Past the rocky peaks and sheer drops of Mt. Cragspire, the Seismic Badge in hand, you find yourself travelling down a valley road. The weather shifts to a more sullen, gloomy state, with thick overcast and a certain heaviness in the air. There's an occasional whistle of a breeze rustling barren branches and the occasional rumble of thunder, and you get the sense that you're constantly being followed. As you follow the lonely, desolate road, you start to see the occasional megalith engraved with an ancient language and illustrations, patterns and symbols, and eventually, large-scale excavation sites where you can battle some archeologists and construction workers, maybe catch a Pokemon or two. At the end of the road, you finally see it; Caldoshire City.
In summary, perhaps you could describe it as a fusion of the old and the new, with modern high-rise apartments and offices intertwining with ancient structures that have been restored and blended into the new infrastructure. Ancient roads merged with new ones, and megaliths and stone structures serve as centrepieces for roundabouts or put on display in parks and sidewalks for all to enjoy. Several history museums and laboratories are scattered throughout the city, housing various relics found from the excavation sites of Illyna's ancient ruins. One of Caldoshire's biggest attractions is the Illyna National Museum, where ancient runes, relics, fossils, artwork and native flora and fauna are put on display for educational purposes alongside published studies on Illyna's mysterious ruins.
It is through the museum that you can gain access to Caldoshire Gym. At the very back of the museum's hall, past the endless bookshelves and rows of PCs is a dark, plain-looking corridor brandishing the classic Gym logo above the doorframe. Upon entering it, you are subjected to what can only be described as a "haunted house" experience. The corridor leads you down several flights of stairs with only dim lighting, the lights flickering every now and again, and your surroundings are deafeningly silent. Once you reach the bottom of the stairs, you are met with stacks of papers and boxes that rise from the floor to the ceiling, and nothing but pitch black beyond it. As you push your way through, carefully avoiding the occasional misplaced box or paper stack, the experience is extremely claustrophobic. You hear whispers, eerie, inhuman laughter, and feel a recurring cold chill or the sensation that something is touching you, only to find nothing there.
The stacks of boxes and papers are like a perpetual wall around you, creating a disorienting maze where you could easily become lost in forever should you lose your bearings, or possibly be crushed beneath the stacks of boxes should you knock into it. Occasionally, you find reprieve in an odd clearing of actual shelves holding various antiques or books, or desks cluttered with various test tubes holding eerie, glowing fluids. Occasionally you would see relics or fossils inside a containment chamber, hooked up to various wires and cables that lead into the piles of boxes. You notice that there are no other trainers to battle through, but hoards of incredibly strong and Wild Ghost Pokemon will ambush you at random when they're not throwing things at you or knocking things over to try and scare you. You are allowed to catch these Pokemon, however. Another challenge to overcome is the random traps set up around the maze, operating on various mechanisms that will either worsen your vision, disorient you, or even afflict status ailments onto your Pokemon. If you manage to navigate this horror maze, however, Evelina awaits you in her study.
The team you must now battle is:
1. Luka, her eerie and imposing Chandelure
2. Anya, her cuddly, yet dangerous Mimikyu
3. Igor, her powerful and sturdy Golurk
4. Artem, her battle-hungry and vengeful Runerigus
5. Ivan-chai, her emotional support Polteageist and confidante.
Eve may be a Ghost Gym Leader, but she is also a status-ailment specialist. Her strategy revolves around afflicting various status ailments on her opponents and using moves that will take advantage of said ailments. Reversely, her defence includes using her status ailments to her advantage, making her an extremely frustrating opponent, as straight-forward attacks will only lead you into her trap, forcing trainers to think of more creative ways to battle. In addition, Eve also favours moves that disorientates and warps the environment to her advantage (such as creating illusions), in the hopes of throwing the opponent off their guard and pushing them to think on their toes. Quick adaptation is key in defeating Eve, but once you manage that, she will reward you with the Mirage Badge and the TM Confuse Ray.
With the many Ghost type Pokemon that run rampant inside the gym, the maze is constantly shifting and changing, with new corridors that go on forever or dead ends that weren't there before, making the maze seem endless. However, the good news is, if they see you are now in possession of the Mirage Badge, they will clear a way for you straight to the stairs. But if they don't... Good luck finding your way out.
The Illyna League: Gym Leader Evelina
by PentheWonderful
-
-
-
-
PentheWonderful
@GymLeaderJojo Lmao, I actually don't mind them cutting the 730 out of SnSh just because the Pokedex keeps expanding with every new generation, and having all 730 seems a bit redundant. Especially if you won't be able to catch those Pokemon in the region. I think it's good to just focus on the new Pokemon being introduced since it's still possible to transfer over your old team to the game anyway. That being said, I am hoping that they do an "Open-World" game someday where you can travel to every region that's been introduced and literally catch 'em all.
RenzFlintrock, Vergil Tanner and GymLeaderJojo like this. -
-
-
-
PentheWonderful
@Red Gallade Haha, it's definitely both XD I highly doubt any human enjoys being down there except her or a select few Ghost-type enthusiasts.
You can certainly try, but she's not very big on conversation. Except if it's her research you're discussing, of courseRenzFlintrock likes this. -
-
PentheWonderful
@kyuukestu
@Merciless Medic Thank you ^^RenzFlintrock, Vergil Tanner, kyuukestu and 1 other person like this. -
-
-
PentheWonderful
@kyuukestu Wow! I'm almost speechless, that was very well done!
I'm glad you like the concept of the gym! I was quite proud of it myself ^^ But the keystone she has is no fluke, alright As for why, well, you'll need to find out later.
@E.K.A.N.S. Thanks?RenzFlintrock, Vergil Tanner and kyuukestu like this. -
-
kyuukestu
Thanks! It could do with a bit of editing, I was still in a bit of a rush so I'm sure mistakes abound. Though this is certainly the type of gym I'd like to go through in an RP
@Vergil TannerRenzFlintrock, Vergil Tanner and PentheWonderful like this. -
-
-
-
-
-
Vergil Tanner
Ah yes. The one thing that can defeat Elias...enclosed spaces. >.>
But I love her! She's so waifish and ethereally beautiful, and I can feel myself getting annoyed just thinking about that battle. To hell with status ailments, I swear to God. It's a good thing that Markus has a good sense of direction. And a map.
Seriously though, well done on her! I LOVE the art, and LOOK AT THE CUTE LITTLE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT POLTEAGEIST OMG. ♥RenzFlintrock, kyuukestu and PentheWonderful like this.