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Jesus Cruz, Lifelong Pokémon Fan
It all started in 2010 when Jesus was 10 years old. His dad gifted him a Nintendo DS and let him choose a game for it. A weird, enormous, and grey serpent caught my attention on the box art for Pokémon Platinum, and since that moment he's been hooked! He can only thank his 10 years old self for choosing the game that he loves the most in the series
Latest posts by Jesus Cruz, Lifelong Pokémon Fan (see all)
- Pokemon ROWE Guide – Explore Hoenn as You Wish! - October 27, 2023
- Pokemon Parallax Guide – James Bond Meets Pokémon - September 10, 2023
- The New Squirtle Funko POP Is Making A Splash - August 30, 2023
Table of Contents
- Story Synopsis
- Key Features
- More than 200 Hours of Playtime
- 807 Pokémon Up To Grabs
- Field Effects
- Walkthrough
- Considerations Before Getting Started
- Passwords
- The First Few Battles
- First Gym Badge; Julia
- Field: Electric Terrain
- First Pulse Encounter, Pulse Tangrowth
- Field: Forest Field
- Pulse Tangrowth (Grass/Poison) (Lvl. 22)
- Second Gym Badge; Florinia
- Field: Desert Field
- Second Pulse Encounter, Pulse Tangrowth
- Field: Rocky Field
- Third Pulse Encounter; Pulse Tangrowth
- Field: Forest Field
- Third Gym Badge; Shelly
- Field: Forest Field
- Dr. Sigmund Connal
- Field: Normal Field
- Fourth Gym Badge; Shade
- Field: Short-Circuit Field
- Fourth Pulse Encounter; Pulse Muk
- Field: Short-Circuit Field
- Apophyll Beach
- Cal
- Victoria
- Kiki
- Byxbysion Wastelands
- Field: Wasteland Field
- Ace
- Fifth Gym Badge; Aya
- Field: Wasteland Field
- Sixth Gym Badge; Serra
- Field: Mirror Field
- Noel, a Gym Leader?
- Field: Forest Field
- Fifth Pulse Encounter, Pulse Abra
- Seventh Gym Battle; Noel
- Field: Grassy Terrain
- Eighth Gym Battle; Radomus
- Field: Chess Field
- Ninth Gym Battle; Iolia Valley
- Field: Dark Crystal Cavern Field
- Bennett
- Luna
- Tenth Gym Battle, Samson
- Field: Big Top Field
- Eleventh Gym Battle; Charlotte
- Field: Super-Heated Field
- Sixth Pulse Encounter; Pulse Avalugg
- Field: Icy Field
- Ametrine City and Blake
- Field: Snowy Mountain Field
- Twelfth Gym Battle; Terra
- Field: Glitch Field
- Seventh Pulse Encounter; Pulse Swalot
- Field: Poison Water Field
- Fiore Mansion
- Field: Normal Field
- The Traitors
- Fern:
- Blake:
- Solaris
- Solaris:
- Bootlicker John:
- Thirteenth Gym Battle, Ciel
- Field: Big Top Field
- This is Ciel's Team:
- Eighth Pulse Encounter; Seemingly Devon Corp.
- Field: Factory Field
- Fourteenth Gym Battle; Adrienn
- Field: Misty Terrain
- Fifteenth Gym Battle, Titania
- Field: Fairy Tale Field
- Sixteenth Gym Badge, Amaria
- Field: Water Surface
- Ninth Pulse Encounter, Pulse Hypno
- Field: Starlight Arena
- Solaris
- Field: Normal Field
- Seventeenth Gym Battle, Hardy
- Field: Rocky Field
- Labradorra City
- Pulse Clawitzer
- Field: Normal Field
- Pulse Mr. Mime
- Field: Short-Circuit Field
- Last Gym Badge, Saphira
- Field: Dragon's Den
- Victory Road
- The League
- Heather
- Field: Mountain Field
- Bennett and Laura
- Field: Flower Garden Field
- Elias
- Field: Holy Field
- Anna
- Field: Starlight Arena
- Lin
- Field: Normal Field
- We Aren't Done Yet
- Field: New World
- FAQs
- Question: Do you recommend Pokémon Reborn?
- Question: Which is the hardest battle of Pokémon Reborn?
- Question: What's the best Pokémon to beat Pokémon Reborn?
- Pokemon Reborn Guide: Conclusion
You can’t deny that Pokémon games aren’t known for being hard games that require deep thinking and planning before getting into action. I remember that every time I struggled in a certain battle, no matter the game, I just had to level my favorite Pokémon up to level 100, and then everything was pretty easy.
Of course, my trend of obliterating everything with a powerful Torrtera ended when I stepped into the competitive matches, where I learned about defensive tactics and the need to have an emergency plan when all else fails.
Yet, even with my experience with competitive matches, the first time I put my hands on Pokémon Reborn, I didn’t stop getting defeated. This game is extremely hard! It’s surely the hardest challenge I’ve ever completed!
So, there are many things to discuss here, so let’s not waste any more time!
Story Synopsis
Before talking about this game, you must know something; this game isn’t for everyone. This game addresses sensitive topics such as mental health, death, and illegal substances, so if you are susceptible to these topics, this game isn’t for you. With that out of the way, we can start!
In this game, you are a kid (Really, again? Where are your parents?) arriving on a train at a not-so-wonderful place named Reborn City to start with your Gym Challenge. Right off the bat, your train gets attacked, and you barely make it out alive. Here’s when your adventure starts.
The place is a total mess; everything is mostly destroyed, and there’s banditry everywhere. You’ll start from scratch in a big city with seemingly nowhere to go. Here’s when you come across Team Meteor and his malevolous plans of destroying Reborn City to create a suitable place for everyone… Wait, this doesn’t sound like an evil plan at all! How can I join?
The point is that Team Meteor uses strange devices named Pulse Machines on Pokémon; these machines can exploit the full potential of the Pokémon’s abilities, but as a result, the machine deforms them, destroys them, and makes them suffer. Yeah… I don’t want to join anymore.
As the protagonist, you will explore every corner of Reborn City while stopping Team Meteor’s plans. Oh, and you also have to collect 18 Gym Badges. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to get overwhelmed.
Key Features
More than 200 Hours of Playtime
The amount of detail this game has is incredible, as it’s packed with sidequests, rare Pokémon to find, and the main story, which is pretty long but packed with intense action! Oh, and don’t forget about the post-game, which will complement the main story and give some more context about the main characters.
Game Freak, did you hear that? That’s a great post-game! Learn about your mistakes!
807 Pokémon Up To Grabs
Pokémon Reborn includes all the Pokémon from Gen 1 to 7, including Ultra Beasts! And here are some great news for you: You can catch almost all Pokémon while going through the main story!
Field Effects
But Pokémon Reborn wouldn’t be what it is without its Field Effects mechanics. Basically, the Chasing Selene team (the devs, I love you guys!) took the basic Pokémon mechanics and gave them a twist. As a result, almost every battle will be fought in special terrains that can affect your Pokémon positively or negatively! I’ll show them to you while going through the Gym Battles!
Walkthrough
Considerations Before Getting Started
Pokémon Reborn is a hard game, and it’s not suitable for those who don’t have enough time to catch, train, and work with more than six Pokémon in their team. So, here’s my first advice: Don’t try to rush this game; if you do, you’ll probably get stuck in a battle.
When I started playing, I caught and trained the mandatory six Pokémon you’ll always have to have. The problem was that I constantly got stuck in battles because I lacked a proper team build. That’s why I recommend catching and training every Pokémon you see. This is important, as this game demands you to have a variety of strategies under the sleeve!
Here’s my third piece of advice; Explore every place, talk with every NPC, and do all the quests you can find. Then, after beating a certain Gym, get back and explore some more. This was helpful as I found plenty of Event Pokémon that let me beat the game without much stress.
Passwords
Pokémon Reborn has mechanics that can make your life impossible, but also, this game includes Passwords that can make the game easier, or at least more enjoyable. You can activate these Passwords at the start of the game, or you can do it through a PC, but in this case, you’ll need an object named Data Chip. These are the Passwords I recommend you use:
- hardcap: As you start the game, if you train your Pokémon over Level 15, they will disobey you. It makes sense; you need the experience to control powerful Pokémon; I like it. As you get more badges, the level cap will increase; nonetheless, it’s almost impossible to avoid over-leveling. If you use the Password “hardcap,” your Pokémon will stop gaining EXP until you get a new badge that increases the level cap.
