Chapter 50: Primeape Has Arrived
"Dice up the fruit, add fresh cream, stir it all together, and whip it until it feels like a fluffy cloud…
Then trim off the crust, sandwich the fruit cream between the slices, and sprinkle crushed nuts on top.
And… done!"
Ash clapped his hands with satisfaction. His proud creation—fruit-and-cream sandwiches—was complete.
"Wooow~" Verity was chewing on the discarded crusts, her eyes shining in admiration.
"Pika pika~" Pikachu sniffed the fruit cream and instantly wore a blissful expression.
"Let's add a bit of this cream to the Pokémon meals today as well," Ash said with a cheerful nod.
"Ohhh~ time to eat!" Verity hurried to set out the plates for the Pokémon.
Ash went around adding a spoonful of his special cream on top of each dish.
Then the two of them opened all their Poké Balls, letting their partners out for lunchtime together.
Ivysaur tasted a bit of cream, and its eyes lit up on the spot—this sweet flavor was absolutely its favorite.
"Uh—(⊙o⊙)" Hitmonlee froze in place after taking a single bite.
What!? What IS this!? Why is it so amazingly delicious!?
Gengar simply stuck out its long tongue and slurped down the entire bowl—dish included—and then patted its belly in satisfaction.
"Gengar, you can't eat the bowl too! Otherwise you'll have no plate for the next meal," Ash sighed while rummaging in his bag for the bottle of black tea.
"Gaa?" Gengar panicked, immediately reaching into its mouth to dig around until it pulled the bowl back out…
Pikachu, meanwhile, had cream all over its face, holding its cheeks in happiness like an adorable chubby hamster.
Among them all, only Dragonair and Charmeleon had even slightly refined table manners.
Ash picked up a sandwich and took a small bite; the richness of the cream and the bright sweetness of the fruit melted on his tongue. It was downright addictive.
Two bites later the sandwich was gone, and Ash lifted his tea bottle and gulped it down.
"Ash, slow down!" Verity protested.
"Haa…" Ash let out a satisfied breath. "Don't worry, I made plenty. Even if we add—hey!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a round, chubby pig-monkey Pokémon jumped out from the bushes.
It leapt straight onto the table and grabbed Ash's sandwich without hesitation.
"You're finally here, buddy~!" Ash burst into laughter. He had been waiting for this little rascal.
"That's… a Mankey?" Verity asked curiously.
Ash picked up another sandwich and walked toward the Mankey.
"Here, take this one too. Eat first."
"Hum hum~" Mankey sniffed the food in his hand, smiled happily, and continued munching.
Ash didn't rush. He patiently poured water into an empty bowl and held it out.
"Drink some water so you don't choke."
"Hoom hum…" Mankey sniffed again and happily accepted it.
"Po~" Prinplup peeked out from behind Verity. She smiled softly.
"See? Isn't it kind of cute?"
"Wha…?" Hitmonlee looked up mid-bite, horrified. His gaze practically said: Master, are you serious!?
Because in the Pokémon world, even hyperactive Grookey has a good reputation compared to these guys.
Thanks to Mankey and Primeape, the entire monkey lineage had historically terrified people.
Where is peace? It has been sacrificed—to the Mankey bloodline.
Grookey may bop your head a little. Panpour may splash you. Chimchar, even mischievous, mostly plays around.
But Mankey and Primeape? Famous for this:
If you lock eyes with their angry gaze…
That's the START of a battle.
They'll chase you to the ends of the earth just to pummel you.
Seeing this Mankey sit peacefully on a rock with a sandwich in hand, Verity couldn't believe the rumors.
The next second—Mankey finished eating, saw Ash smiling and holding a Poké Ball, and immediately performed the "crow-sitting-on-airplane" jump!
"HO HO!" It raised a fist, ready to bless Ash with a buff to the skull!
"Frog Grass!" Verity hopped back two steps in horror. So the rumors were TRUE!
Ivysaur turned its head: Who called me?
Thankfully Ash anticipated this. No one knew this little lunatic's personality better than him.
He ducked, and felt a breeze on his head; his hat had been stolen.
"Tch—thought it was nothing serious…"
Then his face changed.
"WAIT. That's my cap!! You brat, get back here!"
Ivysaur tilted its head: So was someone calling me or not…?
"Pika!!" Pikachu used Quick Attack to retrieve the hat, but Mankey suddenly countered with a back-swing and sent Pikachu flying!
