Screams split the air.
"My poor Rattata! That crazy Primeape!"
"Someone stop it—watch out, it's using a broom as a weapon!"
Ethan spun toward the commotion just in time to see a wild Primeape burst out of the Pokémon House. In its right hand it clutched a broom, in its left a limp Rattata, fainted and dangling by its tail. With a furious snarl, it vaulted onto the outer wall of the gym grounds.
"Hoga~!"
The Primeape roared, swinging the broom so hard the brush head tore free, leaving only the stick. It then began twirling the fainted Rattata by the tail like a windmill before finally flinging the poor Pokémon across the courtyard. The impact severed its tail clean off.
Ethan's mouth twitched. Only two words came to mind: naughty monkey.
The Rattata landed in the Lavender Gym construction zone, startling a Machop carrying bricks. The Pokémon froze mid-step, staring in disbelief at the tailless body that had just landed in front of it.
Primeape's gaze followed, then its fury redoubled. With a guttural cry, it leapt nearly ten meters high, brandishing its stick as energy surged around its body.
"Focus Energy…" Ethan muttered, eyes narrowing.
The Machop hesitated. Drop the brick to defend itself, and its trainer would be furious over the wasted supplies. Hold on to it, and the Primeape's blow would land. In the end, loyalty to its work won. The Machop gently set the brick down—only for the Primeape's strike to slam into its head, dropping it instantly.
The Primeape beat its chest and roared over its fallen foe, tail thrashing in manic triumph.
Cynthia's eyes hardened. "That arrogance… I should send Garchomp to crush it." She took a step forward, but her phone still streamed the video of the girl's Eevee training with Ethan. If she left now, he could trick her and the caller at the same time.
Ethan raised a hand calmly. "No need. Let my students test themselves. This is a chance to train against a real threat."
Cynthia hesitated, then folded her arms and stayed where she was, though her golden eyes never left the rampaging Primeape.
Around them, several Gym students rallied their Pokémon—Butterfree, Pidgeotto, Machop, and others. Their training had pushed them all to around level 20. The Primeape had only been level 19 earlier, but defeating the Machop had boosted it to 20 as well.
Ethan frowned. Something felt different. His system readout confirmed it:
Primeape
Level: 20 (Angry state – upgrade speed doubled when enraged; 255 days until next level)
Qualification: Elite-tier (Quasi-King)
Intimacy: -23
Ability: Vital Spirit
Gender: Male
Moves: Scratch, Focus Energy, Low Kick, Seismic Toss, Taunt, Close Combat
Description: A gifted but unstable Pokémon prone to uncontrollable rage. It repeatedly escaped its Poké Ball at night to assault its former trainer, who was eventually hospitalized with broken bones and facial injuries. The trainer, unable to control it, abandoned it at the Pokémon Center.
Ethan exhaled sharply. "So that's why…" He recalled that the last time Primeape had been brought in, its Intimacy score was still positive. Days of bottled-up anger had driven it into the negatives, nearly as low as Charmeleon had once been.
The battle began in earnest.
"Butterfree, Sleep Powder!" one student commanded.
A green dust cloud spread, but Primeape's Vital Spirit kept it awake—and only made it angrier. With a shrill cry, it used its stick as a pole vault, flipped high into the air, then slammed both feet into Butterfree. Before anyone could react, it grabbed the Bug Pokémon mid-air and smashed it into the ground.
The earth shook with the impact, dust billowing outward. When it cleared, Primeape stood triumphant atop Butterfree's crumpled form, roaring as it raised its stick.
For a moment, everyone—trainers and Pokémon alike—hesitated, shocked by the ferocity of the outburst.
"This Primeape…" Cynthia muttered, half to herself. "It's stronger than it looks. That stick strike alone… an ordinary Pokémon couldn't even dream of pulling that off."
She glanced back at Ethan. "You know, I'm tempted to capture it myself. With training, a Primeape like this could be a cornerstone for my Sinnoh Championship run."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Its rage is uncontrollable. Its last trainer left with a sunken brow, broken hand, and crooked nose. Think you'll last more than a week before it comes for you in the night?"
Cynthia's lips parted in disbelief. "…It beat its own trainer like that?"
"That's right." Ethan's gaze didn't waver. "Power without control isn't strength—it's a ticking time bomb."
Cynthia's expression twisted. At last she shook her head firmly. "Forget it. I want to be Champion, not a headline about being killed by my own Pokémon."
The Primeape, oblivious to their words, howled at the sky and swung its stick again, eyes rolling with fury.
And the students braced themselves for the fight of their lives.