"Wait a second, are you just going to throw a Poké Ball all of a sudden? It's still eating its rice ball," Misty reminded him.
"I won't let this chance slip away!" Ash hurled the Poké Ball he had already prepared. "Go! Catch that Mankey!"
A rather comical scene unfolded. The clever Mankey tossed the rice ball in its hand, and the Poké Ball slammed straight into it, instantly turning the rice ball into a red beam of light and absorbing it inside.
"Caught… the rice ball~"
Holding the Poké Ball, Ash stared speechlessly. When he opened it, the half-eaten rice ball Mankey had been eating was sitting neatly inside.
"Ash, this Mankey has quite the fiery personality," Red teased slightly. Seeing signs that Mankey was about to attack, he threw his own Poké Ball and released a fellow Fighting-type Pokémon—Hitmonchan.
"Hitmonchan, use Mach Punch!" Red commanded.
Hitmonchan swung its fists to warm up, then struck with blinding speed. The punch landed squarely on Mankey's face, knocking it straight to the ground.
"That's one serious opener!" Ash exclaimed in shock.
"Chi——!"
The fallen Mankey stood back up, glaring furiously at Hitmonchan. Its small body suddenly swelled with bulging muscles, expanding several times over, looking terrifying.
"Could its Ability be…?"
Red checked the Mankey's data through the Pokémon System.
"Pokémon: Mankey
Attribute: Fighting-type
Ability: Anger Point (When hit by a critical hit, its Attack rises to +6 stages. This Ability cannot activate while the Pokémon is behind a substitute.)
Moves: Scratch, Leer, Focus Energy, Seismic Toss, Cross Chop…
Personality: Hot-tempered, prone to explosive rage over the smallest trifles
Background: A lone wanderer among its group, often waiting here for travelers to feed it. However, its sudden outbursts over trivial matters tend to scare people away. It is the Primeape destined for Ash in fate!"
"Anger Point?! That's a terrifying Ability," Red said cautiously. "Hitmonchan, use Ice Punch—let's help Mr. Mankey cool down a bit!"
"Hitmonchan!"
Hitmonchan's right fist radiated chilling air as it charged at Mankey. The enraged Mankey didn't dodge and rushed forward with Scratch.
"Chain Mach Punch into Ice Punch!" Red ordered.
Hitmonchan's left fist struck first with Mach Punch, landing solidly on Mankey's body. Immediately after, the icy right fist hit its head, freezing it solid.
"Brother, isn't that the Pokémon I'm trying to catch? Don't cripple it!" Ash complained, worried Red might casually throw a Poké Ball and capture his Mankey instead.
"Relax, Ash. Do you really think I'd do something like that to you?"
Red flicked Ash's forehead helplessly. After treating this silly little brother so well, he actually dared to say something that hurt his "fragile" heart—how excessive.
"It was just instinct…" Ash replied awkwardly, preparing to throw his Poké Ball again to capture Mankey.
But an accident occurred. In extreme fury, Mankey shattered the ice around its head, kicked away the incoming Poké Ball, and amid furious screeches, its body began glowing with the light of evolution.
"Mankey is evolving!" Misty cried out in surprise.
"Under certain conditions of strength, Mankey can evolve through the stacking of rage. I can't believe that rumor is true!" Brock said in shock as he watched the transforming Primeape.
The white light faded, and a robust Primeape appeared before them.
Primeape's round body was covered in pale yellow fur. The fur on its limbs vanished, replaced by black ring-like bands. Its hands resembled boxing gloves, and its feet looked like human soles, though with only two toes.
Its tail had disappeared, making it appear even stronger overall. Its pupils had shrunk into thin vertical lines, giving it a fiercer glare, and a bulging cross-shaped vein throbbed permanently on its forehead.
"Primeape, the evolved form of Mankey. It is constantly angry. Once it locks onto you, it will chase you to the end of your life."
Lacking theoretical knowledge, Ash pulled out his Pokédex again to carefully review Primeape's data.
"Brother, let Pikachu battle Primeape!"
Ash stopped Hitmonchan and indicated that he and Pikachu could defeat Primeape themselves.
"Do your best. Just don't let Primeape hold a grudge against you!"
After saying that, Red used his psychic power to cast Hypnosis, shifting Primeape's attack target to Pikachu. Primeape stopped focusing on Hitmonchan and instead lunged at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.
Using its speed advantage, Pikachu struck Primeape first. The enraged Primeape retaliated with consecutive Scratches, wildly hitting Pikachu's body.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
A surge of high-voltage electricity burst from Pikachu and struck Primeape head-on. Its body turned charred black, faint smoke rising from the burn.
"Ash, don't let your guard down. Primeape's strength isn't that simple!" Red warned.
Primeape shook its head violently to clear itself, then dashed in front of Pikachu. A fierce Leer startled Pikachu, and with arms crossed, Primeape unleashed Cross Chop. Empowered by Anger Point's boost, the critical hit Cross Chop struck decisively, defeating Pikachu in a single blow.
"How is that possible?! One hit?!" Ash couldn't believe it. He had always trusted Pikachu's strength, yet it was taken down instantly.
"That's why I told you not to relax~ If you can catch this Primeape, your team's overall strength will rise significantly," Red said. "But only if you can tame this furious Primeape!"
With its opponent defeated, Primeape gradually calmed down, no longer visibly enraged as before.
Once calm, Primeape fixed its gaze on the hat on Ash's head, clearly enamored with it.
"No way! I absolutely won't give you this hat!" Ash protested.
Primeape wasn't interested in negotiating. It dashed forward, snatched the hat from Ash's head, and even kicked him down when he tried to stop it.
"It's really interested in Ash's hat!" Misty remarked.
"I have to admit, Primeape looks quite a bit like Ash with that hat on—especially when it imitates his Poké Ball-throwing motion!" Brock joked.
"What?! There's no way I look like that!" Ash retorted speechlessly.
"That's it—I'm getting it back!"
"It's just a hat. Why so serious? Be careful or Primeape will beat you black and blue!" Misty warned.
"No! That hat is my treasure! It's a limited-edition hat from the Pokémon League Grand Sweepstakes event—it was my birthday present from Brother after so much effort!" Ash shouted, vowing to personally take his hat back.