_____ _
| __ \ | |
| |__) |__ | | _____ _ __ ___ ___ _ __
| ___/ _ \| |/ / _ \ '_ ` _ \ / _ \| '_ \
| | | (_) | < __/ | | | | | (_) | | | |
|_| \___/|_|\_\___|_| |_| |_|\___/|_| |_|
_____ _ _ _
| __ \(_) | | | |
| | | |_ __ _ _ __ ___ ___ _ __ __| | __ _ _ __ __| |
| | | | |/ _` | '_ ` _ \ / _ \| '_ \ / _` | / _` | '_ \ / _` |
| |__| | | (_| | | | | | | (_) | | | | (_| | | (_| | | | | (_| |
|_____/|_|\__,_|_| |_| |_|\___/|_| |_|\__,_| \__,_|_| |_|\__,_|
_____ _
| __ \ | |
| |__) |__ __ _ _ __| |
| ___/ _ \/ _` | '__| |
| | | __/ (_| | | | |
|_| \___|\__,_|_| |_|
Boss FAQ
By Alex Goodman
alejandronator(at)gmail(dot)com
Copyright XBassXUmbraX (Alex Goodman) All rights reserved.
Only Gamefaqs has permission to use this guide as of 6/26/07
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
OVER ( 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 6 ) SERVED AND COUNTING!!!
\_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Version History.............................................................|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
v0.0: Began this guide. (5/27/07)
v1.0: First version obviously. (6/20/07 @ 0 Hits)
v1.1: Fixed some typos, added a few unknowns, and added a neat little counter
on the top that shows approximately how many hits my guide has recieved up
until this point. Keep 'em coming guys! (6/22/07 @ 1887 Hits)
v1.5: I looked a some Youtube videos by Marriland and it turns out that all
of the Galactic Commanders use items, so I updated that. Thank you King
Marriland! I also wrote an explanation of the formatting of this guide, and
updated the counter of course. Expect Counter updates about once a week.
Again keep'em coming, and please help me fill in anymore missing info
if any of you can! (6/26/07 @ 4944 Hits)
v2.0: Added a General FAQ section with a Mail Bag. I also added a little more
guidelines to the contact section for future e-mail updates. Finally, I made
some more corrections with some of the items the Bosses were using and some
typos.
(6/29/07 @7956 Hits)
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Table of Contents...........................................................|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Introduction...........................................................[INT]|
|Preparation: Team Building.............................................[P00]|
|-Selecting Your Starter................................................[P01]|
|-Selecting Other Pokemon...............................................[P02]|
|-Battling Tips: Review.................................................[P03]|
|Bosses.................................................................[B00]|
|-Rival Battle 1........................................................[B01]|
|-Gym Leader Roark......................................................[B02]|
|-Galactic Commander Mars Battle 1......................................[B03]|
|-Gym Leader Gardenia...................................................[B04]|
|-Galactic Commander Jupiter Battle 1...................................[B05]|
|-Rival Battle 2........................................................[B06]|
|-Gym Leader Maylene....................................................[B07]|
|-Gym Leader Wake.......................................................[B08]|
|-Rival Battle 3........................................................[B09]|
|-Gym Leader Fantina....................................................[B10]|
|-Rival Battle 4........................................................[B11]|
|-Gym Leader Byron......................................................[B12]|
|-Galactic Commander Saturn Battle 1....................................[B13]|
|-Galactic Commander Mars Battle 2......................................[B14]|
|-Gym Leader Candice....................................................[B15]|
|-Galactic Boss Cyrus Battle 1..........................................[B16]|
|-Galactic Commander Saturn Battle 2....................................[B17]|
|-Galactic Commanders Mars and Saturn (Double!).........................[B18]|
|-Galactic Boss Cyrus Battle 2..........................................[B19]|
|-Gym Leader Volkner....................................................[B20]|
|-Rival Battle 5........................................................[B21]|
|Elite Four.............................................................[E00]|
|-Elite Four Aaron......................................................[E01]|
|-Elite Four Bertha.....................................................[E02]|
|-Elite Four Flint......................................................[E03]|
|-Elite Four Lucien.....................................................[E04]|
|-Champion Cynthia......................................................[E05]|
|Optional Bosses........................................................[OP0]|
|-Final Rival Battle....................................................[OP1]|
|-Tower Tycoon Palmer Battle 1..........................................[OP2]|
|-Tower Tycoon Palmer Battle 2 (Coming Soon!)...........................[OP3]|
|Contact................................................................[C00]|
|-FAQ...................................................................[C01]|
|-Mail Bag..............................................................[C02]|
|Credits................................................................[CRD]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Introduction...........................................................[INT]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
First of all, before going into detail, I am assuming you know all the basics
of Pokemon. Most of the fundamental gameplay mechanics have not changed in
Diamond/Pearl, so I'll only briefly cover the basics before jumping right into
the advanced stuff and then... the Bosses!
But what is a Boss Battle? In pokemon games, I define them
to be battles that have different conditions than your common trainder battle.
These battles can be categorized into your rival encounters, gym leaders,
pokemon league, and the big wigs of team galactic, this game's "evil"
organization. Boss Battles tend to be a lot tougher than trainer battles, most
of which have teams at higher levels, well balanced movesets, and more
pokemon. Also, Gamefreak did seem to make this game a lot
more challenging than R/S/E and G/S/C by making the level pacing similar to
R/B/Y.
I will not be mentioning natures, EVs, or IVs. They are not crucial to
success in the standard game and many other FAQs cover them.
However, by reading this FAQ, you have already taken your first steps
into preparing yourself for the challenges ahead!*
*The idea behind this quote was taken out of a Princeton SAT prep book.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Preparation: Team Building.............................................[P00]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
When you begin the game and eventually choose your starter, you may feel like
you are the king of the world, after all, you defeated... A level 2 Starly!
But not so fast! Knowing the simple basics like type advantage isn't enough.
In order to apply your knowledge of the basics, you need to make a strong,
balanced team that can cover many weaknesses. For example, a team that would
consist of all flying type pokemon might dominate grass, bug, ground, and
fighting teams, but they'll be decimated by a team that contains even just one
rock, electric, or ice pokemon. So read my analyses of possible choices for
your team and make an informed decision for yourself! You're on gamefaqs now,
and you're a growing boy (or girl)!
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Selecting Your Starter.................................................[P01]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
In previous generations, the starters, your very first pokemon, were generally
boring, mono-type pokemon with a basic movepool. In Diamond/Pearl, all the
starters are dual-type and have much more impressive move-pools. While some
of the starters in this game are more worth using than others, they all have
their benefits. While they are a one time deal in the game, you could always
breed them and trade for other starters through Wi-Fi.
*Note: These reviews talk about stats, roles, and such.
Time for Bass to lay the Lowdown!
+-------------------------------------------------------+
|I. Piplup-(L16)->Prinplup-(L36)->Empoleon (Water/Steel)|
+-------------------------------------------------------+
Stats:
HP: 84
Attack: 86
Defense: 88
Speed: 60
Special Attack: 111
Special Defense: 101
Total: 530
Out of all the starters to choose from, Piplup and its evolution family is the
worst choice, despite the fact that it is a water type. Its movepool is quite
limited and doesn't learn a powerful move until level 24, Bubblebeam, and the
only other remarkable move is drill peck, which doesn't get STAB since
Empoleon is part steel instead of part flying. Not to mention that its only
above average stats are special attack, and to a lesser extent, special
defense. The part steel type does add some resistances but it also makes it
weak to both fighting and ground, which are very common in the game, so both
Torterra and Infernape will pummel it in battle. Overall it is probably the
worst starter of this generation, though it is still worth considering since
there are very few good water types in Sinnoh.
6/10
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
|II. Chimchar-(L14)->Monferno-(L36)->Infernape (Fire/Fighting)|
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
Stats:
HP: 76
Attack: 104
Defense: 71
Speed: 108
Special Attack: 104
Special Defense: 71
Total: 534
Infernape of the Chimchar family is probably the most suited of all starters
to be a sweeper. It has high attack and special attack and can be a dual
sweeper, though most of the moves in its movepool are physical attacks. It is
especially fast, with Purugly and Weavile being the only sinnoh exclusive
pokemon that are faster (Both are very weak to Infernape's fighting attacks
though.) Its level-up movepool is better than Empoleon's, most notably
Flare Blitz, Close Combat, and Calm Mind (Bulk Up would have been better).
But it also has a very diverse movepool through TM's, capable of learning
physical moves like Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Earthquake, and even Grass Knot,
which are all helpful in overcoming its weaknesses. The fire type is helpful
because there are so few of them in Sinnoh, particularly since it is the
insanely annoying Bronzor's only weakness. Fighting is also useful against
the common dark and rock types in the game. Although it has the highest base
stat total of the starters, it is quite frail, not to mention moves like Close
Combat and Flare Blitz only make it more so. Being weak to Psychic is also
bad, but its only something to worry about when fighting Alakazams. Overall,
with a high stat total, great speed, and great movepool, this is my starter
of choice.
8/10
+---------------------------------------------------------+
|III. Turtwig-(L18)->Grotle-(L32)->Torterra (Grass/Ground)|
+---------------------------------------------------------+
Stats:
HP: 95
Attack: 109
Defense: 105
Speed: 56
Special Attack: 75
Special Defense: 85
Total: 525
At first glance, Torterra of the Turtwig family isn't very appealing. It has
the lowest stat total of all the starters, it is part Grass which isn't very
useful except against water and ground types, and it is very, very slow. The
good news though is that it has a very good level-up movepool and that it is
part Ground type, not only giving it extra strengths against fire and Steel
types but also because it can learn Earthquake through leveling up, the game's
most quintessential move. Its TM movepool is not so stellar but the ground
dual-type makes it more useful than the grass starters of previous
generations. It is 4x weak to ice but that is uncommon. Overall a solid
choice.