- nohms: With this Password, you can use HMs without needing to teach them to a Pokémon. I love it, as I hate to have a designated HM slave on my team!
- litemode: With this Password, the game will get a bit easier, as all the trainer’s Pokémon will have their stats slightly decreased. I only recommend this password if things get difficult for you.
Last but not least, I present to you the Focus Sash + Destiny Bond strat, which works like a charm against Pulse Pokémon! This strategy is very simple:
- First, you must find a Focus Sash, an item that will prevent your Pokémon from fainting with a single hit. You’ll find it in the Grand Stairway Underground Cave, exactly in this place:
- Then, you have to find a Pokémon that can learn a move named Destiny Bond. Gengar, Koffing, Qwilfish, and Drifloon can learn it.
- Drifloon can be found during Windy Days and only after the second badge in the Abandoned Power Plant.
- The rest is simple; equip your Pokémon with the Focus Sash, then make it learn Destiny Bond, and use Destiny Bond on the Pulse Pokémon, but remember, the move will only work if you are sure the enemy will defeat your Pokémon!
With everything said, let’s start with this Battle Guide!
The First Few Battles
As the game starts, and you get your starter, you’ll be meeting a lot of new faces, such as Victoria and the Pretty Boy Cain (I don’t say it, the game says it).
You’ll also meet Ame, who saved you from dying in the game’s introduction. She’ll give you advice on every Gym Battle through a monitor in the Gyms, pretty much working as the Gym Gatekeeper. You’ll also meet Fern, a green-colored hair kid with sunglasses who is completely annoying. He’s giving a beat to a guy disguised in black. Easy there, kid!
After a battle against him, you’ll help Fern, Florinia, and Julia to raid Team Meteor’s Peridot HQ. This is the first time we get to meet Team Meteor, and you’ll know about them pretty soon. After this event, you can challenge Julia for your first Gym Badge!
First Gym Badge; Julia
Field: Electric Terrain
Before talking about Julia’s team, you must know that all the Gym leaders will have a full Six-Pokémon team, which is a problem at the early stages of the game if you haven’t found decent Pokémon yet.
Here’s where you have to learn to manage your resources; the best way to start these battles is by keeping your strongest Pokémon out of the field for as much as possible and only using it when the opposite team is pretty worn out.
Let’s see Julia’s Team:
- Minum (Electric) (Lvl. 12)
- Alolan Geodude (Rock/Electric) (Lvl. 12)
- Voltorb (Electric) (Lvl. 12)
- Plusle (Electric) (Lvl. 12)
- Oricorio (Electric/Flying) (Lvl. 14)
- Electrode (Electric) (Lvl. 15)
Julia will challenge you in an Electric Terrain, which will buff the damage of Electric-type moves. At this point, you should have all your Pokémon at least at level 15, so this battle shouldn’t be a big deal. But if your team isn’t trained enough, you can always train your Pokémon in the Grand Hall!
Julia’s biggest threat is Oricorio, which will use a move named Work Up to buff its Attack and Special Attack. My tip is to attack it directly; otherwise, it’ll be impossible to take down.Congrats on getting your first Gym Badge! Sadly, we can’t make a party yet; there’s a crazy killer plant attacking Obsidia Ward, and Florinia needs your help.
First Pulse Encounter, Pulse Tangrowth
Field: Forest Field
Of course, Team Meteor was behind the frenzy plant attack. This will be the first time you’ll see a Pulse Pokémon! Usually, the Pulse Pokémon encounters are treated as a battle against a trainer. So, in this case, you’ll be battling against ZEL, a Meteor Admin who seems to be three persons in a single body, Split-Style. Pretty good movie!
The first Pulse Pokémon you’ll meet is Pulse Tangrowth, which is destroying Obsidia Ward with its Frenzy Plant powers!
Pulse Tangrowth (Grass/Poison) (Lvl. 22)
This battle will be fought in a Forest Field, which increases the damage from Grass and Special Bug-type moves.As for the Pulse Tangrowth, the best way to take it down is by attacking it with Fire or Bug-type moves or making it fall asleep.
You can’t poison it as it’s a Poison-type Pokémon! As you win this battle, Florinia will kindly invite you to challenge her for your second Gym Badge!
Second Gym Badge; Florinia
Field: Desert Field
Flobot has a lot of tricks under her sleeves, so you must keep an eye open, or else she’ll do what she wants with your team!
This is Florinia’s team:
- Maractus (Grass) (Lvl. 22)
- Cottonee (Grass/Fairy) (Lvl. 24)
- Ferroseed (Grass/Steel) (Lvl. 22)
- Breloom (Grass/Fighting) (Lvl. 23)
- Cacnea (Grass) (Lvl. 23)
- Cradily (Rock/Grass) (Lvl. 24)
The most important thing about the Desert Field is that it decreases the damage from Water and Electric-type moves and increases the damage from Ground-type moves.
This is important because Florinia’s strategy is based on using a move named Sand Tomb, which will trap your Pokémon for eight turns while dealing passive damage. Aside from that, she’ll also try to poison your Pokémon.
Florinia’s most problematic Pokémon is Cradily. It’ll land on the field, and the first thing it’ll do is spam a move named Stockpile to increase its Defenses. Then, it’ll start using Smack Down to defeat your entire team, and if it’s running down on HP, it’ll use Recover.
So, to defeat it, you can poison it or try to decrease its accuracy with a move named Sand Attack (Which most of the Pokémon can learn at this point). However, if you have an Ice-type move, Crradily will be more a pest than a problem!
As you get your second badge, Florinia gets reports of a second frenzy plant attack, this time at Jasper Ward. So it’s time to save the day (again)!
Second Pulse Encounter, Pulse Tangrowth
Field: Rocky Field
As you arrive at the place and get deep into the forest, you’ll meet a little girl named Heather, who’s trying to explore the zone to stop Team Meteor too. Oh, and she has a Salamence, but that’s a small detail we can skip.
This second Pulse Pokémon is under Meteor Admin Taka’s ownership. Taka will battle against you with the following team:
- Exeggcute (Grass/Psychic) (Lvl. 22)
- Chatot (Normal/Flying) (Lvl. 25)
- Pulse Tangrowth (Grass/Ground) (Lvl. 24)
The Rocky Field will increase the damage from Rock-type moves, and if a Pokémon fails to land a Physical move, it’ll get hurt.This Pulse Tangrowth isn’t as strong as the first one, mainly because your Pokémon should be at a higher level at this point of the game. Ice and Fire-type moves will work as a charm against it!
Third Pulse Encounter; Pulse Tangrowth
Field: Forest Field
Wait, there’s another Pulse Tangrowth in Beryl Ward? Oh, come on, guys. First, you put “Team” on your team name, and now, you are spamming Tangrowths in the city? That’s lame. Come on, be creative for once!Don’t worry; this is the last Pulse Tangrowth you’ll have to defeat. I’m tired of them as well. This one is under Team Meteor Admin Ace’s ownership, and she’ll battle with you with the following team:
- Zorua (Dark) (Lvl. 25)
- Baltoy (Ground/Psychic) (Lvl. 26)
- Roselia (Grass/Poison) (Lvl. 26)
- Braixen (Fire) (Lvl. 28)
- Pulse Tangrowth (Grass/Rock) (Lvl. 29)
The Pulse Tangrowth will use Growth (Pun intended), increasing its Attack and Defense. To be honest, it is as easy to defeat as using the same strategy you used with the previous one. Of course, this one is more complicated because you also have to get rid of Ace’s Pokémon, but this isn’t a problem that brute force can’t solve.
That’s the last Pulse Pokémon you’ll find at the moment. For now, it’s time to claim your third Gym Badge.
