Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon, coz if I did, I'd be a lot richer than I am right now.
A/N: Well, not much to add from the last chapter. Hope you all enjoy Chapter Seven...I just love the pokemon Aly encounters in this chapter! Hope that inspires you to keep reading, and remember, please review and inspire ME to keep writing!
Chapter Seven: Aly's Blazing Battle
The pair continued travelling towards Cerulean City and training against each other for the next two days. In that time, Pounce had reached Level 8 and, to Aly's delight, learnt Attract.
Calin had done one better, reaching Level 9 after Kamari took part in a one-on-one battle against a boy with a Nincada. Kamari was so overjoyed when Calin won the tough battle she shrieked and ran to hug him tightly. She had remembered to shake hands with the boy and had complimented him on his battling skills, wishing him luck in the future. Kamari also scored an extra 100 points of poke credit.
On the third night, a storm rumbled overhead as Kamari and Aly sheltered under a huge pine tree. The rain would only seep through after hours of downpour, so they were comfortable in the knowledge they would stay dry most of the night.
Kamari had already rolled out her sleeping bag and was ready for bed, but Aly could hear something nearby. "Hey Kamari, can you hear that?"
"Mmmm?" Kamari mumbled sleepily, wrapped in her sleeping bag with an arm around Calin, who was already asleep.
"I'll be back in a sec." Aly donned her poncho and headed out into the rain. She crept quietly towards the sound. There! In a small grove sheltered by large trees, were three Ponyta, all grazing. "Oh they are so cute!" Aly whispered to herself, mesmerised.
She crept forward cautiously. SNAP! She accidentally stepped on a twig. "Dammit!" she muttered as two of the Ponyta snorted and took off into the darkness. The third kept grazing. Aly frowned. That wasn't normal for a wild Ponyta. Usually they ran at the first sign of a human. They were very hard to catch, especially because of their flaming mane and tail, which increased in heat and intensity when they were frightened or angry. Why hadn't this one run? Aly chewed her bottom lip, thinking.
A loud clap of thunder made Aly jump a foot in the air. She stood there, heart racing, yet the Ponyta had continued to graze without even flinching. Suddenly Aly knew. She also knew she had to catch this gorgeous pokemon. "Pounce, go!" She yelled over the sound of rain.
Pounce appeared on the ground in front of Aly, looking mightily disgusted at being called to fight in the rain. "Don't look at me like that!" Aly admonished. "Now, tackle that Ponyta!" Pounce looked at the Ponyta and then back to Aly, as if to say, "You're kidding, right? Look at the SIZE of that thing!"
She flicked her tail and charged at the Ponyta. The Ponyta was too busy grazing to notice the little Skitty, until her shoulder connected with his side. The Ponyta reared and pranced backwards at the unexpected attack. Pounce raced between the Ponyta's legs. The Ponyta tried a stomp attack on the Skitty. Pounce raced up the nearest tree to escape the dangerous hooves. "Pounce, you coward! Tackle it again!" Aly yelled at the Skitty in the tree. Pounce glared at her, already sopping wet. The Ponyta snorted and threw back his head. Pounce chose that moment to dive out of the tree, landing on the Ponyta's back with a thump. The Ponyta squealed and let out an ember attack. Its mane and tail grew, glowing a brighter orange. Pounce hissed at the increased heat and jumped clear of the frightened Ponyta. It went to throw another Ember attack at the Skitty again when Aly yelled "POUNCE, ATTRACT!"
Pounce sat on the ground, widening her Skitty eyes, looking oh so cute, and started purring. The Ponyta cut off its attack. It stared at the Skitty and took a tentative step forward. "POUNCE TACKLE!" Aly yelled. Pounce suddenly jumped at the Ponyta, hitting it hardin the chest before it could retaliate. It fell to its knees, winded. "CLEAR!" Aly yelled to the Skitty. She threw a pokeball as Pounce jumped away from the injured Ponyta. It disappeared into the pokeball. Aly and Pounce stared at the ball in anticipation as it started to rock frantically. Finally the rocking stopped, and the pokeball glow dimmed.
"YES!" Aly jumped up and down. "Excellent work Pounce!" Pounce just glared at her before stalking over and swiping Aly on the ankle. "OUCH! You ratbag! Alright, we'll go back to camp so you can dry off." Aly picked up her Ponyta's pokeball and the wet, annoyed Skitty, and wandered back to the pine tree, a huge grin on her face.
"Kami!" she shook Kamari awake while Pounce sat by the fire, licking herself dry. "You have to see this!"
"Ugh….wha? Aly, I'm trying to sleep," Kamari mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Where've you been? You're soaked and you're dripping on me!"
Aly held up her pokeball. "I caught my first pokemon!" she said excitedly. Kamari was awake in an instant. "What? What is it? Can I see it?"
Aly put a finger to her lips and tossed the pokeball to a patch of dry grass. That in itself puzzled Kamari. Usually a trainer called their pokemon out of a ball. She gasped as the Ponyta appeared. He snorted, looking at the pair warily and took a couple steps backwards.
"Oh my god he is just GORGEOUS!" Kamari gushed, staring at the magnificent creature before her. Aly rummaged through her backpack and pulled out an apple. She held it out quietly. The Ponyta sniffed and took one step forward, but wouldn't come any closer. Kamari frowned. "Something's wrong. Why haven't you said anything to him to calm him down?" she asked.
"Because he's deaf," Aly replied, putting the apple on the ground and then backing away a little. The Ponyta shot forward and grabbed the apple in his teeth, crunching it down in a few bites while still watching Aly warily.
"Deaf?" Kamari asked, a little stunned. She hadn't come across a deaf pokemon before.
"Yep. I realised it when he didn't baulk at the thunder claps, or when I broke a twig by accident. I tell you what," and Aly winked at Kamari, "training him is going to be interesting. I'll have to figure out some kind of sign language or something."
The Ponyta had taken another tentative step forward, nose outstretched and sniffing to see if Aly had any more apples in her backpack. Aly grinned. "And getting him to trust me is going to be a challenge!"
She fished around in her backpack and brought out another apple. The Ponyta pranced backwards when Aly stepped forward. She sighed and put the apple on the ground and backed away again. Within seconds the second apple was gone.
"Well that's enough excitement for one night." Aly held the Ponyta's pokeball out and he vanished into it. "Pretty cool hey!" She turned to Kamari with a wide grin.
"Have I told you yet how totally JEALOUS I am?" Kamari said, folding her arms. "You are soooo lucky! They are so hard to catch, even for an experienced trainer! So, what are you going to name him?"
Aly thought for a while. "I think I'll call him Helios."
A/N: Oooooh exciting! Bit of a twist there, letting Alyssandra catch a deaf Ponyta. It's going to be interesting writing up how she trains him. Thanks for the name suggestions Nite of Kayos -you may note I borrowed one of them for this chapter! Please continue to review! Laters!