7/10
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Selecting Other Pokemon................................................[P02]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Now that you have your starter selected, you may not even consider using other
pokemon. This is a common mistake many newer pokemon players make. As I said
above, a balanced team will be more effective in the long run. You have just
one pokemon and you go up against a boss with three or more pokemon, you're
as good as beat, no matter how uber you think your pokemon is. Many NPCs you
will talk to early in the game strongly encourage you to catch wild pokemon
for good reason!
Catching Pokemon is also very limited in scope however. You'll only have a few
Pokemon to choose from in each intermission, making it very difficult to
complete your team until about halfway through the game. Not to mention some
of the rarer Pokemon are are a pain to catch and are an even bigger pain to
train. You'll also need room for HM slaves, and most HMs, except for Surf
and Waterfall, are junk in battle.
The other real option is trading over Wi-Fi. You'll have access to a much
greater range of pokemon, albeit with several strings attached. The normal way
is simply posting on the trading board for what you want, but the board itself
is infested with topics like "SHINIES!!!111" and "Event Legendz!!!!111". At
the beginning of the game, the chances of you having a rare pokemon to match
are nigh.
You could also use the GTS in Jubilife city, but that too has its limits. You
can't use it until beating the first gym leader, and you can only request
for Pokemon seen in your Pokedex. Searching for what you want also yields many
people all over the world asking for Palkia for whatever crap they are willing
to offer and offering yourself may lead you to a pokemon that is hacked, not
at your desired level, or not have the moves you want. Despite this it is a
very good way to get useful pokemon before coming up to the big boys on the
message boards. It also pays off as traded Pokemon level up much quicker and
are thus easier to train.
For the most part however, you'll be relying on catching wild pokemon, so I
guess I can model a team for you and give you a sample.
First, you'll want a flying type pokemon. Many pokemon are flying dual type
in the game and can help in a number of battles. I would personally select
Starly, since he is easy to find earlier in the game and has a good final
evolution, Staraptor, with high speed and attack. You can get Murkrow a bit
later, as it is part Dark-type, but it is junk until it evolves into Honchkrow
fairly late in the game.
Next, a good electric type could help against water and flying types. The only
option is Shinx, which is crap until it finally evolves into Luxray at level
30. But it is a useful choice. Some people like Pikachu/Raichu, but like
Murkrow, it is not available until later in the game, and it is garbage until
it evolves into Raichu. I prefer Luxray.
Both of the above pokemon have high attack stats. Time for something special.
The two obvious choices are Abra and Gastly. Both are very frail but have
high special attack even at their early forms. However, they won't fully
evolve into Alakazam and Gengar respectively unless you trade them,
but many people are nice enough to help you with that, thanks to Wi-Fi.
Your remaining two choices can vary, as by the time you can choose, you'll
fortunately have many pokemon to choose from. You can choose Gible, which will
evolve into the ferocious Ground/Dragon Garchomp, or Riolu, which becomes the
ever so popular Fighting/Steel Lucario. There is also Buizel, a water type,
which evolves into Floatzel, and Grass/Poison Roselia, which becomes Roserade
through the Shiny Stone. It is really up to you but here was what my team
looked like at completion:
+---------------------------+
|Bass's Team |
+---------------------------+
|Infernape |
|Luxray |
|Staraptor |
|Gengar |
|Roserade |
|Lucario |
+---------------------------+
Now I did leave out the legendaries. Why? Personally, I am not a fan of using
them just because they are a huge pain to train and don't appear until very
late in the game. If you have the patience though, they are invaluable
additions. They have extemely high stat totals (and hence many called "ubers")
and can defeat bosses single handedly if properly trained. But that takes out
the fun of building your own team, doesn't it?
And don't forget, this is by no means a competitive team. Many competitive
teams cannot be achieved until after completing the game due to the nature
of the national dex, and thus a far wider (and better) range of pokemon to
choose from.
Even if your team is balanced though, you'll need to model its movesets
so at the worst case scenario you'll have some Super Effective Attacks
to use. An example is teaching Staraptor Close Combat to deal with
Rock-Type Pokemon. You should also only include 1 move per type on an
individual Pokemon to leave enough room for such instances, 1 of which being
a move that is the same type as the pokemon, for STAB. Lastly, it is important
to use moves that do effects besides damage. Some can boost stats, others can
inflict status changes on the opponent. Again, diverse movesets are the key.
Here is an example:
+-------------+
|A Bad Example|
+-------------+
Lucario
-Aura Sphere
-Close Combat
-Force Palm
-Me First
This is a common Lucario set most newbies would make. Lucario learns all of
these moves through level-up, and logically, it makes sense to put all
Fighting-type moves on Lucario for STAB, right?
Wrong! Lucario definitely has enough PP to unload fighting moves, but now it
is almost completely useless against Ghost-types that resist it and it won't
be doing much to Bug, Poison, Flying, and Psychic Types. But Lucario has the
stats and the movepool to contend with those, lets redo this moveset.
First, Force Palm and Close Combat are Both Physical Fighting-type moves.
You'll only need one STAB'd move. Close Combat has a higher base power of 120
vs 80. Aura Sphere is a Special-type move so it is being left out. It is
Fighting-type also though, so it isn't very good to have that with Close
Combat. Lucario has the stats to wield Special and Physical Attacks almost
equally effectively. Lucario has a little bit higher Special Attack, so go
with Aura Sphere.
Me first is a bad situational move so lets cut that out. That leaves three
slots for moves. What to choose? Since Lucario has good attack and Special
Attack, having both types of moves isn't a bad idea. One move could be
Earthquake, since it counters against Fire-Types it is weak to. Psychic
or Dark Pulse or even Dragon Pulse are good too. If you want a more Physical
Lucario, Swords Dance to double your Attack is a good idea too. Don't you dare
underestimate stat-altering moves, even ones like Growl and Tail Whip have a
use.
+--------------+
|A Good Example|
+--------------+
Lucario
-Aura Sphere
-Earthquake
-Psychic/Dark Pulse
-Swords Dance/Dragon Pulse
That is just one example. A good idea is to check out some of the other FAQs
or sites like pokemon.marriland.com or serebii.net for information on the
stats and possible moves of each pokemon.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Review: Battling Tips..................................................[P03]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Now that you have decided on what your team should look like, here is a quick
overview of basic battling concepts.
-Each Battle is turned-base. Pokemon with greater speed attack first if the
priority of the attacks are the same. The pokemon with a move of greater
priority always attacks first regardless of speed (Ex. Quick Attack.) This is
why Speed is important, it can even allow you to KO an opponent before they
can even attack, regardless of your defense!
-Attacks that are super effective against 1 type do 2x Damage, 4x if effective
against two types (of a dual type), .5x if not very effective, and 0x if not
effective at all.
-STAB is Same Type Attack Bonus. This means attacks that are the same type
as the user (Water pokemon using Water Pulse) get a 1.5x damage bonus, which
also stacks to the bonuses above. An example would be Close Combat, when used
by a fighting type, would have a Base power of 180 instead of 120.
-Damage is determined by the base power of an attack, and the probability of
it hitting is determined by accuracy. Both are found under descriptions for
each move. If the move is Physical, your Attack and your opponent's defense
are considered and vice-versa for special attacks.
-A new change to Diamond and Pearl is the classification of attacks. Physical
and Special attacks are not determined by type anymore but literally by what
they do. For this reason, paying attention to stats is far more important.
For example, if I had a Gyarados, I would want it to know one water move.
Now Surf seems to be the obvious choice since it is a reliable and powerful
water-type move, but in D/P, it is considered a Special Attack, and Gyarados
has a much higher Attack Stat. Waterfall, although inferior in Base Damage,
will be a much better choice as it is a Physical attack.
-Stat Boosting moves are important too. Moves like Swords Dance, Nasty Plot,
Curse, and Calm Mind are all great moves that can be used to take advantage
of a certain stat of your pokemon, and temporarily increase them by a very
significant amount in battle.
-Use Held Items! Some items can be held by pokemon and used in a pinch when
certain conditions are met. Unlike regular items such as potions, these do not
waste a turn in battle and can make a difference. Some can increase attack
power while others can cure status problems or restore HP. Some can be used
in combination with moves, such as Chesto Berries to wake up your pokemon
after using rest, thus elininating the move's drawback. Keep in mind common
held items like berries are one-time uses so be sure to pick up every berry
you find, and even plant some more!
If you know the basics of Pokemon, then that is really all of the tips I can
give, so now it is time to get to the bosses.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Bosses.................................................................[B00]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Here is a general table to show how I'll cover each boss:
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|Boss's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|Here I will list information on your opponent's team.|
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|Here I will list my team at the point of the battle. |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
A "Mini Boss" is a less significant battle than a regular Boss and they are
generally less difficult. A good (and only) example is your rival.
A "Boss" is a somewhat significant in the course of the game. There team tends
to be a bit larger and more difficult than a Mini Boss. They also use items
to heal their pokemon so they are a fairly annoying foe. A good example is
a Gym Leader.
A "Big Boss" is a battle of major importance in the game. They tend to have a
very large team with pokemon levels very close, if not equal to yours. A good
example is the Champion.
An important thing to know in these battles is that many of them possess items
that can restore the HP of their pokemon, which are leveled. Their lead
Pokemon will also hold a Berry to heal health in a pinch. Neither of these
items will activate unless their pokemon hits the red zone in Health (about
1/6th or 1/8th of their HP total.) Therefore it wouldn't be a bad idea to
consider rightfully timing your moves so that you can knock out opposing
Pokemon without having to worry about them healing. Another good strategy
if you are desperate would be sending the weaker team member on the opposing
team to red health so that your opponent will waste healing items on it, so
that you can hit your strongest opposing pokemon with full power.
