Pokémon Unbound Walkthrough

Frozen Heights to Bellin Town

• Choose a First Pokémon and escape the Shadow Base
• Arrive in Frozen Heights
• Battle your Rival
• Explore Route 1
• Run an Errand in Bellin Town
• Confront the Shadow Grunts

Introduction

Before you boot up the game, double-check that your emulator or device has its Real-Time Clock switched on — Unbound’s outdoor areas run on a day-night cycle that changes which Pokémon appear.

Daytime runs from 5:00am to 7:59pm, and night falls from 8:00pm until 4:59am.

Once that’s sorted, go ahead and build your character and pick a difficulty.

You can tweak your trainer’s hair and outfit colors, and Unbound also offers several difficulty modes to choose from.

If this is your first run, Vanilla is the way to go. You can also switch Exp. Share off if you like — by default it feeds experience to your whole party.

Shadow Base

The opening cutscene gives you a quick history lesson on Borrius, the region you’re in, and reveals that a mysterious Pokémon yanked you here through a portal.

Once you gain control, you’ll be standing in a huge warehouse-like room — the way forward here is pretty linear.

Head south, then east, and you’ll quickly realize you aren’t the only prisoner in this place.

Keep going and you’ll soon come face to face with the other captive.

A red-haired, hot-headed kid is arguing with the guard blocking the warehouse exit, but with no Pokémon of his own, there’s no way out for him yet.

That’s your rival. After a quick chat, you agree to work together to break out of here.

He leads you to a crate stashed with three Pokémon — one of them is yours to take.

Forget the classic Fire, Water, Grass triangle: Unbound’s starter lineup is a lot spicier than that:

• If you pick Beldum, your Rival picks Gible
• If you pick Gible, he takes Larvitar
• If you pick Larvitar he gets Beldum

With both of you armed now, it’s time to take on that grunt.

Your very first fight is a Double Battle — you and your rival team up against the grunt’s two Pokémon.

Once the grunt goes down, your rival patches up your team and dashes off in a hurry. Chase after him south, then down the next hallway.

The crew running this base — apparently calling themselves the Shadow — are furious that you escaped, and they’re taking it out on the guard who let you slip away.

For now, though, you’re clear of them — and you’re back home in Frozen Heights.

Frozen Heights

The tunnel out of the base pops you up through a hidden exit onto a frozen lake just outside Frozen Heights.

All you can do here is slide south across the ice and hope you hit dry land.

There’s only one route forward, and it ends at a staircase climbing up to the island Frozen Heights sits on.

The moment you step into town, you spot your rival talking with an elderly man.

That old man is Professor Log. He runs a lab here that studies Pokémon stats, and he’s been looking after your rival and his little sister ever since their parents disappeared.

Your rival is dying to show off his new partner, though — he challenges you to a battle right there in front of the professor!

Rival Battle

After the dust settles, your rival storms off, but Professor Log has seen enough to believe in you — he asks you to run an errand for him.

Exploring the Town

Bellin Town sits just across Route 1, and the professor needs you to collect a package for him from its Poke Mart.

He hands you a Repel, five Poke Balls, and the Western Borrus Pokedex — plus a spare Pokedex for you to give your rival next time you cross paths.

Before you head out, he suggests you stop by and see your mother.

Your house is on the east side of town. Head inside and your mom will let you rest up — she also hands you a Mission Log, a new add-on for your Cube.

One thing you’ll notice quickly: there’s no Bag in this game.

Instead, everything you own goes into the Cube — part personal assistant, part pocket-sized item storage.

Your mom logs the professor’s errand into your Cube so you can track it, and she also gives you a Costume Box plus the storage module for battle items.

With that handled, swing by Professor Log’s lab.

There are a few scientists to chat with inside, along with Log himself. Keep an eye out for a Porygon — it works as a Pokémon Storage System terminal, and you’ll find more of them in other locations serving the same purpose.

One last stop in town: head to the southeast corner and visit your neighbors, an elderly married couple.

The old man asks you to grab an Antidote for him from a Poke Mart — and since you’re already heading to the one in Bellin Town, it’s an easy detour.

Once town is fully cleared, it’s time to head south through Route 1 toward Bellin Town.

Route 1

Stepping onto Route 1, you’ll see the direct path is buried under a wall of snow. A nearby worker points you toward a mountain trail that begins in the southwest.

You’ll push through a few patches of tall grass, but the trail itself is simple to follow — up and over, then back down the far side.

Bellin Town’s entrance comes into view soon enough. Just before it, look west — there’s a cave mouth being guarded by an old man.

That’s Icicle Cave, and you’ll be back for it soon. For now, keep walking south into town.

Bellin Town

If your team needs patching up, the Pokémon Center sits in the northwest corner.

Make your way to the house in the northeast, where a family has a job for you. Talk to the father and he’ll fill you in on their food thief problem.

Right as the conversation ends, the thief shows up — an Alolan Sandslash that beelines for the food. When the family’s daughter tries to stop it, she gets roughed up a bit.

The father asks you to hunt the thief down and get the stolen food back — there’s a solid reward in it for you.

The instant you step outside, you spot the Sandslash bolting toward Icicle Cave, so you know exactly where to chase it.

Just south of that house, a gentleman is waiting with a Pokémon Egg for you.

It’ll hatch in due time, and the little one inside will be one of these three, completely at random:

Your main destination in town is the Poke Mart, down in the southeast corner.

Step inside and you’ll literally run into a familiar face on the way out.

The shady character slips away, but the Mart clerk explains that thanks to a mix-up, Professor Log’s package was just stolen — by the guy who brushed past you!

A cutscene then reveals the thief is the very grunt you and your rival thrashed back at the Shadow Base, and that he’s delivering the package to Marlon, who’s heading north of Frozen Heights.

Time to run them down.

Return to Frozen Heights

Head to the north edge of Frozen Heights and you’ll catch Marlon smashing straight through a Cut tree. Trail him and you’re in for a weird sight.

Marlon and the Shadows bait the legendary Articuno out of its hiding spot — and capture it!

On their way out, they notice you, and one of the grunts hangs back to handle you.

She’s the one holding the package, so the only way to get it back is through her.

Package finally in hand — now haul it back to Frozen Heights and deliver it to Professor Log.

Bad news: the Master Balls are gone from the package, and the professor is deeply worried about what the Shadows just did to Articuno.

He sends you onward to Dresco Town — reachable through Icicle Cave — to speak with an old friend of his.

Before you leave town, though, there’s still that medicine to deliver.

Hand over the Antidote and the old man rewards you with a Gem that boosts a single move — its type matches your starter’s.

With Frozen Heights wrapped up, trek back down Route 1 to the entrance of Icicle Cave.

Icicle Cave & Route 2

• Learn to Catch Pokemon
• Explore the Icicle Cave and confront the Sandslash
• Battle your Rival (again)
• Venture onto Route 2
• Complete the Challenge Road

Learning to Catch Pokemon

Your next job is to push through Icicle Cave toward Dresco Town — but first, go talk to the old man posted by the cave entrance on the Bellin Town side.

He’ll walk you through the basics of catching Pokémon, using a wild Snorunt as a demo.

When the lesson wraps up, he hands you a Quick Ball and waves you on your way.

Then step into the cave entrance right there and head inside.

Icicle Cave – 4F

The moment you enter the frozen cavern, you catch the Sandslash burrowing a fresh tunnel into the western wall.

If you want to close out your mission, you’ll have to hunt that Sandslash down.

Climb inside and you’ll come out in a completely different kind of cave — with a friendly ruin maniac wandering past on the way.

This chamber is noticeably warmer, and you watch the Sandslash slip out toward an open-air area to the north.

But look east before you follow — there’s something worth seeing over there.

A giant stone tablet towers over this part of the cavern. The second you reach for it, the ruin explorer from before appears and starts telling you its backstory.

He gives you a Braille Converter so you can actually read it — the inscription says ‘THE PLATE IS THE KEY’.

Nine more tablets are scattered across Borrius, and he tasks you with tracking down and reading every one of them.

Once you’ve finished talking, take the exit to the northwest.

You emerge into a hidden outdoor valley — the Sandslash’s den, shared with its family of Sandshrew.

They don’t take kindly to visitors, and the Sandslash charges straight at you!

After you beat the Sandslash, the man it robbed shows up behind you demanding his food back. But when he sees the Sandslash was just feeding its kids, he changes his tune — it can have all the food it wants, as long as it joins his team.

With that settled, the man thanks you with TM56 Hone Claws.

To get to the far side of Icicle Cave, retrace your steps back to the first cavern.

There’s a ladder waiting there that drops you to 3F.

Icicle Cave – 3F

Climb down, head north, then west, and Youngster Don will step up to challenge you — the cave’s first trainer.

Beat him, then keep pushing west until you hit a huge sheet of ice.

There’s barely a puzzle here — just get yourself across to the other side.

Slide west first; when you bump into the middle rock, slide south from there.

Picknicker Kelly is waiting along the southern edge — beat her, then carry on south.

This is a good moment to heal up if your team is hurting — you’ll want everyone at full strength for what’s coming.

Icicle Cave – Lower Floors

Down on the second floor, the right-hand path is the way forward. Follow it and you’ll walk into a surprise.

Rival Battle

It’s your rival, and he’s back for a rematch. No small talk — straight into battle, and he’s picked up an extra Pokémon since last time.

If you’ve been training against the cave’s wilds and trainers, he won’t give you too much trouble.

For the win, your rival coughs up a pair of Safety Goggles he says will be useful later. In return, you hand over the spare Pokedex from Professor Log.

He also tells you to take on the Gym Leader in Dresco Town — conveniently, that’s exactly where you’re headed.

Looks like your first badge could be close.

Keep moving through the passage, past Youngster Joey, and you’ll reach the last ladder in Icicle Cave.

One more icy floor to cross — it’s easy enough — and you’ll be at the cave’s exit.

Step outside and you’re on Route 2, with Dresco Town not far off.

Route 2

Popping out onto Route 2, you’re probably feeling the miles. Luckily, a kind woman walks up and heals your whole team on the spot.

There’s also a Porygon for Pokémon Storage access, plus a Psychic who can teleport you straight to town if you’d rather skip the trainer gauntlet.

The first trainer in sight is Youngster Foggy, who drops a hint about a ‘challenge’. After beating him and Hiker Wayne, head south and talk to the man on the beach to learn what it’s about.

Beat every trainer on Route 2 and he’ll hand you a Pokémon that might plug a hole in your lineup.

Head south — there are four fights standing between you and that prize.

Youngster Dan is up first, right where you cross the bridge off the beach. Climb the stairs once he’s handled.

Next up is Hiker Nob. After him, it’s a Double Battle against the Picknicker and Camper — two Pokémon each, so come prepared.

Lass Haley is your last hurdle for the prize. You’ll find her at the route’s western end, just by the Dresco Town entrance.

Beat her, then trek back to the man who set the challenge.

As long as you have an open slot in your party (if not, the Porygon by the cave entrance can fix that), you’ll earn a Litleo — its Fire typing could come in handy down the road.

Head west past Lass Haley again and you’ll spot the bridge into Dresco Town.

Dresco Town & Route 3

• Arrive in Dresco Town
• Challenge the Trainer House
• Start Collecting Zygarde
• Explore Route 3
• Frolic in Flower Paradise

Dresco Town

Dresco Town is a cluster of islands linked by bridges — and it’s where you’ll find Borrius’s first Gym.

You’ll want to be ready for it, though, and there’s plenty around town to toughen you up.

Start with Trainer House, the big building greeting you right at the town entrance.

The Trainer House

Five trainers inside can be fought over and over, though one of them seems to have taken a side job as the Pokémon Center’s door greeter.

For now, fight at least four of them once each — you’ll need the experience before you take on the Gym.

Once you’re as strong as you want to be, head north into the town square.

Exploring Town

A huge Moltres statue towers over Dresco Town’s central plaza — a mirror of the Articuno statue back in Bellin Town.

Cross the bridge east and you’ll find a house with a kid inside who’s got a mission for you.

The mission, Don’t Turn off the Power, is pretty painless — you’ll likely chip away at it naturally, especially if you keep auto-save prompts on.

Save the game 100 times, then come back to the kid and he’ll hand you a Bottle Cap, which you’ll be glad to have later.

The island just north of the plaza holds the Pokémon Center and Poke Mart for healing and restocking.

After that, cross the bridge west.

You’ll spot Dresco Gym, plus two workers barring an exit — that’s where the KBT Expressway begins, but they won’t let anyone through yet.

Hold off on the Gym for now if you want your best shot at winning — there’s a Pokémon worth grabbing first that could make the fight much easier. More on that shortly.

For now, keep heading south.

Chat with the blonde woman and she’ll tell you she’s looking for a Pokémon that only evolves by leveling up with high Friendship.

Two candidates roam Route 2: Riolu and Azurill.

