(WIP) Pokemon Emerald (Game Boy Advance) - RetroAchievements/guides GitHub Wiki
Guide by Paradise1
| Set Difficulty | |
| Approximate time to master | |
| Minimum numbers of playthroughs needed | |
| Number of missable achievements | |
| Does difficulty affect achievements? | Not Applicable |
| Hardest achievement of the set |
- I use the North American scheme for floor names. That is to say, the floor above the ground floor is the second floor, the floor above that is third, and so on.
- I'll typically be spelling Pokemon without the accented e, just to make things easier for me (and to prevent weirdness with hyperlinks in some cases).
If you've never played Pokemon before, this short video is an excellent introduction to the basic mechanics.
You'll probably be able to figure out most of the mechanics by playing the game, especially if you talk to all the NPCs you meet. But if you want a primer on some helpful mechanics, feel free to read through this section!
- Keep the Type Chart handy to figure out what moves are super effective against what types. Note that the type chart has changed over the years, so make sure you're using the one specific to Generations 2-5.
- When a Pokemon uses a move that matches its type (or one of its types, if it has two), it gains a Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB), which multiplies the move's power by 1.5. This is a very significant boost!
- There are two categories of attacking moves: Physical and Special. Physical moves use the Attack stat of the attacking Pokemon and the Defense stat of the defending Pokemon. Special moves use the Special Attack stat of the attacking Pokemon, and the Special Defense stat of the defending Pokemon. In this generation, whether a move is Physical or Special depends entirely on its type.
- Normal, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ground, Rock, Bug, Ghost, and Steel moves are all Physical.
- Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, and Dark moves are all Special.
- Two moves (Weather Ball and Hidden Power) can change types - they will be Physical or Special depending on their current type.
- There are also Status moves, which raise or lower a Pokemon's stats, or inflict a status effect (such as Poison or Burn).
- Many attacking moves also have a secondary effect. For instance, Ember has a 10% chance to Burn the target, and Mud-Slap will always lower the target's accuracy by one stage.
- Stat buffs and debuffs have twelve levels, six in each direction. Most moves in this game will raise or lower a stat by either 1 or 2 stages. If it says a stat "sharply rose / harshly fell", it's 2 stages, if it just says "rose/fell," it's 1 stage. Once a stat gets to +6 or -6, it can't be boosted higher or lower, respectively. The modifications to stats given by each stage are listed in the table below:
| Stage | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| -6 | Stat x .25 |
| -5 | Stat x .28 |
| -4 | Stat x .33 |
| -3 | Stat x .40 |
| -2 | Stat x .5 |
| -1 | Stat x .66 |
| 0 | Stat x 1 |
| 1 | Stat x 1.5 |
| 2 | Stat x 2 |
| 3 | Stat x 2.5 |
| 4 | Stat x 3 |
| 5 | Stat x 3.5 |
| 6 | Stat x 4 |
- Evasion and Accuracy are slightly different. Basically, you need three boosts to double accuracy instead of 2, and 6 boosts to triple accuracy instead of 4. This also applies going the other direction. See this section in Bulbapedia for the full details.
- Pokemon have 6 stats: HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed.
- HP determines a Pokemon's Hit Points, which is how much damage they can take before fainting.
- Attack and Defense determine the damage dealt and taken by Physical moves, while Special Attack and Special Defense determine the damage dealt and taken by Special Moves.
- Whichever Pokemon has the higher Speed stat typically moves first. The only exception are moves that have a different "priority." Moves with a higher priority will happen before moves with a lower priority. For example, a Pokemon using Quick Attack will always move before a Pokemon using Tackle, regardless of which has the higher Speed.
- If two Pokemon use a move in the same priority tier, the Pokemon with the highest Speed will move first, as normal. For example let's say two opposing Pokemon use Quick Attack and ExtremeSpeed. Because both moves have a priority of +1 (in this generation), the one with the higher Speed will move first.
- Each Pokemon species has a set of Base Stats ranging from 1-255 that determine what its stats will be. For instance, Chansey's base HP is 250, meaning it will have a lot of HP, but its base Attack is 5, meaning it will have a very low Attack stat. This makes certain Pokemon species suitable for certain roles.
- A Pokemon's Base Stat Total (the sum of all six stats) is a good approximation of how powerful they are. For instance, Weedle/Caterpie, very weak early-game Pokemon, have BSTs of 195, while Mewtwo, a strong legendary Pokemon, has a BST of 680.
- Typically, when a Pokemon evolves, its Base Stats will go up, making it more powerful.
- If your Pokemon's stats are debuffed, you can restore them by switching out to a different Pokemon and switching back. If your Pokemon's stats are boosted, this will also reset them back to normal. This will also cure temporary status conditions like confusion, but will have no effect on status conditions like paralysis, sleep, freeze, or poison.
- There are five status conditions in the game: Sleep, Paralysis, Burn, Poison, and Freeze.
- Sleep will prevent your Pokemon from moving until it wakes up. After 1-4 turns, the Pokemon will wake up, using the move it was trying to use on the same turn. Thankfully, sleep-inducing moves are somewhat inaccurate (except for Spore.
- Paralysis will cut your Pokemon's Speed to a quarter of its normal value, and the Pokemon will have a 25% chance to not be able to move at all during a turn. Paralysis doesn't go away naturally - you have to cure it using an item or go to a Pokemon Center. This condition is most often caused by Electric-type moves, but a few other moves can cause it too.
- Burn will half the damage done by Physical moves, and your Pokemon will lose 1/8th of its max HP after every turn. Burn can be cured with items or by healing at a Pokemon Center. This status is typically caused by Fire-type moves, and Fire-type Pokemon are immune to being burned.
- Poison simply decreases the affected Pokemon's HP by 1/8th at the end of each turn. Outside of battle, poisoned Pokemon will take 1 HP of damage for every four steps the player takes. Poison can be cured with items, or by healing at a Pokemon Center. Unsurprisingly, Poison is typically inflicted by Poison-type moves. Poison-type and Steel-type Pokemon are immune to poisoning.
- There is also "bad" poison, caused by the move Toxic. Bad poison will increase the damage it does every turn (from 1/16th to 2/16ths to 3/16ths, and so on). In this generation, bad poison is not converted to regular poison by switching out or ending the battle, but the counter starts again at 1/16.
- Freeze prevents Pokemon from moving until they thaw out. In this generation, Pokemon have a 20% chance to thaw out every turn. Pokemon will also thaw out if hit with a damaging Fire-type move. Freeze is relatively rare - each move that causes it typically only has a 10% chance of freezing the opponent.
- Status effects are very helpful in catching Pokemon. A Pokemon who is burned, poisoned, or paralyzed will be 1.5 times as likely to be caught, and a Pokemon who is asleep or frozen will be twice as likely to be caught. Getting a Pokemon that learns a paralysis move like Thunder Wave or a sleep move like Hypnosis will be a great help.
- Generation 3 introduces Abilities, which are basically something special a Pokemon can do. Each species of Pokemon has one or two possible Abilities. For instance, the Pokemon Zangoose has the Ability Immunity, which prevents it from being poisoned. Meanwhile, the Pokemon Rattata can have either the Run Away ability, which guarantees running away from wild battles, or the Guts ability, which increases its Attack by 50% when it has a status condition. If you catch a Rattata, it will have a 50% chance of having either ability.
- Many Abilities also have effects in the overworld. For instance, Pokemon with Pickup will occasionally pick up items after battles, and Pokemon with the Intimidate ability will reduce weaker wild encounters if placed in the front of the party.
- A few Abilities are actually detrimental to the Pokemon. Slaking has the ability Truant, which only allows it to use moves every other turn. This is done to balance out its fantastic stats.
- You can give each Pokemon an item to hold from your Bag. These items can have powerful effects in battle, such as boosting damage of moves of a specific type, healing a little bit every turn, or doubling the amount of money you earn after battles.
- That being said, not all items are effective. Pokemon can't figure out how to use man-made medicine items on themselves (not even Alakazam, with its 5000 IQ). However, Pokemon do know how to use Berries! A Pokemon will eat a berry when a certain condition is met (e.g. when it's at low HP, or when it has a status condition), gaining the same effect as if you had used it on the Pokemon.
- Wild Pokemon will sometimes hold items. You can get them by capturing the Pokemon, or by using the moves Thief or Covet, which will steal the item.
- Generation 3 also introduces Double Battles, in which a team of two Pokemon are active on each side of the field. This alters the mechanics and strategy, as many moves and abilities behave differently in Double Battles! You can be challenged to a Double Battle either by certain Trainer Classes (e.g. Sis & Bro), or if you are challenged by two trainers at the same time by walking in between them. Usually, you will send out the first two Pokemon in your party, so don't get caught off-guard!
- With most attacks, a Pokemon can choose to attack any Pokemon on the field, including its own teammate. Certain moves such as Blizzard and Eruption will target both enemy Pokemon, and other moves such as Earthquake and Explosion will target all other Pokemon, including the user's teammate. Be careful when selecting these moves!
- In Generation 3, Surf only targets both enemies as opposed to every other Pokemon (as is the case in Generation 4 and beyond).
- In this generation, when a Pokemon is KO'd, the next Pokemon is sent out immediately! In later generations, the next Pokemon is sent out after the turn ends.
- With most attacks, a Pokemon can choose to attack any Pokemon on the field, including its own teammate. Certain moves such as Blizzard and Eruption will target both enemy Pokemon, and other moves such as Earthquake and Explosion will target all other Pokemon, including the user's teammate. Be careful when selecting these moves!
In order to master the set, you'll need to conquer the Battle Frontier. This will require a familiarity with several advanced mechanics.
Each Pokemon has a set of six Individual Values (also known as IVs), one for each stat. Individual Values can fall anywhere between 0 and 31, and each point corresponds to an extra point to that stat at level 100. For instance, a Level 100 Mudkip with a 31 IV in Attack will have 31 more points of Attack than a Level 100 Mudkip with a 0 IV in Attack.
Below Level 100, these bonuses are scaled to the Pokemon's level, and rounded down. A level 50 Mudkip with a 30 IV in Attack will have only 15 more points in Attack than a level 50 Mudkip with a 0 IV in Attack. And a level 50 Mudkip with a 31 IV in Attack will also only have 15 more points, as the boost is rounded down.
A Pokemon's IVs are generated when a wild battle starts, when a roamer first spawns, and for Eggs, when it is received from the Day Care man (note that the Nature is set when the egg is first generated). IVs cannot be changed in any way - a Pokemon is stuck with its IVs! IVs are randomly assigned, so if you're trying to find a Pokemon with great IVs, you'll either have to be very lucky, use some tricks while Breeding, or delve into the wild world of RNG Manipulation.