Third Gym Badge; Shelly
Field: Forest Field
Shelly will not give you the hardest of battles; in fact, she’s pretty easy to beat. Nonetheless, she’ll battle against you in a Double Battle, which can make things very difficult. Let’s check her team:
- Illumise (Bug) (Lvl. 32)
- Masquerain (Bug/Flying) (Lvl. 31)
- Anorith (Rock/Bug) (Lvl. 32)
- Aquaranid (Water/Bug) (Lvl. 31)
- Yanmega (Bug/Flying) (Lvl. 33)
- Volbeat (Bug) (Lvl. 35)
Shelly will set a rain through Ilumise’s Rain Dance, weakening Fire-type attacks. Nonetheless, you can still attack her Pokémon through Flying-type moves. I recommend focusing on Ilumise, as it’ll constantly confuse your Pokémon, which is never a good thing. Afterward, you should also focus on taking Yanmega down as soon as possible, as it hits hard!
Dr. Sigmund Connal
Field: Normal Field
Dr. Sigmund Connal runs an orphanage where he does experiments with little kids. Can this game stop sending shivers down my spine every five minutes?
The doc tried to bring Shelly to his asylum, unsuccessfully. So in retaliation, he kidnapped Heather.
Shelly will help you raid the place to rescue Heather and some other kids, who will be with you from now on, but you’ll have to battle against the doc at the end of the event. This is his team:
- Electivire (Electric) (Lvl. 38)
- Alolan Raichu (Electric/Psychic) (Lvl. 36)
- Musharna (Psychic) (Lvl. 34)
- Hypno (Psychic) (Lvl. 35)
- Rotom (Electric/Ghost) (Lvl. 35)
Fourth Gym Badge; Shade
Field: Short-Circuit Field
As it is obvious, the Pokémon cops are hot on your heels after raiding what probably was a government place. Vandalism is in vogue in this city!
Charlotte, Anna, Noel, Heather, Cain, Shelly, and you are trying to run away from the City, and the only non-suspicious way is through the railnet. Sadly, none of you can open the gate, and the only way to do it is by visiting Yureyu HQ and talking with Shade, who’s conveniently the next Gym Leader.
Of course, you’ll battle against him. This is his team:
- Gengar (Ghost/Poison) (Lvl. 35)
- Dhelmise (Ghost/Grass) (Lvl. 35)
- Rotom (Electric/Ghost) (Lvl. 37)
- Banette (Ghost) (Lvl. 36)
- Doublade (Steel/Ghost) (Lvl. 37)
- Mimikyu (Ghost/Fairy) (Lvl. 38)
Shade will battle against you in a Short-Circuit Field, which increases the damage of Ghost and Dark-type moves. However, there’s a way to change the field into a Factory Field, which will increase the damage from Steel and Electric-type moves, as you can gear the place up with Electric-type moves like Discharge, Charge Beam, or Wild Charge. So if it says Charge, it’ll work here!
As for Shade’s Pokémon, in the Short-Circuit Field, its Steel-type moves will get the Electric as its secondary type. Also, thanks to the field, you can’t hit Doublade, Bannette, or Rotom with Ground-type moves. Other than that, this is a pretty easy battle!
Fourth Pulse Encounter; Pulse Muk
Field: Short-Circuit Field
As Shade opens the gate, all the kids get kidnapped except for Cain, who runs away. As you cross the gate to help them, Team Meteor will kidnap you too. Dumb move, little kid.
Team Meteor will lock you in Peridot Factory, but you’ll be able to break free. Here’s where you’ll meet Solaris, Team Meteor’s leader (for now), who will show you a poor Muk trapped in a Pulse Machine. Of course, you must set it free, so to do it, you’ll have a battle against ZEL. This is their team:
This is ZEL’s team:
- Glaceon (Ice) (Lvl. 37)
- Espeon (Psychic) (Lvl. 37)
- Umbreon (Dark) (Lvl. 37)
- Pulse Muk (Poison) (Lvl. 42)
This Pulse Muk is very weak; it’s only a Poison-type Pokémon, and an Earthquake should be enough to get it down. However, it has a move named Muddy Water, which reacts with the Short Circuit Field, changing into a Water/Electric-type move. Be careful with it.
Time to move on. Solaris reveals that there are Pulse Machines in Apophyll Beach and Byxbysion Wastelands. This only means you’ll leave Reborn City for the first time!
Apophyll Beach
There’s no Pulse Machine here yet! Nonetheless, you’ll need the HM Strength to pave the way to Byxbysion Wastelands. Kiki will give it to you with the only condition of beating either Cal or Victoria in a battle.
If you ask me, I recommend facing Cal, as he’s easier to defeat. Nonetheless, I’ll show you both teams for you to decide!
Cal
- Barbaracle (Water/Rock) (Lvl. 38)
- Turtonator (Fire/Dragon) (Lvl. 38)
- Hakamo-o (Fighting/Dragon) (Lvl. 39)
- Typhlosion (Fire) (Lvl. 40)
- Charizard (Fire/Flying) (Lvl. 39)
- Magmortar (Fire) (Lvl. 41)
You’ll be at a disadvantage against Cal, mainly because you’ll face him in a Super-Heated Field, which increases the power of Fire-type moves and decreases the power of Water and Ice-type moves. Nonetheless, you can hit Cal’s Pokémon hard with Ground and Rock-type moves!
Victoria
- Pangoro (Fighting/Dark) (Lvl. 38)
- Alolan Raichu (Psychic/Electric) (Lvl. 38)
- Gallade (Fighting/Psychic) (Lvl. 39)
- Mienfoo (Fighting) (Lvl. 38)
- Incineroar (Fire/Dark) (Lvl. 41)
This battle was hard; she did what she wanted with my team! She’ll battle you in an Ashen Beach Field, which increases the damage of Strength and changes it into a Fighting/Psychic-type move. I recommend you keep your Flying-type Pokémon to battle against Pangoro and Gallade, Victoria’s strongest Pokémon. Incineroar and Alolan Raichu can be defeated with Ground-type moves!
Kiki
But that’s not all, as you also have to defeat Kiki. This is her team:
- Machamp (Fighting) (Lvl. 40)
- Lucario (Steel/Fighting) (Lvl. 42)
- Hitmonlee (Fighting) (Lvl. 42)
- Toxicroak (Poison/Fighting) (Lvl. 41)
- Gallade (Fighting/Psychic) (Lvl. 41)
- Medicham (Fighting/Psychic) (Lvl. 43)
There’s no easy way to get rid of Machamp other than defeat it through brute force. I don’t recommend you try other strategies, just go ahead and hit it with your best shot. The rest of Kiki’s team isn’t much of a problem.
As you win, you won’t receive anything as this game loves to play with your hopes. Funny, in a way. Don’t worry; at the end of the event, you’ll get access to Byxbysion Wastelands, so you can claim your fifth Gym Badge.
Byxbysion Wastelands
Field: Wasteland Field
Ace
This place looks post-apocalyptic; there is all sort of objects, buildings, and things here! It’s like a glitched labyrinth! I love it!The objective is to get to Byxbysion Hideout, but midway through the place, you’ll find Ace. Of course, you’ll have to battle against her.
- Bronzong (Steel/Psychic) (Lvl. 42)
- Zoroark (Dark) (Lvl. 41)
- Delphox (Fire/Psychic) (Lvl. 43)
- Honchkrow (Flying/Dark) (Lvl. 41)
- Clefable (Fairy) (Lvl. 41)
- Mismagius (Ghost) (Lvl. 41)
After winning, it’s important to use the PC Ace was using, as it’ll unlock the doors that give access to the next Gym.
Fifth Gym Badge; Aya
Field: Wasteland Field
Let’s talk about Aya. She’ll offer you a double battle, so you should put your Psychic-type attackers as your leads. You have to know that the gooey Wasteland Field will absorb the damage you deal with Ground-type moves, so a good way to take Aya’s Pokémon down is by attacking them on their secondary type’s weaknesses. Let’s go!
- Nidoqueen (Poison/Ground) (Lvl. 41)
- Toxapex (Poison/Water) (Lvl. 41)
- Venusaur (Grass/Poison) (Lvl. 42)
- Drapion (Poison/Dark) (Lvl. 42)
- Salazzle (Poison/Fire) (Lvl. 42)
- Dragalge (Poison/Dragon) (Lvl. 45)
As it looks like, this battle is very simple if you have Psychic-type moves on your side, even though it’s a double battle. Aya is so tired of being something she doesn’t want to be that she won’t try to perform well, so this is just a matter of defeating her. I understand you, girl, but hey, cheer up! Overcoming these kinds of situations is the hardest part of success!
