Chapter 27

The thick forest that they had been traveling through finally started to break away, and the sight before Ash's eyes couldn't help but bring a smile to his face. "Hey! We're here!" he exclaimed happily. Hilly acres of fields were laid out before them, and although there were a few trees here and there, the sun shining above was a great reunion that they needed to see. Not only that, but the exclusion of the forest meant that they were in the Safari Zone, a place that was home to many uncommon Pokémon that Ash was shivering to add to his roster.

They barely had the forest from their backs before the whole ground began to rumble as if there was an earthquake happening. Ash started to panic, thinking that maybe there actually was one happening until Brock gasped and pointed ahead. "Look out! Over there!" Following Brock's finger with his gaze, Ash's mouth fell open as he saw what the other teen saw: a massive dust cloud moving toward them.

"W-what is it?!" But as the dust cloud got closer, they could hear mooing and groaning coming from inside it. Hurrying off to the side to get out of the way of the charging stampede, they saw that the dust cloud was from a huge collection of bull-like Pokémon with sharp horns and three tails at the ends of their bodies. The gigantic herd didn't even glance in their direction as they charged with no particular direction in mind. "Oh man. What are those things?" Ash asked, and pulled out his Pokédex to scan them.

"Tauros, a Wild Bull Pokémon. When whipping itself with its three tails, its Tackle is a powerful destructive force."

"Yes!" Ash called with a smirk, and after clicking Dexter's front casing shut, he pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it forward. "Charmander, I choose you!" The ball hit the grass, and the plasma inside spilled out, and as it soared back into Ash's hand, the white light condensed into the orange Fire-type Pokémon, who looked at the stampeding Tauros running past it confidently.

"Char!"

"Ember attack, now!" Ash commanded. Charmander let out a cry and reared back its head to begin its attack, but suddenly, a new Pokémon soared in from the sky and landed right on top of Ash's Pokémon. It was a small dog-like Pokémon with orange fur and black stripes like a tiger, but it threw its head back and howled like a wolf.

"Grooooowwwwww!"

"What's that thing?" the Pokémon Trainer questioned rhetorically, and retrieved Dexter once more for the answer.

"Growlithe, a Puppy Pokémon of pleasant demeanor and great diligence. It drives enemies away with barks and bites."

"Growlithe?" Ash repeated, and keeping his Pokédex in hand, he closed the case and extended his arm. "All right, Charmander! Flamethrower attack!" Charmander struggled for a moment before finally throwing Growlithe off its body, and the two Pokémon jumped away from each other. Facing its newfound opponent, Charmander opened its mouth and released a stream of fire from its mouth, but, across from it, Growlithe copied its movements. The two Fire attacks collided and canceled each other out. "So it's a Fire-type, too," the Pallet Town native observed, and held out Charmander's Poké Ball. "Charmander, return!" Charmander stopped its Flamethrower attack, and was withdrawn back into its Poké Ball before it shrunk in Ash's grip and he placed it back on his belt. "Maybe... Wartortle-"

"Hold it!" A female voice stopped his fingers from gliding over to his starter Pokémon's Poké Ball, and his head craned over to where her voice had originated from. But as he turned, suddenly, a dark shadow two times the size of him with flailing legs appeared at his side, and he let out a scream as a neighing filled his ears and fell onto his back. Now that the sun wasn't in his eyes anymore, he could see that the one who had spoke was a young woman with her blue hair tied up into a low-hanging ponytail, and she was riding a horse Pokémon with red and yellow flames acting as its mane and trailing down its back.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Ash accused as the horse Pokémon got down on all four hooves.

"You little sidewinder! Don't tell me you don't know that this whole area's a Pokémon preserve!" the young woman said in a thick Southern accent.

"A Pokémon reserve?"

"Yes."

"What's that?" he asked, pulling himself up onto his butt and crossing his legs as if she were going to tell him a story.

"It's a place where it's against the law to capture Pokémon so they can grow up here naturally."

"That's amazing..." Ash muttered as he stood up, but Brock quickly jumped in front of him with his head hanging slightly and a blush reddening his face.

"You grew up right 'purdy yourself, miss!" Brock droned in an attempt to copy her thick Southern accent. "What's the name of this here place?"

