The chapter title alone rates this story PG.

They left Eterna Forest in somewhat better moods, and Dawn immediately decided that she was going to look up the type specialty of the Gym Leader. Eterna City was just one stop on the road, and she was determined to not fall so far behind Barry that another picture was in the Hall of Fame between them.

"This won't take long," she promised Lucas, and wandered into the city.

The first person she saw was a Team Galactic grunt, loitering outside the Pokémon Center. Interrogating him proved nothing, as he simply explained that he wasn't here on business, he was here on vacation. They didn't believe him, but they had nothing to prove otherwise. Innocent until proven guilty, after all.

The second person they met was a very helpful young man who told them that the Gym Leader specialized in Grass-types. Lucas barely restrained himself from laughing at Dawn's expression, a strange variation of "give me a punching bag, I want to hurt something."

"Really, Dawn," he choked out, "we had to cross through a forest to get here. How did you not notice that?"

"How did you not point it out?" Dawn shot back. "Really, Lucas, you probably didn't know at all."

"I didn't know," he admitted, "but I suspected it was either Grass or Bug, and that's close enough, right?"

"And why didn't you voice your suspicions?"

"Because I didn't want to look stupid if I was wrong," he said immediately. When she still looked ready to hit something, he grabbed her wrist. "Calm down, Dawn. It's not the end of the world. Let's get something to eat, you've been complaining about it all day."

After Dawn, Lucas and the Pokémon had stopped for food, Dawn returned to the short route between Eterna Forest and Eterna City. She and Lucas both released their Pokémon, and at the moment, Dawn was explaining the situation to Chowder and Starly. Lucas realized, to some embarrassment, that out of the four Pokémon between them, not one had evolved.

"Grass-types are something we have very little experience with," Dawn was saying as she paced in front of her Pokémon. "Which means, Starly, that it really is your time to shine. You have the type advantage, but you need the strength to back it up."

Starly puffed out his chest. "I can do it already," he bragged, spreading his right wing as if to show off muscle that wasn't there. "There's no need to worry."

"My point," Dawn said, remaining unaware of the meaning behind his bird sounds, "is that we need to train more. Chowder, too, but you most of all."

Chowder dropped his chewing stick to speak for himself. "I am a Grass-type!" he protested. "I shouldn't have to fight my own kind!"

"You're just lazy," Starly snapped, hitting the turtle with his outstretched wing.

"Which is probably why Dawn was drawn to me in the first place," Chowder retaliated. "Haven't you noticed that she's only on this journey in the first place because Lucas is dragging her?"

"She's doing it on her own." Starly flew up to Dawn and perched on her bag. "She hasn't ditched Lucas and gone home yet, has she?"

Chowder hated to admit it, but the bird had a point. Dawn would probably keep going until she'd defeated Barry for the last time, and then she'd end up going back to Rowan's lab and returning her Pokedex.

Dawn took Starly's action for one of enthusiasm. "All right, boys," she said, pointing at a patch of tall grass. "Do the thing!"

When Starly evolved into Staravia, Dawn decided that it was enough training for her first match with the Eterna Gym Leader and returned to town, Lucas and his Pokémon behind her. The Gym Leader, Gardenia, was a friendly woman who confirmed that Barry was there, describing him as an "annoyingly speedy young guy." Barry was probably long gone by now.

Finding Gardenia after she'd retreated into the building looked like it was going to take a while.

"A giant clock," Dawn said once she recognized what she and Lucas were walking on. "What does a giant clock have to do with grass?"

"Maybe because it has flowers growing underneath it?" Lucas suggested as he dropped off of the clock hand he was walking on. "It's not even a real clock, it doesn't even tell time."

"So what use does it have?"

Lucas shoved the huge green plank into position. "As a puzzle for trainers, I guess."

Dawn hopped back on the planks, and walked right past Lucas, holding her arms out for balance. "Come on, then, Slowpoke," she said, wobbling just a bit. "The badge has to be won sometime."

Gardenia was waiting for them, standing by an open window with a ball in hand. "You made it here in a hurry," she laughed. "Did you skip my warm-up trainers, too?"

"Were they supposed to be necessary?" Dawn asked, looking behind her. "You're not that strong, are you?"

"For a trainer with only one badge? Not really." Gardenia looked between the two. "You are the Pokedex carriers that Roark told me about, right?"

"Yes, we are," Lucas admitted before Dawn could open her mouth. "She's the one here to challenge you."

"Yes, Roark told me that," Gardenia said, not sounding insulting at all. "So, Dawn, how many Pokémon do you have?"

"Um...still two," Dawn admitted. "Maybe we can do one-on-one?"

"This is your second badge," Gardenia reminded her. "Two against two. Both of your Pokémon against my Turtwig and Roserade."

"A double battle?"

"I was thinking more like a traditional one."

Well, the Gym Leader called the shots in her own territory. Dawn reached for her first ball. "Chowder, time to shine!"

Gardenia used a Turtwig of her own to go against Dawn's, and they ended up nearly in a draw. Chowder was still standing while the other Turtwig went down, and Dawn gave him a Super Potion when Gardenia sent out Roserade. He did his best, but Roserade managed to succeed. Dawn, unwilling to lose without a fight, unleashed her secret weapon, which immediately sent Gardenia into super-competitive mode.

"Roserade, use Grass Knot!"

"Wing Attack!" Dawn countered. Staravia jumped into the air, avoiding the Grass Knot, and jumped at Roserade with his wings posed for maximum damage.

Gardenia didn't let the hit get her down. "Magical Leaf!"

Staravia flew right into the shield of brightly-colored leaves, landing his Wing Attack but taking damage for it. He looked over at Dawn, silently asking if he should use another Wing Attack, and she seemed to understand as she pointed back to the opposing Pokémon. He jumped back into the air and circled around Roserade like a Mandibuzz circling her prey, before dropping without warning and smacking Roserade across the face with a wing.

"Try to knock it out of the air with Poison Sting!" Gardenia instructed, and Dawn saw her opportunity.

"Use Wing Attack until one of you is down!"

Another Wing Attack hit, but he took a close-range Poison Sting in exchange. He shook it off, fluffed his tail feathers, and returned to the sky, hurt but not suffering from poison.

"Magical Leaf!" Gardenia commanded, but it came too late. Staravia was already dive-bombing, and by the time Roserade summoned her fourth leaf, he had struck.

Gardenia handed Dawn the Forest Badge soon after, and Dawn placed it right next to her Coal Badge. Three green tents, or treetops, or whatever they were, shining brightly next to the slightly dingy badge from Roark.

"I wonder if this protects me from the forest gods," Dawn wondered.

"Maybe it marks you as a target," Lucas said innocently. Dawn pretended to hit him with her badge case.

"I thought we agreed we wouldn't argue anymore," she reminded him. "It makes people think we're in love for some reason."

Lucas laughed. "We didn't say anything about making jokes at each other's expense!"

Dawn pretended to hit him again, but in her mind, she was already observing him, noting weak spots. If he wanted to play this game, then she'd just play along with him.