=Chapter 26, Ponyta's Decision=
(Jacob's PoV)
"I need more Cheri Berries!" Jacob shouted as he stirred the medicine he was making as quickly as he could, adding more Rawst Berries to mash and extract for the juice.
"Rawst Berries coming up!" Levan shouted as he rummaged through Jacob's stash of berries and medicine.
"Jacob is this bandage tight enough?" Karen shouted while he woked.
He glanced over and saw the work she had managed for Ivan's leg after applying some medicine to treat any infection his wolf might have sustained. "Yea it looks good, tighten it up a little bit and add another layer of bandaging just in case!" He shouted back as Levan came over with more Cheri Berries for him to mash up.
It was merely a few minutes after Jacob and his friends had returned from saving Articuno, although narrowly. While he worked on the medicine to help Articuno's wing joints as well as Harold's body of its numerous electrical burns, he had time to reflect on what kind of a Trainer Viridian was, and just how very different he was from any other trainer he had ever met.
"I see your one of 'those' types of trainers."
"Sara, you named that thing Sara?"
"Pokemon are nothing but tools for us to use!"
"I had assumed it would last longer…"
"You assume I'm playing by the rules, well to an extent I am."
"If a tool wants to work until it breaks in half, so be it. It doesn't matter to me if they break in half or are nothing but pieces by the end of this."
Viridian didn't care about the Pokemon he was using, he didn't care how brutal or violent they were, nor did he care about Jacob's Pokemon or what happened to them. All he cared about was capturing Articuno, and he didn't care how badly he had to injure it to ensure he could capture it with ease. Karen had been right, if he didn't go on ahead when she told him to, he might have gotten to Articuno before Jacob and Sara did.
Then where would Articuno be right now.
Thinking of Karen, he looked over at her as she finished with Ivan and was grabbing her spare items to work on Articuno. She told him that after he and Sara went on ahead, she took on the three goons alone with her entire team. They fought well but Karen's team were far tougher than they let on, and though she was eventually forced to just Nora, she still won in the end. Of course a Trainer without their Pokemon is pretty helpless, and they learned this lesson the hard way, as Karen introduced them to her two best friends, her left and right fists.
She gave them a black eye, or two, but she assured him that they wouldn't be bothering them again in the near future. All she was concerned about is Articuno's safety and health.
While he extracted the juices from the berries, he looked up and over toward the beautiful ice type that they had saved and Karen was now applying potions and bandages to because of the severity of its injuries.
They learned that the Articuno was male thanks to Sara's questioning it, and was in the Hoenn region because it was seeking a new home. When it told them what gender it was, Jacob was curious about how to tell what gender it was, but refrained from asking because of how injured it was. For the moment it was sleeping, or at least trying to. All the injuries he had sustained were causing him a great deal of pain.
After they had returned to the Adoption Center, he had released all of his Pokemon and immediately started digging through his bag for potions, antidotes, berries, and everything else he'd need to help his team as well as Articuno. Coral's tail was at risk of being infected, and Ivan's leg was causing him great pain. Roran's wing needed a splint and wouldn't be able to fly for at least a week, something he hated because a Flightless Bird is a 'useless' bird in Roran's opinion.
Yet it was Harold that Jacob was most concerned about, being shocked by a Jolteon repeatedly nonstop with a massive Discharge of constant electricity while protecting him and Sara had caused numerous electrical burns across his body. He was also suffering from paralysis, and needed treatment badly or else the effects of the attack might become permanent. Articuno's injuries, though no less serious, were not life threatening, Viridian may not have cared about Pokemon in general, but he did 'care' enough to not want to kill Articuno, but that care ended at Articuno.
To Viridian, Jacob's team was expendable.
This was what angered Jacob most of all, that Viridian did not care at all about any Pokemon he didn't consider worthy. A living, breathing creature was about as important as a toothpick to him.
"Gro…vyle…" Harold moaned beside him, bringing Jacob back to the task he was working so feverishly on.
"Hang on buddy, just hang in there." He said to his starter, turning to look at him, knowing that Harold could hear but was in so much pain because of the burns and paralysis.
"Gro…vyle…" Harold repeated again.
While Jacob worked on the medicine, adding some more pressure to extract every last bit of juice, Sara came over and dropped a few of their Sitrus Berries for him to use.
Sara was extremely jittery after encountering Viridian, and through their link he could sense she was still a nervous wreck even after he was long gone. His mind had been that terrifying to her that she was trying her hardest to erase it. Helping him make the medicine was the only distraction that was working.