"Have you ever heard of the Big P Pokémon Ranch that's owned by the Laramie family?" Whatever she had said snapped Brock out of his trance, and he now stared mystified.

"Isn't that the place where they raise lots of Pokémon in the wild?" he asked, and then looked around as if seeing the area in a new light. "Hey! This must be that place!"

"This is a Laramie Big P Ranch," the girl confirmed. "And I'm Lara Laramie!" Just then, the Growlithe that had stopped Charmander from attacking the Tauros leapt up on the hill they stood up on beside the pony Pokémon with a bark. "And this Growlithe makes sure nobody tries to capture our Pokémon."

"We're sorry we tried to capture the Pokémon here," Ash apologized after pulling himself to his feet. "We didn't know."

"Y'all seem like genuine Pokémon Trainers, so I know 'ya didn't mean to," she replied with a smile. "Well, while you're here, would you like to see the ranch?"

"Would we ever!" Brock agreed first, and Ash glanced at him through the corner of his eye, unsure if he was accepting her proposal because of her looks or his role as a Pokémon Breeder in training. Either way, the pair followed the girl on the fire horse to the heart of the ranch, which wasn't too far of a walk from their current location. And Ash was instantly amazed by the many different types of Pokémon that was being cared for by a single individual. They leaned against the wooden fence that was keeping in the herd of Tauros they saw running by earlier, and Ash's gaze landed upon both Pokémon he somewhat recognized, and those he did not at all. But what he was most interested in was the Fire Pokémon that Lara was riding.

"Ponyta, a Fire Horse Pokémon. Its mane is made of intense flames," Dexter told him.

"But isn't it hot on Ponyta?" Ash questioned as he closed the case to the hi-tech encyclopedia.

"I don't need 'ta worry, cause Ponyta will never ever burn anybody it really trusts," Lara replied. Pulling himself down from his seated position on the fence, Ash slowly walked forward with a hand extended towards Ponyta's cream fur. His dark eyes glanced at Ponyta, but the Fire-type didn't even look in his direction. He took this as a good sign, and reached out to pet the Pokémon.

"Nice Ponyta..." he murmured, but before he could even make contact with it, the flames from its mane jumped out reflexively and engulfed the Pokémon Trainer's hand in fire. Pain seared through his gloved hand, and the boy let out a scream as he flailed his arm, and with his free arm, he quickly threw out his Wartortle's Poké Ball. His starter Pokémon let out a small Water Gun once it assessed the situation to cool down his hand.

Swinging her leg over Ponyta's back and climbing off her Pokémon, she rubbed her hand up and down its neck and chuckled at Ash. "It took a while 'fer Ponyta to trust me, too."

Brock looked away from the scene and looked at all the different Pokémon that surrounded them. As his eyes fell upon a herd of Nidorino – large pink Pokémon with powerful horns on its forehead and running down its back, he smiled. "Breeders love Pokémon from Laramie Ranch, cause they're raised in the wild, and they're a little stronger than other Pokémon. You're lucky if you get a Big P Pokémon."

"I'm real glad some folks know about all the hard work we do," Lara added with a nod. "We're real proud of the way we raise our Pokémon here." The smile lingered further on her face, and she soon scratched the back of her head with calloused hands in thought before looking back at them. "We're having a big party here tonight. Why don't you all come as my guests!"

"A party?! That sounds great!" Ash cheered in excitement, and even his Wartortle perked up at the mention.

"And if you stay here at the ranch tonight, you'll be able to see the big Pokémon race tomorrow."

"A Pokémon race?" the boy questioned.

"We race one another to find out who's got the best Pokémon," she explained. "Anybody who wins the Big P Pokémon Race becomes an honorary member of the Laramie clan!" Lara's smile faded, whoever, when the ground started to shake once again, just as it had before when they had first arrived. But it sounded almost... different than when the Tauros had been stampeding, and from the look on Lara's face, she also agreed with that. "That sound could only be..."

