Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 50: The Strengthened Mankey; Disaster in Ilex Forest

Rio breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground, his legs feeling weak. He felt as if he had just walked past the gates of hell.

This reward was good—but also terrifying. The main issue was Mankey’s species—it was naturally unable to control its temper, changing in an instant. If it learned Foresight, it would be a real disaster for him.

With a flash of light, Rio released Mankey after its reward unlock.

[Pokémon: Mankey]

[Level: 22 (Emotions stable. Time until next level: 189 days.)]

[Talent: Elite Four]

[Friendship: 33 (range: -27 to 33)]

[Ability: Huge Power]

[Gender: Male]

[Moves: Fury Swipes (30%), Focus Energy (30%), Low Kick (29%), Seismic Toss (30%), Swagger (30%), Close Combat (27%), Crush Grip (10%)]

[Description: This is a highly intelligent Mankey that cannot control its anger...]

"Ho-ja~"

The moment it came out, it excitedly rushed into Rio’s arms, seeking affection.

"Mankey, you’re amazing." Rio gently stroked its head.

After being enhanced by the system and gaining Huge Power, Mankey’s arms had become explosively thick—like muscular gorilla arms, with every tendon clearly defined. Rio couldn’t even imagine which trainer could withstand a single punch from it.

That thought made Rio want to test it out—to see whether his Ghost-type outfit’s damage reduction could still hold up against Mankey’s Huge Power and Crush Grip. If it couldn’t, he’d be in big trouble the next time Mankey got angry.

"Mankey, how about helping me with a little experiment?"

"Ho-ja~"

Rio took off the Ghost-type suit, tied it around a tree, and set the damage reduction to maximum.

"Mankey, use Crush Grip—full power, punch this tree," he said once it was secured.

"Ho-ja~"

Mankey clenched its fist. Its right hand began to glow.

The next second—before Rio could even see the punch, Mankey’s fist had already struck. The speed was so fast it produced faint sonic booms.

Then—BANG!

The tree snapped. The suit had a hole punched straight through it.

Rio: (⊙▂⊙)

He gulped frantically.

"Ho-ja~" Mankey, having punched through both the suit and the tree, looked back at Rio excitedly, waiting for praise.

Rio stared at it, swallowed three large gulps, and then said: "Mankey, from now on, if you get angry, don’t take it out on me. Give me a little extra time, and I’ll find a nearby place for you to vent."

"Ho-ja~" Although it didn’t fully understand, Mankey nodded earnestly.

At that moment, a Berry hit Mankey on the head.

Its previously stable mood instantly turned dark.

"Chirp~"

A cry came from above. Rio looked up and saw two Aipom glaring at them angrily. Apparently, the tree Mankey had broken was connected to them.

"Chirp~" Two more Berries were thrown—one at Rio, one at Mankey.

Rio dodged. Mankey didn’t.

And so—

"Ho-ja~" Mankey turned to Rio with a fierce expression, as if saying: I’m barely holding back my anger.

Rio, without a word, quickly stashed the torn Ghost suit, recalled Munchlax into its Poké Ball, and sprinted toward Charizard. He didn’t dare run slow—if he did, he’d be the next target.

The moment he landed on Charizard’s back, he heard a furious roar from behind.

He turned to look—

Mankey had already grabbed one of the Aipom and punched it flying an unknown distance, snapping a dozen trees along the way. The Aipom lay motionless on the ground.

The other Aipom, terrified, fled through the forest using its tail, screeching nonstop.

"Charizard, follow—but don’t get too close, or we might get caught in the crossfire," Rio said, patting Charizard’s back.

"Roaar~" Charizard nodded and took to the air, following from above.

At ground level, Mankey was swinging through the trees with its powerful arms, chasing the fleeing Aipom.

"Ho-ja~" It roared in fury, its expression twisted like a demon’s, terrifying the Aipom into using Agility to escape at top speed.

Soon, the commotion alerted other Pokémon in the forest. Many were familiar with the Aipom. As it fled, it screeched for help, eventually luring a Level 30 Ursaring to block Mankey’s path.

"Groar~" Ursaring roared and used Strength, preparing to pin down the charging Mankey.

But—

"Ho-ja~"

Two seconds later, with a fierce cry, Mankey sent Ursaring flying with a single punch—right in front of a crowd of watching Pokémon.

All the onlookers were stunned. Then they scattered in every direction, fleeing as fast as they could, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

However, a few brave ones stayed—a Heracross and a Scyther. Encouraged by the Aipom, they decided to take on Mankey.

Watching from above, Rio noticed that after defeating Ursaring, Mankey’s level had shot up by three—from 22 to 25.

Ten seconds later, it changed again. The Heracross and Scyther, who had stayed out of bravery, were both taken down with one punch each. Mankey’s level rose from 25 to 29.

The light of evolution appeared.

Mankey evolved into the even more ferocious Primeape.

It also gained a new signature move—Rage Fist, a move that, after being used twenty times successfully, would make it so angry it would die, triggering its final evolution. It was also a move whose power kept increasing.

"Pu-cha~"

Evolved, Primeape looked even more savage and brutal. The Aipom hiding in the distance watched in terror.

It continued fleeing through the forest using its tail. Primeape chased after it, roaring "Pu-cha~" all the way.

The Aipom was clever, though—it didn’t run toward open areas, only into the territories of other Pokémon. Whenever the Pokémon in one area got demolished, it would immediately move to the next.

Eventually, it led Primeape straight to a Pokémon Hunter who had come to Ilex Forest to catch prey.

The hunter watched Primeape take down a Sneasel with a single punch and grinned excitedly: "Heh—this trip was worth it! With strength like that, this Primeape will fetch a high price in the underground arena!"