Tony looks to the interviewer, smiling sweetly. A few moments of silence pass before two simple words escape the brunette's lips.
"He's strong."
Upon noticing the interviewer's confusion, Tony chuckles softly and murmurs, "That's not all, though. He's very wise, too! And he knows how to track something down; we could use that when we're searching for new Pokemon."
Seraphina pokes her head out and glances quickly towards the Mankey, smiling. "When we first met him, we didn't know what to expect," she giggles lightly. "I mean, he's quite charming, if I do say so myself..." A blush coats her cheek as she sputters, her bodily motions obviously yelling, "Did I really just say that?!"
Tony bursts into laughter, doubling over. Seraphina rolls her eyes and pokes him in the side, earning a squeal.
"So...Er-hem, yeah," Tony says, calming himself down. "I think that Aya would be a great addition to our little family. The choice is up to him, though."
The night was silent. Tony, Seraphina, Denki, and Kasai were wandering through the forest silently when they heard a noise in the brush. Sera was the first to spring into action. She lunged for the thicket, lighting it ablaze as she pinned down a fairly large Mankey who bore tribal paint on his fur. The Mankey shrieked in surprise, kicking the Quilava off of him and darting off into the brush.
Tony blinked in confusion, but followed anyways. After all, every moment with a Pokemon was a new adventure! He glanced towards the bushes, smiling cheerily. "Hello?" he called in a sing-song tone. "Is anyone out there? ...Hello?"
Denki blinked, nickering quietly as his golden gaze trailed over to meet with that of red. He blinked once, twice, three times before realization hit.
"Tony...! Over there...!"
The trainer turned towards where Denki was motioning just in time to feel the earth shaking beneath him. The Mankey was using Earthquake! Tony squealed in terror and collapsed as the quivering earth ceased its movement. The young trainer whimpered in fear, tears leaking out of his eyes.
Seraphina was the first to notice her friend crying and used Flamethrower on the Mankey, roaring in anger. "How dare you hurt Tony!" she snarled, using Tackle and pinning the Mankey to the ground. "All he did was follow you! And you attacked him for no reason! Have you no shame?!"
The Mankey looked up at her with a blank stare, red eyes emotionless. He kicked her off of him once again and sprung up, getting into a fighting stance.
That was when things got hectic.
In a flash, Kasai shot an Ember attack towards the Mankey, a Shock Wave (courtesy of Denki) intertwining around it. The two attacks hit the Mankey, and in seconds, he was on the ground, screeching and howling in pain. Seraphina lunged towards the wild Pokemon and used Incinerate, severely burning him.
Tony looked up, shaking as he saw his Pokemon ganging up on the Mankey. Immediately he bounded in front of the Mankey, eyes wide. A horrified expression was plastered to his face.
"Do-don't hurt him!" Tony shouted, his Pokemon stopping to look at him. Tears were streaming down Tony's cheeks as he lightly sobbed. "I-I don't want anyone to get hurt... W-we probably scared him; ma-maybe that's why he attacked us..."
Seraphina blinked and nodded, turning to her fellow Pokemon and telling them to stand down. She padded over to the Mankey, peering at him from behind Tony's leg and sighing. "Look, fella, we didn't mean for it to go that far... We were just -"
BAM!!
Sera yowled in pain as she staggered back, in shock from the Poison Jab. She stared furiously at the Mankey, glaring hatefully. "Wha- WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" she shrieked angrily. "I was APOLOGIZING!!! You didn't have to go and HIT me!!!"
The Mankey stood to his full 2 foot tall stature and narrowed his red eyes at the Quilava, getting into a fighting stance once more. "I refuse to be captured by a weak trainer and his Poke'pets," the Mankey said simply, eyes darting from a surprised Tony to his upset Pokemon.
Tony knelt down in front of the Mankey, eying him warily. "I'm sorry if you think we're trying to capture you," he murmured quietly. "We just wanted to make friends... But it appears you don't want to be friends, so we'll just leave." With that, the trainer turned and retreated, his two Pony Pokemon following.
Sera, however, stayed behind.
She glowered at the Mankey and muttered softly, "Why would you be afraid to be captured? Tony just likes befriending everyone he meets... If he were to capture you, he'd definitely make sure he had your full consent before doing so."
The Mankey blinked and sat down, cross-legged, on the grassy terrain. He placed his paws on his knees, meditating and closing his eyes.
Sera figured he was ignoring her and sighed, turning to walk away, when she felt a paw on her shoulder. She turned to see the Mankey watching her calmly. He spoke with eloquence, voice soft, yet powerful.
"When I was young, my mother was captured by a trainer much like yours. Playful, kind... Yet there was something very damaged about him. He tried to coax me to follow him, but I refused. My mother was heartbroken, but I did not want to suffer the same fate as her. I had a feeling that this man was dangerous.