As the cloud dust moved closer to them, Ash realized that it was a herd of tall bird Pokémon that ran on two legs. They didn't have any visible wings, but their most distinct feature was their three heads. Ash quickly whipped out his Pokédex to scan them, but they quickly turned the corner and shot out of view before he could get a chance. "Oh man! They move fast!" he exclaimed, staring at his blank screen with an opened mouth. But then, one of the bird Pokémon being ridden by a teen just a bit younger than Lara approached with a sneer on his face.

"Howdy, Lara," he greeted, though his tone of voice suggested it wasn't a friendly one. With one of the herd of Pokémon that escaped his scan before now directly stopped in front of him, Ash took his chance to find out more about it.

"Dodrio, a three-headed bird Pokémon that can run faster than it can fly. Its three heads represent joy, sorrow, and anger."

"We're gonna win the Pokémon race tomorrah'," the boy continued, not even giving Ash and Brock a second glance as he teased Lara.

"Don't be too sure, partner," Lara replied with her hands on her hips. "It takes more than just speed to win the race."

"Just get ready to lose, Lara." And with a cry from the teen, the Dodrio took off as fast as lightning, its feet thumping loudly against the ground as it rushed to catch up to its herd.

"He's Dario, a Dodrio Trainer," Lara explained when he was out of range with a frown. "And we'll see what kind of guy he is..."

o 0 o

Night finally came and with excitement, the group of three headed out to the festival that was going on. And although the group was of five – Lara, her Growlithe, Ash and his Wartortle, and Brock, it seemed as though the only ones who were visible to the entire festival was Lara and Growlithe. While Ash and Wartortle each munched on a chocolate Magikarp-shaped pastry, the newcomers lingered behind Lara and Growlithe and stared quietly while everyone who was both working and attending greeted the Pokémon Breeder as if she were royalty.

"Hey, Lara! Good luck in the race tomorrah'! We're all gonna be rootin' for 'ya!"

"Thank 'ya kindly!"

"Your Ponyta's great!"

"Thank 'ya, ma'am!"

"Good luck, Lara!"

"'Preciate it!"

"You got for it, girl!"

"She must be a real contender in that race," Brock commented as Ash and Wartortle each took a large bite.

After chewing and swallowing, Ash returned, "We're really lucky to have run into such an incredible Pokémon Breeder, aren't we?"

"Hey, Lara!" The group all turned around to see the Dodrio Trainer from earlier who had taunted Lara, Dario, running up with a serious look on his face. Once he finally arrived, puffing from running through the festival to find them, he pointed back in the direction he had come from. "All o' 'yer Tauros are going crazy back at the ranch!" Everyone gasped, and Lara and Growlithe wasted no time in taking off in a run to head back to her ranch while Ash and the others followed.

Sticking her fingertips in her mouth, she gave a loud whistle that cut through the indistinguishable droning of the festival, and within moments, her Ponyta gave a loud neigh as it ran up to its Trainer. Lara let out a cry and jumped onto her Ponyta's reins, but the well-trained Fire-type already knew which direction to go without the need to. "Let's go!"

Of course, both her Ponyta and her Growlithe were faster than Ash and Brock on their own legs, so she took off and left to follow in her dust. Unfortunately, Ash and Wartortle had to discard their food items which were only halfway eaten, but in the face of the emergency, it was necessary.

They had long since lost Lara and were hurrying back to the ranch by memory. However, once they were in range, they could hear the mooing and roaring of the frantic Tauros that had been herded into a smaller fence for the night, and Growlithe's barking piercing the night, and headed towards it. Running up from the sidelines, they arrived just in time to see Ponyta rear up onto its hind legs, neighing loudly as if it had been spooked by something, and Lara was thrown off her Pokemon's back. Falling onto the grass, she let out a shriek and held onto her elbow as her face constrained into one of pain. "Lara!" Ash exclaimed, but turned around and looked at Ponyta, who was continuing to neigh loudly and flail on its hind legs. "Ponyta!"

"Lara..." Brock muttered as he knelt down to help the blue-haired girl up off the ground.

"I think I'm okay..." Lara moaned, giving him an unconvincing smile, but then shrieked out in pain and gripped her elbow once again. Her response was drowned out by Ponyta's frightened calls, and so Ash rushed up to the Pokémon and grabbed onto its reins, using all of his strength to pull it down onto its four feet.

