After leaving the trading convention grounds, Roy stopped his bike, took out Primeape's Poké Ball, and released Primeape.
A flash of red light.
Primeape landed from the Poké Ball. When he saw that the person before him was Roy rather than Headband Guy, he realized that Headband Guy had brought him to the trading center to trade him away.
He had long prepared himself for being abandoned, but when it truly happened to him, he still found it hard to accept.
Just as Primeape was wallowing in the belief that he had been abandoned because he was too useless, a gentle voice sounded beside him.
"Primeape, let's get acquainted. From now on, I'll be your Pokémon Trainer. My name is Roy."
Roy held out his hand. His Ghost Power only attracted Ghost-type Pokémon and had no effect at all on other Pokémon, so he could only rely on his personal charm to win Primeape over.
"Primeape."
Primeape responded weakly.
"Come on, I'll take you for treatment first."
Primeape followed Roy absentmindedly. Then his vision suddenly went black, and he collapsed to the ground. Roy hurriedly helped him up and discovered injuries on Primeape's legs.
Headband Guy had never brought him to a Pokémon Center for treatment. The scar on Primeape's face had been left behind when Headband Guy forced him to fight in underground black-market matches in towns around Rustboro.
Rustboro City was a major city with more than one Pokémon Center. Roy went to the Pokémon Center closest to the suburbs.
After pushing open the door and walking in, Roy was greeted by a Chansey with an oval pink body, a bow on her head, and a nurse's apron.
When Roy saw Chansey, he thought of that card-playing Chansey in Lilycove City. He wondered how she was doing now.