"Oran Berries and Sitrus Berries restore energy," I remembered. "Cheri Berries heal paralysis. Pecha Berries heal poison. Rawst Berries heal burns, Chesto Berries wake a Pokemon up, and Aspear Berries can be used for defrosting. And finally, Lum Berries can cure paralysis, poison, burns, sleep, and freezing."

"Wow, Thunder!" Willow exclaimed. The female Butterfree danced around happily in the air, spinning around lightly and landed on the ground in front of me. "You really learn things quickly!"

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you," I said gratefully. Willow had been giving me a lesson on the many different berries that grew naturally in the Pokemon world and their useful healing properties. I had learned about the berries eagerly and attentively, knowing that the information would be very useful to me later. Lightning had joined me once his phone call with Falkner had ended. "Lightning, isn't this great?" I asked excitedly. "Now we're truly prepared for our journey!"

"Well," Willow said, a little embarrassed that she had spoken before Lightning could answer, "You're not completely prepared yet. There's still some more berry facts to learn, but if you don't want to learn them, it's fine with me."

"Actually, I want to learn as much as I can about berries," I said eagerly. "I'll need as much knowledge as I can get, considering how annoyingly brave Lightning is. Right, Lightning?" I poked him teasingly on his shoulder with my beak.

"Huh?" Lightning asked, completely surprised. He whirled around to face me. "What did you say?"

Suddenly, I realized that Lightning hadn't said a thing during the whole entire lesson – That's odd, I thought. Beginning to feel that something wasn't right, I lowered my voice.

"Hey, Lightning," I whispered, loudly enough for Willow to hear, "Is something wrong? Why are you so quiet?"

"Um – well – yes, something is wrong," Lightning stammered. He glanced quickly at Willow. "Willow, is it okay if I talk to Thunder privately here?" he asked. "Also, can you please make sure that Crystal Ice and Bugsy don't find us?"

"Sure," Willow said, giving a polite nod. She fluttered away quickly, disappearing among the thick foliage of the indoor forest.

I looked around. Lightning and I were in the Berry Garden, a small, beautiful section of the gym. Berry bushes of all kinds surrounded Lightning and I, from dark green Rawst bushes to light green Lum bushes. The garden itself was surrounded as well: On one side was the thick greenery of the indoor forest; on the other side was a transparent but thick glass wall. Nobody would find us here.

"So, Lightning?" I asked, trying hard not to sound too casual. "Is something bothering you?"

Lightning stared at the tracking device that hung around his neck. "I was talking to Falkner," he began. "He looked rather worried, and it was because of a letter he received almost immediately after we left. He let me read the letter for myself, and the letter makes me worried, too."

"Wait," I said rather incredulously. "You read the letter?"

"Sure I did."

"So that means… you can read?"

"Of course!" Lightning exclaimed proudly, puffing out his chest. "Falkner taught me how to read a long time ago, back when I was a Pidgey. I found the lessons rather boring, but now I'm glad I know how to read. It's a lot of fun; Falkner has lots of exciting books about valiant bird Pokemon."

"Wow; that's awesome!" I exclaimed in admiration, not even bothering to ask him how in the world Falkner taught him how to read. "What did the letter say?" I asked, changing my tone to a more serious one.

Lightning took a deep breath. "Well, the letter was from Falkner's long-lost older sister," he said softly. "I don't remember much about her, because Falkner and I have tried our best to forget about her. All I remember is that she was horrible – she cheated a lot during her battles, and ran away the night before Falkner's first day as a gym leader." He shuddered. "At least we think she ran away. The next morning, her bed was oddly cold and messy. She didn't even leave a sign of any sort of where she'd gone.

"We searched for her, yes. We asked various Officer Jennys and Nurse Joys whether they'd seen her. But no one knew where she'd gone. Eventually, we just gave up on searching for her. We even managed to forget about her to the extent that we don't even remember her name anymore." Lightning shivered, though the garden was sunny, warm, and peaceful.

"Wait, who's 'we'?" I asked almost instantly, immediately feeling guilty of my rudeness. Don't do that again! I reminded myself sharply. I have to remember to be more considerate of Lightning's feelings, not just my own!

"Sorry," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks turn warm. "I forgot how hard this must be for you."