"Whoa, Ponyta! Settle down!" he called, attempting to be assertive but also not frighten the Pokémon any more than it already was. "Come on, settle down! Calm down, Ponyta!" It took a bit of coaxing, but finally, Ponyta let out a huff and was back down on all four feet. Next, it was Ash's turn to let out a sigh of relief. "I wonder what happened to spook all the Pokémon?"

"He's good..." Lara murmured under her breath, staring at Ash with a blank look on her face.

"Come on, Lara. Let's get inside the ranch. We need to get that arm into a sling," Brock instructed, and with the Tauros inside the ranch now calmed thanks to Growlithe's efforts, the group all headed inside.

o 0 o

One of Brock's many hidden talents was also minor medical treatments. According to him – who had raised his nine siblings when his father abandoned him and left him in charge of the family Gym and his children – his brothers and sisters would get hurt constantly, so it was all self-taught. So, with a mild sedative taken to help with the pain and a torn cloth tied around her neck holding up her arm so it could heal from the sprain, Lara sat at the front window while the others sat at the wooden table in her house. But the saddened look on her face wasn't from the pain or the fall, but from what it meant.

"With my arm like this, I can't grip Ponyta's reins so I won't be able to race... tomorrow..." she struggled to even say the words, and her immense disappointment was scrawled all over her face.

"Too bad for the Laramie clan," Ash commented, a feeling of helplessness settled deep in his gut as a frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. But as he spoke up, she seemed to remember his presence, and her face lit up as she turned and looked at Ash with a smile on her face.

"Hold on! Ash, you could ride Ponyta for me!" The pair and Wartortle gasped, and Ash stood up hastily from the wooden bench him and Brock sat on.

"I can't do it!" he protested with his arms out. "Ponyta'll burn any rider except you!" but the Pokémon Breeder shook off this concern with a shake of her head and a chuckle.

"I'm sure you could do it," she replied. "When I saw you trying so hard to pet Ponyta, I knew 'ya could, Ash. Please give it a try."

"Yeah, but..." His eyes looked at Ponyta's onyx ones, and they seemed to glow a fiery red and looking at him directly in his, studying him. They seemed to bring out something in him, and when it gave him a gentle nicker. Looking back at Brock for support, the former Gym Leader smiled and stood up.

"We'll help you in any way we can," he said reassuringly, referring to him and Wartortle, who was still seated between the pair.

"Wartor, Wartortle," it agreed with a nod.

This brought a smile to Ash's face, and a warm glow rose in his chest. "Well, in that case, I'll do it!" he decided, and turned back to Ponyta and reached out to pet it. "Looks like we're partners, Ponyta." Before his gloved hand could touch the Pokémon's fur, the flames from its mane reached out and enveloped his hand as it had before, causing him to cry out and clutch his burning appendage. As it had before, Wartortle put out Ash's burning hand with a small, watered down Water Gun. Obviously, Ponyta wasn't very thrilled with the new development.

"Ponyta!" Lara scolded with a hand on her hip, and Ponyta gave a defensive whinny. Lightening her face, Lara took her free hand and rubbed it along the Fire Horse Pokémon's chin. "Ponyta, if you win the race with a new rider, it'll prove how great you really are; everybody'll know that you're the best of all. And that'll be the best praise for me. Won't you please let Ash ride you tomorrow?" Ponyta stared deep in its Trainer's eyes, and finally let out a grunt and nodded.

Heading outside by the Tauros pen to practice riding, the full moon above was easily able to illuminate the open field for them to practice. Not only that, but the glow from Ponyta's flames was like a lantern to further provide light. "Remember, Ponyta," Lara reminded her Pokémon gently, and petted its back, completely ignoring the fire that ran down it.

