My rapidly beating heart gradually slowed down as the peculiar sensation of teleportation faded away. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw that my slightly cold and numb left wing was still resting on the forehead of Starlight, Falkner's Natu – we had to be in physical contact with her for the teleportation to work.
As the blue aura surrounding her disappeared, Starlight, who had been floating in the air using her Psychic powers, slowly descended to the ground. Falkner and Bolt opened their eyes and looked around, Bolt with a dumbstruck look on her face but Falkner remaining completely calm. I studied my surroundings as well – we were in a dirt battlefield with white markings and boundaries. Beyond that was a pale blue morning sky dotted with fluffy white clouds, and I could feel a light, warm breeze ruffling my feathers. We were at the rooftop battlefield of the Violet Gym.
I shivered a little, not from the wind but from the eerie sensation teleportation had given me – it was very strange, a feeling that could not be explained. All I remembered was that Falkner and Starlight had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the calm, ordinary Olivine City Pokemon Center, scaring the daylights out of the attending Nurse Joy.
"We're just here to pick up some friends," Falkner had explained, gesturing to Bolt and me. "Thunder and Bolt – Thunder's the Pidgeot, and Bolt is the Jolteon – need to quickly get to Violet City, so I thought I would use my Natu's Teleport to get them there instantly."
"Oh… all right," Nurse Joy had said slowly, still quite shocked about the fact that a gym leader and his Natu had appeared out of thin air.
"Glad to see you, Thunder," Falkner had said cheerfully, walking over to me and gently stroking my plumes. "How was your journey?"
Oh, both Bolt and I have a lot of things to tell you, I had thought. Let's get back to the Violet Gym, and we'll tell you everything there. I had eyed his Natu a little cautiously. Is your Natu's Teleport… safe?
"Oh, definitely," Falkner had answered. "It's a weird sensation, like you're falling through a bottomless pit, but I never get motion sickness or anything when I teleport."
"My name's Starlight, by the way," Starlight had chirped.
Okay, I had thought. Now how do we do this?
"It's simple," Falkner had answered as Starlight, held up by Psychic powers, lifted herself off Falkner's shoulder and floated in midair. "We all have to be in physical contact with Natu and close our eyes."
All right, let's do this, I had thought as I rested my left wing on Starlight's forehead. I had waited until Bolt touched Starlight's right wing and Falkner touched Starlight's left wing before I closed my eyes.
"Bolt, are you ready?" Falkner had asked.
"I'm ready," Bolt had answered.
She says she's ready, I had translated, and I'm ready too.
"All right," Falkner had said. "Natu, Teleport us back to the Violet Gym!"
"Teleport, go!" Starlight had exclaimed. Before the word "go" left her beak, I had felt it – that peculiar sensation Falkner had talked about. Rapidly, the air had been taken away from me and my stomach had shot up into my chest. I had felt like I was falling, falling, and yet I had felt no nausea, pain, or fear. Though my eyes were closed, I had seen stars – multicolored ones that had flashed rapidly from the darkness.
And then, after just a few seconds, it had all stopped. Now, standing on a battlefield hundreds of feet above the earth, I folded my extended wing and blinked my eyes a few times to dispel the rainbow-colored lights that still flickered in front of me.
Whew, I thought, shaking my head. That really was something.
"Yeah," Falkner agreed, while Bolt nodded. He pulled out a pink-and-purple Pokeball. "Thanks, Natu. Now take a good rest," he said as he pressed the Pokeball's center button. Starlight turned into transparent purple energy and disappeared into the strange Pokeball.
Maybe we should sit down, I thought, because we really have a lot of things to tell you.
"That's right," Falkner said. "Bolt, you aren't afraid of heights, are you?"
Bolt shook her head.
"Good," Falkner said, walking to the edge of the battlefield, where a concrete wall that also served as a bench stood. Bolt and I followed him, and we hopped onto the wall as he sat down. Bolt made herself comfortable as I told my story.
