'It will be enjoyable to battle that Monferno.'

At Hotel Great Veilstone, Pearl sits back into the chair on the balcony as he recalls what the Veilstone Gymleader Maylene said to them last night before departing. Next to him, Dia draws up a mask of Maylene on a piece of a cardboard like they did with Roark and Gardenia, and proceeds to cut it out with a pair of scissors.

Pearl remarks that it is actually not surprising for the young gymleader to regard them as challengers, since Chimlord did almost hit her with an attack, and many would perceive that as a kind of taunt. He walks onto the balcony to look down at Lady Berlitz who is getting ready to train with Prinplup and Chimlord, and sees that the girl actually seems quite hyped up about it.

The thing is, despite being an expert in fighting types and apparently a formidable opponent, Maylene is actually younger than the three of them. Pearl stretches himself out, and states that they must train even harder in order to win the third Gym Badge from her. Dia finishes up the Maylene mask, and agrees with a big grin.

Down on the ground outside, Lady Berlitz hears the beeping sound of her Pokedex, and turns around to see the boys running up to her. The three each wears a determined look as they bring their fists together, and Pearl officially commences their special training. He states that since Chimlord is designated to take part, they shall build their practice session around it. Maylene has been seen with two Pokemon, and there is a big chance that a tag battle is on the table, meaning Chimlord will need a tag partner to train along with. He believes that Chatlord will work best with Chimlord given their previous collaborations, and adds that its flying type will have an advantage on Maylene's expert fighting type.

Lady Berlitz nods in agreement, and Pearl tells Dia to get ready to play as a fake Maylene. Dia gives Beh a Meditite mask to wear as they get into combative stances, and the Lady wastes no time in commanding a Flame Wheel from Chimlord. The direct contact attack easily knocks Beh off its feet, and Pearl hollers that the Lady should grab the chance to follow up with a second attack. He also wants Dia to move quicker since Maylene is a very fast opponent, as seen last night by the very few and quick steps that she and her Pokemon took to reach their balcony from the thin tree they struck.

Dia flips out his Pokedex, and reads that the Riolu she has with her is even capable of cresting three mountains and crossing two canyons in one night. Lady Berlitz comments that the Zoom Lens will certainly be helpful is dealing accurate hits on fast moving opponents, but wonders if it is still of any use since Maylene already knows of its existence. Pearl agrees that the gymleader will certainly come up with her own ways to counter it, and after a moment of thought, states that the most important thing the Lady must thus learn from these training sessions is to grow personally instead of focusing on Pokemon and item usage.

Lady Berlitz accepts his advice, and the trio proceeds to practice their combination moves, with Chimlord and Chatlord teaming up against Roo and Prinplup, who is wearing a Riolu mask. Chatlord begins chattering a series of words to confuse its opponents, and Chimlord quickly swipes in for a Mach Punch, dealing direct damage on Prinplup. Pearl tells the Lady to get familiarized with each Pokemon's attacks in the Pokedex, and says it will help her plan her combos more effectively.

At noon, with everyone covered in sweat, Pearl calls for a break, and compliments Lady Berlitz for her hard work. He states that since the gym challenge will take place that night, it is important that the Lady takes time to rest her body before it. Lady Berlitz nods, and watches as the two boys head off to practice their Manzai. The truth is, there is something else she has in mind.

A while later, at the Veilstone Game Corner, Lady Berlitz sneaks up on the glass window with Prinplup, and peaks in from the outside. However, someone suddenly greets her enthusiastically from behind, and she turns around to find a man wearing flippers and patched up clothes grinning at her. The man laughs that she must have come for the slot machines as well, and wonders why she isn't going inside. The Lady explains with an embarrassed tone that her companion has forbidden her to enter the Game Corner again, and even made a pact with her and enforced it by locking up all her money in the safe at the hotel, which is why she is fine enough to simply watch.

The man laughs that it will be of no problem as they shall team up on the slots, and begins dragging Lady Berlitz in with him. The Lady protests that she really shouldn't because she has an important event that evening, but the man tells her not to worry too much, and fervently pulls her into the Game Corner.

Back at the hotel room, Beh and Roo are enjoying their afternoon tea on the balcony while Dia and Pearl practice their Manzai.

Pearl: Speaking of Pokemon!
Dia: Speaking of Pokemooon~
Pearl: There are places to have fun in this city!
Dia: That's right, one of them is the famous Game Corner, where one can play roulette, cards and many other games. Of course, on top of all, there is the slot machine, which the Lady is surprisingly good at.
Pearl: (annoyed) It may be true, but we've made a pact that she will not go there again!
Dia: (rolls up sleeves and puts on menacing look) Yo, why you stoppin' her from playin' the slot, you rot? You her protector or somethin', you lil' tot?
Pearl: (smacks Dia on the head) Why are you suddenly speaking with a gangster's tone?

Dia: If you manage to get all three 7s, you are really great.
Pearl: Indeed. That is the famous Triple Seven.
Dia: (flabbergasted look) You will be rewarded with 100 coins!
Pearl: (grins) That is such a big feat!
Dia: (takes out a piece of cake) We are going to have a big feast?
Pearl: (smacks Dia on the face) I forbid any kind of dopey acts related to food from now on!!

Pearl stretches himself out with a grin as he rejoices over their improving pace, and Dia starts eating his cake, wondering where the Lady has gone to. As soon as he says that, they see the girl returning with Prinplup from afar, and Dia notices that she seems to be rather exhausted and even needs Prinplup to support her. Pearl believes that she must have continued training on her own all this time, and compliments her for her diligence.

