Nurse Isabelle and the Kanto Pokédex: the Diary of a Travelling Nurse

#077 Ponyta

Ponyta, the Fire Horse Pokémon. Ponyta is very weak at birth. It can barely stand up. This Pokémon becomes stronger by stumbling and falling to keep up with its parent.

Just before dawn, Nurse Isabelle set out with a mission. She had been reading up on this for a long time and today was the day. With a backpack filled with medical supplies and extra food, she started the hike that would lead her deep into the mountains.

The first time Isabelle had discovered the phenomenon she was hoping to encounter today was when she was studying for a final exam at nursing school. It was on the ideal temperature of Ponyta's fire, and how to maintain it. On the tiniest side note, it mentioned that if the fire was blue, it was usually a sign of hotter than normal fire, but also that it could be affected by certain minerals. And that's where the search began.

Today, about three years after that first hint that started her search, Isabelle hoped she was about to see it with her own eyes. Some of the deeper mountains around here contained special minerals. Nothing exciting there. But there was one where copper could be found in the mountain. Several mines have been dug and abandoned, making it a paradise for Geodude, Zubat, and maybe even the odd Clefairy. On the plains of this mountain supposedly lived a herd of Ponyta, and Isabelle was going to find them.

The place where most Pokémon felt safe was the place where humans could not come easily. So, therefore, it was quite a task to get there, but Isabelle would not give up. She longed to meet the Ponyta of the copper mountain and see if her research proved to be true.

It was well past noon when she finally made it. She could not have chosen a better place herself. Some water ran down the copper mountain through the little valley she was at, which was still at quite some height. Lush grass grew here which was a delightful change from all the rough stone that had scraped Izzy's hands. And the best thing about this place just came running past.

An entire herd of blue-flamed Ponyta came running past, making Isabelle stare in awe. They were even more gorgeous than she had previously imagined. Having lived for generations on this mountain, the copper was in their blood and bones. Their flames, according to Isabelle's estimations, would burn blue long enough to last them for a lifetime. To study these magnificent creatures some more, Isabelle was going to catch one. Also, her feet hurt from walking everywhere, so a horse would be very useful if she had to be somewhere quickly.

Having spoken to Wartortle last night, the plan was simple and clear. Only one direct hit of her Hydro Pump should be enough to weaken a Ponyta sufficiently so it could be caught. Izzy did not want to extinguish the flames. Their chance came when the herd came running past again. This time, one of the Ponyta was a bit behind, making it a perfect target. Holding the familiar, spherical shape of the Pokéball in her hand, Isabelle readied herself for action. With a command, Wartortle unleashed her Hydro Pump, indeed hitting the Ponyta hard enough to knock it over and away from the herd. Before it even knew what had happened, Isabelle had tossed the ball at it. After three wiggles, Isabelle was the proud owner of a copper mountain Ponyta.

Running for it, Isabelle grabbed the Pokéball and left the valley, in case the rest of the herd might get upset with her. As soon as she was on firm, level ground again, Isabelle summoned Ponyta from her ball. The fiery horse was gorgeous. Her blue fire was accented by her milky white fur. However, it seemed to be very timid. When Isabelle reached out her hand at it to look at its teeth to see how old it was, the horse shied away, taking a couple steps back. This was a problem.

Keeping her hands behind her back, Isabelle merely watched it from a few steps away. Judging from the leanness of the limbs, this was a young Ponyta, maybe a year or two old. It also was clearly a female, judging from the lack of ... ahem ... gear. Slowly, Isabelle reached out her hand.

"Hey there, Ponyta. No need to be scared of me. I'm sorry if I hurt you. Will you be my friend?" She said in the softest, gentlest voice she could manage. Very, very slowly, Ponyta reached out her snout and nuzzled her hand. The two had a long way to go before Isabelle could ride her gorgeous mount.