Lance stood at the entrance to the Mossdeep Gym, took a deep breath, and mentally reviewed his current team composition.
His ace was Gyarados, evolved from Magikarp caught early on, with a level as high as 60 and formidable strength. It was his greatest asset in getting this far.
Next was Appletun, Grass and Dragon type, his starter Pokémon, level 58. It had decent power, though something about it felt lacking.
Then there was Rhyperior, Ground and Rock type, with thick skin and sturdy defense. It was a solid shield and physical attacker at level 59, though unfortunately, it wasn't actually a Dragon type at all.
Finally, there was Flygon, his first genuinely pure Dragon-type Pokémon, level 60.
He'd caught Trapinch in the desert and invested considerable effort to evolve it, making it one of his trump cards at the moment.
"Ugh, Dragon types are rare in real life and apparently just as rare in this game," Lance sighed to himself.
The problem was that Dragon-type Pokémon were incredibly scarce in the early game. Having managed to catch and raise even one was pretty lucky.
Yet for Lance, the Dragon-type Expert, this team composition was far from ideal.
After letting out that sigh, he guided his character through the gym doors.
The interior of Mossdeep Gym had an interesting aesthetic.
The lighting was somewhat psychedelic, with cosmic and celestial patterns painted across the walls and floor. The air itself seemed to shimmer with microscopic stardust particles.
Several gym trainers in Psychic-type robes were scattered throughout, blocking his path, with numerous statue-like mechanisms behind them.
To challenge the gym leader, he first had to defeat these trainers and solve the gym's puzzles.
The so-called "puzzles" consisted of circular tiles on the floor that glowed with blue light. Stepping on them would instantly teleport his character to a different area of the gym.
These teleportation points were intricately interconnected. He had to repeatedly interact with the statues to adjust the teleportation destinations before he could proceed further.
Lance had no choice but to patiently defeat the blocking trainers while experimenting with each teleportation point, keeping track of where they led.
This process consumed a significant amount of time, with several instances of being sent back to the starting point, which made him increasingly irritable.
"This is such a hassle," he muttered.
Honestly, some people might enjoy puzzle content like this, but he definitely wasn't one of them.
Finally, after another teleportation, the scene before him stabilized.
He found himself on a wider battlefield that felt like it was set beneath a starry sky.
The two twin gym leaders of Mossdeep City, Tate and Liza, both of whom he'd briefly encountered before, were already standing there, seemingly having waited some time.
"You've finally arrived," Tate spoke first, a smile on his face.
"My friend, let us see what kind of power you truly possess," Liza added softly in agreement.
Without further pleasantries, the battle commenced immediately.
The screen transitioned into a Double Battle interface. In front of Tate and Liza, each had summoned a Pokémon. Tate sent out Indeedee, while Liza deployed Hatterene.
"A Double Battle?" Lance frowned.
He rarely engaged in Double Battles; his strength lay in one-on-one combat.
This was true both in reality and in the game.
He thought quickly and sent out his two strongest Pokémon: Flygon and Gyarados, planning to start with his heaviest hitters.
Since this was a Psychic-type gym and Gyarados possessed the Dark-type move "Crunch," it had a natural advantage.
However, the moment the battle began, Lance felt immense pressure.
[Indeedee's Ability "Psychic Surge" activated!]
A field of Psychic energy instantly enveloped the battlefield, followed by a game notification.
["Psychic Terrain" has been activated! The power of Psychic-type moves has increased! Pokémon will no longer fall asleep!]
"This is bad," Lance felt a chill in his heart. The opponent's starter was a Pokémon with terrain-setting abilities!
There was no time to think further. He commanded Flygon to use "Earthquake" against Indeedee, while ordering Gyarados to use "Crunch" against Hatterene.
Given Gyarados's offensive power, Lance believed the super-effective Crunch should be more than enough to one-shot Hatterene.
However, Hatterene moved faster!
[Hatterene used "Trick Room"!]
The rules of space itself seemed to warp. Slower Pokémon would now move first!