And now, onto the battles!
+---------+
|MINI BOSS|
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Rival Battle 1.........................................................[B01]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Route 203 at beginning of the game
Ante: $900
Difficulty: 2/5
Items: None
Reward: None
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|Rival's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|Starly | 7 |Normal/Flying |None |
|-Picked Chimchar-------------------------------------|
|Piplup | 9 |Water |None |
|-Picked Piplup---------------------------------------|
|Turtwig | 9 |Grass |None |
|-Picked Turtwig--------------------------------------|
|Chimchar | 9 |Fire |None |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
|Chimchar | 11 |Fire |Oran Berry |
|Starly | 9 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Shinx | 9 |Electric |None |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
Your Rival's team (I named him Tyson) varies based on the starter you picked
(his starter will always have an elemental advantage over yours) and it will
only vary more as you advance through the game. But for now, your rival is
a fairly simple foe. He starts off with a Level 7 Starly, which isn't a big
deal as you have faced so many of them already. Anything works well, just
don't let it use Growl too much. If you chose Chimchar or Piplup, your Rival's
starter doesn't know damaging attacks at this point. If your chose Turtwig,
you'll have a little more work as Chimchar knows Ember which is painful, so
switch to your support pokemon if you have any. Overall an easy battle.
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Gym Leader Roark.......................................................[B02]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Oreburgh City Gym
Ante: $1680
Difficulty: 1/5 (3/5 if you chose Chimchar)
Items: Potion x2
Reward: Coal badge, TM76 (Stealth Rock)
+-------------------------------------------------+
|Roark's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+-------------------------------------------------+
|Geodude | 12 |Rock/Ground |None |
|Onix | 12 |Rock/Ground |None |
|Cranidos | 14 |Rock |Oran Berry |
+-------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+-------------------------------------------------+
|Monferno | 15 |Fire |Oran Berry |
|Staravia | 14 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Shinx | 13 |Electric |None |
+-------------------------------------------------+
The first gym leader, like in the past games, specializes with Rock-types.
If you chose Piplup or Turtwig, you'll have an easy battle as two of Roark's
pokemon have a 4x weakness to Water and Grass, being Geodude and Onix. Anyway,
Geodude and especially Onix have high Physical Defense, making it a challenge
to beat for those who picked Chimchar, as even though its evolution, Monferno,
has 2x effective fighting attacks, they still aren't very effective.
Geodude and Onix both know Stealth Rock, a Rock-type attack similar to spikes
that inflicts damage whenever you switch (though at this point, your starter
is the only pokemon worth using against him.) Cranidos, which you probably
have not seen before, is a rock dinosaur with very high attack, even though it
is not fully evolved, and does not have a double weakness to abuse being only
Rock. Luckily its Speed and Defenses aren't great so it shouldn't attack you
more than once. Defeating Roark yields the Coal Badge and TM 76, Stealth Rock.
+---------+
|MINI BOSS|
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Galactic Commander Mars Battle 1.......................................[B03]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Valley Windworks
Ante: $1280
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Items: Potion x2
Reward: None
+-------------------------------------------------+
|Mars's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+-------------------------------------------------+
|Zubat | 14 |Poison/Flying |None |
|Purugly | 16 |Normal |Oran Berry |
+-------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+-------------------------------------------------+
|Monferno | 19 |Fire/Fighting |Oran Berry |
|Staravia | 16 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxio | 16 |Electric |None |
+-------------------------------------------------+
Mars, the first commander of Team Galactic you'll be facing, can put up quite
an annoying fight. Her Zubat knows Toxic, which poisons you and drains twice
as much health than the previous turn. Switch your pokemon if it is poisoned
this way. Supersonic is innacurate but switch out if you are confused.
Purugly is the evolution of Glameow (Haxed! Glameow does not evolve
until Level 38!) and is very fast. It always starts the battle with Fake Out
to do a little extra damage. It is certainly tougher than any other Pokemon
you have faced so far but hopefully, your pokemon have also evolved into their
intermediate forms. It is especially helful if you have Monferno, which is
also fast and knows Fighting attacks which are Purugly's only weakness.
Defeating the Purugly yields a crapload of EXP (over 600). Just beware that
Mars, unlike her lackeys, uses Potions when her Pokemon hit red health.
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Gym Leader Gardenia....................................................[B04]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Eterna City Gym
Ante: $2640
Difficulty: 3/5
Items: Super Potion x2
Reward: Forest Badge, TM86 (Grass Knot)
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Gardenia's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Cherubi | 19 |Grass |None |
|Turtwig | 19 |Grass |None |
|Roserade | 21 |Grass/Poison |Sitrus Berry|
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Monferno | 23 |Fire/Fighting |Sitrus Berry|
|Staravia | 20 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxio | 20 |Electric |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Gardenia, the Eterna City Gym Leader, specializes in Grass types. Obviously,
if you picked the fire starter and have a Monferno, you'll beat this gym with
little difficulty. If you picked the other two, you may have problems, though
fortunately, if you have a Staravia, that won't really matter. Gardenia's
pokemon all know Grass Knot, which increases in power when used on a heavier
pokemon. Fortunately very few Pokemon you could be using are heavy enough fot
it do do significant damage. Gardenia's first Pokemon, Cherubi, knows Leech
Seed, but you should kill it one hit with a good flying or fire based attack.
Next is Turtwig, a starter should be similar to fighting your Rival's. It
mainly uses defensive moves like Reflect and Withdraw, so take it out
before it uses those moves or else the battle will drag. Finally there is
Roserade, the evolution of Roselia, and it has some great Special Attack
and Special Defense. It can use Stun Spore to paralyze you and its attacks
can hurt, but you will still be in good shape if you use a Staravia or
Monferno. Defeating Gardenia gets you the Forest Badge and TM86... Grass Knot!
You can also use cut outside of battle!
+---------+
|MINI BOSS|
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Galactic Commander Jupiter Battle 1....................................[B05]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Eterna Galactic
Ante: $1600
Difficulty: 3/5
Items: Potion x2
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Jupiter's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Zubat | 18 |Poison/Flying |None |
|Skuntank | 20 |Dark/Poison |Sitrus Berry|
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Monferno | 24 |Fire/Fighting |Sitrus Berry|
|Staravia | 22 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxio | 22 |Electric |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Zubat, although it has some nice moves like Giga Drain and Wing Attack, should
be easily dispatched by an electric attack. Skuntank, like Mars's Purugly, is
also haxed, for Stunky doesn't evolve at level 20. It has pretty good moves
too, like Night Slash, a 70-Power Dark Move with a high critical hit ratio.
Skuntank also has just one weakness, Ground, which you won't have at this
point, and it can Poison you with Poison Gas, inaccurate as it is. It can also
use screech to lower your defense. Still, this battle is a little bit easier
than your battle with Mars.
+---------+
|MINI BOSS|
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Rival Battle 2.........................................................[B06]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Hearthome City
Ante: $2100
Difficulty: 3/5
Items: None
Reward: None
+----------------------------------------------------+
|Rival's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+----------------------------------------------------+
|Starly | 19 |Normal/Flying |None |
|-Picked Chimchar------------------------------------|
|Roselia | 20 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Ponyta | 20 |Fire |None |
|Prinplup | 21 |Water |None |
|-Picked Turtwig-------------------------------------|
|Buizel | 20 |Water |None |
|Roselia | 20 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Monferno | 21 |Fire/Fighting |None |
|-Picked Piplup--------------------------------------|
|Buizel | 20 |Water |None |
|Ponyta | 20 |Fire |None |
|Grotle | 21 |Grass |None |
+----------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+----------------------------------------------------+
|Monferno | 26 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate|
|Staravia | 24 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxio | 24 |Electric |None |
+----------------------------------------------------+
Woah! After just one battle, your Rival has already put together quite a team!
Fortunately, your Rival has both the pride and intellect of a wild Bidoof.
Even when he type matches you, he still seems to use any move at random.
As for his Pokemon, they vary on what starter you chose, save Starly, which is
a joke as it hasn't even evolved yet. Buizel is a fast water-type, but it
is very weak defensively. Roselia is no problem since you just defeated a
Roserade at the last gym, but its poison point can poison you on physical
contact. Ponyta is a fast but weak fire type, but gives good EXP. The starter
is now in its intermediate form, but my now you should have pokemon that can
exploit their weaknesses (Staravia for Grotle and Monferno and Luxio for
Prinplup).
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Gym Leader Maylene.....................................................[B07]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Veilstone City Gym
Ante: $3600
Difficulty: 3/5
Items: Hyper Potion x2
Reward: Cobble Badge, TM60 (Drain Punch)
+--------------------------------------------------------+
|Maylene's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
|Machoke | 27 |Fighting |None |
|Meditite | 27 |Fighting/Psychic|None |
|Lucario | 30 |Fighting/Steel |Sitrus Berry|
+--------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
|Monferno | 34 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 34 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 32 |Electric |None |
|Haunter | 32 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
Wow, the levels have certainly increased since our last boss battle. Remember
though, it has been a while since the last gym battle and you should've
fought enough trainers to achieve even higher levels, with some of your
pokemon evolving into their final forms. Staraptor is infinitely useful if
you took the time to evolve it from Staravia, and Haunter, caught as a Gastly
in Lost Tower, can also be useful since it is immune to fighting attacks.
Maylene of course specializes in fighting types, so flying is the way to go.