"That's all right," Lightning said quietly. "But to answer your question, 'we' means Falkner, his father, and I. You didn't know that Falkner has a father, did you? He was the former gym leader of Violet City, but he left Falkner in charge of the gym a long time ago. Falkner's been a great gym leader so far."

"I know," I said, trying not to sound too brusque. "But still, that letter from Falkner's sister must have been very… disturbing. I'll be happy to hear it; maybe I can even help you solve your problem."

Lightning took a deep breath. "It's weird; somehow I managed to remember almost exactly what the letter said," he began. "Here's what it said:

"To my wimpy little brother Falkner, it's me, your older sister. I don't need to tell you my name. You've forgotten who I am anyways.

"All I'm saying now it, don't ever come looking for me, because you won't find me. Ever. I am adept and traveling secretly and stealthily, and I can vanish into the shadows even better than your friend Janine can. Oh, believe everything I say, Falkner. Even if you call all the Officer Jennys and Nurse Joys in the Pokemon world, you still won't find me. If you do find me, you will risk your position as gym leader of Violet City, for I will battle with you. If you lose, I will become gym leader in your place.

"Of course, you will definitely lose, for I have become more powerful than you. I left the gym with my trusty Skarmory and Golbat, both of which are overwhelmingly powerful now. Since then, I've obtained a Gyarados and a Charizard, two intimidating and strong Flying-types. I will use nature to help me become the most powerful Flying-type trainer of the all. I will replace you, becoming everything your puny self is not. I will even get my own, good-natured Pidgeot – better than your Pidgeot, of course. I will beat you in every way imaginable.

"Don't stand in my way. Nothing can stop me from dominating all the Pokemon trainers in the world. I will become powerful. I will rule all. Signed, your older sister."

Lightning breathed out heavily, as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He was trembling and taking big, deep breaths, as if he were trying to calm himself.

"Lightning," I whispered, hopping closer to him and combing out his long, flowing plumes with my beak to calm him down. "I'm scared of this letter, too. Why don't we talk about it for a while and discuss what we should do?"

Lightning sighed, and pulled away from me. "I'm really scared of the part that says, 'I will even get my own, good-natured Pidgeot'," he whimpered, staring at me intently. "What is 'good-natured' supposed to mean? What if Falkner's sister comes after you? If you get caught by someone like her, then…" his voice trailed off, and he stared at his feet. "If she catches you, our quest will be ruined completely!"

There was something about Lightning's tone that sent a shiver from the tip of my beak to the end of my tail. Yes, there was urgency, and worry, too, but there was something else buried deep inside it – something that I just couldn't detect. What is it? I wondered. I knew that there was something other than urgency and worry in Lightning's voice, and the fact that I couldn't figure out what it was made me frustrated. I decided to change the subject.

"Lightning, what makes me worried is the phrase 'I will use nature to help me'," I declared, trying to remain considerate of Lightning's feelings. "I don't know how nature can help someone become a great Pokemon trainer. Of course, the trainer can use nature's berries to heal his or her Pokemon, but potions and full heals do the job just as well, maybe even better."

Lightning shrugged. "I have no idea of how nature can help a trainer either," he confessed. "But that part's just perplexing, not scary like the part that says 'I will get my own Pidgeot'. You know what, Thunder, I think you should be careful. A mysterious person is pursuing you. You should look after yourself."

"Well, maybe if you looked after yourself better, maybe we can both be safe!" I snapped. That strange emotion again! It made me so confused that I was beginning to feel angry. Suddenly I wished that I were a Psychic Pokemon like Xatu, so that I could read other Pokemons' minds. "Lightning, I do wish you would stop getting into unnecessary fights!"

"Well, Thunder, I do wish that you would stop caring about only yourself!" Lightning lashed back, taking one step closer to me. "Can't you be more considerate of others' feelings, including mine?"

"Your feelings?" I almost screamed. "Yes, maybe, but only if you aren't so scared of Bug Pokemon!" I took a big step closer to Lightning, so that his beak was only a feather-length away from mine. The fact that he was a little taller than me didn't bother me at all. "What kind of a Pidgeot are you? What kind of a Flying-type are you, if you're so scared of puny, harmless Bug-types?"