Finally, she turned to Ash and gave him a nod. Swallowing his fear of getting burned again, he walked forward and hoisted himself up onto Ponyta's back. When he settled, he looked at his hands and blinked in confusion. "Hey, it's not hot!" Despite physically touching the flames with both his hands and body, it felt as though they weren't even there. "I did it! Yeah!" In his excitement, he threw his arms out wide, and instantly lost his balance. Before he fell backwards, he caught himself by instinctively wrapped his legs around Ponyta's body, which resulted in accidentally kicking the Fire-type's sides. Ponyta neighed loudly and reared up on its hind legs before bolting forward. The surge forward made Ash roll backwards off Lara's Pokémon, and he grabbed the first thing he could before Ponyta booked forward – its tail. Holding onto the solid flames tightly so he didn't fall off completely, he screamed as his body bobbed up and down with the tail.

Back at the start, Brock let out a sigh, and Wartortle's ears drooped slightly as it watched its Trainer get whipped around.

"Wartor..."

This was certainly going to be a long night.

o 0 o

Fireworks popped in the afternoon sky, barely visible in the blue backdrop provided for them on that sunny day but only among the white clouds that hung puffy like cotton candy. The lights weren't the point of it, however, and the sound was followed by a deafening cheering from the audience to Ash's right – it meant the start of the Big P Pokémon Race.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to this year's Pokémon challenge sponsored by the Laramie clan!" the young MC called, his voice reverberating through the speakers from the booth high atop the audience. "Our course takes our challengers over rugged terrain to test their speed and ability. Whoever clears all the obstacles and crosses the finish line first is our winner!" The huge screen to the left of the beginning of the race track flashed between a bunch of different scenes, presumably ones that would be featured in the race. "Will the Pokémon and Trainers please come to the starting line now!"

Following Ash's lead, Ponyta trotted up to the white line that showed where they would start, and immediately to their right, Lara and Growlithe were sitting front row in the stands, and she waved her undamaged arm to them to grab their attention. "Good luck, guys!" she called. Ash locked eyes with the Pokémon Breeder, and immediately a fire started to burn in his stomach. He was exhausted from being up all night, but adrenaline was keeping him up.

"Ready to race, Ponyta?" he asked the Pokémon below him, and the Fire-type responded by flaring the fire on its mane. Beside him, Brock flinched back, riding atop his Onix's head, and ducked behind the rocky spine sticking out of the top of its head.

"H-hey!" he exclaimed.

At that moment, the stoplight in front of them flashed to life, and all of the eyes at the start of the finish line were on it – both human and Pokémon. "Ready?" Time seemed to slow down, and despite the murmuring of the audience directly beside him, he could hear his blood pumping in his ears. He soon realized he wasn't breathing, and before he knew it, the light turned green. "GO!"

Everyone took off all at once, each of the Pokémon causing a huge dust cloud to kick up so no one could tell who was in the lead, though right at the start, all of the contestants were neck-and-neck. "And they're off on this exciting Pokémon Challenge race! When the dust settles, we'll be able to see who's in the early lead!" The audience screamed in a collective noise, though some of them called out to their friends and favorites participating. It was all a drone to Ash, whoever, who was simply listening to Ponyta's galloping under his body.

And so they stayed all collectively until they left the stadium, and with it, the MC's commentary. Ash could hear Brock's Onix dragging along beside him, as well as the rushed stomping of the other Pokémon that were alongside him. This lasted until the stadium and audience was behind them and the road lead to a grassy area, and with a yip from Dario, him and his Dodrio shot on ahead of the group in a burst of stared at the Dodrio Trainer – knowing that if he got frustrated, Ponyta would sense it, and he needed to keep a level head, and that meant not focusing on the others around him.

Feeling movement and seeing commotion going on in his peripherals, a Tauros started to buck its Trainer wildly as its roars echoed over the stampeding. Ash turned just in time to see Tauros ram one of its horns into the Nidorina beside it, and the blue Pokémon instantly whipped its head back at the Normal-type and snarl at it with its teeth peeled past its sharp teeth before jumping at it. Before they knew it, both Pokémon were tussling in the middle of the path against their Trainers' orders. The Pokémon closest to them saw the commotion and was able to steer away from them, leaving them behind to duke it out.

Some time went by, and the path turned and continued uphill. It was a forty-five degree uphill obstacle now, which was a test of endurance for the Pokémon. While Dario slowed down some, his Dodrio was still in the lead by a good distance. But while some Pokémon didn't have trouble with the terrain, this was the time when everyone was starting to separate. In fact, Ash himself was starting to feel Ponyta tire as they moved up the rocky path, and was falling behind from even Brock and Onix. "C'mon, Ponyta!" he encouraged the Fire Horse Pokémon.

