Fist of the Pikachu

                                 Chapter Four
                            Wind Rider and Wildfire

     Ranma and Raiden were traveling along a dirt road that was going 
through the forest near Pallet Town. It had been two days since 
Ranma had left Professor Oak's compound and started on his 
Pokemon journey. Since then, he had been trying his best to follow 
the rules of being a Pokemon trainer, but it had not been easy. 
Apparently, he had begun to have second thoughts about becoming 
a Pokemon trainer.

The day before...
     Ranma and his Pikachu were just setting up camp when Raiden 
spotted something and tugged at Ranma's shirt to get his attention.
     "Huh? What is it Raiden?"
     "Pika! Pika!"
     Ranma looked to where the electric mouse was indicating and saw 
a bird that landed nearby. Ranma wondered what all the fuss was 
about. Then his Pikachu tapped the pocket where he kept his 
Pokedex.
     "Huh? Is that a Pokemon?"
     "Pika! Pika pi!" Raiden nodded.
     Ranma opened up the device and pointed it at the bird.
     *PIDGEY. A BIRD POKEMON OF THE FLYING TYPE. THESE POKEMON 
HAVE A PLEASANT DEMEANOR AND ARE EASY TO CATCH FOR 
BEGINNERS. ITS ATTACKS INCLDE SAND, WHIRLWIND AND GUST. *
     "Well..." Ranma wasn't too sure if he wanted to catch such a 
gentle-looking creature. He certainly didn't like the idea of using 
Raiden to battle it and then use a Pokeball to capture it after it was 
weakened. He had been taught not to pick on the weak.
     "Pikachu!" Raiden was more than ready to battle and test his new 
abilities. 
     Ranma sighed as he gave Raiden the go ahead with a nod. This 
was why he was out here in the first place. 
     The little electric Pokemon wasted no time as it charged the 
Pidgey. The bird noted the sudden rustling of the grass and saw 
Raiden coming at it with its cheek pouches sparking. When it saw the 
human standing behind it a few meters away, it immediately realized 
that Ranma was a Pokemon trainer. It then took to the air.
     To the Pidgey's surprise, Raiden had not automatically released 
his electric attack. Instead, the Pikachu leapt high into the air and the 
Pidgey found itself looking up at its opponent. The electric rodent 
had leapt more than twenty-five feet! Raiden then seemed to defy 
gravity as it turned and twisted in midair. Just as Pidgey came to the 
same height as Raiden, the Pikachu moved forward and began 
delivering several kicks and punches to the bird.
     Pidgey was caught off guard to a midair physical assault from an 
electric mouse and was stunned for several seconds. That was all 
Raiden needed as he gracefully landed back on the ground and let 
loose with a light Thunderbolt attack.
     "Pika... chu!"
     The lightning hit the Pidgey dead on and the bird fell to the 
ground in a daze.
     Ranma nodded at Raiden's performance. He had demonstrated his 
aerial skills as midair combat was a specialty of the Saotome School 
of the Anything Goes Martial Arts. As he watched the bird plummet 
toward the ground, he let off another depressed sigh as he reached 
around his belt, pulled out a Pokeball and pressed the activator 
button. The device expanded to its full size and with a casual toss, 
Ranma sent it up toward the Pigey.
     The Pokeball struck the Pidgey lightly and opened up. The bird's 
form glowed with an eerie light, then it was instantly sucked into the 
capture device. The Pokeball closed up and landed lightly on the 
ground. Ranma looked at the activator button and waited. When the 
button turned from red to white, the capture was complete. Pidgey 
was his.
     Ranma stared at the Pokeball for a long while as he thought about 
the capture meant. By all rights, he should feel proud at his first 
Pokemon catch. Unlike regular trainers, Raiden had needed no 
instruction from him in this battle, and had demonstrated that 
Ranma's martial arts training was effective. But it had been too easy. 
Pidgey had never stood a chance against Raiden's superior skills and 
Ranma felt badly about sending Raiden after it with no real cause 
other than to catch it.
     "Pika pi!" Raiden said happily as he ran up to the feet of its trainer. 
     Ranma said nothing as he continued to gaze at the Pokeball.
     "Pi? Pikachu?"
     Ranma finally noticed his friend when it started tugging at his 
pants. He looked down at the slightly puzzled expression of his 
Pokemon, then gave him a small smile. "Uh... you did a good job 
Raiden. I... guess Pidgey should be... uhhh.... well..." It was then 
that he huffed in frustration as an image of the injured Pidgey came 
across in his mind. "Aw nuts! I can't do it!"
     "Pika?"
     "I'm sorry Raiden. You did a great job, but I just can't do it!" 
Ranma walked over to the Pokeball, picked it up and then tossed it up 
in the air. "Pidgey! Come out!"