IVs are typically written in the order they appear on the stats screen. Specifically, HP/Attack/Defense/Sp.Attack/Sp.Defense/Speed. For instance, a (29/21/15/31/23/29) Latios has high Special Attack, Speed, and HP, and lower Attack and Defense.
Effort Values
Once you unlock the Battle Frontier in the postgame, you also get access to a very easy cloning glitch that allows you to clone Pokemon and items.
NOTE: Most (if not all) information in this section is only applicable to the ORIGINAL Emerald ROM. If you're using the RTC + Timer Fix patch, RNG Manipulation will not work. Other patches may or may not work.
RNG manipulation is a powerful tool to get Pokemon with high IVs and good Natures, but is by no means required to master the set. Feel free to try it out if you'd like, or feel free to ignore it entirely if it seems too technical or you prefer to do things the old-fashioned way.
If you need an introduction to the general concept of computer RNG, this video by the roadmap is a good primer. In a nutshell, computers can't actually create truly random numbers. What they can do is take an initial value (the "seed"), perform some calculations on it, and spit out a different number, which becomes the "seed" for the next RNG call. In Pokemon Emerald, this process is performed on every frame, meaning that the RNG value changes 60 times every second.
What makes RNG functions close enough to true randomness is the value of the initial seed, which is typically based on something outside of the game itself. For Pokemon games, this is often based on the real-time clock. For Ruby/Sapphire, this is the internal clock in the cartridge, and for the Gen 4 Pokemon games, this is the system time of the DS itself. But what makes RNG manipulation so powerful in Emerald specifically is that for whatever reason, the initial seed upon loading the game is always set to 0. Because the initial seed is always the same and the RNG calculations are always the same, this means that you can reliably predict the RNG value on every single frame after booting up the game. It's like if a casino shuffled their cards into exactly the same order every single time - you would be able to know exactly what card is coming up at any point.
What this means for us is that you can basically choose a Pokemon's IVs, Nature, Ability, Shiny status, and anything else that relies on RNG if you are able to call the RNG function on a specific frame (say, by starting a wild Pokemon battle or receiving a gift Pokemon). This is obviously very powerful, and can let you get Pokemon with great stats. However, it can be tricky to pull off, as you need to hit a frame perfect input twice (once while resetting the game, once while starting the battle).
Basically, the method is to use a program like PokeFinder to find the frame you need to hit to get the Pokemon that you want, and use a timer like Mystic Timer to try and hit that frame exactly.
Note that there are a few caveats. Although it's relatively easy to get a Pokemon with great stats, it can be very hard to get a Pokemon with a very specific set of stats. For instance, the chances of getting 31 IVs in every stat are about one in a billion. In order to get a Latios with perfect IVs, you'd have to wait about 176 million frames, or about 5.5 years. There are other methods that shorten the time required, but I won't go that deep in this guide. If you'd like to know more, check out this site for the full details.
This guide will focus on how to get Pokemon with good IVs and Natures, primarily for use in the Battle Frontier. If you're interested in getting shinies, that is a slightly more involved process that involves your Trainer ID and your Secret ID, a special number that the game never shows you (hence the name).
This RNG manipulation has the potential to be the most tedious, as it can take quite a while to find and catch Latios. Still, I found it much easier than I was expecting, as I was able to get it on my 4th try while having no previous experience with Emerald RNG manipulation.
Immediately after defeating the Pokemon League, the next time you load your save you will have an unavoidable cutscene in your house where a TV report will state that an unknown Pokemon is flying around Hoenn. To get Latios, make sure you answer "BLUE" when your mom asks you what color the Pokemon was. Latios' stats and Nature are set in stone the frame that you choose "BLUE," and cannot be changed afterwards.
I'll use Latios to demonstrate how to use RNG manipulation in general. First of all, you're going to want to download the PokeFinder program, which will tell you which frame to hit if you want to get a specific Latios. You'll also want to open up Mystic Timer in a web browser.
Open up PokeFinder, and you should be greeted by this screen:
Even though it's encountered in the wild, Latios counts as a Static encounter, as its stats are determined during the TV report. Click "Static," and you should see this screen:
For now, we don't need to worry about most of the settings on this screen. Just switch "Category" to Roamers, and Pokemon to "Latios," don't change anything else, and then click Generate. You'll see this screen:
This will show you what Latios you will get on every frame! For instance, if you pressed "BLUE" on frame 19 (it's not actually possible, but just as an example), you would get a Latios with a Docile nature, and IVs of (24/29/19/26/13/29).
If you'd like, you can use the filters to explore the list. However, the Latios I'd recommend (used on Werster and Exarion's teams) is located at frame 4571:
This Latios has an ideal Nature (+SpA-Atk), great SpA, Spe, and HP IVs, and comes up pretty quickly (about 1 minute and 15 seconds after resetting). To catch it, we'll have to press "BLUE" exactly 4571 frames after resetting the game. To do that, open Mystic Timer, and put 4571 in the "Target Frame" slot. Leave all other settings alone, then press "Set Timer:
Now, when you press "Start," a 5 second timer will count down, and will beep 6 times as it approaches 0. This first timer represents when you should reset the game. The best way to reset the game is by pressing A+B+START+SELECT. While the timer is counting down, hold down three of the buttons, and then press the fourth exactly when it hits 0.
Once it hits 0, it will begin the countdown until the target frame. As it approaches the target frame, it will beep 6 times again. This is exactly when you should press A on "BLUE" in the cutscene. If you did it correctly, the Latios with the Frame 4571 stats should spawn and roam around Hoenn!
Before you start the manipulation, run the timer a once or twice to get used to the timing of the beeps. Then, when you're ready, load up your save. Start the timer, press A+B+START+SELECT when it hits 0, and then load your save. Make sure you don't use speedup at all after resetting, as this will make the manipulation fail!
Once you load your save, head downstairs and progress the scene until you get to the choice between "RED" or "BLUE:"
You should have 15-30 seconds to spare. Press A on "BLUE" when the counter hits 0, and Latios will be spawned. At this point, you're safe to use speedup if you'd like. Make sure you DO NOT SAVE until you catch the Latios you want, though!
After all the cutscenes, fly to Slateport City. You may want to drop a Pokemon off in the PC to check Latios easier. Otherwise, grab a bunch of Max Repels, the Master Ball, and a Pokemon between level 13 and 40.
Head north of Slateport to Route 110, near the entrance to Cycling Road:
Put your Pokemon between level 13 and 40 at the front of your party, and then spray a Max Repel. This will prevent encounters with any Pokemon besides Latios. Run through the grass to the left a couple times, and if you don't find Latios, head into and then right back out of Cycling Road. Repeat the process, reapplying Repels as needed. It may take a while, but eventually you'll find it. Catch it with the Master Ball, and then go ahead and check its stats. DO NOT SAVE unless you get the Latios you want! Here's my first Latios:
Unfortunately, it's not the right one. So, let's look in PokeFinder to see what frame I hit. It shouldn't be too far from 4571. If you're having trouble finding your frame, you can click the "Show Stats" checkbox in the filters to convert the IVs into stats, and you can filter by Nature.
I ended up hitting frame 4594. That's quite a bit off, but that's not unusual for the first time. We'll use that value to calibrate Mystic Timer. Put the frame you hit (for me, 4594) into the "Frame Hit" field, and then press "Set Timer." That will add a "Calibration" value to the timer that will help you hit the correct timing:
Once you're ready, repeat the steps above to manipulate and catch Latios. Here's the second Latios I caught:
Looking it up again, this Latios is frame 4573:
A lot closer! Enter the frame you hit as into Mystic Timer to adjust the calibration, and try again. My third attempt was frame 4569, and I got frame 4571 on my fourth attempt:
It's possible I got lucky, but as long as you calibrate after every attempt, you should have a decent chance of hitting the right frame. Once you've found the Latios you want, you can go ahead and save!
If you'd like to see the whole process, this video by im a blisy is good, although it details how to get a shiny specifically instead of how to get good stats, uses older programs, and also does it in Ruby version, which has a few differences. This section of Exarion's speedrun shows how it works in Emerald (although you don't see the timer).
If you're really having trouble hitting a 1-frame window, I found a couple of 2-5 frame windows that produce decent (but not ideal) Latioses. When searching, I looked for Latios with good (20+) SpA and Spe, and a decent Nature (+SpA or +Spe). Here's what I found:
| Frame | Nature | HP | Atk | Def | SpA | SpD | Spe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4903 | Modest (+SpA -Atk) | 15 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 6 | 22 |
| 4904 | Quiet (+SpA -Spe) | 22 | 26 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 20 |
| 5082 | Quiet (+SpA -Spe) | 23 | 15 | 6 | 24 | 9 | 31 |
| 5083 | Modest (+SpA -Atk) | 31 | 24 | 9 | 25 | 7 | 26 |
| 5852 | Mild (+SpA -Def) | 29 | 31 | 20 | 21 | 14 | 23 |
| 5854 | Quiet (+SpA -Spe) | 21 | 5 | 15 | 27 | 26 | 22 |
| 9724 | Mild (+SpA -Def) | 15 | 15 | 28 | 20 | 14 | 25 |
| 9725 | Modest (+SpA -Atk) | 25 | 20 | 14 | 20 | 18 | 23 |
| 12058 | Quiet (+SpA -Spe) | 18 | 25 | 15 | 22 | 21 | 23 |
| 12059 | Hasty (+Spe -Def) | 23 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 16 |
| 12060 | Rash (+SpA -SpD) | 16 | 17 | 18 | 28 | 11 | 25 |
| 12061 | Mild (+SpA -Def) | 25 | 28 | 11 | 21 | 29 | 24 |
| 12062 | Calm (+SpD -Atk) | 24 | 21 | 29 | 21 | 24 | 23 |
| 14867 | Quiet (+SpA -Spe) | 14 | 1 | 17 | 27 | 14 | 29 |
| 14868 | Mild (+SpA -Def) | 29 | 27 | 14 | 21 | 15 | 29 |
| 14869 | Naive (+Spe -SpD) | 29 | 21 | 15 | 22 | 29 | 16 |
| 14870 | Mild (+SpA -Def) | 16 | 22 | 29 | 24 | 11 | 21 |
| 17512 | Quiet (+SpA -Spe) | 25 | 12 | 17 | 30 | 20 | 20 |
| 17513 | Modest (+SpA -Atk) | 20 | 30 | 20 | 27 | 29 | 26 |
There might be some other decent ones out there if you loosen the criteria, or go past 18000 frames (5 minutes). These Latioses aren't as ideal for the Battle Frontier, but they may be able to get the job done (especially if you savescum).