"Alright the medicine's ready." Jacob said as he leaned over Harold, the bowl of medicine hovering over him. "This will feel cold buddy, but I promise you'll feel better afterwards."
"Gro…" Harold said which Sara translated to. "Alright…"
Jacob nodded and slowly started pouring the medicine over Harold's body, particularly his backside where most of the burns were located. Harold shivered greatly but relief was etched onto his face just the same, as the cooling effects of the Rawst Berries helped his burns. The Cheri Berries would take time for the Pralysis, and to ensure they did the job he had to eat the last of the medicine.
After Harold drank what was left of the medicine in the bowl, Jacob sighed and returned his attention to Coral and the others, now that the worst of their injuries were treated. Coral's tail had been punctured deeply, and he was afraid it would be infected, so he asked Karen to wrap her tail in special bandages until he finished with Harold. Ivan's leg had suffered similar injuries, but his injury wasn't nearly as severe, despite how brutal it had been.
Fortunately Karen had treated Ivan's wound with a Super Potion while he was busy, so his natural healing had closed up the wound pretty quickly. It was also fortunate that the wound only broke skin and fur, instead of muscle and bone.
Jacob walked over to Coral, Sitrus Berries in one hand and medicine bowl in the other while Sara followed behind carrying what berries he didn't use for Harold. She was nursing her tail, or trying to with the bandage on it, when she spotted him and stopped upon seeing the medicine bowl. "Don't worry Coral, you'll feel better as soon as I figure out what to make for your wound." He said with an exhausted smile.
"Milo…" She said to him gently.
When he reached Coral the first thing he did was set the bowl down and place the berries in it, Sara placing hers alongside his. Then he removed the bandages around her tail so he could see the full extent of the damage she had received from her brutal attack. The wound was quite deep, but her natural healing had already caused the wound to scab over, limiting the chance of infection to her. In fact he was surprised to find her scales had already begun to regenerate despite how deep it had been.
"Well it looks like all you need is a bit of potion sprayed on, and maybe a helping of Sitrus Berries in your stomach wouldn't hurt." He said, feeling the new scales starting to form, replacing the ones that were lost and repairing the damage she had endured to protect him.
"Milo…" Coral said with a nod.
Jacob took some of the Rawst Berries and some Sitrus Berries to help her with any burning that the wound might be causing her and began draining them for their juice while Sara levitated the remaining Sitrus Berries for her to eat. When he thought about how hard his team had fought to protect him and through him Articuno, he couldn't help but feel ashamed at himself. He's their trainer, they put their trust in him to make the right decisions in battle and keep them safe and healthy. Yet he made so many mistakes, he underestimated Viridian's Pokemon, thinking they were just like others, and they all paid the price. Even Viridian's last words before he released his Arcanine sunk daggers into him, they stood a better chance when they were three on three, but he had sacrificed whatever advantage he might have had with Coral and Roran out to keep them safe, leaving Sara to fend for herself.
He had condemned her to fighting insurmountable odds, exactly what Arky had always told him to avoid.
"I'm sorry Coral, I let you and the others get hurt." He said as he finished the small medicine for her injury. "If I hadn't been so careless maybe none of this would have happened."
Coral, in response to Jacob's apology, took her tailfins and lifted Jacob's face to look at her eye to eye. Her eyes were a stark contrast to Jacob's, full of the same gentle care that she always showed when looking at him yet contained fierce determination nonetheless, while his were full of self-sorrow and guilt. "Milotic… Milotic tic Milo." She said to him that Sara translated. "It is not your fault… never blame yourself for what we had to suffer."
"But if I hadn't underestimated Viridian you and the others wouldn't be…"
"Milo… tic tic Milotic, Milotic tic Milo!" Coral said, interrupting him with a stern look. "It is not your fault… you did what you had to do and we trust you, these injuries were unavoidable and nobody is to blame for them!"
Coral's eyes softened and she gave him a soft nuzzle with her head, rubbing his cheek to show how much she cared. "Milotic… Milotic tic Milo… Milotic tic Milotic tic Milo." She said. "Besides we don't care about these injuries… I speak for us all when I say we'd endure worse for you… the fact you worried about us enough to recall us is proof you care about us."
(She's right Jacob!) Sara said cheerfully, catching his attention and making him look down at her. (You didn't want me to fight alone, I could sense it, but you had no choice! You didn't want to risk the others getting hurt worse, so I don't mind! If anyone is at fault, it's that mean human Viridian for not caring about Pokemon!)