     The Pokeball split open and the bird Pokemon was released. It 
fluttered to the ground and landed in front of the Ranma and Raiden. 
The martial artist frowned as he saw the injuries that Pigey had 
sustained in its battle with his Pikachu. The winged Pokemon stared 
at its new trainer and waited for its orders.
     The pigtailed martial artist pointed to the sky and said, "Go. You're 
free. I... I'm sorry that I... we attacked you."
     "Pidge?" The bird Pokemon was confused.
     Pidgey wasn't the only one who was confused. "Pika pi?"
     Ranma repeated himself, this time a little more forcefully. "Go! 
You're free!"
     Pidgey was still a little confused at the human's actions, but it was 
a command. Flapping its wings, it took to the air. A minute later, it 
had disappeared from sight.
     "Pika! Pikachu!" Raiden couldn't believe it. All that hard work, and 
all for nothing! It became a little steamed at his trainer's reluctance 
and turned to give him a piece of his mind. When he looked up at 
Ranma, the electric mouse's irritation faded when it saw that Ranma 
was sad. He was trying very hard to hold back his tears. Raiden's 
trainer said not a word as he went back to the campsite. 

The present...
     "Pikachu?"
     Ranma still didn't comprehend his Pokemon's dialect, but he could 
guess at what he was saying at the moment. "You're probably asking 
me why I let that Pidgey go, right?"
     From his position atop Ranma's backpack, Raiden nodded.
     Ranma sighed as he said, " I think it was a mistake to become a 
Pokemon trainer."
     "Pika pi?"
     "I... just couldn't do it. It... didn't feel right for me to put that 
Pidgey into that Pokeball. I mean, you did hurt that Pidgey pretty 
bad, didn't you?"
     Raiden paused to consider it. It had to admit that it was too easy. 
His new skills had made his far more formidable. That Pidgey had not 
stood a chance.
     "And I really felt bad when I put it in that Pokeball. I... just 
couldn't go through with it! I was trained to be a martial artist! I'm 
supposed to protect the weak! Now here I am, catching Pokemon by 
weakening them and putting them in Pokeballs! It... feels like I'm 
collecting slaves. It seems like I'm going against everything that I 
was taught."
     Raiden was about to protest, but then thought about it. Like some 
Pokemon, he didn't like to be confined. He could understand 
Ranma's reluctance to capture Pokemon. However, that was what 
trainers do. That was the reason why they were out here. Raiden was 
registered as his Pokemon and now they must catch and train other 
Pokemon so that they could achieve their best potential. Raiden had 
already exceeded the limits of a normal Pikachu.
     "Pika pikachu!"
     Ranma shook his head sadly as they continued on to Viridian City. 
     Unknown to both of them, flying high above them, the same 
Pidgey that Ranma had caught earlier was quietly following them. It 
had become intrigued at the behavior of this Pokemon trainer and his 
Pikachu. The human showed genuine regret over having his 
Pokemon attack it and had set it free. This, and the fact that the 
Pikachu had displayed some extraordinary skills, had caught the 
bird's interest. If that human could train his electric mouse in midair 
combat, then it was possible that Pidgey could learn some new tricks 
as well. There was something about the human that made him unique 
and the Pidgey wanted to know what it was.
     It was near sundown as Ranma and Raiden set up camp for the 
night. During the day, Ranma had passed up several opportunities to 
capture Pokemon. Raiden had become exasperated when his trainer 
refused to send him out to battle a Venomoth, a Beedrill, a Gloom and 
a Nidoran. Although he understood Ranma's reluctance, Raiden was 
getting frustrated. At this rate, it would be a long time before they 
would have the minimum of six Pokemon that all trainers were 
supposed to have. Raiden wanted to see if his new martial arts and ki 
techniques were effective against other Pokemon and his trainer 
wasn't cooperating!
     As he sat by the campfire, Ranma noted the mood that Raiden was 
in and said, "I'm sorry Raiden. I know that I'm supposed to catch 
Pokemon, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Maybe... you'd be 
better off with another trainer."
     Raiden's features softened at the saddened expression of his 
friend. Its frustration was forgotten as it moved forward and nuzzled 
against Ranma's leg. "Pika!" The electric shook his head. He 
wouldn't have any other trainer. Ranma had saved his life and taught 
him things that he would have never achieved on his own. They had 
been through too much together and Raiden wasn't going to 
abandon him now. 
     Ranma smiled as he stroked his Pikachu behind his ears. It was 
then that he heard a noise. His Pokemon also heard it as both turned 
their heads toward the sound of a... horse?
     Momentarily forgetting the current crisis, the two raced off toward 
the sound. As they got closer toward the sound, they reached the 
edge of the forest and saw something that was bucking about. 