Anyway, as for Maylene's pokemon, two out of three know Drain Pbecause
it has a Fighting and Steel type combination to partially resist funch which
restores the users health by 25% of the damage they dealt. Still, Machoke and
Meditite should be dispatched pretty easily. Aerial Ace/Psychic on Machoke
and Shadow Ball/Aerial Ace of Meditite. Lucario is a bit tougher lying moves
and has unique moves like Force Palm which can cause Paralysis and Bone Rush,
a multi-hit ground attack. Fighting type moves are the way to go, Staraptor
can use Close Combat, and Monferno could use Mach Punch or Flame Wheel.
Not too hard if you have the right types. Winning gets the Cobble Badge and
TM60, Drain Punch!
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Gym Leader Wake........................................................[B08]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Pastoria City Gym
Ante: $3600
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Items: Hyper Potion x2
Reward: Fen Badge, TM55 (Brine)
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Wake's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Gyarados | 27 |Water/Flying |None |
|Quagsire | 27 |Water/Ground |None |
|Floatzel | 30 |Water |Sitrus Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 36 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 35 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 34 |Electric |None |
|Haunter | 34 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Although the levels haven't gone up at all, Wake is still tougher than Maylene
because of some dual type issues. Although Wake uses water types, Quagsire is
immune to electric attacks (and water attacks) and Gyarados only takes regular
damage from Grass Attacks, and unless you picked Turtwig, it is very unlikely
that you'll have a Grass and Electric type. Gyarados comes first and always
has Intimidate, which Staravia users will know all too well that it decreases
your Attack. With High Attack and HP, Gyarados will be tough to fight without
an electric-type, and even then, if it isn't at a high enough level, it can
survive the hit due to Intimidate, despite the 4x Weakness. Quagsire is next,
though it doesn't know any water attacks, but instead ground ones so switch
your electric type and use a Grass Type if you can (for a 4x weakness). If
not, then use a Flying type since its ground type attacks would be useless.
Last is Floatzel, the evolved form of Buizel, which is very fast and loves to
use Aqua Jet for a first strike. Be wary of Brine as well, it does double
damage when Floatzels HP is lower. Electric Attacks are still very effective
though. Winning nets the Fen Badge and TM55, Brine!
+---------+
|MINI BOSS|
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Rival Battle 3.........................................................[B09]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Pastoria City
Ante: $2800
Difficulty: 2.5/5
Items: None
Reward: None
+----------------------------------------------------+
|Rival's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+----------------------------------------------------+
|Starly | 26 |Normal/Flying |None |
|-Picked Chimchar------------------------------------|
|Roselia | 25 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Ponyta | 25 |Fire |None |
|Prinplup | 28 |Water |None |
|-Picked Turtwig-------------------------------------|
|Buizel | 25 |Water |None |
|Roselia | 25 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Monferno | 28 |Fire/Fighting |None |
|-Picked Piplup--------------------------------------|
|Buizel | 25 |Water |None |
|Ponyta | 25 |Fire |None |
|Grotle | 28 |Grass |None |
+----------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+----------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 36 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate|
|Staraptor | 35 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 35 |Electric |None |
|Haunter | 34 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
+----------------------------------------------------+
Compared to your last battle, this battle is so easy I can laugh my ass off!
Your Rival's team has hardly improved at all since we last met. His Starly
hasn't even evolved yet! Just use the same strategy that you used to beat him
the last time.
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Gym Leader Fantina.....................................................[B10]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Hearthome City Gym
Ante: $4320
Difficulty: 4/5
Items: Hyper Potion x2
Reward: Relic Badge, TM65 (Shadow Claw)
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Fantina's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Drifblim | 32 |Ghost/Flying |None |
|Mismagius | 36 |Ghost |Sitrus Berry |
|Gengar | 34 |Ghost/Poison |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 38 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 38 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 38 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 38 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
+------------------------------------------------------+
If you have a Haunter, Machoke, Kadabra, or a Graveler, now is a good time
to trade them over Wi-Fi and evolve them. Fantina uses Ghost-Types which are
only weak to Dark and other Ghost-type attacks. I found Gengar to be the most
effective choice here as it knows Shadow Ball, though Luxray is also good as
it learns a Dark-Type Attack, Crunch. Without either, this will be a pretty
tough battle. Most of Fantina's Pokemon know Confuse Ray, so switch out if
that happens. Driflblim has high HP. Electric or Ghost Attacks are the best
to use here, though keep in mind knocking Driflim out with a physical attack
activates its Aftermath ability, which cuts 1/4 of your HP. Thus using Special
based attacks like Shadow Ball from Gengar is the best strategy to use here.
If you are using a Gengar and if Fantina is about to send out Mismagius, you
might want to switch out to Luxray. Mismagius has balanced Speed, Attack, and
Special Defense, all very high, but its physical Attack and Defense aren't
as impressive, so using Physical Attacks like Crunch are the way to go. Be
careful though, it knows Shadow Ball, Magical Leaf, Psybeam, and Confuse Ray
so take it out quickly. Last is Gengar, which is very quick and has high
Special Attack, but luckily, it knows physical attacks like Shadow Claw
and poison Jab. STAB still makes them powerful, but a Gengar of your own at a
higher level should wipe it out in one hit with Shadow Ball. Winning yields
the Relic Badge and TM65, Shadow Claw, which can be useful for physical
attackers.
+---------+
|MINI BOSS|
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Rival Battle 4.........................................................[B11]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Canalave City
Ante: $3500
Difficulty: 3/5
Items: None
Reward: None
+----------------------------------------------------+
|Rival's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+----------------------------------------------------+
|Staravia | 31 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Heracross | 30 |Bug/Fighting |None |
|-Picked Chimchar------------------------------------|
|Roselia | 32 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Ponyta | 32 |Fire |None |
|Prinplup | 35 |Water |None |
|-Picked Turtwig-------------------------------------|
|Buizel | 32 |Water |None |
|Roselia | 32 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Monferno | 35 |Fire/Fighting |None |
|-Picked Piplup--------------------------------------|
|Buizel | 32 |Water |None |
|Ponyta | 32 |Fire |None |
|Grotle | 35 |Grass |None |
+----------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+----------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 40 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate|
|Staraptor | 40 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 40 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 40 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
+----------------------------------------------------+
Rival's team has improved quite a bit. For one, his Starly has finally evolved
into Staravia and begins the battle with Intimidate. Electricity is still very
effective. Your Rival has also added Heracross, a strong Bug/Fighting type.
Fortunately it has a double weakness to flying so it shouldn't be much of a
problem. The rest of your Rival's pokemon are the same as before so use the
same old strategy as before to defeat him.
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Gym Leader Byron.......................................................[B12]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Canalave City Gym
Ante: $4680
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Items: Hyper Potion x2
Reward: Mine Badge, TM91 (Flash Cannon)
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Byron's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Bronzor | 36 |Steel/Psychic |None |
|Steelix | 36 |Steel/Ground |None |
|Bastiodon | 39 |Steel/Rock |Chesto Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 42 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 41 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 41 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 41 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 40 |Fighting/Steel |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Lucario is an invaluable pokemon for this gym and the rest of the game if you
got one through the Iron Island side-quest. It comes as Riolu and evolves
through happiness, and you'll have to level it up from 1 to 40. Tedious, but
worth it, as it learns great attacks like Aura Sphere and its type combination
of Fighting and Steel makes it a great pokemon to use in this particular gym.
Byron, Roark's father, is a specialist with Steel types, though all of his
Pokemon have a lot more defense than offense. First up is Bronzor, which you
have seen tons and tons of them before and are a royal pain in the ass, and
you'll be seeing more and more Bronzors in later parts of the game.
To refresh your memory, its potential abilities, Heatproof and Levitate, leave
it just one Weakness, Ground or Fire respectively, and along with high
defenses, it packs annoying moves like Confuse Ray and Hypnosis. Byron's
Bronzor has Levitate so Fire is the way to go, but unfortunately, the only
good fire-type at this point, Infernape, is also weak to Psychic Attacks,
which Bronzor has. After beating the annoying little Bronzor, Byron will use
Steelix, which you have seen a ton of in this gym. It has extremely high
defense, so Special Attacks, such as Water ones, work best. Physical attacks
aren't quite as effective. Last is Bastiodon, another fossilized Pokemon like
Roark's Cranidos, but it is in its final form and has extremely high defenses
but sub-par attack stats. Its type combination also gives it a 4x weakness to
Ground and Fighting, but with its high defenses, it still takes a few hits,
particularly after it abuses Iron Defense until it is nearly invincible.
Not only will Byron love to use Hyper Potions to restore all of Bastiodon's
health, it will also use Rest to fully restore its Health, and wake up right
after thanks to the Chesto Berry it is holding. Its only real offense though
is Flash Cannon, which shouldn't do much damage, and after it finally runs
out of ways to Recover, you'll win! You will be rewarded with the Mine Badge
and TM91, Flash Cannon!
+---------+
|MINI BOSS|
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Galactic Commander Saturn Battle 1.....................................[B13]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Lake Valor
Ante: $2960
Difficulty: 3/5
Items: Super Potion x2
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Saturn's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Kadabra | 35 |Psychic |None |
|Bronzor | 35 |Steel/Psychic |None |
|Toxicroak | 37 |Fighting/Poison |Sitrus Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 43 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 42 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 42 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 42 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 42 |Fighting/Steel |Shell Bell |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Saturn, the final Commander of Team Galactic, has a bit more varied team than
either Sarurn or Jupiter. He has a Bronzor, which is really redundant now, but
thankfully it doesn't have the annoying Confuse Ray or Hypnosis. Just knock it
out quickly as it does know Iron Defense. Kadabra you have also seen a few of,
this one isn't a threat as you'll have final evolutions to out-speed it and
easily knock it out thanks to its lack of defense. Toxicroak is the evolution
of Croagunk, a Fighting/Poison type, which you have seen many of from all the
Grunts you have fought, though it is pretty strong. Flying-type attacks are a
winner here. Psychic Attacks will always OHKO it as it is a double weakness.