Moving up the steep hill seemed to take forever, and while Ash wasn't completely last, he still found himself lingering in the back of the group. But that all changed once they reached the top of the mountain and back down it. Steadily, Ponyta began to pick up speed, but it wasn't the only one. Suddenly, one Pokémon went barreling past Ponyta and Ash, and even flying past Dario and Dodrio.

"What?!" Ash exclaimed, his mouth hanging open in shock. The Trainer that passed him was riding an Electrode – a round ball Pokémon – like a barrel on a river. Electrode's ball-like body was being used to its advantage here, as while the Trainer was frantically trying to keep up and not stumble and trip on top of his Pokémon, Electrode was a red and white blur as it spun downhill.

Suddenly, the Electrode hit a rock, and flew high into the air. From the momentum it was going, the rock acted as a ramp that threw both it and its Trainer off-balance, and they seemed almost suspended in the air before coming down hard with an earth-shaking crash. With both Pokémon and Trainer on the ground dazed, Dario was able to take the lead once again, as well as Brock and his Onix, and a Rhyhorn and its Trainer as the two Rock and Ground Pokémon were neck and neck. However, just as they passed by, Electrode's body began to glow red.

Trailing in the end, Ash and Ponyta were surrounded on either side by a Sandslash and Raticate, and while they weren't attacking him per se, they were sandwiching him in between them to try and get a lead. And such, none of them were paying attention that the Ball Pokémon was glowing until they were right on top of it. Ash pulled at Ponyta's reins, instructing it to jump, but when he did, he looked down just at the right time for Electrode to explode. The three racers all flew in different directions, with Ash and Ponyta flying through the air and skidding along the rocky terrain.

Smoke filled the mountainous path from the Explosion attack, and Ash's body was pulsing with pain as he lay on the ground. He could feel his elbow was scuffed from the impact, but luckily there weren't any broken bones. Pulling himself up weakly, Ash had been thrown off Ponyta and was leaning against the hurt Pokémon. He lifted his head and saw that the Electrode had been knocked out by its own attack and caused a large crater where it had been, and the Raticate and Sandslash were knocked out as well.

The reality of the situation sinking in, Ash realized that he was in last place, and that thought made him pull himself up onto his feet. But while that was in the back of his mind, Ponyta's well-being was first and foremost. "Ponyta, are you all right?" Ash asked with concern, dragging his hand alongside the horse Pokémon's nose just as Lara had done the night before. Ponyta's eyes came together as it regained consciousness, and it let out a small nicker. "Can you keep going?"

Another neigh, this one louder than before, and shakily at first, Ponyta managed to pull itself onto its feet and look at Ash with determination. A smile instantly spread across his face, and he scratched the Fire-type behind one of its ears as it leaned into his touch happily. "Great job! We need to catch up, so let's get going!" Swinging his leg back over Lara's Pokémon, he and Ponyta took off into a run the rest of the way back down the mountain.

The first person he caught up to was Brock. At the foot of the mountain was a large lake with rocks all across the center of it. The next obstacle was for racers to get across the lake, either by swimming or by the rocks. Since Brock was riding Onix, he could do neither, so he was forced to retire. Giving a nod to his friend, Ash rushed past the pair and Ponyta's hooves clopped against the boulders sticking out of the water beautifully and smoothly without any hesitation, showing how skillfully it had been raised. "Faster faster faster faster!" Ash chanted, a smirk appearing on his face. He felt like he was flying across the water, and with Brock out of the race and knowing the Rhyhorn Trainer didn't get across as well, it was down to just him and Dario now.

The lake was now behind them, and the penultimate obstacle was a downhill slope with various landings that had different types of food bowls on them. The Pokémon had to choose their bowl and eat the entire thing before moving on. As Ponyta's hooves skidded down the sandy slope and Ash pulled on the reins, he could see Dario in the center of one of the food bowls, but his Dodrio's heads were fighting with one another to be the first to eat.

