The Grass-Type Is Always Greener! – Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Episode 31 (DP031)


Season	Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (Season 10) · Eterna Forest: Cheryl & the Amber Castle arc (DP030–DP033)
Episode	Season 10, episode 31 · English episode 495 · Japanese episode 498 · Bulbapedia code DP031
English title	The Grass-Type Is Always Greener!
Japanese title	ナエトル対ナエトル！スピード対決！！ Naetoru Tai Naetoru! Supīdo Taiketsu!! — “Naetle VS Naetle! Speed Showdown!!”
First aired (Japan)	26 April 2007 · TV Tokyo
First aired (US)	6 October 2007 · Cartoon Network
Screenplay	Junki Takegami
Opening / ending (Japan)	Together – Fumie Akiyoshi · Kimi no Soba de ~Hikari no Tēma~ (By Your Side ~Hikari’s Theme~), Pop-Up Version – Grin
English opening	Diamond and Pearl – Chris “Breeze” Barczynski
Previous episode	Some Enchanted Sweetening! (DP030)
Next episode	An Angry Combeenation! (DP032)

Plot episodeGardenia debutsAsh loses to Gardenia

The Grass-Type Is Always Greener! is the 31st episode of Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl, the tenth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 495th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 498, Bulbapedia code DP031). It first aired in Japan on 26 April 2007 and in the United States on 6 October 2007. It falls within the season’s Eterna Forest: Cheryl & the Amber Castle stretch (EP30–EP33).

Synopsis

Following Mothim through Eterna Forest, Cheryl and the friends find only the tree Cheryl smeared with honey earlier, and they make camp for the night. Next morning Cheryl is caught in a tangle of vines that Turtwig slices with Razor Leaf, bringing down a shower of Kakuna as well. Mothim then dives into a clump of shrubs and startles a Gloom, which escapes behind a cloud of foul stench, and a young woman storms out of the foliage, upset to have missed her catch. She immediately forgets about it when she sees Turtwig, hugging it and praising its strength. She introduces herself as Gardenia, a Grass-type Trainer, and after Croagunk deals with Brock, she challenges Ash to a battle as practice for the Grass-type Eterna Gym. Meanwhile, Jessie trips over a Kakuna, and the swarm that evolves into Beedrill chases Team Rocket away.

The two-on-two match begins with Gardenia’s Cherubi, which simply runs around dodging Turtwig’s Tackle and Razor Leaf before she recalls it, and Brock realises she was studying Turtwig. Her second Pokémon is a Turtwig of her own, which barely moves but is astonishingly fast when it does. It sidesteps Tackle so that Ash’s Turtwig hits a tree, drains it with Leech Seed and knocks it out with a lightning-quick Tackle. Staravia’s Wing Attack misses again and again, Turtwig even leaps clear of Aerial Ace, and a Leaf Storm pins Staravia to a tree. Disappointed, Ash vows to train harder. Around the campfire Cheryl explains that her grandfather never found the Enchanted Honey, and Gardenia offers to lead them to a place where Combee gather to form a Combee Wall.

The next day, a bandaged Team Rocket give themselves away and James sends out Carnivine, which clamps onto his head. Gardenia rushes to cuddle it and offers to trade her Bellossom, her Vileplume and even a Victreebel for it, but James refuses, briefly lost in memories of his own Victreebel. When Carnivine is ordered to Bite, Gardenia steps in front of it and it bites her head instead; she then asks Cacnea to scratch her back with Pin Missile, and a hurt James leaves the battle to Jessie. Gardenia’s Turtwig bites Seviper’s tail and launches Cacnea into the balloon with Leaf Storm, and when the balloon’s arm grabs Mothim, Leech Seed breaks it and Pikachu’s Thunderbolt sends the trio flying. A Nuzleaf arrives with a message that calls Gardenia away, and the group follow a Combee toward the wall.