Upon approaching the Veilstone Gym, Gabe had to pause to admire the structure of what was admittedly his favorite gym in Sinnoh. While the games portrayed it as a generic structure, the anime gave it more of a rustic appearance. It was meant to be more of a dojo, something Gabe could appreciate as he was fond of martial arts. The structure before him was as he had hoped, a very large, aesthetically pleasing dojo. And inside? his next challenge... Maylene.

Glancing down at his belt, he had the team he wished to utilize secured on his right. They consisted of Psyduck, Tropius, and Hakamo-o. Resolving to stay with his choices, he took a deep breath in preparation before reaching out and opening the doors of the dojo, only to be greeted by the sound of a chorus of martial artists mid-practice.

Gabe blinked at the sight of the students inside. They all wore the traditional karate gi and had different belt levels to boot. Unsurprising was the gap in age among the students. Some looked as young as twelve while others were pushing forty. Standing in front of the students was Maylene herself, only she wasn't as small as the anime portrayed her to be.

She had grown taller, and while she maintained her petite figure, it was clear she had some muscle definition due to her martial arts training. If Gabe were to make a rough estimate, she was at least his age and close to his height.

As Gabe observed the young Gym Leader, he was soon noticed, putting a pause to the lesson that was being taught.

"Looks like we've got a new challenger class," Maylene pointed out, directing her student's attention towards Gabe with a simple hand gesture.

Gabe felt every eye on him within moments, making him slightly uncomfortable. Keeping his composure, he crossed his arms and spoke with confidence.

"That's right. I'm here to challenge you Maylene! and I plan to win." Gabe declared, pointing imperiously at the pink-haired Gym Leader.

"That so? state your name challenger," Maylene replied calmly.

"The name's Barry!" Gabe said proudly, erecting his best Superman pose.

"Barry huh? I feel like I've seen you before. Hey wait, weren't you in that tournament in Hearthome?" Maylene inquired, recognition registering in her eyes after getting a closer look at Gabe.

"Yup! That was me," Gabe grinned.

"Ah, now I recognize you. You're also Palmer's kid right?" Maylene asked, cracking her knuckles and stretching her arms above her head.

"You got it," Gabe answered, a smirk crossing his features as he walked through the opening that was made by Maylene's students.

Maylene strode confidently to the center of the ring to meet him. Her pink eyes stared into his in a challenging manner. Flashing him a wry grin, she motioned to one of her students to take up the role as judge.

"This ought to be fun then. How's three on three sound?" Maylene inquired.

"Sure. Your gym, your rules. Just know that I intend to win," Gabe added confidently.

"You've got some spunk. So, in the words of a good friend of mine... show me your kiai," Maylene stated as she turned and walked over to her side of the dojo.

Did... did she just copy Candice? That's new, Gabe mused, brushing the thought aside as he stepped into the trainers box.

"This is an official gym battle between the Veilstone City Gym Leader, and our sensei, Maylene, and the Challenger, Barry! This will be a three on three matchup where only the Challenger will be allowed to substitute Pokémon. Also, the first move belongs to the Challenger!" the judge declared, looking between the two trainers as they readied themselves. "Will both sides please release your first Pokémon!?"

"Medicham, let's rumble!" Maylene called out, launching the Meditate Pokémon onto the dojo floor.

Medicham opened his eyes upon release and stood erect, his hands at his side in a calm and collected fashion.

I prepared for one thing... and got another. Oh well, this is still a safe choice, Gabe thought as he gripped his partner's ball. "Psyduck, battle dance!" Gabe cried fiercely, firing his little blue duck into battle.

"Sorry Cynthia, couldn't resist," Gabe muttered to himself as he looked down at his headache-plagued friend.

"Are both sides ready?" asked the judge, getting an affirmative gesture from the combatants. "then you may begin!"

"Psyduck, use Water Pulse!" Barry commanded.

"Break it up with Force Palm!" Maylene countered swiftly.

Psyduck removed his hands from his aching head and forged a sphere of condensed water between them before launching it with both hands towards his opposition. Adhering to his trainer's command, Medicham simply stretched forth his open palm and charged it with energy from his body upon making contact with the sphere, effectively blasting it apart with minimal effort.