So, in the beginning of our journey, Lightning and I were just friends, I began. I blushed a little. But then… I saw the signs. Lightning loved me and wanted to be more than just friends with me, but at first I didn't love him back. And after arriving in Ecruteak City and hearing Morty's Gengar talk about his battle against Ash's Pokemon, I almost gave up on my quest to find him.
"Why is that?" Falkner asked.
Morty's Gengar talked about Ash's powerful Shiny Noctowl, and I deduced that Ash didn't come back because Noctowl replaced me, I thought. I felt very dejected and heartbroken, so I decided to have some alone time to think about everything – Ash, Noctowl, and Lightning. I told Lightning to give up on me and go back to Violet City if I didn't come back to him by this morning.
So I thought about everything for a while, and I decided to go back to Lightning, I continued, not wanting to tell Falkner about Janine just yet. But on the way back to the Burnt Tower, I was ambushed and captured by… your sister, Nature Hunter K.
Falkner stiffened. "Katrina?" he asked softly, shaking a little. "But… how can you be sure that she was my sister?"
Remember that letter you received from your sister near the beginning of our journey? I thought. Lightning told me about it – your sister was going to use nature to become the greatest Flying-type trainer. And she wanted to get a good-natured Pidgeot to rival yours. And I – I was the Pidgeot she decided to go after.
"You?" Falkner asked, shocked.
Yes, me, I thought, nodding. Using her Nature Checker, K – I mean, Katrina – determined that I had a good nature, Adamant. Because of that, she's been hunting me ever since we first met at Ilex Forest. Finally, in Ecruteak City, just as I was about to return to Lightning, your sister tried to capture me in an Ultra Ball – it failed, though, because I was still registered as Ash's Pokemon.
So she knocked me out and put me in an electric cage in her blimp. Bolt here was Katrina's Pokemon, but she changed sides and helped me escape. We landed in Olivine City, and that's where we called you.
"Wow," Falkner said slowly, closing his eyes. He sighed. "What a journey… and to think that my long-lost sister has been hunting you all this time… I thought she was gone forever." He shook his head. "But what are these 'natures' Katrina's so obsessed with? To her, there's apparently something more to them than personality, but what? And what has she been up to these past three years? She just vanished from her bed the night before my first day as an official Gym Leader…" He shook his head again. "So many questions, all of which I do not know the answer to."
"Actually," Bolt said softly, "I know many of the answers."
Bolt says she can tell you the answers, I translated. Falkner, can you give my necklace to Bolt?
"Yes," Falkner said as he removed my necklace and hung it around Bolt's neck. We watched as the Jolteon focused for a while. Then, via telepathy, we heard her speak.
Thunder? Falkner? Can you hear me? Bolt asked.
Falkner and I both nodded.
Okay, good, Bolt thought. Listen up, both of you – I've been Katrina's Pokemon for quite a while. When she obtained me, I was still registered as another trainer's Pokemon, so she attempted to keep me inside an electric cage until my old Pokeball could expire and she could capture me. However, I have Volt Absorb as my ability, so I was immune to the electricity. I easily broke out of the cage, and after that, I explored her blimp, which also functions as her home, from bow to stern. Because I got to wander around a lot, I also got many opportunities to eavesdrop on Katrina talking to herself, which she did a lot.
"Go on," Falkner said patiently.
Falkner, Bolt thought, would you mind if I told Thunder a bit about Katrina before she left Violet City? You know about this, but Thunder doesn't.
"No, I wouldn't mind at all," Falkner said.
All right, Bolt thought. Thunder, you see, as soon as Falkner obtained his first Pokemon, Lightning, and the whole family moved from Fuchsia City to Violet City, Katrina and Falkner used to have little Pokemon battles against each other. Back then, Katrina only had her Sharpclaw, her Skarmory, and Falkner only had Lightning – back then, he was a Pidgey. From a young age, Falkner was a very talented Pokemon Trainer – he shoed an inexhaustible fighting spirit and a very close bond with his Pokemon. Katrina would have been a talented trainer as well – in fact, she had a very high level of intelligence – but something was missing.
"What was that?" I asked.