Show her one and she’ll reward you with a Soothe Bell.

Continue south to the house with a green-capped trainer standing guard out front.

This is Professor Log’s friend’s house, but the guy outside won’t let you in yet. He recommends challenging the Gym first — and drops a hint while he’s at it.

The Gym specializes in Grass-types, and a strange fog inside can wear down your Pokémon and make the fight trickier. To clear it, this mysterious stranger suggests bringing a Pokémon that knows Defog — and says a man named Edmund can help.

Right to the south is another mission giver — this one wants you to find and read all 45 Trainer Tips signposts.

You’ve already walked past eight of them, so now’s a good time to double-check you didn’t skip any.

Ducklett Trade

The house just north of the one with the green-capped guard is Edmund’s place, and your next stop is an important trade.

Edmund owns a Ducklett that knows Defog, and he’s willing to part with it — all he asks for is an Alolan Sandshrew, which you can catch in the Sandslash lair deep in Icicle Cave.

Trade done and Ducklett in hand, walk west to the neighboring house.

Finding the Cells

Zygfried and Zygardia are a pair of scientists hunting strange glowing-green cells scattered across Borrius. They hand you a special Super Cube component that can detect the cells — in exchange, you promise to help them find all one hundred.

Here are the cells hiding in places you’ve already visited, worth backtracking for:

If you still need more training before your first Gym, heading north out of Dresco Town is a smart move right about now.

Route 3

Cross the bridge and you’re on Route 3.

It’s a simple beach route — just a handful of trainers scattered up and down the sand.

Bring an Electric-type along and you’ll steamroll this bunch.

When you’re done training on the sand, look for a break in the trees to the north — that’s the entrance to Flower Paradise, and the name doesn’t lie.

Flower Paradise

Flower Paradise is loaded with Bug-, Fairy- and Flying-types, so it’s worth spending some time here rounding out your Pokedex.

A woman inside offers you a mission: catch three Combee and collect the Honey each one is guaranteed to carry.

Do it and she’ll pay you with TM62 Silver Wind.

Up on the hill in the center of the field, someone hands out a random Berry every day — swing by regularly if you want to build a stockpile.

Once you’ve explored your fill and picked up a few levels, head back to Dresco Town — it’s time to challenge your first Pokémon Gym!

Dresco Gym & Grim Woods

• Beat the Dresco Gym and win the Leaf Badge
• Find your way through Grim Woods
• Explore Route 4
• Reach the Entrance of Cinder Volcano

Dresco Gym – Leaf Badge

The Dresco Gym sits in the northeast corner of Dresco Town, and it’s a Grass-type Gym.

• Grass-type moves deal super effective damage to Ground-, Rock-, and Water-type Pokémon
• Grass-type Pokémon are weak to Bug-, Fire-, Flying-, Ice-, and Poison-type moves

Remember that Litleo you earned by clearing the Route 2 trainer challenge? This is the perfect place to put it to work.

Step inside and you’ll see the Gym is choked with an odd fog — battling in that haze will make your life harder than it has to be.

Have Ducklett use Defog to blow the stuff away, and then you’re free to head north into the main part of the Gym.

Two trainers stand between you and the leader — Youngster Doobie and Camper Liam — and neither of them should give you much trouble.

With both of them beaten, make for the southeast corner, where Mirskle is waiting.

Gym Leader Mirskle

Mirskle, the Dresco Gym Leader, is quite the eccentric.

Get ready for a Double Battle here — bring two Pokémon that can hit Grass-types super effectively.

Beat him and Mirskle hands over the Leaf Badge along with TM86 Grass Knot.

No time to celebrate, though — a pair of rough-looking thugs bursts into the Gym, and Mirskle and his trainers dive straight into the pond to escape, leaving you face to face with the intruders.

Fortunately, they aren’t after you — they’re furious because Mirskle apparently stiffed them on some deal.

They clear out soon enough, and you should head out as well.

Professor Log’s Friend

Now that the Gym is behind you, head south to the house belonging to Professor Log’s friend.

The odd trainer who was hanging around outside seems to have taken off, so you’re free to go in and talk.

The man inside introduces himself as Arthur, and he’s keen to hear about the Shadow goons you ran into at Frozen Heights. He explains that the Legendary Bird Pokémon once sealed away a dark force — and that reuniting the birds could break the seal, which must be exactly what the Shadow is plotting.

Right on cue, the strange trainer from outside shows up — and turns out to be Arthur’s grandson, Jax.

Jax reports spotting a group of Shadow operatives near Cinder Volcano, and Arthur puts it together: they must be after Moltres.

Arthur sends Jax off to fetch Professor Log, and once everything’s talked through, it’s settled — you and Jax will head out together to stop the Shadow from taking Moltres.

You reach Cinder Volcano by going through Grim Woods, which lies past the bridge on the southwest side of town.

Follow the path west and you’ll run into a dense canopy of trees — that’s the entrance to Grim Woods.

Grim Woods

Grim Woods is easy to get lost in, so here’s the most direct path through it, skipping optional trainers and extra items:

As soon as you step into Grim Woods, Bug Catcher Doug is the first trainer you’ll run into.

Once he’s dealt with, make your way southwest until you spot an old lady.

She’s another trainer — beat her and the path to the southwest opens up.

Keep pushing south and west until you see a way to turn north.

Medium Carly is waiting to challenge you; get past her and you’ll come to an intersection covered in long grass.

Cut west and south through another stretch of long grass and you’ll reach a ledge you need to hop down.

That puts you on the path to Bug Catcher Sammy and the final leg of Grim Woods. Head southwest and you’ll spot a log bridge.

Hop across the log onto the wooden walkway, then head north.

Medium Jody is the final obstacle between you and the exit — beat her and you’re finally out of Grim Woods!

Route 4 East

This puts you on Route 4. Technically the route started back at Dresco Town and got interrupted by Grim Woods, so this is where Route 4 properly resumes — the eastern half, at least.

The western half lies on the far side of Cinder Volcano, which is where you’re headed.

Just southeast of the Grim Woods entrance, a path leads to a one-way ledge; beyond it, a small trail runs along the outer edge of the woods back to Dresco Town if you need to return.

If you’re looking for healing, though, don’t bother going back — that’s about to be sorted for you.

Keep following the path and you’ll see a man standing in the middle of the road, close to where the volcano begins.

That’s the Potion Man, and he’ll hand you 3 Potions for your journey.

When you arrive at the volcano entrance, Nurse Laura will be waiting. Beat her and she’ll heal your team, acting as a handy checkpoint.

Once your team is patched up and ready, head inside — Cinder Volcano awaits.

Cinder Volcano

• Enter Cinder Volcano
• Meet up with Jax
• Confront the Shadow
• Report to Arthur and Professor Log
• Continue on to Route 5

Cinder Volcano 1F — Overview

1F — East Side

Cinder Volcano is a sprawling cave complex spread over several floors, so it’s easy to lose your bearings in here.

Your goal is the summit — that’s where the Shadow is trying to capture Moltres — so don’t dawdle.

Head north and you’ll spot a ladder climbing to the second floor.

On your left is a passage blocked by a rock. Once you’re finished inside the volcano, the rock will be gone and the passage will work as a shortcut between the two halves of the cave.

Cinder Volcano 2F — Overview

2F — East Side

Climb the ladder and the first person you’ll meet is School Kid Max, itching for a battle. Beat him, then go north and west up the stairs.

Collector Mark is standing beside a bubbling lava pool — you can slip past him or take him on for the experience.

Whichever you choose, cross the bridge to the west.

Hiker Trent is blocking the ladder to the next floor — defeat him and climb up.

Cinder Volcano 3F — Overview

3F — East Side

Cross the bridge and head north, and Kindler Jace will eventually confront you.

After beating Jace, the way on is north — keep following the passage in that direction.

Climb the small stairs and you’ll see the ladder leading to the fourth floor.

Cinder Volcano 4F — Overview

4F — East Side

Aroma Lady Nikki challenges you the moment you climb onto 4F.

Once she’s beaten, cross the bridge to the north.

You’ll end up on an island with a Trainer Tips signpost. To the north is a ladder back down to the third floor, where an optional trainer and a TM are waiting.

The way forward is the bridge to the west, so cross it.

Worker Baily is waiting on the other side of the bridge. Defeat him, then walk north and climb the ladder.

5F — The Summit

When you reach the fifth floor — the summit — you’ll find you’re too late to stop the Shadow.

Once the cutscene ends, walk northwest and you’ll see someone else about to take on the Shadow.

It’s Jax, Arthur’s grandson.

Jax tries to stop Ivory — the Shadow member who captured Moltres — from getting away.

But Marlon — the one who captured Articuno — shows up, and the two of them just barely escape.

That’s when Jax asks to team up with you.

This is optional — you can turn him down if you’d rather go solo. If you accept, upcoming trainer battles become Double Battles whenever the trainer has two or more Pokémon.

Once you’ve decided, take the ladder down to the fourth floor — but this time you’ll land on the west side of the volcano.

4F — West Side

Like the eastern half, this floor is another string of islands in a sea of lava. Take the stairs down to the southeast and keep heading south.

A bridge leads to a small island where Painter Angelo waits — if Jax is with you, you’ll take on both of his Smeargle in a Double Battle.

Once that’s done, cross the bridge to the north.

There’s nothing left to do on this floor but leave — climb the ladder down to the western half of the second floor.

3F — West Side

Head east from the ladder, then south across the bridge.

On the right you’ll spot a boulder that needs Strength to push — make a mental note of it for later and head left for now.

Climb down the ladder and go north, then west — that’s where Youngster Don will challenge you, the first trainer on this side of the cave.

2F — West Side

Walk south across the narrow bridge and you’ll come across Ruin Maniac Foster.

Once you’ve dealt with Foster — which shouldn’t take long, since he only has one Pokémon — walk south to find Hiker Clark.

After beating Hiker Clark, follow the winding, rocky path through the lava fields until you reach the last area of this floor.

Kindler Axle is the last trainer you’ll battle with Jax at your side — after that, he rushes ahead to confront the Shadow on his own.

Tip: the Chansey near the ladder will heal your team — you’ll be glad of it for the fight coming up.

1F — West Side: Shadow Battle

Jax is already battling Marlon when you arrive, but the two look evenly matched.

Whether or not you accepted his help earlier, Jax joins you for one last battle against Marlon and a Shadow Grunt.

You’ll pick three Pokémon for the battle, and Jax provides the other three — a Staravia, a Magnemite, and a Golett.

You and Jax manage to beat the Shadow goons together — but Moltres has already been captured and Ivory has escaped, so the victory feels hollow.

After the Shadow leaves the cave, Jax takes you back to Arthur’s house in Dresco Town.

Arthur and Professor Log tell you that only one bird remains — Zapdos, which lives on Thundercap Mountain.

Jax heads off to investigate a way to stop the Shadow using a mysterious item, while you continue on to Crater Town — which lies on the way to Thundercap.

Professor Log heads home to tell your mother you’re carrying on with the Pokémon League challenge — which, technically, you are. There’s a Gym in Crater Town, and a chance at your second badge.

After the meeting, Jax offers you a ride back to the western exit of Cinder Volcano. If you’d rather not go with him right now, he’ll give you 8 Repels instead.

Route 4 West

Cinder Volcano splits Route 4 in two, and the caverns’ west side naturally leads out to Route 4 West.

A Porygon near the cave entrance works as Pokémon Storage if you need it.

This side of Route 4 is fairly quiet, with a few optional trainers to battle and items to pick up. One thing you can’t miss: a Lapras docked on the south side of a bridge.

That Lapras is your only way to reach Route 5, since you don’t have HM Waterfall yet.

So once you’ve got everything in order, hop on the Lapras’ back and it’ll take you where you need to go.

Route 5 to Crater Town

• Ride a Lapras to Route 5
• Explore Route 5
• Visit the Pokemon Day Care
• Arrive in Crater Town

Route 5

You’ve just ridden a Lapras down a waterfall, and now you’re in Route 5 — a pleasant but damp valley.

Head west through a patch of long grass and talk to the first person you run into.

Luckily, that first person offers to heal your Pokémon for free, and serves as another waypoint on your journey.

Once you’re healed up, walk east and Lass Sally will challenge you.

Past Sally, you’ll see a man jogging up and down the path ahead of you.

He offers you a mission: walk 150,000 steps and he’ll hand over something interesting.

This is something you’ll rack up naturally during a playthrough, so when you eventually hit that number, come back here and he’ll give you Carbos — not just one, but FIFTY doses.

With the walking mission underway, get started by heading west, where you’ll run into Youngster Ben.

There’s a junction here — take the north path and follow the corridor through the trees.

You’ve reached the Pokémon Day Care, and there’s plenty to do here before you move on to Crater Town.

