Pokemon: The Master Of Monsters

"Ji?"

Mankey blinked in confusion, looking at Gary. As a Fighting-type Pokémon, it couldn't understand what attribute could be associated with it.

Gary didn't answer immediately. Instead, he activated his Eye of Insight to check Mankey's detailed attributes.

[Pokémon: Mankey♂]

[Attribute: Fighting]

[Level: 25]

[Potential: Quasi-Elite]

[Ability: Unyielding (When this ability is activated by a rival's status move, the user's physical attack increases dramatically.)]

[Moves: Grab, Fury Swipes, Focus Energy, Low Kick, Seismic Toss, Cross Chop]

[Intimacy: 150 (Max: 255)]

"Huh? No Mega Kick?"

Gary was puzzled. He expected to see Mega Kick among Mankey's moves, given its strong physical capability. Instead, the move was missing.

While he understood that Mankey, being level 25, hadn't yet learned Thrash (which requires level 29), it was strange that Mega Kick was absent. Perhaps it wasn't something Mankey had mastered yet, or maybe there was another reason.

"I guess it's not Ash's Mankey," Gary mused to himself. Ash's Mankey was known for having massive potential, so it made sense that it might have a unique move like Mega Kick. This Mankey, with its quasi-Elite potential, was different. It was still a strong Pokémon, but its potential was not as high as Ash's.

Gary recalled that Ash was probably in Vermilion City by now, on his way to Saffron City and then Celadon City. It was unlikely that a wild Mankey would learn Mega Kick in just a month without proper training.

"Never mind," Gary decided. "Even if it's not Ash's, a Mankey with quasi-Elite potential is still a great find."

He turned his attention back to Mankey. "Do you want to learn some new moves?" he asked, reaching out and ruffling Mankey's head.

"Ji!"

Mankey nodded eagerly, clearly excited by the idea of learning new skills. As a Fighting-type, Mankey loved learning techniques, especially those related to physical combat.

"Alright, learn this first." Gary handed Mankey a Mega Kick TM.

"Chi!"

Mankey immediately felt a surge of energy as it learned the move. The sensation was similar to when a Pokémon awakens a hidden ability or skill. Mankey looked up at Gary in surprise, not expecting it to be so easy.

"Great! Now let's teach you something else." Gary smiled and handed Mankey the Stone Edge TM.

"Chi!!"

Mankey's eyes widened in surprise again as it absorbed the powerful Rock-type move. It could feel the raw power of Stone Edge and immediately knew it was a valuable skill.

"You seem to really enjoy training," Gary said with a grin. "Tomorrow, I'll set up a full training session for you. We'll get you in shape for some serious battles."

"Chi!"

Mankey nodded excitedly, already looking forward to the challenge. Fighting Pokémon like Mankey thrived on training, and the prospect of learning more skills made Mankey even more determined.

---

Afternoon Training

Later in the afternoon, Gary retrieved his Pokémon from Nurse Joy and began his usual training. Mankey, eager to improve, joined in right away. The focus of the session was on practicing attack combinations. Mankey's speed and flexibility made it a perfect candidate for a combo-based fighting style.

Gary knew that to maximize Mankey's effectiveness in battle, he would need to develop a set of combos that would allow it to unleash multiple powerful attacks in quick succession. The goal was to ensure that Mankey's fast strikes would overwhelm opponents before they had a chance to retaliate.

"This Mankey is incredible," Sabrina, who was watching from the sidelines, commented. "It already knows Mega Kick and Stone Edge. It has so many great moves for a Pokémon of its level."

Sabrina didn't know much about Pokémon battle strategies but could see that Mankey's abilities were impressive.

"It's definitely strong," Gary agreed, but he quickly changed the subject to avoid drawing attention to the fact that Mankey was actually learning these moves through TMs. "Hey, Sabrina, have you heard that the perfumes in Celadon City are really famous? I was thinking of buying you a few bottles tomorrow."

Sabrina blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift in conversation. "Perfume…? Yeah, sure," she said, nodding slightly.

Gary couldn't help but smile as he saw Sabrina's reaction. She had become unexpectedly docile, almost like a well-behaved girl. He couldn't deny that Sabrina had a certain charm. In fact, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to have someone with such immense psychic power as a partner. If Sabrina were to become a wife, her abilities might make any husband think twice about stepping out of line.

At that moment, a boy approached them, breaking Gary's thoughts.

"Excuse me, are all these Pokémon yours?" the boy asked.

Gary turned to see the stranger—a boy with green hair, wearing a red and orange jacket, a black shirt, and moccasins. An electric guitar was strapped to his back. The boy had the look of a rock-and-roll enthusiast.

"Yes, what's up?" Gary asked, looking him over.

"My name's Takahashi, and I'm a Trainer too," the boy said, grinning. "I want to challenge you to a battle. I know the rules, and the bet is 5,000 yen."

Gary had encountered many challengers on his journey, but none quite like Takahashi. The boy's flashy appearance, combined with his offer to wager money, made it clear that he was confident. However, Gary wasn't interested in the money.

"I don't need the money," Gary said with a smirk. "But if I win, I want to borrow your electric guitar. I'll return it after I play a song."

"What! You can play the electric guitar?" Takahashi asked in surprise. He hadn't noticed the guitar enthusiast in Gary before.

"I know a bit," Gary said nonchalantly. "But it's not a big deal."

"Alright, if you win, I'll let you play my guitar. It's my favorite!" Takahashi agreed eagerly.

Sabrina looked at Gary, confused. She didn't understand why he wanted to play the guitar all of a sudden.

"So, how are we going to fight?" Gary asked, turning the attention back to the battle.

"One-on-one," Takahashi replied, "We'll use our strongest Pokémon."

At the mention of "strongest," all of Gary's Pokémon perked up, wondering which one Gary would choose for the battle. Takahashi had mentioned he would use his best Pokémon, so it was clear Gary would need to respond in kind.

"Don't worry about it. Blastoise, you're up," Gary called out.

"Ka-mi!" Blastoise confidently stepped forward, ready to show off its strength.

The other Pokémon eyed Blastoise with envy. They knew it had been with Gary for a long time and had earned the title of his strongest Pokémon.

"Blastoise is my trump card," Gary added proudly.

Takahashi grinned and tossed his own Poké Ball. "Go, Dodrio!"

A large bird-like creature appeared—Dodrio, a three-headed Pokémon with immense speed and strength. It was a Normal and Flying-type, though despite having three heads, it couldn't actually fly. However, its explosive power and aggression made it a formidable opponent.

[LV 32 Dodrio♂ / Elite]

With Dodrio at level 32, it had a clear advantage in terms of experience, surpassing Gary's Blastoise in level. The battle was about to get intense.

-------------------------------------------------

Visit our Patreon for more:

patreon.com/Johnwick007