That evening, at the agreed time of challenge, Dia, Pearl and Lady Berlitz arrive at the Veilstone Gym, and are welcomed by the dragon-like statue, who once again addresses them as the children of the future. The statue apparently remembers the three from their previous gym challenges, and Dia greets it cheerfully. The statue proceeds to let Lady Berlitz write down her preferred mode of battle on a challenge card, and the girl picks the switch-in combat with two Pokemon.

Recalling their experience in the past, Pearl beckons Dia to wait outside with him before they get kicked out again, but to their surprise, the statue allows them to stay, and says it is Maylene's intention. It admits that it has no idea why since the girl did not explain, but the rules of no assistance and no food still stand. The statue draws their attention to the many walls in the room, and says in order to reach Maylene, they must slide the walls back and forth to clear a straight path.

Dia proceeds to push their first wall ahead to its right, but Pearl soon sees that it only leads them to a dead-end, indicating they have most likely moved it in the wrong direction. Dia decides to try again, and Pearl notices that Lady Berlitz is a bit low in energy. He shakes her by the shoulders and tells her to liven up, since it is her challenge after all. The Lady struggles to stay more alert, and Pearl says while he understands that she has been exhausted by their training, the real thing lies in the upcoming match and she can't afford to lose her ground now.

Dia finally manages to slide the door towards the correct direction, but instantly finds himself face to face with a Blackbelt next to a Machoke. Pearl cries out that he almost forgot there are also other trainers to defeat before they reach Maylene, and quickly calls Lady Berlitz into battle while Dia runs away from the Blackbelt along with Roo. Lady Berlitz sends out Chatlord, and quickly orders an Aerial Ace to take down the Machoke.

And so the trio continues to navigate through the gym, moving walls to clear their path, beating three other Blackbelts and their Machokes along the way, and gradually gets closer to where Maylene awaits. As Roo pushes aside the final wall, the Veilstone Gymleader honours them in a cross-legged seated position, and congratulates them for their effort.

Dia groans that it was certainly not an easy task, and Pearl notices that Lady Berlitz is even more tired now. He wonders to himself if she will be able to stand up to the challenge in such a condition, and believes that her exhaustion only started to show following their break after their training session.

Maylene then proceeds to begin their match, and both Meditite and Riolu instantly straighten up from the floor. Lady Berlitz sees that her prediction of Maylene using the same team members she took with her the night before turns out to be true after all, and takes another good look at her opponents, Riolu, the pure fighting type, and Meditite, the fighting and psychic type. The Lady decides to follow her planned strategy, and reaches into her pocket for the Pokedex. However, to her horror, the device is nowhere to be found, and she immediately cries out in disbelief, her voice incidentally drowning out the statue's speech pertaining to the gymleader and challenger's names and background.

Pearl wants to know what is wrong, and Lady Berlitz frets that her Pokedex is gone, the very important Dex that is used for collecting Pokemon data in order to aid research work. Pearl tries to calm her down, and says the match has already started, and that she will be able to do it even without the Pokedex as long as she stays centered. Dia states that she might have dropped it somewhere, and wonders if she has any place in mind which she wants him to check out, since she apparently still has it during their training session. Dia's inquiry instantly makes Lady Berlitz think of the Game Corner, and she begins to stutter with her words.

On the other end of the room, Maylene demands to know what the whole fuss is about, and tells the challenger to take her position as soon as possible. Lady Berlitz sheepishly whispers to Dia that she might have left it at the Game Corner, and Dia quickly speeds off with Roo and Beh to find it before Pearl could hear what they are saying.

The Veilstone Gymleader starts to get impatient with their drama, and says nothing shall stray her from her style of battling. She warns Lady Berlitz to get ready for a serious battle, and sends Riolu forward to attack. Pearl tells Lady Berlitz to stay focused now, and the girl promptly calls forward Chimlord.

The two Pokemon soon engage in a close-up combat, neither really gaining the upper-hand as they exchange punches and kicks that fail to really get past their foe's dodging. Chimlord lunges itself forward to deliver a Fury Swipes, but Riolu adeptly jumps out of the way, and barely gets hit. Soon, Lady Berlitz sees that Pearl's Monferno is starting to lag in its motions, while Riolu remains as agile. She decides to change strategies and tells Chimlord to pull away from Riolu to gain distance, but Maylene grins that it won't be easy.

With that, she orders a Force Palm from Riolu, and the emanation Pokemon sends out a circular blast that hits Chimlord right in the chest, causing it to tumble back onto the ground. Riolu then dives in with another punch, and Lady Berlitz hurriedly calls for a quick defense. Chimlord holds up both hands and manages to stop Riolu's punch, but Maylene suggests observing closer if the defense was truly successful. The Lady gasps in surprise when she sees the painful look on Chimlord's face, and watches as a spiral of energy flows out of its body and into Riolu's hand.

Behind her, Pearl bolts with realization that Riolu has delivered a Drain Punch, and is absorbing Chimlord's health...

(Original Japanese Jokes)

1. In the first half of the Manzai dialogue that talks about Lady Berlitz playing the slots, Pearl says he has made a pact to forbid her from playing again, and Dia says 'Surotteeto nani kai? Anta kanojyou no hogosha date eno kai!?', which means 'What is wrong here? Are you her protector or something!?' in a gangster's tone. The pun is on the word 'surotto' (slot) and 'surotte', a term often used in gangster language.
2. In the second half of the verse, Dia states that if one gets the Triple 7 at the slots, 100 coins will be rewarded, and Pearl says 'Nante keiki no iihanashida!', which means 'It is a very prosperous thought!'. Dia then says 'Nante kehki ga oishinda!', which means 'It is a very delicious cake!'. The pun is on the word 'keiki' (prosperous), which sounds the same as 'kehki' (cake).