Pokémon Day Care

On the left you’ll find someone who needs your help with research. You’ll need to show them various Baby Pokémon — and some can’t be caught in the wild; they have to be bred at the Day Care while the parent holds certain rare incense items:

If you’re lucky and patient enough to pull it all off, your prize is an Oval Charm, which boosts the odds of finding an Egg at the Pokémon Day Care.

Just right of the Day Care entrance is a breeder who needs your help.

You can battle their Pokémon once a day to help train them — and you’ll get stronger in the process.

Like in most Pokémon games, leaving a Pokémon at the Day Care raises its level as you walk around. Check back now and then and you’ll have a stronger Pokémon.

Unova Starter House

Once you’re done at the Day Care, head back to the intersection and take the south path. You’ll see another fork — when you do, immediately follow it west.

You’ll spot a house in the middle of the woods. Go inside — the person living here has a gift for you.

A trainer from Unova lives here, and she has three Unovan starters she can no longer raise.

You can pick one now, then come back when you have 4 badges and 7 badges to collect the other two.

Back onto Route 5

With your brand-new Unovan Pokémon in hand, head south and Youngster Calvin will challenge you.

Once you’ve seen all there is to see on Route 5, head south and you’ll spot a town sitting in the middle of a massive crater — Crater Town.

Crater Town

There’s a couple of things to do here — first, head to the Pokémon Center.

Check the bookshelf next to the counter and you’ll find a hidden path leading to a small room with a Clefairy inside — one of many secret spots where you can battle or catch a rare Pokémon.

After catching or defeating the Clefairy, walk south to the house tucked into the southeast corner of the crater.

This is the Move Maniac’s house — he’ll teach your Pokémon a forgotten move in exchange for Heart Scales.

Since you don’t have any yet, leave and continue west around the crater’s edge.

Two Shadow grunts are having a whispered conversation at this end of town, and you can’t get past them.

Go north, dipping down into the crater a bit, and you’ll find a Poke Mart.

The Poke Mart is a great spot for supplies, but there’s something else worth picking up here — and it’s completely free.

The blonde-haired woman inside gives you TM70 Flash, which lights up dark places. You’ll need it later.

West of the Poke Mart stands the Crater Town Gym — but you might want a bit more training before taking it on.

Walk south from here and you’ll see a house just south of the crater’s center.

Inside lives a family that can somehow sense when random Swarm events happen — and they can tell you about them.

Talk to the girl inside and she’ll tell you where the Swarm is and what it is. Her father will give you a random Berry if you show him a Pokémon caught from that swarm.

There’s one more thing to grab in Crater Town — a mission from the southwest house.

The KBT Expressway

The man who lives here has a brother who was kidnapped by a ruthless gang called the Black Emboar, and they’ve headed to the KBT Expressway.

Sounds like the perfect place to train up before taking on the Crater Gym.

The KBT Expressway — short for the ‘King Borrius the Third Expressway’, according to the nearby Hiker — can be reached from the northern exit of Crater Town.

KBT Expressway & Crater Gym

• Enter the KBT Expressway
• Defeat the Black Emboar
• Obtain the Motorcycle
• Challenge the Crater Town Gym
• Confront the Shadow Boss
• Obtain HM01 Cut

The KBT Expressway

The KBT Expressway opens up just north of Crater Town, and your reason for heading inside is a worried man’s missing brother.

This expressway is a sprawling tunnel network that ties together most of the towns in Borrius — although only a few stretches are open to you right now.

The tunnels are crawling with biker thugs who call themselves the Black Emboar, and you’ll have to battle through them one by one to keep moving.

Along the way you’ll spot a man dressed like a juggler who claims to belong to the Gem Family. These are move tutors — they’ll teach your Pokémon powerful moves in exchange for a set number of type-specific Gems.

More on that once the Black Emboar problem is sorted out.

Mining Minigame

Push a little further ahead and you’ll run into a worker who offers to lend you his mining tools. Each dig will cost you P1000.

The goal is to break apart as much rock as you can with the hammer and pick before the wall caves in.

Keep an eye on the crack at the top of the screen — it grows with every hit, so don’t swing recklessly.

Get lucky and you can dig up Hard Stones, Heart Scales, Everstones, Revives, any of the evolution stones, plus a handful of other treasures.

When you’ve had your fill of mining, keep heading north until you reach an intersection.

Black Emboar Boss – James

Talk to the big man waiting here and he’ll introduce himself as James — the boss of the Black Emboar.

He wastes no time and challenges you to a battle on the spot, just to see if you’re worthy.

Beat him and he’ll be so impressed that he renames the whole gang after you.

Ask him about your mission and you’ll get a surprise — James is actually the missing brother you’ve been searching for.

The two of you head back to Crater Town together to face his brother, who was simply worried that James was getting in over his head.

James tells you his gang is relocating to Antisis City, and before leaving he has a parting gift for you.

You’re now the proud owner of a Motorcycle, which you can bind to the Select button through the Cube menu.

It’s much quicker than the Running Shoes, and riding it also cuts down on wild Pokémon encounters. Very useful.

Moving Forward

With the Black Emboar cleared out, the KBT Expressway becomes a handy shortcut. For the moment, though, the only towns it links you to are Dresco Town and Frozen Heights.

Four Gem Family tutors are also reachable inside the tunnels if you’d like their moves:

That’s everything here — time to head to the Crater Gym and earn your next badge.

Crater Gym – Vision Badge

You’ll find the Crater Gym in the northeast part of Crater Town, down in the lower ring.

This is a Dark-type gym, and the building commits to the theme — inside, it’s completely pitch black.

The Gym Guide explains the gimmick: beating trainers here will expand how far you can see, so that comes first.

One quick tip: Dark-type moves hit Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon super-effectively, so keep yours off the field. On the flip side, Dark-types are weak to Fighting, Bug, and Fairy moves.

One more warning — the dark energy saturating this gym chips away at your Pokémon every turn, unless they’re Dark- or Ghost-type, or carry an ability like Magic Guard, Unaware, or Oblivious.

From the entrance, take the right-hand corridor until you run into the trainers. Youngster Dixon and Scientist Dilweed will each battle you on their own, but if you step into the space between Medium Lyssa and Gentleman Clemonce, they’ll team up on you in a Double Battle.

If you’d rather not face both at once, just talk to each of them separately.

Once all four trainers are down, your circle of visibility will be far wider than before.

Head back to the Guide at the gym’s entrance and go through the passage behind him.

Crater Gym Sneaking Puzzle

Are you a fan of stealth puzzles?

Whether you are or not, this next stretch is one.

Head left down the corridor until you see a female trainer run past and then turn back — tail her while her back is turned, then duck into the alcove to the south as she passes by.

The same trick applies to a boy trainer doing the same loop further along the path. If you’re spotted at any point, you’ll be sent right back to the start.

Past those two NPCs there’s a checkpoint before you have to slip by two more trainers.

None of these stretches should give you much trouble if you take a moment to learn their patrol patterns.

Two more trainers wait beyond that — including a sneaky cameraman — but keep at it and you’ll eventually reach the Gym Leader’s room.

Crater Gym Leader – Vega

Crater’s Gym Leader is a pretty edgy character, and the Vision Badge is yours if you can beat him.

There’s no real gimmick to this fight, though his Pokémon’s moves will probably make your team flinch a lot.

After You Win

If you win, Vega hands over the Vision Badge along with TM46 Thief.

With Vega defeated, you’ll notice the Shadow Grunts have cleared out from Crater Town’s southern exit.

It turns out to be too good to be true — the moment you try to leave through that exit, a gang of Grunts ambushes you and drags you off to Cinder Volcano.

Shadow Battles

The Shadow’s leader, a man named Zeph, is waiting here — along with Ivory, the one who captured Moltres.

Ivory challenges you to a battle right away.

Ivory isn’t much of a threat if you’ve been keeping your team trained evenly.

Once she’s beaten, Zeph declares he’ll deal with you personally, once and for all.

Zeph brings just a single Pokémon — Ivory warns him not to try taking you on with it, but he ignores her.

He’s stunned when you beat his Houndoom, but there’s no time to dwell on it.

An earthquake shakes the volcano, and a Shadow Grunt reports that some huge monster has emerged from below.

The Shadow make a hasty exit, leaving you alone — until a strange Pokémon appears and shoves you through a portal to safety.

You land in the southern KBT tunnel south of Crater Town — exactly where you were trying to go in the first place.

Getting HM01 Cut

Turns out the way forward to Thundercap Mountain and Zapdos is blocked by a rockfall, and you’ll need HM06 Rock Smash to clear it.

The Hiker knows someone who can hand it over, but that person lives in Blizzard City. The only route to Blizzard City from here runs through the cave at the very center of Crater Town.

And that cave is blocked by a small tree…

Luckily, the Hiker gives you HM01 Cut.

Optional: Backtracking for Extra Items

Cut opens up a few spots on routes you’ve already visited. If you fancy backtracking for some extra loot, here’s where to look:

Entering Valley Cave

Valley Cave is your next stop, and chopping down the small tree at the bottom of the crater is how you get in.

Valley Cave

• Cross through Valley Cave
• Explore Route 6
• Pass through Route 7
• Obtain the Old Rod
• Arrive at the Frost Mountain entrance

Valley Cave

Valley Cave, beneath Crater Town, is your only way through to Blizzard City — and Blizzard City is the only place you can get your hands on HM06 Rock Smash.

Once inside, head west through an empty level of the cavern, then take a ladder down.

The path through this cave is fairly linear, and a couple of trainers are waiting to test you along the way.

Travel west and then south, and you’ll bump into Gambler Hugo.

Beat him and carry on south, where Black Belt Hitoshi will challenge you next.

Past him, you’ll spot a path running underneath a bridge.

Duck under it and you’ll reach a small fork: heading south leads to an item, while going north takes you up onto the elevated platform you need to continue.

When you reach the northern platform and get to the bridge’s west side, look for a small rock against the western wall.

Touch it and it’ll reveal itself to be a button — though pressing it does nothing for now.

For the moment, take on Pokémon Ranger Nicolas and cross the bridge past him.

Beyond that bridge there’s a narrower bridge heading south that you need to cross. Keep pushing south.

You’ll find Gentleman Thomas standing by a monolith like the one in Icicle Cave — but you can’t reach it yet without Rock Climb.

The Gentleman explains the inscription, which hints at what the button rock wants: put a Bug-type Pokémon first in your party, then press the button.

But without Rock Climb it won’t make any difference, so that’s a puzzle to revisit later.

Head west and you’ll spot a ladder.

Climb it, and eventually you’ll emerge onto Route 6.

Route 6

As you step out of Valley Cave, the first thing you’ll see is a Chansey waiting at the entrance to heal your team.

This route is packed with trainers, so don’t be shy about backtracking to that Chansey as often as you need.

The left path through the trees runs straight into a gathering of Terror Granbull goons. They’re guarding a Zygarde Cell, though you can’t collect it until after the Blizzard City Gym.

For now, double back to the intersection and head south across a bridge.

Once you’ve beaten Camper Ricky, the route splits — each path crosses its own bridge.

The east bridge only leads to optional items and trainers; the west bridge is the one that takes you deeper into the route.

Crossing the west bridge, you’ll notice a little gully with trainers in it.

Painter Picaso will challenge you with just his Smeargle. Beat him and keep heading south.

Youngster Josh is the final trainer on this route — take him on and you’re clear to continue south.

You don’t need Auburn Waterway yet, so stick to the west path.

Take that west path and a cutscene will play: Ivory is plotting to keep Thundercap Mountain cut off, by whatever means it takes.

Afterwards, head west onto Route 7.

Route 7

Stepping onto the route, you’ll spot two trainers to the southwest.

That’s Youngster Tyler and Lass Wanda — depending on where you stand, you can battle them one at a time or together as a Double Battle.

The same deal applies to Picnicker Diana and Camper Dylan: walk straight between them and they’ll fight you as a pair, or challenge each one individually for solo battles.

Once you’ve beaten them however you like, you’ll notice a gate leading to another route to the south.

Shadow Grunts are blocking it, so you’ll have to take the other way.

Hiker Marcos will challenge you as you start up the hill, with Juggler Kayden waiting after him.

Cross the bridge north of there to reach a small island, then take the second bridge.

Walk across it and Black Belt Koichi is hard to miss. Once he’s dealt with, you’ll be back on the mainland.

The way to Frost Mountain and Blizzard City lies north of here — but take the east path first.

Bird Keeper Keith will challenge you, and past him you’ll see a small house to the south. That’s where the Fisherman lives with his wife.

After two routes packed with trainers, your party is probably due for a good heal — and the Fisherman’s wife is happy to oblige.

Talk to the Fisherman inside the house and he’ll hand you the Old Rod: your first chance to start fishing for Pokémon, and a step toward rod upgrades later on.

With your team healed and the Old Rod in hand, head back to the Frost Mountain entrance and go inside.

Route 8 and Blizzard City lie just ahead.

