Chapter 98: Primeape, Could It Be Seeking My Approval?
"Oddish, go!"
"Oddish, go!"
On the D-rank arena, a little girl cheered constantly for Oddish.
Oddish obediently kept using its head to bash into a Pikachu.
*Pika!* Midchu flipped over, turning his back to Oddish. His expression seemed oddly pleased.
"Ah~" Ash yawned on the side. This wasn't the battle he wanted. He regretted signing up Midchu for this match.
Feeling drowsy, Ash leaned against the railing and closed his eyes to rest.
"Oh my, the Pikachu's trainer actually fell asleep too! Is this some brand-new strategy?"
The host noticed the unusual situation and immediately began commentating the D-rank arena.
"Ah? What? What?" Ash suddenly woke up. He realized he had become the center of attention.
"Midchu, stand up and fight! Everyone's watching you!"
Though Ash knew this *wear-out-the-opponent* tactic had been set up by Natsume, being under the spotlight still made his face flush.
*Pika-pika~* Midchu lifted his hind leg and let out a fart.
Oddish, exhausted from repeatedly colliding, was caught off guard. It leaned back, lost balance, and tumbled clumsily off the arena.
"Let's congratulate this Pikachu for using only his Sleep skill, for winning in an unbelievable way!"
The host's passionate announcement echoed, but Ash buried his face in embarrassment, crouching down, utterly red.
"So humiliating."
He thought this kind of work was better left to someone thick-skinned like Natsume.
"Ten-minute intermission, the second round starts immediately."
Nurse Joy appeared on-site to heal any injured Pokémon.
"Even though this is a civilian-organized competition, it feels pretty official," Giselle nodded slightly from the stands.
"Look! In the second round, Group C has Brock, and Group A is Anthony!"
Giselle pointed at the big screen.
"Brock's going up?" Ash, holding Midchu, approached Natsume in the prep area.
"Natsume, this is so embarrassing!" Ash lifted Midchu, still sound asleep.
"Winning this way… won't the audience end up throwing trash at us?" Ash frowned.
"Why not wear a mask?" Natsume suggested.
"A mask? That's just deceiving myself," Ash said, lowering his head.
"I have Brock face masks."
"I want ten!" Ash suddenly looked up.
Natsume actually produced ten silicone masks modeled after Brock. Ash held one, eyes wide.
"Natsume, where did you even get these?"
Ash put a mask on, and from a distance, he looked just like Brock.
"Ash, I think I've told you many times," Natsume said seriously.
"What?"
"When you're out, your identity is what you make of it."
"So, Natsume, how many identities like this do you have?" Ash whispered.
"Not many. Maybe a hundred?"
He had made replicas of every notable figure in the Pokémon world, along with a few uniforms from influential organizations. That was all.
...
"My goodness, unprecedented!"
The host's excited commentary continued.
Looking back, the two saw the second round had already begun. Surprisingly, the broadcast didn't show the A-rank arena.
On the screen, Brock appeared.
But what made the host gasp wasn't Brock's Geodude—it was his opponents: a Primeape and a Hypno.
"Where are their trainers?"
Brock felt the Primeape looked familiar, but with no trainers present, his curiosity grew.
"Oh my! I've confirmed with the judges—these two are participating as wild Pokémon!"
"The one communicating with the staff is the Hypno, the Primeape's partner!"
"Friends, the wind of the P1 Grand Prix has even reached the wild Pokémon community!"
The host's voice boomed passionately as the cameraman wisely switched all four screens to the C-rank arena.
Wild Pokémon rushing to join the P1 Grand Prix—perfect publicity!
"Woah!" Primeape's sharp gaze scanned the arena. Upon seeing Ash and Natsume, it froze for a moment, then moved on.
"Natsume, is that the Primeape that tried to steal my hat?" Ash squinted, the Pokémon looked familiar.
"Seems like it," Natsume said, giving the Primeape a curious look, then glancing at the Hypno behind it. Quite a strange pair.
"Alright, let's start! Let's see a battle between wild Pokémon and trained Pokémon!"
The signal was given, and the battle began.
"I won't lose—ah!" Brock hadn't finished speaking before Geodude was flung into the air.
"Ugh! Luckily, Rebecca isn't here." Giselle facepalmed in the stands.
"Wow, expected, but that was way too fast!" the host exclaimed.
The camera followed Primeape, which had just thrown Geodude, its eyes scanning the field, searching for something unknown.
"Oh? Could it be that this powerful Fighting-type Pokémon came to the tournament to find a human it deems worthy as a trainer?"
"Imagine how strong it would be after proper training!"
The cameraman's view followed Primeape as it moved.
"Hey, is this cameraman Brock? Why does the camera linger on every pretty lady in the audience?" Ash complained.
He wanted to know what Primeape was up to, but the broadcast kept misbehaving.
Finally, the view switched to the A-rank arena.
On the arena, a rugged man stood with arms crossed, facing a muscular opponent. On the platform between them stood an Hitmonchan and a Poliwhirl.
Primeape's movements caught Anthony's attention. When the camera zoomed in on his face, Anthony froze slightly.
"Oh my! Primeape's gaze is locked on Mr. Anthony—is it choosing him?" the host exclaimed.
Anthony turned and saw Primeape staring steadily at him.
"Hmph!" A small smile appeared on Anthony's face. He and Hitmonchan trained deep in the mountains daily—maybe Primeape had noticed him then.
It had even followed all the way here seeking his approval.
Anthony imagined the drama that could unfold, and gave Primeape a slight nod.
*Ape?* Primeape tilted its head.
...
**In the prep area**
"Pff!"
Natsume spat out the water in his mouth, his expression tight.
Using telepathy, he sensed Primeape's thoughts—it wanted to beat Anthony up badly.
The reason was unclear.
If not for Hypno's human-experienced reasoning, restraining it, Primeape likely would have charged Anthony the moment their eyes met.
You can read more (around 100+ free chapters) of Natsume's adventure ad-free at [https ://ravenarchives .com/book/pokemon-who-let-him-leave-pallet-town]. Bulk uploads is a mess here, so updates here might be irregular.