The dragon's red eyes watched the blue berry sail through the air, calculating the trajectory with astounding speed. At once, she opened her mouth and dove for its anticipated landing place.

There was a clatter and an angry shout as Axew threw herself into the silverware.

"What are you doing?!" Bulbasaur bawled.

Axew quickly snapped up the treat and scurried back to her original spot. "Nothing," she replied, acting as though she'd been cordially sitting the entire time.

Bulbasaur grumbled as he picked up the mess, blowing on any berries he felt were too dirty for immediate consumption.

"Why me?" he groaned, casting dirty glances her way.

Axew snapped her fingers. "Hey Shuppet, pass me another one. I'll get it this time, I promise."

Shuppet, thoroughly enjoying their new game, reached into the snack sack, and with the folds of his cloth, pulled out an Oran berry. "I can throw very really far," he said excitedly.

"No you don't," Bulbasaur interrupted, throwing one of his own berries angrily.

Axew felt something bounce off the fin on her head. She whipped around and saw Bulbasaur sticking his tongue out at her.

She grabbed the berry, and with clenched teeth, crushed it in her palm. After releasing a savage roar, she hurled the glob back at the sender.

Fortunately for Bulbasaur, her aim was terrible. The berry went sailing over his head and landed in the bushes behind him.

Chikorita stabbed the ground with her hoof.

"Stop that, both of you. Act more mature."

Bulbasaur gave the dragon a smarmy grin. "Chikorita's right. No more fighting," he said, ending communication with a patronizing nod. Then, before anything else could happen to his meal, he set about finishing it.

Axew huffed angrily. Before anyone could stop her, she grabbed a nearby fork and slammed it against the ground with a surly grunt. Then she abruptly stood to her feet and pointed in his direction.

"Stop hiding behind Chikorita and face me on the food battlefield, coward!"

Bulbasaur wrinkled his nose. "You've wasted enough food, Axew."

"Me?! Wasting?! You're the one that lost half our food in the mystery dungeon!"

"Because you led us right into an ambush! Good job on that one!

"Well sorry for trying to have fun, Bulby. It's not like I wanted to be dragged on your flower-picking trip anyway."

Chikorita stood up. "Can we please get along? There's no reason Shuppet and I should have to listen to your bickering."

The point on Shuppet's head began to glow faintly as he moved closer to the action. "Nono, fighting is very funny to me. Keep with the arguing, please."

Axew scoffed. "Nah, I'm done with this guy. Let's go pick some more berries," she prompted with a wave of her hand.

Shuppet, slightly disappointed that the argument ended so abruptly, descended to her eye level. "Okay, I go."

The two explorers turned their backs to the others with a dramatic turn. Then, holding their heads as high as their bodies would allow, moved deeper into the woods, laughing and shouting extra loud for the audience behind them.

Bulbasaur glared at their backsides until they out of sight. Then he sat back down with an exasperated sigh and continued eating.

"Good riddance," Bulbasaur grunted between mouthfuls of food.

Chikorita gave her own sigh as she sat back down. "I wish you wouldn't encourage her," she said quietly.

He finished out his portion with a satisfied grunt. After pushing away his bowl, he stretched and offered his rebuttal. "I'm not trying to start fights," he said, moving himself to allow for better eye contact. "She is."

She lowered her voice. "Maybe she acts confrontational because she's scared. Has that thought occurred to you?"

Bulbasaur checked to make sure the dragon wasn't nearby. "Scared?" he repeated, trying not to laugh at the suggestion. "Scared of what?"

She paused, giving herself time to collect her thoughts. Her eyes moved back and forth between her partner and a nearby dandelion.

"Bulbasaur... she didn't grow up in the Explorer House, you know."

A shrug indicated her words didn't come as a surprise. But she continued anyway.

"She doesn't like to talk about it, but I get the impression she wasn't always treated with the same love and care I was."

A gust of wind blew past, scattering dandelion seeds into the wind. Most fell a short distance away, unsuccessful in their attempt to find lift.