Thankfully, Beldum is a lot easier than Latios.
Beldum: frame 2297 (11119/11120/11121?)
Ditto (mudkip) 3430/3431?
- The Gotta Catch 'Em All achievement is set up in such a way that if you obtain a Pokemon you're not supposed to have (e.g. a Pokemon that's unobtainable in Emerald, or two different starters), it will lock you out of the achievement. Trading Pokemon in from another save file is also at the very least a gray area rules-wise, so it might not be advisable anyways.
- Preparing for the Battle Frontier is something you're going to want to keep in mind throughout the run. Getting the Gold Symbols at the Frontier is one of the most challenging tasks in the series, and knowledge of advanced mechanics is essential for success.
- The first challenge is creating your team. Despite what some may say, there are definitely Pokemon that are stronger choices than others.
- In this guide, I'll recommend the team used by Werster and Exarion for the All Gold Symbols speedrun: Swampert, Latios, and Metagross. This team has several advantages: it's achievable in one copy of Emerald,
- Swampert is a great option to have, so you probably want to pick Mudkip as your starter. Latios is also very powerful, so you probably want to choose it over Latias. If you'd like, you can try and get a beneficial Nature and IVs on Mudkip, or you can wait until after the story and just breed a new one.
- Try to avoid using TMS and Move Tutors until you're preparing for the Battle Frontier. This will give you as many options as possible.
- When catching Latios, you're going to want to make sure it has a beneficial Nature, and possibly IVs that are at least decent. You can achieve this either by resetting the old-fashioned way, or by using RNG Manipulation. Note that Latios' stats are generated when you select "BLUE" on the TV and cannot be changed after that point! For this reason, you're probably going to want to keep the Master Ball for Latios, as that will make attempts and resets much easier.
- The Latios event happens right when you load the game after defeating the Pokemon League for the first time, so make sure that you are ready to hunt it!
-
Bulbapedia is the most thorough and accessible source of Pokemon information out there. You can use it for Pokemon locations, learnsets, item locations, and more. Note that by default pages display information and movesets for the latest generation, which might not be accurate for Generation 3. Usually there will be a button to view information for different generations, if applicable.
- Bulbapedia also has an Emerald Walkthrough that is one of the best out there. I'll be linking to it frequently, so check it out if you need more information.
- The Serebii Generation 3 Pokedex has thorough information on all Pokemon specific to Generation 3, and without extra information on things like the anime. If you want a more streamlined and Gen 3-specific experience than Bulbapedia, this is likely your best bet.
- The Generation 2-5 Type Chart is worth keeping handy. There are several notable differences from later generations.
- Bulbapedia and StrategyWiki both have an beat-by-beat walkthrough if you'd like to follow them. Choose whichever you prefer. Bulbapedia has the advantage of being specific to Emerald, whereas StrategyWiki includes Ruby and Sapphire, which may be slightly more confusing.
- The Cave of Dragonflies is a treasure trove of really in-depth information on Gen 3 mechanics, as well as every other generation. Of particular interest for this set is the Gen 3 Catch Rate Calculator.
There are no level cap or other arbitrary requirements for Gym battles, so feel free to battle however you see fit. It's very possible to steamroll the entire game using Swampert (or Mudkip) if you want. I'll make suggestions for fights, but if you find something that works for you, feel free to use that instead.
Things to remember:
- Keep the Dig TM when you get it on Route 114
- Keep the Sea Incense when you find it in Mt. Pyre
Step 4: Catch 'em All/Miscellaneous
| Littleroot Town | |
|---|---|
| Items | 0/3 |
| Trainers | 0/12 |
| New Pokemon | Treecko/Torchic/Mudkip |
Welcome to the world of Pokemon! As the game begins, you can grab a Potion from your PC if you'd like, but it's not required for any achievements.
After introducing yourself to Brendan/May next door, head north to help Prof. Birch and choose your starter to get our first achievement.
Zigzagone (1) Help out Professor Birch with the help of your new little friend
Because Swampert is very useful for the Battle Frontier, I would definitely recommend choosing Mudkip as your starter. I wouldn't worry too much about trying to get one with a good Nature/IVs at this point, as it may be easier to just breed one later on. If you plan on using your first Mudkip in the Frontier, you'll have to be very careful with leveling and EV training throughout the whole game, which may be more trouble than it's worth.
After choosing your starter, defeat the ferocious Zigzagoon, and the achievement will be yours.
After choosing your starter, head north to Route 101.
There's not much to do for now besides training Mudkip, so head north to Oldale Town.
Loyalty Program (1) Receive a free Potion sample in Oldale Town
Standing near the entrance to Oldale Town is a worker wearing an apron. Talk to her, and she'll lead you to the Poke Mart, giving you a free Potion (and a free achievement!)
Once you're ready (make sure to heal at the Pokemon Center), head to Route 103 north of Oldale Town for the first Rival battle.
Let's Have a Quick Battle! (3) Defeat your Rival on Route 103
This fight should be pretty easy, especially if you've leveled Mudkip once or twice - open with a Mud-Slap or Growl if you'd like, then whale away with Tackle and you should win easily.
Head back to the Lab in Littleroot Town to get the Pokedex, Running Shoes, and some Poke Balls. Now we're in business! Head north to Route 101, and you can start catching a few Pokemon. If you run out of Poke Balls, you can buy some more in the Poke Mart in Oldale Town. If you buy 10 at a time, you'll get a free Premier Ball thrown in!
| Route 101 | |
|---|---|
| Items | 0/3 |
| Trainers | 0/12 |
| New Pokemon | Poochyena, Wurmple, Zigzagoon |
Zigzagoon is more common on Route 102/103, so you can find one there if you're having trouble.
| Route 103 | |
|---|---|
| Items | 0/3 |
| Trainers | 0/12 |
| New Pokemon | Wingull |
If you didn't catch Zigzagoon on Route 101, catch one here. They make a good HM friend, and they have the ability Pickup, which has a 10% chance of finding several useful items whenever you win a battle.
| Route 102 | |
|---|---|
| Items | 1/3 |
| Trainers | 4/12 |
| New Pokemon | Ralts, Lotad, Seedot |
Route 2 heads west from Oldale Town. Here we have our first four Trainers, as well as our first item to pick up. The Trainers are hard to miss, and the item is a Potion located in the southwest part of the route. You can also grab the Berries planted in the soil, but they are not required for achievements.
Ralts is a rare encounter (4%), and Seedot is even rarer (1%). If you can, you might want to catch 2 Ralts, so you can trade one for a Seedot in Rustboro City. Seedot is only a 1% encounter on this Route, so trading for one is much easier. It's also required for an achievement!
You may have noticed that we've gone to all of the areas required for the Little Trainer Big World achievements and are still missing quite a few items and Trainers. Don't worry, the remaining ones are on the other side of Route 103 (across the water), and we'll return to them later in the story. This will happen quite a bit throughout the game.
| Petalburg City | |
|---|---|
| Items | 0/23 |
| Trainers | 0/16 |
| New Pokemon |
In Petalburg City, head to the Gym (or get forcibly taken there if you try to head west) to meet your dad, the Petalburg Gym Leader. He will send you to catch a Pokemon with Wally.
Little Brother (1) Assist Wally in catching his first Pokémon
You don't have to do anything special, just let the event play out. After the catching tutorial, head west to Route 104. As you do, a man with sunglasses will walk up to you. This is Scott, a mysterious and important character looking for the strongest of trainers. You will need to meet him 13 times over the course of the story for an achievement. Some of these encounters are MISSABLE, so be careful! I'll point them out as they pop up - this is encounter 1/13.
| Route 104 (south) | |
|---|---|
| Items | 3/23 |
| Trainers | 3/16 |
| New Pokemon | Marill, Taillow |
There are three trainers on this section of the route. Two are on the beach (make sure to talk to the Fisherman), and one is on the path to Petalburg Woods.
There are quite a few hidden items on this route, so now's a good time to demonstrate a neat feature of the set. Press L and R at the same time, and it will activate the "Super Item Finder," a fake leaderboard that will tell you how many hidden items are in your current area! The counter should read 5, so let's track them down.
First is an Antidote, on the southwest part of the beach.
Second is a Heart Scale, in the middle of the beach southwest of the grass.
Third is a Potion, just south of the pier.
The remaining two hidden items are on the other part of Route 104, past Petalburg Woods. There's another item sitting on a ledge, but it's inaccessible for now.
| Petalburg Woods | |
|---|---|
| Items | 8/23 (including the Poke Ball from Route 104) |
| Trainers | 5/16 |
| New Pokemon | Shroomish, Silcoon, Cascoon, Slakoth |
In this route there are two Bug Catchers to fight, both of which are hard to miss.
As soon as you enter the woods, head to the right. A man will tell you about hidden items, and in the patch of grass to the right, there is a conspicuous empty spot. Search it to find a Potion.
After that, head south to exit onto Route 104 and find the Poke Ball on the ledge we couldn't get earlier.
Along the way, you can find a Paralyze Heal in the grass. About halfway, you'll run into an Aqua Grunt.
Woody Rumble (2) Save the Devon employee from the suspicious grunt trying to rob the documents
He's just got a Poochyena, so he shouldn't be too hard to take down.
Shortly after the battle, you'll see another conspicuous empty spot in a corner - search it to find a Poke Ball.
You'll find an Ether shortly to the north after that. That's all we can find in here for now, so exit north to the other part of Route 104.
| Route 104 (north) | |
|---|---|
| Items | 11/23 |
| Trainers | 9/16 |
| New Pokemon |
You can talk to the guy near the berry patch to get TM09 Bullet Seed. This is our first of 27 "gift items" for the Gifted Kid achievement. The building nearby is the Pretty Petal Flower Shop.
Gardening Pro (1) Receive a Wailmer Pail at the Pretty Petal flower shop on Route 104
Talk to one of the girls to receive the Wailmer Pail, a key item that lets you water planted Berries to increase their output. You can talk to the other girls to receive a random berry.
Once you're done, head behind the shop to pick up a few items - a Potion, and a hidden Poke Ball and Super Potion.
You'll find four trainers along this route, and near the berry patch in the corner an old lady will give you a Chesto Berry, which counts as a gift item (2/27).
