Hi everybody! Sorry I'm late but, good news! The Gym battle chapter is done! YAY! Seriously guys, this thing has killed me with the plans for it... especially since Bulbapedia is down and I CAN'T GET GARDENIA'S POKEMON'S MOVESET WITHOUT WATCHING THE ENTIRE EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! Trust me, with the dub, it was a bad experience. WHY TPCI, WHY?!

Anyway, dub hatred over (Seriously, Ash sounds like a girl in the beginning of Sinnoh), we've reached over 100 alerts already and I can't believe it! You guys are the reason why and I thank you so much. Luckily, the next chapter won't be so hard for me to write, especially since it will be an original chapter... you will find out what that means when it comes out. For now, review answering time!

Batguy 2000: Am I about to jinx that lack of rush with the Gym battle? Well, as for the characters I know that Ash would have to use personal experience to test out an ability, Dawn's a newbie so she's gonna be a bit out of the loop for a bit, and Brocko's Brocko, you should never change this man, he is fine the way he is. I'm not a shipper and thus, cannot write shipping stories. Ash won't be in a relationship AT ALL in the series. There may be some hints (From both genders) but he will either be oblivious or try to get out of that situation. Trust me, more Pokemon interactions on the way! Thank you!

Amourshiper35: It happened in the DP series so I couldn't not, plus for the future, it's Team Galactic. Also, you'll have to read to find out.

Yami-chan and Unrealistic: This review made my day when I read it. I love the silly antics and always will do! There will be serious moments but there will always be some comedy around the corner to make you smile, that's why I love the DP series so much. I WON AT SOMETHING, WOOOOO! (Yeah, big bro Brocko is the best and, to be honest, it had to happen at some point. Nobody almost dies about four times and doesn't contemplate on it.)

1995hzq: Yep, this is an AU which ties into Sinnoh's aura theme! You'll have to wait for more chapters for that answer! Thanks, I will!

twilight sparkle: Ash and Dawn gonna be besties up in here, just like in the anime! No, no amourshipping, no any shipping actually. I can't write them for any kind of confectionary so sorry about that. Thank you and thanks for supporting!

Nerdy McNerdface: I made someone cry with laughter... one more check off of my comedy list... just one more thing to go. Thanks Nerds, you write comedy well too. Well no duh, DP TRio be best TRio! I'm glad it is and I'm happy I made you cry with laughter.

thor94: Well... he's learnt from his experiences and is older so I guess he would be... plus he's used to Team Rocket's BS more than anybody else I know so there's that as well.

PhotonDragon16: Maybe, maybe not... you'll have to wait and see!

TraceOfSilver: Next chapter holds the truth, be patient and you will find out.

KHLegacy: Well we have Professor Sycamore and Froakie so kinda? Mostly Sinnoh based though.

That's everyone! Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy!


A Force to be Reckoned with

Today was finally the day, the day of the second Gym battle challenge. Already the combatants were in place, Gardenia standing proudly in the Gym Leader's box whilst Ash was in the challenger's with his strategies running through his brain. His first battle with Gardenia had been a wipe out, her Turtwig taking both Staravia and his own Turtwig out with Cherubi being used to assess his Pokémon beforehand. She was a sly trainer with cunning strategies, but he had been training since then and also had his secret weapon in the form of Froakie. Whilst he was a water type, there was something about the Pokémon that had made Ash dead set on using Froakie in the match today. Pikachu had joined Brock and Dawn in the stands, meaning he could focus entirely on the battle.

A woman with circular glasses, black pigtailed hair and a purple tracksuit took her space at the side of the field, her own Pokémon – a Nuzleaf – copying her every movement. "The battle between the Gym Leader Gardenia and the challenger Ash is about to begin. Both sides will use three Pokémon each but only the challenger will be allowed to substitute. Are those rules clear?"

"Of course!" Gardenia confirmed first out of the two battlers, Ash following her seconds later.

"Crystal."

"Alright then, send out your first Pokémon!" The woman, who was named Yoko, instructed.

"Cherubi, let's go!"

"Turtwig, I choose you!" Both Pokémon formed in front of their trainers with the pink cherry shaped Pokémon smirking as the bright sunlight that shone down form the open roof of the gym powered up her ability of Chlorophyll which increased speed during intense sun. Gardenia knew this as well, hiding her grin as she allowed her challenger to get the first attack. "As the challenger, you get the first move!" She said, hiding her plan behind a poker face.

