Gary looked up and spotted a pink-haired girl jogging down the road beside a Lucario, the two moving in perfect rhythm. The Pokémon's paws glowed faintly as it practiced its aura-driven strikes—a clear case of performance training.
"Maylene! Lucario!" he blurted, instantly recognizing them.
Maylene stopped, a light sheen of sweat glinting on her forehead, and Lucario halted beside her with a low "Luca‑rio."
Gary blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected to meet Veilstone's Gym Leader outside her own gym.
Maylene smiled warmly. "Good afternoon! May I ask—do you have business at the Veilstone Gym?"
"I'm a Trainer from the Kanto region," Gary replied politely. "I came to challenge your gym."
"Oh! Then we have the same goal today," she said cheerfully, clearly misunderstanding for a moment before laughing at herself. "Come in with me, then. I was heading back inside anyway."
Lucario gave a good-natured grunt—"Lu~rio!"—and followed as Maylene led Gary through the doors of the Veilstone Gym.
Inside, the Gym smelled faintly of polished mat flooring and incense used for focus training. Walls were adorned with calligraphy banners about strength and balance, though a few newer ones hung slightly crooked, suggesting Maylene's ownership of only a few months.
Then she led Gary into the gym.
Maylene hadn't completely recovered yet, but she still felt insecure. Paul's harsh words had been the final straw—the blow that broke the camel's back. Even without Paul's criticism, Maylene would eventually lose confidence if she kept doubting herself like this.
She guided Gary to the battle ground, then turned to a senior referee standing nearby.
"Uncle Kuroda, we'll be having a challenger match," she said.
As Kuroda prepared the field sensors, Maylene faced Gary again and drew a deep breath. "Welcome to the Veilstone Gym! I'm Maylene, and I'll be your opponent."
Gary nodded. "Gary Oak, challenger from Kanto. Ready when you are."
"Then let's begin," said Maylene resolutely, though Gary noticed her voice wavered slightly from fatigue.
"Wait," Gary interrupted gently. "You were just running training drills outside with Lucario, right? That must have taken a lot of energy—you should get it checked at the Pokémon Center first."
Maylene blinked. "Ah—oh! You're right, I didn't even think of that."
Gary broke into a nervous sweat, unsure whether Maylene had simply been careless or was just too anxious from the pressure of being a new Gym Leader.
Kuroda frowned slightly. "Miss Maylene, please see to Lucario's recovery first. There's no rush to start."
Maylene flushed, both embarrassed and grateful. "Thank you… I'll be just a few minutes, Gary."
"It's fine," Gary replied easily. "Go ahead."
Within fifteen minutes, Maylene returned, looking refreshed and visibly calmer.
"Okay, Uncle Kuroda, we can begin the Gym Battle. Please make the announcement," Maylene said.
Kuroda raised his hand for silence. "The official Gym Battle between Challenger Gary of Kanto and Leader Maylene of Veilstone Gym will now begin! Each side may use three Pokémon. The challenger alone may make substitutions. When all Pokémon on one side are unable to battle, the match is over."
[Ding!] Mission Released:
Challenge: Earn the Veilstone Gym Badge Reward: 3 × Rare Candies (Intermediate Tier), Brick Break TM (Permanent Move Learner), and 1 × Top‑Grade Item.Optional Mission: Use Sinnoh‑region Pokémon to earn the Rustboro Gym Badge
Reward: 3 × Rare Candies (Intermediate Tier), 1 × Fighting‑type Move Learner (of choice), and 1 × Random Pokémon Item.
Reading the mission screen, Gary sighed inwardly. Judging from the reward list, Maylene's Gym wasn't particularly challenging—she really wasn't very strong yet.
Gary nodded, sliding three Poké Balls into his palm.
Kuroda gestured toward Maylene. "Leader Maylene, please send out your first Pokémon."
Maylene clenched her fist with determination. "Alright… it's your turn, Meditite!"
[Lv 30 Meditiite ♀ — Fighting / Psychic]
With a burst of light, the small figure of Meditite appeared, floating cross‑legged with serene focus. "Medi‑chammm."
Seeing Meditite's level, Gary couldn't help but understand why Paul had been so critical. Although Meditite's strength was technically enough for a Gym Battle, it was still far too low in rank. Around this stage, even a newly trained Pokémon from Paul's team would likely be around Level 30 to 40. Battling with such a weak advantage made the challenge feel almost meaningless.
What made it worse was that Paul was a native of Veilstone City. He knew exactly how strong Maylene's father had been as a Gym Leader, so seeing Maylene struggle like this only made the contrast more glaring.
"Very well," Gary said softly. "Garchomp, let's end this fast."
A crimson beam flashed from his Poké Ball, manifesting into a massive land shark that roared so loudly the gym reverberated. "GARCHOOOOMP!!" Sand swirled at its feet as the apprentices gaped.
[Lv 50 Garchomp ♂ — Champion]
Even Kuroda stiffened. "A pseudo‑legendary…?"
The apprentices in the gym around Maylene were shocked. Unexpectedly, a young man could actually take out the Sinnoh Region's quasi-legendary Pokémon.
"It looks like today will be another tough battle."
Maylene felt a trace of unease. As a local Gym Leader, she naturally knew how powerful Garchomp was.
Garchomp was even the trump card Pokémon of the Sinnoh League Champion.
Gary actually hadn't wanted to use it, but among his remaining Sinnoh Pokémon, not only were they stronger than Garchomp, their attributes were also restrained by the Fighting system.
If he sent them out and defeated Maylene in seconds, the blow to her confidence would be even greater. Without Paul's actions, Gary might have been the one to break her first.
"The battle begins."
She swallowed hard and gave her command. "Meditite, use Confusion!"
Meditite's eyes glowed blue, psychic waves shimmering through the room. Invisible force pressed against Garchomp, trying to lift its titanic frame.
For a heartbeat, it worked—dust lifted from under Garchomp's claws. But with a shake of its head, the dragon broke free effortlessly, snorting in disdain. "Chaaaarmp."
"What?!" Maylene gasped, shocked that Garchomp hadn't even flinched.
Gary sighed. "I didn't want this to end too fast… but here we go. Fire Blast!"
Garchomp's maw ignited. A flaming '大'‑shaped blast shot forward, spinning with roaring heat.
Boom!!
The explosion filled the arena with black smoke. When it cleared, Meditite lay fainted, eyes swirled and body singed but otherwise unharmed by permanent burns.
Kuroda raised his flag. "Meditite is unable to battle! Garchomp wins the first round!"
Maylene recalled her Pokémon, biting her lip but refusing to lose her composure. "Meditite, you did great. Take a rest."
Without delay, Maylene threw another Poké Ball.
"It's your turn, Machoke!"
"Machoooo~ke!" the muscular Pokémon roared, appearing amid a shimmer of white light.
Gary studied it briefly. Its aura wasn't bad—slightly stronger than the average fighter, perhaps Level 32—but far behind his Garchomp's power. "So, Elite potential at best," he murmured.
Maylene exhaled. "We can still do this! Machoke, Stone Edge!"
Gary's eyebrows rose—she was using his own favorite move. "Counter with your Stone Edge, Garchomp!"
"Garchooo~mp!"
Both creatures slammed their arms into the floor, conjuring sharp, glowing rock shards that tore across the battleground. The stones clashed mid‑air with a thunderous collision that shook the gym's walls.
"Now, Machoke—Charge through and Break those Rocks with Karate Chop!" Maylene shouted.
"Ma‑choooke!!" The Fighting‑type crossed its arms, enveloped in bright white light, and lunged head‑on through the stream of stones.