Jacob nodded and after Coral stopped showing her affection long enough for him to apply the medicine to her tail; he and Sara headed over to Articuno to see what help he could be for the Legendary Ice type. "How is he doing?" Jacob asked Karen, who was busy wrapping bandages around its wing joints where the most severe injury was.
Karen was silent as she wrapped the bandage with Ziggles, the only other member of her team that had limbs suitable for the task besides Shrew and now Riolu. After a few minutes of persistently wrapping the bandage tightly, she finally finished it off and wrapped it in a knot to keep it tied. Then she wiped her forehead of sweat and smiled at Jacob. "I'm sure he's past the worst of it, although it will take his wings a few more days to fully recover. That Fearow's beak was really sharp and it dug in pretty deep. Legendary Pokemon heal much faster than normal Pokemon, so thank goodness for that! Right now he's asleep, Levan said he'll watch over and take care of Articuno while he heals; he even said he'll close the center until he can fly again safely."
"Yea, lucky for us that Articuno's injuries weren't life threatening." He said with a sigh of relief.
"Speaking of Legendaries Jacob… is that the Suicune you said way back when that you helped take care of back in Petalburg Woods?" Karen asked as she looked over Jacob's shoulder and off to the side.
Jacob and Sara looked over at Suicune and nodded in unison. "Yea, she helped me back when we were facing that guy we saw earlier. She helped us get away, back then she had recovered a lot of her strength, but she still wasn't fully recovered. Still she was tough enough to give him a taste of his own medicine and got away with us on her back."
"Well if you ask me, we owe her big time." Karen said with a sigh. "Speaking of which, I think she wants to talk to you."
"What makes you say that?" Jacob asked curiously.
"Well for starters, she hasn't taken her eyes off of you the entire time we've been here." Karen said with a smirk. "Not once while you were treating the Pokemon, has she taken her eyes off of you. I think she's been waiting for you to finish so she can speak to you personally."
Jacob blushed at that piece of information before nodding in understanding. With Sara beside him he walked over to Suicune who had, as Karen said, been sitting silently at the far side of the Adoption Center, well away from all the Pokemon and People who were there, but still in plain sight that everyone could see her, and where she could watch all of them at once. At least that was Jacob's line of reasoning for her position, but as Karen had said, Suicune had eyes only for Jacob, not once looking away from him as he moved toward her now.
It took a good few minutes to reach her, but once he and Sara did they both felt Suicune attempting to touch his mind to speak to him with her own Telepathy. Sara was hesitant but, out of respect she lowered her own barriers around Jacob's mind to allow the contact. Instantly they both felt her awesome presence in his mind, but its power was muffled by the gentle touch she put on them that came from familiarity with each other.
(Greetings Jacob, I am glad to meet you once again, even if under such circumstances.) She said calmly.
"T… thank you." Jacob said. "I think we should be the ones thanking you, you saved our butts again! If you hadn't shown up…"
Sara nodded in agreement, bowing her head slightly as she gave her reply. (Yes, Jacob and I were terrified, that Arcanine would have seriously harmed us, and it might have even killed Jacob and me if you hadn't intervened. For that I thank you as well, if anything happened to Jacob, I wouldn't know what to do!)
Suicune smiled and nodded in understanding. (Think not of what I did, it is I who have reason to thank you.) She said to them both. (You saved my life in the forest many months back, when I still assumed that all humans were the same. You could have captured me with no effort, I was at your mercy, yet you showed me mercy and pity, and with your aid I recovered strength that I did not have for many moons. When I was desperate, alone, and afraid of all around me, fearing enemies at every turn, it was you who showed pity and helped me when you could have simply left me to fend for myself. It is I who owe a great debt to you, for you showed me the kindness in humans and trainers, which I had all but forgotten could exist.)
Remembering the Petalburg Woods sparked something Jacob had never quite gotten the answer to, but now that she was in front of him he just had to ask. "You gave me and my team all that food and medicine didn't you?" He asked curiously. "You gave me the Luxury Ball that Coral now uses as well, but why?"
Suicune smiled again as she gave her reply. (I overheard many a times in the conversations between you and the Pokemon around you, of the fears they had that you might run out of food before you passed through the woods. All because you couldn't bring yourself to leave me alone in my darkest hour, and insisting that you treat my injuries until I was fully healed. I wanted to repay you for your kindness, so I felt finding such food from around the forest that other trainers dropped during the night, was one small way to repay you.)