"Turtwig, use Tackle!" Ash called out, which his grass type followed immediately, pushing himself forwards in a run to knock Cherubi with a headbutt. Just as he was about to land the hit, Gardenia gave her first instruction.

"Dodge!" Using Chlorophyll, Cherubi almost vanished as it moved away from the charging Turtwig, who has skidded to a stop.

"Razor Leaf!"

"Cherubi, use the sun! Solar Beam!" As the leaves thrown from Turtwig's head flew towards it, Cherubi's leaves began to glow with the energy it was creating from the sunlight before a beam of pure light burst forth towards the opposite Pokémon. The Solar Beam burnt through the sharp flying leaves and, if he hadn't dodged when he did, would have hit Turtwig with the same amount of power.

Ash frowned in thought, having researched Cherubi before he came into the fight. If Cherubi did have Chlorophyll like he believed it would – normal Cherubi weren't as fast as this one was – then that meant the sun was strong enough to mimic the move Sunny Day, which allowed Solar Beam to be used constantly instead of being charged up with the move working after a set amount of time. "Turtwig, try Razor Leaf once more."

"Solar Beam!" Gardenia shouted, proving his thoughts to be true. Just like before, the Solar Beam burnt the leaves but, this time, managed to land a hit on Turtwig who was burnt and hurt by the strength of the attack. Gardenia had a feeling she knew what was about to happen, Ash would continue to fight until Turtwig passed out, just like last time. She had this round in the bag and…

"I see, you used the sunlight to your advantage right, cut down Solar Beam's charging time to nothing…" Her steely nerves faltered when the boy across from her burst into a gleeful smile. "I guess we'll have to use it too. Turtwig, Synthesis!" Turtwig's body glowed as he too took in the sun's light, healing his wounds and restoring his health. Before Gardenia could call out another attack, Ash spoke up once more. "Now, return!" He held out Turtwig's Poké Ball as the grass type disappeared under the red beam to safety.

"Clever, very clever," Gardenia clapped her hands together with a genuine smile on her face. "Synthesis restores more health the brighter the sun is. You used my strategy to heal yourself up before a switch… no matter, I'll still win."

"Oh yeah? Staravia! You're up!" The grey and white bird majestically swooped from above when she was called out, circling once happily around her trainer before she took her place on the battlefield.

"A type advantage doesn't automatically mean a win. Cherubi, Solar Beam!" The Gym Leader ordered, with Cherubi being able to charge up the powerful move automatically.

"Before it can fire, use Double Team!" Ash told Staravia, who nodded and multiple copies of herself appeared on the battlefield. All the copies took to the sky, criss-crossing as they flew around which made Cherubi falter in the fact it now didn't know where its target was.

"Use the beam to cancel out the copies and hit the real Staravia with it!" Gardenia told her grass type, who nodded and unleashed grass type hell on its opponent. One by one, the beam cut through the flying copies until only one remained and she was hit on the side, crying as she began to fall before stabilising herself.

"Are you okay?" Staravia nodded at her trainer, who breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright then, Wing Attack!" She flew at speed towards Cherubi, who dodged with ease.

"Solar Beam, once more!" Gardenia instructed with a grin, only to tip her head in confusion as the attack wasn't charging up like it was moments earlier. She looked up, groaning as the clouds had started to cloud up the sun meaning that both Solar Beam and Chlorophyll were out of the question. "You really can't trust the weather then. No pressure, I can just use another move. Cherubi, Magical Leaf!" Magical Leaf was a move that never missed, no dodging could stop it from landing unless a Protect was used or the attack had to go a long distance.

"Staravia, fly up!" Ash commanded with a plan in mind. The flying type flew through the open roof with pink, blue and purple glowing leaves following her up as high as she dared to go. As Staravia became naught but a blurry shape, the leaves disintegrated into nothing but pretty sparkles showing that the target was too far away to hit.

"Great!" Dawn cheered from the stands, Pikachu and Piplup joining her in her rejoice. "Now Ash can strike!"

"No, I don't think he will," Brock responded to her words, getting two looks of confusion and one sly nod in agreement from Pikachu. "Ash has a plan that involves using Gardenia's strategy against her, it's just his style and I have an idea what he's aiming for."

