In this verse, the Moriarty Mirrors were successful in disrupting Team Galactic’s plans. Though their attempts to destroy the world were thwarted, Team Galactic still maintain a presence in Sinnoh largely based out of the Stark Mountains.As such, Tyson has been given a more permanent stationing in Sinnoh. Though occasionally send on missions outside of the region, Tyson primarily works in tandem with the web employees stationed in Jubilife City, whilst maintaining the cover of operating his own gym: left of Lake Verity and Canalave City.Tyson maintains a safe house on Iron Island, guarded by Xiaolin, to retreat to whenever it proves necessary to escape The Colonel’s reach.Always one to enjoy a puzzle, Tyson works hard to keep the exact typing of his gym a secret. At the end, he awards challengers the Perspective Badge and either the Sandstorm or Earthquake TM; depending on which he thinks will suit the challenger best. He changes his team to accommodate the experience level of his challengers and goes from single battles to double battles at higher levels.In this verse, Tyson has the same Pokémon he normally does, but when necessary to work around the Distortion World shenanigans, he would have received certain Pokémon as gifts instead. He also has access to the Pokémon he uses in his gym.
Tyson goes out of his way to make sure people question what type his gym is. He makes sure that everyone knows there is a puzzle to his gym. Something to think about and making assumptions about ahead of time.
This philosophy even goes as far as the design of his gym badge. Perhaps it’s an animal face to hint at a normal-type gym, maybe it’s an evil laughing face for a ghost or dark-type gym, maybe its red for fire-type, or maybe you see an arrowhead for a hint at flying-type.
His puzzle begins before one enters the gym. To look at the gym from the outside, a large beehive building surrounding by Combee* should obviously mean a Bug-type gym, but perhaps that’s where they misdirect is: being in the middle of a forest might mean Grass-type instead.
Once inside the gym, trainers are greeted by an urban jungle and by Tyson himself. There he will explain how his gym works. Gym battles only take place in the arena and it’s the challengers’ job to find it. Then he’ll scamper away, parkouring up to the top of the central structure.
After getting equipped with a harness and attached to one of the Magnemite evolution line for safety, trainers are free to traverse the jungle maze of parkour obstacles and climbing walls as they wish. At this point, most piece together that this gym is either going to be Steel or Electric. Nope.
Once trainers reach the top, Tyson will not be there. Instead, Tyson’s partner Lucario will be standing there with the gym badge in his paw, then he’ll leap away into a closed-off area - inaccessible from any other direction - that leads lower and into the main structure. Some more climbing later, challengers will finally find the arena and Tyson.
The trust is that Tyson runs a Ground-type Gym. Even if someone knows Tyson well-enough to know that he favours ground-types, he does a lot to obfuscate that fact with Psychic and Steel-types used in his gym battles before the ground-types appear.
In this private arena, the trick of the gym is easy to keep secret and Tyson can use weather effects (Sandstorm and Rain Dance) to his heart’s content without risking washing anyone off or blinding them whilst they’re climbing. Though Tyson knows his family of Magnemite will keep anyone from falling, he made sure the floor was a foam fall pit, just in case.
Ever the scholar at heart, the message of Tyson’s gym for those who complete it is that one should never underestimate their opponent or make assumptions about them, to use one’s environment to their advantage whenever possible, and to never assume that one’s first goal will be the last.
At the end, there is a spiral slide to leave through or a death slide for those so inclined. Either will deposit the trainer into one of the many foam ball pits. Win or lose, Tyson always loves re-challengers and getting to see how people have improved with time.
* Though Combee are the most noticed wild Pokémon around Tyson’s gym (as most who enter will be given a free jar of honey for want of anything else to do with the horde of honey Tyson has acquired), Tyson used the area around his gym as a shelter for many types of Pokémon. One simply has to follow the path West from the gym to find that meadow.
