Chapter 124: Catching Primeape!
Primeape threw a punch, striking Pidgeotto squarely in its side. A few feathers scattered as the bird was sent flying backward like a cannonball.
"Pidgeo..."
By the time Pidgeotto got up again, it was unsteady on its feet, trembling all over. It was the very picture of a flickering candle in the wind.
"How is that possible!?" Ash exclaimed in shock. How could Pidgeotto, a Flying-type Pokémon, be reduced to such a miserable state by a single Iron Fist punch?
"Ash, it might have been a Critical Hit!" the two behind him quickly reminded.
A Critical Hit could sometimes deal as much damage as a move with a type advantage.
And judging by where Pidgeotto was hit... its kidney was probably ruptured!
For a male Pokémon, that was a critical hit on top of a Critical Hit.
Right now, it held its lower back with one wing, looking utterly miserable. It bore a striking resemblance to Gary clutching his back and panting for breath after climbing three flights of stairs, the very image of kidney weakness.
"Can you still go on, Pidgeotto?" Ash asked with concern.
But it wasn't a huge problem. Humans have two kidneys, so naturally, birds have two as well. Lose one, and you're still a man!
"Pidgeot-to!!" Pidgeotto rallied its spirits and took flight, its expression turning to one of immense rage. Its battle intent had reached its peak!
"That's the spirit! With this momentum, we'll be invincible!" Seeing this, Ash was also infected by Pidgeotto's fiery passion. He pumped his fist and issued the ultimate command:
"Let's ride this momentum and use Tailwind!!"
"Pidgeot-to!!" Although the command was a bit bizarre, Pidgeotto still flapped its wings like a steadfast soldier and whipped up a Tailwind.
The next second, a strange air current began to linger over the battlefield.
Tailwind wasn't an attacking Move. Instead, it granted friendly Pokémon on the field the blessing of the wind, increasing their speed.
In other words, it was a utility Move.
By the time Pidgeotto realized something was wrong, it was too late. It was still in the Move's cooldown period after using Tailwind when a flash of brown light shot past its eyes. A round figure had appeared just before it.
"Awooo!!" Primeape launched a flying kick, once again striking Pidgeotto's body head-on.
This time, the kick landed squarely on its left kidney, symmetrical to the right one. With that one kick, Pidgeotto was knocked out of mid-air. The situation was disastrous.
Another Critical Hit!
"Pidgeo..." When the smoke and dust cleared, Pidgeotto was lying in the rubble, its eyes spinning. It had lost the ability to battle.
Both of its kidneys were ruptured.
But more than the physical pain, it was confused. This was clearly a situation for an attack, so why use a Move like Tailwind?
Wouldn't Aerial Ace or Wing Attack have been better?
A Move like Tailwind was something a Tool like Zapdos would use!
"What a lucky Primeape, landing two crits in a row."
"Ash is ruthless, too. He just sold out Pidgeotto, using it as a Tool."
"But now the situation is very advantageous. Every one of Ash's Pokémon will be able to attack first."
Brock and Misty lightly clinked their teacups, sipping their clear tea and discussing the battle leisurely.
"Pika." Nearby, Pikachu raised its small, lightning-emblazoned teacup, signaling for a refill.
When trying to catch a wild Pokémon, the target only has one life, but a Trainer has more than one.
Ash sent out his second general.
"I choose you, Bulbasaur!"
Bulbasaur knew various restrictive and status-inflicting moves, which were undoubtedly perfect for the current situation of trying to catch a Pokémon.
Take Blue's Ivysaur, for example. It seemed to have even learned False Swipe, a Move that the Garlic Turtle clan couldn't normally learn, making it a supreme divine technique for catching Pokémon.
"Saur..." As soon as it appeared, Bulbasaur was enveloped in a light breeze, its whole body feeling incredibly nimble.
This was the effect of Tailwind.
Ash commanded, "Bulbasaur, test it out with Razor Leaf!"
"Bulba-saur!" Countless leaves shot out from the seed on Bulbasaur's back, spinning rapidly into sharp blades that flew forward.
Each leaf was even buffed by Tailwind, moving as fast as lightning.
*Swoosh swoosh swoosh!!* The Razor Leaf blades struck Primeape, but their power was low; they couldn't even cut through its tough outer fur.
Primeape sneered contemptuously and beckoned with its finger, a clear Taunt.