"That wasn't necessary…" Jacob said with a small chuckle. "But why are you here still, I figured once you were better you'd return to Johto, that is your native region isn't it? Why are you still here in Hoenn, not that I mind because if you weren't still here I'd probably have been finished back there."
This time it was Suicune who blushed, and Jacob knew she was blushing because of the coloration on her cheeks. (After you saved me, I decided to try and wander this land, to learn of it and more of your home.) She said, but he knew she was stalling from the tone in her voice. (After a while, I felt compelled to observe you, you were different than the other trainers I saw, and very different from the ones that sought after me for so long. So I followed you throughout your journey, I wanted to learn more about you from afar. I watched you cleaning the small pond near the city you were staying near soon after I left, and upon seeing the others treat you for doing such a kindness, I felt the urge to aid you.)
"So it was you, you purified the water in the Trainer Rest Area!" Jacob said, amazed that she was that close the entire time. "So you've been following us all this time, even when we were at sea? How come we never noticed you?"
Sara was just as surprised as Jacob was, she was constantly looking for minds after she evolved, and not once did she ever feel Suicune's mind nearby the entire time.
(I am one of the three great beasts of Johto, alongside Entei and Raikou, I can easily hide my presence from those I do not want to be felt by… if I'm strong enough that is.) She added. (In any case, I kept my distance after your Sara evolved into Kirlia, as despite my previous efforts, she could sense me if I wasn't careful to keep a certain distance. I watched and followed you as you made your way through the woods, being careful to remain hidden. I was there in the forests as you and your companions practiced and played on the island, and I was watching as you all battled the Tentacruel and Tentacools at sea. I also saw the bond you shared as I watched your Coral evolve for your sake when you nearly drowned, determined to save you for all you've done.)
"You were there as well, why didn't you help then?" Jacob asked, not out of malice but out of curiosity.
(I was curious to see what kind of trainer you were, and because I needed to see how you're Pokemon treated you. I am very nervous around humans, and I couldn't risk being seen by so many at the time, but you were a special case for me. Thus I endeavored to observe and follow you even more. I watched you and your friends' struggle to save that stone you now carry with you, and each time you visited the cities, I saw you leave triumphant with badges to prove yourself.)
Suicune looked up at Jacob's hat now and her eyes shifted from badge to badge. (I know little of badges beyond what my mother's mother told her of them, but if I'm correct, they are symbols of status among trainers?)
"Uh… yea, I need at least eight to qualify for the Hoenn League competition." He said nervously.
(Yea, we earned three so far, and we were on our way to Lavaridge for our fourth!) Sara said with a smile. (If we can get that then we can head back to Petalburg and try for our fifth!)
Suicune smiled again as she focused back on Jacob. (Indeed, then I have a request of you Jacob.) She said. (After you have earned your sixth badge, call out my name when you are alone and away from the ears and eyes of other trainers.)
"Uh… any particular reason why?" Jacob asked.
(You will understand when next we meet.) Suicune said, giving him another smile that only left him just a bit more confused than before.
(Ponyta's PoV)
Ponyta watched from the safety of the bushes as the two trainers went about treating the injuries of their injured teams. She saw the injuries they had sustained from the fighting, and this only terrified her more about being adopted. Those injuries looked really serious, especially the Grovyle's, he seemed to be in serious pain the way those burns looked.
She half expected the Pokemon that were owned by the boy, this 'Jacob', to resent their trainer and even hate him for allowing the injuries to happen to them. Yet as she watched them one by one, first the Grovyle, then the Milotic, and even the two he didn't tend to, his Mightyena and Swellow, all seemed to care about him greatly. His Milotic even showed great affection; despite how injured they were they all treated him just as they did before being hurt.
Why, didn't they hate being harmed at his request, don't they regret constantly fighting at the whims of a human? Or was there another reason they endured such pain?
She needed to find the answer, and the only way was to ask his Pokemon. When he went to talk to the Suicune, whom she avoided out of fear, she got her chance. She stepped out from the bushes and over to the Grovyle, the one she figured would have the deepest resent toward his trainer for his injuries. "How did this happen to you?"
The Grovyle was slow to respond, but he eventually looked up at her and answered. "It was a Jolteon, wouldn't stop electrocuting me. He kept going until he ran out of electricity."
Flinching at the prospect of being electrocuted for such an extended period of time, she asked her next question. "Why didn't you just run away?"
The Grovyle smiled a little at that question. "I could have, but if I hadn't taken the hit, my trainer and Sara would have taken the hit instead. He is a strong human but he would have died if he had been zapped by that Jolteon for any period of time. I could take the shock better, so it was an easy choice to make, even if I got burned and paralyzed in the end. Besides, his medicine is working; I can already feel my feet now!"