- Single Battle: Phanpy - Onix
Phanpy (Lv.16) - Sand Veil - Ice Shard, Play Rough, Rollout, Seedbomb
Onix (Lv.18) - Sturdy - Earthquake, Sandstorm, Smack Down, Toxic - Single Battle: Baltoy - Trapinch - Golett
Baltoy (Lv.21) - Levitate - Ancient Power, Charge Beam, Mud-Slap, Rock Tomb
Trapinch (Lv.22) - Arena Trap - Bug Bite, Crunch, Sandstorm, Solar Beam
Golett (Lv.24) - Ability - Earthquake, Iron Defence, Psychic, Shadow Ball - Single Battle: Beldum - Donphan - Golett
Beldum (Lv.26) - Light Metal - Headbutt, Iron Defence, Iron Head, Zen Headbutt
Donphan (Lv.27) - Sand Veil - Earthquake, Knock Off, Rollout, Sandstorm
Golett (Lv.28) - Iron Fist - Ice Punch, Mega Punch, Shadow Punch, Thunder Punch - Single Battle: Beldum - Onix - Donphan - Vibrava
Beldum (Lv.31) - Clear Body - Iron Defence, Iron Head, Take Down, Zen Headbutt
Onix (Lv.33) - Weak Armor - Ancient Power, Payback, Rock Polish, Sandstorm
Donphan (Lv.34) - Sturdy - Assurance, Bulldoze, Counter, Poison Jab
Vibrava (Lv.35) - Levitate - Bug Buzz, Dragon Breath, Earthquake, Giga Drain - Double Battle: Metang & Claydol - Steelix - Vibrava
Metang (Lv.36) - Light Metal - Metal Claw, Rain Dance, Toxic, Zen Headbutt
Claydol (Lv.36) - Levitate - Ice Beam, Psybeam, Rock Tomb, Trick Room
Steelix (Lv.37) - Sheer Force - Aqua Tail, Crunch, Iron Tail, Thunder Fang
Vibrava (Lv.39) - Levitate - Draco Meteor, Earthquake, Ominous Wind, Sandstorm - Double Battle: Steelix & Metang - Golurk - Flygon
Steelix (Lv.40) - Rock Head - Aqua Tail, Dig, Iron Tail, Stealth Rock
Metang (Lv.41) - Clear Body - Bullet Punch, Psychic, Sandstorm, Sludge Bomb
Golurk (Lv.42) - No Guard - Charge Beam, Dynamic Punch, Protect, Rock Tomb
Flygon (Lv.45) - Levitate - Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Hyper Beam, Signal Beam - Double Battle: Steelix & Metagross - Donphan - Golurk - Claydol - Flygon
Steelix (Lv.48) - Sturdy - Dig, Dragon Tail, Gyro Ball, Stealth Rock
Metagross (Lv.47) - Light Metal - Hammer Arm, Ice Punch, Meteor Mash, Zen Headbutt
Donphan (Lv.45) - Sturdy - Earthquake, Knock Off, Play Rough, Rock Slide
Golurk (Lv.46) - Klutz - Iron Defence, Magnitude, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt
Claydol (Lv.46) - Levitate - Ancient Power, Extrasensory, Rain Dance, Solar Beam
Flygon (Lv.47) - Levitate - Aerial Ace, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Sandstorm. - Double Battle: Steelix & Metagross - Donphan - Golurk - Claydol - Flygon
Mega-Steelix (Lv.55) - Rock Head - Dig, Iron Tail, Sandstorm, Stealth Rock
Metagross (Lv.54) - Clear Body - Hyper Beam, Meteor Mash, Psyshock, Thunder Punch
Donphan (Lv.52) - Sand Veil - Giga Impact, Poison Jab, Rollout, Sandstorm
Golurk (Lv.53) - Iron Fist - Drain Punch, Dynamic Punch, Ice Punch, Shadow Punch
Claydol (Lv.51) - Levitate - Dazzling Gleam, Earthquake, Rain Dance, Smack Down
Flygon (Lv.56) - Levitate - Crunch, Draco Meteor, Earthquake, U-Turn