+---------+
|MINI BOSS|
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Galactic Commander Mars Battle 2.......................................[B14]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Lake Verity
Ante: $3120
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Items: Super Potion x2
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Mars's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Bronzor | 37 |Steel/Psychic |None |
|Golbat | 37 |Poison/Flying |None |
|Purugly | 39 |Normal |Sitrus Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 43 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 43 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 42 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 43 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 42 |Fighting/Steel |Shell Bell |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Mars is eager for revenge after that ass kicking you gave her a bit earlier.
She has added a Bronzor to her team (Shocker!!!) and her Zubat has obviously
evolved. Purugly now knows Slash and loves to use Hypnosis and Fake Out so be
on guard and take it out quickly with some fighting attacks. Not too different
from the last encounter though Bronzor is a pain in the ass as always. Use
Fire Attacks on Bronzor, Psychic or Electric Attacks on Golbat, and Fighting
Attacks on Purugly.
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Gym Leader Candice.....................................................[B15]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Snowpoint City Gym
Ante: $5040
Difficulty: 3/5
Items: Full Restore x2
Reward: Icicle Badge, TM72 (Avalanche)
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Candice's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Snover | 38 |Ice/Grass |None |
|Sneasel | 38 |Dark/Ice |None |
|Medicham | 40 |Fighting/Psychic|None |
|Abomasnow | 42 |Ice/Grass |Sitrus Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 44 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 44 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 44 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 44 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 44 |Fighting/Steel |Shell Bell |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Candice is without a doubt one with Ice Pokemon, clearly demonstrating this
by wearing a very short skirt in such a cold gym! If you have an Infernape,
Candice is hardly a challenge at all. A fire attack easily dispatches Snover
in one shot due to its 4x Weakness to it, and although Sneasel is fast, a
fighting attack will yield similar results. Medicham is not an Ice-type, but
is fitting since it is common in this region anyway. It will be a little
bit tougher to take down than Sneasel and has some nasty moves, but if you
have a Flying or Ghost-type pokemon, use that instead. Lastly is Abomasnow,
which is the evolution of Snover, and it has good stats and very powerful
moves like Wood Hammer and Avalanche, which doubles in base power from 60 to
120 when going second, but Fire attacks still knock it out easily. Fighting
and Flying Attacks are also effective, so if you have no fire-types, you
should definitely have those, at this point. Watch for Grass Whistle, it can
put your Pokemon to sleep but it is also inaccurate. Winning gets you the
Icicle Badge and TM72, Avalanche!
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Galactic Boss Cyrus Battle 1...........................................[B16]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Veilstone Galactic Building
Ante: $7740
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Items: Super Potion x2
Reward: Master Ball
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Cyrus's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Murkrow | 40 |Dark/Flying |None |
|Golbat | 40 |Poison/Flying |None |
|Sneasel | 43 |Dark/Ice |Sitrus Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 46 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 45 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 45 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 45 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 46 |Fighting/Steel |Shell Bell |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Cyrus, the dude with the spiky blue hair you have seen throughout the game,
is the true boss of Team Galactic. His Pokemon are quite high-leveled too.
Murkrow is a Dark/Flying which should be easily dispatched by an electric
attack. Golbat won't be stopped as easily, as it knows Poison Fang, which
has a chance of inflicting Toxic. It still uses Supersonic (Don't they learn
Confuse Ray by now? Seriously... Still, it isn't much different from the
other Golbats you have faced. Cyrus's Sneasel is a lot stronger than Candice's
and even knows Ice Punch (Apparently, Cyrus has connections with the Day-Care
man.) It still isn't too tough of a battle. Remember though that he has Super
Potions though that doesn't help much at this point of the game.
Upon defeat, Cyrus will commend your toughness and give you a Master
Ball, but this isn't the last of him!
+---------+
|MINI BOSS|
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Galactic Commander Saturn Battle 2.....................................[B17]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Veilstone Galactic Building
Ante: $3200
Difficulty: 3/5
Items: Super Potion x2
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Saturn's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Kadabra | 38 |Psychic |None |
|Bronzor | 38 |Steel/Psychic |None |
|Toxicroak | 40 |Fighting/Poison |Sitrus Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 46 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 46 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 46 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 46 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 46 |Fighting/Steel |Shell Bell |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Hardly anything has changed since you last fought Saturn. Bronzor now knows
annoying attacks like Confuse Ray, but other than that, considering you just
beat Cyrus, this battle isn't very difficult.
+------+
|BOSSES|
+------+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Galactic Commanders Mars and Saturn (Double!)..........................[B18]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Spear Pillar
Ante: $7280
Difficulty: 4/5
Items: Super Potion x2
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|--------------------Team Galactic---------------------|
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Mars's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Bronzor | 41 |Steel/Psychic |None |
|Golbat | 42 |Poison/Flying |None |
|Purugly | 45 |Normal |Sitrus Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Jupiter's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Bronzor | 41 |Steel/Psychic |None |
|Golbat | 41 |Poison/Flying |None |
|Skuntank | 46 |Dark/Poison |Sitrus Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|----------------Team Skillz Dat Killz-----------------|
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Rival's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Munchlax | 40 |Normal |None |
|Staraptor | 40 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Heracross | 42 |Bug/Fighting |None |
|-Picked Chimchar--------------------------------------|
|Roselia | 41 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Ponyta | 41 |Fire |None |
|Empoleon | 43 |Water/Steel |None |
|-Picked Turtwig---------------------------------------|
|Buizel | 41 |Water |None |
|Roselia | 41 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Infernape | 43 |Fire/Fighting |None |
|-Picked Piplup----------------------------------------|
|Buizel | 41 |Water |None |
|Ponyta | 41 |Fire |None |
|Torterra | 43 |Grass/Ground |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 48 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 47 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 47 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 48 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 48 |Fighting/Steel |Shell Bell |
+------------------------------------------------------+
The huge box above does look daunting, but indeed we are fighting a double
boss battle! Your Rival will partner up with you after being humiliated by
Jupiter a little earlier. As the battle occurs, it will quickly be apparent
how your Rival lost to Jupiter. It is not so much that Jupiter is tough or
anything but that your Rival is a complete moron in selecting moves. In fact,
the first Pokemon he sends out is Munchlax, the pre-evolution of Snorlax,
which is utterly useless. On top of that all of your Rival's pokemon are at
lower levels than Mars's or Jupiter's. To somewhat compensate for your Rival's
incompetence, Mars's and Jupiter's Bronzors have not evolved into Bronzong.
(Looks like Jupiter joined the Bronzor club). Despite this the Bronzor's are
still as annoying as hell. Unlike you and your Rival, Mars and Jupiter are
an excellent team and have set up the moves of their pokemon to complement
each other. You'll have to face off against both Bronzors right off the bat,
and they'll both use Light Screen and Reflect to slow you down. One also
has Confuse Ray as usual, so be sure to switch when needed. Brick Break would
be an excellent move to use here if you have it. Use any Fire attack in your
disposal to take the two Bronzors down. Purugly now knows Shadow Claw and
Aerial Ace, so if you are using a Fighter, be sure to knock it out quick!
Skuntank is mostly the same as before, but be wary that it knows Flamethrower.
Hopefully by then, your Rival's Munchlax will faint and he will send out
Staraptor, which is a lot more helpful. Plus, you might have a Ground-type
attack too! Lastly is the two Golbats. One can use Poison Fang and the other
can use Giga Drain. Still, they aren't as bad as the Bronzors. They can also
confuse you too, just switch when that happens. Gengar with Psychic owns
since it can't be poisoned and it is always faster than those Golbats.
Electric Attacks are fine too. Despite how tought the battle is, you'll
probably win on the basis of sheerly outlasting Mars's and Jupiter's Pokemon
since it is their six versus your twelve, including evolves starters.
After winning, Rival finally acts useful and heals up your pokemon
to prepare you for the tough battle ahead against Cyrus, dissappointed in his
failed dream and ready for vengeance!
+--------+
|BIG BOSS|
+--------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Galactic Boss Cyrus Battle 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![B19]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Spear Pillar
Ante: $8640
Difficulty: 4.5/5
Items: Super Potion x2
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Cyrus's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Honchkrow | 45 |Dark/Flying |None |
|Crobat | 46 |Poison/Flying |None |
|Weavile | 48 |Dark/Ice |Sitrus Berry |
|Gyarados | 45 |Water/Flying |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 49 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 48 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 47 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 48 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 49 |Fighting/Steel |Shell Bell |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Prepare yourself, this is easily your toughest battle yet, and certainly more
difficult than your last battle with Cyrus. In addition to having higher
levels, all of his Pokemon have evolved and he's also added a Gyarados to his
team (well at least it isn't a Bronzong (or even a Bronzor)). He first starts
out with Honchkrow. It really is a honch compared to its previous form Murkrow
as it has very high attack and HP. It is also pretty slow, so try to avoid
using Ghost and Psychic types but Electric types instead. It will do a lot
of damage if it lands a hit though. Gyarados you have seen many times before,
Electric Types have a 4x weakness but if he manages to use Intimidate on you,
you might not get the OHKO and get an Earthquake in return. Weavile is the
evolved form of Sneasel with very high Speed and Attack, and it has quite
a nice array of moves like Night Slash, X-Scissor, Brick Break, and Ice Punch.
