Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect-Chapter 222: Kalos Gym Circuit

John had spent the past few days exploring Kalos, with no immediate plans to return to Hoenn. His time was mainly occupied with studying maps, identifying Pokemon spawn locations, and finding fertile fields to plant berries.

Kalos was known as the birthplace of Mega Evolution, and John had high hopes of discovering a trove of Mega Stones. However, reality proved disappointing. Despite his expectations, Mega Stones were incredibly rare, their scarcity comparable to legendary artifacts. Even in Kalos, they weren't just lying around, waiting to be picked up.

Not that he had spent much time looking. His focus was on gym battles.

Eight gyms. Eight badges.

John took advantage of his break to challenge them all, and he quickly realized Kalos gym battles were far tougher than those in Hoenn. Over half of the gym leaders in the region could utilize Mega Evolution, and as a badge-holder, he faced them at their full strength. No handicaps, no holding back. Every match was an all-out war, with teams peaking at LV 70.

Trainers in Kalos didn't just rely on raw power—they used fully developed tactics, held optimized items, and fought with the natural advantages of their gym's terrain. Adding Mega Evolution into the mix only made things more brutal.

John was lucky his Gardevoir could Mega Evolve. Otherwise, even with his LV 70 Gyarados and Garchomp, he would have been in serious trouble.

His toughest fights included:

Lumiose Gym (Electric): Clemont put up a strong defense, but Garchomp swept through his team with ease.

Coumarine Gym (Grass), Santalune Gym (Bug), and Cyllage Gym (Rock): These were straightforward. Gyarados exploited its Overconfidence ability and crushed them all.

Anistar Gym (Psychic): John ran a double-battle strategy, mimicking his Mossdeep City fight. His Tyranitar and Greninja annihilated Olympia's team with pure Dark-type destruction.

Snowbelle Gym (Ice): Wulfric had taken down Ash and Greninja in the anime, John barely scraped through using Tyranitar, Blaziken, and Mega Gardevoir.

Laverre Gym (Fairy): The hardest match. His team wasn't well-suited for Fairy-types, forcing him to rely heavily on Mega Gardevoir. Sylveon was terrifyingly powerful, nearly wiping him out.

After seven intense gym battles, John was utterly exhausted. Each fight had pushed him to his limits, forcing him to adapt and refine his strategies. But the grind was worth it—the benefits were significant.

Several of his Pokemon's moves received permanent power boosts:

[Cut: Increased to 100 base power with an additional 5% critical-hit chance. ] Surprisingly, it became one of Greninja's strongest moves. Future improvements in other regions could make it even stronger.

[Fly: Power raised from 110 to 120. Its speed boost jumped from 200% to 250%] Cutting John's flight time between Hoenn and Kalos from 234 hours to 187.

[Strength: Power increased from 110 to 120.] Since John trained all his Pokemon in utilizing force-based attacks, this was a direct buff to their physical capabilities.

[Waterfall: Now had 100 base power and a 20% chance to cause flinching.]If Greninja or Gyarados learned Whirlpool, it would allow them to trap opponents in a vortex of water while attacking—a devastating combination.

With these enhancements, Greninja and Gyarados had become absolute monsters. Surfing on waves, launching surprise Waterfall attacks from above—it was a nightmare for Fire-, Rock-, and Ground-types.

Unfortunately, Tyranitar and Garchomp couldn't learn Waterfall, so they missed out on the buff. But even without it, John's team was getting stronger with each battle.

His Pokemon had also gained a level or two from all the training, but he wasn't ready for Victory Road just yet. The Kalos Elite Four were in a league of their own, each one wielding a Mega Evolution powerhouse. If he wanted to stand a chance, he needed to finish Hoenn's main questline first. Once he cleared Hoenn's Victory Road, he would gain access to the Master Ball and have the opportunity to capture Rayquaza.

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For now, he tended to his berry fields in Kalos, gathering resources and preparing for the journey ahead.

As the end of the year approached in the real world, John received an unexpected call from his mentor, Saul Badman.

"John, come to my place. Some experienced trainers are stopping by today, I want you to meet them."