Finally landing on solid ground with a silver trough filled with hay. The food was a good way to replenish lost energy and also give the Pokémon a break from running. "Okay Ponyta, time for some fast food." As the Fire-type began to eat, Dario glared at Ash, and looked back at his Dodrio.

"Stop fightin', you dolts! If y'all don't start eatin', then messin' with Lara's Tauros would have been pointless!"

"'Messing with Lara'?" Ash repeated, and then suddenly, everything clicked together in his head, and his eyebrows clashed together on his forehead. "So it was you! You're the reason Lara's arm is broken!"

"Yeah it was me," Dario replied with a smirk. "Though her arm breakin' was just an accident. A happy one – until you took over."

"Why you-" the black-haired Trainer began, but then he was cut off when Ponyta gave a loud whinny and kicked its front and back legs wildly. "Woah! Settle down, Ponyta! Hey, calm down!" A nervous look crossed Dario's face as his beady eyes fell upon the unsettled Fire Pokémon, and he looked down at his Pokémon, who was finally eating away at the plate of food.

"Go, Dodrio!" he ordered. The Triple Bird Pokémon quickly swallowed the food it had in its beaks and gave a mighty leap before stamping down the side of the mountain.

"I can't believe the lengths Dario went to to get this far ahead." Ponyta neighed in agreement, and suddenly, both it and Ash became surrounded in an aura of flames – a visual representation of Ponyta's anger. "C'mon, Ponyta; let's win this race for Lara!" Rearing up on its hind legs, Ponyta let out a neigh that echoed through the canyon and leapt off the ledge it was on.

Getting down to the bottom, they left the mountain region and finally was circling back to the stadium. The aura of flames was still around Ash and Ponyta, and they were shooting as fast as they could down the path after Dario. "Faster, Ponyta! We're way behind!" Dario's back was able to be seen, and they were quickly catching up. Dario and Dodrio skidded around the bend in the track, and a white picket fence on either side of the patted-down dirt showed they were closer to the finish line. The cheering from the stadium showed they had come full circle, and as Ash could hear the announcer's voice echoing over the microphone, he knew he had to hurry.

"And Dodrio has entered the stadium still in the lead!"

"Yee-haw! I'mma win this one!" Dario cheered preemptively, but with another burst of adrenaline from Ponyta, the runner-ups quickly were closing the distance, and the loud shouting of the audience gave away Ash's presence. Craning his neck around, he saw the pair covered in flames and right behind him, and his eyebrows shot up into his unkempt hair. "Huh?! How'd he get so close?!"

"Now Ponyta's closing in on Dodrio!" the MC called as Ponyta pulled up beside Dodrio, neither Pokémon or Trainer even glancing in the other boy's direction and only focusing on the finish line in front of them.

"Okay, Ponyta! Let's beat him!" Ash encouraged.

"Now these two powerful Pokémon are trading the lead!" The announcer was right: as soon as Ponyta would get ahead, Dodrio would up its speed slightly, which would only push Ponyta, and so on and so forth. After trading the spot in the lead a few times, Dodrio managed to get inches ahead of Ponyta, and Dario smirked.

"Do it, Dodrio!" he commanded, and the rightmost head reached out and poked Ponyta in the side of the head near the eye with its sharp beak. Ash let out a cry as Ponyta shook its head from the pain, and slowed down from it.

"Something's happened! Ponyta is falling behind!"

"That was a cheap shot, Dario!" Ash screamed.

"I do what I have to do win!" His opponent threw a smirk over his shoulder, and digging the heel of his boot into Dodrio's body, the Normal and Flying Pokémon sped up.

"Dodrio is closing in on the finish line!"

Underneath him, Ponyta shook off the pain from being pecked at by Dodrio, and suddenly, the flames around it turned red. Ash could instantly feel a temperature difference, and he let out a gasp and looked down just in time to see Ponyta's entire body begin to glow white. He felt himself move upward in the air as Ponyta's legs grew, and the flames that were glowing white seem to flow out more as well. Finally, a horn grew out of the form's forehead, and when the glow faded, Ash was sitting on a completely new Pokémon. The Pokémon jumped high into the air with a burst of newfound energy, and Ash let out a cry as he held on tight to the new Pokémon while the audience awed in amazement. "Ponyta just..."