As you get out of the wastelands, Cal will be waiting for you. After some dialogue, he’ll give you the TMX Strength; finally, you can go to save the kids! You’ll be taking them out of Yureyu HQ, and eventually, you’ll make it out of Reborn City.
Sixth Gym Badge; Serra
Field: Mirror Field
Something weird is going on in Spinel Town; the trees are appearing and disappearing, the PokéMart is the Gym’s roof, and there’s even a bed in the middle of the place! I don’t know if people here don’t know that the beds belong to the bedroom or if there’s a problem you need to solve. For now, you can’t do much but challenge Serra for your sixth Gym Badge.
Serra is an Ice-type trainer, but instead of fighting in the snow, the battle will be in her Mirror Field, which increases the damage from Beam and Light-based moves. You know the drill, if it says Beam or Light, it’ll hit hard! This is Serra’s team:
- Glaceon (Ice) (Lvl. 48)
- Alolan Ninetales (Ice/Fairy) (Lvl. 48)
- Lapras (Water/Ice) (Lvl. 48)
- Alolan Sandslash (Steel/Ice) (Lvl. 47)
- Jynx (Ice/Psychic) (Lvl. 49)
- Froslass (Ice/Ghost) (Lvl. 50)
Serra’s Pokémon are very powerful; everyone does it greatly in this battle! Of course, you can think that your Fire-type Pokémon will have a walk in the park in this battle, and that’s mostly true, but there’s an issue, as Glaceon and Lapras know a move named Aurora Viel, which will decrease the damage of your attacks by half.
It’s impossible to get rid of the Aurora Veil unless you have a Fighting-type move named Brick Break. Otherwise, a good way to compensate for the halved damage is by dealing passive damage through poisoning and burning Serra’s Pokémon.
Noel, a Gym Leader?
Field: Forest Field
Noel, the smart kid, was hiding a secret from the beginning; he’s a Gym Leader, and now, you can challenge him and claim your seventh badge. Are you ready? This is his…Wait, as it seems, this battle will be delayed. Team Meteor is coming to town, baby! Wait, I shouldn’t be happy about that.
Anyway, instead of battling against Noel, you’ll be battling against Sirius. This is his team:
- Minior (Rock/Flying) (Lvl. 48)
- Manectric (Electric) (Lvl. 50)
- Toucannon (Normal/Flying) (Lvl. 50)
- Tyrantrum (Rock/Dragon) (Lvl. 49)
- Seviper (Poison) (Lvl. 51)
- Chandelure (Fire/Ghost) (Lvl. 52)
Nothing to worry about except for Chandelure. Ground-type moves will do a lot here, but be careful, as it has a Grass-type move named Energy Ball, which can seriously hurt your Ground-type Pokémon.
Fifth Pulse Encounter, Pulse Abra
There’s no point in winning against Sirius, as he’ll kidnap the kids again. This time, you’ll have to rescue them in Team Meteor’s HQ in Tanzan Mountain alongside Saphira, Charlotte’s older sister.
Do you remember the random teleporting objects? Well, Team Meteor was using a Pulse Abra. Their plan was to use it to teleport Team Meteor to other places in the blink of an eye, but it’s misbehaving, and that’s why there’s PokéMart on the roof of a building. I won’t stop laughing at that, though. As you see it for the first time, the Pulse Abra will teleport you out of the Meteor’s HQ, which isn’t a good thing.
You’ll appear in the depths of Tanzan Mountain, and after researching the place, you’ll discover a gigantic Steelix; it’s the one that’s causing the constant earthquakes! It’s at Level 75, and it’s a titanic beast; nonetheless, It’s fairly easy to defeat it.
As you return to the Meteor hideout, you’ll have to battle against the Pulse Abra. It’s a Psychic/Steel-type Pokémon, so Dark and Fire-types will seriously hurt it. It’s at Level 75, but it’s only an Abra; it can’t hurt your Pokémon!
Seventh Gym Battle; Noel
Field: Grassy Terrain
After saving the kids, they’ll get back to Tanzan Cove, so you can finally have your seventh Gym Battle, this time against Noel, a Normal-type trainer. This is Noel’s team:
- Cinccino (Normal) (Lvl. 54)
- Porygon-Z (Normal) (Lvl. 54)
- Bewear (Normal/Fighting) (Lvl. 54)
- Girafarig (Normal/Psychic) (Lvl. 54)
- Swellow (Normal/Flying) (Lvl. 54)
- Clefable (Fairy) (Lvl. 55)
This has been the hardest battle I’ll ever have against a Gym Leader; I just struggled a lot against him. Nonetheless, I eventually found a strategy that made things a little bit easier.
The main problem was Noel’s Cincinno, which has a tricky strategy with its ability, Skill Link, which lets it hit your Pokémon five times with multi-hit moves. The worst part of it is that Cinccino has a King’s Rock as its item, which has a 50% chance of making your Pokémon flinch after receiving damage.
So, Cincinno will always hit you five times, and all of those hits have a 50% chance of making your Pokémon flinch. As a result, if your Pokémon is slower, forget you’ll ever land a hit on it.There are two ways to defeat Cinccino; you can try to use moves like Knock Off or Thief to steal the King’s Rock from Cinccino, or you can use your fastest Pokémon and land a strong hit to it.
The rest of Noel’s Pokémon aren’t a big deal, except for Bewear, which deals a lot of damage, and its ability, Fluffy, makes it receive only half the damage your Pokémon will do with Physical moves. Nonetheless, this same ability makes Bewear weak against Fire-type moves, so a single Flamethrower will defeat it!
Eighth Gym Battle; Radomus
Field: Chess Field
Deep into the western part of Route 1, you’ll find the mystical Vanhanen Castle, and its Gym Leader, Radomus, is waiting for you alongside its talking Gardevoir… Wait, talking Gardevoir? That’s cool! Where can I get one of those?
Let’s check Radomus’ team:
- Reuniclus (Psychic) (Lvl. 57)
- Malamar (Dark/Psychic) (Lvl. 58)
- Gallade (Psychic/Fighting) (Lvl. 58)
- Slowking (Psychic/Water) (Lvl. 57)
- Metagross (Steel/Psychic) (Lvl. 59)
- Gardevoir (Psychic/Fairy) (Lvl. 60)
This one will be a Double Battle, so Reuniclus and Malamar will be Radomus’ leads. I recommend you get rid of Malamar with Bug-type moves, as every time it uses Superpower, it’ll be harder to defeat. As you take Malamar down, you must make Reuniclus fall quickly, or it’ll poison your Pokémon with Toxic.
The rest of the battle is relatively simple; You’ll take Gallade down with Flying-type moves, while Slowbro will not stand a Thunder from your Electric-type Pokémon. The Metagross isn’t a big deal as you can easily set it on fire, and Gardevoir will have serious problems against Poison-type moves.
Ninth Gym Battle; Iolia Valley
Field: Dark Crystal Cavern Field
The mysterious Iolia Valley and Luna are waiting for you. The place is hidden behind a tree in the Vanhanen Labyrinth! Iolia Valley is a mystical place, and I absolutely loved it!
Bennett
But you aren’t alone here. Bennett, the guy who I can’t stop associating with the song Creep by Radiohead, is also chasing you as he wants to talk with Luna. Dude, she’s not for you; stop chasing her! He’ll battle with you, and this is his team:
- Larvesta (Fire/Bug) (Lvl. 58)
- Butterfree (Bug/Flying) (Lvl. 64)
- Yanmega (Bug/Flying) (Lvl. 63)
- Venomoth (Bug/Poison) (Lvl. 63)
- Dustox (Bug/Poison) (Lvl. 63)
Luna
After sending Bennett back to his home with the tail between his legs, it’s finally time to battle against Luna. Prepare your Bug and Fighting-type Pokémon, as Luna and her Dark-type team is waiting for you!
- Bisharp (Dark/Steel) (Lvl. 63)
- Absol (Dark) (Lvl. 64)
- Honchkrow (Dark/Flying) (Lvl. 63)
- Weavile (Dark/Ice) (Lvl. 64)
- Tyranitar (Dark/Rock) (Lvl. 63)
- Umbreon (Dark) (Lvl. 65)
Let’s start talking about the Dark Crystal Cavern Field. This terrain will increase the damage from Ghost and Dark-type moves.
