The Human Species Ch.108 - Many Unruly Mankey

Dawn broke, but did little to wake up the peacefully sleeping forest. Unparalleled stillness and silence reigned apart from the quietly rustling of leaves in the wind, and the occasional muttering of a certain Lucario who was quickly getting fed up with the treacherous terrain. While not quite on the same level as the jungle surrounding No Man's Land, the many roots and bushes did their part to slow him down and stub his toes.

"With so much overgrowth… You'd expect things to be a little warmer…" Lucario groaned as he could see that his breath was still visible from the cold. Zerobi followed him at a two meter distance, having gotten smacked by far too many accidentally bent branches snapping back into place to willingly move any closer. She also took the opportunity to make sure they were not being stalked, the unnaturally quiet forest making her feel uneasy.

"Weren't you complaining about the climate the last time too?" she asked, wondering if she even needed to point out that things were already getting  little too warm for her taste. Lucario let the comment linger in his mind for a few moments before he suddenly stopped and looked around.

"Wait… Did we pass through here the last time?" Lucario asked, feeling a sense of familiarity about the woods. He could not shake the feeling that he had been there before, even though there weren't any unique telltale signs to set it apart from any other typical forest.

"Nope. We went south then, this is west," Zerobi explained as she approached from behind and gave him a light push, "Come on, keep going. I don't like this place."

"Me neither. I can't put my finger on it, but something's strange…" Lucario muttered as he continued walking, the two of entering a small clearing. A calming sunlit meadow surrounded by trees and rocks, a perfect spot for weary travelers or inhabitants looking for relaxation. However, this peaceful sight only made Zerobi feel less calm.

"You mean, beside the fact that this entire place is completely devoid of Pokémon…?" she whispered with a low tone, certain that she had ever seen such a fine display of nature to go completely uninhabited before. There was no shortage of wilderness that even Pokémon avoided, but when she passed through here three weeks prior it had been teeming with life and action.

"Huh? No, it isn't," Lucario said before tapping the side of his head, "I sense multiple aura all around us."

Zerobi felt a little relieved to hear that, but looking around the spookily deserted area showed nothing but foliage all around.

"… Really? I can't see any-" she started, but was interrupted by a nearby snort. It was followed by branches snapping and leaves rustling as several round figures popped out from above, previously hidden by the thick tree crowns. Zerobi gasped and turned around, pushing her back up against Lucario's as she realized they were being surrounded.

"You've got some pretty bad eyesight, then!" Lucario shouted, failing to get a good look at whatever was ambushing them, the white ball-shaped creatures bouncing around from root to branch, crown to soil with impeccable dexterity. He grit his teeth while holding up his guard, but the weird Pokémon never made a move to strike, instead moving around them in disorienting patterns.

Finally they stopped with almost perfect synchronization, and a sinister cackle filled the air. Lucario felt his muscles untighten as he got a good look at their assailants and realized it was just a pack of Mankey. Chittering balls of hair with lanky limbs, angry eyes and a slender tail, Lucario already knew the stinging sensation of their tiny claws but was not really afraid of Pokémon he had been able to trash back at the very start of his life as a Lucario.

However, these Mankey were quite different from any other Pokémon he had met. Instead of appearing as a massive group of identical twins, each individual was wearing unique apparel to clearly distinguish them from one another. It ranged from scruffy hats to various pieces of human clothing worn on their heads, armbands and wristwatches wrapped around their tails and some had taken to use lipstick and other makeup in a poor attempt at war paint.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lucario laughed out loud, doubling over from the silly display as the sinister cackling diminished, "What are you wearing!?"

"Society!" one Mankey with a fingerless glove on the end of its tail yelled out, "Which we killed!"

"Taxes!" another Mankey yelled out, covered in some kind of sparkle and glittering nicely in the sun, "Your taxes!"

Without warning, all the Mankey started answering at once in a maelstrom of chatter, drowning out Lucario's continuous laughter. Amidst the tumult, Zerobi edged closer and nudged him with her shoulder.

"Hey, hey… Shouldn't we be running?" Zerobi whispered, wondering if this was a good time for joking around, "… Are they really that weak?"

"Hehehe, yep," Lucario whispered confidently, not noticing any impressive aura anywhere close, "If they want to fight, I'll have this wrapped up in twenty seconds."

The Mankey started arguing louder, prompting Lucario to stop laughing and instead cover his abused ears. But as he did so, his inner senses told him that a slightly more notable aura further away was on the move and heading towards them. As if on que, the Mankey all fell silent and looked towards a part of the forest where they could hear branches audibly snapping.

