It is another fine day in Sinnoh. At the western gates of Eterna City, Gardenia takes in a deep breath of the afternoon air, and marvels at the scent of the grass and woods, the unique flavour that belongs to the great forest. She shares a grin with Roserade and the little Cherubi who is sitting on her shoulder, and remarks that their city seems to be having another typical day of splendid weather.

However, she soon detects a different scent mixed within the usual aroma of the grass and soil, and puts on a frown as she takes another sniff. She realizes with a start that it is the smell of gas, and quickly dashes into the Eterna Forest. Right away, she sees three young trainers who appear to be travellers from another town, and the two boys in the group seem to be having a bit drama between them.

Pearl furiously commands Dia to get up immediately, and can't understand how he could be napping on a rock that is overgrown with moss. He yanks Dia up by his bagpack, but the boy maintains a groggy look on his face, and seems reluctant to let go of the rock. Beh shares the same problem with its trainer, and covers his butt with its hands while Chatlord pecking at it while repeating the words of Pearl.

Gardenia sniffs that the smell of gas is originating from the trio, and says her greetings out loud while trotting over to them. However, the young trainers seem totally oblivious to her presence, and simply walk past her to head for the forest's exit. Gardenia sweatdrops and finds it hard to believe that she has been ignored, and hurriedly gets Roserade to stop them with its Grass Knot.

The long grass on the floor begin to cluster up and form a series of loops, and those right beneath Dia, Pearl and Piplup manage to trip the three over, causing them to fall on their faces. Pearl demands to know what is happening, and Gardenia puts on a confident grin to say she is fairly convinced that they have just battled with gas Pokemon.

However, Pearl is apparently only concerned about the fuss she is causing, and inquires who she is. Gardenia formally introduces herself, and wants to know if they have really been fighting gas Pokemon. Dia thinks she must be talking about the Gastlys, and merrily admits that they have. Gardenia grins that she knew her guess was right since they smell just like the stinky gas, and Lady Berlitz begins to sniff at herself. Gardenia wants to know where exactly they fought the creatures, and Dia instantly recalls the tasty Old Gateau. He replies that it was the Old Chateau and starts drooling, making Pearl shoot him a look of despise.

Dia's answer causes Gardenia and Cherubi to bolt with astonishment, and the young woman exclaims that the manor is the number one scary spot in the Eterna Forest, where recent sightings of dubious silhouettes and spirits have been reported. Yet, she notices that the remark has not resulted in any emotional changes in the young trainers, and quickly fights to regain her composure by coughing several times, claiming that she is truly concerned about the situation. She adds that given her position, she is obligated to investigate on the matter, but since it has been described to be really scary, she has decided to postpone it for a bit.

Then, with an almost desperate look, she wants to verify from Dia and Pearl that they also found the manor scary, but Pearl reveals that Dia has managed to defeat it at the end, and thinks to himself that the young woman babbles too much. Pearl's response once again causes Gardenia and Cherubi to bolt in astonishment, and she has a hard time believing that they have beaten the spirit. She struggles to stay cool as she compliments on their strength, and Lady Berlitz is pleased that she has gotten herself two very professional bodyguards.

Pearl wants to know what Gardenia meant when she said her position makes her obligated, and the young woman proudly states that she is no other than the gymleader of Eterna City. Without waiting for a response from the trio, she voices her understanding, and says their victory over the Old Chateau's haunting spirit clearly shows that they are skillful trainers. She can see that they are dying to request a gym challenge from her, and announces that their challenge is officially accepted. With that, she hops away in high spirits with her Pokemon, and says she will be waiting at the gym the next day.

Pearl sweatdrops and says he has never seen anyone make a pact without needing any input from the other party. He turns around to ask what Lady Berlitz thinks about the abruptly arranged gym challenge, but sees that the girl is still sniffing at herself. Sensing Pearl's bewildered look, the Lady quickly regains her composure.

Pearl: Um... I know that we are said to stink with the smell of gas, but were you...
Lady Berlitz: I did not.
Pearl: It is okay! To be honest, I can't smell...
Lady Berlitz: I would like a shower from the hotel.
Pearl: (fumes) That means you were sniffing yourself!!
Dia: (drools) I would like another piece of the Old Gateau...

Ignoring the boys, Lady Berlitz turns around and puts on a slight frown. Clearly, she has been disturbed by Gardenia's blunt personality, and is thinking to herself that the gymleaders in different cities do vary in their character.

The next morning, at Hotel Great Eterna, Roo and Chimlord are still sleeping while Dia and Pearl have already risen to practice their Manzai verses.

Pearl: Speaking of Pokemooon!
Dia: Speaking of Pokemooon~
Pearl: There is something known as happiness.
Dia: Happiness~ That refers to the trust between a Pokemon and its trainer~
Pearl: (hugs Chatlord) Your Pokemon will trust you more when you make it happy, such as keeping it in the team.
Dia: Really? (boils water and fans the steam at Beh)
Pearl: (fumes) I said keeping it in the team, not in the steam!!

Pearl: So does your Munchlax trust you?
Dia: No, not at all, that's why I wish it is made of iron and I can keep it moist.
Pearl: Huh!? What has this got to do with it?
Dia: In that way, I can make it-rust.
Pearl: (explodes and blasts off)

Pearl feels grateful that their tempo is getting better and better, and clasps his little Manzai scriptbook shut. Dia takes another bite of his sweet cake, and looks out from the window to see that Lady Berlitz is training downstairs with Piplup and Ponyta on her own.