"What fast reflexes!" Verity gasped.
Ash put his hands on his hips.
"Little buddy, you're walking a dangerous road. Put down my precious hat…"
"Hoji ji~" Wearing Ash's hat, Mankey clapped proudly.
But just then—three idiots who had been secretly stalking Ash made their move.
"I'm jumping in!!"
Three shadows leaped out from behind the boulder.
"What now!?" Verity shouted in shock.
"Ahem. Since you sincerely asked…"
"Alright, everyone knows the speech, skip the rest," Ash cut in, covering their mouths.
"That's rude! Can you respect our profession!?" Jessie yelled.
"Yeah meow! We're Team Rocket! We're villains, remember!?" Meowth added.
James glanced at the chubby Mankey at his feet, and without thinking, kicked it.
"Ew, what is this filthy thing? Get lost!"
SMACK!
Mankey flew back into the bushes.
"Damn… these three are kinda brutal," Verity whispered in horror.
"Hmph, now you understand fear," Team Rocket said smugly.
"We're here for only three things! Steal Pikachu, steal other Pokémon, and steal your lunch!" Jessie declared proudly.
Szzz…
From the bushes, two glowing eyes snapped open.
"Hoho… (Don't let the fight end…)
HOOOO!! (Go absolutely crazy!)"
Ash gave them a pitying look.
"Uh… you three should start worrying about yourselves."
"Eh?" Team Rocket blinked.
WHOOSH!
A huge figure burst out of the bushes—huge fists, bulging veins, steaming snout, metal cuffs around its wrists.
A born menace.
"PRIMEAPE!?" Team Rocket screamed.
"Hojiii!!"
Primeape was already in full RAGE mode, and without a word—
Left hook.
Right hook.
Mega-kick.
BOOM!
The trio blasted off instantly.
"This monkey is insane!!"
"We didn't even get one minute of screen time!"
"Pikachuuu—meow…"
Ding…
They became a shining star in the sky.
"What a terrible feeling…" they said in unison.
Ash sighed, hands on hips.
"No matter how the world changes, you three really never leave me alone…"
"Ash! Watch out!" Verity shouted.
Primeape, having finished with Team Rocket, immediately turned toward Ash.
Ash twitched.
"Seriously!? You beat Team Rocket and now you want me?! You haven't even returned my hat! Too much!!"
"HOJII!" Primeape didn't listen at all, charging in with fists raised for close-quarters combat.
Hitmonlee stepped in at the critical moment.
"SWAAH!" Using the spring in its legs, Hitmonlee launched a far-range leg sweep—
"HOH!!" Primeape tumbled across the ground, rolling twice before glaring up at Hitmonlee striking a perfect one-legged pose.
"Savaaa~" Hitmonlee assumed the posture of a wise master and began giving "guidance."
Little fatty, your strength is decent, but your footing is unstable. Power comes from the ground. Fix your stance to strengthen your fists…
Hitmonlee explained earnestly.
"Ho!" Primeape nodded like it understood.
"Saaah~" Hitmonlee nodded back, proud of its teaching—
Come, join us…
BAM!!
Primeape punched him straight into a spinning flight.
"Ho ho… (How's THAT punch?)"
Ash held his face in his hands.
"Hitmonlee, stay out of the way! Ivysaur, tie him up!"
"Hyah!"
Two thick vines shot forward, wrapping tightly around Primeape.
"HOH HOH!!"
Primeape thrashed wildly.
Ash walked up, poked its round belly, then snatched his hat from its head.
"How tough are you now, huh? Acting all wild~"
He tilted his head.
"Ivysaur, let him taste some Sleep Powder."
Bulbasaur obediently lifted its bulb and blasted Primeape with a cloud of sleep powder.
POOF!
Covered in powder, Primeape finally calmed down—
…and fell into a deep sleep.
Ash tapped a Poké Ball to its forehead.
"Welcome to the team again, Primeape~"
Verity patted her chest in relief.
"Thank goodness. I was really scared Primeape would flatten you…"
"Don't be silly~" Ash lifted his chin proudly.
"A little rebellion is fine. One day he'll understand me, follow me, and crown me as his king~"
"Tch. Edgy boy needs treatment," Verity muttered.
With the Primeape-Rocket incident behind them, the two packed up their lunch spot and continued toward Celadon City.
To be continued....