Nonetheless, you can change the field into a Crystal Cavern if you use a Beam-based move! After that, the rest of the battle will be pretty simple; you should use your Fighting-type Pokémon against Bisharp, Weavile, and Tyranitar, while you can use an Electric-type move against Honchkrow. Lastly, you’ll defeat Umbreon and Absol with Bug-type moves!
It’s time to move to Agate City. By the way, you won’t be able to get back to Reborn City for a long while, so take your time, do all the quests you need to do, and then you can continue.
Tenth Gym Battle, Samson
Field: Big Top Field
People in Agate City are suddenly falling asleep for no apparent reason. I’m sure everyone fell asleep while waiting for Blissey’s life bar to drop to zero after it received a super effective hit in Gen 4. It happened to me too.
You are about to take a long nap too, but then, a multi-colored girl appears to save you, sending you to Agate Circus with a strong hit of her big mallet. This girl is named Terra, and I’m still wondering where she stores her mallet. On the other side, I’m afraid of the answer.
Now that you landed on Agate Circus (without breaking your bones, that’s good), you’ll find your next Gym Battle here. This time, it’ll be against Samson, a Fighting-type expert. This is his team:
- Hariyama (Fighting) (Lvl. 67)
- Mienshao (Fighting) (Lvl. 68)
- Lucario (Fighting/Steel) (Lvl. 68)
- Hawlucha (Fighting/Flying) (Lvl. 66)
- Blaziken (Fighting/Fire) (Lvl. 69)
- Conkeldurr (Fighting) (Lvl. 71)
This battle takes place in the Big Top Field. This field increases the damage of some Flying-type moves, such as Acrobatics and Bounce, and all the Physical Fighting and Ground-type moves will change into Striker Moves.
The Striker Moves are moves that will have an increased (or decreased if you have bad luck, which is common in this game) damage depending on a random modifier. It works like this:
- WEAK: Damage decreased by x0.5
- OK: Damage as standard
- NICE: Damage increased by x1.5
- POWERFUL: Damage increased by x2
- OVER 9000!: Damage increased by x3
Nice Dragon Ball reference, though.
So, to have the upper hand in this combat, I recommend using your bulkiest Pokémon as your lead; that way, it can absorb the damage from Hariyama. The rest of the battle will be as easy as attacking the weak points of Samson’s Pokémon. Psychic-types will work like a charm here (unless you have a Lunatone or a Solrock. In that case, good luck landing a Psychic).
After this gym battle, you’ll have to go to Fiore’s Mansion and meet with Amaria and Titania, a cute couple! They are both Gym Leaders, so you’ll face them later in the game. Amaria will give you the TMX for Surf, but afterward, she’ll discover that, in reality, Titania doesn’t love her. Oh no, they aren’t a cute couple, after all.
The sadness made Amaria jump from a waterfall, and Titania did the same, only to save her. You can’t do much about this topic until you get the TMX Waterfall and the Badge needed to use it.
For now, you have to go to Calcenon City. There, you’ll find your next Gym Battle, and I’m sure you’ll get surprised when you see who’s running the Gym of this place.
Eleventh Gym Battle; Charlotte
Field: Super-Heated Field
Charlotte runs the Gym of Calcenon City. Very fitting; she seems like the kind of girl who loves to set things on fire only for fun.Charlotte will challenge you to a Double Battle, and this is her team:
- Darmanitan (Fire) (Lvl. 68)
- Typhlosion (Fire) (Lvl. 69)
- Rotom Heat (Fire/Electric) (Lvl. 68)
- Delphox (Fire/Psychic) (Lvl. 69)
- Volcarona (Fire/Bug) (Lvl. 70)
- Ninetales (Fire) (Lvl. 72)
This was one of the hardest battles I’ve ever faced, not only in this game but also in my whole Pokémon career. I couldn’t find a strategy that would let me handle the absurd amount of damage of Typhlosion and Darmanitan, her most problematic Pokémon.
But then, I found a cute little Carbink in Iolia Valley, which became the key to the victory! It turns out I could deplete the damage from these two fiery Pokémon with Light Screens and Reflects. Then, Carbink would switch places with my bulkiest or my strongest Pokémon, and the rest was a matter of attacking Charlotte’s Pokémon with Ground-type moves!
As you win, Shelly will tell you that she finally found Heather! Good news! The problem is that Ametrine City is blocked by a big chunk of ice. Bad news…
Sixth Pulse Encounter; Pulse Avalugg
Field: Icy Field
Team Meteor used a poor Avalugg with a Pulse Machine to create a chunk of ice that would block the road to Ametrine City, and then it was left to its own devices. It’s time to defeat and set it free once and for all! It’s an Ice-type Pokémon with a massive Defense and Special Defense, and its Attack isn’t bad either. The best way to take it down is by poisoning it.
Avalugg uses Earthquake constantly, which hits hard, but you can always melt the Icy Field with moves like Lava Plume, Fire Pledge, or Heat Wave, changing the field into a Water Surface field. In the Water Surface field, Ground-type moves will always fail!
Ametrine City and Blake
Field: Snowy Mountain Field
As you arrive at Ametrine City, Shelly finally finds Heather, but there’s a problem, as a guy named Blake is taking care of her. Well, only if you consider that locking her in a shack at the top of a mountain is taking care of someone.
So, you’ll have to battle against Blake at the top of the mountain. You’ll have a Double battle against him, and this is his team:
- Gyarados (Water/Flying) (Lvl. 72)
- Mamoswine (Ice/Ground) (Lvl. 72)
- Walrein (Ice/Water) (Lvl. 74)
- Weavile (Ice/Dark) (Lvl. 74)
- Alolan Sandslash (Ice/Steel) (Lvl. 74)
- Starmie (Water/Psychic) (Lvl. 73)
First, let’s talk about the field. The Snowy Mountain Field enhances the power of Ice-type moves, and every Rock-type move also gets the Ice-type. This isn’t good, as Blake is a pretty good Ice and Water-type trainer!
The best way to succeed in this battle is by sending Mamoswine to sleep and then using Electric-type moves against Walrein. Mamoswine is a big deal, but it is weak against Fighting, Ice, and Steel-type moves. The rest of Blake’s Pokémon aren’t a problem!
Now, you can return to Agate Circus to claim your next Gym Badge. Oh, Are you ready to get back to your childhood?
Twelfth Gym Battle; Terra
Field: Glitch Field
It’s time to claim your 12th Gym Badge. This time, it’ll be against Terra, the girl who can defy any logic while calling you senpai without any hesitation. She entered her computer system as you discovered she’s part of Team Meteor, and now, you have to enter too. Oh, yeah, welcome to Kanto!
You’ll have a battle against Terra in the Glitch Field, where everything works as if you were in Gen 1. In this Field, Dark, Steel, and Fairy-type Pokémon and moves change into Normal-types; they didn’t exist back when Kanto was black and white, so it makes sense!
This is Terra’s team:
- Nidoking (Ground/Poison) (Lvl. 73)
- Hippowdon (Ground) (Lvl. 72)
- Excadrill (Ground/Steel) (Lvl. 73)
- Palossand (Ground/Ghost) (Lvl. 73)
- Quagsire (Ground/Water) (Lvl. 72)
- Garchomp (Lvl. 75)
This battle isn’t very difficult; most of Terra’s Pokémon don’t have a proper way to cover themselves from Water-type moves! But also, you’ll have to be aware of Palossand and Quagsire, which have Synthetic Seeds, making them change into ???-types. In other words, these two won’t have weaknesses or strengths. Nonetheless, don’t let your Fire-type near Quagsire, or else it’ll Scald your Pokémon down.
Now that you can use Waterfall outside the battlefield, it’s time to see what happened with the (Not-so) lovebirds back on Route 2!
Seventh Pulse Encounter; Pulse Swalot
Field: Poison Water Field
We can finally know why the water from Reborn City was totally contaminated; it turns out that Team Meteor took over the Water Treatment Center, and they were using a Pulse Swalot to swallow all the water to poison it. Of course, to free it from its devilish Pulse Machine, you’ll have to battle against it.
The Pulse Swalot is a Water/Poison-type Pokémon. Don’t try to hit it with Ground-type moves, as the Poison Water Surface will make the Ground-type moves fail! I recommend setting it to sleep, or else it’ll be very hard to defeat!
