A few days ago, he'd mentioned Primeape looking unwell, but how did it suddenly become like this?
Lucas's expression grew grave.
"Oranguru, go with Dragonite to find Calyrex—it should be at the back hill investigating the environment with Cosmog."
He quickly dispatched Oranguru for help, then rushed to the narrow infirmary, grabbed the Pokémon medical kit, and began diagnosing Primeape's condition with a stethoscope and other tools.
The Eevee sisters shared a look—one stayed behind, while the other hurried out.
Calyrex was still some way off, but Comfey was nearby, tending the crops!
Luxray and Serperior exchanged glances and called Mimikyu to head to the warehouse cold-storage.
There, Sister Shuckle's special medicine—made from five secret seasonings—was stored. According to Lucas, using all five could save a life on the brink of death!
Ash and Pikachu watched anxiously as Lucas began emergency treatment.
It was only a few minutes, but for Ash, it felt like decades.
Then Lucas's serious voice sounded:
"Heartbeat and pulse lost, all vital signs gone—what happened?"
He turned to Ash, face stern.
Lucas knew Primeape could evolve into Annihilape—after all, Eri's starter Mankey had evolved, and he knew some details.
There were rumors: Primeape gains a Ghost type upon evolution because it's "so angry it dies."
Whether that was true or not, from a medical perspective, Ash's Primeape had lost all vital signs.
In other words—it was dead.
Of course, there was a chance it was just in suspended animation.
But—
He'd sent Ceruledge and Dragonite with Ash; how could this have happened?
Looking at the worried Ash, Pikachu, and the guilty Charcadet, Lucas waited for Ash's explanation.
Ash recounted everything.
Turns out, the underground ruins weren't that dangerous, especially with Ceruledge and Dragonite.
Even though the two wouldn't intervene unless absolutely necessary, they gave Ash and the Captain a sense of security.
Exploration went smoothly—the Captain found the ancient Paldea coins Lucas wanted, and Ash grabbed a few relics.
Along the way, Ash had Primeape help with traps and wild Pokémon.
But as they were leaving, Charcadet accidentally triggered a mechanism.
It wasn't a big deal—Ceruledge and Dragonite handled 99% of the threats, leaving only a few arrows aimed at Charcadet.
Ash instinctively shielded Charcadet with his back, and Primeape used Rage Fist to destroy the threat.
But just as Ash went to check on it, Primeape—having just unleashed Rage Fist and roared skyward—suddenly froze and collapsed.
Ash rushed out of the ruins with Primeape, while the Captain and Ceruledge stayed behind, letting Dragonite fly them back to the farm.
"It collapsed right after using Rage Fist?"
Lucas stroked his chin, deep in thought.
He'd found no apparent external injuries—more like acute internal shock.
Normally, using Rage Fist 20 times in a short span, reaching peak rage, would trigger Primeape's evolution.
Yet Ash's Primeape hadn't evolved—why?
Bad reaction to Paldea? Environmental adaptation issues?
Lucas was stumped. There was no time to call Nurse Joy, so he mentally asked, "What's Primeape's condition now?"
[Hint: Not enough life force for evolution, currently in a state of suspended animation. Please replenish life energy as soon as possible.]
That was the key.
Below was more detail.
Primeape had accumulated a lot of rage, which should have fueled its evolution.
But due to a serious issue, when it tried to evolve and gain the Ghost type, something went wrong.
In short, Primeape's current state was similar to Ash's Charizard—trying to evolve without enough power, or evolving out of anger.
Ghost is always mysterious, and for Primeape, a non-Ghost type gaining that attribute during evolution led people to joke it "died of rage."
As for the root cause of insufficient life force—
Lucas read the tiny note, his expression complicated:
[Due to prolonged high-intensity training and non-stop battles, each meal only provided basic satiety, resulting in malnutrition.]
Was it because of that fighting tournament?
Images of the man who abandoned his family to win the P1 Grand Prix in the original anime flashed through Lucas's mind.
Suddenly, it all made sense.
Just then, Comfey was brought back by Eevee, so Lucas had her use Floral Healing on Primeape, trying to buy more time until Calyrex arrived.
He turned to comfort Ash, "There's a way—don't worry."
Ash nodded rapidly, hope lighting up his face.
Pikachu and Charcadet both breathed sighs of relief.
A couple of minutes later, space around them twisted slightly, and Calyrex appeared, followed by Oranguru and Dragonite.