Nearby, two large and burly-looking boys were pulling hard on ropes 
that were tied around the horse's neck. The horse itself was a sight 
as its mane and tail flickered and glowed like... flames? He could also 
see smaller flames near its hooves. Its body was a light cream color 
and when Ranma looked closer, he could see several marks and 
bruises. Whatever it was, it had been fighting hard to avoid capture. 
Ranma brought out his Pokedex.
     *PONYTA. A HORSE POKEMON OF THE FIRE ELEMENT. ITS HAIR 
IS ACTUALLY MADE OF LIVING FLAME AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULT 
TO TAME EVEN FOR EXPERT TRAINERS. *
     Ranma was astounded at the sight of such a magnificent animal as 
he watched the three boys pull hard on the ropes. He wondered why 
the ropes were not catching on fire. Then suddenly, a fourth boy 
appeared and threw a large, weighted net over Ponyta.
     "I got him!" The newcomer shouted as the net covered Ponyta 
and brought it down.
     The first boy smiled as he and the others converged on the 
downed horse and began securing the lines and nets.
     "He's a beauty!" The second boy said as he secured Ponyta's 
hind legs.
     "Man, I can't wait to take this one back home! He's going to do 
great in the Pokemon League! Making those ropes and net out of 
asbestos was a good idea!" The third boy said as he tightened the 
ropes and netting round Ponyta's neck.
     Ranma became sickened at the sounds of Ponyta's cries of pain 
and suffering. The sight of those boys beating on such a magnificent 
animal was more than Ranma could bear. Without a second thought, 
the pig-tailed martial artist started charging toward them. Sensing that 
this could turn into something ugly, Raiden quickly scampered after 
his impulsive trainer.
     Far above them, in a nearby tree, Pidgey watched with interest.
     "Watch it you guys!" The first boy yelled as Ponyta let off a 
stream of flame from its mane. 
     "I got it covered!" The second boy said as he brought out a 
Pokeball. "Cool him off with you water cannons, Blastoise!"
     The Pokeball opened up and the final evolved form of a Squirtle 
appeared. The upper sections of its shell opened up to reveal two 
huge nozzles that pivoted toward the downed Ponyta. Twin streams 
of water shot out and doused the fire horse.
     Ponyta let off a shriek of pain as it felt its flames begin to die under 
the massive torrent of water. Huge clouds of steam rose up as the 
horse desperately tried to raise the temperature of its flames to keep 
them from being extinguished.
     "Stop it you idiot!" The first boy yelled. "If Ponyta's flames are 
put out, then it'll die!"
     The second boy held up the Pokeball and recalled his Blastoise. 
"Blastoise return!"
     After the turtle Pokemon was recalled, the three boys carefully 
began approaching their soggy catch. Ponyta groaned and 
whimpered as it lay on its side. Its mane and tail were flickering, 
narrow flames and it seemed as if they would disappear any moment. 
The flames near its hooves had been reduced to pitiful embers. 
Added to the other injuries it had sustained during the battle, the 
outlook did not look good.
     "Aw geez! All that trouble and three weeks of work down the 
drain! This is all your fault!" The first boy shouted to the second.
     "Hey I'm sorry!" The second boy said. "But I couldn't think of 
anything else to do!"
     "You jerk!" The third boy said. "We spent three weeks tracking 
this Ponyta, not mention the trouble it took to make those fireproof 
ropes and nets!"
     "I said I was sorry! What more do you want?"
     "You stupid jerk! I ought to..."
     "Hey! Leave that Ponyta alone!"
     The three boys turned and saw Ranma running up toward them. 
Raiden was hot on his trainer's heels. When the two came to the 
scene, they stopped and gasped at the sight. Ponyta's flames were 
nearly out and it was bleeding from several open wounds.
     "Who the heck are you?" The first boy asked.
     "Butt out pal, if you know what's good for you!" The second boy 
said.
     "This is our catch, so get lost!" The third boy added.
     Ranma couldn't believe the condition Ponyta was in. Remembering 
what Professor Oak had told him about various fire-type Pokemon, he 
said, "Ponyta won't last through the night! Its flames are nearly out! 
It needs to be brought to a Pokemon center, now!"
     The three toughs became more angered at being told what to do. 
The first boy brought out a Pokeball and yelled, "We don't need 
some know-it-all telling us what to do! Looks like we're going to have 
to teach you to keep your nose out of other people's business! 
Golem... go!"
     The Pokeball released the rock-type Pokemon, which appeared 
before them. The creature resembled a giant boulder with arms and 
legs. Its head pooped out of the front and it stared at its opponents 
with its beady little eyes. 
     "Golem!"