Lightning, undaunted, growled angrily. "You're the one who isn't a proper Pidgeot!" he yelled. "Scared of Magikarp, the most underpowered Pokemon of the all. How is a Magikarp scarier than a Caterpie?"

"Because-" I began, but I couldn't finish my reason. A loud but composed shout rang out somewhere above the berry garden: "Stop!"

Looking up, I spotted Willow, hovering above the berry garden. The Butterfree zoomed down and barged between Lightning and I, causing me to jump backwards.

"Thunder and Lightning," Willow admonished, "I thought you two were talking in private, not shouting. I could hear you two shouting from halfway across the gym. If you two get any louder, sooner or later Bugsy and Crystal Ice will hear you." She stopped hovering in the air and landed on the dusty ground. "You know," she said gently, "They say that when two people – or Pokemon – argue, they really care about each other."

For a long time, an awkward silence hung above the berry garden. Neither Lightning nor I had any idea of what to say, though my face was gradually becoming uncomfortably warm.

"Excuse me," I grunted finally, "I need to go outside for some fresh air. I think I'm sick."


Flapping my wings rapidly, I flew. Where to, I didn't know, and didn't care. All I knew was that I was flying away from the Azalea Town gym and Lightning.

What are you really flying away from? a voice inside my head questioned. Immediately, I shook the question away and flew faster, past the small, homely Azalea Town and over a wide, sprawling country route.

However, despite my efforts, I found myself slowing down as a dark, thick forest appeared ahead. The trees in that forest grew so closely together that almost no rays of warm sunshine pierced the unyielding canopy; the forest floor was so dark, I was surprised to see healthy, green grass growing on it. The forest itself seemed to be a barrier, with every tree whispering, Turn back, turn back as its leaves rustled in the cool breeze.

And turn back I did. Sighing, I made a large loop and flew slowly back to the Azalea Town gym. I'm not done with my berry lessons yet, I thought. And by the way, I can't go on by myself. Lightning may be stupid, but his battling skills will come in handy during my journey.

Flying directly into the gym – the doors slid open automatically when I flew near them – I sighed in exasperation when I saw Crystal Ice. The hot-tempered, loud, and selfish female Scizor was perched in a nearby tree. The expression in her eyes was one of anger and disappointment.

"Thunder, you again!" she screeched. "I thought you were gone, once and for all. Willow came up to me and asked if I'd seen you, and that dim-witted Butterfree even bothered to tell me your name. I said, of course I hadn't seen you, why would I care anyways. Willow then said that Lightning, the other Pidgeot, was really worried about you, and I thought – "

"Whatever!" I shouted, more exasperated than ever. "Crystal Ice, where are Lightning and Willow now?"

"The berry garden, of course," Crystal Ice said.

I nodded. "Thanks," I muttered, though the word was utterly difficult to choke out. Without further ado, I leaped into the air and flapped away to the berry garden.

When I arrived at the small garden, Lightning was staring nervously at the ground and Willow was fluttering aimlessly in the air. "Willow and Lightning," I said earnestly, "I apologize for flying away like that. May you please forgive me?"


Lightning and I stayed at the Azalea Town gym for the next few days. Bugsy didn't mind at all, because we had promised never to eat his bug Pokemon. In the meantime, I learned almost everything about berries, while Lightning looked on, half-listening, half-daydreaming.

I learned how to crush Sitrus Berries and Lum Berries into EnergyPowder, to feed to a Pokemon who was too weak to eat a full berry.

"Be careful, though," Willow cautioned. "EnergyPowder is very bitter, and many Pokemon hate its taste, so only use it as a last resort."

I also learned, with interest, how to make Heal Powder with Lum Berries and many other ingredients, where to find the best berries, how to pick berries without getting rid of their medicinal properties, and many other bits of knowledge.

When my berry lessons were finally completed, Willow did a little happy dance in the air. "Congratulations, Thunder!" Willow exclaimed. "Now you're truly prepared for your journey to find Ash Ketchum!"

"I definitely am," I said happily. "I am completely prepared for any problems I would face!"

Unfortunately, I was wrong, for I would soon run into a big, horrible problem that berries would never be able to cure.

To be continued…