Nina, surrounded by light and Fire, frantically rummaged through her chest pocket to grab the knife she had prepared beforehand. Then slashed at the harness of her saddle to relieve the tension.

  She could feel it, the bulging of the straps from Rice Shower’s Evolution. Originally, she had wanted to eschew the saddle, knowing that this would happen all along. But safety regulations demanded that she had to have a saddle. The alternative she proposed was just a light blanket tied loosely with some rope.

  Honestly it was tough enough trying to get permission to remove the stirrups. On account of her Ponyta’s unfortunate deficiency in height. But that one did go through, after a quick demonstration of how the annoying things would either break her legs or drag against the ground.

  “I’m gonna be sore for weeks after this though.” Clamping onto the back of a Ponyta for dear life was not fun.

  As the Light of Evolution began to fade, Rice Shower grew. She grew and she grew. Until eventually, Nina found herself riding atop a majestic Rapidash, hair as black as night and azure flames brighter than moonlight.

  The fiery rose bud surrounding them bloomed, its petals twisting around their rear to give Rice Shower a much needed burst of speed.

  “Quick Attack! Flame Charge! Flame Wheel! Giga Impact! Combine everything and give it all you’ve got, Ricey!!!!”

  This was their final gambit. Nina had no idea if this sudden combo would work or not. After much brainstorming with Nitey and Espy, they concluded that the theory was sound. Quick Attack to close the gap, Flame Charge and Flame Wheel to supercharge Giga Impact and propel them like a rocket. The problem was, they had never succeeded in practice before. Mainly due to fear of getting injured before the race.

  But no matter, they had no other option for catching up to McQueen. Whitney and her Galarian Rapidash were too experienced, too dominant. They had to cheese it.

  Nina clenched her teeth and hunkered down onto Rice Shower’s back as the newly evolved Rapidash exploded in a burst of ungodly speed, almost fast enough to give Nitey a good run for his candy.

  And thank goodness for that, because Whitney and McQueen were starting to pull ahead on their bullshit Psychic travelator. “Seriously! Who the heck came up with an idea like that?!”

  She couldn’t help but wonder if the Psychic appliance would apply to Rice as well if she jumped on, but decided not to risk it.

  “Come on, Ricey… Just a little bit more!” Nina couldn’t speak, not without biting her tongue. But she liked to think that her sentiment went through. She was able to feel it, however brief it was, a faint connection forming with Rice during her Evolution. One similar to the bonds she shared with the rest of her Pokemon.

  Then, in a blur too brief for Nina to fully process, they shot past the finish line with their opponent just a hair’s breadth away from them.

  Nina let out a sigh of relief. She had no idea who had won. All that mattered for the moment was that their ordeal had reached an end. The girl ran her palm through Rice Shower’s hardy nape, a signal for the Rapidash to ease off and relax.

  But much to Nina’s despair, her Ride did not stop. In fact, Rice Shower showed no signs of slowing down either — just continuing to huff and puff in ragged breaths, legs pumping desperately as if in dire pursuit of some phantom target.

  “Shoot! She’s in a trance! Somebody help!”

  Nina desperately pulled at the reins and slapped the Rapidash’s neck, struggling to break Rice out of her stupor.

  “Ricey! Ricey! Wake up! You’re going to burn out and hurt yourself at this rate! Riceeeey!!!”

  But the next thing she knew, Nina was soaring through the sky. Her Ride Pokemon nowhere to be seen. “Ahh… So this is what the stirrups are for…”

  “Ah, ah… AHHHHHHHH!!!”

  Nina screamed as she shot through the air, her head angled at an awkward angle towards the ground.

  “So this is how I die… Oh well, better than being burned alive I guess.”

  The girl shut her eyes, ready to meet the heavenly llama high above. Maybe then she could get some answers to the mysteries haunting her dreams.

  “Hehehe…”

  But the end never came. Instead, all she felt was the dizzying sensation of blood rushing to her head. With much reluctance, Nina opened her eyes and came face to face with the verdant turf of the race track, just mere inches away from her nose.

  Nina chuckled in exasperation, her heart pounding furiously like she had just been resuscitated from the brink. “Thanks Celebi… Really wished you’d stepped in sooner though… You little rascal.”

  “Hehehe!”

  Still, Nina sighed in relief and asked to be let down gently. But the moment she touched the ground, the girl jolted in realisation. “Wait! Ricey! Where is she?! Is she okay?!”

  Nina frantically flung her head around, trying desperately to catch sight of her fallen partner. And right as she turned around, she saw her, a bundle of heaving black and smouldering blue embers laying listless on the ground. And a little green pixie next to Rice Shower gently caressing the mare.

