Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect

(A/N: New Patreon: Bill Cosby the Female Finesser! Thanks a lot for joining the Legends tier, glad to have you aboard! Bonus Chapter!!!)

Brilliant flames blazed across Mega Aggron's chest for a split second before everything exploded.

Billows of black smoke rose through the arena like a massive chimney had been thrust into the ground. Dragonite's Fire Blast was a masterpiece of controlled destruction, Damon had trained it to perfection. The attack achieved true "explosion" and "inflammation," delivering three devastating layers of damage: flame impact, explosive force, and lingering burn. The moment it connected, the blast covered half the battlefield, transforming pristine arena floor into scorched, blackened earth.

Even some Gym Leaders specializing in Fire-types couldn't boast Fire Blast techniques this refined.

"That should do some real damage," Damon muttered, allowing himself a hint of optimism.

Against Mega Aggron's less impressive special defense, even with the Filter ability reducing super-effective damage, a four-times-effective Fire Blast of this caliber should deal significantly more damage than Brick Break ever could.

Not that he expected it to one-shot Mega Aggron, he wasn't fool enough to underestimate John that much. Mega Aggron's special defense might be low relative to its legendary physical bulk, but compared to most Pokemon, it was still quite respectable.

"Now let's see how you—"

BZZZZT!

A dazzling white beam of pure energy pierced through the black smoke like a laser cutting through darkness, streaking toward Dragonite with lightning speed.

BOOM!

The Hyper Beam struck with devastating precision, nailing Dragonite's massive body against the energy barrier that automatically protected the audience. The dragon hung there for a moment, pinned by raw destructive force, until the white light gradually faded and Dragonite's unconscious form crashed to the arena floor.

One hit. Knocked out cold.

Meanwhile, from the still-smoldering crater of scorched earth, Mega Aggron's imposing figure stepped forward with measured confidence. Its golden armor gleamed as brilliantly as when the battle began, without so much as a scorch mark to show for the devastating Fire Blast. It looked like it was still in perfect condition!

But the entire audience had witnessed the Fire Blast connecting directly. There was no way Mega Aggron could have dodged.

"Could John's Aggron really know Wonder Room?" Damon whispered, his earlier confidence crumbling into genuine fear.

He'd caught fragments of John's command through the chaos, but assumed he'd misheard. Aggron was Steel-type, pure Steel after Mega Evolution, with absolutely no Psychic typing. While non-Psychic Pokemon could learn some Psychic moves, they were usually basic techniques. Wonder Room was an advanced move that even most dedicated Psychic-types struggled to master, let alone a hulking steel behemoth.

The idea of an Aggron possessing Psychic talents surpassing most actual Psychic Pokemon was absurd.

Yet if not Wonder Room, how else could he explain what just happened?

Unable to rationalize the situation, Damon reluctantly accepted the impossible explanation.

In the stands, the audience erupted, not in applause for John's victory, but in bewildered discussion.

"Did anyone else hear John order Wonder Room?"

"That can't be right! Aggron isn't even Psychic-type, and my Alakazam doesn't know that move!"

"Then how do you explain Aggron tanking that Fire Blast like it was nothing?"

"Maybe it used Amnesia?"

"Amnesia is also a Psychic move! Since when can Aggron learn that either?"

"Well... maybe John's Aggron is just strong enough to shrug off Elite Four attacks with special defense alone?" The speaker didn't even believe their own words. This was Elite Four Damon's Dragonite they were talking about.

This was supposed to be an Elite Four challenge, not the other way around. The power gap shouldn't be this overwhelming.

The crowd continued their animated debates about Aggron's mysterious abilities.

In the VIP section, the region's Pokemon authorities maintained their composure better than the general audience, though surprise flickered across their faces. They observed in thoughtful silence, calculating possibilities.

"Professor, did you give that item to John?" Damian suddenly turned to Saul Badman.

Saul nodded slowly. "John is destined to surpass all of us eventually. Rather than let such a treasure gather dust in my lab, better to give it to him and accelerate his growth."

"I can't wait to see what he accomplishes when he reaches his peak." Saul's eyes gleamed with anticipation and unmistakable pride as he watched his protégé.

Damian nodded approvingly, sharing the professor's confidence. While he might compete for regional championship someday, reaching the absolute pinnacle of Pokemon training? That seemed more likely for this particular "monster" of talent.

Down on the battlefield, John stood with arms crossed, staring at the stunned Damon with a cocky smirk that perfectly matched his Mega Aggron's smug expression. It was impossible to tell who was copying whom.

"Wonder Room really is a magical technique," John murmured quietly to himself.

Wonder Room, a spatial manipulation move that Aggron had learned through exposure to the Lustrous Orb, an artifact containing the power of Palkia, the legendary Pokemon of space itself.

The move's effect was deceptively simple: swap the physical and special defense stats of all Pokemon within the designated area.

Within the Wonder Room, Mega Aggron had exchanged its moderate special defense for its legendary physical bulk, allowing it to shrug off Dragonite's Fire Blast completely before retaliating with a devastating Hyper Beam.

The beauty of Wonder Room lay in its versatility, activating it again would cancel the swap effect. This meant John could adapt to any situation: if an opponent used physical attacks, Aggron could fight normally with its natural defenses. If they switched to special attacks, Wonder Room would instantly transform Aggron into an impenetrable wall.

In essence, learning Wonder Room had effectively given Aggron elite-tier defense in both categories.

Combined with Mega Aggron's already monstrous physical bulk, the result was terrifying: a Pokemon with virtually no defensive weaknesses whatsoever.

Wonder Room had created the ultimate shield.