She just stood silent, trying to understand his words. "But… don't you hate him? He let you get hurt…he could have avoided that fight and you wouldn't have had to suffer."
Again the Grovyle simply chuckled, but in a more serious sense. "Yes, he could have, but if he did then what would have happened to Articuno?" He said. "He's a Trainer, and it's like his friend Karen says, Trainers must answer the call to help any Pokemon in need, or to stand up for what they believe in. Jacob wanted to protect Articuno, and that's more than enough reason for me to fight beside him."
As he spoke, the Milotic snaked her way over to Harold, apparently overhearing the conversation being said. "What's wrong Harold is she asking about Jacob again?"
"She's asking why I don't hate Jacob for letting me get injured like this."
"I just want to know why he let you all get so hurt; shouldn't he be trying to protect you from harm in the first place?"
The Milotic turned to look at her and wasn't as cheerful as she was earlier. "We endured the pain to protect our Trainer from harm." She said. "He cares about each of us a great deal, and when we were injured badly he recalled us each to protect us from further harm. Despite my willingness to continue fighting, he recalled me to keep me safe; I need no other reason."
Ponyta watched as the Milotic snaked away, and Harold the Grovyle returned to resting his head on the ground, and guessed that the conversation was over, they had said all they needed to say.
"Are you still worried about Jacob adopting you?" Harold asked as Ponyta stood there in thought.
She looked down and nodded at the Grovyle, indeed she was nervous about being adopted. Yes she wanted a home, but she was very shy around humans, the last few humans that tried adopting her only did so because she was 'shiny', whatever that meant.
"Give him a chance; he's nicer than you think." He said. "I've been with him the longest and I can tell he'll make a great trainer. He's smart, we haven't gotten this far by him being stupid, and so that's why I trust him. Sure the battling isn't easy, but I want to see just how far we can go together. That and… the boy can cook, so no way am I going back to eating plain old berries again if I can help it!"
Ponyta listened to him and while she wasn't sure about the validity of the last argument, she figured that, maybe these trainers did really care about their Pokemon more than she thought. The Groyvle had the most serious injuries, yet he still respected and cared about this human.
Perhaps she should consider convincing him to adopt her, she thought as she watched him leave Suicune and go to talk to Levan and the female Trainer called Karen.
She would make her decision tonight, but not right now as she overheard one word they said that sparked her interest in seeing if what Harold said was also true.
She would decide, after lunch.
(Jacob's PoV)
=Two Hours Later=
"Soup's on everybody!" Jacob shouted as he started separating the food into bowls and plates for everyone.
"About time!" Karen shouted enthusiastically as she and everyone else started rushing toward Jacob to try and get first dibs on lunch. "We've been wasting away here waiting on you!"
"Well excuse me for being slow." Jacob said as he handed Karen her plate and pointed out her team's food.
Jacob's team came next after Levan took Articuno food as well. Suicune had left a while ago, saying she would continue to watch over Jacob from afar if he needed her aid again, as well as to wait for when he achieved his sixth badge, what she had planned Jacob could only imagine, but he wouldn't know until he earned that sixth badge. He had also prepared a bowl for Ponyta, in case she too was hungry.
Finally, after everyone had been given their food, they dug in with gusto.
"Mmmm, Jacob what do you put into this soup to give it that delicious kick?" Karen asked as she chowed down happily. "I knew hanging around you was the right choice!"
"So you're saying I'm only good to you as a personal chef?" Jacob said.
"That sounds about right!" Karen laughed through a mouthful of food.
"Seriously, how do you kids cook so well these days?" Levan asked as he sat with them enjoying his own bowl of soup. "Back when I was your age I would have SLAVED AWAY to learn to cook like this."
(Yummy!) Sara told him as she ate her own soup.
"I just had a good teacher." Jacob answered back.
It seemed odd to Jacob to be talking so casually when just earlier that day they had been fighting for their very lives. Yet he knew it was just everyone's way of trying to forget the horrible stuff that just occurred. Besides everyone seemed much better now that their wounds were being treated, though Roran needed to see a professional doctor in Lavaridge when they arrived there to look at his wings, but he was looking much more cheerful now that his favorite food was in his stomach.
The rest of his team was also pleased to be eating lunch, and as he watched he saw them all talking animatedly among each other. Despite nearly all of them wearing bandages in some form or another, including Karen's team, they were all happily talking to each other while eating lunch.
