a hard jerk that tore Bulbasaur from his perch and reeled him in. Grabbing hold of the bulb of the Plant Pokémon, he was held out to intercept the snaking bolt of electricity like a lightning rod as he cried out. "SAUUUURRR!"
Pikachu naturally cut the voltage to avoid hurting him further, which was when the Pig Monkey Pokémon followed up by hurling Bulbasaur into him. The momentum sent both pokémon careening into one of the outcropped rocks, leaving them collapsed and trembling. Then Primeape went for Squirtle, delivering a vicious Karate Chop that knocked him clear across the field and into the river.
"Pikachu! Bulbasaur! Squirtle!" Ash called out. Then he heard riotous laughter and saw Haunter floating in the air with a bowl of food, eating as he casually watched the slaughter. "Don't just float there! This only happened because you startled it, so use Hypnosis to put it to sleep!"
The Gas Pokémon's guffaws softened as he lowered the bowl of food onto the ground before drifting closer to Primeape, thus earning its attention. Its fists came around to pummel Haunter only to pass through his body that quickly reconstituted itself. Bewildered by encountering something which it could not punch into submission, its only reasonable solution was to continue to do so.
Meanwhile, Haunter's eyes took on their slumber-inducing shade meant to subdue the angry simian's mind. However, despite gazing deeply into those eyes, the only thing it served to do was incentivize Primeape to continue to punch at them. After a prolonged moment at the attempt, Haunter turned back to his trainer and shrugged. "Hauu."
"Why isn't working?" Ash said in frustration before recalling Haunter into his ball. Then he decided to rely on Pidgeotto instead. "Pidgeotto, just blow it away!"
The Bird Pokémon swooped down, outstretched wings radiating a bright hue of power. With rapid flaps of those wings, the wind began to roar to life and turn into a billowing gale. It rushed towards Primeape as it braced to try and weather the storm, but Pidgeotto's efforts won out as the winds intensified until the Pig Monkey Pokémon was swept off its feet and into the sky, sent sailing into the distant trees with a squeal.
"Good riddance," Ash huffed in satisfaction.
That was when Gina reappeared in a blink. Kadabra was behind her, clinging to her waist while looking around the campsite. She sat a hand on his head as though to reassure him before turning to the others. "What happened to the Primeape?"
"Pidgeotto blew it back into the forest," Brock stated while crouched in front of her pokémon that had been injured in the scuffle, along with Nidorina. "It managed to knock out a number of our pokémon before then."
"And it'll be back to finish the job," Gina said with a grimace as she recalled her pokémon back into their balls, including Kadabra. The only exception was her Nidorina, who came over and looked up to her for reassurance. "Primeape won't stop chasing a target until it becomes physically impossible. And once it starts using Rage it only gets worse because it gets stronger."
"APPPPPEEEE!"
As if to reiterate the point, they could hear in the distant battle cry of the infuriated Pig Monkey Pokémon. It practically shook the canopy and sent smaller Pidgey flying from the trees to relay a message stating that it was coming. There would be no escape.
"No choice then," Brock stated while crossing his arms. "We'll have to catch it."
The declaration caught Ash by surprise even as he recalled Squirtle and Bulbasaur into their balls. He would have Pikachu sit the fight out as well, but Charmander and Pidgeotto were still good to go. "Are you serious?"
"This is a travel route, Ash," Brock said, looking over to Misty. The Water Pokémon Trainer nodded as if some unspoken agreement passed between them. Then he continued as she headed over towards the water. "If we leave it in this state, it might attack someone else. It's our responsibility, and we can take the time to calm it down afterward."
"Let's get you two and Goldeen back into your balls for safety," Misty told Horsea and Tentacool as she stood at the riverside. The former was so terrified at everything that was happening that he had curled up behind the latter, who looked apprehensive at the situation. Recalling the three seabound pokémon into their own balls, she then turned to Staryu and Starmie. "We'll need your help as well."
[-oOo-]
Rage had taken hold of Primeape.
The Pig Monkey Pokémon had only come out of the trees at the aroma of food. He was hungry and the food was there. So, he took the food, and no one complained or bothered him. Then there was the colorful thing that fit on his head that he liked. He took that too.
But then that stupid dark thing showed up and he lost his food and head thing. Then that small bird that was different from the other small birds in the forest attacked him for no reason. Then it got bigger and hurt him even more. Then he got bigger to hurt the big bird, but they took the big bird from him before he could hurt it. Then they all hurt him too!
He was going to hurt them all!
Rage dyed his world red. It filled his mind with violence. It gave his muscles strength beyond the norm. With primitive logic and anger that would not settle until he hurt them even more, Primeape broke through the trees and let loose a primal shriek when he saw them.