     <Uh oh!> Ranma took out his Pokedex.
     *Golem. A rock-type Pokemon. Golem is the evolved form of 
Graveler. Every year it sheds is outer skin and grows larger. Its skin is 
tough enough to withstand a bomb.
     Ranma took a battle stance and prepared to attack it. It was then 
that Raiden tugged at his pants leg, causing him to look down.
     "Pikachu! Pika pika!"
     "You... want to do this?" Ranma asked as he looked deep into his 
Pokemon's eyes.
     "Pika!" Raiden nodded as he hopped forward and faced off 
against the Golem.
     Ranma was about to protest, but then thought about how much 
Raiden wanted to prove his skills in battle. Though Ranma preferred 
to fight his own battles, he could understand the electric rodent's 
desire to fight. After all those missed opportunities to catch 
Pokemon, Raiden was entitled to this battle. Nodding his head, 
Ranma resigned himself to the role of directing his Pokemon in the 
battle. Besides, Ponyta was fading fast and they had to get it away 
from these boys as soon as possible. 
     "Okay Raiden! Let's do it!"
     When the Golem's trainer saw the Pikachu with the white 
headband, he gave off a short laugh. "Hah! And you call yourself a 
trainer! Everyone knows that electric-type Pokemon are weak against 
rock-types! Golem! Take them out with your rolling attack!"
     "Golem!" The Golem retracted its limbs and head and began 
tumbling toward Raiden at a fast clip. The ground rumbled as the 
massive Pokemon rolled toward Raiden with the intent on flattening 
the electric mouse into yellow pancake.
     Ranma nodded to Raiden. Raiden understood his trainer's silent 
command and began focusing his ki. The three boys stared in 
amazement as they saw the Pikachu glow with a blue aura. The light 
began to intensify as Golem neared it. Just as the Golem was about to 
crush Raiden, the Pokemon leapt high in a spectacular jump to evade 
it. The trainer of the Golem and his two friends looked up in shock as 
the Pikachu rose to a height of twenty-five feet! As Raiden reached 
the apex of his jump, he brought his paws forward and aimed them 
down at the area in front of the still rolling Golem.
     "RAIDEN! KI BLAST!"
     "Pika... CHU!"
     Ranma smiled as Raiden released a small, blue ball of energy at the 
ground where the Golem was about to roll onto. The energy impacted 
the ground with a large detonation, causing a ditch to be formed. The 
Golem went crashing down into the depression and ceased rolling, its 
forward momentum halted by the sudden appearance of the ditch. 
Finding itself wedged in the hole, the rock Pokemon extended its 
limbs and head and began to pull itself out. Just as it got back onto 
levelground, Raiden landed behind it and took a stance. When Golem 
turned around, Ranma gave out the final command.
     "RAIDEN! STONEBREAKER QUICK ATTACK!"
     "Pikachu!" The little electric rodent charged at its larger opponent 
with lightning-fast speed. Before the slow-moving Golem could begin 
to even defend itself, Raiden was already upon it. Using his agility to 
avoid the clumsy flailing of its arms, Raiden began zipping back and 
forth, making many passes at the Golem. Every time he passed it, he 
delivered several ki-enhanced strikes to its rocky surface. The 
Pokemon was moving far too fast for the three boys to follow and all 
they could hear were the sounds of something striking the Golem's 
body. 
     A few seconds later, Raiden completed his attack and landed in 
front of Ranma in a ready stance. For a long while, no one spoke. The 
Golem was standing with a confused look on its face.
     "Hah! Cute trick, but your Pikachu didn't do nothing to my 
Golem!" The first boy scoffed as he saw that his Pokemon was 
unharmed.
     "Oh really?" Ranma said with a smirk. He then pointed to the 
Golem.
     The three boys looked back at the Golem and their expressions 
paled. The rock Pokemon let off a long and pitiful; moan as it began 
to experience a new sensation, pain. Its massive body shook as 
cracks began to form on its skin. Large chips and shards of its 
protective armor fell to the ground. Its arms and head had bruises and 
bumps forming on them as the results of Raiden's attack were made 
visible. Raiden had struck Golem in strategic areas of its body, 
making certain that each strike either hit a vulnerable spot, like the 
legs, arms and head, or cause the skin to crack under the strain. One 
moment later, the Golem toppled forward to the ground. The ground 
shook slightly as more than a ton of rock Pokemon came crashing 
down.
     "Go... lem." Half a second later, Golem was out like a light.
     "Golem!" The trainer couldn't believe that an electric rat had felled 
his mighty Golem.
     "I don't believe it!" The second boy said.
     "Impossible!" The third boy shouted.
     Ranma took a stance to match that of Raiden's and spoke again. 