"Well whoever your teacher was, he or she sure did a good job!" Levan said. "Especially in the food department, man what I would give to cook this good! If I could I'd have fans following me everywhere wanting to learn my secret!"
"Tell me about it!" Karen shouted. "This is probably his secret to having such strong Pokemon, the food he cooks!"
(Jacob…) Sara whispered to him, causing him to look up from his own plate.
He watched as the Ponyta that had been very shy of him nervously approached the group, and by the look in her eyes he could guess that she was hoping to get some food from them. "Pfbbts?" She neighed nervously, stopping next to them and eyeing the food bowl that was set aside for her.
"Sure go ahead Ponyta that one's for you!" Jacob said cheerfully.
Everyone watched Ponyta as she walked over to the bowl and bent down to start eating. She gave it one tentative lick to taste it, then she started eating slowly, but soon enough she was digging into it with just as much gusto as the rest of their Pokemon, including Riolu, whom Karen now called Lance.
"Welp, I think we can assume that, yet another Pokemon loves Jacob's cooking." Karen joked as Ponyta ate up the soup quickly and upon finishing neighed happily to thank Jacob.
"You're welcome Ponyta." Jacob said with a laugh of his own.
Ponyta certainly looked happy to have eaten his food; in fact she looked and seemed much friendlier toward him now, evidenced by the fact that she started nuzzling his shoulder in appreciation.
Half an hour after everyone ate lunch and they had packed up their bags in preparation to leave, Levan asked why they were leaving so soon. "I mean, isn't it still bad outside even with Articuno no longer flying?" He asked them. "Plus I figured you'd want to rest here and keep an eye on Articuno at least until morning."
"We want to Levan, but we need to get going as soon as possible." Jacob said. "Roran's wing needs a professional to look at it, and I'd rather not risk getting him into another fight before we get him treated. Also we need to get to Lavaridge Town to let the police know about Viridian as soon as we can!"
"Yea, that guy is on the loose and the sooner we spread word about him the better." Karen said in agreement. "As much as I want to stay behind as well, the sooner we get going the better. That guy can do a lot more harm and we need to warn everyone about him!"
"Well alright you guys, be careful and stay safe on the…" Levan started saying, but was interrupted as Ponyta ran over to them, a piece of paper clutched in her mouth.
"Pfbbt…" She said, holding the paper to Jacob.
"For me?" He asked, and she nodded.
Jacob curiously took the paper from the mouth and flipped it over to see that it was an adoption form, a blank adoption form.
"You want me to adopt you?" Jacob asked the Ponyta, who nodded happily. "Are you sure you want to tag along with me?"
Ponyta nodded again, and Sara translated her one and only condition for adopting her. "Don't put me in a battle though, I really don't like battling! You have to ask for my permission first alright?" She said.
Jacob looked over Ponyta for a moment before smiling and nodding in understanding and agreement. "Alright, no battles without your permission got it!" He said with a laugh.
"Alright Jacob you got another member on your team!" Karen shouted as Jacob started filling out the adoption papers the same way Karen did. "So what are you going to name her?"
As Jacob reached that particular spot on the paper where he could choose a name, he looked over Ponyta and proposed a name he felt suited her. "How do you feel about the name, Kenna?" He asked.
Ponyta neighed happily and nuzzled Jacob's shoulder again, obviously agreeing with the name. The flames that made up her mane tickled him warmly but otherwise didn't harm him.
"Wow Kenna, I'm going to miss seeing you around as well as Lance." Levan said warmly as Lance bounced around enthusiastically. "Be safe and sound with Jacob alright?"
"Don't worry Levan we'll keep her safe!" Karen shouted, moving her hand to pet Kenna. "She'll be another member of our happily little YEOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"
The moment Karen put her hand to Kenna's flames she got the burn of a lifetime. Karen was hopping around blowing on her hand to cool it off, before running outside to bury her hand in the snow. "What was that for?" She shouted angrily.
Jacob laughed his head off as he knew the reason why, but savoring the moment for as long as he could. "Ponyta and other fire type Pokemon are capable of controlling their flames to a degree that they don't burn people they trust!" He said with a smile. "I guess she doesn't like you or trust you that much still Karen."
"You are so LUCKY you are a good cook Jacob, or else I'd introduce your face to my fist right now!" Karen shouted angrily, causing Levan, Jacob, and even Kenna to laugh and chuckle because she wouldn't ever carry out her threat, while Sara started dancing around Jacob, unable to control herself at her trainer's mirth.