When you're ready, head north to continue to Rustboro City.
| Rustboro City | |
|---|---|
| Items | 1/17 |
| Trainers | 0/21 |
| New Pokemon |
Before you enter Rustboro City itself, you can squeeze through the fence on the east side of the entrance from Route 104 to follow a path to an X Defend.
Next, there's a pink-haired boy who gives you a gift Premier Ball (3/27) on the 2nd floor of the southwest building.
West of the Pokemon Center, you'll find the Cutter's House, where you can get HM01 Cut.
Before you head to the Gym, head to the Trainer's School east of the Pokemon Center. In the corner, you'll find Scott, in his MISSABLE second appearance. Make sure you talk to him before you beat Roxanne!
Good Student (1) Receive a Quick Claw for attending the Trainer School
After talking to Scott, talk to the teacher to get a free Quick Claw. This held item allows the user to attack first in battles 20% of the time, regardless of Speed (although higher priority moves will still go first).
Even the Mightiest Oak (3) Trade a Ralts for a Seedot in Rustboro City
Finally, the last thing we can do in Rustboro City before the gym is trade Ralts for Seedot. If you caught an extra one, head to the house east of the gym and talk to the guy with the green hat.
Once you're ready, head to the Gym. Roxanne is a Rock-type trainer, meaning Water and Grass types will be helpful.
Battle Addict - Rustboro (2) Defeat every trainer in Rustboro gym
MISSABLE
You cannot battle the gym trainers after you defeat the leader, making this achievement missable.
There are three trainers in the gym. Apparently, all they have are Geodudes, meaning that they will go down easily to Water or Grass-type attacks. You can face two of them in a Double Battle if you'd like, or talk to them to fight them individually.
Rockin' Whiz (10) Defeat Roxanne to earn the Stone Badge
Roxanne isn't too hard if you have Mudkip. Her 2 Geodude are 4x weak to Water moves, so a single Water Gun will likely take them out. For Nosepass, you can use Mud-Slap once or twice to lower its accuracy and then hit it with Water Gun.
If you don't have Mudkip, you can also try using a Marill or Wingull, who also learn Water Gun early. Lotad and Shroomish are also an option. Although Absorb is not as powerful as Water Gun, it will still make quick work of the 2 Geodude, who are also 4x weak to Grass-type moves.
After defeating her, she'll give you the Stone Badge and TM39 Rock Tomb. The Stone Badge also lets you use Cut in the field, so teach it to your HM friend if you haven't already!
| Rustboro City | |
|---|---|
| Items | 1/17 |
| Trainers | 0/21 |
| New Pokemon |
As you exit the Rustboro Gym, you'll see a team Aqua grunt carrying some stolen goods to the north. We could go after them, but there is one IMPORTANT thing to do first - head back to the Trainer's School and talk to Scott AGAIN for another MISSABLE encounter (3/13)!
Now that we can use Cut, there are a few new items we can get in previous areas. You can get them now, but we'll be heading back that way a little later, so head to Route 116 east of Rustboro City to continue.
| Route 116 | |
|---|---|
| Items | 6/17 |
| Trainers | 10/21 |
| New Pokemon | Nincada, Whismur, Abra, Skitty |
Plenty of new Pokemon to catch here. Abra is skittish and will Teleport out of battle immediately - your best bet is probably to throw a ball first thing, or try and put it to sleep or paralyze it.
For items, you can find a Repel near the Bug catcher on the southwest side, and an X Special on a rocky ledge to the east of the cave.
There's a maze of items and trainers on the northern side of the route - you'll need Cut to get in. Inside, you can find a Potion on the eastern side past two trainers, and a hidden Super Potion tucked in a corner near the ledge.
Finally, south of the Berries, there's an Ether to collect.
| Rusturf Tunnel | |
|---|---|
| Items | 7/17 |
| Trainers | 10/21 |
| New Pokemon |
There's a pretty obvious Poke Ball to the north as you enter, so go ahead and take it.
Whismur is a 100% encounter in this cave, so if you didn't catch one before, now's a good time.
After that, defeat the grunt. There's nothing else to do in this tunnel for now, so go ahead and return to Rustboro City.
| Rustboro City | |
|---|---|
| Items | 7/17 |
| Trainers | 10/21 |
| New Pokemon |
Amazing Tech in the Palm of Your Hand (1) Receive the PokéNav from the Devon Corporation president
As you enter Rustboro, the Devon researcher will thank you and bring you to the president. The President will give you a PokeNav, and will ask you to deliver a letter to Steven in Dewford Town.
The PokeNav functions as a map, and (after you exit the building) a cell phone that you can register Trainers on for rematches. There are a couple of trainers we've already battled that can be registered. None of them are strictly required for any achievements (except Roxanne, but she will call you herself a little later in the story).
How About a Little Battle? (3) Defeat your rival at Rustboro City or Route 104
MISSABLE
This battle is optional, making this achievement missable.
Your rival will be waiting right near the Poke Mart, and will talk to you if you attempt to leave to the south. They will challenge you to a battle, with their team depending on your starter choice (and your gender, apparently). This battle shouldn't be too hard, especially if you have six Pokemon. Treecko may be a threat to Mudkip, but he doesn't seem to know that using Absorb is an instant win button.
After the battle, we'll head back to Mr. Briney's House on the southern part of Route 104. Along the way, we can get the items Cut unlocked.
| Route 104 (north) | |
|---|---|
| Items | 12/23 |
| Trainers | 9/16 |
| New Pokemon |
Southeast of the water, there is a tree you can Cut to get an X Accuracy. Next, head to Petalburg Woods.
| Petalburg Woods | |
|---|---|
| Items | 16/23 |
| Trainers | 9/16 |
| New Pokemon |
Head east of the exit and cut the tree to get into the eastern section. A girl there will give you a Miracle Seed (4/27). To the west, there's a recess between two trees. Search in there to find a hidden Tiny Mushroom.
In the northeast corner you can find a Great Ball, and after hopping down a few ledges on the east side, you can find an X Attack. Southeast of there, check the empty spot in the corner of the grass patch for another hidden Tiny Mushroom.
Finally, head back to south Route 104 and talk to Mr. Briney in his hut to take the boat to Dewford Town.
| Dewford Town | |
|---|---|
| Items | 0/26 |
| Trainers | 0/23 |
| New Pokemon | Magikarp, Tentacool |
In Dewford Town, you might notice some people talking about a "trendy phrase" in all-caps (like "GOING GAME" in my case). Whatever you do, DO NOT CHANGE IT at this point, as you can use it to make catching a specific Pokemon much easier.
Right when you get to Dewford Town, you can talk to the guy inside the house next to the pier to get a Silk Scarf (5/27).
Fishing Trainee (2) Receive the Old Rod in Dewford Town
Talk to the fisherman near the Gym to get the Old Rod. You can use it in the nearby water to catch Magikarp and Tentacool.
If you'd like, you can go to the north to fight a few trainers or catch some new Pokemon in Granite Cave. Otherwise, get ready to fight Brawly.
Battle Addict - Dewford (5) Defeat every trainer in Dewford gym
MISSABLE
You cannot battle the gym trainers after you defeat the leader, making this achievement missable.
There are six trainers in the Gym, with a mix of level 13 Fighting type Pokemon. The Gym is dark, so make sure you defeat them all before you challenge Brawly!
The Big Hit (10) Defeat Brawly to earn the Knuckle Badge
Brawly is a little tougher, but if you evolve some of your Pokemon he shouldn't be too hard to beat. Here are some suggestions:
- Mudkip evolves at level 16 into Marshtomp and learns Mud Shot, a STAB physical move that lets it take advantage of its higher Attack stat.
- Beautifly is also a decent option, as it 4x resists Fighting moves and learns Gust at Level 13.
- Taillow is not bad. Although it is neutral to Fighting moves due to its Normal typing, it learns the powerful Wing Attack at level 13.
- Ralts is a decent option, although it won't be able to take hits very well. You could evolve it into Kirlia at level 20 if you wanted. The first floor of Granite Cave north of Dewford Town is a great place to train Ralts.
- Don't bother trying to decrease Makuhita's accuracy (or boost your own evasion with Double Team), as Vital Throw will always hit regardless of accuracy.
- As Brawly's team only knows Fighting-type moves, Sableye (catchable in B1F of Granite Cave) will actually be completely invincible.
After defeating Brawly, he'll give you the Knuckle Badge, which allows you to use Flash outside of bettle. He'll also give you TM08 Bulk Up.
| Route 106 | |
|---|---|
| Items | 3/26 |
| Trainers | 2/23 |
| New Pokemon |
After defeating Brawly, head north to the beach of Route 106. There are two Fishermen here to defeat, and a couple of Hidden Items.
Southeast of the first fisherman, there is a hidden Heart Scale.
On an isolated rock, there is a hidden Stardust
On the end of the path north of the cave, there is a hidden Poke Ball.
Next, head into Granite Cave.
| Granite Cave | |
|---|---|
| Items | 6/26 |
| Trainers | 2/23 |
| New Pokemon | Makuhita, Zubat, Geodude, Aron, Sableye |
As you enter, talk to the Hiker to get HM05 Flash. It's not strictly necessary, but it will be helpful in navigating the lower floors.
On the first floor, near the ladder, is an Escape Rope.
On B1F, turn south at the first intersection to find a Poke Ball.
On B2F, you'll pass by an elevated ledge with a light gray rock. Search it to find a hidden Everstone.
Rocky Courier (4) Deliver the Letter to Steven
Hand over the Letter to Steven, and this achievement should pop. At this point, you can use the Escape Rope to exit, or walk all the way back out.
Devon Delivery (3) Receive the Exp. Share
After delivering the Letter to Steven, you can return to Rustboro City to get the EXP Share item from the Devon President. You don't have to do it right away if you don't want to, though.
You can talk to Mr. Briney in Dewford Town to head to Slateport City. He'll drop you off on Route 109, just south of the city.
| Route 109 | |
|---|---|
| Items | 6/15 |
| Trainers | 9/30 |
| New Pokemon |
There are five hidden items on the beach. First, west of Mr. Briney's ship, there is a Revive.
On the eastern edge of the beach, near two tubers, is an Ether.
Under an umbrella on the western side is a Heart Scale.
Directly north of the old man with the Zigzagoon is another Heart Scale.
Finally, under a towel (?) on the western edge of the beach is a Great Ball.
There's also a Potion out in the open, and a female Tuber will give you a Soft Sand (6/27).
There are six trainers out on the beach. Some of them are hiding under umbrellas, so watch out!