This time, his voice was low and deadly. "That was just a small 
sample of what Raiden can do. I think it's fair to warn you that I'm no 
pushover either." Ranma began focusing his own ki. Raiden followed 
suit and the two were soon glowing with blue auras.
     This was not lost on the toughs who thought that a Pikachu was 
no match for a Golem. They began to back away as they each pulled 
out a Pokeball.
     "Last chance boys. Either clear out now and leave this Ponyta 
alone, or else!"
     "We're not scared of you!" The first boy said defiantly, although 
he and his friends were trembling like leaves. 
     "Yeah!" The other two boys said as they prepared to launch their 
own Pokemon.
     Ranma frowned as he and Raiden prepared to let loose with their 
ki.
     Meanwhile, Pidgey had seen enough. It had been very impressed 
at the way Raiden had defeated the Golem. The Pikachu and his 
trainer were very special. Furthermore, this human and his Pokemon 
were risking their own safety to save an injured Ponyta from the 
cruelty of those three boys. The compassion being demonstrated 
was more than enough to convince the Pidgey that Ranma and 
Raiden were of a good sort. With that in mind, Pidgey decided to help 
them. It took off from the tree it was perched on and began flying 
toward the scene.
     It was at the time, the three boys were about to release their 
Pokemon.
     "You may have beaten Golem, but there's no way we're going to 
give up our catch to you! Let's go guys!"
     "Right!" The other boys said as they all reared back to throw their 
Pokemon.
     Then suddenly, they heard a squawking and looked up to see 
something diving at them. Pidgey swooped down and buzzed the 
boys, before taking off into the sky again. The sudden attack caused 
them to drop their Pokeballs. 
     Ranma and Raiden were a bit puzzled at why a Pidgey would 
suddenly attack their opponents, but they weren't about to look a gift 
horse in the mouth.
     "RAIDEN! DUAL SHOCK ATTACK!"
     Raiden nodded as he began charging up his cheek pouches. 
Ranma focused a ball of ki in his palms and pulled his hands back. 
The blue energy began changing to yellow and crackled as power 
within was being converted. Just as the boys got over their surprise, 
they looked up and their faces lost all their color at the sight before 
them.
     "Pika... CHU!"
     At the same time that Raiden released his electric attack, Ranma let 
loose with a blast of his own. After practicing this move for months, 
the twin bolts of lightning were perfectly coordinated and Ponyta's 
tormentors were subjected to more than 40,000 volts. The boys 
screamed out in pain as their bodies twitched and flopped about. 
When the voltage ran its course, the mean teenagers were sprawled 
out on the ground. Their hair was frazzled and their clothes were 
badly singed. They let off a series of painful moans as they looked up 
and saw and angry Pokemon trainer and his Pikachu preparing for 
another blast. They knew when enough was enough.
     "I'm outta here!"
     "They can have that Ponyta!"
     "Wait for me!"
     Ranma and Raiden relaxed in their stances as they watched their 
opponents pick up their Pokeballs and make a mad dash from the 
scene. The first boy lingered for a moment longer to recall his fallen 
Golem before hightailing it. After the boys had left, Ranma and 
Raiden rushed to the side of the fallen Ponyta.

Later that night...
     Ranma carefully began applying an herbal remedy to a bandage 
before wrapping it around one of Ponyta's legs. The injured Pokemon 
was lying on its side as Ranma tended to its wounds. It had been a 
difficult first few hours as it had been quite skittish and didn't want to 
be near another human. Ranma could understand its reluctance to be 
near him, but it needed help. With Viridian City still more than four 
days away, he had to make do with the medical supplies in his pack 
and the training in Pokemon First Aid that he had learned from 
Professor Oak. Even though he was only trying to help it and had no 
intention to catch it, Ponyta was still suspicious and would try to 
burn him whenever he got close. Ranma had been forced to tie it 
down with the fireproof ropes so that he could help. During his 
administrations, Ranma had discerned that Ponyta was a male stallion 
and a very young one at that. After many attempts and several burns 
later, Ranma was almost finished with his treatments. This was the 
last bandage.
     The fire-horse flinched a bit as the stinging solution seeped into 
his injury, causing his flames to flare a bit. Ranma grit his teeth, as the 
living flames brushed against his arm. A moment later, Ponyta calmed 
down and the pigtailed martial artist managed to secure the bandage 
before getting out a canteen and dousing his arm with water.
     "YOW! That smarts!" Ranma commented as the cool waters ran 
over the burn. He looked down at the injured Pokemon and saw that 
Ponyta was still trembling. However, he was not making any sudden 
movements and was at least tolerating Ranma's attempts to help him. 