This... may be harder than I expected, Gabe swallowed hard, doing his best to not seem unnerved by the display of power put on by Medicham.

"Strike back with Psycho Cut!" Maylene called out firmly.

"Break it apart with Psybeam!" Gabe riposted.

Medicham positioned his hand, flat side out like a knife, and channeled heavy amounts of psychic energy into it. Psyduck, not wasting any time, fired off a cone of multicolored psychic power towards the adversary. Having built up enough power, Medicham struck back, slashing his hand at a downward arc which produced several crescent-shaped blasts that carved through Psyduck's attack as though it were nothing, striking the panicking duck and launching him backwards into the wall.

"Psyduck! You okay?" Gabe asked concerned as he bolted over to his companion who was now clutching his head in pain.

"Ps...Psy-aye-aye..." Psyduck groaned, clutching his head even more as he sat up.

"You wanna take a break? You took a heavy hit there bud," Gabe reminded his friend.

"Psy!" was the blue buck's reply as he shook his head, resolving to continue the match.

As he stood, he faltered a little, grunting as his headache worsened. While knowing he had perpetual headaches, this particular one was on the verge of a migraine.

"You two all good over there?" Maylene asked, eager to continue while at the same time showing concern for her opponents.

"Yeah, we're okay. Just a little team talk before we get back to it. Man, your Medicham is strong!" Gabe admitted.

"That's our sensei. Her team is as well trained as they come. She's a genius!" One of her students called out.

"I can see that. And just knowing that she's this strong," Gabe grinned, smashing his fist into his hand, "puts a fire in my belly!"

"Then let me see that fire Barry! Come at me!" Maylene urged.

"You got it. Psyduck, time for some close combat, use Shadow Claw!" Gabe hollered.

"Meet him head on with Thunder Punch!" Maylene exclaimed.

Psyduck lowered his stance and channeled ghostly energies into his webbed hands, forming ethereal, black and violet claws that extended a few inches longer than his regular ones. He then darted in as fast as his webbed feet could carry him.

Medicham clenched his fists and invoked the power of lightning before breaking into a sprint and firing a barrage of punches within seconds of meeting his opposition. After a brief exchange of blows, Psyduck manage to score two blows to Medicham's face while simultaneously receiving a strike to his bill, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Psyduck is un--huh?" the judge paused, watching as Psyduck slowly sat up, gripping his head tightly as he did so.

"Err... Psyduck? you okay over there?" Gabe asked.

"Psy-aye-aye!" Psyduck exclaimed, frantically waving his arms after standing up. His eyes were squeezed shut as the migraine reached its peak.

"Is he gonna be..." Maylene stopped, her question in mind answered when a psychic glow flashed in Psyduck's eyes.

Water began whirling about Psyduck's frame, picking up in speed to conceal him from view. The rushing whirlpool picked up in intensity as a bright light flashed within. Within moments, the whirlpool was dispersed by powerful psychic forces, and in the midst of it was a much taller duck. What really baffled Gabe wasn't the fact that he now had a Golduck. It was the revelation that he had a gold duck. Not the barely different colored duck. An actual gold duck.

The once blue body that the evolution of his companion bore was now a shimmering gold color coupled with a light blue beak. Even his eyes had changed to blue.

I... was not expecting that. Awesome! Now he looks like he should! Gabe exclaimed inwardly.

"Oh wow! your Golduck looks amazing! I've never seen one like that before!" Maylene shouted enthusiastically.

"Neither have I. I knew shiny Golduck were rare but--"

"Shiny?" Maylene interrupted. "What's that?"

Gabe palmed his face and shook his head.

Idiot... He cursed himself mentally. "Nothing, I was thinking of something else, sorry. Anyway, let's get back to it. Golduck, let's try this again! Shadow Claw!"

"Thunder Punch!" Maylene countered again.