Just as Brock has said, Ash had told Staravia to fly back slowly and it became pretty clear as to why he said that. As well as flying slowly, Staravia was using Wing Attack which helped intensify the light heading in the direction of the battlefield, blinding Cherubi.

"Okay, combine Quick Attack and Aerial Ace!" The flying type was faster than ever, sending Cherubi soaring into the air upon contact. "Finish it with Wing Attack!" With a trill, Staravia slammed her white, glowing wings into the grass type's back which slam dunked it into the ground, knocking it out.

"Cherubi is unable to battle, Staravia wins!" Yoko announced as Gardenia recalled her first Pokémon of the battle.

"Hmm… it seems like we won't be repeating our last battle, you've prepared well for today, but are you prepared for this? Turtwig!" She released her second Pokémon, one the others knew all too well. Gardenia's Turtwig, or as Ash called it 'Speedy Gonzalez', looked just as confident as its predecessor. "You get the first move again."

"Aerial Ace!"

"Leech Seed!" Gardenia's Turtwig fired a seed from the top of its head towards Staravia, who was flying at speed towards it. The seed latched onto Staravia's head, wrapping vines around her body but not before she managed to hit the Turtwig back towards its trainer. Energy was sapped from her body, causing the flying type to cry out in pain from being drained whilst Turtwig healed itself from her energy.

"Wing Attack!"

"Tackle!" With the vines wrapped around her wings, Staravia found it hard to start up the attack which gave Turtwig the chance to hit her in the stomach with its head, sending her careering off into a nearby tree trunk which caused her to faint.

"Staravia is unable to battle, Turtwig wins!" Ash recalled his flying type as Yoko spoke, praising her silently as Gardenia's Turtwig gloated over its win with its trainer smirking at him. He wasn't out of the battle yet, he still had two Pokémon yet.

"You've probably been waiting for this," he smiled sweetly at Gardenia, as if butter couldn't melt in his mouth. "Turtwig, I choose you!" The two Turtwig glared each other down, staring as if to determine the winner just out of who glared the best.

"Now you're talking!" Gardenia grinned, placing her hands on her hips. "I think we've both been waiting for this rematch! Turtwig use Tackle!" Gardenia's Turtwig took off, using its high speed to its advantage. Ash knew he couldn't dodge, but had a better plan.

"Turtwig, Withdraw!" A purple shell encased Ash's Turtwig for a second before a red glow surrounded it. When Gardenia's Turtwig knocked into the other, Ash's barely flinched. "Follow it up with Bite!" That worked as Gardenia's Turtwig cried out in pain from being bitten on the leg before it was thrown back towards its trainer.

"Wait, how didn't Gardenia's Turtwig cause more damage?" Dawn asked Brock from the stands, who was smiling.

"It's obvious that her Turtwig specialises in speed, Ash's is bulkier and defence based," he explained to her. "Using Withdraw to boost Turtwig's already high defence meant that Tackle wouldn't do as much as it could have done."

"Oh, I get it!" She smiled back. "That means Gardenia's Turtwig is gonna have to work hard to beat Ash's Turtwig!"

"With Leech Seed, not really, but Ash still has Synthesis on his side," Brock replied, returning his attention to the field as two sets of Razor Leaf's had just cancelled each other out, leading to Ash's Turtwig managing to Tackle Gardenia's into a tree trunk. "Gardenia is only biding her time before she uses Leech Seed as an ending tactic and Ash had better be ready for it."

As if Gardenia had heard him, she launched into her final phase of the round. "Leech Seed!"

"Turtwig, dodge!" Ash's Turtwig was too slow, the seed latched onto him just like it did with Staravia, covering him in vines that drained his energy. Memories of the earlier battle played through his mind with the past Leech Seed knocking him out almost instantly. That wasn't going to happen again, no way was it going to happen under his watch. Turtwig growled as he forced himself back onto his feet, gritting his teeth as energy drained from his limbs and back towards his opponent in a small green ball. "Let's end this, Tackle!"

"You use Tackle too!" Gardenia yelled as the two grass types rushed towards each other, meeting in the middle of the field. They both hit each other but continued on, turning back to face each other once they had skidded to a halt. Staring the other down, the two Turtwig dared their opponent to fall before them that was, until one gave in. Gardenia's Turtwig's legs gave way, leaving it to collapse on the floor.