When the burning sensation stopped, Ranma sat down and let off a 
tired sigh. Looking up at the Ponyta, he said in an exhausted voice, 
"You're making it any easier Ponyta! I told ya that I'm only trying to 
help! I don't wanna catch you!"
     Upon hearing this statement, Ponyta stopped struggling and 
looked at Ranma with a puzzled expression. He let off a confused 
sound and stared at him.
     Ranma nodded as he sighed. "Look, if I wanted to catch ya, then I 
would have put you in a Pokeball a long time ago. You were pretty 
weak when Raiden and me found you. I don't think that it's right to do 
that to ya. So lay off with the fire okay?"
     Ponyta continued to stare at the human for a long time. He was 
bewildered at the human's actions. He was certain that the pigtailed 
martial artist was a Pokemon trainer. Why else would he be carrying a 
Pokedex, Pokeballs and have a Pikachu obey his commands? With 
the fire-horse in such bad shape, it would be child's play for Ranma to 
capture him. So why wasn't he? It seemed as if he was totally 
disgusted with the idea. After a long moment, Ponyta decided to relax 
a bit.
     Ranma nodded as he saw Ponyta calm down. It was then that 
Raiden popped his head out of Ranma's backpack.
     "Pikachu."
     Ranma smiled as he said, "Did you find them?"
     Raiden nodded as he disappeared into the pack. A moment later, 
several cans of Pokemon chow were ejected from it and landed near 
Ranma's feet. Raiden came out of the pack afterwards. 
     Ranma smiled as he set about making dinner. Ten minutes later, 
Raiden was happily munching on a plate of food. In front of Ponyta, 
Ranma had placed a large plate of food and waited for the fire-horse 
to eat. After long moments of watching the electric rodent eat, Ponyta 
was eventually convinced that it was all right to eat the food. When 
he began to eat, Ranma smiled as he experienced a feeling of dj vu.

Ten days later...
     Ranma, who was holding onto the reins of the makeshift bridle that 
he had made out of the ropes that those boys had used, was leading 
Ponyta down a path. Raiden was in his usual place on top of his 
backpack. When they got a clearing, he began removing the straps.
     "Well Ponyta, this is it. You should be well enough to make it on 
your own now, so I... guess this is goodbye."
     Ranma felt a bout of sadness as he looked into Ponyta's fiery red 
eyes. It had been a hard ten days, but the Pokemon had recovered 
from its injuries and was ready to run free. Ranma and his Pikachu 
had been by Ponyta's side the whole time, caring and feeding him 
until he was well. Now at full health, the fire-horse's mane, tail and 
other hair areas glowed with a bright, intense color. In the last few 
days, Ranma had earned Ponyta's trust and the living flames no 
longer burned him. As the bridle fell away, Ranma felt a sharp pang of 
regret at having to let this magnificent Pokemon go. However, he still 
couldn't just put this horse into a Pokeball. It would be too much like 
slavery and Ranma was still unsure about the whole thing.
     When Ponyta shook his head as the bridle was removed, Ranma 
stepped back and said, "GO! You're free!"
     Ponyta just stood there.
     "Didn't ya hear me? I said GO! You're free!"
     Ponyta did the opposite and leaned forward, nuzzling his head 
against Ranma's chest. It let off a contented neigh.
     Ranma was getting a little irritated and tried to push him away. 
Ponyta resisted. "Ponyta! I told you! You're free to go! I'm not going 
to keep ya!" He looked up at his Pikachu and said, "Raiden, what 
wrong with him?"
     Raiden smiled as he realized what was going on. History had 
repeated itself and now Ponyta was just as attached to Ranma as the 
electric mouse had gotten to be, all those months ago. It seemed that 
Ranma's honesty and kindness had netted him another friend for life.
     It was then that the horse began leaning toward Ranma's waist. At 
first, Raiden's trainer didn't understand, but then he noticed what 
Ponyta was trying to do. He was trying to get at the Pokeballs on his 
belt.
     "Oh no you don't! I told ya! I'm not putting you in any Pokeball! 
I..."
     "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
     The sudden laughter caught Ranma and Raiden off guard. They 
were so busy with Ponyta that they had failed to notice the approach 
of some old enemies. Turning around, they saw the three boys they 
had battled ten days ago. They were standing on a nearby ridge and 
they weren't alone. They had brought along a few friends. Ranma 
noted that they all were holding a Pokeball and that they 
outnumbered him and Raiden by more than ten to one. Not very good 
odds.
     "Well, now isn't this touching." The first boy said as he looked 
down at the trio. "I never heard of a Pokemon trainer who refuses to 
catch Pokemon." He then smiled evilly as he gazed upon Ponyta. "By 
the way. Thanks for caring for our Ponyta. We'll take him off your 
hands now."