Frost Mountain & Blizzard City

• Delve into Frost Mountain
• Battle your Rival
• Emerge into Route 8
• Arrive in Blizzard City
• Find a Missing Kid
• Upgrade your Pokedex
• Obtain HM06 Rock Smash

Frost Mountain – 1F

The moment you step into Frost Mountain, you’ll watch your Rival get knocked flat by Ivory. He’s out cold.

Head north and you’ll find him easily enough.

Rival Battle

Despite his recent loss, he still wants to battle — though not before mentioning he got his Pokedex upgraded in Blizzard City.

Once you’ve beaten him he leaves, and you’re free to explore the rest of the cave.

Walk north and you’ll see a passage heading west.

Follow that passage and you’ll run into Collector Cooper, the first trainer to challenge you in Frost Mountain.

Beat him and you’ll reach something of an intersection. Jumping down the cliff scores you some items plus a bonus trainer battle.

But if progress is what you’re after, take the north passage.

The passage loops around.

Follow it until you spot stairs heading up, passing beneath a bridge with Black Belt Aaron underneath on the way.

Climb the stairs and continue west until you can cross the bridge. Hiker Allen is guarding a ladder to the second floor there.

Deal with the Hiker, then climb the ladder.

Frost Mountain – 2F

The first thing you’ll notice up here is a bunch of ramps and round boulders to the north — but they’re out of your reach for now.

Head east and follow the passage; it’ll eventually curve around to the west.

Hiker Eric will challenge you, and once he’s beaten you can push north past him. This floor is fairly straightforward, and you’ll reach a ladder exit before long.

Super Nerd Jovan is the last obstacle in Frost Mountain — beat him, climb the narrow staircase, and you’ll find a ladder up to the final level.

That final level is just an empty cave, though, and the exit is a short walk to the west.

Route 8

Route 8 is long and twisty, so keep the map in this guide handy along with the directions if you start feeling lost.

One heads-up: the moment you leave the cave, hail starts falling everywhere — and it affects every battle. So if your Pokémon:

• isn’t an Ice-type
• isn’t holding something like the Safety Goggles
• or doesn’t have an ability like Magic Guard

then it’ll take chip damage every single turn.

Walk north until you reach Nurse Patty — she’ll be a welcome sight.

Like the other nurses, she’ll only heal you if you can beat her.

Once that’s done, heal up and push further north into the icy wilds.

You’ll come across Youngster Eddie; beat him, then head north up the stairs.

Walk east until you spot a blond female trainer.

That’s Battle Girl Jessica. After beating her, take note of her location — you’ll be coming back here shortly.

Head north until you find another set of stairs.

At the fork, turn east and keep walking that way until you meet a Black Belt with a mission for you.

He wants you to jump off cliffs 555 times — a tall order, though he counts every jump you’ve made so far.

Finish his mission and your reward is 60 Carbos — quite the prize.

With that handled, keep going east until you find another staircase heading south. The path curves around and runs west along the lower level.

Carry on south and you’ll run into Black Belt Mike. Once he’s beaten, walk east until you reach a frozen pond.

Crossing the pond is simple — there’s no real puzzle to it.

On the other side, continue north.

The path keeps going north until you hit a series of wooden bridges.

Picnicker Isabelle is on the right side of this little gully — battle her or skip her, your call.

Keep walking under the bridges until you can climb up to their level.

You’ll meet Camper Shane along the way, but after crossing the three wooden bridge spans you’ll reach the western ledge.

Back on solid rock and snow, keep west through a couple of long grass patches until you see a way north.

Go north through the narrow passage and you’ll run into Camper Evans.

Beat him, then follow the path as it turns west.

Keep heading west until you reach a large patch of long grass.

On the far side of it, the entrance to Blizzard City waits to the north.

Quick note: on your way in, a Skier won’t battle you — but he’ll give you a Casteliacone instead.

After all that trekking through the hail, you’ve finally made it to Blizzard City.

Blizzard City

Finding the Missing Boy

As soon as you arrive, head into the first house you see.

You’ll quickly learn that every Blizzard City house is big and full of people to talk to.

The Juggler on the ground floor gives you TM118 Aurora Veil, free of charge. Nice.

There’s also a Black Belt on this floor who’ll teach your Pokémon Ice Punch for 2 Blue Shards.

Climb the stairs to the north and you’ll meet a woman with a job for you.

Her brother has gone missing, and you’ll need to head back out to Route 8 to track him down.

Remember the blond trainer from earlier? The kid is right there now, hiding behind a small bush you can chop down.

Talk to him and he’ll follow you all the way back to Blizzard City.

Once you’ve brought her brother home, the woman rewards you with TM27 Return — fitting, really.

When you’ve done everything you can in this house, keep west until you find the next door you can enter.

That house has a couple of useful things inside, so head in.

The Vs. Seeker

On the ground floor, a woman will trade the berry she asks for each day for a different berry.

Head upstairs for something useful.

The man upstairs gives you the VS Seeker, which helps you find trainers up for a rematch — great for training.

Finding the Pokécenter

The Pokémon Center is just west of here, and a Staraptor offers a free ride to Crater Town if you want it.

Show the Breeder in the Pokémon Center a Pokémon that can still evolve and he’ll hand you an Eviolite — a held item that boosts the Defense and Special Defense of any Pokémon that isn’t fully evolved.

Head north to the next ring of houses and you’ll catch Ivory mid-mission: apparently a success. She freezes the KBT Expressway entrance shut before leaving.

Visiting More Houses

The next stop is the Gym Leader’s house, on the northwest side of the middle ring of houses.

Alicia, Gym Leader Alice’s daughter, offers a trade: her Electrode (holding an Amulet Coin) for your Onix. You can catch an Onix in Frost Mountain if you need one.

After that, go through the door on the right side of the middle row of houses — there’s another mission waiting.

On the ground floor you’ll find a woman whose Pokémon was stolen. Accept her mission for now; you can finish it later.

Head upstairs and talk to the woman on the couch if you want a real challenge.

Candice is a visiting Gym Leader from Sinnoh, and she puts up a solid fight.

Bring several Pokémon that can handle Ice-types — Candice switches her team around freely, and she’ll make this battle much tougher than it needs to be otherwise.

Beat her and she’ll give you an Ice Gem. You can challenge her again every day.

This floor is also home to Professor Log’s sister, Nat Log.

She upgraded your Rival’s Pokedex, and she’ll upgrade yours too — as long as you’ve caught at least 15 Pokémon.

Her assistant can answer any questions about the new features.

The other young lady here is Ayla — Borrius’s answer to Bill, in charge of the Pokémon Storage system.

Finding the Mart

Talk to the man wandering around the Poké Mart and he’ll give you a Sharp Beak — handy if you’ve got Flying-types.

Then head inside the Mart.

If you have an Eevee, the blond woman inside will give you an Ice Stone for showing it to her.

Walk northwest and you’ll eventually spot the Blizzard City Gym and its distinctive design.

Before you head in to take it on, though, there are a few other things worth handling first.

Getting Rock Smash (And Other Tasks)

East of the Gym, in the northeast corner of town — the spot where the cutscene showed Ivory — Worker Alan will battle you, and you can rematch him as many times as you like.

Once you’ve beaten him to your heart’s content, head into the house here.

This is the home of the man you’re supposed to see about Rock Smash — the whole reason you trekked up to Blizzard City.

He hands you HM06 Rock Smash as soon as you ask.

The old lady in this house gives you a pie recipe.

Bring her the ingredients and she’ll send you after two more sets of ingredients before handing over her final reward: 3 Gold Bottle Caps.

That’s Blizzard City wrapped up for now — there’s a missing Pokémon to find.

Walk south toward the town entrance and you’ll see a shady man in a black hat heading east into a deep forest.

Follow him and you’ll discover the path to Frozen Forest.

Frozen Forest & Blizzard City Gym

• Brave the Frozen Forest
• Confront the Burglar
• Battle a Crabominable
• Challenge the Blizzard City Gym
• Use HM06 Rock Smash to access KBT Expressway
• Break through to Failshore City

Frozen Forest

You entered the Frozen Forest on behalf of a woman whose Pokémon was stolen. The woods themselves are straightforward — mostly just stick to the trail, with a couple of detours worth your attention.

Just north of the entrance you will spot something odd: the den of a huge Crabominable. You can reach it by using Cut on the small trees blocking the way. Thankfully it is asleep, for now.

To keep moving forward, take the path heading west and loop it around.

No trainers lurk along this trail waiting to challenge you — just a few patches of tall grass to push through.

Frozen Forest Ice Puzzle

Press on until the path opens onto a big frozen pond. This is an ice-sliding puzzle.

Slide in this order to reach the other side:

1. From the southernmost land tile, slide east onto the ice
2. Slide down
3. Slide right
4. Slide up off the ice
5. Obtain the Ice Stone
6. Slide down back onto the ice
7. Slide left
8. Slide up
9. Slide left
10. Slide down
11. Slide left
12. Slide down
13. Slide right
14. Slide down and off the ice

You will slide off near the mouth of a clearing — and that is where the stolen Pokémon is being held.

The Missing Pokémon

The moment you step into the clearing, Burglar Jett confronts you — he is holding the woman’s Alolan Ninetales, and he has brought his other Pokémon along to back himself up.

Winning that battle only solves half the problem: the noise has woken the Crabominable, and now it wants a fight with you.

Here is the good news — you can catch this Crabominable, and it is your only chance in the entire game to get one, so bring Poké Balls.

Once you bring the Alolan Ninetales back to its owner in Blizzard City, she thanks you with one of its Eggs. Give it time and it will hatch into an Alolan Vulpix.

With that errand wrapped up, it is time to take on the Gym and earn the right to use HM Rock Smash outside of battle.

Blizzard Gym – Wings Badge

Despite the icy name, Blizzard City’s Gym specializes in Flying-types — fitting, since the city sits so high above sea level.

Flying moves hit Bug, Fighting, and Grass types super effectively, while Flying-types themselves fear Electric, Ice, and Rock attacks.

The Gym is laid out as low corridors laced with fans that launch you onto an upper floor of platforms. It is a maze, and one wrong turn means a bonus fight with a trainer you could otherwise skip.

Start from the Guide near the entrance and step onto the fan right behind him — it will blast you up to a platform that splits two ways.

Head west, loop around the upper level, and drop through the hole at the end.

You will land in a lower room where Bird Keeper Edwin stands in your way, with another fan waiting to the east.

Beat him and take that east fan to ride back up.

Ignore the hole beside your entry point and walk north into Bird Keeper Sebastian.

The route he guards leads down into another lower chamber with its own fan — follow it.

Ride that fan up and keep following the long upper walkway until Bird Keeper Perry spots you.

After Perry, take the next hole down, cross the lower room to one more fan, and you will pop out into the last upper corridor.

Bird Keeper Robert is the final trainer standing between you and the Leader. Beat him, then follow the path north and drop down — you will land right in the Leader’s room.

Blizzard City Gym Leader – Alice

Alice carries herself with grace, but she gets straight to business and throws down a challenge.

Her lineup punishes lazy play — if Electric attacks have been carrying you through this Gym, her Gliscor will ruin that plan, since it is immune to them. Hit it with an Ice move instead.

Victory earns you the Wings Badge and TM40 Aerial Ace.

After You Win

Step outside after the match and Alice will catch up with you — she has something else to say.

She has her Gliscor smash through the barrier Ivory set up at the KBT Expressway entrance, and with her permission you can now use Rock Smash outside of battle.

Your next goal is Fallshore City via the KBT Expressway — though a few optional errands might be worth doing first.

Tip: Talk to Alice again and she will ask you to gather 20 Pretty Wings from Wingull or Pelipper. Every one of them holds the item — but unless you catch each bird, you will need a move like Thief or Knock Off to snatch them. Hand over all twenty and she will reward you with a Power Anklet.

Optional: Rock Smash Backtracking

Now that Rock Smash is legal to use, it opens up plenty of goodies.

Before you enter the KBT Expressway, consider backtracking to snag these optional items:

Return to KBT Expressway

When you are ready, step into the KBT Expressway.

Inside this stretch of tunnel you will meet another member of the Gem Family offering move trades — two more of his relatives are reachable right now too:

To reach the rest of the tunnel, smash the rocks blocking the east side.

Push through the Expressway until you reach Crater Town, then head for its south exit.

Do not worry — no Shadow Grunts will ambush you this time.

The barrier south of this tunnel is yours to break now. Keep heading for the Fallshore City exit.

Step through it and out into the daylight — welcome to Fallshore City.

Your first sight is Jax challenging Ivory yet again. It goes badly for him.

Once that spectacle ends, the town is yours to explore.

Fallshore City & Route 11

• Explore Fallshore City
• Challenge the Inverse Battle House
• Obtain the Trainer Catalogue
• Cross Route 11 to reach Epidimy Town

Fallshore City

You stepped out of the KBT Expressway just in time to watch Ivory of the Shadow hurl Jax into the water.

