Shinny Rapidash won the victory.
After crossing the finish line, Shinny Rapidash went straight to Shauna and lowered its head.
Shauna grinned and hugged Rapidash's head.
Lucas watched with a pounding heart, but then relaxed when he remembered that Rapidash's flames wouldn't harm those it was close to.
The Rapidash leader returned to its herd, muttering something unknown.
It glanced in Lucas's direction.
Then, it led the Rapidash herd over.
Luxray sensed they had no hostility and moved aside.
Shauna stood in front of Shinny Rapidash, looking intently at the Rapidash herd approaching them.
Shinny Rapidash gently nudged Shauna with its head.
Shauna moved aside.
Shinny Rapidash looked at the Rapidash leader before it.
A flicker of complexity crossed the Rapidash leader's eyes.
Then, it slowly lowered its head.
It yielded its position as leader.
Seeing this, Lucas suddenly remembered that in Rapidash herds, the fastest one usually becomes the leader.
So, was it planning to give the leadership position to Shinny Rapidash?
"Uncle."
Lucas looked down and saw Shauna come to his side.
He bent down and picked Shauna up.
"What's wrong?"
"Will Ponyta stay?"
"It evolved, you know, it grew up into a Rapidash."
"Then will Rapidash stay?"
"Do you want it to stay?"
Lucas didn't answer her directly, but instead asked her gently.
Shauna didn't hesitate for a moment.
"I don't know, but I hope it can follow its own wishes."
"Oh?"
"If it wants to stay, it stays. If it doesn't want to stay, it doesn't stay."
"It's Shauna's good friend, so Shauna hopes it lives happily."
Lucas smiled and playfully pinched her little nose.
This made her wrinkle her cute little face.
Shinny Rapidash said something over there, then left the herd.
It slowly approached Lucas, looking at Shauna in his arms.
Lucas put Shauna down.
Rapidash gently rubbed its head against Shauna's small hand.
Then, it knelt on all fours.
Shauna looked a little confused.
Lucas smiled and took out a red and white Poké Ball, enlarging it and handing it to Shauna.
Shauna looked at the red and white Poké Ball in Lucas's hand and suddenly understood.
She looked at the Shinny Rapidash kneeling on all fours.
Unexpectedly, she pushed Lucas's hand back.
Lucas's eyes widened in disbelief.
Gengar, floating nearby, also tilted its head.
It had a slight curve, so it should count as tilting its head, right?
If it had a neck.
Shauna looked at the Rapidash before her.
"We are good friends."
Hearing this, Lucas retracted the Poké Ball.
He respected Shauna's choice.
Perhaps it could be caught a few years later.
He had originally intended to put Shauna on Rapidash's back, but found that Shauna herself scrambled onto Rapidash's back.
Once Shauna was seated securely, Rapidash stood up.
Rapidash let Shauna hold on tight, then suddenly lifted its hooves.
Like a flash of lightning, it darted past Lucas's eyes.
Lucas watched Rapidash gallop across the grassland and tugged at Gengar's mouth nearby.
"Shauna has a new friend, Gengar."
Gengar stuck out its Lickitung and licked Lucas, then nodded.
After licking, it swiftly stuffed a Cheri Berry into Lucas's mouth before he could react.
Feeling as if he'd been zapped by static electricity, Lucas shivered.
Chewing the Cheri Berry, he glared at Gengar with icy eyes, "Did you use Lick again?"
Gengar took off running.
Lucas chased after it.
Luxray watched their playful antics and shook its head.
Then it lay down.
Its star-shaped tail wagged back and forth.
Its gaze followed Lucas and the others.
They played on the grassland with Shauna and Gengar for a while until Mrs. Fujino came to find Shauna.
"Oh, Manager, you're already here?"
Lucas stood up and nodded with a smile.
"Mommy."
Shauna rushed into Mrs. Fujino's arms.
"This is my new friend, Rapidash."
Shauna introduced Rapidash to Mrs. Fujino.
Mrs. Fujino looked at Rapidash next to Chingling.
She smiled and nodded.
"That's truly wonderful, little Shauna."
Lucas followed behind Mrs. Fujino, standing outside the house.
Soon, Mr. and Mrs. Fujino came out with Shauna.
They only packed some necessities; clothes and such would be brought back when they returned.
Shauna didn't bring clothes back this time, as she would be staying at the Breeding House, and it already had her change of clothes.
"Shauna is entrusted to your care again, Manager."
Mr. Fujino shook Lucas's hand.
Lucas glanced at Shauna, who was sitting on Rapidash and talking to Mrs. Fujino, and said,
"Don't worry."
Mr. Fujino nodded.
Afterward, Mrs. Fujino walked over.
Nodding, Lucas went to Rapidash.
With Rapidash's permission, he swung himself onto its back.
This time, they would ride Rapidash back.
"Goodbye, Mommy and Daddy, I'll wait for you to come back at the Breeding House, you must come back quickly."
Shauna waved to Mr. and Mrs. Fujino.
Mr. and Mrs. Fujino responded, saying they would return as soon as possible.
As they waved, Rapidash began to move its hooves and started running.
Luxray and Gengar followed behind.
Rapidash's speed grew faster and faster.
The wind whistled against Shauna and Lucas's faces.
Shauna burst into laughter.
Her laughter was like a silver bell.
Combined with the tinkling sound that Chingling unconsciously made as the wind blew it.
It formed a beautiful and melodious tune.
Watching Lucas's receding figure.
Luxray and Gengar stopped.
They exchanged glances.
Luxray: —.
Gengar: (Gengar shrugged, a look of exasperation on its face).
Then it chased after Lucas.
"Gengar—"
"Wait for me!"
After catching up, it made a diving motion and jumped directly into Lucas's shadow.
The drop in temperature made Lucas shiver involuntarily.
Rapidash sensed Lucas's movement, and the flames on its back intensified slightly.
Dispelling the chill.
Luxray:
Shaking its head helplessly, Luxray's body was still coursing with yellow electricity.
Then, like a bolt of lightning, it followed.
Quick Attack.
Lucas glanced sideways.
A figure completely covered in electricity appeared beside him and Shauna.
You truly are Luxray.
Wild Charge for travel.
If Luxray knew what Lucas was thinking, it would definitely ask whose fault it was that it had to use Wild Charge to travel.
Feeling the wind, Shauna reached out and pointed forward.
"Rapidash, let's go home together!"
Her tender voice, carried by the roar of the wind, reached Rapidash's ears.
It squinted its eyes.
The wind felt very comfortable.
But the most comfortable wind was already sitting on its back.
With the boost from both winds.
The flames on its body grew larger and larger, and its speed increased as well.
The flames, fanned by the wind during Agility, stretched out.
From afar, it looked like a moving mass of gray-purple flames.
Luxray, beside it, was not to be outdone.
Its powerful strength unleashed even stronger electricity.
Lucas sat on its back.
Watching the Bibarel flash by on the roadside.
He suddenly remembered a famous scene.
Rapidash and Luxray.
Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider.
"Hahahahahahaha."
Lucas couldn't help but laugh.
He held Shauna, who was sitting in front, to prevent her from accidentally falling off.
He began to enjoy the feeling of unrestrained galloping.
....
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