Drinks on the House (3) Complete the Seashore House challenge and receive a prize
The remaining three trainers are located in the Seashore House. After defeating them, talk to the guy in the north to get a 6-pack of Soda Pops.
| Slateport City | |
|---|---|
| Items | 6/15 |
| Trainers | 9/30 |
| New Pokemon |
There are quite a few things to do in Slateport City.
Crush Those Berries (2) Receive a Powder Jar in Slateport's Market
In the northeast corner of the market, a woman in red will give the Powder Jar to you.
Friendship Is Amazing! (3) Receive the Soothe Bell for showing a friendly Pokémon to a woman in the Pokémon Fan Club
The Pokemon Fan Club is located west of the Poke Mart. If you show a Pokemon with a high Friendship value to the woman near the north wall, she will give you a Soothe Bell. I was able to get it at this point with my Marshtomp. If your friendship isn't high enough, you can grind it out by walking back and forth repeatedly (or just come back later).
Pinnacle of Training (5) Be awarded an Effort Ribbon in the Slateport Market
If you talk to the woman next to the Energy Guru in Slateport Market, she will give your Pokemon a ribbon if it has maxed-out Effort Values. This likely isn't the case unless you've been doing some serious grinding, but make sure to come back later.
Once you're ready to continue, head to the Shipyard, talk to the balding man a little north, and then head to the Oceanic Museum to find Captain Stern.
On the first floor, there's a grunt near the entrance that will give you TM46 Thief (7/27). This isn't actually missable - he will hang around after all the other grunts leave. How conscientious!
Fight at the Museum (3) Defeat Team Aqua at the Oceanic Museum
Stern is on the second floor - just talk to him and defeat two team Aqua grunts to get this achievement.
As you exit the museum, you will run into Scott again (4/13). After that, immediately head over to the Battle Tent in the northwest part of the city. As you enter, Scott will again walk out, in a MISSABLE encounter (5/13).
As you enter the Battle Dome, you can talk to the sailor on the left to get TM41 Torment (8/27). After that, you can challenge the Battle Tent.
Trainer Extraordinaire - Slateport (5) Win at the Slateport Battle Tent and receive a prize
The Slateport Battle tent is reminiscent of the Battle Factory in the Battle Frontier. You'll be presented with six random level 30 Pokemon, and must choose three. Note that the Pokemon you choose first will be the one that is sent out first. You can look at the summaries of the Pokemon to see which moves they have.
You'll battle against three trainers. At the end of each battle, you can choose to swap out one of your Pokemon with one of the previous trainer's.
It's possible to get unlucky with the Pokemon selection, but it shouldn't be too hard to get a team you can win three battles with. Once you win, you'll be rewarded with a Full Heal.
(Funnily enough, there's a guy right outside that says he's going to compete in the Battle Tent, but he needs to catch some Pokemon first. Does he know?)
Before you leave Slateport, you may want to buy a Harbor Mail at the Poke Mart for an upcoming achievement. After that, you can head north to Route 110.
| Route 110 | |
|---|---|
| Items | 6/15 |
| Trainers | 11/30 |
| New Pokemon | Electrike, Minun, Gulpin, Oddish, Plusle |
Plusle is a little rare on this route (2%), but you can get one later in a trade, so don't worry too much if you don't catch it.
On Route 110, after beating a pair of trainers, you'll come across the Trick House. There are 8 puzzles to do in the Trick House, and one unlocks after every badge from here on out. Enter to challenge the first puzzle.
Trick Master Is Fabulous (3) Defeat every trainer and find every item in the first Trick House puzzle
MISSABLE
Once you beat the Trick House puzzles, any items and Trainers you missed will be inaccessible.
Make sure you bring a Pokemon with Cut for this one. There are three trainers and one item (an Orange Mail) in this maze. They're pretty obvious, so it shouldn't be too hard.
After the Trick House, we can take a quick detour to the west onto the other half of Route 103 to finish up our first item achievement.
| Route 103 | |
|---|---|
| Items | 3/3 |
| Trainers | 10/12 |
| New Pokemon |
There are six trainers to battle here (the final two are swimming in the water).
In the maze to the north, you can find a PP Up and a Guard Spec. This should finish up the first item achievement!
Head back out to Route 110 to continue.
| Route 110 | |
|---|---|
| Items | 12/15 |
| Trainers | 17/30 |
| New Pokemon |
Past the Trick House, there is a Dire Hit near the Youngster. In one of the empty patches northeast of the Youngster, there is a hidden Full Heal.
Continue north to our next Rival battle.
Long Time No See! (5) Defeat your Rival on Route 110
This time (assuming you chose Mudkip), they will come with a Slugma, Wingull, and Grovyle. Of these three, Grovyle is the threat. Marshtomp can probably get some damage in with Mud Shot, but might not be able to survive an Absorb, as it is 4x weak to Grass moves. If you have a few level ~20 Pokemon, it probably shouldn't be too hard to combine their efforts and take Grovyle down, especially if they're evolved. Kirlia, Golbat and Hariyama are good options.
After the fight, they'll give you the Itemfinder. Put it to good use by finding a hidden Great Ball north of the battle site.
You can also find a hidden Revive north of the double battle with the Collector and Guitarist.
West of the Triathlete and Psychic battle, you'll find an Elixir, and there is a hidden Poke Ball in one of the empty patches to the north.
| Mauville City | |
|---|---|
| Items | 1/12 |
| Trainers | / |
| New Pokemon |
Again, there's a few things to do in Mauville City. First of all, head east to the gap in the southern fence to find an X Speed. After that, head to the nearby house to get HM06 Rock Smash from the self-proclaimed Rock Smash Dude.
Aw Dang It (2) Exchange a Harbor Mail for a Coin Case
In the other southern house (next to the Poke Mart), you can trade a piece of Harbor Mail for a Coin Case. If you don't have a piece of Harbor Mail, you can buy one at the Poke Mart in Slateport.
Rydel Rydel Rydel Rydel Rydel Rydel Rydel Rydel (1) Receive a bike of your choice at Rydel's Cycles
Rydel's Cycles is the shop with all of the bikes next to it. Simply talk to him, and he'll give you a bike, free of charge. There are two types: the Mach Bike and the Acro Bike. There are obstacles that require both, but choose the BLANK Bike for now.
Next, head to the Game Corner. Before you buy any coins, talk to the guy to the east near the trash can. He'll give you 20 coins as a gift (9/27), but as user kirbopolous notes in the Gifted Kid comments, he'll only give them to you if you have zero coins.
The girl to the left of the counter will give you a doll matching your starter (10/27).
You can play at the Game Corner a bit if you'd like, but there aren't any achievements to earn right now.
Finally, you can challenge Wally in front of the Mauville Gym for an achievement.
Still a Novice (2) Defeat Wally at the entrance to the Mauville Gym
He just has a level 16 Ralts, so he shouldn't be too hard. If you have a Dark type, he won't be able to hit it at all.
After the battle, Scott will appear (6/13). If you're not at 6/13, reset your save and head back to the Battle Tent in Slateport!
With Wally defeated, you can either explore the areas around Mauville City or go ahead and challenge the Gym. For this guide, I'll challenge the gym first.
Battle Addict - Mauville (5) Defeat every trainer in Mauville gym
MISSABLE
You cannot battle the gym trainers after you defeat the leader, making this achievement missable.
There are five trainers in the Gym, and they shouldn't be too hard to maneuver to.
Swell Shock (10) Defeat Wattson to earn the Dynamo Badge
Wattson is a cinch with Marshtomp. Mud Shot will likely KO the first three Pokemon in 1-2 hits, and won't have much trouble KOing Manectric either. The only thing to watch out for is Supersonic from Magneton.
If you don't have Marshtomp, things will probably be a little harder. Geodude from Granite Cave is an option if you're looking for a Ground type. You can also evolve it into Graveler at level 25. Graveler may also be useful for the next few gyms too, so it might not ba a bad idea to grab one. Bringing a Fighting type like Hariyama or Combusken may also be useful for Magneton. Grovyle resists Electric attacks, so it may also be useful.
Like Brawly's Vital Throw, Shock Wsve will always hit regardless of accuracy, so trying to raise your Evasion is not very useful in this fight.
After defeating Wattson, he will give you the Dynamo badge, allowing you to use Rock Smash outside of battle. He'll also give you TM34 Shock Wave.
END OF CURRENTLY-WRITTEN REVISION CONTENT
Next is a long stretch with no achievements. Once you get to the northern part of Route 111, you can talk to a guy who's looking at a tree, and he'll give you the Secret Power TM, allowing you to create a Secret Base. Feel free to teach it to a Pokemon now - you can always get another copy of the TM in Slateport City!
Home Away From Home (1) Enter your very own Secret Base
This is the only achievement related to Secret Bases in this set, so you can create one, enter it, and then leave it alone for the rest of the game if you'd like.
Our next achievement is for defeating Team Magma and Maxie at Mt Chimney. Along the way, you'll reach Route 114 and Meteor Falls. On Route 114, you can find the TM for Dig by talking to the Fossil Maniac's brother. Make sure you keep the TM for Dig (or keep the Pokemon you teach it to), as it will make it very difficult to catch the Regis later if you don't have access to the TM.
In Meteor Falls, you'll find a Moon Stone. Make sure you don't drop or sell it, as you'll need to evolve a Pokemon with it to complete the Pokedex!
Fiery Crew (5) Interfere with Team Magma on Mt. Chimney
Maxie is the threat here, but he's honestly not too bad. He has a level 24 Mightyena and Zubat (one wonders why he doesn't evolve it) and a level 25 Camerupt. As long as your team is reasonably diverse and properly leveled, you should be able to take him down pretty easily. I myself used Hariyama to take down Mightyena, Kirlia to KO Zubat, and Marshtomp to take down Camerupt (although pretty much any Water type would do, as Camerupt is 4x weak to Water.)
Once you beat him, make sure you interact with the machine to get the Meteorite.
Next up is heading to Lavaridge Town to defeat Flannery.
Who Turned Up the Temperature? (10) Defeat Flannery to earn the Heat Badge
Again, Marshtomp makes the Gym very easy. Use Water Gun for Numel and Camerupt, and Mud Shot for Slugma and Torkoal. If Flannery manages to get a Sunny Day up, Water moves will only do half damage, so switch to Ground moves for the rest of the fight. Torkoal may be the biggest problem, as its Attract will cause Marshtomp to become infatuated if it is male. Still, you should be able to KO it with 2-3 Mud Shots, so it's not too much of a problem.