Fighting types will still OHKO it though, but will still take a lot of damage
first. Last is Crobat, which is probably the fastest pokemon you have seen in
the game. It also has good HP and it knows Air Slash for the flinch and
Cross Poison for a high critical-hit ratio. Psychic-type attacks as well as
Electric Attacks work well of course. Again, remember that he has Hyper
Potions. After you defeat Cyrus, Team Galactic will be out of your hair for
good.
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Gym Leader Volkner.....................................................[B20]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Sunnyshore City Gym
Ante: $5880
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Items: Full Restore x2
Reward: Beacon Badge, TM57 (Charge Beam)
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Volkner's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Raichu | 46 |Electric |None |
|Ambipom | 47 |Normal |None |
|Luxray | 49 |Electric |Sitrus Berry |
|Octillery | 47 |Water |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 51 |Fire/Fighting |Cheri Berry |
|Staraptor | 50 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 53 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 50 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 51 |Fighting/Steel |Cheri Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Volkner is a sad soul, not being able to find a challenge and desiring to
challenge the Pokemon League. Oh no he didn't! Time to keep him in his place.
If you haven't found TM26 (Earthquake) yet, now would be a good time to find
it. Ground Type Attacks are the super-effective attacks against electric types
which Volkner specializes in. Teach it to your Physical attacker, such as
Lucario. Of course if you picked Turtwig for your starter, than you're in a
lot of luck. It already has Earthquake with STAB and is immune to electricity.
Using Cheri Berries isn't a bad idea either since two of Volkner's
pokemon know Thunder-Wave, and Paralysis greatly slows you down. All of
Volkner's pokemon know Charge Beam, an electric attack that has a chance of
raising the user's Special Attack. Fortunately, Volkner's pokemom lack it.
Anyway, Volkner starts out with Raichu. Its stats outside of Speed aren't
special so use Earthquake once and it is history. Be wary of its static, it
can Paralyze you on physical contact, though Cheri Berries should cure it.
Next is Ambipom which is a Normal type. It knows Charge Beam but lacks
special attack to make good use of it, so use one or two fighting attacks to
finish it. Make haste as it does know Nasty Plot, Agility, and will Baton
Pass to Luxray, which isn't very nice. Luxray you should know all too well
if you have one. It does have high attack but it is pretty slow so there isn't
much worry about. It has Rivalry so it can hit hard if you use Male Pokemon.
Last is Octillery, which somehow got into Volkner's team, is pretty sturdy.
Use Electric attacks of your own. After defeating Volkner, he will give you
the Beacon Badge and TM57, Charge Beam!
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Rival Battle 5.........................................................[B21]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Pokemon League
Ante: $5300
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Items: None
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Rival's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Staraptor | 48 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Heracross | 50 |Bug/Fighting |None |
|Snorlax | 51 |Normal |None
|-Picked Chimchar--------------------------------------|
|Roserade | 49 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Rapidash | 49 |Fire |None |
|Empoleon | 53 |Water/Steel |None |
|-Picked Turtwig---------------------------------------|
|Floatzel | 49 |Water |None |
|Roserade | 49 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Infernape | 53 |Fire/Fighting |None |
|-Picked Piplup----------------------------------------|
|Floatzel | 49 |Water |None |
|Rapidash | 49 |Fire |None |
|Torterra | 53 |Grass/Ground |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 55 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 55 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 57 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 55 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 55 |Fighting/Steel |Shell Bell |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Your Rival's team is now complete. All of his pokemon have finally evolved
and you now have to deal with Snorlax. Anyway, Staraptor is like Staravia
because it uses Intimidate, so your Electric attacks won't kill it in one hit.
Still not too bad. Heracross is pretty strong but flying attacks will dispatch
it quickly. Snorlax is really easy if you have a pokemon with Close Combat,
otherwise he can be a big pain in the ass with his High HP, Special Defense,
and even Attack. Use your strongest Physical Attacks. Roserade, Floatzel,
and Rapidash you have dealt with before, so try to type match whenever you
can. Psychic, Ice, Flying, and Fire for Roserade, Electric/Grass for Floatzel,
and Water, Ground, or Rock will stop Rapidash in its tracks quite easily.
The starter on your Rival's team has definitely gotten stronger and you
must face its final evolution. Took long enough. If he has Empoleon, one good
Close Combat from Infernape should knock it out. If he uses Infernape,
Torterra could take a hit and knock it out with Earthquake afterwards.
Empoleon should use any Ice Attack it has on Torterra and it should be knocked
out in one hit. Not too bad if you can type match each pokemon.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Elite Four.............................................................[E00]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Before I go on to the remaining Boss trainers, you should probably already
know what is in store. The Elite Four are a group of trainers you must defeat
in consecutive order without complete healing between each battle. They do
specialize in types like the gym leaders but there pokemon increase in level
as you advance further, and when you finally beat the Elite Four, you'll face
the Champion whose Pokemon cap at level 66, nearly 20 levels since the last
gym. I suggest you train and finally complete your team if you haven't already
done so. Your pokemon should at least be at level 60. You can still beat the
Elite Four in the 50's but you'll have to rely on LOTS of healing items and
stat-boosting moves (Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, Nasty Plot, Calm Mind, Curse,
etc.) Either way, this is what my team (or at least should've) looked like
upon entering the Elite Four.
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 62 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 60 |Normal/Flying |Sky Plate |
|Luxray | 62 |Electric |Sitrus Berry |
|Gengar | 60 |Ghost/Poison |Spooky Plate |
|Lucario | 62 |Fighting/Steel |Shell Bell |
|Roserade* | 60 |Grass/Poison |Miracle Seed |
+------------------------------------------------------+
*I have finally added Roserade since Grass Types are invaluable in one battle
in particular.
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Elite Four Aaron.......................................................[E01]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Pokemon League
Ante: $6840
Difficulty: 4/5
Items: Full Restore x2
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Aaron's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Dustox | 53 |Bug/Poison |None |
|Beautifly | 53 |Bug/Flying |None |
|Heracross | 54 |Bug/Fighting |None |
|Drapion | 57 |Poison/Dark |Sitrus Berry |
|Vespiquen | 54 |Bug/Flying |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Aaron starts off the battle with simple Pokemon. You have probably seen Dustox
and Beauftifly several times from facing Galactic Grunts. Use Special Attacks
(like Psychic) on Dustox, and Physical Attacks (like Aerial Ace) on Beautifly.
Dustox can be annoying if it lives too long as it can use Light Screen as well
as Toxic. Heracross isn't too much fancier than your Rival's but it has some
very powerful attacks like Mega Horn, Close Combat, and Stone Edge, so take it
out quickly with some flying attacks. Aaron's Drapion is the evolution of
Skorupi. Beware Drapion, it is not bug-type at all so Fire and Flying Attacks
don't work as well. Its only weakness is ground so use Earthquake but that
will take a few hits. It also has good moves like X-Scissor, Cross Poison,
Ice Fang, and Aerial Ace, so be careful. Vespiquen is the evolution of Combee,
and it is quite an improvement. It has high HP and Defense, and although it is
weak to flying and fire types, it knows Power Gem, which is a Rock-type move.
It also loves using its own attacks, like Defend Order to raise both defenses,
Heal Order to restore Health, and Attack Order, a high powered bug-type move.
When you beat Aaron, heal, save, send your Grass-type out in front and face...
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Elite Four Bertha......................................................[E02]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Pokemon League
Ante: $7080
Difficulty: 3/5 (4.5/5 without Grass or Water types)
Items: Full Restore x2
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Bertha's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Quagsire | 55 |Water/Ground |None |
|Whiscash | 55 |Water/Ground |None |
|Sudowoodo | 56 |Rock |None |
|Golem | 56 |Rock/Ground |None |
|Hippowdon | 59 |Ground |Sitrus Berry |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Bertha's team is very difficult to take down without a Grass or Water-type.
If you didn't pick either Piplup or Turtwig, then you should take my advice
and use Roserade. All other Bertha's pokemon have a Weakness to Grass, plus
Grass types have a resistance to Ground Attacks.
Grass is much better to use though. Grass is the best because two of the
Pokemon on Bertha's team are part water, one of which is completely immune to
it. Don't use Flying types either, as although they are immune to the dreadful
Earthquake, most of Bertha's pokemon have Rock-type attacks to counter. Bertha
begins the battle with Quagsire. It isn't much of an attacker, instead, it
likes to annoy you by using Double-Team and Protect. It can also start a
Sandstorm which is also very irritating for non-Ground, Steel, and Rock-types.
It takes 1/16th of your HP every turn. Still, its only Physical Based attack
is Dig, which can be countered by your own Earthquake for double damage.
Stick to Grass-type attacks to knock it out early. Whiscash is the same type
as Quagsire but is much more offensive. It is slow but Zen Headbutt and
Earthquake can be quite damaging. Grass-type attacks still KO it easily.
Sudowoodo you may remember as the annoying tree that blocked you in G/S/C, and
you have also seen its new pre-evolution, Bonsly. It is a pure Rock-type so
Grass is not 4x effective, and it is pretty strong with moves like Hammer-Arm
and Sucker Punch. Grass or Water is effective here. Golem is 4x weak to both
Grass and Water. Physical attacks aren't as effective as Golem has high
defense, and if it survives, its attacks can hurt since STAB strengthens its
Ground and Rock attacks. The star of Bertha's team is Hippowdon, her only
pure Ground-type. It is the evolution of Hippopotas, and if you remember, its
sand stream also starts a sandstorm. It knows Crunch, Stone Edge, Curse, and
Earthquake, and along with high Attack, Defense, and HP, it is pretty
dangerous. Special Water or Grass Attacks work best.
Beating Bertha paves the way to a familiar face...