Once again with the 'victory' band tied around her forehead, Lady Berlitz works to perfect her commands as her two Pokemon battle each other out. While she has set out on this journey towards the summit of Mt. Coronet for the purpose of seeking a special material to create an accessory that bears their family crest, it is actually also a journey of personal growth to train herself in order to live up to being a descendent of the prestigious and renown Berlitz family.

There are many things that she has only read and heard of but yet to see in person. It is only after she started on this journey that she realizes knowledge is best acquired through actual experience. She is now yearning to experience as much as she can, and challenging the many gymleaders across Sinnoh has now become one of them. Piplup turns around to grin at its trainer upon hearing her decision, and resumes its training with even greater motivation.

Watching from their hotel room, Pearl remarks that the Lady seems determined to win the gym challenge, and says she is exuding a very strong will through her diligence. Dia puts on a grin and begins to say something, but Pearl stops him and places his hand on his shoulders to address him as Diamond, stating that he knows what he is trying to say.

Pearl flips out a cardboard and some markers, and soon draws up a mask with Gardenia's face on it. Dia holds up the work of his companion, and a big smile instantly stretches across his face. Pearl admits that he has constantly asked himself why they are working so hard to help their tour guide lady, and while he still has no clear answer to that, he believes that it's because he feels empty and weak as well sometimes, and wants to experience some kind of accomplishment through helping the girl. With that, the two boys get themselves ready to play the role of training opponents again, and head downstairs to join Lady Berlitz.

A few moments later, Dia, Pearl and Lady Berlitz leave the vicinity of the hotel, and start walking to another part of the city. Pearl guesses from Gardenia's Pokemon that she is an expert on grass type, which is supported by her use of the attack Grass Knot. He thinks the interior of the gym will most likely be a grass based battlefield, and says that is the reason why their training will be much more effective done on a grassland instead of the concrete ground around the hotel.

The trio wanders around in the city while looking for grasslands that are large enough for them, and suddenly comes across a giant bronze statue that depicts a winged creature with a long tail and columnar crest on its head. A jewel like pentagonal structure sticks out from its chest plate, and its shoulders are carved into two giant round shields that also have jewel like circles in them.

Dia exclaims that he has never seen such a cool monster, and wonders if it is a Pokemon. He then spots a strangely designed building to the far left of the statue, and quickly points it out to Pearl and the Lady. Dia grins that the spikes that stick out from its side walls look powerful and intimidating, and Pearl notices that there is also a grassland of considerable size right next to the building.

The trio thus makes their way over, and commences their special training for Lady Berlitz's upcoming gym challenge. Pearl remarks that since Piplup will take up the main role during the challenge, he will make things slightly tougher, and have both Chimlord and Roo battle it at the same time. Lady Berlitz says she is ready, and Dia proceeds to pull on the mask of Gardenia and call forward the two Pokemon, mimicking the gymleader's voice as he speaks.

Chimlord charges forward to deliver an Ember, but Piplup swiftly evades it and retaliates with a Pound. Yet, it subsequently gets hit by Roo's Razor Leaf, and Pearl yells that Lady Berlitz must pay attention water's natural weakness to grass. He encourages the girl to come up with her own tactics from all the things she has learnt, and the Lady quickly tells Piplup to deliver a Growl and Bubble combo. However, while Chimlord receives a great damage from the attack, Roo is barely scratched and puts on a happy look. The little turtle then fires another Razor Leaf to knock back Piplup, and Pearl calls the first round to an end.

Lady Berlitz sulks that Turtwig feels far more difficult to defeat than Chimchar due to Piplup's type disadvantage, but Pearl says she has already been fairing quite well, and compliments on her use of Growl and Bubble, which are capable of hitting both foes on the battlefield. He begins to make suggestions on how to counter grass types, but Lady Berlitz suddenly hears someone calling for help, and pricks up her ears to listen. She asks if Dia and Pearl heard anything, but the boys wear looks of confusion on their faces, and shake their heads in unison. The Lady thinks she must have made a mistake, and decides to resume her training.

At that moment, a young woman with long blonde hair who wears a black knee-length coat happens to walk by the grassland, and spots the trio in their training. She puts on a gentle smile as she sees the strong bond they share with each other and their Pokemon, and thinks to herself that it has been a very long time since she saw such a heartwarming scene.

She silently watches while the young trainers remain oblivious to her presence, and soon notices that the Chimchar, Piplup and Turtwig seem to have spent most of their lives together, showing growth rates which are highly similar to one other. She believes that it is only a matter of time before they change appearances simultaneously, and as soon as she says that, the three Pokemon begin to shake and glow.

In a flash a light, Chimlord, Piplup and Roo evolve into a Monferno, Prinplup and Grotle, and the blonde woman seems pleased that her prediction has come to pass...

(Original Japanese Jokes)

1. In the first half of the Manzai dialogue that plays on happiness, Pearl says one way to raise a Pokemon's happiness is to 'Temochi ni kuwaete isshouni irai', which means 'Keep it in your team and travel together with it'. But Dia and Beh munch on a sweet cake as they both grin, and Pearl hollers that they are just 'Omachi wo kuwaete isshouni nitari', which means 'Bite on the sweet cake and grin together', playing on phonetic similarities between the two sentences.
2. In the second half, Dia states that his Munchlax does not trust it at all and says 'Hayaku haru ga sugite hoshiin desuyone', which means 'I hope that spring will go quickly'. He explains that it's because 'Haru ga sugireba, natsukimasu', which means 'Once spring is gone, summer will come'. The pun is on the last part 'Natsukimasu', where 'Natsuki' means happiness.