Katrina just couldn't see her Pokemon as her friend, comrade, or partner, Bolt thought sadly. She just wanted to be stronger, and her Skarmory was essentially a… tool for her to use to become the person she wanted to be – and that person was a Flying-type specialist gym leader and maybe even a League Champion later on. However, because she lacked the strong bond with her Pokemon, she found herself losing battle after battle against her younger brother.
"That's true," Falkner said softly. "I told her again and again to treat her Skarmory as a friend, but she wouldn't listen to me because I was five years younger than her."
Bolt nodded. Katrina tried very hard to find other ways to become more powerful, ways that didn't involve close bonds, she continued. I guess she overcomplicated things a bit too much – she started by planning her future team, which was good, but then she started to observe every single Skarmory, Zubat, Golbat, Crobat, Magikarp, Gyarados, Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard, Spearow, Fearow, Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot she came across.
"That's true too," Falkner said quietly. "Katrina would watch our father's gym battles closely and go into the woods to observe the wild Pokemon there, but she never told me why."
"So Katrina's final team would be Skarmory, Crobat, Gyarados, Charizard, Fearow, and Pidgeot," I mused.
I knew that Falkner didn't understand me, but Bolt did, so she nodded.
Well, she continued, as the years flew by, Falkner grew closer and closer to age ten, and Katrina grew more and more frantic. She made progress – she continued to observe her selected Pokemon and found out that Pokemon of a certain nature or personality seemed to usually outperform others of its species. For example, a Jolly Magikarp would usually swim faster than, say, a Bashful one.
"Interesting," Falkner sighed. "So all the observations Katrina made – she kept them a secret so she could become more powerful than me."
Precisely, Bolt thought. However, all her efforts proved to be in vain. Because Sharpclaw, her Skarmory, didn't feel for her the way Lightning felt for Falkner, she continued her losing streak. As time wore on, their mom and dad always seemed to shower more love, praise, and attention to their son rather than their daughter. But there was a reason for that: Falkner, with his impressive fighting spirit, was clearly gym leader material, while Katrina was not.
"My parents knew that I had potential," Falkner added, "and I never ceased to impress them." He sighed. "Guess I never really paid attention to how my sister felt."
Bolt nodded. Katrina grew hopeless and rejected, and as her parents continued to largely ignore her, her poisonous jealousy of her little brother festered like an unhealed wound, she continued. She did all that she could – she trained her Skarmory a lot, caught an exceptional Zubat with a Jolly nature, and quickly evolved that Zubat into a Golbat. But Falkner made progress too – he caught a Hoothoot and a Doduo in the nearby woods and evolved Lightning into a Pidgeotto.
"I also developed close bonds with my newly caught Pokemon, and I trained them, too," Falkner added.
Yes, Bolt continued. Well, finally, the big day came – Walker, Falkner's dad, who at that time was the Violet City Gym Leader, wanted to explore the faraway regions of Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova with his wife. Of course, he had to find a new gym leader for the Violet Gym, and naturally he chose Falkner.
"But wasn't Katrina furious?" I asked.
Of course, Bolt answered. Thankfully, her parents noticed this and worked out a compromise with her: the Pokemon League Examiners would test Falkner and Katrina's abilities together by having the two of them have a Pokemon battle against each other.
"Wow. This is getting interesting," I said softly.
Falkner and Katrina both trained hard, Bolt continued. On the day of the Pokemon League Exam, the examiners came. One of them refereed the battle while the other one sat at the sidelines, observing and taking notes.
"Bolt," Falkner said suddenly, "would you mind if I told the story of the battle? I still remember that battle as if it were yesterday."
Sure, go ahead, Bolt answered. It would be better than if I told the story, because I don't remember all of the details.
"All right," Falkner said. "At that time, Katrina had two Pokemon while I had three, so to make things fair, both she and I were only allowed to use two Pokemon."
Go on, Bolt thought patiently.