"Gardenia's Turtwig is unable to battle, Ash's Turtwig is the winner!" Yoko announced with, once again, her Nuzleaf copying her. Gardenia sighed as she recalled her Turtwig, holding its Poké Ball tenderly whilst praising it for its effort.

"You really have changed since our last battle," she told her opponent. "But I didn't use this Pokémon against you then. Roserade, to the field!" In front of her formed a green caped Pokémon with white hair, a mask and two roses for hands, one red with the other being blue. Roserade was a grass and poison type, meaning it had an advantage over Turtwig already unless it didn't know any poison type moves. However, even with that scenario in mind, grass type moves weren't effective against it which wasn't helpful.

"Okay, Turtwig use Bite!" Ash instructed, which Turtwig did as he began to run towards the other Pokémon.

Gardenia looked up through the roof, smiling as the clouds from earlier had completely passed and that meant she could use the sun once more to her advantage. "Roserade, use Weather Ball!" The sun shone down on Roserade as a fiery ball formed between its roses. Once the orb had fully formed, it threw the fire at Turtwig who couldn't dodge due to the fact he was too close to the other grass type and it hit him dead on.

Turtwig flew back to his trainer's side of the field with swirls in his eyes, showing he had been knocked out from the attack.

"Turtwig is unable to battle, Roserade wins!" Yoko pipped up once more, signalling Turtwig's return to his Poké Ball.

"You did amazingly out there, well done," Ash muttered loud enough so that his Pokémon could hear him, which was confirmed by a slight shake of the Poké Ball itself. "So Roserade was your secret weapon of sorts?"

"Yes, works amazingly against other grass type users, bug types and ice types, that's two weaknesses already accounted for." She paused as she talked, realising why he had asked such a question. "Let me guess, you have a secret weapon of your own."

"Gardenia, I'm shocked," Ash mockingly gasped in horror before he grinned at her. "I thought you knew me better than that. Froakie, it's your time to shine!" Gardenia's eyes narrowed as the blue frog from earlier landed in front of his trainer. She had never seen such a Pokémon, but knew it wasn't a shiny due to the lack of sparkles, meaning it was either an ice type or a water type due to its colouring. At least, that's what she deduced.

"Are you using a water type against my grass type?" She inquired with a snarky edge to her words, believing silently that she may have this round in the bag.

"And we have a hypocrite over here," the thirteen-year-old crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Wasn't it you that recently said, and I quote, 'A type advantage doesn't automatically mean a win.', so I think you can judge Froakie after we've shown you what we can do, is that okay?" Gardenia frowned at his tone of voice but nodded, pushing her thoughts about the unusual Pokémon to the back of her mind for now.

"Roserade, let's start off with Magical Leaf!" The Gym Leader commanded, knowing that it would definitely hit as her opposition couldn't fly away. Leaves surrounded in multicoloured auras flew towards Froakie, who remained calm and didn't react to them much at all.

"Froakie, counter with Bubble!" Ash instructed, leading his water type to rear his head back and shoot a spray of bubbles from his mouth. Each leaf was countered by a bubble, the moves cancelling each other out as they hit. "Okay, follow up with Quick Attack!" Froakie rocketed forwards with a white glow trailing behind him as he dashed across the field to hit Roserade directly in its middle which caused it to stumble.

"I see what you mean," Gardenia was smirking, which wasn't exactly a good thing. "But you've left yourself open for an attack. Magical Leaf, once more!" Roserade conjured more leaves up, sending them in Froakie's direction causing a direct hit which, with it, came a small explosion. As the dust cleared, Gardenia gasped in shock to see Froakie was standing and not just standing, but looked relatively unharmed. "But how?!"

"One word," Ash told her, sharing a nod with a smiling Froakie. "Protean."

"So that's what he was doing last night!" Brock understood why Ash had asked Froakie to use all of his moves against his other team members and for vice versa following one of Froakie's non-water type attacks. "He was making sure Protean was working so he could use it today!"

"Brock, what's Protean?" Dawn looked up at her older friend, who was grinning like the Glameow that got the cream.

"Protean is Froakie's hidden ability," he explained for her. "Just like other water type starters, Froakie has Torrent as his natural ability. However, some Pokémon can unlock their hidden abilities through parents or through tough training. Protean, as an ability, can change a Pokémon's type to the move they are about to use for extra damage!"

"That means… if I'm right, Froakie's a normal type now?" She thought over Quick Attack's typing, only to smile when a nod told her that she had got it right. "Grass type moves would give normal damage but Weather Ball would be effective too if it hit."