  “Ricey! Rice! Are you okay?!” Nina dove towards her fallen companion, knees scrapping against the ground and ruining her expensive costume.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  “Ricey… Can you hear me? Are you hurt?”

  “DAaash…” Her voice was weak but she did blink in affirmation, her beautiful amethyst eyes looking a little blurred with tears.

  “You’ll be alright, Ricey… You’ll be alright… I need a medic! Kerry! Anyone! Somebody, help!!!”

  Nina cried out in desperation until an anxious looking Kerry pulled over with her Rapidash and promptly got off to examine the injured Rice Shower. She was soon joined by the nurses on staff as well as a severe looking Imanami who returned Rice Shower to her Pokeball and rushed it over to the infirmary.

  “Why didn’t you save her too?!” Nina turned to Celebi with a glare. “If you were with us all along, you could have saved her too!”

  But the Mythical time traveler just responded with an assuring smile and a little boop on Nina’s nose.

  “This way, everyone friends forever! Play tag together!”

  And with that, the Celebi blinked out of existence, leaving a fuming Nina alone on the track.

  ***

  Nina shuffled awkwardly in front of the infirmary, until she received an impatient nudge from her irate Espeon, prompting her to enter after giving a weak knock on the door.

  “Ah! Miss Jones. Mr Imanami just went out to fetch you. You must have missed each other,” said the Nurse Joy who greeted Nina upon her entry.

  “Yeah… Is Rice okay? How is she?”

  The nurse smiled assuringly at the anxious girl and gestured towards one of the beds where a jet black Rapidash was awkwardly laid on her side, her slumbering face the picture of serenity. No doubt the nurses must have used external means like Sing to sedate her.

  Nina approached cautiously. She had never seen a horse laying down before. “Didn’t even know that was a thing. I thought horses slept standing up or something.”

  “There was a minor fracture on the right metacarpal, likely sustained during the fall.” The nurse explained, gesturing towards the cast placed on one of Rice’s forelegs. “It’s nothing we can’t treat with a bit of time. The main source of damage comes from the tendonitis and torn muscle ligaments sustained from post evolution exertion. Again, treatable but she’ll need at least a couple months of physical therapy.”

  The Nurse Joy then gave Nina a look that she could only perceive as being judgemental.

  “I’m sure you already know this Miss Jones, but a freshly evolved Pokemon isn’t as dexterous as they should be due to the sudden change in physique. But as is often the case, Evolution provides a fresh infusion of energy to the affected Pokemon and thus, it is oftentimes that they overexert themselves with a falsely inflated sense of power and invulnerability. As often seen among patients that come to us after a mid-battle Evolution.”

  Nina understood all of that. As a Gym Trainer, of course she did. But both she and Rice Shower agreed to the risk. They were banking on that sudden surge in energy from the Evolution process to help gain an edge over Whitney’s McQueen.

  It was a calculated risk. One that paid off to a certain extent, but not without its cost. The cost which Nina was staring at right now as she sidled next to Rice’s head and began gently caressing her thick, muscular neck.

  The Rapidash’s frame felt much broader than before when she was just a Ponyta. But as Nina pressed her ears against Rice Shower’s pulse, she could feel it, that same familiar heartbeat and rhythmic breathing — that same timid little Ponyta who would subtly brush her flames against Nina every time she wanted Berries, too shy to make the request openly.

  “I’m sorry, Ricey… This is all my fault. I pushed too hard. And for what? We still lost anyway.”

  Nina ran her fingers through the Rapidash’s newly acquired horn — a tiny little protrusion that seemed more like an afterthought from the game devs than anything practical. Unlike the impressively phallic protrusion of a Galarian Rapidash.

  In the end, that was what it came down to — the damned horn. If they had measured the distance crossed using their actual head, then Nina and Rice Shower would have won by a small margin. But unfortunately, it was McQueen’s spiraled horn that crossed the finish line first.

  Nina didn’t even have time to feel upset. She was too worried about her partner to care. Once the result was confirmed, the girl immediately ran off to check on Rice Shower, completely skipping over all the banal post-race ceremonies.

  And as if responding to her tears, Rice Shower stirred, shuffling uncomfortably in the awkward posture she was placed in.

  “Hey… hey… You’re okay. I’m right here, Ricey. Right by your side. Does it hurt? Are you uncomfortable? I’m sure Chansey can put you back to sleep if you prefer.”

  “DaAash…”

  After hearing the familiar voice of her chosen Rider, Rice Shower settled down and ceased her struggles in trying to stand back up. She then neighed feebly and nuzzled against the girl in denial.

