The air inside the Eterna Gym was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. Stepping through the doors didn't feel like entering a building; it felt like stepping back into the heart of the Eterna Forest. Dense thickets, towering oaks, and hanging vines created a natural labyrinth designed to favor those who call the greenery home.
"This is incredible," Ash remarked, adjusting his cap. "It reminds me of Erika's Gym back in Celadon. Gardenia clearly doesn't hold back on the landscaping budget."
Gardenia, the orange-haired Leader, stood at the far end of the floral arena. Brock, ever the romantic, had already rushed forward to offer a poetic profession of love, only to be met with a polite but firm stone wall.
"I appreciate the sentiment," Gardenia said with a serene smile, "but my heart belongs entirely to my precious Grass-type children."
Brock collapsed into a shadowy corner of despair. Even Croagunk, who had manifested a glowing Poison Jab to drag his Trainer away, simply stood there and let the energy dissipate. The rejection had been so absolute that the frog didn't even need to intervene.
The Assassin vs. The Flower
"The battle for the Forest Badge begins now!" the referee announced.
Gardenia wasted no time. "Bloom brightly, Cherrim!"
Because the Gym's ceiling was made of reinforced glass, the midday sun triggered Cherrim's Sunshine Form. The pink petals of its "skirt" unfurled, revealing its cheerful yellow face.
"Aipom, it's your stage!" Ash shouted, throwing the Poké Ball.
Aipom landed on its massive hand-like tail, immediately sticking out its tongue and making a Grimace at the opponent.
"Start with Swift!"
Aipom whipped its tail, launching a barrage of homing golden stars. Gardenia countered instantly. "Use the sun's gift! Solar Beam!"
Thanks to Cherrim's Flower Gift ability, its power was boosted by 50% in the sunlight. It didn't even need to charge; a thick, scorching pillar of white-hot energy erupted from its head, vaporizing the Swift stars and tearing toward Aipom.
"Agility! Use the trees!"
Aipom became a purple blur, leaping from trunk to trunk to stay ahead of the tracking beam. As the light faded, Aipom lunged from a high branch, its mouth opening for a piercing Screech. The sound waves hit Cherrim point-blank, causing the flower Pokémon to flinch and cover its ears.
"Now, Focus Punch!"
Aipom's tail glowed with concentrated fighting energy. It delivered a heavy strike, followed by a rapid two-hit combo. Cherrim tumbled across the grass, unable to battle.
The Twin-Tailed Evolution
"Aipom!"
As the monkey Pokémon celebrated its win with a backflip, a brilliant white light suddenly enveloped its body.
"It's evolving!" Dawn cheered from the stands, her pom-poms frozen in mid-air.
The silhouette shifted. The single tail split into two powerful, hand-tipped appendages. When the light faded, Ambipom stood in the arena. Its long cowlick swayed as it rushed to Ash, wrapping its new twin tails around his arm in a display of affection.
"You did it, Ambipom! You finally mastered Double Hit," Ash laughed, patting its head.
The Speed of the Forest
Gardenia's expression shifted from admiration to competitive fire. "That was a beautiful evolution. But can you keep up with this? Go, Turtwig!"
Ash swapped Ambipom out, calling back Staravia—freshly returned from its training retreat with his Hoenn veterans.
The match that followed defied all logic of the Pokédex. Gardenia's Turtwig wasn't a slow, lumbering turtle; it was a speed demon. It moved with such explosive agility that it kept pace with Staravia's Quick Attack.
"How is a Turtwig that fast?" Dawn asked, stunned.
"Pure talent and specialized training," Brock noted, having finally recovered. "She's built that Turtwig to be a predator, not a tank."
The two Pokémon blurred together in a mid-air collision of wings and shell. Turtwig utilized the trees to launch itself like a projectile, nearly clipping Staravia's wing.
"It's fast, but it can't be everywhere at once," Ash muttered. "Staravia, use Double Team!"