Maylene

"The Barefoot, Fighting Genius!"
Maylene
Species	Human
Hair color	Pink
Eye color	Pink
Base	Veilstone City
Relatives	Father
Debut	Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl Versions

Maylene is the third of the eight gym leaders of the Sinnoh region to be battled in Pokémon: Diamond, Pearl and Platinum versions (although in Platinum she is instead the fourth gym leader). She specializes in Fighting-type Pokémon.

Background

Maylene was the gym leader of Veilstone Gym. She was described as a cute little girl who could give even adults trouble in Pokémon battles. She was always barefoot, because she believed it was healthier as Pokémon were always barefoot. Her father also appeared in the games, spending his time at Veilstone's Game Corner and describing his daughter as "kind of tough". Crasher Wake even admitted that he was stunned by how tough she was when he trained with her. Maylene herself took battling very seriously but also seemed somewhat confused by the process of being a gym leader, as she did not know what it meant to be strong or how she got to be a gym leader. However, she was determined to do the best she could as a gym leader.

In Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, she was challenged and defeated by Lucas/Dawn. She admitted defeat and that it was a tough loss, but that she also learned a lot from it, surrendering the Cobble Badge as well as TM60: Drain Punch to the victor. Maylene said that even though she did not understand what it means to be strong or how much effort is required for it, she believed that being with Pokémon helped them to make that effort. In Platinum, she was later seen walking along the frigid Route 217 to Snowpoint City as part of her training. She mused on how convenient using Fly to reach the city would be if her Pokémon knew it, but also said that she would not use it even if she did have the HM in order to improve her training. She claimed that she was used to the cold despite being lightly dressed and barefoot, but she was also seen sneezing. After arriving, she was seen at Snowpoint City waiting for Candice to train with her, as Candice wanted to learn from battling her Fighting-type Pokémon. Maylene admired Candice because of how studious she was.

Additionally in Platinum, Maylene could also appear as an opponent for rematches in the Battleground along with the other defeated gym leaders. She would also visit the player's villa on random days, sometimes with Candice. Maylene would talk about her training (and how she improved her emotional connection with Pokémon as well as her handwriting), ask Candice about accessories and what makes a good gym leaders, and have awkwardly silent conversations with Candice as well.

She also made a cameo appearance in Pokémon: HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions, where she traveled to Kanto to participate in an eatathon at a restaurant in Celadon City. She enjoyed the break from her strict diet and the opportunity to eat like a Hippowdon, as well as the fact that the winner got to eat for free. She also appeared as a competitor in the Pokéthlon, taking part in the Supreme Cup's Power Course.

In Black and White 2, she competed in the Pokémon World Tournament held at Unova. She took part in the Sinnoh Leaders, World Leaders and Type Expert Tournaments.

Pokémon Roster

Maylene uses the following Pokémon for the Gym Challenge in Diamond, Pearl and Platinum:

• Meditite
• Machoke
• Lucario

She uses the following Pokémon for Battleground rematches in Platinum:

• Hitmontop
• Breloom
• Medicham
• Machamp

For the Pokéthlon in HeartGold/SoulSilver, she uses Lucario, Meditite and Machoke.

For tournament fights in Black 2/White 2, her roster can include Lucario, Infernape, Toxicroak, Gallade, Medicham and Machamp.

Other Appearances

• Maylene appeared in several episodes of the Pokémon anime's Diamond & Pearl series, where she struggled with self esteem issues. In her first appearance she was shown to have been a gym leader for only six months, and a defeat at Paul's hands leads her to lose her self confidence and reject Ash Ketchum's challenge. She later battles Dawn due to her having similar confidence issues, and when Maylene defeats her she finally accepts Ash's challenge. Their battle ends in a tie, but Maylene decides to let Ash have the Cobble Badge regardless. She also helps Ash to foil Team Galactic's plans in one episode.
• Maylene also appears in the Pokémon Adventures manga when Platina battles her as the third gym leader, although the challenge came from a misunderstanding when Maylene thought Platina, Diamond and Pearl were three kids whom she overheard planning to challenge her earlier. During the battle, Maylene claimed that she and her Pokémon practiced yoga and ate only one berry a day, building themselves by enduring hunger. She also showed jealously of Platina for being rich and having items, suggesting a sort of class angle, but after being defeated she learned to appreciate Platina's skill after she defeated Maylene, at which point she surrendered the Cobble Badge. Her gambling father also appeared and was shown to have helped Platinum to win by having her study slot machines to sharpen her reflexes, but Maylene's response to her father gambling instead of working again was simply to have her Pokémon and trainers chase him away. As in the games Maylene jogs through the snow to train with Candace, but the two of them wind up helping Platina against Team Galactic and wind up losing to Mars. The three then continue to train and bond as the "scantily-clad trio", and she is later among the gym leaders when they help fight Team Galactic at Spear PIllar. She and Candice were the last two standing against Jupiter and defeated her, but it seems they were later beaten by Sird. Maylene later passed on a Pachirisu from Volkner to Platina.

Trivia

• Her name may be a reference to the world 'melee'. Her Japanese name is Sumomo, which is a type of Japanese plum and may also refer to sumo wrestling.
• In Diamond and Pearl, her gym resembles an Eastern martial arts dojo, and the player must push sliding doors back and forth to reach her. In Platinum, her gym is redesigned to resemble a boxing arena, where boxing bags must be knocked to the side instead.