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Elite Four Flint.......................................................[E03]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Pokemon League
Ante: $7320
Difficulty: 4/5
Items: Full Restore x2
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Flint's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Rapidash | 58 |Fire |None |
|Infernape | 61 |Fire/Fighting |Sitrus Berry |
|Lopunny | 57 |Normal |None |
|Steelix | 57 |Steel/Ground |None |
|Drfblim | 58 |Ghost/Flying |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Hey! It's that guy that called you a hot-shot back in Sunnyshore City! Time to
prove to him that you are much more than a hot-shot trainer. Flint likes Fire
pokemon, though only two out of five of his pokemon are Fire-type. All of them
do know Fire-attacks though so be on your guard. Rapidash has some odd moves.
Bounce is a powerful Flying attack, and it can also use Sunny Day to up the
power of fire attacks, and use one-turn Solarbeams. It also knows Flare Blitz,
a Fire Attack that has 120 base power but comes with recoil damage. Compared
to Infernape though, Rapidash is utter crap so it shouldn't be much trouble,
just don't let it pull off Sunny Day though. Speaking of which, Flint does
have an Infernape and it is very fast and powerful. It knows Mach Punch for
priority, Thunderpunch to counter water-types, Flare Blitz, which still
does a lot of damage even against water pokemon that resist it, and Earthquake
for other Fire-type users. Use a sturdy pokemon that knows Earthquake or use
Psychic from Gengar or Alakazam, as both should be faster if they are at the
same level as Infernape. The rest of Flints team is pretty easy. Lopunny
can use Mirror Coat, Charm, and Fire Punch but a good Fighting attack
will do the job. Steelix isn't much different than any others you have faced,
though it does have Fire Fang and Sunny Day. Drifblim is here for some odd
reason, so just use one good Shadow Ball as you did with Fantina. Don't use
physical attacks because of Aftermath and because it knows Will-o-Wisp to
burn you and cut your attack in half.
Beating Flint leads you too...
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Elite Four Lucian......................................................[E04]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Pokemon League
Ante: $7560
Difficulty: 4.5/5
Items: Full Restore x2
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Lucian's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Mr. Mime | 59 |Fire |None |
|Alakazam | 60 |Fire/Fighting |None |
|Medicham | 60 |Normal |None |
|Bronzong | 63 |Steel/Ground |Sitrus Berry |
|Girafarig | 59 |Ghost/Flying |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Lucian acts all modest when he says he is the toughest of the Elite Four, but
he really isn't kidding, he really is that tough. Dark-Types are the most
effective (Like Honchkrow and Weavile) though you probably won't have them,
so use a fast Ghost-type like Gengar instead. Mr. Mime you have seen many
times before, it loves to use Reflect and Light Screen, so take it out as fast
as you can. It also can do some damage with Thunderbolt and Psychic. Alakazam
is a lot like Infernape from the last battle. It is very fast and has very
high Special Attack, and it has Focus Blast, Energy Ball, Psychic, and Recover
to cover many types. Weavile and Honchkrow would be great to use, but you most
likely don't have them. Your best bet, like with Flint's Infernape, is a
sturdy physical attacker with Earthquake, as it has abysmal defense, though a
fast Gengar with Shadow Ball is also fine. Just don't let it hit you with
Psychic. Medicham is pretty strong though it is vulnerable to one good
Shadow Ball or even a Flying Attack. Now, after battling so many of those
bastards called Bronzor, we get to battle its evolution, big papa Bronzong.
It has even higher defenses than Bronzor, and although it's attack isn't
great, it can use Calm Mind to raise its Special Defense and Special
Attack. A powerful fire attack like Flare Blitz is your best bet but
that might not be enough due to Bronzong's defenses, besides the Full Restores
and the Sitrus Berries, it can also counter back with Psychic or Earthquake.
Joy. Girafarig is last and besides being part normal type, it also knows
Shadow Ball, Crunch, and Psychic, so don't use Gengar unless it knows Dark
Pulse. Brozong and Alakazam are nightmares but remember to heal yourself if
you are in danger of fainting.
Beating Lucian leads you to the Champion...
+--------+
|BIG BOSS|
+--------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Champion Cythia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![E05]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Pokemon League
Ante: $13200
Difficulty: 5/5
Items: Full Restore x4
Reward: Hall of Fame honors, Sinnoh Champ Ribbon
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Cynthia's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Spiritomb | 61 |Ghost/Dark |None |
|Lucario | 63 |Fighting/Steel |None |
|Gastrodon | 60 |Water/Ground |None |
|Milotic | 63 |Water |None |
|Garchomp | 66 |Dragon/Ground |Sitrus Berry |
|Roserade | 60 |Grass/Poison |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Remember that blonde that has tracked your progress throughout the game? Well
she is indeed the Champion (Double Shocker!!!) though unlike the Champions of
Johto and Hoenn, she doesn't specialize in one-type, so type-matching is very
crucial! Plus all of her pokemon are at or above level 60. Her first pokemon,
Spiritomb, is a Ghost and Dark type like Sableye and has no weakness. It also
has good defenses. Just use your strongest attacks that aren't psychic, normal
or fighting, and you'll hopefully take it down. Lucario has some strong moves,
like Aura Sphere, Psychic, Dragon Pulse, and Earthquake for type coverage
but a good Ground, Fire, or Fighting Attack will crush it. Gastrodon is also
very vulnerable to Grass Moves. It does have high HP and Stone Edge though.
Milotic is a very tough Pokemon. It has high special defense and even some
nice special attack. Plus it can use Mirror Coat and Aqua Ring to really annoy
you. Marvel scale also makes its Defense 1.5x Greater when afflicted by a
status. Use Physical based attacks, especially electric ones from Luxray since
they are physical. Garchomp is the strongest adversary you'll have ever faced
up until this point, as it has very high attack, defense, and even speed. It
knows Giga Impact, Dragon Rush, Earthquake and Brick Break. If you have a
Lucario, use Dragon Pulse, if you aren't killed by a STAB'd Earthquake first.
It has a double weakness to Ice, Weavile would be great if it had Ice Punch,
and if you have an Empoleon with Ice Beam, use that if you survive. Luckily,
Dragon Rush has low accuracy and Giga Impact requires Recharge, so land extra
attacks whenever you can! After that huge nightmare, Roserade should be a
snap. Try using physical based attacks on it as it has good Special Defense,
but other than that, you should win and become the Champion of Sinnoh!
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Optional Bosses........................................................[OP0]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
After beating the Elite Four and gaining the National Dex, you'll have access
to a few other extra fights. Keep in mind with the National Dex you can add
far more Pokemon to your team that are certainly better than some of the
things in Sinnoh. But that is only necessary in the Battle Tower.
+----+
|BOSS|
+----+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Final Rival Battle.....................................................[OP1]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Flight Area, on Weekends after escorting Buck through Stark Mountain
Ante: $6400
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Items: None
Reward: None
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Rival's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Staraptor | 58 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Heracross | 60 |Bug/Fighting |None |
|Snorlax | 60 |Normal |None |
|-Picked Chimchar--------------------------------------|
|Roserade | 59 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Rapidash | 59 |Fire |None |
|Empoleon | 64 |Water/Steel |None |
|-Picked Turtwig---------------------------------------|
|Floatzel | 59 |Water |None |
|Roserade | 59 |Grass/Poison |None |
|Infernape | 64 |Fire/Fighting |None |
|-Picked Piplup----------------------------------------|
|Floatzel | 59 |Water |None |
|Rapidash | 59 |Fire |None |
|Torterra | 64 |Grass/Ground |None |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Infernape | 70 |Fire/Fighting |Fist Plate |
|Staraptor | 70 |Normal/Flying |None |
|Luxray | 70 |Electric |None |
|Gengar | 70 |Ghost/Poison |Spell Tag |
|Lucario | 70 |Fighting/Steel |Shell Bell |
|Roserade | 70 |Grass/Poison |Miracle Seed |
+------------------------------------------------------+
So, we get to fight our Rival again! Well now his levels rival Cynthia's, but
hopefully after beating her and exploring the Island, yours should be higher.
Besides level differences, your Rival's pokemon have completed their movesets.
For example, Heracross now has Rock Slide, and Infernape has Flare Blitz,
and Torterra has Wood Hammer. If you raised your team well though this isn't
that tough.
+--------+
|BIG BOSS|
+--------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Tower Tycoon Palmer Battle 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![OP2]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Battle Tower after winning 20 consecutive battles
Ante: None
Difficulty: 5/5
Items: None
Reward: 20 BP, Ability Ribbon
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Palmer's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Milotic | 50 |Water |Salac Berry |
|Rhyperior | 50 |Rock/Ground |Unknown |
|Dragonite | 50 |Dragon/Flying |Unknown |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Starmie | 50 |Water/Psychic |Expert Belt |
|Salamence | 50 |Dragon/Flying |Focus Sash |
|Dusknoir | 50 |Ghost |Leftovers |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Now here is where it might be a good idea to use non-Sinnoh Pokemon, as Palmer
certainly isn't. Starmie is the best choice since it can learn moves to cover
all the weaknesses of Palmer's pokemon. EV training isn't a bad idea either.
Anyway, Palmer is that dude that you ran into when approaching Battle Tower
for the first time that looked like your Rival. As it turns out, *Darth Vader
voice* he is your Rival's FATHER. Also, this battle is done in by Battle Tower
rules, so it is 3v3, no same items, no ubers, and automatically level 50.