Lance's expression darkened. While Gyarados and Flygon weren't particularly slow, under Trick Room, they'd be disadvantaged!
Still, this shouldn't be a major problem, right? It would just make the subsequent battle more troublesome.
After all, Hatterene had used its valuable attack turn to set up Trick Room, and a single Indeedee couldn't simultaneously threaten both Gyarados and Flygon.
But in the next moment, something completely unexpected happened.
Taking the first move thanks to Trick Room, Indeedee suddenly raised one hand and made a beckoning gesture toward the two Pokémon, its fingers forming a psychic shimmer mimicking the same motion.
[Indeedee used "Follow Me"!]
Indeedee attracted the attention of all of Lance's Pokémon, and Flygon and Gyarados's attacks involuntarily targeted Indeedee instead!
Though Indeedee took hits from both attacks and its health dropped significantly, nearly reaching the danger zone, it clearly wasn't built for endurance.
But it successfully protected Hatterene, the team's main damage dealer!
"This is bad," Lance's brow furrowed tightly. He'd already grasped the severity of the situation.
With Lance's attacks resolved, the next turn began!
But this time, under the effects of Trick Room, the opponent's two Pokémon moved first!
[Hatterene used "Helping Hand"!]
[Indeedee used "Dazzling Gleam"!]
[Indeedee is holding a Life Orb, which increased the move's damage! Health decreased slightly!]
Hatterene's form erupted in brilliant blue light, forming into a giant hand that created a handshake shape above Indeedee's head!
Under the boost of Psychic Terrain, Indeedee released a powerful psychic shockwave that swept across the entire field, simultaneously attacking Flygon and Gyarados!
Super effective!
Both Pokémon's health plummeted instantly. They were knocked out in one hit!
"That damage??" Lance's heart jumped. He sent out two new Pokémon.
To make matters worse, as the second turn began, Indeedee used "Synthesis" to restore a significant portion of its health! Hatterene then unleashed another "Dazzling Gleam"!
The battle continued.
Lance had already resigned himself to the fact that victory was nearly impossible, so he simply continued fighting as he had before, trying to gather intelligence and information about the gym leader.
But when Liza switched out Hatterene, the Pokémon that appeared was the Solrock he'd seen before.
Upon taking the field, Solrock immediately set up "Reflect"!
Tate's Indeedee continued using "Follow Me," drawing all the fire.
By this point, Lance had completely given up on this battle. He used his last effort to successfully defeat Indeedee, hoping to see what the opponent's next Pokémon would be.
But in the next instant, Tate tossed a Poké Ball, and a slender figure instantly appeared on the battlefield.
It was Gardevoir!
But this didn't seem to be an ordinary Gardevoir!
The moment Gardevoir entered the field, gym leader Liza raised his hand.
A strange stone on his wrist suddenly burst with a brilliantly radiant rainbow light! That light, as if possessed of life, instantly connected him to Gardevoir!
"Gardevoir, transcend and evolve!" Liza's voice carried unprecedented determination.
Lance's eyes went wide.
What the...?
In the next instant, rainbow light completely engulfed Gardevoir, and its form underwent a dramatic transformation within the glow! When the light dissipated, a completely new, more elegant, and powerful Pokémon appeared on the field!
Its skirt became more elaborate and voluminous, like a blossoming cosmos, the horns on its head more elongated and refined, its chest gained a different quality, and overall it radiated a formidable psychic energy!
Mega Gardevoir!
Lance was completely stunned, his mouth hanging slightly open.
Mega Evolution?!
The difficulty of this gym leader was already high enough, and they also had access to Mega Evolution?
And it was Mega Gardevoir no less!
This power... it felt more concentrated and focused than that Mega Gyarados from before, filled with overwhelming psychic pressure!
Before Lance could process this, something he never anticipated occurred.
[Mega Gardevoir used "Moonblast"!]
Powerful Fairy-type energy crashed down on Lance's Flygon!
[Super effective!]
Flygon, already worn out from the prolonged battle, couldn't withstand this terrifying attack. It let out a cry and collapsed!