"Katrina, of course, used her Skarmory and Golbat, and I used my Pidgeotto and Doduo," Falkner continued. "She began with Golbat, and I sent out Doduo. Well, let's just say that we both had our strengths and weaknesses. When it came to sheer force, Katrina was definitely stronger – her Golbat was speedier than my Doduo and could hit fast and hard. But my Doduo was nimble, and I had showered lots of attention on him – I had taught him how to use his two heads to his advantage, how to skillfully dodge attacks, and how to jump so high that he was almost flying.
"Well, at first, the battle went smoothly. Doduo managed to dodge many of Golbat's Bite attacks, all the while landing swift hits of Fury Attack. But when Bite finally did hit, it hit hard. Doduo cried out, fell to the ground, and almost ceased his movements. However, Doduo had developed a close bond with me and would keep on trying for his best friend. With a final push, Doduo staggered to his feet. Taking both Katrina and Golbat by surprise, he lunged forward and delivered a swift and powerful Quick Attack, plowing Golbat to the ground.
"'Get up, Golbat! Now!' Katrina commanded angrily, but Golbat refused to listen to her orders. Not even making an effort, Golbat ceased her movements and fainted.
"'Golbat is unable to battle!' the referee called. 'Falkner and Doduo are the winners!'"
Man, this is getting intense, Bolt thought, not moving a muscle as she took in the fast-paced story.
"I agree," I said softly, even though I knew that Falkner couldn't understand me. "Wow, Falkner, you're a pretty good storyteller."
"'I totally would have won if your stupid Doduo hadn't surprised me like that,' Katrina growled," Falkner said, continuing his story. "'But now it's time to prove that I'm stronger than you and worthy of more attention. Skarmory, destroy!'
"In a flash of light, Katrina's strongest Pokemon appeared, and I knew that the rest of the battle would be a tough fight – none of my Pokemon's attacks were particularly effective on the Steel-type. But when I saw the light in Doduo's eyes, I knew that he was ready to give it all he got."
How did it go? Bolt asked.
"Not well," Falkner sighed. "Doduo managed to hit first with Quick Attack, but he struck solid steel and did next to no damage. With a smirk, Katrina ordered her Skarmory to use Steel Wing. Skarmory raised his armored wing, which glowed with a white light, and with it plowed Doduo deep into the ground. The hole the attack created was so deep that I had to rush to the center of the battlefield and peer into it to check on Doduo. When I did, I discovered that he had fainted."
Yikes, Bolt thought. Katrina definitely trained her Skarmory to be very powerful.
"Yes," Falkner said, nodding. "Sighing, I recalled my fallen Doduo, congratulating on a job well done. Then, I sent out my Pidgeotto – or, as you may call him, Lightning. But before I commanded him to make his first move, I called him to my side and gave him a little pep talk.
"'Pidgeotto,' I said, 'I know that this will be a tough fight for you, because that Skarmory of my sister's is very powerful. But I believe in you. I'll fight with you till the very end, so I hope you'll give it all you've got.'
"Lightning nodded, his eyes burning with an unbroken spirit. He flew towards the center of the battlefield, hovering in place and looking ready for battle.
"'Done with your little talk?' Katrina sneered. 'Well, it won't help you. I can guarantee that. Skarmory, Aerial Ace!'
"I had trained hard with Lightning and with him perfected our Agility and Quick Attack strategy," Falkner continued, "so I hoped we could utilize that strategy to win this battle.
"'Pidgeotto,' I called, 'Agility!'
"With impressive speed, Lightning barely dodged the oncoming Aerial Ace attack. He quickly disappeared into thin air and suddenly reappeared behind Katrina's Skarmory.
"'Now, Quick Attack!' I commanded.
"A streak of white light trailing after him, Lightning rammed into Katrina's Skarmory. This continued on for quite a few turns – every time Katrina's Skarmory tried to attack, Lightning would use Agility to get out of the way and deliver a swift Quick Attack from behind. Slowly and tediously, Lightning chipped away Skarmory's health."
Isn't that the battle strategy you're famous for? Bolt asked.
"Yes," Falkner answered. "Ever since my battle against Katrina, I've used that strategy a lot. Well, anyways, with each hit Skarmory took, Katrina became more and more enraged. Finally, just as Lightning was about to land another Quick Attack from behind, Katrina got an idea.
