i like the game so far but the first gym really needs some scaling back, feroseed and ****ing roserade on the first gym? i had to make like 4 strategies because the roserade had substitute and the levels capped for my mons at 13, its just needlessly hard
I swept her with a level 14 Houndour with a last-minute backup from a level 14 Beedrill.
Rosarade's Substitute and Protect back and forth was annoying but not difficult to deal with. It chipped itself down to about halfway with Substitute's sacrificial damage so when it finally Mega Drained I just needed one Ember to finish it.
From what I've gathered you should not have had a level 13 cap. I did not.
I had a level 17 Gale Wings Feltchinder ready for the Rosarade largely because seeing your post here (but also because of the episode title of HeroVoltsy's Flora battle) made me worry that I needed to be prepared for the Rosarade to put up a challenge.
I never ended up needing it though it probably would have saved me all of or at least most of the Substitute and Protect turns.
Flora did tell me that I now have a level 25 cap after I defeated her but I can't tell right now if that's true.
It sounds as though you are behind a patch or two.
That said, I can't really assess the story right now but I already love Squad Zero, the logo and battle entry animation are super dope as are the hoodies, and the fusion Eeveelutions looks dope but I am super disappointed after looking at the wiki to see that my favorite Eeveelution, Sylveon was stiffed.
I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.
UPDATE: Alright you want an unreasonably difficult gym; Taze.
One Pokemon with a Water or Grass Hidden Power I can understand but both on his entire electric team as well as a Chinchou with Surf and a Ludicolo which has no business on an Electric-type gym leader's team but is a perfect Ground counter is downright cheating.
On top of that, all of his Pokemon except the Chinchou are at least second stage evolutions while none of the provided ground-types in the area can evolve at his level or at least learn a decent Ground Move.
Rocco deviated from his type as well via having a Riolu but at least Riolu is a baby and isn't a very convenient counter to his weaknesses.
It's not even just the gym leaders, other trainers have unfair advantages as well such as Brendan with a level 10 Midkip that has Ice Beam and the girl trainer in Flora's gym with a Fletchinder that has Arial Ace when we don't at least have access to those TMs.
Oh and I can now confirm that there is no level cap as I continued to gain exp after reaching level 25 in the Taze battle.