I know it's technically not a 3DS game but I'm playing it on my 3DS so close enough and I get the feeling I'll get actual help if I post here instead of the gaming forum, (I hate that place).

I made it all the way to Nobunaga and holy s***t is he an @$$! I even cheated and used codes to get better pokemon like Laprass which helps with his minions but he can one hit KO it anyway. It seems that I can only grind so much too. "Levels" seem to be based on links, and they only get so high before not going up anymore at all. So did I hit the level cap? Because I know you have to have certain stats and 'levels/links' before evolving and I can't seem to get many of my pokemon to evolve. Am I doing it wrong? If so do I have to start all over if I want to actually beat this game?