     Ranma snarled as he saw the smug look on his face. He got into a 
stance and began focusing his ki. Raiden also prepared himself for 
the coming battle. "I don't think so. This Ponyta was hurt once 
before by you jerks and I'll be damned if I'll let you hurt him again! 
You want him? You'll have to beat us first!"
     "Pikachu!"
     "That can be arranged." He gestured to the other members of his 
party who were brandishing their Pokeballs. Things looked grim. 
Fortunately for Ranma, his guardian angel was still watching him and 
had sent his messenger, a little Pidgey.
     Pidgey had been watching Ranma and Raiden in secret for the past 
few days and now it saw that they were in trouble. From out of the 
sky, it dived down at the group of boys. The ridge that they were on 
had large areas that were covered in sand. As it swooped down, it 
began to furiously flap its wings and let off a series of squawks.
     The boys turned around at the sound and were soon hacking and 
coughing as Pidgey released its Sand Attack. The dust cloud 
blanketed the group, obscuring their sight and causing many of them 
to drop their Pokeballs.
     Ranma and Raiden were again shocked to have been saved by a 
Pidgey and were still standing in their stances when Ponyta decided 
to take the initiative. It wouldn't do for his new trainer to be in such 
danger. It quickly went under Ranma's legs and began galloping off 
from the area.
     "What the...?" Ranma was totally taken by surprise as he found 
himself clinging for dear life on top of Ponyta's back. Raiden was also 
taken off guard and barely managed to hang onto Ranma's pack as 
the fire-horse sped away at better than 50 mph.
     The leader of the group was still coughing and hacking when the 
dust cloud lifted. When he saw his prize galloping away, he went into 
a rage.
     "I've worked too hard to let him take my Ponyta! Go get him 
Tauros!"
     The boy threw the Pokeball forwards, releasing the buffalo 
Pokemon, which began chasing after the runaway Ponyta.
     A few hundred meters ahead of the rampaging Tauros, Ranma was 
trying desperately to get Ponyta to stop.
     "Whoa! Hold it! Stop Ponyta! Slow down!" Ranma pulled hard on 
Ponyta's flaming mane, but the fire Pokemon would not stop until he 
was sure that they were far enough away. Ranma could do nothing 
but hold on tight. He had never ridden a horse before and it was 
taking all his strength and balance training to keep from falling off the 
horse's back. It was then that he heard the sound of something 
behind them. It sounded like a runaway freight train. When he 
glanced behind them, his widened at the sight of a Tauros that was 
bearing down on them. The mean looking Pokemon let off some 
snorts and had red in its eyes. 
     "On second thought, don't slow down! Giddy up! Faster! Faster!"
     Ponyta was more than happy to oblige. With a sudden burst of 
speed, the fire-horse sped ahead of the three-tailed buffalo and 
pushed harder to outrun it. For a moment it seemed as if they would 
get away as they began to slowly increase the distance between 
them. It was then that Raiden saw something bad up ahead.
     "Pikachu! Pikachu!"
     "Huh?" Ranma looked forward and saw that they were heading 
toward a wide ravine. The gap was more than a hundred meters 
across and there was no way for Ponyta to make such a jump, even 
when they were going at 65 mph. They were less than two hundred 
and fifty meters from the edge. With a raging Tauros after them, they 
couldn't stop!
     "Ponyta!" Ranma screamed as he shut his eyes and waited for the 
end.
     "Pika!"
     It was then that Ponyta started to glow with an intense white light. 
Ranma opened his eyes when he felt a tingling sensation. Looking 
down, he saw that Ponyta's form was changing. Its form became 
larger and hotter. Ranma could feel the increased heat of its living 
flames but they still did not burn him. He then looked up and saw 
something emerge from Ponyta's forehead. When the light faded, 
Ponyta was no more. In his place was his evolved form... Rapidash! 
The horse was now the size of an Arabian stallion and had a horn on 
its head, which made it resemble a unicorn. Its living flames burned 
even more brightly than before as it put on a tremendous burst of 
speed.
     The new form of the fire Pokemon let off a whinny as he began 
galloping at better than 100 mph, leaving behind a flaming, swirling 
trail of flames that burned the Tauros. The buffalo Pokemon stumbled 
and fell to the ground as it was caught in Rapidash's Fire Spin. 
     Ranma was still in shock over the sudden evolution when he 
suddenly found himself soaring though the air.
     "Pika!"
     Ranma looked down and saw the tiny line on the ground far below 
that represented a river below. It was then that he realized that 
Rapidash had jumped! He looked forward and saw the other side of 
the gorge coming straight at them. With less than a foot to spare, 
Rapidash landed on the other side and kept on running. They were 
soon a distant dot that was heading toward the horizon.

Late afternoon...
