Leaving the hotel, I headed straight for the Gym, using our morning rush to get us right back on 'Victory Road.' I was met by a friendly fellow who gave me some advice about what Pokemon to take against Gardenia, and to be honest I think I was setting myself up for a fall with having only one Pokemon with a move effective against grass, Royal's Pluck. This was made even more difficult by the fact that he had a weakness to the type!

Then again, what would be the fun storming the place and defeating everyone easily? It would be there, but not enough to slate me and my challenge lust. Besides, going in, I thought using their type disadvantage to my advantage would make them work harder and appreciate the strategy I provided to the team. Maybe that'd knock them off their high horse, eh?

Well, I'm off track. Ok, so I'm in the Gym, and, right before I get into the first room, lo and behold the leader herself was standing in the doorway. I knew it couldn't be that easy, so I told her about my challenge, and she seemed... a little too happy. She told me about how much fun she was going to have, then informed me of the rules before trotting off.

I had to find her other trainers in her vast arboretum, and, once I defeated them all, I would face her head on. I thought it would have been taxing, all that walking, but the air was so fresh, the leaves were so green, and everything was so peaceful and calm that I forsook my strategy of surprise to let all my Pokemon out to walk with me. I spent a long time walking around, the trainers obviously hiding from me, but I wasn't really too interested in looking for them. This kind of scene was something I could totally get into!

Eventually, either by accident or by them being tired of waiting, I fought my first trainer. I let Serena watch as I decimated my opponent by using Cole, combining his Focus Energy with Karate Chop to overcome the resistance grass types have against his attacks. It worked, very well I might add, and they were down and out in no time flat. Other trainers soon followed, each one ratting out the location of the next one I had to beat. Soon, they all were done, and all that stood in my way was Gardenia herself.

I must say, for someone who acts so childishly giddy about her battles, she is amazingly strong. I used Cole first, but the fact that he's not effective until he powers up proved to be his downfall. He got one good strike in, but despite his focus, it was not a critical hit, and he was hit twice with strong grass type moves, one of them even healing my opponent! It was good, then, that Sarah picked up the slack, following my commands to use Charge to increase her defense against Special attacks and following it up with a powerful Spark attack. She sustained minimal damage and was able to take out the first and second Pokemon in this way. I gave her a rest as the third was called out and summoned Prinplup, thinking that he's all I'd need to get that badge now!

I was wrong. Well, no, perhaps it wasn't that I was wrong, but that I was careless. Royal would have won, but there was one fatal flaw.

My Prinplup had turned into a total douchebag.

I ordered him to use Pluck first turn, but as he was rushing forward, he got tripped up by a move I've never heard of before. Gardenia's Pokemon, something called a Roserade, hit him with something called Grass Knot. It used his size and weight as a disadvantage, making him slam face-first into the ground. I tried hard not to laugh, but Gardenia did so in such a way that I didn't really feel offended. It was like fighting a child! But the Roserade was playful in a different manner, saying something possibly demeaning as it patted Royal on his head as if to say 'nice try.'

It was the chance to strike, and I ordered a quick Pluck to surprise him. But remember, he turned into a douche, so instead of using Pluck and possibly ending the fight, he used Metal Claw as a more personal tool of vengeance. He scratched the grass type's face, who seemed almost horrified that he was injured in such a way, and struck Royal with a devastating move called Magical Leaf, one that couldn't be avoided.

He was out.

As the Roserade healed itself with the Sitrus Berry it held (one that, I might add, would have healed Royal if he was smart enough to do what I said), I summoned Sarah, who seemed very miffed about Royal being knocked out. I tried to tell her to keep calm, but she would have nothing of it, ignoring my commands to use Charge and Spark and instead trying to Bite her way into Roy's attacker's head. In her weakened state, she was tripped up and leafed down, leaving me with only one option.

I raised my hand to forfeit.

The last thing on my mind was using Serena. I didn't capture her so I could summon her to battle, which is what I told Gardenia when she asked why I wouldn't call out my last Pokemon. She was hurt when I found her, and I was caring for her to keep her safe. With the rest of my team sitting bruised and beaten in their balls, I stood by with my Buneary preparing to leave and try again another day.

But Serena objected.

I'll never forget it, even though I'm writing it down, it'll always be committed to memory. She walked into the circle of her own accord, and the match was set to continue. I hadn't even bothered looking at her attacks then! I almost dropped the Pokedex in order to check on them, asking her if she was sure she wanted to do this and getting a string of impatient 'bun's as a reply. As I found out her rather....eh... unimpressive attacks (one of them was splash...) and much lower level, Gardenia had healed her Roserade with a Super Potion. I was not looking forward to having to heal Serena again. Images of her burned and brutalized body kept flooding back into my head, and it was very tempting for me to recall her and declare my forfeit official...

But I didn't.

I ordered out a Pound attack, seeing as how the only other effective move was Defense Curl, and none of those would be effective now. I was also thinking that, if she hits as hard as she hit my nose, the Roserade would be in big trouble!

I had no idea...

Gardenia commanded Grass Knot, but I told Serena to jump, and she leaped high above it, coming down and crashing hard into the Roserade. She must have held back something when she hit me, because Roserade went flying! I ordered another Pound, and, when Stun Spore was called, I told Serena not to breathe it in. I thought she was going to jump over it again, but she went through it! Coming out of the orange, dusty cloud, she showed that she had covered her mouth and nose with her ears, popping them out with another wound-up Pound attack. Another Pound against Magical Leaf, and I knew she couldn't avoid this attack, so I told her to endure it and strike head on. She turned her ears into shields on either side of her, diverting the attacks to her sides and delivering another Pound into the freaked-out Roserade's face.

And... that was all it took.

Three Pounds from a Buneary at least ten levels below the Roserade, and it was done. The battle was over, and I had won.

No... she had won. She has moves, and very strategic ones I might add. Not only that, but... it could have been the virus, but she was both stronger and faster than the Roserade. Either that, or the grass type was a weenie, but hey, either way, who cares?

We won!

I celebrated by picking up Serena and swinging her around a bit.

This is when I figured out that Stun Spore sticks to fur, but can easily be shaken free by spinning around a bit.

After I recovered, I was presented my badge, opening my box and pausing before I put it in. I thought it was a bit silly to be carrying them around in a tin, as badges were meant to be shown! Without thinking twice, I stuck them both on my beret, making the awesome hat that much awesomer by displaying my prizes.

Now that I had the badge, I asked her if she could teach me how to use Cut outside of battle, and she said I already learned. She saw 'something' in me that made her think I was a nature enthusiast, so she told me what nests looked like and which kinds of vines were safe to cut and I was good to go! Also, she gave me her Gym's technique, the one that I feared and revered. Grass Knot. Powerful against bigger enemies, but even if it had managed to hit Serena, it would have done minimal damage. She's just so light and huggable.

Not to mention dangerous. As soon as we get back to the Pokemon Center, she's getting a bath to get all of that Stun Spore out of her fur. Until then, though, I'm content to sit in sweet, waning paralysis in the meadow of the arboretum, Serena sitting in my lap with something similar to smugness playing across her face as Cole sits beside me peeling berries for our ceremonial 'feast.'

Roy and Sarah are getting some treatment (read: the chance to lie down and think about what they did with a berry for each of them), but Serena and Cole are the only ones enjoying one of the several jars of honey with me, Gardenia, and her Roserade. I hope those two insubordinate soldiers see what happens when they disobey as opposed to when they listen to me and reap the delicious rewards. I am back in control, and, as before, the honey makes the victory taste all the sweeter.

Two down, six to go.