"Pidgeotto, Gust!" shouted the small man wearing the head thing. His head thing! He would hurt him and take it back!
But before he could the bigger bird, different from the first big bird that had been small and then got bigger, swooped down and then flapped its arms. Then the wind itself was hurting him! He punched the wind, but the wind refused to sit still. So, he decided to punch that later and punch the bigger bird as soon as he could.
"Staryu, Starmie, Ice Beam!"
No sooner than he was about to brave the wind pushing him back did two star-shaped things with pretty stones in their centers emerge from nearby. They fired blue light at him that caused everything to get cold. So cold that he felt blocks of ice surrounding him. He was stuck inside, shivering as he struggled to move and his cry came out as a muted, "P-P-Pri…"
"Now, while it's frozen!"
Trapped, he watched as the taller man pulled out a red and white ball that he saw that the big bird got pulled into. They were going to put him into one too. His anger rekindled at the thought. His mind and energy became focused until it boiled over like steam while his body turned red as he shouted at the top of his lungs—
SHATTER!
—and his fists broke through the ice encasing him, sending chunks loose everywhere. He grabbed one particularly large chunk and took aim at the big bird in the sky that had used the wind to hurt him. Then he chucked it with all the strength he could muster, and the bird's body buckled as it spun in the air and then plummeted to the ground.
"Pidgeotto, return!" Light speared out from the head-thing stealing man and sent the bird back into the red and white ball.
Primeape didn't care as he rushed down the two star-shaped things that had put him on ice. The moment he got within range of the purple one, he slammed his fist into its pretty stone. It cracked under the force while its limbs bent over, which he used to grab hold of it. Then he beat the other star-shaped thing with the one in his hand until they both vanished like the bird.
He continued to Rage. "APPPEEEE!"
The orange lizard with the flaming tail tensed in fear before the small man wearing the head-thing pointed towards him. Then Primeape's eyes caught sight of flames and embers escaping the lizard's maw. Instinct drove his legs to move before a stream of fire came rushing towards him.
The grass was immolated. The stone turned orange. Racing ahead of the flames billowing out, the Pig Monkey Pokémon circled around while he felt his fur being singed from the raw heat before leaping into the air. Then, with a primal scream, he tackled the Lizard Pokémon and they fell into a tumbling roll that ended up with him on top—punching away at the small creature in a fury. "APEAPEAPEAPEAPE!"
Agonized, curt shrieks bellowed out from Charmander as every blow hammered him further into the ground. Pain shot through his body as he tried to use his tiny arms to protect himself from the shower of blows. But they just kept coming, every hit to leave his vision to flash until there was a light-blue blur that slammed into Primeape and forced him off the Lizard Pokémon.
Primeape hit the ground rolling before slamming his fist down. His forced movement halted, his fearsome gaze met with the reddish glare of the Poison Pin Pokémon. She had kicked him off of his punching bag and hurt him, so he would hurt her too. He rose up to his feet and balled his fist tighter when—
"CHHHHAAARRR!"
—a challenge reached his ears. It was a roar, accompanied by a familiar bright light coming from the Lizard Pokémon he had punched before. Charmander grew bigger and then a deeper shade of red, with more pronounced claws and a protrusion on the back of his head. Glaring at him with blue eyes that were narrowed and pierced him down to his core, with an intense flame burning on his tail, the Flame Pokémon bellowed out. "CHARMELEON!"
It was a challenge. A battle-cry that served as a declaration of the intention of battling for supremacy. Recognizing the threat before him, Primeape refused to budge as he screeched right back. "APPPPEEEE!"
Then they charged each other.
[-oOo-]
The newly-evolved Flame Pokémon rushed towards the Primeape that had been attacking them as a red blur. With his protruding claws extended and radiating power, they flashed as he swung them around as a white streak. The moment they buried themselves into the mass of fur and muscle, the Pig Monkey Pokémon let loose a pained shout.
However, Primeape lashed back with an empowered fist to Charmeleon's stomach. The impact hit so hard Ash could see the Flame Pokémon buckle under it, his maw opening as saliva flew from it. But just as quickly as he buckled, Charmeleon sprung forward and then used his fangs to viciously bite into the bristle fur.
Wincing in pain as the fangs attempted to tear out a pound of flesh, Primeape rained defenseless strikes upon the Flame Pokémon. However, Charmeleon powered through it to shove the Pig Monkey Pokémon onto the ground before his ivory claws grew luminous and he proceeded to tear at the downed simian with relentless fury. It was payback from before, blood-for-blood.
Ash, who had been preparing to call back Charmander until his infuriated shout, was stuck watching as his mind froze at the sight before him. The cheerful little Charmander from before was now something else. There was a viciousness within him as he tore at flesh with flashing claws, the duet of snarls and flailing sending a chill down his spine as Primeape forwent any defense and struck back.