If you don't have Marshtomp, a strong Water-type and/or Ground-type Pokemon is likely your best bet. Of the options available at this point, Graveler, Tentacruel, or Pelipper may be worth considering. Just remember that Numel has Magnitude (which Graveler is weak to) and that Sunny Day cuts the power of Water type moves in half.
Heading east from Lavaridge Town, you can take a quick detour to the desert on Route 111 to grab a Fossil from Mirage Tower. You will need the Mach Bike and a Pokemon with Rock Smash to get through the obstacles. I'd recommend bringing a few Repels, too.
Amateur Archaeologist (1) Acquire a fossil in the Mirage Tower
If you ride the Mach Bike at max speed over the cracked ground, you won't fall through. I recommend using Repel so that a wild encounter doesn't interrupt you. It may take a few tries to get the timing down, but that one stretch on the second floor is the only one you'll have to navigate to get to the Fossil at the top.
You can choose whichever you like - the Root Fossil will give the Rock/Grass Lileep, while the Claw Fossil will give the Rock/Bug Anorith. You'll be able to get the one you didn't pick after the Pokemon League, so don't worry too much about missing out. Anorith/Armaldo is more of an offensive Pokemon, while Lileep/Cradily is more defensive. Lileep's Suction Cups ability also makes it easier to find Fishing encounters, which may be useful for finding Feebas (especially if you need to check every spot). However, a Gulpin with Sticky Hold will do the same thing.
Our next achievement is the Gym in Petalburg City, so head back there however you like. If you head south through Mauville and onto Route 110, you can visit the Trick House and do a few of the puzzles while the EXP is still useful!
If you stop by Rustboro City, you can also revive your Fossil Pokemon on the second floor of the Devon Corporation building (and grab the EXP. Share from Mr. Stone on the third floor if you haven't already).
Taking Down a Vanilla Team (10) Defeat Norman to earn the Balance Badge
Before you fight Norman, watch out for the Gym Trainer on the top left (in the "Strength Room"), as she has a Zangoose that knows Swords Dance that can wipe out your whole team if you're not careful. Or maybe I'm just bad.
Norman isn't too bad - he has a level 27 Spinda and Vigoroth, a level 29 Linoone, and a level 31 Slaking. A Fighting type like Hariyama or Breloom can do pretty well (just watch out for Spinda's Psybeam). Try to take down Linoone before it can use Belly Drum (or on the same turn), or else it might go on a rampage. Slaking has a high Attack stat, but its ability Truant is easily exploited. Truant means Slaking can only attack every other turn, so a Pokemon with Protect/Detect or Dig can completely shut it down. Otherwise, just use a Special attacker like Marshtomp/Swampert and heal with items as necessary on the off turn.
Be careful about burning/poisoning/paralyzing Norman's Pokemon, as they all know Facade, which doubles in damage if the Pokemon is afflicted by a status condition!
Immediately after defeating Norman, Wally's dad will give you the Surf HM, which is also a powerful move in its own right. I'd recommend teaching it to Marshtomp/Swampert right away!
Surf opens up a lot of places to explore. At this point, you can tackle an optional quest involving New Mauville. Simply head to Mauville City, talk to Wattson, and then find the entrance on Route 110 by Surfing east of the north Cycling Road entrance.
Sidequest for Wattson (5) Disable the generator in New Mauville and obtain your reward. Closing the game before claiming the reward will disable this achievement
MISSABLE
*This achievement is missable if you disable the generator and then close the game before talking to Wattson again.
Follow the Bulbapedia guide and you should be fine. Make sure you pick up the Thunder Stone before you leave!
Once you power down the generator, make sure you talk to Wattson again before you save and quit, or else the achievement will be locked!
Once you're finished exploring with Surf, head to Route 118 east of Mauville City to continue the story.
Route 119 is to the north, but it's probably worth visiting Route 123 to the east, where you can find the Berry Master's house. Not only does he have a large plot perfect for growing Berries, but he will also give out two free berries every day.
Also of interest is his wife. if you tell her the correct 2-word phrase, you can get a rare berry. The only phrase you can access now is "GREAT BATTLE," which will give you a Spelon Berry. You may actually want to tell her a non-special phrase, though, as if you do that you have a 1 in 10 chance of receiving the Lum Berry. The Lum Berry is a very useful Berry that cures any status condition. Make sure you hold onto it (or grow multiple copies), as it will come in handy later on in the Battle Frontier. You can get one berry a day from her, so you can either come back on different days or save in front of her and reload until you get the berry.
For Contests, if you'd like to use my strategy, you're going to need 10-15 Pomeg, Kelpsy, and Grepa berries, so you can get started planting them here if you'd like. There are plenty of plots here, and the location is easy to remember, so it's a pretty ideal spot for growing berries.
Route 119 opens up a few achievements:
Where Do I Even Find This? (25) Catch a wild Feebas
Route 119 is home to the infamous Feebas. Feebas is found as a Fishing encounter on 6 specific tiles in the river on Route 119. The problem is that there are 437 potential tiles, making it very hard to track Feebas down. Thankfully, there are ways to even the odds.
The first is preparing your party. If you have a Pokemon with the ability Suction Cups (Lileep) or Sticky Hold (Gulpin/Swalot) in the first slot of your party, they will increase your chance of fishing successfully from 50% to 92.5%. This can save a lot of time in the long run (especially if you need to check every spot).
Next, you should use the Old Rod instead of the Good or Super Rod. You can find Feebas with any rod, but the Old Rod will only require you to hit A once to land it.
Finally, you should check out this tile calculator shared by Spagg and GoJamBe in the comments. Assuming that you didn't change the trendy phrase in Dewford Town, it should help narrow down the spots to search considerably. Make sure you seleclt "Emerald," then enter your Trainer ID (found on your Trainer Card, accessible by selecting your name in the menu) and the Dewford trendy phrase, and it should label a few spots on the map. Try the red spots first. Fish a couple times in each spot, as Feebas has a 50% chance of appearing. If the red spots don't work, try the yellow spots, and if that doesn't work, try the green spots.
If none of those spots work or you've changed the trendy phrase, you'll have to find Feebas the old-fashioned way by checking tiles one-by-one. I would recommend following this strategy, and fishing only once per tile.
Several users recommend getting a beneficial Nature for evolving Feebas. A Feebas with a Modest, Quiet, Rash, or Mild Nature will prefer Dry Pokeblocks, increasing its Beauty stat more effectively. However, if you use Kelpsy berries to make the Pokeblocks, you'll be able to max out Beauty with any Nature, so it doesn't really matter unless you want a beneficial Nature on Milotic for the Battle Frontier.
The tiles Feebas spawns in will not change unless you change the trendy phrase in Dewford town, so if you do want to catch multiple Feebas, you may want to note down the spot you found (or use the calculator again).
Blue Stripes White Stripes (5) Deal with Team Aqua at the Weather Institute
Continuing up the route, you'll come across the Weather Institute, which has been taken over by Team Aqua. Once you enter, you can rest in the bed in the northwest room (which also has a PC, for whatever reason). After a few fights with Aqua grunts, you'll face off against Aqua Admin Shelly, who shouldn't be too challenging. She brings a level 28 Carvanha and Mightyena, both of which can be dispatched by a Fighting type.
Make sure you heal again before leaving the Weather Institute, as your Rival will challenge you right after you cross the bridge.
How Much Stronger Have You Gotten? (5) Defeat your Rival on Route 119
Assuming you picked Mudkip, your rival will show up with Slugma, Grovyle, and either Pelipper (Brendan) or Lombre (May).
At this point, your team should either be diverse enough or highly-leveled enough to blast through without many problems. If you bring a Flying type, you should be pretty good.
After the fight, your rival will give you HM02 (Fly), although you're unable to use the field move until after the next Gym.
Our next achievement is the Fortree City Gym.
Birds of a Feather (10) Defeat Winona to earn the Feather Badge
Winona has five Pokemon: a level 29 Swablu and Tropius, a level 30 Pelipper, a level 31 Skarmory, and a level 33 Altaria. Here are some notes:
- If you have an Electric type Pokemon like Manectric or Electrode, they'll probably come in handy for this gym and the next one (which is Water-type).
- Swampert can hold its own against many of the Pokemon, and Surf is a pretty good answer for Skarmory in particular.
- Tropius might appear difficult, but it's honestly not too bad. It seems to always go for Solar Beam instead of Sunny Day, which might actually be a problem. So, you can just switch a Pokemon in that resists Grass (Crobat, in my case) for free, and go from there.
- Pelipper seems to like spamming Protect. You can take advantage of this and use stat-boosting moves (or X items) to set up a Pokemon to sweep the rest of the battle. I used Calm Mind with Gardevoir.
- Skarmory has sky-high Defense and a good defensive typing, but its Special Defense is its weakness. Fire or Electric moves will take it down, as will Surf (or a Calm Mind-boosted Psychic).
- Altaria will use Dragon Dance to boost its Attack and Speed. Try to KO it sooner rather than later - if it manages to get enough boosts up it can be very difficult to take down! Setting up on Pelipper can help you avoid this.
Next, continue the story until you get to Mt. Pyre. Inside you will find a Sea Incense - DO NOT sell it or toss it, as you need it to breed an Azurill for the Pokedex!
After that, head to the Magma Hideout.
Visiting Magma's Hideout (5) Defeat Maxie in Team Magma's hideout
While traversing the deeper part of the Hideout, watch out for Graveler - it knows Selfdestruct, which can likely KO one of your Pokemon.
This time, Maxie brings a level 37 Mightyena, a level 38 Crobat, and a level 39 Camerupt. None of them can stand up very well to Swampert's Surf, especially Camerupt. If you don't have Swampert, a fully-evolved Water type will do.
After returning to Slateport City, head to Lilycove City. There you'll find your missable fifth and final Rival fight.
Long Time No See! (5) Defeat your Rival in Lilycove City
MISSABLE
This achievement is apparently missable, as your Rival will disappear at some point. I'm not sure at what point they disappear - you can at least beat the Aqua Hideout and Tate and Liza and they'll still be there. Selecting "No" or losing the fight also doesn't seem to make them disappear, either.
In any case, this is the final fight with May/Brendan. If you chose Mudkip, they will bring a level 31 Tropius, a level 32 Slugma and Pelipper, and a level 34 Grovyle. Again, as long as you have an answer for Grass types, this fight shouldn't be too hard. You can also abuse Pelipper's love for Protect to try and set up.
After your Rival, Surf to the northeast to enter the Aqua Hideout.