"Bulba-saur!" The Taunt succeeded. Bulbasaur, whose mentality was already a bit unstable, was immediately provoked. It ignored Ash's command and shot out a brown seed.
*Kwakwaka...* The seed landed in front of Primeape, and tough vines instantly burst from the soil, growing wildly and wrapping the Pokémon up like a rice dumpling.
Leech Seed!
"Awooo!!" Primeape flexed its fists, the muscles in its arms suddenly bulging. Then, with a powerful pull, it completely tore apart the Leech Seed vines on its body.
"Awooo!!" Primeape shot it another disdainful look. The meaning was obvious.
Is that all you've got?
"Bulba-saur!!"
"Bulbasaur, calm down now!!" Just as Bulbasaur was about to attack again, Ash's loud roar made it regain its composure.
"So its mentality really is a problem?" "The issue with its evolution last time, too..." the two behind him discussed.
Bulbasaur was arguably Ash's most level-headed Pokémon. In the past, when faced with such a Taunt, it would have absolutely watched on with the detached amusement of someone watching a monkey perform.
But now it was getting angry over a low-class provocation?
"Ash..." Brock's deep-set eyes narrowed. He secretly understood the second layer of meaning behind Ash sending out Bulbasaur.
It wasn't just because its status moves were suitable for a capture, but he also wanted to test Bulbasaur's current mental state, didn't he?
Why was it unwilling to evolve? This was a major problem, and a proper Trainer had to know the reason.
Brock then broke into a smile, thinking to himself that Ash, now thinking on the Second Layer, was already showing the makings of a powerful Trainer.
"..." Ash couldn't help but shiver. He had the feeling he was being watched by a dark-skinned uncle.
He turned his head and saw Brock gazing at him with his deep-set eyes, a smile on his lips and an appreciative look.
"..." Teacher Brock wasn't chasing girls anymore. Could it be that now he was...
He shivered again and forced his attention back to the monkey in front of him.
He would never bend over in front of Brock again!
But Brock wasn't wrong about one thing. Ash really did have the goal of understanding Bulbasaur.
Seeing that it had calmed down, he commanded again: "Bulbasaur, use Sleep Powder!"
The dusky blue powder drifted over, but Primeape simply dropped into a horse stance. With a straight punch, the powerful force of its fist blew the Sleep Powder away.
Immediately after, Primeape started striding forward, beginning its attack on Bulbasaur.
"Use Vine Whip!"
"Saur!"
Bulbasaur lashed out with two vines, striking Primeape with two powerful blows.
*Smack! Smack!* Primeape raised its left arm, taking the two Vine Whips head-on with its sturdy muscles. It still winced, however, as two long, red welts appeared on its arm.
"Awooo!!" It violently shook its left arm, batting the vines aside, and closed in on Bulbasaur again, its right fist now poised and ready!
Ash also pressed down on his Void Hat and shouted:
"Bulbasaur, let's settle this! Use Solar Beam!!"
"Bulba-saur!!" The surrounding field was open, and it was high noon when the sun was at its most intense. The solar energy in the seed on Bulbasaur's back instantly charged to its limit, ready to be fired.
But Primeape had already arrived!
"Awooo!!" Primeape roared and relentlessly threw punches, each one landing squarely on Bulbasaur's forehead.
*Thud thud thud!!* The powerful blows nearly made Bulbasaur faint on the spot. It furrowed its brow, its four claws digging desperately into the ground, carving long black marks into the earth.
"Saur!" It withstood the final punch!
Seeing this, Ash's eyes lit up. He roared, "Now! Fire!!"
A terrifying, searing white light shot out like an invincible laser beam, striking the momentarily stunned Primeape head-on!
Solar Beam!!!
*Swoosh!!* The terrifying solar beam vanished in an instant, disappearing over the distant horizon.
Having taken the full brunt of the Solar Beam, Primeape's body was now charred black. Its eyes were completely dazed; it swayed on the spot twice before collapsing.
"I choose you, Poké Ball!!" Ash quickly threw out his Poké Ball.
*Clap! Swoosh!*
The red light from the Poké Ball absorbed Primeape. With the force of the monkey's assault gone, the cap fell from Ash's head, landing right on top of the Poké Ball.
*Wiggle! Click!*
Primeape, capture successful!!
(end of chapter)