Fiore Mansion
Field: Normal Field
The Traitors
A tough battle comes ahead when it gets revealed that Fern is now working for Team Meteor. The “Top Dog” (what a dumb nickname) will team up with Blake in a double battle, and Florinia will help you, meaning it’s a 12 vs. 12 battle. This is their combined team:
Fern:
- Haxorus (Dragon) (Lvl. 71)
- Rhyperior (Ground/Rock) (Lvl. 71)
- Krookodile (Ground/Dark) (Lvl. 72)
- Scizor (Steel/Bug) (Lvl. 71)
- Roserade (Grass/Poison) (Lvl. 72)
- Decidueye (Grass/Ghost) (Lvl. 73)
Blake:
- Walrein (Ice/Water) (Lvl. 72)
- Mamoswine (Ice/Ground) (Lvl. 71)
- Gyarados (Water/Flying) (Lvl. 71)
- Weavile (Ice/Dark) (Lvl. 72)
- Starmie (Water/Psychic) (Lvl. 71)
- Alolan Sandslash (Ice/Steel) (Lvl. 73)
Florinia is a great company in this battle; her best Pokémon is Ferrothorn, so I recommend you to work around protecting it while it sweeps Fern and Blake’s team.
I got defeated several times in this battle because I had problems dealing with Blake’s Pokémon. Nonetheless, what worked best for me was to use my Fighting-type Pokémon against Blake’s Pokémon while letting Florinia’s Pokémon deal with Fern’s ones.
Solaris
Afterward, you’ll have to battle against Solaris and his orderly in another team-up battle. This is Solaris and his bootlicker’s team:
Solaris:
- Scizor (Steel/Bug) (Lvl. 72)
- Mandibuzz (Flying/Dark) (Lvl. 72)
- Gyarados (Water/Flying) (Lvl. 73)
- Tyranitar (Rock/Dark) (Lvl. 73)
- Excadrill (Ground/Steel) (Lvl. 72)
- Garchomp (Ground/Dragon) (Lvl. 76)
Bootlicker John:
- Whiscash (Water/Ground) (Lvl. 70)
- Magnezone (Steel/Electric) (Lvl. 72)
- Eelektross (Electric) (Lvl. 71)
- Toucannon (Normal/Flying) (Lvl. 71)
- Slowbro (Water/Psychic) (Lvl. 71)
What a hard battle. Don’t feel bad if it takes you several attempts, though. Sometimes, the luck factor plays against you, but you can do it!
My best recommendation is to look for a Pokémon that can set Light Screens and Reflects; they are essential in this battle, as Florinia’s Ferrothorn can deal a lot of damage against Solaris’ Pokémon. Then, you can reserve your best offensive Pokémon until Garchomp shows up.
Finally, you can go for your thirteenth Gym Badge. Time to get back to Agate Circus!
Thirteenth Gym Battle, Ciel
Field: Big Top Field
Ciel will use the same Field you used when you fought against Samson. You know the drill; Ground and Fighting-type moves will get their damage increased or decreased depending on their Striker modifier, while some Flying-type moves such as Fly, Acrobatics, or Bounce will deal a lot of damage!
This is Ciel’s Team:
- Togekiss (Flying/Fairy) (Lvl. 75)
- Minior (Flying/Rock) (Lvl. 75)
- Noivern (Flying/Dragon) (Lvl. 75)
- Gliscor (Flying/Ground) (Lvl. 75)
- Oricorio (Flying/Fire) (Lvl. 75)
- Mega Altaria (Dragon/Fairy) (Lvl. 78)
This battle is about managing resources; Poison and Fairy-types are highly appreciated, but you should reserve them for Togekiss, Mega Altaria, and Noivern. Mega Altaria can be scary, but don’t worry; a strong Poison-type move can do the job!
Now, you can get back to Reborn City! Take your time, do all the quests you need to do, and then we can continue. It’s time to cut kick Team Meteor from Reborn City once and for all!
Eighth Pulse Encounter; Seemingly Devon Corp.
Field: Factory Field
Welcome to the renewed Reborn City! Isn’t it wonderful?
As you get back and talk with Ame, she’ll tell you that Team Meteor has a hidden base in Obsidia Ward. Of course, there’s a Pulse Pokémon there, and they use it as a Power Generator. As you get deeper into the build, you’ll finally find ZEL. This only means you’ll have to battle against them again! This is their team:
- Aurorus (Rock/Ice) (Lvl. 74)
- Glaceon (Ice) (Lvl. 77)
- Alakazam (Psychic) (Lvl. 74)
- Espeon (Psychic) (Lvl. 77)
- Umbreon (Dark) (Lvl. 77)
- Pulse Magneton (Electric/Steel) (Lvl. 83)
The Pulse Magneton is an Electric/Steel-type, but it has Levitate, so you can’t hit it with Ground-type moves. Ice-types aren’t an option either because of its Fire-type Hidden Power, so your best bet has to be a Fighting or Fire-type. Its Defenses aren’t the best thing ever, so its relatively easy to take down.
After this event, you can go to challenge Adrienn for your fourteenth Gym Badge!
Fourteenth Gym Battle; Adrienn
Field: Misty Terrain
Time to battle against Adrienn, the Fairy-type expert. This battle will be in a Misty Terrain, so the Fairy-type moves will get a significant buff!
This is his team:
- Granbull (Fairy) (Lvl. 76)
- Gardevoir (Fairy/Psychic) (Lvl. 77)
- Togekiss (Fairy/Flying) (Lvl. 77)
- Whimsicott (Fairy/Grass) (Lvl. 76)
- Mega Mawile (Fairy/Steel) (Lvl. 78)
- Florges (Fairy) (Lvl. 83)
First, if you have a Pokémon with Defog, Gust, Hurricane, or Tailwind, you can modify the terrain and make it work in your favor! Deleting the mist will change the Misty Terrain into the Fairy Tale Field, where Dragon, Fairy, and Steel-type moves will get a significant buff!
You can also change the terrain into a Corrosive Mist Field by using Smog or Poison Gas at least two times. This will flip the battle in your favor!If you don’t have a chance to put the Field on your side, the best thing you can do is directly attack and protect your Pokémon with Light Screen. Poison-types will do a lot here, don’t forget it!
The Next Gym is in Tourmaline Desert, as an old (Not-so) friend is waiting for you in The Scrapyard.
Fifteenth Gym Battle, Titania
Field: Fairy Tale Field
I was curious about what I would find on Titania’s team, and I didn’t get disappointed! So let’s check it out!
- Alolan Sandslash (Steel/Ice) (Lvl. 83)
- Empoleon (Steel/Water) (Lvl. 85)
- Excadrill (Steel/Ground) (Lvl. 86)
- Klefki (Steel/Fairy) (Lvl. 84)
- Mega Scizor (Steel/Bug) (Lvl. 86)
- Aegislash (Steel/Ghost) (Lvl. 90)
Titania will start with Alolan Sandslash; the best way to get the upper hand in the battle is by using a Fighting or Fire-type as your lead. Fire-types are a risky bet, though, as Sandslash has Earthquake.Excadrill and Aegislash have Magical Seeds, which will make them proc a move named King’s Shield in the first turn they hit the Field.
So, if you try to hit them while they have their King’s Shield up, your Pokémon’s Attack and Special Attack will drastically decrease. So instead, use those turns to your favor and heal your Pokémon, buff your Attack or Defense, or set a Light Screen or a Reflect; it’s up to you!
Sixteenth Gym Badge, Amaria
Field: Water Surface
I want to say something; why did I have to look for Amaria in her water labyrinth? And why did I have to do it three times? Totally infuriating, unnecessary, and boring.
At least, Amaria’s battle isn’t boring. You can choose to battle her in Singles or Doubles. However, I think it’s easier to battle against her in Single Battles, as her Singles team is pretty disappointing for a trainer like her.