"I know, which is why Froakie's speed is key in this battle if Ash wants to win."

"Interesting, interesting indeed," Gardenia stretched her arm out, extending her hand. "Roserade, use Flash!" A blinding white light shone from Roserade's flowers, causing everyone in the room to look away from them. Froakie had managed to shut his eyes just before he was blinded, the psychedelic coloured spots in his vision refused to fade however.

"Nice try, Froakie use Quick Attack once more!"

"Grass Knot!" Froakie didn't see the line of knotted grasses due to the speed he was going at, catching his foot in one of them which caused him to fall over. "Follow up with Magical Leaf!" The glowing leaves threw Froakie into the air and back towards his trainer.

"Are you okay, Froakie?" Ash asked as his newest team member pushed himself up shakily. Froakie couldn't take any more damage. Three hits one after another wasn't good for any Pokémon, let alone a first stage evolution against a third stage. Froakie nodded, getting into a defensive stance. There was only one way the two of them could take the Roserade out now and they were hoping Gardenia would take the bait.

"Still standing, huh?" Gardenia noticed Froakie's weary form and knew one hit would be all that was needed. "Let's see if fire damages you normally, just like grass types do. Roserade, Weather Ball!" The grass type charged the fiery orb between its hands just like it did against Turtwig. This time, Ash had a plan to counter it. As the orb was flung at Froakie, Ash spoke up loudly.

"Froakie, use Bubble on your hand and knock it back at them!" Froakie nodded as the others gasped at the command, blowing one bubble that turned his typing back to water and damped his hand. With that done, he hopped as fast as he could over to the raging inferno ball and used that hand to smack it back at Roserade with next to no pain.

"Roserade, dodge!" Gardenia cried, only for it to be too late as the Weather Ball came back to haunt her, hitting Roserade dead on. Her grass type was hidden in a cloud of dust for a moment before its fallen figure was apparent even to those in the stands. Roserade had been knocked out.

"Roserade is unable to battle, Froakie is the winner meaning that the match goes to the challenger, Ash!" Yoko yelled, raising her arm in the direction of the left side of the field as her Nuzleaf copied her actions. Dawn, Pikachu and Piplup jumped up cheering from the stands at the result as Brock shook his head with a smile. Trust Ash to win a Gym Battle whilst relying on his newest team member's ability. According to the update from Professor Sycamore, Froakie had Protean which was an ability that changed a Pokémon's type depending on the moves that it used and, considering Froakie was faster than Roserade, he was able to defeat her grass type advantage.

Ash had run out onto the field, having picked a tired – yet proud – water type off of the battlefield. "You were amazing out there, Froakie. I am so glad you decided to join our team." As his cheeks darkened with a purple hue, Froakie was pulled up into a hug he couldn't help but melt into. This teenager was definitely the best trainer he had ever battled under.

"Phew, what an intensive match!" Gardenia had recalled her Roserade, walking over to her opponent with Yoko by her side – Brock and Dawn had come down from the stands. "I guess you can't judge a Pokémon you know nothing about by its typing, right?"

"Right," Ash was still holding Froakie as Pikachu jumped back up to his perch on his shoulder, but he had finished the hug so that his Pokémon could receive the praise he deserved, the praise they all deserved. Freeing a hand, he released Turtwig and Staravia who were both beaming with joy at the win. "Turtwig, Staravia and Froakie were amazing…"

"You shouldn't sell yourself short," The Gym Leader interrupted, a bit shocked that a winning trainer wasn't bragging about their win and giving their Pokémon all the credit. "I highly doubt they would have worked as efficiently without your strategies and training." All three Pokémon agreed with her, joining in with the laughter as their trainer blushed at the praise.

"Thank you…"

"Anyway, it is my pleasure in handing over the Forest Badge, the sign you've beaten me in a Gym Battle!" Gardenia turned to Yoko, who was holding a tray with the coloured piece of metal. She picked it up and placed it in the boy's gloved palm. "Congratulations."

"Alright, I got the Forest Badge!" Turtwig and Staravia jumped into the air, posing as they voiced their excitement. Froakie stared at them, wondering why they did such a thing until he released it was customary as Pikachu joined in. From his place in Ash's arm, he raised a hand up towards the sky and cheered, cheered for a future of battles to come.