I Have a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon System in a World with Pokemon

At exactly 11 AM, Focalors and Dante were guided by a staff member towards a long and winding passage. The two of them felt the air getting warmer the further they went. Focalors patted her face with a handkerchief, inwardly worried that her makeup would be ruined by sweat.

'Furina would have been glad to know she didn't have to endure such heat.'

Focalors mused as she remembered her sister's reluctant expression at the lounge. 

According to the Alliance rules, official Gym battles prohibit spectators to prevent any form of coaching. The only reason the two were even led at the same time was because their matches were scheduled right next to each other.

However, a live video of their match can be watched on the Official Ground-type Gym's page. The lounge and other facilities on this mountain broadcast every Gym match as entertainment.

As the passage began to widen, the air slowly felt cooler. In front of a room with a stone door, the staff member signaled the two to stop. After, he entered the room by himself.

"Tribal outfits, everything made of stone, and all inside of a mountain, too. Traveling here feels like going back to ancient times."

Dante mused as he studied the patterns on the rock door. Beside him, Focalors gave a silent nod of approval as she took a deep breath. 

The first match was scheduled to be hers. In her mind, she constantly reviewed the strategy she and Dragonair had formulated against specific types of opponents.

"Hey, don't overthink too much. I've seen your training with Dragonair; as long as you remain calm and do what you've practiced, you'll have this in the bag."

Dante patted Focalors petite back in encouragement.

"Haaa, thank you for the vote of confidence. It's just my first Gym Battle and I'm already this agitated. As the Champion and representative of our country, I can't imagine the pressure Father faces every time he has a match."

While waiting for the staff member to return, the two talked about their prior matches with other Trainers. Dante shared his experience during the Trainer Examination. Hearing how he was so nervous the instructor had him calm down first, Focalors giggled in amusement. 

She couldn't imagine Dante, who could even confront her Father face-to-face unflinchingly, being so timid.

Focalors was sharing her experience about commanding the Pokemon in their courtyard during childhood when she was interrupted. The staff from before came out of the room and told the two to enter.

Inside the room, a slightly chubby middle-aged man with afro hair and wearing tribal clothes came forward to receive Dante and Focalors. Seeing the two standing so close together, he looked at the ceiling wistfully.

"Ah, young love~ Back then, I was also a dashing young man that all the ladies in the tribe fought over. If I hadn't taken over as the Gym Leader, maybe I would have a wife by now."

"Uh, Mr. Pacal! It's a pleasure to meet you."

Dante stepped forward and shook hands with the Ground-type Gym Leader, Pacal.

"Yes, you must be Dante. I have watched the video of your battle against Erika. I must say, I'm looking forward to fighting against your Azumarill later."

"Pika!" (Hey, I am here too!)

Pikachu snorted in dissatisfaction after being ignored. Pacal laughed when he saw his expression and added.

"And your Pikachu too, of course."

Afterward, Focalors stepped forward and also introduced herself. The three made some small talk as Pacal led them towards the battle arena.

The wall of the Gym's battle arena was filled with the same yellow-red, lava-like liquid from the entrance. According to Mr. Pacal, this liquid is called the Phlogiston, a liquified form of elemental energy produced by some volcanoes and other natural sources.

One of the Phlogiston's functions is to absorb the surrounding heat, which is the reason why this room is so cool even though it's located deep underground.

Currently, Focalors and Pacal were standing on opposite ends of the arena, a Pokeball in their hands. In the middle, an official Alliance referee looked at the both of them. Seeing the go-signal from his colleague in charge of the camera, he cleared his throat.

"Are both Trainers ready?"

"Yeah!/Yes!"

"The 1st level official Gym Challenge between Trainer Focalors and Gym Leader Pacal is about to begin. Trainers, release your Pokemon!"

"Let's win this, Dragonair."

"It's up to you, Donphan!"

Dante, who was standing on the sidelines, looked at the Pokemon on both sides and recalled their racial limits listed on the Alliance Database.

Dragonair

HP: 61

Attack: 85 Defense: 65

Sp. Atk: 70 Sp. Def.: 70 Speed: 70

Donphan

HP: 90

Attack: 110 Defense: 110

Sp. Atk: 60 Sp. Def.: 60 Speed: 50

Based on their stats, this will be a challenging battle for Focalors. It seems the girl also realized it, as her face shifted into a very serious expression.

—

Meanwhile, at the Grass-type Gym, Shinobu's match against Erika had also begun.

"Shelly, use Agility!"

"Victreebel, Stockpile!"

