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"Leaf Storm!"
The small trees on Grotle's back scattered endless leaves, and a fierce storm, mixed with leaves, unleashed the powerful, yet rare, Grass-type move, Leaf Storm.
It instantly swept Staraptor, who hadn't managed to get away from Grotle, into the attack, forcing it to directly endure the Leaf Storm.
"Grotle, now, use Solar Beam!"
That wasn't all; after using Leaf Storm, Ash had Grotle press the advantage.
The small grove on its back began to furiously gather sunlight, and under the effect of Sunny Day, in just a moment, a beam of light filled with scorching energy shot out.
It hit Staraptor squarely, who still hadn't recovered its ability to move.
A few seconds later, Staraptor fell to the ground, leaving only Grotle standing steadily in place, showered with praise by Ash and Pikachu.
"You worked hard, Staraptor!"
Reiji regretfully recalled Staraptor, then helplessly spread his hands and walked over to Ash, saying with a somewhat strained smile:
"Ash, you really are strong. My Staraptor couldn't even scratch your Grotle. It's hard to imagine what it will be like after it evolves again!"
"Haha, you flatter me!"
Although Reiji's expression was like he was constipated, Ash was very happy.
Because it meant that Grotle's training had achieved some success, and it had successfully annoyed its opponent.
As an experienced gamer, Ash clearly understood the role of a tank: absorb damage, save skills, and then unleash a burst to finish the opponent.
When an assassin can't scratch a tank, that's when the assassin gets beaten.
So, in his daily training with Grotle, he would have Staraptor and the others attack it directly.
From Aerial Ace to Wing Attack, and then to Brave Bird, he gradually increased its damage-absorbing capability.
Although the practice time was long, the results were slowly coming to fruition.
Moreover, Grotle was also very patient with its training, and that was the most crucial point.
"How about it, Maylene, after seeing my battle with Ash, do you feel the desire to battle?" After a simple emotional adjustment, Reiji turned his gaze to Maylene.
"Ah, me?" Maylene responded a little blankly.
"Yes, when you meet such a powerful Trainer, don't you have even a slight desire to challenge them?" Reiji gestured towards Ash.
He knew that Maylene was an excellent fighter. No matter how confused she might be, deep down she must yearn for battle.
And in fact, it was just as Reiji had guessed.
Maylene was indeed hesitant. As a fighter, the reason she became a Gym Leader was to become stronger.
Battling Trainers like Ash and Paul was her initial goal.
It was just that due to Paul's cold and mocking words, she was temporarily unable to emerge from her self-pity.
"Lucario~"
As Maylene hesitated, Lucario stepped forward, looking at its Trainer with determination.
"Maylene, look, Lucario also wants you to accept!" Dawn promptly stepped forward to remind her.
Looking at the dog filled with fighting spirit, Maylene pondered, closing her eyes and struggling.
When her eyes opened again, the confusion in Maylene's pupils had lessened.
"Okay, I accept..."
"Wait a minute!!!"
Just as Maylene was about to accept, Dawn shouted loudly, interrupting Maylene.
"Don't forget, Maylene, you promised to battle me first!"
During the process of comforting Maylene by the river, Dawn had made an agreement to have a Gym battle with her.
Besides wanting to help her regain confidence, Dawn also yearned for a Gym battle, itching to have one.
Maylene thought carefully; it seemed there was indeed such a thing!
"Now?"
"Of course!" Dawn nodded, looking at Lucario nearby, "My opponent will be your Lucario!"
"Will the difficulty be too high?" Ash secretly analyzed.
Although Maylene lost to Paul, from Lucario's Aura, its strength was not weak.
However, Ash didn't speak up to remind her, as Dawn was full of confidence now and definitely wouldn't listen.
The scene shifted. At Dawn's urging, Maylene led everyone to the Veilstone Gym.
It was a Gym primarily made of wood, supplemented by other special materials, and from its appearance, it looked very simple.
However, it perfectly suited Maylene's identity as a fighter.
Led by the middle-aged man from before, Dawn and Maylene took their positions. After the rules were announced, they began a Gym challenge not for a badge.
"Dawn, go for it!"
"Pikachu~ Pikachu~"
With the roles reversed, this time it was Ash and Pikachu's turn to cheer for Dawn.
"Don't worry, no problem!"
Hearing this, Dawn, who had been a bit nervous, immediately smiled, clenched her fist, and shouted, "No problem!"
As soon as she said this, Ash's expression froze, feeling like he had said the wrong thing.
But the battle had already begun, and Dawn's Piplup and Maylene's Lucario officially started fighting.
As the challenger, Dawn had Piplup use Whirlpool to control Lucario's movement, and then use Drill Peck to dive into the vortex and attack.
But unexpectedly, Lucario, using its advantage of being tall, hugged the small penguin Piplup with its bare hands, like an adult holding a child.
Piplup's Drill Peck couldn't even touch Lucario, looking particularly comical for a moment.
"Force Palm!"
However, this scene quickly ended as Lucario sprayed golden light from its belly, right against Piplup.
One Force Palm successfully knocked Piplup out of the Whirlpool and sent it sprawling to the ground.
At the same time, it was also enveloped in golden electricity, which was the paralysis effect of Force Palm.
"Bone Rush!"
Seizing the opportunity, Lucario conjured a bone staff in its hands, and with a single twirl, it shattered the Whirlpool, heading straight for Piplup.
"Spin and use Drill Peck!"
Facing the approaching Lucario, Piplup leaped up, constantly spinning to dodge Lucario's Bone Rush.
Its beak also glowed white, successfully piercing into Lucario's flesh from the side.
"Well done, Dawn!" Ash clapped happily.
"Pikachu~" Pikachu also encouraged Piplup.
"That's right~"
Dawn responded proudly, but her hands were tightly clenched.
Because she felt the excitement of Pokémon battles, an experience completely different from Contests.
However, Dawn's performance ended there.
Next, Lucario used the guaranteed hit of Aura Sphere to stall Piplup's attack for one turn.
At the same time, relying on the speed brought by Extreme Speed, it grabbed Piplup by its fated throat and finished the battle with a Force Palm.
"Ah, I still lost!" Dawn regretfully picked up Piplup, "Maylene is indeed strong, I'm no match for her!"
This wasn't Dawn talking nonsense, because excluding Buneary, who was weak to Fighting-types, Piplup was almost Dawn's strongest Pokémon.
After all, whenever a battle occurred, Dawn would subconsciously send out Piplup.
"I still have a long way to go!"
Maylene didn't show any happy expression; after all, the scene of being defeated by Paul was still vivid in her mind.
She comforted Dawn briefly, then looked at Ash and the others slowly approaching.
"Sorry, Ash, to prepare for our battle, I'd like to hold the Gym battle tomorrow, if that's okay?"
Ash, of course, agreed indifferently.
It would be almost night in a few hours, so it wouldn't be too late to challenge her tomorrow.