  “Alright. I’ll be right by your side. Nurse Joy said you can’t stand yet. Otherwise you’ll hurt yourself. You don’t want the ouchies to return right?”

  “DaAaAsh…”

  The girl giggled. “That’s right, ouchies are no good. So just be a good girl and relax, okay? The nurses will take good care of you. Are you thirsty? Do you want something to drink?”

  The two stayed like that for some time, with Nina fussing over the mare and distracting her from the discomfort with idle chatter. Until Imanami came back to address them.

  “Heh. So you two hotheads're still kickin’ huh?”

  “I'm sorry, Mr Imanami…”

  “What for?”

  “I pushed Ricey too hard. Got her injured...”

  “Heh. Listen here, girlie. That partner of yours? She's a racer, born and bred. And racers? They live and die on the track. And that was one heckuva race you put on. So ain't nuthin’ to be ashamed ‘bout.”

  Nina shook her head with a frown. “With all due respect sir, I disagree. There's more to life then just going round and round in a circle—”

  “Oval, technically.”

  “Whatever. The point is, Rice is worth more than her ability to run around a track. She has more to live for! Should have more to live for.”

  “Heh. I like you, girl. Ya got gumption. More than most reckless speedsters that come my way. So I got a proposal for ya. Remember Bourbon’s owner? How he was snooping around for Rice’s owner?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well he ain't gonna get nowhere ‘cause I ain't selling.”

  “Wait, so you're Ricey’s owner?”

  “Yup. She was a gift from a friend — leftover from a ‘bad batch’. Haha!” Imanami cackled. “Betcha she's bashing her head in right ‘bout now. Got a few missed calls already.”

  The man leaned back with a haughty grin. “Anyways, the point is, ya gave Whitney a good run today. Usually what happens in these show races is that McQueen’ll just prance around, mess with the other stuck ups, make one big faff outta it, cross the line and call it a day. Then, them agents will farm the drama, commission a few scandals and milk it dry. But not today! Today, ya made that arrogant lil’ brat sweat — properly sweat. Ain’t seen her like that since Teio took to the scene.”

  Nina squinted, trying to decipher the man's intent.

  “Point is, I'm old now, girlie. Practically got half a foot in the grave already. Ain't got no patience for that no more. But once I'm gone and retired. Someone's gotta take care of my Pokemon, ya hear?”

  “So you're saying you want to hand over Rice’s ownership to… me?”

  “Heh. Ain't without strings though. Ricey’s a racer. Ain't nuthin’ gonna change that fact. So until I hang up the saddle. I want you to race her. Bring home a couple of crowns. Then, when I'm outta the way, the two of yous can prance off and do whatever ya want.”

  “B-but… this is my journey year. I have the Indigo conference coming up. I don't know how much time I can devote to Ricey’s training.” Kanto and Johto, being mostly mountainous terrain, couldn't afford her much space for running on the road either.

  “Ain't asking ya to start right away. Said I got half a foot in the dirt, not the whole foot!” The old man grinned. “I'll stable Rice here and keep her in shape. Feel free to call in and transfer her when ya need a Ride. All I ask is that you do Ride her and maybe Fly in from time to time for a few laps ‘round the track. She won't let anyone else touch her anyway. Nearly took the nurse's head off when she tried earlier.”

  Nina pouted and gave Rice Shower a little smack on the side. “Riceeeey~ You can't do that. Nurse Joys are blessings unto the world that we should all cherish.”

  The mare huffed and blew out her lips to try and imitate Nina's pout.

  The girl giggled and gave the belligerent Rapidash a little flick to her restless ear in response. “So Ricey, what do you say? Do you want to explore the world with me? Maybe run through the deserts of Hoenn, the coasts of Alola and the plains of Galar?”

  “DaAaAaAash!!!” Rice Shower neighed and flared her fiery mane with a passion.

  Imanami laughed. “Hah! Seems like a yes to me. I’ll deal with the paperwork. In the meantime, any questions?”

  “Yes, several actually.” Nina opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, the door to the infirmary opened once more. This time, the sound of camera flashes leaked in from the outside.

  Fortunately, the paparazzi were not allowed in. Instead, the only person who entered was the familiar, pink haired figure of Whitney.

  Nina braced herself, ready to fight back in case the woman came in here demanding that she attend some sort of press event. But surprisingly, that was not the case. Whitney just waved her hand at Imanami in a tacit signal for the man to give them some space.

  The man groaned, but ultimately obliged, walking over to the far side of the room where the nurses were. Whitney nodded in affirmation and drew the curtains surrounding Rice’s bed. Then settled down in front of Nina and just stared.

  The two Gym Trainers stayed like that for an awkward amount of time. Neither of whom were willing to break the ice.