This wasn't a Pokémon Battle.
This was the two trying to kill one another.
Their violent tussle continued until they both tumbled into Nidorina, who had been watching from the side with an uncertain expression as she tried to determine how she should intervene. They ended up crashing into her and then there was a shriek from Primeape before the simian managed to get to its feet and grabbed Charmeleon by the tail. Then he spun him around and into the Poison Pin Pokémon before punching him hard enough that both were sent into the nearest rockface.
"Nidorina, are you okay?" Gina called out. But her pokémon responded by making desperate sounds and pointing to her barb before gesturing to them. Gina's expression went pale. "Ash, call him back! Now!"
That snapped him out of his stupor. "What!?"
"That barb is where her strongest poison is stored and they've both been slamming into her!" Gina clarified. "They're both raging, meaning that poison is going to spread fast and they're too angry to stop on their own!"
The news struck him like one of Pikachu's bolts as he turned his attention back to Charmeleon whose breathing had become labored and the signs of being envenomed began to show. Ash finished what he should have done earlier and used the Return function. "Come back, Charmeleon!"
The red light speared out and grabbed hold of the Flame Pokémon, breaking down his form and then storing it away within its ball. However, similarly to Fearow there was a momentary struggle and Ash feared that he would break out. So, he shrank it down into an inactive state while Primeape continued to Rage while frothing at the mouth.
It would self-destruct before long.
That was when Brock gave the command for the Bat Pokémon to act. "Supersonic, Zubat."
Swooping down until it was above the simian, Zubat let out a cascading discord of sonic waves that caused the Pig Monkey Pokémon to shriek as they bounced around inside of his skull and disoriented him. His world swam, filled with dizzy hallucinations as he tried to fruitlessly punch at them, only to lash out at nothing or even itself. That was when he threw out a second ball.
"Onix, Bind it!" From it emerged the massive Rock Snake Pokémon, no longer confined to its small demesne. Unfurling as it landed, its tail lashed out and curled around the Primeape tightly to bind its powerful arms to its side. Then it raised it off the ground to prevent it from escaping. "Now, Leech Life!"
Using its agile wings to maneuver itself, Zubat fangs were shrouded with a teal hue before it plunged them into Primeape from behind. The pain snapped it from its stupor and Primeape began to attempt to lash out. But Onix held firm no matter how long he tried to fight against it. "APEAPEAPE!"
Despite its valiant struggling, Zubat consumed its strength along with the poisonous blood. Soon enough its motions began to become sluggish. Its attempts to thrash with fevered kicks slowed to a horrifying crawl as it lost a copious amount of blood. Its eyes grew heavy. "P-Prrrimmee…aappp…eee…"
That was when Brock called out Geodude and passed him an empty ball. The Rock Pokémon gave him a sharp nod in understanding and then floated upwards to where the struggling Primeape was now barely twitching. The capturing mechanism was triggered with a firm tap of the ball, pulling the simian inside.
There wasn't even a shake before it registered being caught.
"Well, that was a fine mess," Gina said as Nidorina hurried over to her with an apologetic look in her eyes before bumping against her leg. Her trainer responded by gently patting her. "It's okay. You didn't mean to do it."
"I don't understand," Ash said. "Why did Charmander just flip out like that when he evolved? He was so well-behaved before."
"He felt he was in danger and helpless, so he evolved to survive," Gina explained. "Then he learned Rage in the process instinctively and… well, as you saw with Primeape once they start they don't stop unless something stops them, and they get stronger the longer it goes on."
"I think he'll calm down after he gets some rest, but there's a reason most trainers actively avoid letting their pokémon run wild like that…" Misty sighed before continuing. "Charmeleon might go back to being well-behaved, but Primeape and Fearow were out for blood. We can't reasonably release the former and if the latter goes out of control again—"
Gina cut her off. "I'll handle Fearow. I wanted to work on his behavior before he evolved to avoid this, but he's my responsibility so I'll deal with him. But this could have been avoided if Haunter just picked a better time to pull a prank."
Ash came to the Gas Pokémon's defense. "He didn't know that would happen and he tried to fix it!"
"It doesn't matter right now," Brock said firmly as he recalled his own pokémon. "We need to hurry and get to Celadon City. Once we reach the Pokémon Center, we'll have to inform Nurse Joy about the situation. She'll have to treat the enraged pokémon separate from the others and keep them sedated until they're well enough to be returned to us."
With heavy hearts and injured pokémon in their ranks, the group hurried in packing away the campsite before rushing to Celadon City. There was a solemn silence between them all as they weighed the events of that disastrous encounter. As well as what they would do next…