Lara Laramie's Ponyta helps Lara get around the Pokémon reserve quickly and the two of them had been training for an upcoming Pokémon race. When Ash first tried to pet it, his hand ended up getting burned and
Lara Laramie explained to him that Ponyta isn't hot to humans who conveyed their feelings to it through their hearts.
Lara Laramie asked
Ash Ketchum to race with her Ponyta because if he won with it, it would be the highest honor for her as a Trainer as it would show that her Pokémon could do well in the race with a different Trainer and that her training skills were sound.
Lara Laramie recognized how hard
Ash Ketchum worked to calm Ponyta down for her after it was spooked and
Ash Ketchum was able to gain
Lara Laramie's Ponyta's trust enough to be able to ride it without getting burned.
Throughout the race,
Lara Laramie's Ponyta continued to build its trust towards
Ash Ketchum and on the final final straight
Lara Laramie's Ponyta evolved into
Lara Laramie's Rapidash.