"WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD!"

I groaned and opened my eyes, shielding them from the sunlight with a wing. Above me was a lustrous steel bird. Judging by her grin, I can assume something bad happened. Judging by how much light was flooding in, I knew something bad happened.

"Did you have to crash through the ceiling again?" I complained. Skarmory always had a flair for the dramatic.
She laughed heartily. "It's not my fault you live in such a dreary place! Besides, you should be thanking me. Can't blame a girl for doing some interior decorating."

Sometimes I wonder why I put up with her.

I closed my eyes, perched nicely, and –

WHAP

Pain.

Excruciating pain ripped across my abdomen.

"What was that for!?" I demanded. Skarmory had left a silver-slate gash across my chest.
"Ooh la la, what was that for?" she parroted with a mocking tone. "Grow up, you big baby!"
I grimaced from the pain. "Oh, sure, I'll just walk off getting slapped by a walking tank. No problem at all."
She folded her wings. "No need to thank me. So you up or what?"
"For wha –"

My wound flared up, leaving me writhing in agony. She must've fractured a rib or two.
"All I had to do was hit you really, really hard!" she chimed. "It's super effective on boring sleepyheads like you."
"Believe me, I can tell."

She tapped her foot impatiently. "Don'tcha want to know what that move is? I call it the Steel Wing!" She beamed, clearly impressed with herself for inventing such an original name.
"Wonderful, wonderful. Now can I go back to sleep?" My head was still groggy, and being accosted by a literal iron maiden wasn't helping matters.
She was either unwilling to take the hint or flat-out unable. I'm leaning toward the former. "Aren't I brilliant?" she cooed. "Now get up so I can share my genius with you!"

Here's some advice for whenever you need to wake up a friend who's enjoying a good night's sleep. Slapping them really hard on the chest is a bad idea. Slapping them a second time over the initial wound is even worse.

"Okay, okay, I'm awake! You can stop it already!"
"Great!" she chirped. "I'm lucky to have such an obedient punching bag as a friend."

I really don't know why I put up with her.

"So tell me about this move." Rude awakening aside, Skarmory's move intrigued me. It might be worth learning, even if it involves slapping someone "really, really hard", as she put it.
I joked, "Does it involve slapping you too? Because that'd be really cathartic." She laughed it off.

"Angle your wing like this," she instructed, extending one of her shiny remiges. "Imagine that it's a metal blade, and you're trying to chop a watmel berry."
I followed suit.
"Good, good! Now bring it down hard. Keep your wing flat. Swing your hips to add momentum."
"I hate to break it to you, but my wings aren't made of steel," I commented dryly. Still, I followed through with her motions. It was rewarding to hear my feathers cut through air like a knife through a rawst berry.

I think she was impressed with my performance. "Great! Try it on me!"
She may not have the same self-restraint, but I find it difficult to attack a friend. With her gentle prodding, I raised a wing, angled it, and slammed it down on her neck.

WHAP

Pain.

Excruciating pain ripped throughout my wing. My shoulders were crying out in anguish. Maybe trying to slap something made of pure steel wasn't the best idea.

"You going to be okay?"
Either I'm not as good as hiding my pain as I thought or she noticed that my wing was sprained. Skarmory patted my back, offering a few words of comfort. My injury wasn't serious, but I'll think twice about trying to punch a wall from here on out.

We spent the rest of the afternoon honing my technique on Steel Wing – on trees instead of each other, of course. As we continued, I slowly got accustomed to the move's physical demands. Every time it felt like my wing would snap in half, Skarmory forced me to take a break. She helped me streamline my motions. Soon, I felt as graceful as a Lugia, slicing the air effortlessly. I was comforted by her encouraging words; after all, that's what friends are for, right?

The sun was setting. "You're a quick learner," she complimented. "It sure was fun!"
"Yeah." It had been a tiring day. "You're a pretty good teacher, yourself."
"Aw, shush." She winked. "Tell you what, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Who knows, you might use Steel Wing for real tonight!"

Before I could object, she had already launched off, soaring toward the bright oranges and purples painting the horizon. Shrugging my shoulders, I followed close behind her, looking forward to the surprises she had in store for me.