After finishing breakfast, Lionel led his Pokémon towards the Mossdeep Gym.
Sunlight shone through the alloy curtain wall outside the gym, refracting a dazzling light. From afar, the silver-white building looked like a crystal floating on the ground, echoing the nearby space observation center, exuding a strong sense of technology.
A long queue had already formed at the gym entrance, with many trainers and tourists waiting to enter and watch the battles.
The sculptures are etched with intricate star patterns, shimmering faintly in the sunlight, silently proclaiming this as the home of Psychic-type Pokémon.
A long queue has already formed outside the gym, with many trainers and tourists entering in an orderly fashion to watch the battle; clearly, today's gym challenge is highly anticipated.
"Mr. Lionel, you've finally arrived."
Just as he reached the entrance, a staff member in a blue uniform quickly approached him, a respectful smile on his face:
"Our gym leader has been waiting inside for quite some time. Challengers have a special entrance; please follow me." Lionel nodded, gesturing for the Pokémon to follow.
Larvesta curiously looked around, chirping a few times at the phone camera, as if broadcasting its "Gym Adventure" to its viewers.
The live stream chat was buzzing:
[Here it comes! The streamer is finally going to challenge the Gym!]
[Apprenticeships at the Mossdeep Gym are super difficult. Last time I walked for half an hour and still couldn't find the Gym Leader's room…]
[The streamer is also from Devon Company. Will Liza and Tate go easy on him?]
[The person upstairs is overthinking it. These siblings are the most serious. No matter who you are, if you're not strong enough, they'll still beat you!]
Lionel glanced at the chat, a slight smile playing on his lips. He craved this kind of all-out battle; if his opponent held back, it would be pointless.
Following the staff into the Gym, the scene before him shattered Lionel's preconceived notions of traditional Gyms.
There were no ornate decorations, only simple metal walls and data panels shimmering with a faint glow.
A faint smell of ozone filled the air, like stepping into a high-tech laboratory.
"This is the mental labyrinth designed by our gym leader," the staff member explained, pointing to a circular platform ahead.
"The Gym consists of multiple training rooms. You need to use the teleportation devices to find the gym leader's room.
You might encounter our apprentices along the way; only by defeating them can you earn the right to challenge the gym leader.
These teleportation devices will help you move between rooms."
"Understood."
Lionel nodded. This was different from the "challenge mode" of other Gyms; it was more like a puzzle game.
The staff member gestured "please," then turned and left, closing the door behind them. Lionel took a deep breath and stepped onto the teleportation platform with his Pokémon.
A slight tremor followed, then a strong sense of weightlessness washed over him, blurring his vision instantly.
Within a few seconds, the weightlessness vanished, and Lionel found himself standing in a pristine white room. The room was empty except for a boy in a gray uniform standing directly in front of him.
"Finally, a challenger has arrived!"
The boy's eyes flashed with excitement as he stepped forward and said,
"If you want to challenge the Gym Leader, you must first get past me! Come out, Kadabra!"
A flash of red light appeared, and a yellow Pokémon with a fox-like face appeared in the room, clutching a silver spoon tightly in its hand.
It was the Psychic-type Pokémon Kadabra.
[Pokémon: Kadabra]
[Type: Psychic]
[Category: Psychic Pokémon]
[Ability: Inner Focus (Trained mental strength, unaffected by opponent's attacks, immune to Intimidate.)]
[Moves: Psychic, Psychic Beam, Reflect, Psychic Blade, Psychic Shock, Calm Mind, Precognitive...]
The system panel popped up. Lionel quickly glanced at the move list and had a good idea of what to expect. There were no Fairy or Ice-type moves, perfect for Deino to practice with.
So Lionel turned to the eager Deino beside him:
"Little guy, this first battle is yours. Perfect for warming up."
Deino immediately let out an excited growl and leaped from beside Lionel's feet, assuming a battle stance.
It had long been eager to try these "challenges," especially after being tormented by Larvesta for so long, and was looking for an opportunity to vent its frustration.
The apprentice's excitement intensified when he saw Deino. He knew today's challenger was Lionel, and having seen Lionel's videos, he naturally recognized Deino:
"This is Deino, a Dragon-type Pokémon comparable to Kanto's Dratini and our region's Pokémon?
Great, absolutely great! Perfect for showing you the power of Psychic-type Pokémon! Go, Kadabra!"
Hearing its trainer's command, Kadabra immediately raised its spoon, its body radiating a pale blue light, and an invisible psychic force swept towards Deino.
"Deino, charge! Bite!" Lionel's eyes were full of smiles as he gave the command to Deino.
Deino, propelled by the force of its four limbs, charged forward like a black cannonball.
Kadabra's pale blue psychic energy collided with Deino, but like a pebble thrown into the ocean, it was instantly "swallowed," leaving not even a ripple—completely ineffective!
Deino didn't even pause, charging straight at Kadabra.
"Wh-what?!"
The young apprentice was shocked:
"How is this possible? Psychic didn't work?"
Before he could react, dense black energy surged from Deino's mouth—the Dark-type move "Bite!"
It bit down hard on Kadabra.
"Kadabra!"
The apprentice cried out in alarm.
Kadabra let out a painful scream, its body instantly going limp, the spoon in its hand clattering to the ground.
It was originally a ranged special attacker Pokémon, with weak physical defense, and being weak to Dark-type moves, it was instantly rendered unable to battle.
"Kadabra!"
The apprentice hurriedly took out a Poké Ball and recalled Kadabra, his eyes filled with shock as he looked at Deino:
"So…so it has a Dark type…"
Deino rushed to Lionel, who smiled and patted its head, praising:
"Well done."
"Ah!"
Deino snorted arrogantly, indicating that this was a minor incident.
The live stream chat exploded instantly:
[Holy crap! It's over already? A one-hit kill?]
[Is Deino really that strong? It didn't even get hurt.]
[Idiot! Didn't you see that Kadabra's Psychic was ineffective against it?]
That's type advantage! Psychic-type is ineffective against Dark-type!]
[Hahaha, so Deino also has the Dark type!]
[Streamer, you're too cunning! You didn't mention it when you introduced Deino, and its opponent just got wiped out!]
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