Back on the Pokemon Z-A grind

...well, it's not much of a grind. I've started playing Z-A again, this time to finish the "Mega Dimension" DLC. The DLC introduces a kind of weird, instanced, dungeon-run style experience to the game. The game spawns a bunch of randomized, timed challenges all over the map. You spend a resource to enter each challenge; the value of the resource you spend determines how long you have - in minutes and seconds! - to complete the challenge inside the map. There's a smallish number of total maps, but they randomize enemy Pokemon and completable challenges to keep them feeling a bit diverse. I never in a million years would have guessed that this was where the DLC would go. It feels almost like a half-attempt at making a roguelike experience inside Z-A. It's really strange! I don't hate it yet! One of the other major things that Z-A adds is a variety of new "mega evolution" forms. These superpowered character forms have since appeared in other products, like Pokemon Go, where they…