Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect

John stood at the entrance of the underground power plant, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief.

"Zapdos turned into Regieleki?" he muttered, piecing together the implications of what he'd just witnessed. Suddenly, it made sense why the dungeon's recommended entry level was marked with a question mark.

The legendary Pokemon that appears when the charge progress hits 100% isn't fixed—neither in type nor level.

"A random legendary Pokemon at a random level?" John muttered, his excitement building. Zapdos had been at LV 89, while Regieleki was at LV 78. Could he encounter a lower-level legendary Pokemon? Perhaps even one at LV 50?

The thought sent a thrill through him. A legendary Pokemon at LV 50 would be easier to catch and a significant addition to his team. But should he risk it? Should he charge the batteries again and push the progress to 100% one more time?

His excitement grew, but practicality won out. His primary goal was still to strengthen his team. Legendary Pokemon, while enticing, could wait. For now, he needed to focus on progressing the storyline and training his Pokemon for tougher battles ahead.

Using Teleport, John returned to Mauville City and reported the completion of his mission. As a reward, he received a Thunderbolt TM.

"Perfect," he thought, envisioning the future. "When I catch an Electric-type Pokemon, I'll be ready with all the right moves and items."

John chuckled at his own preparations. Despite making over forty trips to the power plant, he had yet to catch the Electric Pokemon he'd been aiming for. Luck seemed to elude him.

Leaving Mauville City, John headed east to Route 118. After using Surf to cross the strait, he encountered a fisherman who handed him a Good Rod.

Finally, he had a decent fishing rod. With the Good Rod, he could catch higher-level and more diverse Pokemon. However, John wasn't particularly interested in hunting for a shiny Magikarp just yet. He decided to hold onto the rod for now.

Further along the route, John encountered Steven.

[Steven: Are you the Trainer who delivered the letter in Granite Cave? I didn't expect we'd meet again here. You've caught quite a few Pokemon since then.]

Steven handed John a mirror-like device.

[Steven: This is a new tool developed by my company. Consider it a gift.]

[Steven: I hear you're challenging the Hoenn League. Keep it up. I'm looking forward to seeing you take on the Champion one day.]

With those words, Steven turned and walked away.

John watched him go, giving a thumbs-up in admiration.

"Steven, you're the definition of generous. Every time we meet, you have something to give. I love it!" John grinned. "I can't wait for the day you hand me a Mega Evolution Stone or a Beldum."

Examining the device Steven had given him, John realized it was a Devon Scope, a tool designed to reveal hidden objects. He recalled that a Kecleon was blocking the path to the Fortree Gym. With this device, he could track its movements and proceed.

With the Devon Scope in hand, John continued north to Route 119.

The sky darkened, and thunder rumbled as the in-game weather shifted to heavy rain. The tall grass along the route, standing over two meters high, provided ample cover for Trainers waiting to ambush passersby. As expected, John found himself in several battles, defeating each Trainer methodically.

Switching his lead Pokemon to Tyranitar, he leveraged its Sandstorm ability to counteract the rain. Using a combination of Earthquake and Rock Slide, John made quick work of any opposition.

After two hours of exploration, he had thoroughly scoured the area. His efforts yielded a Rare Candy and sightings of uncommon Pokemon like Kecleon and Tropius. However, most of his encounters were with Linoone, the evolved form of Zigzagoon.

John couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. He had once trained a team of high-level Zigzagoon to test their item-pickup abilities, hoping for rare finds like Rare Candy. While they had occasionally picked up useful items like Super Potion, the elusive Rare Candy had never appeared. He began to suspect that this modified version of the game had removed that feature.

Shrugging off the disappointment, John pressed on and arrived at the Weather Institute. To his surprise, the facility wasn't marked as a dungeon, despite being overrun by Team Aqua.

"Maybe the game considers Archie and Maxie as boss-level characters. If I'm not strong enough, I'm not qualified to tackle this as a dungeon," John speculated.

After defeating the two guards at the entrance, John ascended to the second floor. There, the Weather Institute's Professor cowered in a locked room while a Team Aqua Executive interrogated him. The woman, sitting casually in a chair, smirked as John entered.

[Izumi: So, you're the Trainer who defeated Team Magma at Mt. Chimney? Impressive.]

[Izumi: What brings you here? Are you thinking of joining Team Aqua?]

John's silence was all the answer she needed.

[Izumi: Refusing us? And you want us to release the hostages?]

She laughed coldly, her demeanor shifting from amused to deadly serious.

[Izumi: Don't think you can stand against Team Aqua just because you beat those Team Magma losers. Let's see if you're as strong as the leader says you are!]

With that, Izumi activated a Pokeball, pulling John into a battle that promised to test his limits.