Chapter 197: Veilstone Gym, Ash vs. Maylene!

Words : 984 Updated : Oct 12th, 2025

Miss Maylene had finally had a change of heart and no longer wanted to resign from her post as the Veilstone Gym Leader. This was amazing news! "Ash is battling Maylene, huh? He'll probably be using the Pokémon he caught in the Sinnoh region. And Maylene looks like she's regained her confidence. This is going to be exciting." Dawn looked at Ash and Maylene—both were already in position on the battlefield, facing each other. Creak— The door opened. Paul and Reggie stepped in. When Maylene saw Reggie, her hands clenched reflexively. But she had already come to terms with everything and wouldn't get stuck in that mindset anymore. "Now then, we're about to begin the Gym Challenge battle between Leader Maylene and Challenger Ash! Each side may use three Pokémon. The match ends when all Pokémon on one side are unable to battle. Only the challenger has the right to switch Pokémon mid-battle. Battle—start!" The Gym disciple announced the rules from the referee's podium. "Alright, Ash. To thank you, I'll go all out—go, Machoke!" Maylene sent out her Machoke as her lead. "Of course. My first Pokémon will be this little guy I caught in Sinnoh—go, Grotle!" Ash threw out Grotle. "I wonder how he trained that Grotle," Paul murmured to himself. Back when he was trying to master Grotle's training method, he'd endured no small amount of frustration and experimentation. "Maylene, you can take the first move," Ash said, extending his hand politely. Maylene didn't hesitate. Ash had said that even Paul's Pokémon couldn't withstand a single move from his. Even though this Grotle was newly caught in Sinnoh, that statement alone showed just how terrifying Ash truly was. "Machoke, show them your specialty—Charge in with a Karate Chop!" "Machoke!" Machoke's strength was its impressive attack speed and power, making it ideal for close-quarters combat. It dashed forward without hesitation, one hand glowing white like a blade, aiming a savage chop right at Grotle! "Grotle, Withdraw into your shell!" Boom!! A deep, echoing sound rang out as Machoke's Karate Chop slammed into Grotle's shell. Grotle had tucked in just in time, boosting its defense and absorbing the blow head-on. "Not attacking back, huh? Machoke—Bulk Up!" "Grotle, keep your guard—Withdraw again!" Bulk Up raised both attack and defense. Maylene wasn't holding back. "So, trying to bait me into attacking, huh? Fine, Ash—have it your way! Machoke, use Brick Break!" "Machoke—!" Brick Break packed a bigger punch than Karate Chop. "Use Absorb! Wrap around Machoke's arm!" "Groo!" Grotle stomped both thick, pillar-like legs onto the ground! Cracks spiderwebbed across the battlefield, and several glowing green tendrils burst forth from the earth! "Machoke, break free!" In Maylene's memory, Absorb was a weak move—nowhere near the power of Brick Break. Ash snapped his fingers. The Absorb suddenly surged with even more energy—it wasn't just Absorb anymore, but Mega Drain! "Machoke!" Machoke's arm was immediately ensnared, the bright green tendrils wrapping around its chopping arm like constricting snakes. It couldn't break free! Mega Drain activated, siphoning Machoke's stamina and feeding it back to Grotle! "Leech Seed—go!" Machoke was already at point-blank range—no time to dodge! "Machoke, use Fury Attack to break free!" Thinking fast, Maylene repurposed Fury Attack—not as an offensive move, but to struggle free from Grotle's grip. But by now, Leech Seed had sprouted. Dozens of thin vines whipped out and bound Machoke like ropes. It thrashed wildly with Fury Attack, but Leech Seed joined forces with Mega Drain to sap even more stamina! And all the while, Grotle—having tanked the first blow—was steadily regenerating. In just a few seconds, all the damage Grotle had taken earlier was fully restored. Machoke, on the other hand, was losing strength fast. At last, it broke free. But Grotle was already charging! "Perfect—Energy Ball! End it!" "Groo!!" Grotle opened its mouth wide, and at point-blank range, unleashed a concentrated Energy Ball that detonated right into Machoke's chest. BOOM! "Machoke is unable to battle—the winner is Grotle!" The referee raised his hand as the battlefield quieted. All eyes turned to Grotle. What incredible control and strategy! Ash knew that Grotle could no longer rely on speed like it did when it was a Turtwig. So, its battle style had shifted from speed and hit-and-run to defense and close-range dominance. Knowing Machoke's strength, Ash chose to tank the first hit, then bait it in, turning the whole battlefield into a trap. From that moment, Ash had full control of the match. "This guy..." Paul stared at Ash. Reggie did too. "No wonder Ash was able to defeat Mr. Brandon's core team," Reggie muttered. "Paul, compared to your Grotle training methods—what do you think now?" Paul's eyes widened. "Wait, what? He beat Mr. Brandon's main team? You mean... the Regi trio?!" Paul's expression changed drastically. Now he finally understood—Ash had already achieved what both he and his brother had dreamed of but never accomplished. "Yeah. After you left, I stayed and trained in the area. Ash challenged Brandon right after me." For the first time, Paul truly looked at Ash in a new light. He had already done what Paul and Reggie could not. "Come back, Machoke." Maylene recalled her Pokémon, looking at Ash with complex emotions. He really was strong—but she wasn't about to back down. She'd fight with everything she had. "Ash, you really scared me with that one. You're amazing. In that case, my second partner—go, Meditite!" "Meditite, huh? Fighting and Psychic type. Then I'll use this guy I just caught recently— Gligar, you're up!" "Skreee!" Ash sent out Gligar. Typing-wise, Gligar's Flying type gave it a major advantage over Meditite. -------------- T/N: Access Advance Chapters on my P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals

Chapter 197: Veilstone Gym, Ash vs. Maylene!

Comments (0)