"'Skarmory,' she exclaimed suddenly, 'turn around and use Aerial Ace, quickly!'
"Our plan had been working like a charm, so Katrina's order took us by complete surprise. Frantically, I commanded Lightning to use Agility to dodge, but I was too late – Skarmory slammed into him with a powerful Aerial Ace attack that sent him flying."
Hmm, Katrina had a plan there, I thought, knowing that my thoughts would not be audible because I wasn't wearing the Soul Gem. If Ash had been in the same situation as Katrina, he would have made his Pokemon plow Lightning to the ground.
"I desperately commanded Lightning to try a Quick Attack," Falkner continued, but he was disoriented and dizzy due to the Aerial Ace attack he had taken as well as his plummeting to the ground. Smiling, Katrina ordered her Skarmory to use Steel Wing, and before Lightning could pull himself together, Skarmory's wing glowed white and he viciously slammed Lightning into the ground. Probably Katrina had planned it, Lightning landed in the deep hole my Doduo had created."
Katrina certainly planned her strategies very well, Bolt thought. Because she was wearing the Soul Gem, both Falkner and I could hear her thoughts.
"Definitely," Falkner said, nodding. "Well, the situation looked grim – Lightning had hardly any health left and was stuck in a Doduo-shaped hole, while Skarmory still had plenty of energy. Katrina smirked.
"'Well, it all ends here, Falkner,' she said, smiling. 'Skarmory, finish it up with Aerial Ace!'
"With a roar, the metallic bird-like creature became cloaked with a white light and began charging towards the helpless Lightning. I was beginning to panic – one more hit and my sister would successfully win the battle and prove that brute force was better than love and willpower. I thought of the one thing Lightning had and Skarmory didn't, and utilized it to its full potential.
"'Pidgeotto,' I said calmly, 'you can do it. I believe in you, and I know you won't let me down. Please, Pidgeotto, just give yourself one last push and use Agility!'
"As that last word left my mouth, a huge explosion sounded and a large dust cloud rose into the air, obstructing my view of the battlefield. I closed my eyes, thinking that the battle was all over – but it wasn't. When I forced my eyes to open, I gasped with delight when I saw that Lightning was hovering in the air, still with some energy left inside him. Skarmory, however, had his head stuck miserably inside on of the narrow 'necks' of the Doduo-shaped hole. And because of his inflexibility, he was having a hard time freeing himself."
At the last moment, Lightning gathered up his strength and used Agility to get out of the hole, Bolt thought excitedly, so Skarmory's Aerial Ace plowed deep into the hole without striking its target.
"Precisely," Falkner said, smiling. "Well, from then on, the battle was a breeze – as Skarmory continued to be helplessly immobilized, Lightning attacked relentlessly with Quick Attacks and Wing Attacks. With a final push, Lightning slammed Skarmory out of the hole. Katrina smirked, thinking that Skarmory was free and could finally attack. However, when she looked across the dusty battlefield, she saw that Skarmory had ceased his movements and was laying there, still as a stone.
"'Skarmory is unable to battle!' the referee called excitedly. 'Falkner, Doduo, and Pidgeotto are the winners of this match!'
"And just like that, I was officially the Gym Leader of Violet City." Falkner took a deep breath as his story concluded.
"…Wow," I breathed after a moment of silence. "I never knew you were this good of a storyteller."
Thunder says she thinks you're a good storyteller, Bolt translated.
"Really?" Falkner asked. He smiled. "Thanks, but… that very night, Katrina disappeared, and I have no idea of what happened after that. She's been gone and almost forgotten for three years."
Actually, Bolt thought, I can tell both of you what exactly she's been up to. I think this is important information, both for you and for Thunder.
"Go on," Falkner said, "because my sister left without explaining to me what natures were."
"Yeah," I added. "I have so many unanswered questions about her, and you're the only one who knows the answers."
Bolt nodded, and Falkner and I listened intently as she began her story.
To be continued…