A very large Mankey suddenly came rushing from behind one of the trees, making a mighty leap and grabbing on to a high branch. Swinging a frontal flip, his heavy body made the whole tree bend before he landed with a slam on top of the branch and immediately made himself comfortable, leaning up against the stem and letting his legs dangle.

"Welcome to the great wild, city slickers!" the huge Mankey said with a gruff voice, raising his hand in a seemingly benevolent gesture. The rest of the Mankey cheered at his arrival, jumping up and down in excitement or swinging around in circles. Apart from the size, Lucario noticed that this particular Mankey did not have a tail, and instead of random loot taken from an old lady's handbag, he wore tough iron braces around his wrists and ankles. Zerobi had no trouble recognizing that it was a Primeape, and also that they were in more trouble.

"… Thanks…?" Lucario replied with a confused shrug, never really sure if the random monsters he frequently met wanted to be courteous or wanted him dead. Judging by Zerobi's frantic shoulder now jutting into his ribs like a jackhammer, he figured it was the latter.

"I'm the king of this forest," the Primeape said with an almost regal voice as he glared at them, his true expression hidden behind a wall of mossy fur, "And the tolls are very steep."

"Kekeke! How steep are they, boss?" a Mankey chimed in before rolling around on the ground like a ball.

"Give us everything you own, and you may go on your way!" the Primeape shouted out loud, and all of the Mankey started cackling at once. Zerobi stopped poking Lucario and looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, Lucario holding open the bag he had been carrying to let her peek inside. It contained the books they had bought a week back, but more importantly, the present Zerobi had bought for her sister. Zerobi gave off a painful expression as she stared at the present, but eventually closed her eyes and reluctantly nodded.

"Uh, none of this is worth fighting over," Lucario tried to plead as he looked up at the Primeape, "Are we really going to argue over some books and a plastic bag?"

"AND your pants," the Primeape answered with a grin, "Keep arguing, and we'll take your lives as well."

In an instant, Zerobi's grim expression lightened up and instead made its way over to Lucario, a demonic shadow falling over his face. He tightened his fist, letting his knuckles drift slowly over the ragged and filthy pair of shorts that was his only proof of humanity. The very same pair that had been with him all this time, the reliable pants that had successfully withstood the fierce fire of Torana and Arcanine. It beamed of Celebi's aura, a memento of his long gone quest to find Mew that he wished to retain, still thinking he could vaguely detect her scent beneath the many layers of sweat and dirt. He was not opposed to getting a fresher, fancier pair, but had yet to find a suitable replacement since they were of unknown origin. The idea of going au naturel until that point was not an appealing thought.

"Well, yes, that's the general idea…" Lucario said with a shrug and a smirk before raising his voice and glaring with hostility, "… Because the only way you're taking my pants is from my cold, dead body!"

The pack of Mankey fell quiet. Thirty two eyes stared at Lucario in surprise, before sixteen mouths started laughing in unison.

"Lucario, just give them your pants!" Zerobi pleaded, giving up on the notion of whispering as the situation was turning desperate, "These are all fighting-types! If you're looking to start a melee, I won't last a minute!"

"Again with the 'fighting-types'," Lucario muttered while glancing to the side, making sure none of the Mankey tried to rush him from outside his field of vision, "If you're implying there's a type of Pokémon that's NOT into fighting, I sure as hell haven't met one!"

The Mankey were still heartily ridiculing him by sticking out their tongues and displaying their bottoms when the Primeape lifted an arm, and they silenced in under a second.

"Outmatched, outmaneuvered, outnumbered and at a type disadvantage… But you still want to fight?" he said with an amused tone to his voice, despite the fact that his glare remained unchanged.

"We told you, boss!" a Mankey on their left chimed in, "Him and that stupid flower are crazy!"

Zerobi's temple tightened; she had been called many derogatory things before, but never a stupid flower. However, to Lucario this expression was not quite as unfamiliar, and he tried to remember where and when he had heard it. He was not given sufficient time as the Primeape suddenly bashed his chest, or possibly his face due to the difficulty of telling where or even if his head and body were separated.

"Fine! Been a while since we had some real bloodshed!" the Primeape roared triumphantly as he got ready to spring into action, the Mankey following his directive.

"Wait, wait! Not all at once!" Zerobi suddenly yelled out, temporarily halting the group's advance, "You can't just gang up on travelers like this!"

The Primeape scoffed and spat on the ground.

"These are the wilds, you spoiled brat!" he growled while clenching his fist, "For the last time - Hand us your stuff or die!"

Dejected, Zerobi frowned and prepared herself for battle. Wondering if this Primeape was as easily agitated as your typical Mankey, Lucario decided to try being rougher.