Visiting Aqua's Hideout (5) Defeat the Admin in Team Aqua's hideout
While traversing the Aqua Hideout, you'll find the game's Master Ball. I highly recommend you use it for Latios, especially if you're going to reset or RNG manipulate for a better Nature/IVs.
Anyways, Matt at the end is pretty easy - he just brings a level 32 Mightyena and a level 34 Golbat. Swampert (or any Water type) with Surf should do just fine.
Next up is the Mossdeep City Gym.
Brainiacs (10) Defeat Tate and Liza to earn the Mind Badge
Tate and Liza are unique in that their Gym Battle is a Double Battle! They bring a level 41 Claydol and Xatu, and a level 42 Lunatone and Solrock. They can be a little difficult, unless you use items. Here are my notes:
- The two count as one Trainer, and all four Pokemon of theirs are in the same "pool." That is to say, unlike other Double Battles, you can't focus one side of the battlefield and exhaust it of Pokemon to make the rest of the fight a 2-on-1.
- Claydol, Lunatone, and Solrock are all weak to Water-type moves, which is good news for Swampert. The bad news is that Xatu/Solrock like to use Sunny Day and Claydol/Lunatone like to use Light Screen, leading to Surf's power being 1/3 of what it normally is. Still, Surf's high power combined with hitting both enemies (and not your ally, in this generation) makes it a great choice.
- The two have 4 Hyper Potions, meaning you'll likely have to take out multiple health bars on several Pokemon, especially if you're relying on a weakened Surf.
- Watch out for Solrock's SolarBeam, especially if you're running Swampert.
- If you don't have Swampert (or maybe even if you do), Sharpedo is a decent option - it has access to STAB Surf, as well as Crunch, which is a powerful Dark-type move that has a chance of lowering Special Defense. What's more, you can fish one up right here in Mossdeep City using the newly acquired Super Rod!
- Crawdaunt is another option - you can fish up to a level 45 Corphish in Petalburg City using the Super Rod. Unfortunately, it doesn't learn any Dark-type attacks besides Knock Off in this game (It learns Crunch in FR/LG, but not in RSE for whatever reason).
- Because they like to use setup moves, you can take the opportunity to boost your own Pokemon using Calm Mind or X items. They managed to wipe 5 of my Pokemon (mostly because I don't like using items) and I still managed to win with my +4 Calm Mind Gardevoir.
- If you want, you can bring a Pokemon that knows Rain Dance to boost the power of Surf (at least until they use Sunny Day again, that is). Castform knows it by default, and Milotic learns it by level up at level 35.
- Finally, you can try and bring a Grass-type Pokemon (potentially one that can use Solar Beam) to hit Claydol/Solrock/Lunatone without being hampered by the sun.
Next, head to the Mossdeep Space Center to challenge Team Magma.
Space Center (5) Help Steven Stone in the Mossdeep Space Center
A Sailor in the lobby will give you a Sun Stone, so make sure you talk ot him.
When you talk to Steven, you'll select three Pokemon to use. This is a Multi Battle - you'll bring three Pokemon and Steven will bring three to use in a Double Battle against Maxie and Tabitha.
Steven shows up with a few powerful Steel types, so this battle shouldn't be too hard. Surf will do work against the enemy Pokemon (and absolutely wreck the Camerupt that both Tabitha and Maxie bring).
Steven will give you the HM for Dive when you visit him in his house on the northwest part of the island.
Before you continue, you can head north of Mossdeep City to get started on the Shoal Cave achievement.
Crafty Hands (5) Craft a Shell Bell in Shoal Cave
Shoal Cave has two forms: a High Tide form and a Low tide form. To craft the Shell Bell, you'll need to grab 4 Shoal Shells, available at high tide, and 4 Shoal Salts, available at low tide. The cave changes between the 2 forms every 6 hours, at 3:00 and 9:00. The ingredients respawn every day, so you can actually get multiple Shell Bells if you'd like.
You can also fully explore the Abandoned Ship on Route 108 east of Dewford Town now that you have Dive.
Delivery Mission (5) Retrieve the Scanner from the Abandoned Ship and deliver it to Captain Stern
To find the Scanner, follow the instructions in the Bulbapedia guide.
Captain Stern is located in the Slateport Harbor northeast of the Pokemon Center in Slateport City. Hand the Scanner to him, and choose either the tooth or the scale - we can't trade Clamperl to evolve, so it doesn't matter too much.
When you're done exploring with Dive, head to Route 128 south of Mossdeep City. In the underwater trench, you'll find the Seafloor Cavern, where Team Aqua has taken the submarine they stole.
Master Thief (5) Defeat Archie in the Seafloor Cavern
Follow the Bulbapedia guide's instructions to traverse the Seafloor Cavern.
In the final battle, Archie brings a level 41 Mightyena and Golbat, and a level 43 Sharpedo. Swampert should be able to hold its own. If you want, you can switch out to reset the Intimidate boost. Or Sharpedo will just use Swagger and do it for you.
After clearing the Seafloor cave, head to Sootopolis City to continue the story. You'll have to go to Sky Pillar to awaken Rayquaza. While you're there, try and catch a Claydol to use for Contests! After that, you can either head straight back to Sootopolis, or get started on catching the Regi trio and Rayquaza.
In order to unlock the Regi trio, you'll need a Pokemon that knows Dig, a Wailord, and a Relicanth. You'll also need a Pokemon that knows Surf and Dive.
The Dig TM is found on Route 114, and is compatible with many Pokemon. If you didn't hold onto the Dig TM, things get a lot harder. Nincada (not Ninjask!) learns Dig at level 45, and Trapinch (not Vibrava/Flygon!) learns Dig at level 41. If you're in that situation, it might be worth waiting to catch the Regis until after the Pokemon League, where you can grind levels easier (or duplicate Rare Candies). I'd also recommend choosing Trapinch, since you'll have to grind it to level 45 anyways to get Flygon.
You'll also need a Wailord. Wailord evolves from Wailmer at level 40, or is a 1% encounter while Surfing on Route 129. Wailmer can be caught at pretty high levels (up to 45) using the Super Rod in many locations. Getting a level 40+ one seems to be rare, though, so you might want to just catch a level 35 one and level it up. If you fish in Dewford Town, Wailmer has a 100% encounter rate when using the Super Rod, albeit with a higher level spread (25-45). Otherwise, you can try fishing with the Super Rod in other locations. If you want to fill out your Pokedex, Route 128 has Corsola and Luvdisc, and Horsea is found on Routes 132, 133, and 134 west of Pacifidlog Town. When fishing, remember that having a Pokemon with the Suction Cups or Sticky Hold ability at the front of your party will greatly increase the chance of success!
Relicanth is found in patches of seaweed while Diving. Its catch rate is a little low, so you can buy some Dive Balls or Net Balls in Mossdeep City. Dive Balls have a 3.5x catch rate while underwater, and Net balls have a 3x catch rate on Water or Bug type Pokemon. Dive Balls are more useful for catching Relicanth specifically, but Net Balls are probably more useful in the long run.
Once you have all the Pokemon you need, follow these instructions to get to the Sealed Chamber and awake the Regi trio. You'll need to use Dig at the northern wall of the first room, and read the message in the northern wall of the second room while Wailord is first in your party and Relicanth is last.
After that, three doors will open in the Route 111 desert, Route 105, and Route 120.
Before getting ready to capture the trio, you should probably stock up on Revives, healing items, and Timer Balls (found in the Rustboro City Poke Mart). If there aren't any Timer Balls in Rustboro, you need to talk to the Devon researcher outside Rusturf Tunnel. Timer Balls give an increasing bonus depending on how many turns have passed, up to 4x at 30 turns. You can also pick up X Defends at the Rustboro Poke Mart, which you can use to boost up your defenses to tank the Regi's attacks.
Rock Solid Golem (10) Catch Regirock in the Desert Ruins
MISSABLE
This achievement is missable if you KO Regirock, as it won't respawn.
To catch Regirock, you'll need a Pokemon with Rock Smash. Head to the Desert Ruins on Route 111 north of Mauville City. Once inside, read the message, walk two steps west and two steps south, and then use Rock Smash (from the Pokemon menu).
Make sure you save before fighting Regirock, as it won't respawn if you KO it!
To capture Regirock, I used a Lanturn to paralyze it with Thunder Wave, then used a combination of Surf / Normal type moves to whittle its HP down. If you have a Pokemon with False Swipe, that may be helpful. Once Regirock was low enough, I sent Swampert in, used 6 X Defends to tank Regirock's attacks, and chucked Timer Balls, healing as necessary. You may need a lot of Timer Balls (30+), so make sure you come prepared. Thankfully, they're actually cheaper than Ultra Balls!
Crystal Clear Golem (10) Catch Regice in the Island Cave
MISSABLE
This achievement is missable if you KO Regice, as it won't respawn.
Regice is located in the Island Cave on Route 105 north of Dewford Town. You don't need anything special to challenge Regice - simply read the sign, and run around the whole chamber staying right next to the wall.
Again, make sure you save before fighting Regice, as it won't respawn if you KO it!
For Regice, the strategy is similar to Regirock. Paralyze it, then use Surf to bring it down to the red. Switch in Swampert, use 6 X Defends, and chuck Timer Balls.
Advanced Alloy Golem (10) Catch Registeel in the Ancient Tomb
MISSABLE
This achievement is missable if you KO Registeel, as it won't respawn.
Finally, Registeel is in the Ancient Tomb on Route 120 east of Fortree City. You'll need to bring a Pokemon with Flash. After reading the message, head to the center of the cave and use Flash.
Again, make sure you save before fighting Registeel, as it won't respawn if you KO it!
My strategy for Registeel was similar to the other two. Paralyze it, use Surf to bring it down to the red, and then switch in Swampert, use 6 X Defends, and chuck Timer Balls.
At this point, you can either try and catch Rayquaza, or continue with the story.
Emerald Dragon (10) Catch Rayquaza at the top of the Sky Pillar
MISSABLE
This achievement is missable if you KO Rayquaza, as it won't respawn.
If you return to Sky Pillar on Route 131, you'll be able to capture Rayquaza. You'll need to bring the Mach Bike, Repels, Hyper Potions, and a boatload of Timer Balls. You may also want to bring Leppa Berries or Ethers if you have them.
Rayquaza is a difficult encounter if you don't use the Master Ball. I recommend you don't, so you can save it for Latios! It's Level 70, and knows Rest, allowing it to reset any damage and statuses you may give it. To take it on, I used a level 40 Lanturn with Thunder Wave and Flash, and Regice, who I leveled to 41 for Amnesia. Another bulky electric type would probably also do the trick (Magneton, maybe?). I also taught Regice Ice Beam via TM, and gave it the NeverMeltIce (found in Shoal Cave at low tide) to hold. Don't worry too much about using the Ice Beam TM - you can always get another one at the Mauville Game Corner!
