The bonus stages in Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire are special mini-fields, each with an objective to complete within a time limit. They earn a lot of points and let you catch Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza. Here is how to unlock and beat them.
Unlocking a bonus stage
You need to fill the three Poké Balls displayed under the picture of the location. Each one is filled by catching a Pokémon or by catching a baby that hatched from an Egg; an evolution fills two Poké Balls. The Slot Mode can also start a bonus stage.
| Appearance | Sapphire Field | Ruby Field |
|---|---|---|
| 1st time | Dusclops | Kecleon |
| 2nd time | Kyogre | Groudon |
| 3rd time | Dusclops | Kecleon |
| 4th time | Kyogre, catchable | Groudon, catchable |
| 5th time | Rayquaza, catchable on the second encounter only | |
- A bonus stage you lose must be replayed until you win.
- After the fifth stage, the cycle starts over.
- To catch Rayquaza, you therefore need to reach the tenth appearance.
- Catching Groudon, Kyogre or Rayquaza does not count toward the next bonus stage.
- The Spheal stage is separate and does not count in this cycle.
Sapphire Field
Dusclops
Hit each of the two Duskull five times when they appear. Dusclops then arrives: it sends the ball back harmlessly when you hit it head-on. Hit it from behind or while it is walking toward you, five times in all.
Kyogre
Hit Kyogre seventeen times while avoiding its whirlpools. Strike it when it is still or when it jumps. Its ice balls trap the ball for a few seconds; hit it just beforehand to avoid them.
Ruby Field
Kecleon
Kecleon is invisible. Bump the tree to make the Devon Scope fall, pick it up, then hit Kecleon ten times within two minutes.
Groudon
Hit Groudon seventeen times. First strike the flames surrounding it and break the rocks that get in the way. Its fireballs trap the ball for a few seconds; placing the ball behind it lets you hit it more often.
On both fields
Spheal
This stage can be bought at the shop, or unlocked as follows: on Ruby, bump the button between Cyndaquil and the bumpers until Whiscash appears, then throw the ball at it; on Sapphire, bump the B under Pelipper until it turns toward the bumpers, then go through the lane to the left of the shop. The goal: get the ball, or better still a Spheal, through the side lanes to make them fall into the basket. A Spheal is worth five times as much as the ball. Two minutes of play.
Rayquaza
Hit Rayquaza about twenty times while avoiding its tornadoes. Its lightning bolts trap the ball for a few seconds. It reappears after thirty Pokémon, and can then be caught.