"Question – How can you be the leader if you can't even handle one guy on your own?" Lucario asked with a very loud voice while shrugging, "Or… Maybe you aren't the leader? Maybe you're just really, really fat and ugly? And scared? Scared of losing?"

The taunt did not seem too harsh coming out, but apparently it was enough. The Primeape's already hostile eyes sharpened, and he stood tall on the branch. All around them, gasps and stammering was heard.

"H-He pissed off the boss!" one Mankey stuttered fearfully.

"He's in for it now!" another Mankey yelled with a hopeful tone. The Primeape wasted no time in leaping down from the tree, Zerobi taking the opportunity to hastily back away from the smiling Lucario.

"Have it your way, you little shit! I'll rip you to shreds!" the Primeape roared as he lunged towards Lucario, bringing down both fists at once to crush him. Lucario moved out of range, retaining his stability as the Primeape's mighty attack sent a shockwave through the ground. Ignoring his misses, the Primeape kept up the assault by throwing punch after punch in Lucario's direction.

"Slowpoke!" Lucario shouted as adrenaline shot through him, finding it easy to sidestep each of the round gorilla's telegraphed punches. It did not take long for his opponent's simplistic fighting style to present an opening, Lucario pushing the ape's extended arm aside while bringing in his own for the kill. His elbow struck the Primeape's left eye, forcing the hardened primate to flinch for a moment as Lucario followed up with a few more punches.

"Hah! Pathetic!" he yelled triumphantly as the Primeape quickly backed away from him, "Pfft, maybe I've been dealing with too many legendaries? This guy's nothing!"

"Don't get careless!" Zerobi yelled in his direction, hoping Lucario could just score an easy victory for once so they could continue on their way.

"Careless? I'm kicking his ass up and down the- WHOA!" Lucario replied, but was interrupted mid-shrug as the Primeape charged with a tackle. It went past as Lucario spun around his foe and snuck in a quick hit, the Primeape giving off a deep growl and starting to throw wild punches left and right in an attempt to hit him. Lucario continued dodging and wanted to exploit the hairy beast's grossly inadequate defenses, but the sheer flurry of attacks left no chance for him to even get close. He figured it was better to let the big ape run out of stamina instead of outright knocking him out.

"Does it hurt? I can tell it hurts," Lucario taunted him on, and the Primeape responded by delivering a few devastating punches in his direction. One struck a nearby tree by mistake and ripped the bark off the impact site, although the Primeape did not show any signs of pain or stopping his endless barrage. The Mankey were cheering and shouting like spectators at a wrestling match as the Primeape tried to punch Lucario's head and he ducked. The Primeape threw his body towards Lucario and he sidestepped. The Primeape trashed violently in every direction and Lucario merely stepped back, completely avoiding the flurry of attacks. Lucario was beginning to feel complacent and wondered how much longer this was going to go on. In fact, the muscles around his torso and legs were starting to feel tired simply from twisting and dodging so much.

"Absolutely shameful! Just give up before I get serious!" Lucario shouted, failing to hide the growing fatigue in his voice as his breathing came in hard. There was no way a bulky monster doing such strenuous moves could possibly tire him out. But just to be safe side, Lucario decided to give up on simply outlasting the Primeape and instead try a counterattack. The Primeape roared as he tried to grind Lucario's head to dust between both his fists, Lucario ducking to avoid the attack and instead sweeping the ground with his leg out to knock his opponent off his feet. It was a success and the Primeape grunted as he lost balance, but while still being in midair, he lashed out with a fearsome right hook. Still crouching, Lucario had no chance to dodge as the blow struck him in the side, throwing him a significant distance away and causing him to roll uncontrollably into a large root. There was a slam and a painful crack of something breaking as Lucario came to an abrupt halt against the tree, Zerobi gasping while the Mankey howled.

The Primeape got back on his feet and gave off a triumphant bellow, showing no signs of weariness from the hectic fight. The loud noise echoed throughout the forest, alerting the few other Pokémon still crawling around that the Primeape and his gang had claimed yet another victim. Most would take this as a good reason to hastily crawl in the other direction. But not too far away from the scene of conflict, a rather different kind of Pokémon was leaning against a rock and sleeping.

The sound resonated through both of its skulls as the Pokémon quietly opened its eyes. Yawning and stretching lazily, it looked around to see what had disturbed its slumber. Hearing the incessant chitter of chimps, it concluded that the pack of Mankey had found itself in great conflict. An opportunist through and through, the scaly Pokémon picked up the weapon next to it and began walking towards the noise.