"My hunch was right. He turned out to be abusive and, not once, did he take my mother to a Poke'Center when she was hurt. My mother later passed on due to an infected wound." His eyes were solemn and emotionless as he spoke. "I could hardly believe what I had heard when the news was passed onto me. I was devastated; if only I had been there for my mother. Maybe I could have protected her... But Lady Fate is cruel. I went to confront the trainer, and was injured badly. Luckily, a tribe of wild Mankeys took me in and healed me; they raised me as one of their own. Yet I still felt there was something different about me...
"I knew that I had to become very powerful for my mother. I swore that I would not join a trainer unless they could defeat me in battle. If you wish to battle me, I must warn you... I have become extremely powerful since then."
Sera's eyes were wide and glassy from the story, and she cleared her throat. "...If that is how you feel, I respect your decision. Wait here."
A few minutes after she had disappeared, the Quilava returned with her trainer. Tony had been told the story, and chose to battle the Mankey. "I wish you the best of luck," he said softly to the Mankey. "May the best man win."
The Mankey grinned. "I plan on it."
---
Tony couldn't believe it. This Mankey had taken out both of his Fire-types - Kasai and Seraphina - and now had left him with his only Electric-type, Denki the Blitzle. Tony knew Electric-types were weak to Ground types, and was dismayed; he thought for sure he'd lose. But, with his head held high, Tony pointed forward and shouted, "Denki, use Thrash!"
Denki nodded and lunged forward, slamming into the Mankey violently three times before gaining a confused look on his face. "Huh? Where am I?" he said, puzzled.
Tony nearly face-palmed. Of course! How could he forget that after using Thrash, the Pokemon became confused?! For sure he'd lose, now!
The Mankey watched as Denki staggered about before using Low Kick, swiping Denki across the chest and sending the small, Pony Pokemon sprawling across the grass. Even after a few seconds, the Blitzle still did not get up.
The Mankey nodded abruptly towards Tony, starting to take his leave. Tony cursed to himself, slapping his forehead and admitting defeat, when...
ZAP!!!
The Mankey shrieked in surprise and pain when a Charge Beam struck him. He collapsed, twitching and going into a fit of spasms. Tony stared in horror as Denki huffed heavily, glaring at his trainer. "What are you waiting for?! Capture him before he gets up!!"
Tony didn't want to; not under these circumstances, at least. But he knew that if he didn't, there was a good chance that this Mankey would be paralyzed for life. He grabbed his Poke'ball and threw it at the Mankey, who was enveloped in a flash of red light. The Poke'ball shook in midair, falling to the ground and shaking once before a satisfying click was heard.
The Mankey had been captured.
---
The Mankey awoke in a daze. The first thing he saw was a white light; was he dead...?
Then he heard a cry of joy and felt something large starting to constrict his body, like a Serviper would. He let out a choked gasp as he looked down, seeing Tony hugging him and Seraphina trying to pry him off of the poor Pokemon. "Tony!" she laughed. "You're gonna kill him, the way you're hugging him!!"
Tony giggled sheepishly, releasing the Mankey before looking back to his other Pokemon, chuckling in embarrassment. "Heh... Sorry, guess I got kinda excited..."
The Mankey made an effort to sit up when Kasai nudged him back down with her muzzle, muttering quietly, "You're hurt, Mankey. You need to rest."
He... Was hurt? What happened?
The memories flooded his mind in a rush. The battle...! He'd lost! The Mankey closed his eyes and let out a deep chuckle, looking up towards Tony, who was staring back at him curiously. "It appears you've captured me rightfully, trainer," the Mankey murmured quietly. "You have proven yourself a worthy opponent; although it may not matter right now, I would be honoured to join you on your journey."
Tony beamed widely, giggling. "Well, I'm glad you feel that way, Mankey!" he laughed. "...Do you have a name? Y'know, it's kinda weird callin' you 'Mankey' all the time..."
The Mankey dipped his head in acknowledgement towards Tony's question and said, "I am 'He Who Follows Orders.' My Tribal name, however, is Ayawamat."
Tony blinked. "Eye-uh...Eye-uh-way.... Uhm... How do you pronounce that, again?" he chuckled sheepishly.
Seraphina hopped up on the bed with Ayawamat and blinked. "Why don't we just call him Aya? Or Matt? It's simpler; Tony's kind of an idiot, so he can't really pronounce big words."
Tony whined, glaring at Seraphina as the Pokemon began to laugh. The Mankey nodded curtly, smiling. "You may call me those; I take no offense to them."
Finally... He had a home to call his own.
Hopefully he wouldn't end up alone again.
-might add more later, but for now, this is what I'm handing in-
You must be a part of the Gotta Catch Em All group!
Mankey Bulbapedia Link