This is Amaria’s Team in Singles:
- Starmie (Water/Psychic) (Lvl. 86)
- Wishiwashi (Water) (Lvl. 86)
- Ludicolo (Water/Grass) (Lvl. 87)
- Marshtomp (Water/Ground) (Lvl. 87)
- Kingdra (Water/Dragon) (Lvl. 88)
- Lapras (Water/Ice) (Lvl. 92)
And this is her team if you decide to act against your mental health and choose to battle her in Doubles:
- Vaporeon (Water) (Lvl. 86)
- Seismitoad (Water/Ground) (Lvl. 86)
- Primarina (Water/Fairy) (Lvl. 87)
- Lanturn (Water/Electric) (Lvl. 88)
- Blastoise (Water) (Lvl. 88)
- Lapras (Water/Ice) (Lvl. 92)
This is the first time you’ll have a proper battle in a Water Surface Field. The Ground-type moves will always fail here, and Fire-type moves will only inflict half of their damage. On the other side, the damage from Electric and Water-type moves will increase in this field, which is great, as I recommend using Electric-type Pokémon in this battle!
In singles, Starmie’s main mission is to set up a Light Screen. Naturally, you must avoid this, and the best way to do it is by using your fastest Pokémon against it. The rest is simple; Amaria doesn’t have a proper way to cover her Pokémon from Electric-type moves! The only problem can be Marshtomp, but Grass-type moves will seriously hurt it!
The thing changes in doubles as Amaria starts the match with Vaporeon and Seismitoad. I recommend keeping things on the surface and focusing on taking Vaporeon down first. It’ll use a Water-type move named Dive, which can change the Field into an Underwater Field.
Here, Ground-type moves will start working again, and they’ll get the Water-type as its secondary type, which is a great thing for Seismitoad and its Earthquake. If battling here isn’t a good thing for you, you can get put battle back to the Water Surface if you use Fly! The rest can be as easy as using Electric-type Pokémon against Amaria’s Pokémon!
Ninth Pulse Encounter, Pulse Hypno
Field: Starlight Arena
You’ll forget about the Gym Badges for a while as you finally find the main source of Agate City’s people falling asleep. Team Meteor invaded an abandoned Glass Workshop and changed it into a Hideout where they used a Pulse-modified Hypno to make everyone snooze. Unfortunately, as you find it, it’ll make you fall asleep, and you’ll get teleported to The Void.
The battle against Pulse Hypno (Psychic/Dark) can be problematic, as it’ll send your Pokémon to sleep and then use a Psychic-type move named Dream Eater, which only works when the target is asleep. Dark-type Pokémon are immune to this tactic, so you can use them in this battle. Also, you can try to sleep it as well! And, if everything else fails, remember the Focus Sash + Destiny Bond strat!
Solaris
Field: Normal Field
As you defeat Pulse Hypno, everyone in Agate City will wake up. Team Meteor will desperately raid the place, as they are looking for an ancient artifact there.
But things didn’t turn out well for them, as a group of kids just kicked them out of the place. The epitome of this event will arrive as you see Solaris waiting to have a battle against you. This is his team:
- Staraptor (Normal/Flying) (Lvl. 89)
- Scizor (Steel/Bug) (Lvl. 88)
- Gyarados (Water/Flying) (Lvl. 90)
- Tyranitar (Rock/Dark) (Lvl. 89)
- Excadrill (Steel/Ground) (Lvl. 90)
- Mega Garchomp (Ground/Dragon) (Lvl. 93)
I’m pretty sure that fighting against a Mega Garchomp isn’t always a pleasant thing to do.This Garchomp has a Rock-type move named Stone Edge, which can seriously damage Ice-types. You can either try to land an Ice-type hit on it or play it safe with a Fairy-type Pokémon. The rest of Solaris’ team is pretty easy to defeat!
Seventeenth Gym Battle, Hardy
Field: Rocky Field
Team Meteor retrieved to Labradorra City, so now Agate City is free! Out of excitement, Hardy will re-open his Gym, so now, you can challenge him to claim your Gym Badge no. 17! This is his team:
- Gigalith (Rock) (Lvl. 90)
- Mega Aerodactyl (Rock/Flying) (Lvl. 92)
- Midday Lycanroc (Rock) (Lvl. 92)
- Dusk Lycanroc (Rock)(Lvl. 97)
- Archeops (Rock/Flying) (Lvl. 91)
- Rampardos (Rock) (Lvl. 91)
And again, a Double Battle. This isn’t getting fun at all.So, you’ll be battling in a Rocky Field, which means Rock-type moves will be stronger, and if your Pokémon flinches, it’ll get damaged.
This battle is all about being extra offensive. Hardy will not use tactics to take your Pokémon down; he’ll go directly to your throat, and the best way to counter this is by doing the same. Go full damage against him, or else you’ll have a bad time.
Fighting, Water, Grass, and Steel-types are a must in this place; nonetheless, don’t use your Fighting-type Pokémon as a lead; it’ll be better if you reserve it for Rampardos and the Lycanrocs.
Labradorra City
Business is still ongoing, as you and your friends finally got access to Labradorra City. So, are you ready to raid the place? Because you’ll be in charge of defeating the last two Pulse Pokémon: Pulse Clawitzer and Pulse Mr. Mime.
Pulse Clawitzer
Field: Normal Field
The first Pulse Pokémon you’ll find is Pulse Clawitzer, which is under Zero’s charge. If you don’t know him yet, Zero was part of the personality amalgamate you knew as ZEL; he was the Z! These are his Pokémon:
- Spiritomb (Dark/Ghost) (Lvl. 92)
- Houndoom (Dark/Fire) (Lvl. 92)
- Honchkrow (Dark/Flying) (Lvl. 93)
- Weavile (Dark/Flying) (Lvl. 93)
- Umbreon (Dark) (Lvl. 94)
- Pulse Clawitzer (Water/Dragon) (Lvl. 95)
There’s not much to say about this battle; it’s as easy as attacking all of Zero’s Dark-types with Bug or Fighting-type moves and then taking the Pulse Clawitzer down with a Fairy-type move. Pulse Clawitzer is defensively weak, so a strong hit will be enough.
Pulse Mr. Mime
Field: Short-Circuit Field
And this macabre creation is Pulse Mr. Mime. Surely, the poor Mr. Mime was heavily tortured before being used as a Pulse Pokémon. It’ll battle alongside what seems to be the remnants of Dr. Sigmund, and this is their team:
- Aromatisse (Fairy) (Lvl. 93)
- Drampa (Dragon/Normal) (Lvl. 94)
- Alolan Raichu (Electric/Psychic) (Lvl. 94)
- Rotom-Ice (Electric/Ice) (Lvl. 94)
- Mega Alakazam (Psychic) (Lvl. 95)
- Electivire (Electric) (Lvl. 95)
- Pulse Mr. Mime (Ghost/Dark-type) (Lvl. 100)
Pulse Mr. Mime offers you a tricky battle; if you make a wrong move, you’ll lose!
Mr. Mime has a unique ability named Wonder Guard, which will prevent it from receiving damage from neutral attacks, meaning that only super effective moves and side effects like poison or burnings can damage it.
That’s not all, as Pulse Mr. Mime has a move named Entrainment, which will change the target’s ability to Mr. Mime’s one, and it’ll use this move to provide all of Dr. Sigmund’s Pokémon with Wonder Guard. Of course, this is a problem, but it’s relatively easy to avoid.
Pulse Mr. Mime’s attack is lame and won’t even try to hit you. So the best way to take it down is by poisoning it and then focusing on defeating all of Sigmund’s Pokémon.
Last Gym Badge, Saphira
Field: Dragon’s Den
You took both Pulse Pokémon down, but things aren’t finished yet. While chasing Lin, you and your friends got inside the Labradorra Arena, which was a trap, and now, you all got caught by Terra. The LMAO girl will force you to have a tournament with your friends, and of course, you’ll have some battles here. These battles are easy, and you’ll get to the final match against Saphira.
The winner of the match will be set free, while the loser will get deleted from existence. Don’t fret, though; you are the protagonist and can’t be deleted… right? I’m not sure.But let’s focus on Saphira. Of course, she’s a Dragon-type trainer, and she’ll battle against you with the following team:
- Noivern (Dragon/Flying) (Lvl. 95)
- Salamence (Dragon/Flying) (Lvl. 96)
- Garchomp (Dragon/Ground) (Lvl. 96)
- Haxorus (Dragon) (Lvl. 95)
- Mega Charizard X (Dragon/Fire) (Lvl. 97)
- Dragonite (Dragon/Flying) (Lvl. 100)
Saphira will battle against you in a Dragon’s Den field, a not-so-cozy place where Dragon and Fire-type moves will get stronger while Water and Ice-type moves will see their damage decreased. Nonetheless, you can turn the tables; if you use Surf two times, the field will change into a Cave Field!