Walk a little way south into town and Jax will come talk to you, eager to move on from the embarrassment.

He has business on Route 9, but a barrier is cutting off his route.

He asks for your help getting there, before you head off to Thundercap Mountain.

Supposedly there is a secret route from Tehl Town into Route 9 — and Tehl Town lies west of Fallshore City along Route 10.

Exploring the City

Before you set off, take some time to explore. The south street leads straight into the heart of town.

Heal up at the Pokémon Center and stock up at the Poké Mart.

Then head east, where you will find two houses.

Step into the left house, where an old lady has something special for you.

She hands you a free Pokémon Egg — make sure you have an empty slot in your party to receive it. In time it will hatch into a Togepi.

With the Egg in hand, go next door and talk to the man inside to pick up TM10 Hidden Power.

Head back outside and walk west along the road until you are past the Pokémon Center.

There is a marketplace entrance to the south, but just north of it stand two buildings worth your attention.

Enter the west building first — this is Mission HQ.

The man by the door is the Ranger overseeing missions across Borrius. If you have wrapped up at least 5 missions by now, he will hand you a Trainer Catalogue.

This item helps you keep tabs on trainers you might have missed, and it will be essential for the extra mission he gives you: defeating every trainer in Borrius.

Pull off that feat and he will reward you with a Latiosite or a Latiasite — which one depends on whether your character is male or female.

Turning in more completed missions to the Ranger can also earn you a shot at catching Latios and Latias.

In the room behind the Ranger sits a man who wants to see a particular Flying-type Pokémon — which one is random.

Show him the right bird four days running and he will give you 50 Swift Wings.

Just east of the Ranger, a policeman sits on a bench. He wants your help kicking the Terror Granbull gang off Route 10 — you will be able to take that mission on soon.

There is one more mission in the building: head upstairs and talk to the lady there to pick up “Abandonment Issues”.

Fair warning — this one is bizarre.

Her daughter keeps going missing, and every time you find her and try to bring her home, the wind blows her away again. After the first vanishing, report back to the mother empty-handed — she will insist her daughter cannot have gone far.

Here are all five spots where you will find the girl:

Once you have found the girl for the fifth and final time, her grateful mother hands you a Power Belt. Something very odd happens next — but you will have to see that one for yourself.

The house just right of Mission HQ is the Inverse Battle House — head there next.

Inverse Battle House

Inverse Battles flip the type chart on its head: what is normally super effective becomes not very effective, and vice versa.

The four trainers inside will battle you as many times as you like, making this a great training spot.

The Marketplace

When you have had your fill of inverse battles, head south to the Marketplace.

The Marketplace hosts several shops:

• TM Shop
• Rare Berry shop
• Stat Item shop
• And a Galarian Evolution Item shop

A stall to the southeast sells Moomoo Milk by the bottle or by the dozen. Buy at least a dozen — it is a handy healing item, and you will be doing a lot of mid-adventure healing coming up.

East of the Marketplace stands the Fallshore Gym, but its door is blocked when you arrive.

The Gym Leader is off doing something else, so you will have to return later.

The Evolution House

Keep pushing east and you will reach a building called Evolution House.

The woman in the downstairs kitchen is the Evolution Master — show her any Pokémon and she will tell you whether it can evolve, and if so, at what level or by what method.

The man near the stairs gives you a Link Stone, which evolves any Pokémon that normally requires trading to evolve.

Upstairs, show the girl a Happiny and she will give you an Oval Stone.

There is also a man upstairs who seems to hate evolution — show him a Pokémon that cannot evolve and he will give you an Everstone.

Fallshore Beach

One last stop in Fallshore: the beach.

The beach stretches eastward, where an item and a trainer battle await.

Jax told you to head west to Route 10, but detouring east to Route 11 first will simplify your travels later and give you some extra training.

Route 11

Route 11 is a straightforward, linear path — mostly a long wooden bridge. There are some Pokémon worth catching here, and the trainers are worth the fight.

As you pass Fisherman Chip, you will notice the pier splitting north toward a cave entrance.

That is the entrance to Cliff Cave — but it is not worth entering until you can use HM Strength.

Keep heading east.

The route ends at Epidimy Town, where there are a few useful things to grab before you continue.

Epidimy Town & Route 10

• Explore Epidimy Town
• Acquire HM04 Strength (but not permission to use it)
• Get the Good Rod
• Head to Route 10
• Confront and Catch the Terror Granbull Gang
• Defeat the Terror Granbull Boss

Epidimy Town

Route 11’s eastern end opens into Epidimy Town.

You would end up here anyway after helping Jax, but grabbing these errands now saves you a return trip.

Exploring for Items

Right as you enter town, step into the first house you see.

Two people live inside, and both have something useful for you.

The woman here wants to trade her Hitmontop for a Lickitung — a Pokémon you can catch fairly easily on Route 5.

The other resident is another HM keeper, and without any prompting he hands you HM04 Strength.

The catch: you cannot use it outside of battle yet, since you have not beaten the Fallshore Gym Leader.

Picking it up now saves a return trip — the moment you beat the Leader, Strength will be ready to use.

Step outside and head north, where a wandering woman gives you 3 Ultra Balls for your catching efforts.

The Poké Mart sits on the north side of town, right next to a KBT Expressway entrance.

Go into the house standing between them.

A female trainer inside hands you the Rocky Helmet — a great item in the right Pokémon’s paws.

The KBT Expressway entrance here does not go far — Strength boulders block the way. A Gem Family vendor is set up here in the meantime, though.

Just east of the northern cliff area, a Gentleman rests on a park bench. Sit down next to him and he will hand you a random status-healing item, like an Awakening or a Parlyz Heal.

The northeast corner of town holds the Pokémon Center — and a nearby house is home to the Move Deleter.

Remember him if you ever want a Pokémon to unlearn a move.

Walk a little south and you will spot a pair of houses side by side.

Enter the left one first.

An elderly couple lives here, and they are holding onto something very important: a Master Ball.

They will not part with it unless you show them the Pokémon Hoopa.

Tip: Hoopa is out of reach until much later in the game — but it is the Pokémon that has been throwing you through portals all along.

Next door lives a fisherman — if you already own the Old Rod, he will upgrade you to the Good Rod!

Your fishing options just got much wider than Magikarp.

Talk to the old man wandering nearby to pick up a mission: find him an empty house.

You cannot finish it yet, but you will in time.

Just south of him is one last house worth visiting — step inside.

The woman inside gives you 3 Max Repels — and she will hand you three more every day you come back.

A lifesaver given how much ground you have been covering.

At the town’s far southeast corner you will find the entrance to Thundercap Mountain — home to Zapdos.

File this one away: you will need to return here after helping Jax.

Leaving Town

With everything useful collected, retrace your steps west along Route 11, through Fallshore City, and out its west exit onto Route 10.

Route 10

Exiting Fallshore City westward, the rain is still falling — but the season has shifted.

A large pack of Terror Granbull goons is gathered to the south. Go confront them.

Just as the odds start looking bad, the policeman who gave you the mission steps in and tries to arrest the whole gang.

They use the confusion to run off.

You will need to hunt them down to finish the mission.

Once they have fled, head west along the bridge into Route 10 proper.

Keep following the path.

Camper Chris is waiting with a challenge — beat him and carry on.

Further along you will reach a river dotted with stepping stones.

Hop across the stones to the far bank.

From there, walk north into a small sliver of the neighboring route — Auburn Waterway.

At the very tip of this little peninsula stands the first Terror Granbull Goon you need to defeat.

The moment you win, the policeman arrives to haul him off to jail.

With the goon captured, head south back into Route 10 proper and cross the bridge.

Hiker Dudley will challenge you along the way.

You will loop around to the west to cross another bridge.

Once you have beaten the two trainers in this corner of the route, you face a choice: north or south.

South leads toward Tehl Town and Route 9 — the road to helping Jax.

North leads to the rest of the Terror Granbull Goons. Head that way first — the mission comes before the detour.

Heading north brings you back into Auburn Waterway, with a slightly different wild Pokémon lineup.

Follow the tree line until you spot a path through the trees to the west.

Granbull Goon Search

The area ahead belongs partly to Auburn Waterway and partly to Route 9, but connects to the main body of neither — it is a self-contained little pocket.

Follow the only available route — west, then south — until you reach two small trees blocking the way that need Cut.

Push past them and you will officially be in Route 9.

Continue west and then north until you can hop off a ledge to the east.

Do it, and you will spot the next Goon just to the north.

As before, the policeman shows up to take him to jail.

With that done, hop off one ledge to the east and head north through the long grass.

Follow the long grass until the path splits at a curvy fork.

Take the left fork.

This fork leads straight to the next Goon. Beat him, and the policeman will collect him too.

Just one Goon left in this area.

Head back south, ignoring the other forks — unless you want to grab a couple of extra items — until you return to the east-west corridor of ledges you came through.

Hop off two ledges to the east until you spot a north-south corridor through the trees.

Follow the long grass north, then east, to find the final Goon.

After you beat this last Goon, the policeman appears once more and asks you to meet him back on Route 10, where you first broke up the gang.

Granbull Boss Battle

When you get there, the gang’s boss shows up, looking to teach you a lesson.

Beat Gruff and he will bolt for Seaport City, with the policeman vowing to pursue him.

Your reward for cleaning up the whole mess is TM106 Smart Strike.

Onwards to Tehl Town

With the mission complete, head back west and take the southern fork toward Tehl Town.

A hidden entrance to Route 9 lies somewhere in Tehl Town — finding it is your job.

Tehl Town & Route 9

• Explore Tehl Town
• Obtain the Dowsing Machine
• Go through the Underground Pass
• Liberate Route 9
• Defeat Shadow Admin Ivory
• Find the Fallshore Gym Leader

Tehl Town

Leaving Route 10 behind, you arrive in Tehl Town.

Your mission here is to help Jax by finding another way into Route 9, which Shadow Grunts have sealed off.

Exploring the Town

Start at the Poké Mart in the middle of town.

Talk to the blond-haired man inside and he will give you a Water Stone — handy for evolving Water-types.

The Name Rater’s house sits southwest of the Mart.

He can change the nicknames of any Pokémon you own.

One of Professor Log’s researchers lives here — visit her and she will hand you a very useful travel item.

First, though, she needs proof you have caught at least 30 Pokémon. Show her your Pokédex progress and she will give you the Dowsing Machine.

This key item tracks down hidden items and will be invaluable in the area ahead.

The other scientist in the house gives you a mission: show him all four seasonal forms of Sawsbuck.

So far you have seen three Deerling forms in the wild: Spring on Route 6, Winter on Route 8, and Autumn on Route 9.

Once you reach Route 12 you will find the Summer Deerling, completing your collection.

His reward: he will change the Nature of one of your Pokémon for free — but any further changes cost P50000 each.

Talk to the woman to the north, just outside near the Pokémon Center, and she will give you 5 Quick Balls.

North of the Pokémon Center, a set of stairs leads down into an open grassy courtyard.

There is a KBT Expressway entrance down here — but stepping inside brings a nasty surprise.

Advancing the Story

Like the route west to Route 9, this path is swarming with Shadow Grunts.

There is one reason to poke around: a Gem Family member has set up shop in this section.

The only way out of town is through the northeast house — go inside.

Inside you will find a staircase descending into the Underground Pass.

Underground Pass

The Underground Pass is a single long tunnel with no wild Pokémon to battle.

Talk to the man just inside the entrance and he will offer you a speed challenge: cross to the other side in under 15 seconds for a prize, with a second prize if you manage under 10 seconds.

Both targets are impossible without the Motorcycle — and tricky even with it.

About halfway through the tunnel, another man offers you a mission: find at least 150 hidden items.

Succeed and you will earn a Gold Bottle Cap.

Hidden items litter this tunnel, and the Dowsing Machine is your best tool for finding them.

Turn it on, follow the arrows in the top-left corner of the screen, and search when a star pops up.

If you crossed the tunnel fast enough, the man at the entrance hands over your prize.

The challenge resets daily, and the prize is a random stat-boosting Vitamin — HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, or Carbos.

Climb the stairs at the tunnel’s far end and you will emerge in a small clearing in the middle of an autumn forest.

Route 9

Leave the house and follow the path south to another small clearing.

Keep heading south until the path bends west — that is the entrance to Route 9. Be warned: it is crawling with Shadow Grunts.

The first person you meet emerging from the trees is a Grunt who challenges you on the spot.

After beating him, Jax arrives and offers to team up with you.

If you accept, you will be limited to your first three Pokémon, and every battle becomes a Double Battle. Jax brings a Staraptor, a Magneton, and a Gastrodon.

If you would rather keep your flexibility, decline — he will turn up again later when you actually need him.

