After finishing breakfast, Theo brought his Pokémon with him and headed toward the Mossdeep Gym.
Sunlight streamed through the alloy curtain walls outside the Gym, reflecting dazzling beams of light. From a distance, the entire silver white structure looked like a crystal floating above the ground, echoing the nearby Space Center and radiating a strong sense of futuristic technology.
A long line had already formed at the entrance. Many trainers and visitors were waiting to enter and watch the battles.
At the gate stood two enormous sculptures: Solrock and Lunatone.
Their surfaces were engraved with intricate star map patterns that shimmered faintly under the sunlight, silently declaring that this was the home ground of Psychic type Pokémon.
The line outside the Gym continued to grow as people entered in an orderly fashion, clearly showing how much attention today's challenge had attracted.
"Mr. Theo, you've finally arrived."
As soon as he reached the entrance, a staff member in a blue uniform hurried over, wearing a respectful smile.
"Our Gym Leaders have been waiting for you for quite some time. Challengers have a special passage. Please follow me."
Theo nodded and gestured for his Pokémon to follow.
Larvesta looked around curiously, glancing here and there, while still chirping toward the phone camera from time to time, as if livestreaming its own "Gym exploration" to the audience.
The chat had already become lively:
"It's starting, it's starting! The streamer is finally challenging the Gym!"
"Mossdeep Gym is insanely hard. Last time I wandered for half an hour and still couldn't find the gym leader's room…"
"The streamer is from Devon, will Tate and Liza go easy on him?"
"You're overthinking it. Those twins are super serious. No matter who you are, if you are not strong enough, they will crush you!"
Theo glanced at the comments and smiled slightly. This was exactly the kind of all out battle he wanted. If the opponent held back, it would be meaningless.
Following the staff member inside, the scene before him completely overturned his expectations of a traditional Gym.
There were no flashy decorations. Instead, there were sleek metallic walls and softly glowing data panels. The air carried a faint scent of ozone, making it feel more like a high tech laboratory than a battle arena.
"This is the 'Mental Maze' designed by our Gym Leaders."
The staff member pointed toward a circular platform ahead and explained,
"The Gym consists of multiple training rooms. You will need to use teleportation devices to locate the room where the Gym Leaders are.
Along the way, you may encounter our apprentices. Only by defeating them can you earn the right to challenge the leaders. These teleporters will help you move between rooms."
"I understand."
Theo nodded. This was quite different from the usual Gym progression system. It felt more like solving a puzzle.
The staff member gestured politely and then turned to leave, closing the door behind him.
Theo took a deep breath and stepped onto the teleportation platform with his Pokémon.
"Buzz~"
After a slight vibration, a strong sense of weightlessness struck him, and his vision blurred instantly.
Within just a few seconds, the sensation faded.
When his sight cleared, Theo found himself standing in a spotless white room. The surroundings were empty, except for a young boy in a gray training outfit standing directly ahead.
"Finally, a challenger!"
Excitement flashed in the boy's eyes as he stepped forward.
"If you want to challenge the Gym Leaders, you have to get past me first! Come out, Kadabra!"
A flash of red light appeared, and a yellow Pokémon with a fox like face materialized on the field, tightly gripping a silver spoon in its hand.
It was the Psychic type Pokémon, Kadabra.
The system panel appeared at the right moment, displaying its information.
Theo quickly scanned the move list and made a judgment. There were no Fairy or Ice type moves. This was perfect for letting Deino get some practice.
He turned his head and looked at the eager Deino beside him.
"Little guy, I'll leave the first battle to you. Time to stretch your muscles."
Deino immediately let out an excited growl and dashed forward from Theo's side, taking up a battle stance.
It had long been itching for a chance to fight, especially after being tormented by Larvesta for so long. It needed an outlet.
When the gym trainer saw Deino, the excitement in his eyes intensified. He knew who Theo was and had seen his videos, so he naturally recognized Deino.
"So this is Deino, the Unova Dragon type that can rival Kanto's Dratini and Hoenn's Bagon?
Great, this is perfect! Let me show you the power of Psychic type Pokémon! Go, Kadabra!"
Upon receiving the command, Kadabra immediately raised its spoon. A pale blue glow spread around its body as an invisible wave of psychic force surged toward Deino.
"Deino, charge in and use Bite!"
Theo gave the command with a confident smile.
Deino pushed off the ground with all four limbs and shot forward like a black cannonball.
Kadabra's pale blue psychic force struck Deino, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, instantly swallowed without even causing a ripple. It had no effect whatsoever.
Deino did not even slow down. It charged straight in front of Kadabra.
"W what?!"
The gym trainer's face changed drastically.
"How is that possible? Psychic didn't work?!"
Before he could react, dark energy had already gathered in Deino's mouth. It was the Dark type move, Bite.
With a swift motion, Deino clamped down hard on Kadabra.
"Kadabra!"
The apprentice cried out in shock.
Kadabra let out a pained scream. Its body went limp instantly, and the spoon in its hand clattered to the ground.
As a long range special attacker, its physical defense was weak to begin with. On top of that, it was at a type disadvantage against Dark type moves. This single hit was enough to knock it out completely.
"Kadabra!"
The apprentice hurriedly recalled it into its Poké Ball. When he looked back at Deino, his eyes were filled with shock.
"So… so it has a Dark typing as well…"
Deino trotted back to Theo.
Theo smiled and gently patted its head.
"Well done."
Deino snorted proudly, as if to say it was nothing.
The livestream chat exploded instantly:
"What the hell? It's over already? One shot?"
"Deino is this strong? It didn't even take any damage!"
"Idiot! Didn't you see Kadabra's Psychic didn't work? That's type immunity! Psychic moves don't affect Dark types!"
"Hahaha, so Deino is also Dark type! Streamer, you are so sneaky. You never mentioned that before. The opponent got completely wrecked!"
…
(End of Chapter)