Lance's last Pokémon was Appletun, and facing the powerful Mega Gardevoir and Tate's just-sent-out, nearly full-health Metagross, the outcome was inevitable.
The screen darkened, then lit up again.
[You lost to Gym Leaders Tate and Liza!]
Lance stared at the defeat message on the screen in silence for a long moment.
His Pokémon were higher level, and their individual strength was not weak.
Yet in this Double Battle, he'd lost without any chance of victory. The gym leaders' Pokémon combinations, abilities, and moves seemed specifically designed for Double Battles, with each action perfectly shutting down his offensive rhythm.
That Mega Gardevoir's entrance in particular completely extinguished any thought of challenging this gym again in the near future.
This gym's strength was seriously something else.
But if you two are so strong, why did you need my help in that cave earlier?!
Lance let out an exasperated sigh, also realizing a problem: he was stuck again.
It seemed that progressing through the story wasn't going to be easy.
He guided his character out of the Pokémon Center, returning to the city streets with some frustration.
He'd never taken Mega Evolution that seriously initially, but now it seemed he needed to figure out how to obtain it himself.
Before he could think much further about whether he should go train or research the principles of Mega Evolution, the game's plot suddenly forced his hand. Steven's figure suddenly appeared on screen, his expression surprisingly serious, with a hint of urgency.
"Lance! Perfect timing!" Steven hurried up to his character, the dialogue automatically triggering.
"No time to explain. A bunch of Team Magma goons just stormed into the Space Center! Their objective can't be good. I need to get there immediately, and we could use the extra hands. Come on!"
Giving Lance no choice in the matter, the screen cut, and his character was suddenly positioned with Steven at the entrance to a massive building brimming with futuristic technology - the Space Center's front doors.
Behind this structure, an enormous rocket ship stood towering, looking absolutely impressive.
At the moment, the unconscious workers at the entrance and the faint sound of explosions made it clear that Team Magma had invaded.
"We'll split up and move fast to stop them!" Steven said, then rushed in first.
Lance guided his character after him. The Space Center's interior was complex in layout, with numerous corridors.
Team Magma members occasionally jumped out to block the way, but they were quickly dealt with by Lance using his irritated Gyarados and Flygon.
Just as he ventured into what looked like a central control room, the sound of intense combat echoed out.
He rushed over and caught sight of Steven battling several elite Team Magma members.
On the other side, a silver-haired youth in black tactical gear with a cold expression, old acquaintance Gladion, was being held up by two Team Magma members, unable to break free.
"Tch!" Gladion clicked his tongue, clearly frustrated. He wasn't weak, but there were simply too many Team Magma members.
Lance didn't hesitate. He immediately guided his character into the fray against Team Magma.
"I've got this!" Lance pressed the interaction button to shout, "Get out of here!"
Gladion glanced at the suddenly appearing Lance with some surprise, but the situation was urgent. He nodded: "Thanks!"
He commanded Silvally to force back one of the members and used the opportunity to rush deeper into the facility.
With Lance and Steven joining the fight, this battle wrapped up quickly.
Steven let out a relieved breath: "Glad you got here in time. We can't let Team Magma succeed. We have to hold this position and not let them advance any further!"
The moment his words finished, another wave of Team Magma members poured in under the leadership of a minor boss. At the front was none other than one of Team Magma's executives.
"Oh? Steven? That was fast," the executive called out.
"Hmph, so what if you're a Champion? You can't stop Team Magma's grand ambitions!" their leader shouted arrogantly.
The screen faded to black, and the battle interface opened once more. This time, Lance and Steven fought side by side against Maxie and his subordinates in another Double Battle.
The fight was hardly a contest. Though Lance's team level wasn't particularly high, Steven, as the Champion, had Pokémon of exceptional strength.
Strictly speaking, Lance barely participated in this battle.
But what truly shocked Lance again was the Metagross that Steven sent out during the fight.
Right after Metagross entered the field, Steven raised his wrist, and the familiar Mega Stone on it burst forth with brilliant rainbow light!
"Answer my call, Metagross! Mega Evolution!"
Lance: ???
Wait, you too?!