Golduck and Medicham flashed towards each other, claws and fists empowered for a clash, the force of which launched both parties back several feet after a blurred exchange of successive blows. Medicham pushed himself up after crashing into the ground, Golduck doing likewise as to not give in. Their eyes met and both stepped forward, a mistake for one of them as it would prove too much in the end. Golduck had been worn out.

"Golduck is unable to battle! Medicham wins the round!"

Maylene breathed a sigh of relief as Golduck was returned.

"Great work Golduck, you did your best," Gabe praised his teammate, reaching for his next option. "Tropius, your turn to fight!"

The sauropod gave a mighty roar as he was released. His heavy frame hit the ground with a thud as he spread his leafy wings. Craning his neck, he loomed over his adversary like a predator their prey.

"Let's do this Tropius, Dragon Pulse!" Gabe roared.

"Force Palm!" Maylene cried out.

Without hesitation, the towering beast loosed a devastating beam of roaring draconic energy. Medicham quickly shot up his palm and charged it once more in an attempt to dispel the attack only to be battered by a gust of sharp winds from a quickly prepped Air Slash, breaking his concentration which allowed the beam to carry him backwards into the wall. Having expended all his energy, Medicham promptly fell on his face.

"Medicham is unable to battle! Tropius wins the round!" declared the judge.

"Give it a rest Medicham, you did well," Maylene smiled, returning her teammate before grabbing her next one. "That Tropius is pretty strong. You've trained him well I see," Maylene complimented him.

"Thanks, he's been great to have on my team," Gabe replied casually.

"I'll bet. Now let's see how he handles this, Mienshao let's battle!" Maylene proclaimed, firing her next sphere onto the dojo floor.

Wait, it's not Machoke!? Gabe thought with wide eyes as the Martial Arts Pokémon emerged onto the battlegrounds.

As sure as the sun was shining above the clouds, there stood a Mienshao only this one had a pink pattern coloration instead of purple, save for the purple tips of her whiskers. Tropius turned his head to face the foreign adversary.

"I bet you're wondering where I got this Mienshao. I paid a visit to Unova a few years ago and caught a Mienfoo," Maylene said simply. "I just admired how gracefully they fought, you know?"

"Graceful huh? Well she looks strong. Let's see what she can do," Gabe stated eagerly, hiding the nervousness he felt by this switch. "Tropius, Air Slash! go!"

"Acrobatics!" Maylene commanded.

Tropius pulled his wings back and flapped them vigorously, sending sharp blades of wind towards a now fast-moving Mienshao who was evading each blast as it came upon her approach. Her whiplike arms were coated with poison as she neared, something the sauropod was not having any part of. Instinctively, Tropius took off, just avoiding the strike by a hair.

"Bounce and use Vital Throw!" Maylene bellowed.

"Seed Bomb!" Gabe countered.

Tropius opened his mouth, a golden orb glowing within as he powered up. Rearing his head back, he fired a shotgun blast of glowing, round seeds at his foe. In a single, twisting leap, Mienshao avoided the attack entirely in mid-jump and clotheslined Tropius, and at the apex of her jump she pulled into a dive, thrusting him downward into the ground.

Tropius landed hard on his back and was staring up as Mienshao approached with a Poison Jab once more.

"Dragon Pulse!" Gabe shouted powerfully.

With a swift jerk of his head, Tropius blasted the air with a vertical cone of draconic energy that roared upward at its target, making a solid connection and sending Mienshao barreling away long enough for Tropius to recover onto his feet.

"Don't let up! use Energy Ball!" Gabe instructed.

"Counter with Aura Sphere!" Maylene shot back.

With a mighty battle cry, Tropius fired off a medium-sized verdant sphere that was matched by Mienshao's azure orb, resulting in an explosive collision of power that shook the dojo a little.

"Acrobatics!" Maylene hollered.

"Magical Leaf!" Gabe riposted.

Damn! Maylene frowned as she watched Tropius unleash a barrage of leaves surrounded in rainbow aura.

Mienshao evaded the initial wave as it came, but knew there was nothing she could do about their tracking effect. Like a boomerang, the leaves circled around and tore after Mienshao as she neared Tropius. With the little time remaining until impact she lashed out with all her might to deliver a power driven Poison Jab and Acrobatics combo before getting hammered by the returning leaves. Both Pokémon fell over unconscious.