The two sides began the battle by using stat-boosting moves. 

Stockpile is a Normal-type status move that boosts the user's Defense and Special Defense by 20%. In addition, this move can also be paired with Spit Up to deal huge damage or Swallow to recover health. 

By using this move in the beginning, Erika was basically telling Shinobu that she planned on having a prolonged battle.

"Come on Shinobu, you've been an apprentice at my Gym for a while now. Show me what you've learned! Victreebel, continue the Stockpile!"

Erika put a hand on her hips, the tone of her voice like a teacher evaluating her student. 

"You haven't even instructed me anything about Pokemon yet! All you taught was about flower arrangement and tea ceremony! Shelly, use Bug Buzz!"

Accelgor, who had been constantly moving around the field, stopped beside Victreebel and directly released a sonic attack. Victreebel let out a cry of pain, the leaves on his body showing slight cracks. 

However, he continued to execute Erika's command and increase his defense. Slowly, the damage Victreebel was receiving became noticeably less than before. Meanwhile, Accelgor was already breathing faster due to continuously releasing the attack.

Erika smiled, her plan beginning to bear fruit. Accelgor is the type of Pokemon that can consistently dish out a decent amount of damage while remaining untouchable with their speed. 

However, the problem with this type of Pokemon is that, as long as they can't do enough damage, then they are just fast-moving targets. 

Right now, all she had to do was wait for Accelgor to tire out. By then, it would be her turn to counter-attack.

"Come on, Shinobu. If you want to become a strong Trainer, then you and Accelgor must overcome this huge weakness of yours. Victreebel, Ingrain!"

"Ha! I'm aware. Shelly, use Yawn!"

Shinobu looked at Victreebel, whose injuries had all begun to recover, and decided to change her strategy. 

Accelgor released a large Yawn right in front of Victreebel's face, making the pitcher-plant-like Pokemon unable to look away. He instinctively lashed out with a Vine Whip, however, Accelgor was already long gone the moment the attack reached her previous position.

"Victreebel, use Magical Leaf."

Erika had a thoughtful expression as she looked at Shinobu on the opposite side. In the meanwhile, Victreebel continually released colorful spinning leaves which began to track Accelgor's position.

Magical Leaf is a special attack Grass-type move with a base power of 60. By imprinting the target's energy on each leaf, it can track down the opposing Pokemon, making this attack sure to hit.

Shinobu commanded Accelgor to run around and use Acid Spray to take down all the leaves that got near her. She was delaying the time and waiting for Victreebel to fall asleep.

Because of his boosted defenses, Victreebel gained a large resistance to Accelgor's Yawn. Accelgor was already panting in exhaustion, her body covered in various cuts, before Victreebel fell asleep.

"Take this time to Recover Shelly, then use Guard Swap."

"I see…hmm, it seems this would be a challenge, after all."

Erika's eyes as she looked at Shinobu were filled with admiration and a hint of fighting intent.

Guard Swap is a Psychic-type status move with a cheating effect. After using it, the user can target a Pokemon and switch the boosts in their Defense and Special Defense. 

This means, that if Accelgor successfully used the move, the 40% increase in defenses that Victreebel had will be transferred to her. At the same time, Victreebel's defenses would return the same as in the beginning.

After Accelgor recovered from his injuries, he closed his eyes for three seconds before a purple ray of light fell on Victreebel who just woke up. Seeing the purple ray of light before him, he subconsciously tried to move out of the way.

"Vic!"

However, he seemed to have forgotten that he had used Ingrain and planted his roots in the soil. The light fell on his body, making Victreebel feel a sudden sensation of weakness.

After receiving the energy, Accelgor gritted her teeth as she felt her body on the verge of explosion. With the boost from Agility earlier, coupled with the energy now from Victreebel, Accelgor's body had a hard time containing all of them. 

In the end, she had to release some of the energy she obtained from Victreebel, resulting in her defenses only being boosted by around 20%.

"Let's seize this opportunity Shelly, use Acid Spray!"

"Victreebel, use Stockpile again!"

…

Outside the room, Mualani, Kachina, and Candice watched the match through the glass window with bated breath. Beside them, some of the apprentices and other staff members looked at the battle with intense concentration.

Suddenly, they gasped as they saw one of the two Pokemon falling to the ground. Kachina's eyes went wide as she stared at their friend's figure.

"S-Shinobu! She, she..."

A/N: By the way, I would just like to remind everyone that Accelgor still hasn't reached her racial limit. Make of that information what you will.