Whatever pokemon Palmer sends out first is apparently random, so it is a bit
difficult to prepare for. His Milotic is what makes the battle tough. It
knows Recover, Dragon Pulse, Surf, and even... Hypnosis. Plus for whatever
reason it is faster than your average Milotic. On top of that when its HP
is low, it will use its Salac Berry to raise its speed and outspeed almost
anything, then use Recover. If you can overcome the Milotic, the other pokemon
aren't quite as bad. Rhyperior has insanely high attack and defense, but low
speed, special attack, and special defense, and it likes to use special moves
like Thunderbolt and Flamethrower. If it does use a Physical Attack, like
Rock Wrecker, it will really hurt. Luckily, it is really weak to Water and
Grass attacks, plus it is heavy so Grass Knot always KO's it. Last is his
Dragonite which is very strong, though a good Ice Attack works well.
You should have one of those at this point. Beating Palmer nets 20 BP
and some ribbons, and Palmer talk about how he and your father were Rivals
back in the day. Do we get to face our own father? Who knows...
+--------+
|BIG BOSS|
+--------+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Tower Tycoon Palmer Battle 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![OP3]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Location: Battle Tower after winning 48 consecutive battles
Ante: None
Difficulty: ?/5
Items: None
Reward: Unknown
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Palmer's Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Cresselia | 50 |Psychic |Unknown |
|Heatran | 50 |Fire/Steel |Unknown |
|Regigigas | 50 |Normal |Unknown |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|My Team | Level | Type | Item |
+------------------------------------------------------+
|Starmie | 50 |Water/Psychic |Expert Belt |
|Salamence | 50 |Dragon/Flying |Life Orb |
|Dusknoir | 50 |Ghost |Leftovers |
+------------------------------------------------------+
Unfortunately, I cannot give much of a strategy for this battle as I have not
gotten a large enough winning streak to get this far, since higher winning
streaks increase the probability of running into a haxed, unfair battle.
All I can say is that Palmer is using Legendaries this time. Cresselia will
probably be the biggest threat here since it has High HP and Defenses, so
good Dark Attacks would be best. Heatran is strong but easily KO'd by a ground
attack. Regigas has insane stats but its slow start halves its attack and its
speed for five turns. That should be enough time to take it down, right?
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Contact................................................................[C00]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
I need some improvements, like held items on bosses pokemon I don't have and
missing info from the optional bosses...
Alejandronator(at)gmail(dot)com
Yes, I am sure you are all mature enough to label this FAQ as your subject and
not to send me spam right? Right....
The following examples are merely hypothetical but may contain explicit
violence, vulgar language, and sexual dialogue. Viewers discretion is advised.
+-------------+
|A Bad Example|
+-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|dear Umbrah, |
|Dis guide is teh suck!!!111 U shuld quit faq righting fuheverz lol!!11 Ur |
|faq is missing stuffzorz! Y dont u go to ur home and get a life you dumbass,|
|lolz! |
|-w1te tr4sh |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
There are obvious issues with a response such as this. For one, it uses bad
grammar, almost to the point where I can't understand it. I don't mind if you
abbreviate your words, but please make it understanadable. PLEASE USE ENGLISH
ONLY PLEASE! There is also criticism, but it doesn't tell me where I can
improve on, instead just insults me and my mother. Just a waist of space.
But I despise nothing more than...
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|An example so pitiful that it is named after your local mystery meat (SPAM)|
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------++
|Hey Alex Goodman! Are you looking for a good time? Well buy some... |
|(Yeah, go figure.) |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Seriously, winners don't do drugs nor do they SPAM. Any e-mail with even the
smallest trace of SPAM (advertising a product or site, even if it is relevent
to Pokemon). The only exceptions are requests to gain permission to post this
guide.
I am mainly looking for...
+--------------+
|A Good Example|</pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
+--------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
|Hey XBassXUmbraX, |
|Thanks for writing this guide! I read it and it was helpful, but there are |
|some things that you are missing. For example, the Boss ___ has "x" which |
|you failed to mention. I also have an alternate strategy you can use. "..." |
|Sincerely, |
|-Kind Reader |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Take a good look at this example. It has good spelling! Clearly the writer
took some time to say to me what he needed to say, tried to get my attention
and didn't rush a bit. It is also written in a kind tone and gets right to the
point into giving me an extra tip that was missing from this guide. This is
what I am looking for!
+----------+
|DISCLAIMER|
+----------+
No matter what you write, EVERY E-MAIL I RECIEVE WILL BE POSTED ON THIS FAQ SO
WRITE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. If for some reason you are uncomfortable with this
and you write your message respectfully, I'll respect you and not post it.
Bad messages will always be posted however. Go ahead, it only amuses me, it
doesn't hurt my ego. Well, I won't post SPAM since it occurs regardless of the
existence of this FAQ. Plus most of the stuff you see in SPAM is, well, you
don't want to know.
Below are some general questions so don't bother asking these. The next part
is the mailbag which contains all e-mails to me about this guide.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|FAQ....................................................................[C01]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Here is a list of some questions about this guide that would most likely be
asked so read these first before asking me anything!
Q: I still don't get what EVs, IVs, and nature have to do with anything, help!
A: I stated in the beginning of my guide they are unnecessary to know for the
purpose of this guide, and many FAQs cover them. They are useful for Battle
Tower though, so be sure to look at them.
Q: Your Pokemon were at such a high level at your battle against ___. Your
standards are too high! I am going to challenge ___ at my own pace!
A: Your pace is fine. I am not saying that you have to be at the levels I
posted to win these battles. Training six pokemon can be tedious so you can
use your team a little differently but every strategy for each battle is the
same. Just don't expect to win when you're ten levels under or greater.
Q: Where are the HM Slaves on your team?
A: I didn't list them since they weren't relevant to each battle. Outside of
battle I did have a Bibarel for HMing needs, but like I said, HMs are garbage
in battle except Surf and Waterfall, so I didn't list HM slaves on my team.
Q: Where do I get...?
A: I did list some items and TMs that are useful for completing your team, but
I didn't list their locations. You can find them in other guides on this site.
pokemon.marriland.com and serebii.net are also great resources for Pokemon
Diamond and Pearl. Use them and thank god for King Marriland exists!
Q: I challenge you to a battle!
A: I regularly post on the battle message boards, you can find me there, but
I don't have a great winning record or anything, so don't expect too much.
Q: Your guide sucks serious ass dude!
A: Prove it, bucko! Seriously, there is a difference between criticism and
trashing, you piece of trash you.
Q: What is a good way to level up quickly?
A: I can give you only one good answer. YOU CAN'T. Seriously, even the fastest
legit method of leveling up takes a while. But I'll post some tips anyway.
-Use traded Pokemon! They level up 1.5x faster. If you can, use the GTS to get
Japanese Pokemon since they gain 2x EXP instead of 1.5x. No fair Gamefreak!
The Roserade I used against the Elite Four was Japanese and leveled up fast.
-Get a Lucky Egg. You can either trade an arm and a leg on the boards or you
can try stealing them from Wild Chanseys. They are very rare, and without an
item stealing move like Thief, you'll have to catch it and they are a pain to
catch. Plus even then, it is very rare to see them holding a Lucky Egg. This
bad boy makes its holder gain 1.5x EXP. That stacks with trade bonuses too!
-Use the Vs. Seeker on the Fisherman on Route 222, Gyarados give mad
EXP.
Q: I LOVE YOU!
A: Umm, that is SUPER! But keep thoughts like those to yourself please.
Q: Can I use your guide on my site?
A: Well at least you asked. Right now I am sticking to gamefaqs but I might
consider other sites in the future. I am just too lazy.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Mailbag................................................................[C02]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
All of the following messages are unaltered save the e-mail addresses of the
senders, in order to respect their privacy.
As of 6/29/07:
--------------
+---------------------------+
|Matthew Doolittle writes...|
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------------+
|hi my name is matthew Doolittle i just read ur FAQ on gamespot.com for the |
|walk through on pokemon D/P i have a question can u help? |
|ok here i go i just restarted my game 5 times because i could not beat the |
|league 4 i no stupid but thats how i've been doing these games since they |
|came out but anyway how did u get ur pokemon level so high did u just battle|
|wild pokemon or what? and how do train a magikarp that has no attack what so|
|ever and when try to train with swiching method it gets only a small portion|
|of exp. can u help if not then can i register u as a friend? thanks. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
You can use the EXP share. You can find its location in lots of other guides.
I just added some leveling up tips in my new FAQ section. But if you are too
impatient to train and you are loaded with Pokedollars, you can buy about 15
Revives and Full Restores. Combine this with Stat-Boosting moves and some
luck and you might win. Save after each win.
+---------------------+
|Austin Nich writes...|
+---------------------+------------------------------------------------------+
|I noticed in your Pokemon Diamond FAQ on Bosses, you outlined good ideas for|
|parties. However, you said that Luxray is the only good electric pokemon |
|availiable. I, however, chose to ditch my Luxio at the point in the game |
|where you can reach Mr. Backlot's mansion. In his garden you can catch |
|Pikachu at high enough levels so that, using Exp. Share, it is not a major |
|setback. I find Pikachu far more effective, as he learns REAL electric |
|attacks, not just Spark and Thunder Fang. This is my personal opinion, |
|though you may want to add it. |
| |
|Thanks for reading this far, |
|GameFreak 2600 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Well, that is a very well written message and thanks for the input. I prefer
the electro lion (Luxray) over the electro rodent (Raichu) as although Raichu
has better Speed and Special Attack, Luxray learns some useful moves (Crunch)
and its Attack is pretty steep. My preference, but I'll consider that. Jolteon
is WAY better than either but he's only available after the national dex
unless you trade.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Credits................................................................[CRD]|
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
-All of the people who traded Pokemon to me, as they helped me become a better
trainer.
-Any Reader who sent me mail.
-CJayC for making this site
-Gamefreak for making this game
-Marriland for supplying Pokemon statistics on his site. The Youtube videos
also reminded me that the Galactic Commanders have items too, I forgot.
~Fin