"Mienshao and Tropius are unable to battle! this round is a draw!" declared the judge as his hand shot up.

"Nice one Barry. I thought I was going to win that round for sure," Maylene admitted. "That last attack threw me off you crafty devil you..."

"You having a Mienshao threw me off. That was a tough fight," Gabe laughed.

"For sure. And this last one is gonna be the toughest yet. Ready? Lucario, it's time!" Maylene cried out, firing her comrade into battle.

And there's the bread and butter of her team, Gabe mused as the Aura Pokémon materialized onto the arena floor, rising to a stand to face his adversary.

Now's as good a time as any to see how strong Hakamo-o really is, Gabe thought as he snapped off his final choice.

"I'll admit, you surprised me with that Mienshao. However, you're not the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve. That said, Hakamo-o, come on out!" Gabe announced, earning several confused glances from the students and Maylene.

A threatening roar echoed through the dojo as the armored, boxing dragon burst onto the floor.

"WH-WHAT IS THAT!?" Maylene exclaimed, pointing frantically at the Dragon/Fighting-type, her eyes lighting up with curiosity as she beheld it.

"He's called Hakamo-o, and he's from Alola. Found him at the daycare and battled him too," Gabe added with a smirk.

"He looks badass," Maylene commented. "Let's see what he's made of!"

"My words exactly. Hakamo-o, use Brick Break!" Gabe ordered.

"Bone Rush!" Maylene retaliated.

Forming two bone-like staves, Lucario rushed at the swiftly approaching dragon and swung hard, trading blows with the armor plated dragon as they danced along the outer edges of the battlegrounds. Lucario landed a blow to the crown only to be on the receiving end of a harsh Sky Uppercut that catapulted him upwards and backwards.

Hakamo-o rubbed his head and growled at Lucario as he got up. The jackal snarled back, baring his fangs at the dragon as he laced his paws with aura before slamming them together and pulling them apart to create a sphere of rapidly rotating energy.

"Aura Sphere!" Maylene projected loudly.

Barry made no move to give an order. Even as Lucario released the fully formed globe of aura, Hakamo-o simply stood in place, staring the attack down as it came. A deafening boom was heard as the blast made impact. Smoke spread across the dojo floor, masking vision for a few moments. Maylene smirked, thinking she had caused some significant damage with her latest order. However, that smirk vanished quickly when she saw Hakamo-o standing tall, unfazed.

"You've got to be kidding! What just happened?" Maylene asked with a baffled expression.

"It's an ability called Bulletproof, meaning it nullifies moves like Focus Blast, Shadow Ball, and even that Aura Sphere you just used. Moves like that have no effect on Hakamo-o," Gabe revealed with a grin.

"Well shoot. I guess I'll have to try something else. Lucario, Bullet Punch!"

"Iron Defense!" Gabe responded.

As Lucario flashed in, Hakamo-o crossed his arms in an 'x' formation and coated his body with Steel-type aura. Lucario's heavy fists pounded away at Hakamo-o's armor, pushing him back a little as Lucario pressed his assault.

"Brick Break!" Gabe commanded fiercely.

Sidestepping Lucario's pressing assault, Hakamo-o swung a knife-hand towards Lucario's ribcage and was met by a swift countermeasure that parried the attack. Lucario extended his paw and unleashed a Flash Cannon while Hakamo-o hastily countered the point blank attack with a Dragon Pulse. The closely detonated blasts sent their users skidding away from each other. With a snarl, both raced in towards each other, gathering power in the forms of Dragon Dance and Swords Dance.

"Sky Uppercut!" Gabe and Maylene shouted in unison.

With a snarl and a roar, both combatants were jettisoned into the air by the sheer force of their fists as they made contact. Two loud crashes were heard as both Pokémon hit the ground hard. Lucario and Hakamo-o were both put on their backs and struggling to rise up. Hakamo-o managed to sit up and attempt to stand. Lucario did the same, both managing to get on their feet until... crash!

Lucario had fallen...