Oranguru quickly briefed Calyrex, who immediately looked at Primeape, currently receiving Floral Healing but showing no response.
Calyrex studied it for a few seconds, then used psychic power to scan, reaching the same conclusion.
"It lacked enough life force, so its evolution was interrupted at the start. It's currently transitioning between physical and spectral form—thus its present state."
"Leave it to me."
Calyrex floated to Primeape's side, and Comfey stepped back.
After a nod, Calyrex gently touched Primeape's forehead, and green motes of light streamed into Primeape's body.
As a legendary Grass-type, Calyrex can't revive the dead like Ho-Oh, nor grant eternal life like Xerneas, but it can provide enough life energy for uninterrupted evolution and recovery.
As the life-filled green light poured in, Primeape's chest and abdomen began to move—a hint of vitality returned.
Then, the brilliant glow of evolution enveloped Primeape, and its form began to change.
When the light faded, Primeape was gone—Annihilape stood in its place.
Compared to Primeape, Annihilape had changed so much it was almost unrecognizable—they looked like different species.
Its fur turned iron-gray, with white, gravity-defying tufts and a middle-parted fringe reminiscent of an old friend.
Its hands and feet became the color of a movie zombie, giving it a lifeless aura.
Its eyes glowed blood-red—fortunately, the pink pig nose and metallic rings remained, or you might not recognize it as Primeape.
Annihilape is Fighting/Ghost—apart from Haunter with Sabrina, this was Ash's first Ghost-type catch.
Just after evolving, Annihilape was still adapting to its new form and Ghostly essence.
Whoosh—Ash and Pikachu pounced, hugging Annihilape in relief.
"You scared me—thank goodness you're okay, Annihilape!"
Ash knew from battling Eri that Annihilape was Primeape's evolution.
Annihilape seemed flattered, then snatched Ash's cap and struck a double biceps pose.
Trainer and Pokémon played around, shaking off the bad mood.
Charcadet, seeing this, came over to apologize softly.
Lucas shook his head and went back to his plans, leaving them alone—now Charcadet wouldn't be so stubborn with Ash.
Ceruledge and the Captain would be back soon, so Lucas, with Luxray, Serperior, and Mimikyu, returned the special medicine to storage and headed outside.
He planned to survey the area.
The new house was nearly finished, and the only issue on the hill was how to accommodate the Pokémon living there.
The land Paldea League assigned for farm expansion was mostly grassland.
No forests or groves, so few wild Pokémon—making it easier for Lucas to cultivate crops.
Following the route, he soon reached a small creek.
The clear water and darting fish brought back memories.
He'd found Nemona, who had escaped from smugglers, washed up here while fishing.
He'd played the good Samaritan, been mocked by a group of Magikarp (especially a golden one) here.
His Poliwag had evolved here into Politoed—the king of kings.
He'd had summer watermelon picnics here.
A gentle tap from Serperior's tail brought him back to reality, and he began inspecting the area.
Though he'd been home a while, he hadn't forgotten about Kitakami.
Whether to help Ogerpon or just out of spite, Lucas was determined to build a superior apple orchard and outshine Kitakami's apples.
Only then would those people feel the sting.
This area was perfect for fruit trees—by water, though not by mountains.
After watering, Swampert, Politoed, and Dragonair could play in the creek.
The soil seemed fertile—if not, no problem.
Mudsdale and Calyrex could improve it.
With Paldea's current weather, there was about a month before temperatures dropped below zero and the first snow.
With the composite grass field and Calyrex, a pre-snow harvest would be no problem.
"The main issue is getting enough Applin and its evolutions with the 'Ripen' ability."
Lucas mused aloud.
Kitakami's apple boom was due to both scale and abundant Applin.
One Applin can only ripen one or two trees—its small size and limited energy.
Even after evolving to Appletun, it could handle more, but not an entire orchard.
To break the monopoly, the farm must bring in a batch of Applin.
Appletun was male, so no offspring—and still a child!
So, recruiting Applin would mean either working with the Day Care or... "adopting" wild ones?
"A long road ahead..."
Sighing, Lucas called Serperior and Luxray, found the hiding Mimikyu, and headed back to the farm.
There were only a few days left before the Contest—time to focus on training Feebas and Ninetales.
And he still had to make beautiful bows and ribbons from the fabric Tulip sent.
He didn't know yet if the exhibition match with Wallace would be singles, doubles, or something else.
But Mimikyu would definitely participate.
…
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