Route 9 is mostly a looping trail around a central lake, with Shadow Grunts lurking all along it. Heading south first works best.

When you spot a break in the path heading south, take it.

A Grunt blocks the way — beat him, since it is worth it if you want to fight every trainer here.

Before facing Ivory, clear out every Shadow Grunt on the route. Follow the loop and beat them as you go, working all the way to the northern exit toward Route 7.

Once that is done, head into the long stretch of grass west of the lake.

Three Grunts wait in the long grass. After handling them, look east for a gap into the trees.

That path leads to your final confrontation with the Shadow on this route.

You will find a clearing with an item walled off by Strength boulders — push past it into the next clearing, where a cozy-looking house waits.

Confronting Ivory

A Grunt bars the way to the house itself — beat him like the rest and head inside.

Ivory has captured the two elderly residents — they own something she needs, and it is exactly what Jax was sent here to find.

Before you can act, she and one of her minions challenge you and Jax.

You win — but the victory feels hollow.

The old couple are twisted into horrifying shadow creatures, and you have to battle them as if they were Pokémon!

After You Win

Ivory and her grunts flee, but defeating their Shadow Warrior forms turns the old couple back to normal.

Dr. Harth explains that the Grunts stole the Prison Stone and are heading for the Ruins of Void to unleash something terrible.

Jax tells you to return to Tehl Town and find the Fallshore Gym Leader.

To get through Thundercap Mountain you will need to use Strength — which means you need his Badge.

Route 9, Liberated

If you fancy some training on the way back, Route 9 is now dotted with fresh trainers to challenge.

Otherwise, head southeast to press on.

Either way, continuing southeast brings you back to Tehl Town.

Mel is standing just outside the KBT Expressway entrance, looking a little distracted. Talk to him and he will head back to the Gym to open it up.

Travel back along Route 10 to the Fallshore Gym and take him on.

Fallshore Gym

This part covers:

• Challenge the Fallshore City Gym
• Obtain Permission to Use HM04 Strength
• Obtain HM02 Fly
• Reach the Thundercap Mountain Entrance

Taking on the Fallshore Gym (Fall Badge)

The Fallshore Gym specializes in Normal-type Pokémon. On paper, that would make it a textbook matchup for Fighting-types.

Talk to the Gym Guide by the entrance, though, and he will warn you that this gym plays by very unusual rules.

Every trainer inside — the leader included — battles you under Inverse Battle rules.

Under Inverse rules, the type chart is flipped: moves that are normally super effective now deal reduced damage, while moves that are normally resisted hit harder.

That is awkward for a Normal-type gym, because Normal moves are not super effective against anything — so Normal-on-Normal attacks still land for ordinary damage even with the chart reversed.

Your best bet is a squad of non-Fighting Pokémon armed with hard-hitting moves of any type other than Fighting.

The Best Path Through the Gym

The gym is spread across three areas linked by Lapras waterfalls, and the quickest route through them is confusing.

If the written directions confuse you, use the floor map from the original guide: follow the red line until it turns into the blue line, then follow the blue line.

Gym Puzzle Walkthrough (Step by Step)

Drop through the hole beside the Guide to reach the gym’s first area.

Three lily pad trails lead north from there — take the middle one.

Battle Picnicker Caitlin, and the path splits in two beyond her.

Both forks reach a Lapras that ferries you upward — take the right-hand one first.

That Lapras carries you up the waterfall to the gym’s second level, landing you on another lily pad trail.

Follow the lily pads to a small island in the middle of the pond, where you will find Mel’s secretary, Beauty Tamia.

Once Tamia is beaten, head for the left-hand trail.

There is a gap in that trail you cannot cross yet.

To close it, ride the Lapras just north of Tamia’s island up the waterfall to Beauty Alessia — once you have visited her, that Lapras repositions itself to bridge the gap in the lily pads.

Then cross the bridge to the east and head down the stairs.

Follow the straightforward path south, then west, to the other Lapras.

Ride it back down, then backtrack past Picnicker Caitlin to the right-side Lapras of the first chamber.

Retrace the route until you are back on Tamia’s island.

The gap is fixed now, so follow the lily pads north and east around the raised island to the right-side Lapras on this level.

Ride it up to the gym’s top level.

Gym Leader Mel is waiting up there, and this will be a demanding fight.

Gym Leader Mel

Mel fields a tough lineup — do not challenge him unless your team is above Lv. 35.

Heavy hits with more than 80 base power are your friend here, so give your team plenty of strong moves.

Defeated, Mel hands over the Fall Badge and TM42 Facade.

After the Win

Step outside after collecting your prize and Mel will stop you — he is not finished with you.

He has heard about the Shadow’s activity around Epidimy Town and Thundercap Mountain and wants them rooted out.

To help you aid his cause, he gives you a major gift: the Fly HM.

HM02 Fly unlocks fast travel across Borrius — and here you are not restricted to towns; you can fly to other points of interest too.

As with the other HMs, nobody needs to learn the move: if a Pokémon in your party can learn Fly, the Fly option appears in that Pokémon’s menu on the party screen.

Backtracking with HM04 Strength (Optional)

You should already have HM04 Strength from Epidimy Town — if not, talk to the Black Belt in the house by the southwest exit toward Route 11.

Strength opens up several item pickups in areas you have already visited. Here is the full list if you want to go back for them:

Moving the Story Forward

When you are ready to move on, return to Epidimy Town and walk to the Thundercap Mountain entrance, where Mel is waiting.

Mel wastes no time — he has his Miltank knock the guarding Shadow Grunt out of the way.

Head inside.

Thundercap Mountain lies ahead: five floors of trainers and wild Pokémon.

With luck, you will reach Zapdos before the Shadow do.

Thundercap Mountain

This part covers:

• Enter Thundercap Mountain
• Confront the Shadow
• Free the Captured Pokémon
• Rescue Zapdos from Shadow Admin Marlon
• Find a Missing Electivire
• Return to Epidimy Town

Thundercap Mountain: Floor 1

Your mission inside Thundercap Mountain is to free Zapdos from the Shadow Grunts.

With Strength now usable, you can push boulders around and explore the caverns freely.

The mountain crackles with electromagnetic energy, so leveling up Magneton, Charjabug, or Nosepass here will evolve them into their final forms.

Mel’s Miltank flattened a Shadow Grunt at the entrance before you went in — he is still out cold when you first arrive.

But head northeast and he suddenly snaps awake — he is the very same Grunt you fought back at the start of your journey.

Fortunately, he is just as easy to beat now as he was then.

Shove the Strength boulder eastward to clear the way forward.

A ladder sits in the northeast corner; climb it to reach 2F.

Thundercap Mountain: Floor 2

2F is large and confusing, so keep the original guide’s floor map handy if you get lost.

After the ladder, descend the steps, cross the bottom of the cavern, and climb another set of steps to the east.

Once up on the raised platforms, cross the short bridge north and you will soon run into a Shadow Grunt.

Beat him, then continue north and east across the cave floor.

Next you will reach a field scattered with Strength boulders.

It looks worse than it is — only two of them truly block your path. Push past and keep heading east.

Past the boulders, you will spot a staircase climbing east to another set of raised platforms.

Skip it for now, but note the spot — you will be coming back here later.

For now, head northeast and stick close to the northern edge of the platforms.

Squeeze through the narrow gap between the platforms until you find stairs heading north.

A Shadow Grunt is guarding a bridge here — that is the way to 3F, so get past him and climb the ladder.

Thundercap Mountain: Floor 3

3F: Main Chamber

This floor’s gimmick: push boulders onto floor buttons to raise stone bridges.

Shove one boulder eastward, then cross the new gap.

There is a nurse on this island — and unlike most, she will heal your team outright, no battle required. Very handy.

Once healed, head north and push the boulder there onto the western button.

Cross the new stone bridge and a Shadow Grunt will challenge you on the far side.

Beat him, then push another boulder onto the northern button.

A cavern opening appears here — go in.

It is a short tunnel with an optional trainer and an item to the north.

Take the far exit to emerge on the other side of the main chamber.

On the far side, head south to a boulder that can go on either a west or east button.

Make sure it ends up on the east one.

From here the route is straightforward — just push boulders ahead one at a time; there are hardly any branches.

The ladder up to 4F is in the southeast corner.

Push your way across and climb up.

Thundercap Mountain: Floor 4

4F: Main Chamber

The summit is close now — one more floor to go.

And this floor is a single, simple linear path.

Head north; the path bends west beneath a waterfall, with another Shadow Grunt waiting beyond it.

After her, keep going south and you will soon meet another Grunt.

Beating that one reveals a Chansey — welcome healing by this point.

Climb the ladder and you are at the very top of the mountain.

Thundercap Mountain: Floor 5

You emerge into the open air, where the mountain lives up to its name — the summit crackles with lightning and thunder.

No wild Pokémon live up here, though.

Head north to face a Shadow Grunt; beyond him the path forks three ways:

• Left
• Up the stairs
• Right

Take the right path for now.

Follow it down some stairs, then up a longer flight, where another Shadow Grunt is waiting.

Beat her and climb the stairs behind her.

Freeing the Captured Pokémon

An electric fence holds captured Pokémon behind it — you will need a special key to shut it off.

Beat the Grunt here, but do not push on — the way ahead is blocked until those Pokémon are freed.

Backtrack all the way to the entrance ladder and the first fork. This time take the stairs and keep following the path.

Another Shadow Grunt blocks the way — and fortunately, only one more remains after him.

The last Grunt at the path’s end carries the Barrier Key, which disables the electric fences.

Free this group and the Pokémon behind the other fence are released as well.

Head back to the other electric fence — the freed Pokémon have already started repairing the way onward.

They mend the route up to the summit, leaving you free to climb and confront Marlon.

Zapdos gives Marlon more trouble than Articuno and Moltres did, but he manages to capture it — and he is not pleased to see you followed him.

The Battle for Zapdos

Marlon challenges you himself this time — and he has brought Zapdos.

His team is formidable, but the trainers you have fought through Thundercap make good training for it.

Surprisingly, Marlon releases Zapdos when you beat him.

You are told to head back to Epidimy Town — but two things are worth doing in Thundercap before you leave.

Return to 2F and find the bridged platforms in the middle of the chamber.

There is another ladder there — previously blocked by a sleeping Shadow Grunt.

He is gone now, so climb up to 3F’s Tablet Chamber.

3F: The Tablet Chamber

You arrive on a raised platform between an electric fence and an ancient stone tablet.

Cross the bridge south, then another east.

Hiker Earl is waiting for you.

Beat him, then cross the north bridge to a ladder leading to 4F.

You cannot get far up there yet without Surf, though.

Instead, take the stairs down, pass under the bridge to the west, and battle Ruin Maniac Stanley.

The ancient tablet stands north of Stanley, bearing the clue “PRESSURE ELSEWHERE IS THE KEY”.

You will solve half of this riddle in the 4F Electivire Chamber; the rest comes later.

Climb back to the platforms, backtrack past Hiker Earl, and take the south-leading bridge east.

Shocker Picard will challenge you there — beat him and take the final bridge north.

A ladder here leads to a 4F area called the Electivire Chamber — the name will make sense very soon.

4F: The Electivire Chamber

Climb the ladder and walk south until you see a small step up onto a raised platform.

Follow it west to a bridge.

Cyclist Issac confronts you on the bridge, but he will not give you much trouble.

Continue past him to another bridge heading north.

Across it you will find a small area with a Strength boulder and a hole it needs to go into.

Smash the rocks with Rock Smash first to clear a path.

Dropping that boulder into the hole solves half of the tablet puzzle — you will return to this mountain later for the other half.

With the boulder placed, walk back to the ladder and take the east passage.

Two tunnels there are blocked by breakable rocks — head to the northern one first.

A trainer’s Electivire has gone wild and needs to be wrangled.

Approach it and it flees — you will have to chase it down.

Go back, break the southern rock, and head down that passage.

Eventually you will come face to face with the unruly Electivire.

Defeat it and it returns to its Poké Ball. Grateful, its trainer says he will meet you at the Epidimy Pokémon Center with a reward.

Leaving the Mountain

There is nothing more to do in Thundercap Mountain for now.

An Escape Rope is the fast way out — without one, it is a long walk back.

Either way, exit the mountain and head for Epidimy Town.

Back to Epidimy Town

Outside, Jax shows up and you tell him about the Zapdos incident.

He says he is heading to Dehara City next, but you should visit Tarmigan Mansion first to gain the ability to Mega Evolve.

Before that, stop by the Epidimy Pokémon Center to check on the Electivire’s trainer.

Unfortunately, the Electivire has been stolen by the time you arrive, so there is no reward yet — you will have to track down the thief in Seaport City when you get there.

For now, head west onto Route 11 to continue your journey.

Onward Through Cliff Cave

Reaching Tarmigan Mansion means going through Cliff Cave.

You can reach the cave from Route 11.

