Cannot reach Sheldon in Vinoville Gym

I beat all trainers in the Vinoville Gym, got to the room with the lever and pulled it and... nothing. I watched a walkthrough right after to see what I was missing and apparently tiles or whatever appear, but it has not done that in mine?

You have to walk up to these little pillar things, they are switches that show you the path to whichever way you're going. Just interact with them and it'll show you the path

I have already went up to all the pillar things and have battled every trainer, except for the gym leader who I cannot reach because there is no pillar to create a path to him. I know that the pillar in the room to the right has a lever on it and it is supposed to create a path to the gym leader, but when I pulled it, no path was created and the pillar turned red. I cannot pull the lever again and I have already tried numerous times to just walk into the gym leader's room but I just fall through the floor because the lack of a path