     *RAPIDASH, THE FLAME-HORSE POKEMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF 
PONYTA. RAPIDASH IS THE FASTEST SPRINTER OF ALL GROUND 
POKEMON AND IS ABLE TO ACHIEVE TOP SPEEDS OF WELL OVER 
100 MPH. *
     "Awesome!" Ranma said as he put away his Pokedex. He began 
stroking Rapidash's flank. The new form of Ponyta let off a contented 
neigh as it nuzzled Ranma with its head. The horse took care not to 
poke him with its new horn. At Ranma's feet, Raiden stood and 
watched.
     Ranma kept on stroking the Pokemon as he considered what to do 
with it. It was obvious that Ponyta... er, Rapidash wasn't going to 
leave him alone. It had proven himself to be totally loyal to him and 
wanted to go with him and Raiden. As Ranma thought about it, he 
then the flapping of some wings. Looking to one side, he and the 
Pokemon saw Pidgey land on a large boulder near them.
     Ranma smiled as he saw it. "I guess we have you to thank for our 
escape, and for that time ten days ago."
     "Pidge!" The bird squawked as it hopped off the rock and trotted 
to where Raiden was standing. It then began making a series of 
chirps and sounds to the electric Pokemon. A minute later, Raiden's 
eyes widened in surprise. He then glanced up and began gesturing 
frantically at his trainer.
     "Pika! Pikachu! Chu! Pika!"
     "What is it Raiden? You know this Pidgey?"
     "Pika!" Raiden nodded as he pointed at the Pokeballs on Ranma's 
belt.
     "What are you talking about? I told you before. I'm not going 
to..." It was at that moment that Ranma realized what his Pikachu was 
trying to tell him. "Wait a second... are you saying that this Pidgey is 
the same one that I let go two weeks ago?"
     "Pika!" Raiden nodded.
     Ranma became even more confused as he stared at the bird. "Hold 
on! Why would you want to help us? Not that I'm complaining, but 
still..."
     Pidgey nodded to him and gestured with a wing to Rapidash.
     Ranma began to consider what Pidgey was trying to tell him. 
<What does Rapidash have to with anything? All I did was care for 
him. I even tried to set him free and...> At that thought, Ranma 
looked down at the Pidgey with an intense gaze. "Is that the reason 
why? Because... I'm not forcing you to do anything? You... want to 
come with us? Is it because I gave you and Rapidash a... choice?"
     "Pidge!" The bird hopped up and down happily.
     Ranma was amazed. They wanted to be with him. They wanted to 
be his friends. At the thought of having friends, Ranma couldn't help 
but feel warm at the prospect. His old training journey with his father 
had been a long and lonely one. He had never been able to hold onto 
any friends for long as Genma had forbidden it or taken him away 
from any chance of forming any attachments. Now, with him not 
present, Ranma had a chance of finding making true friends. He had 
already had one in Raiden. Why not make some more? And if they 
were willing to come with him, then it wouldn't be called slavery, now 
would it?
     Ranma separated himself from the others and stepped back to face 
them. Reaching behind his belt, he pulled out two Pokeballs and said 
to the horse and bird. "I really don't like the idea of putting you in 
Pokeballs, but if you really want to come with me and be my 
Pokemon, then they'll be times in which I have to use them. Are you 
sure that you want to be with us?"
     Rapidash stomped a hoof and nodded his head in enthusiastic 
agreement. Pidgey also nodded in agreement.
     Ranma took one look at Raiden, who smiled and nodded his head. 
"Pika. Pika pi!"
     Ranma took a deep breath and then activated the two capture 
devices. "POKEBALLS.... GO!"
     The two Pokemon were instantly placed within the Pokeballs, 
which then returned to the hands of their new trainer. Ranma looked 
down at them and then allowed something to happen. He let a tear 
form in his eye.

A day later...
     On a ridge that overlooked Viridian City, a Rapidash and its riders 
came to a halt. Ranma smiled as he took in the sight of the urban area. 
A moment after they stopped, a Pidgey came down and landed on his 
left shoulder. On his backpack, Raiden looked over at the sunset that 
bathed Viridian in its vibrant colors.
     Ranma had given the names of Wildfire for Rapidash and Wind 
Rider for the Pidgey. As he looked down at Viridian, he began to 
think of the adventures that they had shared and the ones that were 
yet to come.
     "Wildfire, Wind Rider, Raiden. Are you all ready?"
     The three Pokemon nodded as Ranma urged his fiery steed down 
the slope.

To be continued...

Author's Notes
     Well, now that Fist of the Pikachu has joined with the ranks of my 
regular stories, I would like to hear some comments and suggestions. 
This chapter has dealt with Ranma's uneasiness as he enters the 
world of Pokemon trainers. 