With Strength available, your route through the cave is clear.

Tarmigan Town & Tarmigan Mansion

This part covers:

• Enter Cliff Cave
• Explore the upper part of Route 11
• Visit Tarmigan Town
• Challenge Tarmigan Mansion
• Obtain Mega Evolution

Cliff Cave and Upper Route 11

Battle for Mega Evolution

Route 12 and Dehara City

• Go through Route 12 and battle your Rival
• Obtain HM03 Surf
• Enter Dehara City
• Challenge the Double Battle House
• Visit Cloud Game Corner

Route 12

Mega Evolution is yours after clearing Tarmigan Mansion — head north out of Tarmigan Town onto Route 12, which runs all the way to Dehara City.

You won’t get far up the route before a familiar face shows up.

Rival Battle

Your Rival is back, fresh from beating the Mansion himself, and he’s eager to show you how much stronger he’s gotten since you last met.

Beat him once more and he can barely believe it — but Professor Log arrives before he can dwell on it.

Your Rival isn’t thrilled to see him and wants to get back to hunting for his parents.

Fortunately for both of you, Professor Log has something that will make that search easier.

Picking Up HM03 Surf

It’s HM03, Surf!

You won’t be able to use it until you earn the Dehara City Gym Badge, though.

Professor Log points you toward Dehara City to find Jax — after the badge, the two of you can Surf to the Ruins of Void together.

With your Rival and the Professor gone, you’re free to keep moving through the route.

Working Through Route 12

Walk west down the two sets of stairs, passing Collector Steve along the way.

A cutscene plays: Marlon stands on a beach, still at a loss after his defeat at Thundercap Mountain. Before he can figure out his next move, a strange Grunt appears behind him and teleports him away.

When the cutscene ends, keep going until you spot Worker Braxton to the northwest.

Beat him, then head north for another cutscene.

Hoopa, the portal Pokémon, has fetched the strange Grunt a Pokémon in a bag — but that’s not what the Grunt wanted.

He wants Zapdos. Hoopa summons it, and the Grunt captures it.

So the Shadow have every Legendary Pokémon they needed after all.

Walk northwest to the entrance to the beach from the cutscenes.

Step west onto the sand and you’ll quickly notice the bag Hoopa left behind.

Make sure your party has an empty slot, then examine the bag.

A Cosmog is inside!

With that incredibly rare Pokémon claimed, continue on to Dehara City.

Head back past Psychic Johan, then take the stairs climbing east up the cliff face.

Keep climbing, battling Kindler Fry on the way up.

Once he’s beaten, walk north along the ledge.

You’ve reached Dehara City — a big place with plenty to do and explore.

Step through the gate to move on.

Dehara City

Follow the road in from the gate until you reach the Pokémon Center — that marks the start of Dehara City proper.

Dehara City is huge, so the smart approach is to start in one area and work clockwise around town to avoid missing anything.

Your first stop should be the road leading east.

Two big buildings stand here — the first is the Pokémon Center, so head inside.

A girl inside will hand you 5 Luxury Balls, and she’ll also swap the Ball of any Pokémon on your team to a Luxury Ball.

The next building along is the enormous Dehara Department Store — go on in.

The Dehara Department Store

One warning: this isn’t just a shopping trip — trainers on 3F and above will challenge you on sight, so stay ready.

The store has:

• A regular Poke Mart on 2F
• An Evolution Stone shop on 3F
• A TM shop on 4F
• A Stat Items shop on 5F
• And a Mail shop on 6F

As for the trainers:

On 2F, a maid will buy anything in your inventory that looks like an ingredient or food item — typically organic healing items.

On 6F there’s a very strange woman who acts like a vending machine.

Odd vibes aside, buy a Soda Pop from her — you’ll need it in a moment.

When you’re done shopping, leave the building and head west.

Back Out in Dehara City

There’s no way to earn the badge from the Gym right now — it sits on an island with no way across the water yet.

Remember where it is for later.

Keep following the road west, then turn north, ignoring any forks along the way.

You’ll soon reach this city’s Expressway entrance, where a few new Gem Shops have opened.

Tip: the path to Dresco Town and the rest of the tunnel network is open too, if you want to backtrack that way.

Just east of the Expressway entrance is a large park.

Like in Epidimy Town, sitting on one of the benches here earns you a random healing item.

After that, keep going north and you’ll arrive at a large beach.

A Battle Girl here is very thirsty — hand over the Soda Pop you bought at the Department Store and she’ll give you an Expert Belt.

From there, head back to the park, leave by its south exit, and follow the street east past a row of houses until you see a house with a sign next to it.

You’ve found the Double Battle House — the same concept as the one in Dresco Town.

Head inside for some training.

Double Battle House

It works exactly like Dresco’s version — the trainers here can be fought over and over, so if you ever feel underleveled, put in some time here.

The house beside it is a little easter egg from the game’s developers — everyone who contributed has their own avatar and a witty line, just like the Game Freak rooms in the official Pokémon games.

Other Notable Areas

Just northeast of those two houses is a cave entrance — that’s Rift Cave. Best to save exploring it for later.

For now, head south until you find a block of four houses.

Every one of these houses has things to do and collect, so start with the northwest one and continue clockwise.

The family on the northwest house’s lower floor is all about Pokémon happiness.

The girl will tell you how happy your lead Pokémon is, and the boy will offer to play with one of yours to raise its happiness.

The man upstairs in the hallway wants to see a balloon-like Pokémon — anything in Jigglypuff’s line, or Drifloon and Drifblim. He’ll reward you with an Air Balloon, which saves its holder from one Ground-type move before bursting.

A fisherman on the second floor of this unit gives you a mission: Pyukumuku on the beach are a hazard to swimmers, so throw any you find back into the ocean.

Go to the northern beach and clear out every Pyukumuku you can find until he tells you to report back.

No battles needed — just examine them and they’ll leave on their own.

Your reward for the beach cleanup is a Power Band.

With that house done, move on to the northeast one.

Talking to the Monferno here earns you a free Passho Berry, but her owner is the more important one.

Like the Unova trainer on Route 5, this trainer hails from Sinnoh and will offer you one of the three Sinnoh starters — Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup. Come back when you have 6 and 8 badges respectively for the other two.

Up on the second floor, a woman will give you 2 Yellow Shards.

The old lady living with her can teach Thunder Punch if you hand over those shards — otherwise, hang onto them for later.

A Hiker lives in the southeast house. He warns that the Great Desert east of Dehara is dangerous without the right equipment.

He offers to lend you his Go-Goggles, but only after you beat the Dehara Gym. Remember where he lives for later.

Time for the southwest house now.

A gentleman inside will buy any ore items you have — the same deal the maid offers for food items.

More importantly, the man in the hallway beside him buys Rare Bones for twice what Poké Marts pay — P10000 each.

Head upstairs: if you’ve been adventurous, you’ll have seen (not caught) at least 250 Pokémon by now. If so, the old man up here will give you a Binding Band.

Cloud Game Corner

One more destination in Dehara City: the Cloud Game Corner, just above the Department Store.

Talk to the man outside for a Coin Case — essential if you want to play any of the minigames.

Inside, you’ll spot Jax at one of the machines.

For now, talk to the other patrons — they’ll hand you various amounts of Coins to get you started.

The man in the northwest corner gives you a mission: earn 3000 Coins in a single day by playing the game Cloud Burst.

Cloud Burst is a minigame where you steer an Altaria, flying around and popping balloons. It takes quite a few runs to rack up 3000 points, but it’s doable.

The reward is something special — a Balloon Pikachu with Levitate and the moves Fly, Agility, Slam, and Discharge. It could come in handy.

If you’re willing to grind more Coins, several other rare Pokémon are only available in the Game Corner Shop.

Continuing the Story

Once you’re finished in the Game Corner, talk to Jax to get things moving again.

Before you do, make sure everything is in order — you won’t be coming back to town for a long while.

Ruins of Void

• Enter the Ruins of Void
• Defeat the Guardian of the Ruins
• Survive the Portal Challenge
• Observe the Ritual
• Escape Cube Space

Getting to the Ruins of Void

You’re in the Dehara City Game Corner, having just found Jax.

He wants to step outside to talk about your next move and how you’ll reach the Ruins of Void.

He mentions you’ll need the Dehara Gym Badge before you can use Surf — but before you can discuss it further, Hoopa appears and drags you both away through a portal!

Ruins of Void (Exterior)

Looks like Hoopa has delivered you to the Ruins of Void ahead of schedule.

The Shadow Grunts spot you right away, and in desperation they blow up the mountainside — destroying the staircase and injuring Jax’s Staraptor.

Jax decides to wait outside while you go find his Staraptor and deal with the Shadow. He can heal your team whenever it’s running low, so head through the cave opening into the catacombs.

Ruins of Void – B3F

At the start of this floor, an Abra will take you back to Dehara City if you’re missing anything.

Maze Solution

Three passages lie ahead — take the one on the right first.

An Ancient Tablet waits at the end of that passage with a hint: “SWITCH BELOW THEN AVOIDING THE DUSCLOPS IS THE KEY”.

The central passage is packed with Dusclops, so steer clear of it.

Head back past the Abra and go down the left passage.

Follow the left passage all the way around until you reach an ancient lever.

Pull it, and your Dusclops problem is gone.

Now walk down the central passage — the Dusclops are sealed off, but another gate blocks the way forward.

Go east and follow that passage, ignoring any forks.

You’ll eventually reach the second switch — pull it and the gate opens.

Continue north past the gates, following the only remaining passage to the third and final switch.

Pull it and you’re free to take the left passage.

Walk through the left passage and you’ll eventually spot a ladder to the next floor.

A tough fight hits you the moment you arrive upstairs, so heal your Pokémon before climbing up.

Ruins of Void – Higher Interior

Ruins of Void – B2F

A Claydol confronts you and demands you prove yourself in battle.

This boss fight, like the others in the Ruins of Void, is level scaled even on Vanilla difficulty.

That means Claydol will sit a couple of levels below you no matter how overleveled you might be.

Once defeated, it smashes its way through the west wall of the chamber, revealing an exit.

Going through it puts you outside the ruins.

Follow the path around until you see another opening.

Head inside and you’ll be in the second B2F chamber.

A set of double doors leads north, but they’re sealed for now.

Hoopa Puzzle

You’ll need to work the tile puzzle in the middle of the room to open them.

You can drag and drop the pieces wherever you like.

The finished image should look like Hoopa.

Once you’ve reassembled the Hoopa picture, the double doors open.

There’s a ladder in the chamber beyond that takes you to the next floor.

Ruins of Void – B1F

Once you emerge, head west.

You’ll see another opening leading outside.

You’re nearly at the top of these pyramid-shaped ruins, it seems.

Continue along the ledge and you’ll pass another entrance.

But something more important catches your eye — Jax’s injured Staraptor.

When you reach it, Jax will follow you up the ruin and nurse it back to health. He then moves to this level, so you no longer have to trek all the way back down to heal.

That matters, because you’ll need a healed team for the next battle.

Portal Challenge

Head inside the next chamber, and Claydol is waiting for you.

To test you further, it opens a portal — and you’re challenged to defeat the three legendary Johto beasts one after another, with no break in between.

Since they’re level scaled, expect a tough fight.

The tile Claydol sits on is actually an elevator to the upper floor — once it leaves, you can ride it up.

Ruins of Void – 1F

Finally, you’re at the peak of the ruins.

The Grunts are shocked to see you, but they won’t confront you until you pass them.

One of the Grunts battles you, and thankfully it isn’t level scaled.

After you win, the other Grunt wants to fight — but Jax shows up to distract them and you slip back into the ruins. Talk to Jax here and he’ll heal you again.

Head inside and climb down the ladder into one more chamber.

Ruins of Void – Final Chamber

There’s not much here except a long hallway — walk through it and you’ll find another ladder going down.

Climb down and it won’t be long before Shadow Grunts capture you and drag you to the ritual site.

Ritual Challenge

Zeph, the leader of the Shadow, attempts the ritual of unbinding — and fails.

The strange red-haired Grunt from before steps forward and reveals himself as Aklove, a descendant of the king who warred with Borrius ages ago.

He performs the ritual himself, causing Hoopa to be Unbound in the hope of destroying Borrius.

To help bring that about, he orders Hoopa to open two portals and summon the legendary Johto birds to defeat you — one at a time, thankfully.

Beat them and Aklove has another trick up his sleeve — he’ll do to you what he did to Marlon and seal you inside Cube Space!

You’re teleported away to a strange landscape.

Cube Space

Cube Space is an extremely strange environment, and an absolute maze to navigate.

You’ll have to work through a bit of a teleporter maze, and it can be confusing, so follow these steps:

1. Walk east and hop on the next teleport pad.
2. From there, walk north to the T-junction, take the west path and hop on the teleport pad.
3. Walk north and then east. Do not take the teleport pad — go past it and turn north.
4. You’ll come to three choices of teleport pad — take the right one.
5. Go south. You will come to a pad — do not take it. Go past it to the second pad.
6. Step on that second pad — do not go any further.