Also, Saphira’s Dragons have a common weakness, the Electric-type. Noivern, Salamence, and Dragonite will have serious problems if they get hit by a Thunder. Dealing with the rest of her Pokémon is as simple as using Fairy-types or Ice-type moves (only after changing the field into a cave) against them.
Victory Road
Finally, you can challenge the Reborn League. Lin, the self-proclaimed Champion, is waiting there for you. But for now, you’ll have to stay calm and patient, as the Victory Road ahead is long, hard to explore, and complex.
I got stuck several times because of the infuriating and long puzzles you’ll find here, but don’t worry, as I found a great walkthrough video that will help you get out of Victory Road as soon as possible!
The League
Let’s not waste any more time; you should know the drill: Four Battles against the Elite Four without healing spots and a final battle against the Champion. All the Pokémon from now on are at level 100.
Heather
Field: Mountain Field
Oh yeah, the little kid with a Salamence is the first trainer of the Elite Four! Astonishing, right?Heather has a Poison and Flying-type-thematic team:
- Crobat (Poison/Flying)
- Nidoking (Poison/Ground)
- Gyarados (Water/Flying)
- Archeops (Rock/Flying)
- Gengar (Ghost/Poison)
- Mega Salamence (Dragon/Flying)
The mountain field enhances the damage from Rock and Flying-types, which is great, as Heather’s team is pretty weak against Rock-type moves. Also, bringing Electric-types to this battle can be problematic, as all of Heather’s Pokémon, except for Gengar and Crobat, have Earthquake.Other than that, Heather shouldn’t be a problem. Next Battle!
Bennett and Laura
Field: Flower Garden Field
Don’t get confused; Laura and Bennett are just friends. Keep trying, buddy!
This is their team:
- Galvantula (Bug/Electric)
- Whimsicott (Grass/Fairy)
- Venusaur (Grass/Poison)
- Leavanny (Bug/Grass)
- Volcarona (Bug/Fire)
- Lilligant (Grass)
The best way to get an advantage in this battle is by reducing the Flower Garden into ashes. As you’ll see, every time an opposite Pokémon (except for Venusaur) steps onto the field, the flowers in the background will start to grow.
The tactic involves letting the flowers grow three times and then using a strong Special Fire-type move, like Lava Plume, Fire Pledge, Heat Wave, Flame Burst, or Eruption. With this tactic, you’ll change the field into a Burning Field, boosting the damage from Fire-type moves! Then, the rest is as simple as burning all of their Pokémon down!
Elias
Field: Holy Field
When Sam Smith released Unholy, this guy came into my mind. He has those vibes, and you can’t deny it!
Elias has a Normal and Dragon-thematic team, and he uses the following Pokémon:
- Noivern (Dragon/Flying)
- Kommo-o (Dragon/Fighting)
- Dragonite (Dragon/Flying)
- Drampa (Normal/Dragon)
- Ditto (Normal)
- Mega Kangaskhan (Normal)
The Holy Field increases the damage from Normal, Fairy, Psychic and Dragon-type moves, while Dark and Ghost-types will be weak against Normal-type moves.
Wait, are we battling in a church? isn’t that illegal?Elias’ Pokémon will have serious problems against Fairy-type moves, except for Komoo-o, which will use Poison Jab. Aside from that, Ice-type moves can also do a lot here! Let’s continue!
Anna
Field: Starlight Arena
Oh, did I hear your jaw dropping? Because the first time I saw Anna here, mine did the same. Yes, she’s a very strong Fairy and Psychic-trainer. Let’s see her team:
- Alolan Ninetales (Ice/Fairy)
- Starmie (Water/Psychic)
- Gardevoir (Psychic/Fairy)
- Sylveon (Fairy)
- Mega Metagross (Steel/Psychic)
- Jirachi (Steel/Psychic)
Don’t lie to me; you Gameshark’d your game, Anna. Jirachi is an event Pokémon. You can’t find it in the wild. Hacker.
This battle is very complicated, as the Starlight Arena will increase the damage from Psychic, Dark, and Fairy-type moves. Also, Dark-type moves will get Fairy as its secondary type.Anna and her hacked Jirachi made me suffer a lot, but eventually, I won the battle by setting Light Screens and hitting Mega Metagross and Jirachi with Fire-type moves. Nonetheless, be careful, as Metagross uses Earthquake.
Lin
Field: Normal Field
The time has come. You’ve seen Lin several times and know what she can do if you mess with her. But one thing is sure; you are the only one that can make her flinch. So let’s see her team:
- Alolan Ninetales (Fairy/Ice)
- Gardevoir (Psychic/Fairy)
- Garchomp (Dragon/Normal)
- Conkeldurr (Fighting)
- Delphox (Fire/Psychic)
- Pulse Abra (Psychic/Steel)
The Pulse Abra is more of a story-wise Pokémon, as Lin uses it to teleport her and you to another place.
This time, there’s no field that can give you an advantage, so you must hit those Pokémon with all you have. There’s not a Pokémon we haven’t seen yet, so this must be a fairly simple battle. The only thing that would be a problem is that your Pokémon are tired and worn out at this point, but if you stocked up on potions and elixirs before starting, you should be fine.
We Aren’t Done Yet
Field: New World
As you win, Lin will take you to a new place, a New World, where she really lives. This is the place she wants to bring to the real world. There, she has her ultimate creation, a big, chunky, and powerful Pulse Arceus.
- Mismagius (Ghost)
- Honchkrow (Dark/Flying)
- Clefable (Fairy)
- Celesteela (Steel/Flying)
- Hydreigon (Dark/Dragon)
- Pulse Arceus (Normal)
Pulse Arceus is surely a headache. It has an ability named Multitype, which will change its type randomly on every turn, making things difficult if you want to land a strong hit on it. Remember the Destiny Bond + Focus Sash strategy? It’ll come in handy to take this beast down.
Alternatively, you can try to poison it with Toxic while using Fly or Protect; the idea is to prevent it from landing a hit on you as much as possible.
Celesteela looks like a problem, but really, it isn’t. This Pokémon is weak against Fire-types, and she doesn’t have a way to protect against them, so it’s a matter of burning this thing down to ashes.
FAQs
Question: Do you recommend Pokémon Reborn?
Answer: I can only recommend this game if you have some experience playing Pokémon; if you want this to be your first approach to a Pokémon fangame, I think you should try other games first. Also, this game isn’t suitable for kids, as it has plenty of disturbing scenes.
I had several shivers while playing, and I even counted them; they were 57.Lastly, to beat this game as it deserves, you must dedicate a lot of time to it. Other than that, yes! Go ahead and give this game a try!
Question: Which is the hardest battle of Pokémon Reborn?
Answer: It all will depend on how prepared you are. If you don’t explore and don’t do the sidequests, the very first Gym Battle will be a very hard mountain to climb. But if you do and have plenty of options, I think Kiki’s battle in Apophyll Academy is pretty hard. Also, Blake’s battle in Ametrine Mountain made me want to cry, and lastly, the three consecutive battles in Fiore Mansion messed with my mental sanity.
Question: What’s the best Pokémon to beat Pokémon Reborn?
Answer: Most Fairy and Dragon-types, like Alolan Ninetales and Garchomp. Sadly, Garchomp can only be found in the later stages of the game, exactly in the Sugiline Cave, in Tourmaline Desert. Still, Alolan Vulpix can be found as a wild Pokémon in Ametrine City.
Pokemon Reborn Guide: Conclusion
You saved the world. The people will be out there in Reborn’s City cheering you, and your friends can’t do much but thank you for your help.But don’t you dare to think Lin’s evil plans were truncated. She opened the portal to the New World, and now, plenty of Legendary beasts are falling into your reality. Now, it’s your time to get into those portals and stop these beasts from threatening your world. Welcome to the Post-Game.
Pokémon Reborn was a refreshing experience that made me fall in love with creating tactics and strategies to win battles. I’m glad I had the chance to play this game, and I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. And if you play the game alongside me, I just want to congratulate you for beating such a difficult game!