"Fans, this is incredible!" the announcer exclaimed. "Ponyta has just evolved into Rapidash, the fastest sprinter in the world of Pokémon!" As if to prove the announcer's words right, Rapidash shot on ahead. The world around him was blurring by so fast, but Ash only had tunnel vision for the finish line ahead. But hearing the announcer over the speakers, Dario whipped around so his ponytail almost hit him in a face, and he looked at the pair approaching in disbelief.

"I can't believe it!"

"Here comes Rapidash, who has a top speed of over one hundred miles per hour! And Rapidash has caught up! They're neck-and-neck; heading for the finish line!" As they had before, the two were fighting to get in the lead, but with the finish line so close, Dario couldn't do his cheap tricks without anyone seeing.

"Come on, Dodriooooo!"

"Rapidaaaash!" Both Trainers called out to their riding Pokémon, encouraging them to the best of their abilities.

"It's down to the wire!" the MC shouted just as they crossed the finish line. The whole audience went silent and their eyes all shot to the big screen above the stadium for the photo finish. It instantly showed Rapidash's snout making it over the goal post just a hair's length in front of Dodrio's beak. Seeing this, the audience let out a deafening cheer. "An incredible upset! Rapidash makes an amazing comeback to win this Pokémon challenge!"

Slowing down to a stop, Ash looked down at the newly-evolved Fire-type. "Way to go, Rapidash," he complimented proudly.

"You cheater! You interfered with me!" Dario spat.

"You're the one who attacked me!" Ash returned, but Dario wasn't hearing any of it and pointed forward.

"I'll show you! Go get 'em!" But before Dodrio could even get close to Rapidash, the Fire Horse Pokémon reared up on its front legs and gave a powerful kick backwards. The hooves planted themselves into Dodrio and sent both it and its Trainer flying high into the air and out of sight.

The audience was still cheering when the presenters came out with a flag that featured a Poké Ball with a crown and handed it to Ash, and smiling up, he saw Lara and her Growlithe running up onto the racing track, and she petted her Pokémon proudly. "Congratulations, Ponyta- I mean, Rapidash! You are this year's Pokémon challenge champion! Let's give a big hand to its Trainer, Lara Laramie, and for the winning rider, Ash Ketchum!" The audience clapped and cheered harder than before, and even Growlithe barked excitedly over the win.

"Hey, congratulations, Lara," he said to the blue-haired girl, and she smiled at him and extended his hand.

"Thank you, Ash!" she thanked as he clasped her hand. "You proved yourself to be a fantastic Pokémon Trainer. Isn't that right, Rapidash?"

Rapidash let out a small whinny and leaned forward, nuzzling its wet snout against Ash's face and licking him affectionately. The tickling sensation brought a laugh out of Ash's throat, and he grinned from ear to ear. "Aw, shucks, Rapidash!"

o 0 o

The race and commotion behind them, the sun was just starting to set, and not wanting to impose any further, Ash and Brock decided to continue on their next destination. Seeing them off was Lara, her Growlithe, one of her Tauros, and of course, her Rapidash, whose flames was glowing wildly in the setting sun. "If you're looking to capture Pokémon, the Safari Zone just ahead should be perfect," she told them.

"The Safari Zone? That's the place for me!"

"Thanks again, Ash," Lara thanked, and it looked as though the smile on her face would never fade. "You did a great job! I'm sure you'll be a Pokémon Master."

"Thanks, Lara. I'm much obliged." And with a final wave from both sides, the pair headed off toward the Safari Zone to continue their Pokémon journey.

-end-

Ash:

Party:

Wartortle (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Dig, Water Gun, BubbleBeam

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Wing Attack

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed

Charmander (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Ember

Krabby (Poké Ball)

Moves: ViceGrip

Mankey (Poké Ball)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch

At Professor Oak's Lab:

Muk (Poké Ball)

Moves:

Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Soul Badge

Brock:

Party:

Onix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig

Geodude (Poké Ball)

Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle

Zubat (Poké Ball)

Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic

Psyduck (Poké Ball)

Moves:

Vulpix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Fire Spin