B&W Walkthrough: Route 3, Day Care, Wellspring Cave

Route 3 links Striaton City to Nacrene City. Here you will find Unova’s Pokémon Day Care, a nursery where your Pokémon are healed, and the first dark grass of the adventure. But Team Plasma is lurking: a little girl has just had her Pokémon stolen.

Objective: Recover the stolen Pokémon in Wellspring Cave, then reach Nacrene City
Enemies: 3 Team Plasma Grunts
Rival: Cheren
Rewards: 3 Heal Balls
Recommended level: 13 to 16

🏡The Day Care and the nursery school

In the northeast of the route, an old couple runs the Pokémon Day Care. For now, it only accepts a single Pokémon, which it levels up for 100 ₽ plus 100 ₽ per level gained. You will be able to leave two Pokémon there, and therefore obtain Eggs, a little later in the adventure. Right next door, the nursery school‘s assistant heals your team for free: handy for training without going back to the Pokémon Center.

At the nursery school, Teacher Geneviève and three children challenge you: each of them has one of the three elemental monkeys. Easy experience, especially since the assistant heals you right afterwards.

🌾Dark grass and new recruits

To the south, the route winds between a pond and patches of dark grass, darker than the rest. New in the fifth generation: they sometimes trigger double battles against two wild Pokémon at once. You then cannot throw a Poké Ball as long as two remain.

Two new recruits are worth the detour: Blitzle, a fast Electric Pokémon that will become Zebstrika at level 27, and Pidove, Normal and Flying, which evolves into Tranquill and then Unfezant, a very good bird for the whole adventure.

Rival

Cheren

💰 1,200 ₽

TepigNo. 14Fire
- Odor Sleuth
- Tail Whip
- Ember
- Defense Curl
Ability: BlazeItem: Oran Berry
PurrloinNo. 12Dark
- Fury Swipes
- Growl
- Assist
- Sand Attack
Ability: Unburden

Our strategy

Cheren fields his Purrloin and his starter Pokémon, which holds an Oran Berry. His Purrloin knows Sand Attack, which lowers your accuracy: switch Pokémon if your accuracy drops too much. Against his starter Pokémon, the type-advantaged monkey given at the Dreamyard works wonders.

Route 3

Map

Wild Pokémon

Tall grass

PatratNo. 820 %
LillipupNo. 910 %
PurrloinNo. 910 %
PidoveNo. 8-1140 %
BlitzleNo. 8-1120 %

Dark grass

PatratNo. 1020 %
LillipupNo. 1110 %
PurrloinNo. 1110 %
PidoveNo. 10-1340 %
BlitzleNo. 10-1320 %

Rustling tall grass

AudinoNo. 8-11100 %

Surfing

Basculin (Red-Striped Form)NoireNo. 5-15Noire100 %Blanche—
Basculin (Blue-Striped Form)BlancheNo. 5-15Noire—Blanche100 %

Shadows in the water

Basculin (Red-Striped Form)BlancheNo. 5-20Noire—Blanche100 %
Basculin (Blue-Striped Form)NoireNo. 5-20Noire100 %Blanche—

Fishing

GoldeenNo. 35-5560 %
Basculin (Red-Striped Form)NoireNo. 5-15Noire40 %Blanche—
Basculin (Blue-Striped Form)BlancheNo. 5-15Noire—Blanche40 %

Fishing in shadows

GoldeenNo. 35-6040 %
SeakingNo. 35-7020 %
Basculin (Red-Striped Form)BlancheNo. 35-60Noire—Blanche40 %
Basculin (Blue-Striped Form)NoireNo. 35-60Noire40 %Blanche—

Herds

IllumiseBlancheNo. 15-55Noire—Blanche40 %
VolbeatNoireNo. 15-55Noire40 %Blanche—

Trainers

11 Trainers · 3,648 ₽ in total

Twins Lia & Liz
1010
160 ₽
Teacher Geneviève
1010
400 ₽
Preschooler Jorian
10
40 ₽
Preschooler Mia
10
40 ₽
Preschooler Conan
10
40 ₽
Pokémon Breeder (f) Sylviane
999
432 ₽
Schoolkid Titou
13
260 ₽
Schoolkid Emma
13
260 ₽
Schoolkid Albertine
1212
240 ₽
Schoolkid Stéphane
1212
240 ₽
Pokémon Breeder (m) Lewis
323232
1,536 ₽

Items

Heal Ball ×3Given by the little girl with Bianca, after defeating Team Plasma in Wellspring Cave.
Oran BerryGiven by Pokémon Breeder Sylviane after defeating her.
Lum BerryGiven by Pokémon Breeder Lewis after defeating him. (Surf required)
AwakeningTo the southwest, in the tall grass near the entrance to Nacrene City.
Super PotionIn the tall grass to the north, west of the Day Care.
RepelTo the northwest, in the tall grass next to the entrance to Wellspring Cave.
AntidoteIn the center, in the tall grass just south of the northern intersection.
Great BallSouth of the bridge.
Full HealNorth of the pond. (Surf required)
HP UpWest of the pond, northeast of the tall grass. (Surf required)
Max EtherWest of the pond, southwest of the tall grass. (Surf required)
Ultra BallHidden item: In the middle of the sandbox west of the Day Care. (Only if the Ultra Ball in Dreamyard has not been collected. Not detected by the Dowsing Machine.)
Rare CandyHidden item: Only in one of the two locations below: * In the dark grass east of the pond, in the small recess in the woods. (Not detected by the Dowsing Machine) * West of the pond, south of Pokémon Breeder Lewis (see image opposite). (Surf required)

🥷Wellspring Cave

Near the nursery school, a crying little girl blocks the road to Nacrene City: Team Plasma Grunts have taken her Pokémon. Bianca stays with her while you chase after them, toward Wellspring Cave, in the northwest of the route. Three Grunts are waiting for you there, each with a level 12 Patrat. Once beaten, they return the Pokémon and run away. As a thank-you, the little girl gives you 3 Heal Balls, which heal the Pokémon they capture.

The cave is home to Roggenrola and Woobat. Above all, watch for the dust clouds that sometimes rise from the ground: walk into them to meet Drilbur, which will become Excadrill, one of the best Pokémon in the game. The clouds sometimes hide rare items too.