As user dumbFKNidiot notes in the comments, getting to Rayquaza is a challenge in and of itself. The tower is damaged from Rayquaza landing on it again, and is full of cracked ground that you will fall through if you walk on. To get across, you need to use the Mach Bike. In order to build up enough speed, you'll have to have at least two tiles of space in between you and the cracked ground. Try to follow this video or dumbFKNidiot's guide in the comments if you're having trouble.
Once you reach the top floor make sure you save, as Rayquaza will not return if you KO it!
Here is my strategy for the battle:
- Open with Lanturn, and use Thunder Wave. If Rayquaza uses Rest or Fly, Lanturn should be able to survive and get the Thunder Wave off. If Rayquaza uses ExtremeSpeed or Outrage, Lanturn will likely go down, at which point you can either reset or move on to Regice.
- If Rayquaza tries to use Rest at full health, it will fail, allowing you to keep it paralyzed.
- Now that Rayquaza is paralyzed, start spamming Flash until you either hit 6 accuracy drops, or Lanturn goes down.
- Switch in Regice. Use Amnesia once or twice, then start using X Defends until you get to +6 Defense. Then, use Amnesia until you hit +6 Special Defense. Heal as necessary.
- If all went well, Regice should be pretty invincible. Now, use Ice Beam to bring Rayquaza's health down. If you're holding the NeverMeltIce, it should land somewhere in the yellow, which is good enough. You don't want to go too low, as Rayquaza could KO itself with confusion damage from Outrage if you're not careful. Once Rayquaza's health is down, start chucking Timer Balls like there's no tomorrow.
- If Rayquaza uses Rest, it will remove the paralysis. The good news is that Sleep is even better for catching! Use another Ice Beam to bring its health down again, and then resume throwing Timer Balls.
- Remember to heal as necessary, and use Ethers or Leppa Berries if you need to restore Ice Beam's PP.
- If Regice goes down (due to a critical hit, most likely), you can switch to other Pokemon and keep throwing Timer Balls until you catch Rayquaza or white out. This will probably be more effective if you managed to get several Flashes off.
The next story event is the Sootopolis City Gym, led by Juan. If you want to battle the Gym Trainers, you'll have to fail the ice puzzles. Some of them give great prize money, so it's not a bad idea, especially if you're hurting from buying too many Timer Balls!
Lord of the Sea (10) Defeat Juan to earn the Rain Badge
Juan has a level 41 Luvdisc and Whiscash, a level 43 Sealeo and Crawdaunt, and a level 46 Kingdra.
If you caught Rayquaza, congratulations, you've won! If you haven't, then bringing Swampert and an electric type is probably your best bet. Swampert learns Earthquake at level 52, which will be pretty devastating to anything that doesn't resist it (so, everything on Juan's team). Luvdisc's moveset is a little annoying, but it's weak enough that you can set up with X Attacks if you so choose. Just watch out for confusion - if your Pokemon hurts itself, it uses the Attack stat to determine the damage! You can use a Persim berry to heal confusion if you have one.
If you don't have Swampert, then an Electric type might be your best bet. At this point, you have access to quite a few, like Lanturn or Magneton. Just watch out for Whiscash.
After defeating Juan, continue the story until you get to Victory Road. While traversing the dungeon, Wally will challenge you to the final Rival battle of the game. He brings a level 44 Altaria, a level 43 Delcatty, a level 44 Roselia, a level 41 Magneton, and a level 45 Gardevoir.
Moss Head (5) Defeat Wally on Victory Road
Swampert handles most of these pretty well. Altaria uses Dragon Dance, but its only physical move is Aerial Ace, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. All in all, if you have a balanced team, this fight shouldn't be too bad.
After traversing Victory Road, you'll find yourself at the Pokemon League. Before you challenge the League, note that the Latios event will happen immediately upon loading your save after defeating the League. Therefore, if you want to reset for a good Nature on Latios (or use RNG Manipulation), make sure you're prepared. You should bring the Master Ball, loads of Max Repels, a few Rare Candies (if you want to test for IVs), and a Pokemon below level 40 to put in the front of your party. You can visit a PC before catching Latios to switch out items/Pokemon, but it will make resets slightly more tedious. If you've already used the Master Ball, you'll probably want to prepare a Pokemon that can trap Latios, like a fast Pokemon with Mean Look (such as Crobat).
Before that, though, we'll have to take down the Pokemon League itself. If you caught Rayquaza, it can sweep through the League without too much effort, especially if you're willing to use X items. Otherwise, you may need to strategize a litttle.
In Emerald, the Pokemon League consists of the Dark-type trainer Sidney, the Ghost-type trainer Phoebe, the Ice-type trainer Glacia, the Dragon-type trainer Drake, and the Water-type Champion, Wallace. My recommendation would be to bring an Ice type (useful against Sidney and Drake), an Electric type (useful against Glacia and Wallace), and perhaps a Fighting-type (useful against Sidney and Glacia). Swampert is also not bad, although it may struggle a bit against Drake and Wallace. I would recommend bringing along some PP restoring items like Ethers or Leppa berries, especially if you're planning on primarily using 1 Pokemon.
League Champion (25) Defeat the current champion and become the Pokémon League Champion
The Bulbapedia walkthrough has good tips for every battle. Here's some of my own tips:
- Most of Sidney's Pokemon have pretty pitiful Special Defense (55-70), so a special attacker could make pretty short work of them. Their Defense isn't that much better, either.
- Sidney leads with a level 46 Mightyena, whose intimidate will lower the power of physical attacks. You may want to start with a special attacker, or just switch out to reset the debuff.
- Shiftry doesn't know any Grass moves, so Swampert can pretty safely stay in against him. Cacturne, on the other hand, does know Needle Arm, so watch out.
- Crawdaunt and Absol both know Swords Dance, so try and take them down quickly.
- Phoebe's first Dusclops knows Curse, so don't try to set up against it, as you might need to switch.
- The second Dusclops and Sableye aren't too much of a threat, as their attacking stats are pretty pitiful. They might be good to set up on, if you'd like. Just watch out for the type coverage the second Dusclops has.
- Banette has a respectable 115 Attack, so watch out for its Shadow Ball (which is physical in this gen).
- Her first Sealeo is not a huge threat, so feel free to set up. Just watch out if it starts to use Ice Ball back-to-back, as it doubles in power every turn like Rollout.
- The level 52 Glalie knows Explosion, so try and take it out quickly if you can.
- Ice attacks are very good here, as 3 Pokemon take 4x damage from them.
- Shelgon is pretty okay to set up on. Just watch out for Rock Tomb if you have an Ice type.
- Altaria and Kingdra both know Dragon Dance, so make sure you take them down quickly if possible.
- Wallace sends out Wailord first. Its STAB Water Spout can be very dangerous, especially if it uses Rain Dance. However, Water Spout's power will proportionally decrease with its health, so attack quickly to reduce its damage output.
- Ludicolo and Whiscash are resistant to Electric attacks, and Tentacruel is resistant to Grass attacks, so you'll probably need to bring multiple types to be effective.
Right after you defeat the Pokemon League, you'll
Milotic
Tackle Surf Dive Waterfall
10-12 Kelpsy Pokeblocks
Beauty: Surf-Dive-Surf-Dive-Surf?
Tough: be last, then Waterfall-Tackle-Dive-Surf-Tackle?
Pomeg (Spicy + Bitter)
Grepa (Sour + Sweet)
Qualot (Sweet + Spicy)
Hondew (Dry + Bitter)
Little Trainer Big World - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Littleroot Town, Route 101, Oldale Town, Route 103 and Route 102
Petals to the Wind - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Petalburg City, Route 104, Route 105 and Petalburg Woods
Learning to Strive - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Rustboro City, Route 115, Route 116 and Rusturf Tunnel
Surfing Shores - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Dewford Town, Granite Cave, Route 106, Route 107, Route 108 and the Abandoned Ship
By Ship and by Bike - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Slateport City, Route 109 and Route 110
Hoenn Meridian - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Mauville City, Verdanturf Town, Route 117, Route 118 and New Mauville
Hot, Hotter, Hottest - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Lavaridge Town, Route 111, Route 112, Fiery Path, Mt. Chimney and Jagged Pass
Cinder Path - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Fallarbor Town, Route 113, Route 114 and Meteor Falls
Welcome to the Jungle - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Fortree City, Route 119, Route 120, Scorched Slab and Route 121
Finisterre - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Lilycove City, Safari Zone, Route 122, Mt. Pyre and Route 123
Too Much Water - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Mossdeep City, Route 124, Route 125 and Shoal Cave
Diving Expedition - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Sootopolis City, Route 126 and Route 127
End of the Line - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Ever Grande City, Route 128, Route 129 and Victory Road
Southern Currents - Items (10) Find every item and hidden item in Pacifidlog Town, Route 130, Route 131, Route 132, Route 133 and Route 134
Little Trainer Big World - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Littleroot Town, Route 101, Oldale Town, Route 103 and Route 102
Petals to the Wind - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Petalburg City, Route 104, Route 105 and Petalburg Woods
Learning to Strive - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Rustboro City, Route 115, Route 116 and Rusturf Tunnel
Surfing Shores - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Dewford Town, Granite Cave, Route 106, Route 107, Route 108 and the Abandoned Ship
By Ship and by Bike - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Slateport City, Route 109 and Route 110
Hoenn Meridian - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Mauville City, Verdanturf Town, Route 117, Route 118 and New Mauville
Hot, Hotter, Hottest - Trainer (10) Defeat every trainer in Lavaridge Town, Route 111, Route 112, Fiery Path, Mt. Chimney and Jagged Pass
Cinder Path - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Fallarbor Town, Route 113, Route 114 and Meteor Falls
Welcome to the Jungle - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Fortree City, Route 119, Route 120, Scorched Slab and Route 121
Finisterre - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Lilycove City, Safari Zone, Route 122, Mt. Pyre and Route 123
Too Much Water - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Mossdeep City, Route 124, Route 125 and Shoal Cave
Diving Expedition - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Sootopolis City, Route 126 and Route 127
End of the Line - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Ever Grande City, Route 128, Route 129 and Victory Road
Southern Currents - Trainers (10) Defeat every trainer in Pacifidlog Town, Route 130, Route 131, Route 132, Route 133 and Route 134