Within a few seconds the Mareep had wandered deep into the grasslands of the area. Rochelle quickly made up her mind to go after it and catch it; the business with Fary could wait, given that a Pokémon normally found in Johto could be seen in Kanto. Besides, all of the people who had one, or its evolution, said it was a good Pokémon to have on the team.
Rochelle hurried into the grass after the Mareep, pulling Phoenix's Poké Ball from her belt as she did so. The sheeplike creature had stopped near a group of its fellows, who were munching on the smaller blades of grass. The flock immediately scattered at the sight of the human rushing towards them; instinctive behaviour, fleeing from a possible threat. The one that had lightly shocked Rochelle turned and looked at her, then bleated and made to follow its kin. Rochelle didn't want to let it get away, and therefore released Phoenix from his Poké Ball to do battle.
"Alright, Phoenix, attack!" Rochelle called out to the bird. Taking flight from his spot on the ground, the Spearow circled above his target before swooping down and delivering a sharp peck to the side. The speed of the bird's attack was dulled by the Mareep's thick wool absorbing part of the impact, and Phoenix bounced off, a little bemused by the collision. In response to being hit, the Mareep made a noise that sounded... kind of plaintive, Rochelle thought. Perhaps it was because of the unexpected attack, or something else entirely. She didn't know.
"I guess we have to show this one some tough love, Phoenix. Hit it with another peck," Rochelle told the bird. Eager to prove himself to his Trainer, Phoenix immediately jumped to her order and bit down on the Mareep's tail with his beak. Again, the Pokémon bleated in protest and pain, and a short surge of electricity blasted from its tail and coursed through Phoenix's body. The Spearow let go and hopped back a few paces in alarm, a couple of sparks jumping from his talons to the ground before he stopped moving. In fact, he appeared to not be moving at all; this was evidenced by his next action, which was little more than falling over and coming to rest on one side. One claw stuck up in an almost comical manner.
"Phoenix... you all right there?" Rochelle asked, confused and wary of what had just happened. "Can you stand?" She got no response for a few seconds, then Phoenix shook his head and jumped back up, angered. The Mareep was also riled up as a result of the ongoing battle, and charged straight at Rochelle's Pokémon, knocking him straight into his Trainer who caught him with a grunt. Something was wrong with Phoenix, but Rochelle didn't want to let the Mareep go when she was close to catching it and adding it to her team.
"Come on, little guy, you can hang in there. One more should do it. Just don't knock it out, whatever you do," she gently told the Spearow, who gave little more than a weak, "Rrrow," of response. Nonetheless, he stood up and moved to engage the Mareep, hitting it in the forehead before returning to Rochelle. The Electric Pokémon flinched away, repeating its plaintive bleat of submission. Both Phoenix and his opponent were exhausted; now was the time to attempt to catch it.
Rochelle dug a Poké Ball out of her pack - the pocket in which she kept them was one of the few that could be easily reached while she had it on her back - and lightly threw it towards the wounded Mareep. As she had seen three times before, it bounced off of the Pokémon, opened up in midair and absorbed it into its usual red light. Rochelle watched the ball close and land on the ground, wondering briefly if it would work.
Once, twice, thrice... then the moment of waiting that had come to agonise Rochelle. In that second of waiting, she knew that the Poké Ball's success or failure depended on whether the Mareep was still strong enough to resist the ball's constraints. Then she heard it: the now-familiar click. Cradling Phoenix delicately in one arm, the Trainer picked up the latest addition to her team, turned and began to walk back to where she remembered the rest of the group being.
Oddly enough, Phoenix was sparking a little; little snaps of electricity jumped between his feathers and talons every so often. And when it happened the Spearow froze in place. Confused by this and worried about her Pokémon, Rochelle picked up the pace, returning to the group in a few seconds and sitting down to look at the damage done to her Pokémon, whom she set down on the ground to properly examine. It didn't look like one of the Potions she had in her pack was going to be enough for this.