Once you step on that pad, you’re whisked away to an area with two other people — one of them is Marlon, and the other is your dad, Aros!

Aros explains he’s been trapped in Cube Space for years, and Marlon only joined him recently.

Together, all three of you work out a way for you and Marlon to escape — Aros has to stay behind, since he needs to be freed manually.

After an emotional goodbye, you’re teleported to Cinder Volcano.

Heading to Cinder Volcano

Cinder Volcano is home to the Shadow Base entrance — through the cave entrance the Shadow Grunt was blocking the last time you were here.

Head inside to confront the Shadow.

Cinder Volcano Depths and the Shadow Base

• Follow Marlon into the Depths of Cinder Volcano
• Defeat Vega and the Light of Ruin
• Survive the Encounter with Primal Groudon
• Infiltrate Shadow Base
• Challenge Shadow Boss Zeph

Cinder Volcano Depths – Overview

Cinder Volcano Depths – 1F

When you enter the cavern, you’ll see someone in a strange uniform passed out on the floor — presumably put there by Marlon.

But when you try to walk past him toward the ladder, he jumps up and reveals himself as a Grunt of Aklove’s new organization, the Light of Ruin.

He’s easy to handle, but afterward he runs off to tell the rest of the Light of Ruin you’re here. Climb down the ladder after him.

Cinder Volcano Depths – B1F

When you climb down the ladder, the Grunt is desperate to reach his boss before you do.

Follow him, and you’ll walk into a confrontation already in progress.

Vega, the Crater Town Gym Leader and spy for the Shadows, is apparently now a leader of the Light of Ruin — and Marlon wants to take him down.

Time for a Double Battle.

Like the battles with Jax, you need to pick three Pokémon to fight alongside Marlon’s three — a Krookodile, a Cacturne, and a Dusclops.

This battle is straightforward, since Marlon’s Pokémon are quite formidable and make good partners.

After you win, Vega tries to escape, and Marlon chases him deeper into the volcano.

Two chambers are accessible from this central area — both hold useful items, but the left one is worth visiting first.

You find the body of a Shadow Warrior. Knowing what you know now about how they’re made, you’re given the option to lay it to rest.

After that, go back to the main chamber and head south.

Make sure your Pokémon are fully healed before climbing down the ladder — an extremely tough fight lies ahead.

Cinder Volcano Depths – B2F

Marlon thinks he has Vega cornered, but Vega has one card up his sleeve — an artifact that summons a Primal Groudon from the heart of the volcano!

Vega flees, leaving you and Marlon to face the legendary Pokémon. Worse, a rockfall cuts you off from your Pokeballs.

Marlon offers to command your Pokémon against the Groudon — highly unusual, but your only option.

This is one of the toughest battles in the game.

The Groudon is level scaled, so you can’t really overprepare. On top of that, you can only tell Marlon to switch Pokémon or use items — you can’t choose the moves he orders.

It’s very hit and miss, because the move he picks may not be the most effective or powerful one.

But if you manage to beat Primal Groudon, the rockfall clears and you and Marlon are free to chase Zeph.

Marlon explicitly tells you not to follow him to the Shadow Base. Your updated mission objective, however, says otherwise.

Getting to Shadow Base

The Shadow Base is in the same place it was at the very start of the game — just outside your hometown, Frozen Heights.

It was sealed behind you when you left last time, but now it’s been unsealed — Marlon’s doing, presumably.

Head on inside.

Shadow Base – 1F

When you enter, you’ll have the choice of going left or right.

Left leads back to the area you escaped from before; right leads where you need to go now.

Apparently Marlon decided to ditch his uniform after breaking through the front door — it’s lying there for you to pick up and put on.

As ‘Marlon’, you’ll be able to move around the Shadow Base pretty freely.

Head west and you’ll see a room with a scientist in it.

Just north of him is an item you’ll need — the Level 1 Key Card.

There are locked doors all over this base, and this card gets you through some of them.

There’s only one way to travel between floors here, and that’s the elevator.

It even comes with its own elevator attendant.

First, head to B1F.

Shadow Base – B1F

Good thing you picked up that keycard upstairs — the way forward is locked behind Level 1 access.

Open the doors and head on through.

First, visit the northeast room to grab something useful.

It’s the Level 2 Key Card, sitting on a desk where a Grunt is working.

With it, you can go back to the area where you woke up at the start of the game and open the locked door there — inside is a Mega Stone for your starter Pokémon: a Metagrossite, Garchompite, or Tyranitarite.

Past another Level 1 door, a Grunt wants to battle you — as a friendly sparring session, of course.

You can fight him again and again if you need training.

Once you’ve grabbed everything of value on this floor, head back to the elevator and select B2F.

Shadow Base – B2F

As soon as you arrive on this floor, you’ll need your keycard to open another security door.

Head east and then south until someone crosses your path along the corridor.

Just like the Shadow Grunt upstairs, this Scientist offers herself as a training partner.

In the south part of this floor is the entrance to the lab where the Shadow Warriors are made.

The Grunt guarding it thinks you’re Marlon, so he lets you in.

This is where you’ll find the final item you need — the Level 3 Key Card.

With it, you can head back to the elevator and go straight to B3F, where Zeph has his office.

Shadow Base – B3F

B3F is the final floor of the base, and Marlon is already here ahead of you.

A man with scruffy red hair walks through a security door — this must be Marlon out of uniform.

Now that you have the Level 3 card, you can follow him.

Zeph is in the middle of explaining himself to Marlon when you barge through the door.

He accuses you of being a spy, so it’s time to battle Zeph one more time.

After you beat him, Zeph soon comes to his senses when Marlon tells him your father is Aros.

Zeph explains why he developed the method for making Shadow Warriors, and how Fey, the leader of the Science Society, manipulated him all along.

The most interesting revelation, though, is that Marlon and Ivory are none other than your Rival’s parents!

The Light of Ruin has been detected in Vivill Town, across the Great Desert east of Dehara City.

But you’ll need to beat the Gym first — so that’s where you’re heading next.

The Dehara Gym — Battery Badge

The Dehara Gym — Battery Badge

The Dehara Gym breaks the mold of every Gym you’ve taken on so far. This one runs on two types at once: Electric and Steel.

• Steel-type attacks hit Fairy-, Ice-, and Rock-type Pokémon hard
• Steel-type Pokémon are vulnerable to Fighting-, Fire-, and Ground-type moves
• Electric-type attacks hit Flying- and Water-type Pokémon hard
• Electric-type Pokémon have a single weakness: Ground-type moves

So a Ground-type team looks like the obvious answer — but it isn’t. The gym’s magnetic field lifts every Pokémon off the ground, making them completely immune to Ground-type attacks.

Your real answer is something that punishes Steel-types, like a Fire-type such as Camerupt. If you’ve picked up the Cameruptite, Mega Evolve it in battle — Mega Camerupt’s Fire attacks will tear through most Steel-types on the roster, and the extra power helps against the Electric-types too.

Every Gym Trainer

Solving the Gym Puzzle

This gym is genuinely tricky to navigate, so it pays to keep a mental picture of the route while you work through it. The optimal path is marked by colored lines in this order:

• red
• blue
• green
• yellow
• magenta
• cyan
• purple
• orange

The gym spans three floors — 1F, B1F, and B2F. Elevators on one of the floors can reach either of the other two levels. Bulb switches throughout the building flip the electric gates on and off, and pressing them changes your line color so the backtracking stays readable.

Start by heading east from the Guide, ride the moving platform, and you’ll reach a room with two elevators. Step onto the leftmost elevator to drop down to B1F. Head northwest and you’ll meet the first trainer in your way: Super Nerd Ezra. Beat him, then go north to a bulb switch — these switches control the electric gates, so they’re the key to the whole gym. Flip this one on, then ride back up to the platform you came from on 1F.

This time take the elevator you skipped before — the northern one — which drops you into a different section of B1F. Ride the moving platform north and you’ll bump into Worker Humphrey. After beating him, continue north and take the elevator there down to B2F. You’ll spot two Tesla coils that once powered an electric fence, but they’ve gone quiet — flipping that first bulb rerouted the energy and cleared your path forward.

Ride an elevator up to 1F and walk past Guitarist Luca, then take the elevator near him back down to B2F. You’ll notice the electric gate to the south is still active. Find the elevator to the right of the one you arrived on and ride it back up to 1F, where another bulb waits. Switch it on — and memorize this spot, because you’ll need to return later. Head back to the previous elevator.

There’s another elevator in the north part of this area; ride it up to B1, where you’ll face Scientist Giselle. Defeat her, head west to yet another elevator, and ride it up to B1. The third bulb is here — flip it on, and again, memorize the spot: you’ll have to come back and switch it off again before you’re done.

Now head back to the Tesla coils on B2F that were blocking you earlier. They’re dead now, so walk past them and up to battle Scientist Jerry. Take the elevator past him to B1, where another set of deactivated Tesla coils stands. Walk through them to the only exit available — the other elevator, which carries you up to 1F.

The fourth bulb sits on the next platform. Turn it on and retrace your steps. Remember where Scientist Jose and the third bulb were, on 1F? You need to go back there now. When you arrive, turn that bulb off. Then make your way back to where the second bulb was — southeast of Guitarist Luca on 1F — and switch that one off too. After that, trek all the way back to the gym entrance on 1F; you should be standing near the Guide again.

Now you can cross to the other side of the first platform and slip through the Tesla coils there. Take the elevator behind the disengaged coils down to B2F. Walk east from the elevator and you’ll run into Collector Ashton. Step onto the elevator just southeast of him to reach B1F. This is the fifth and final bulb — turn it on, then head back to the southwest corner of B2F. From there, go north and you’ll see one last set of Tesla coils, deactivated. Worker Bernie is the last trainer between you and the Gym Leader. Beat him, go north, and you’ll finally face Galavan.

Gym Leader Galavan

Remember the man lurking in the corner of every gym city’s Pokémon Center, always offering his take on the local Gym Leader? That’s Galavan — and he’s the leader of this gym. As if the levitation gimmick weren’t enough, he insists on facing you in a Double Battle.

Win the match and Galavan hands you TM92 Volt Switch along with the Battery Badge — and that badge finally lets you use Surf outside of battle.

Surf Backtracking Spots (Optional)

Back on Route 12, Professor Log gave you and your Rival the HM for Surf, but you’ve had no way to actually use it. That’s over now. If you want to backtrack, there are several valuable pickups you can finally reach with Surf:

Continuing the Story

When you’re done exploring, Fly to Cinder Volcano and take the 1F shortcut to the east exit onto Route 4. There are a few important pickups waiting on Routes 13 and 14 — the waters you were meant to surf toward the Ruins of Void before Hoopa interfered. Hop on your Pokémon and surf south into Route 13 to get started.

Routes 13 and 14

Route 13

Now that Surf is usable, head to Route 4 West and surf south into Route 13. Routes 13 and 14 are ocean routes, and they would have been the only way to reach the Ruins of Void before Hoopa intervened. Beyond the important pickups scattered across both routes, there’s a challenge waiting here — the Ocean Master Challenge — which makes for excellent training before you head into the Great Desert. To finish the challenge, you must defeat every trainer on Routes 13 and 14.

Beating Every Trainer

Swimmer Luis is waiting the moment you enter the route. From him, surf southeast to an island with a lone fisherman — Fisherman Wade, your second battle. Southeast of Wade’s island sits a smaller island holding two more trainers, a Swimmer (Tiffany) and a Fisherman (Nolan). East of here lies Dehara City, which gives you a handy shortcut back to town if you need healing — remember that there are no Nurses or Chanseys anywhere on Routes 13 or 14.

Once they’re handled, return to Wade’s island and head west until you hit sand. This is a large teardrop-shaped sand island packed with trainers. The first is Ninja Boy Nate, and he’s hidden — interact with the mound of sand to draw him out. South of him are four more trainers — Beauty Grace, Bird Keeper Ramiro, Tuber Amir, and Tuber Alexis — and they’re no pushovers. Consider heading back to Dehara to heal after those bouts.

With the teardrop island cleared, surf southeast. Two swimmers are circling here — Swimmer Richard and Swimmer Nora. Beat them, then loop back to the teardrop island and head southwest from there. Two more swimmers will ambush you as you push south — Swimmer Reece, with Swimmer Matthew just to the southwest. Make sure you catch both of them; one is easy to miss. Swimmer Melissa is south of them, beside a Trainer Tips sign. Keep going south and you’ll run into the route’s final trainer, Swimmer Anya. Defeat her and you’ll spot a sign marking the crossing point between Routes 13 and 14. The Ocean Master is northeast of here, so file that away for later, then continue south onto Route 14.

Route 14