Bulbasaur, after noticing Chikorita's fascination with the flower, blew the puffs a little farther. "You're saying I should pity her then?"

"No, it's not like that. She just needs to know she belongs- that she doesn't have to posture herself to be accepted."

"Of course she belongs," Bulbasaur answered with a laugh, "The Explorer House wouldn't be the same without her... contributions."

Chikorita ran her hoof through the grass, stirring the seeds and air above them. "I'm serious. You remember what it was like don't you? The way you felt when you were an outsider? Imagine living like that your whole life."

"She has Shuppet," Bulbasaur pointed out.

"Yes," she relented, "Shuppet helps. But I think, if it's up to us, we should make Axew feel even more at home, don't you think? I'm sure we can up with the occasional rowdy behavior if it means helping her out."

Bulbasaur regarded the exposed dandelion for a moment longer before returning to his partner. "Yeah... sure, I guess it's only fair. I mean, if it weren't for your parents, and you, giving me a chance, I don't know where I'd be right now."

She smiled. "You don't have to thank me. I'm glad we-"

"Now I gotcha!" Axew shouted, interrupting their conversation with a battle cry. "Eat rotten Oran berries!"

The little dragon burst into the scene, carrying a vine of blue berries by the stem. In midday sun, their discoloration was clear, making them look unappetizing to even the most hungry of explorers. To Axew, that made them perfect fodder for a food fight.

She ripped off one of the berries and reared back, planning to end the ceasefire with a decisive strike. That's when Chikorita realized what the berries actually were.

"Stop!" she screamed. "Those aren't Oran berries!"

Her warning came a moment too late. The projectile was already on course for its target. Chikorita sprang into action.

She closed her eyes and leapt between Bulbasaur and the discolored berry, hoping to use Protect before it reached her. She was a second too late.

There was a loud metallic sound followed by a surprised shout. When Chikorita opened her eyes, she saw Axew swatting at her stomach, as if being attacked by an ant colony.

"Get it off!" Axew exclaimed, wiping off the splattered berry. Then she stooped low and began to wipe her hands in the grass, trying to rid her skin of the acrid sensation.

It took a few seconds for Chikorita to realize what had happened. She kept checking herself for her own injury, expecting to be in a worse state than Axew. But then she examined her neck and remembered she had a reflective collar.

"The Bounce Band... the berry must have bounced off..."

She gasped. "Bulbasaur! Get some water!"

Bulbasaur looked back and forth between the two panicked Pokémon, still processing what was happening. But after a second of confusion, his brain finally registered her words. He ran to the tent and pulled out a jug from the supplies.

"Here!" he yelled, extending his vines to hand the container over. She accepted it with a grateful nod.

"Thanks." She undid the plug and began to speak calmly to the injured Pokémon.

"Relax relax. You'll be fine. Let's wash that off."

Axew held out her arms as Chikorita poured their drinking water over them. Then the dragon dried her hands on her sides, letting loose a few profanities to verbalize her pain.

"Gimme that," she demanded, snatching the jug from the grass Pokémon. She poured the rest of the water on her stomach, wincing as patches of her reddened skin punished her efforts. She tossed the jug to the side and hunched over, maintaining pressure on the injured areas.

"Stupid rotten berries," she hissed, slowly rolling on the ground.

"Those weren't Oran berries," Chikorita explained. "Those were Oren berries. They're similar, but have completely different effects. Oran berries grow on bushes but Oren berries-"

"I don't care!" she grunted.

Chikorita drew back and ran into the tent. After emptying her bag, she put it over her shoulder and exited a few seconds later. Then she turned to Bulbasaur.

"I'm going to find some herbs. Could you stay with her until I come back?"

The bulbous Pokémon made a telling face. "Maybe I- I should help you. I'll bet I could find-"

She shook her head. "No, it'll be faster if I look by myself. There's not enough time to explain everything, and I don't wanna mix the wrong herbs."

She put her foreleg out. "Don't worry; I'll be back soon, I promise. Stay with her, Bulbasaur."

She looked back and forth between the Pokémon. "And please... try and get along."