Once the eight Gyms have fallen, the Gym Leader Castle opens onto the League: four members of the Elite Four to beat in a row, Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha and Lance, then the Rival waiting for you at the top. The mode’s rules still apply (all Pokémon allowed, opponents at level 50 or at the level of your highest-level Pokémon), but you can no longer change teams between the Elite Four and the Rival: the same team of six must last through all five battles. A victory over the Rival triggers one of the Castle’s eight gifts.
The Elite Four, Round 1
In Round 1, Lorelei plays Water and Ice, Bruno Fighting and Rock, Agatha Ghost and Poison, and Lance a mix of Dragon, Flying and Water Pokémon. A few pointers from the teams: Electric and Rock each hit five of Lorelei’s six Pokémon; against Agatha, a Psychic move hits the whole team for double damage; against Lance, Rock and Electric hit four Pokémon out of six. Bruno is more balanced: Water, Psychic and Ice each hit three of his Pokémon.
| Order | Opponent | Team | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lorelei | Dewgong, Cloyster, Slowbro, Jynx, Lapras, Articuno | Explosion or Self-Destruct: Cloyster; Sleep: Jynx |
| 2 | Bruno | Onix, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Machamp, Golem, Rhydon | Explosion or Self-Destruct: Golem; One-hit KO: Rhydon |
| 3 | Agatha | Haunter, Golbat, Arbok, Muk, Venusaur, Gengar | Explosion or Self-Destruct: Muk, Gengar; One-hit KO: Arbok; Sleep: Haunter |
| 4 | Lance | Gyarados, Dragonair, Aerodactyl, Lapras, Charizard, Kangaskhan | — |
Note that Lance has no Dragonite at all in Pokémon Stadium, unlike in Red and Blue: his team is made up of Gyarados, Dragonair, Aerodactyl, Lapras, Charizard and Kangaskhan. Agatha, on the other hand, concentrates the explosions: Muk and Gengar know Explosion.
The Elite Four, Round 2
In Round 2, the teams are more varied. Lorelei lines up Wigglytuff, Cloyster, Exeggutor, Starmie, Omastar and Articuno; Bruno slips Clefable and Slowbro in among his Fighting Pokémon; Agatha replaces Haunter, Golbat and Muk with Jynx, Alakazam and Gyarados, but keeps Gengar and its Explosion; Lance even gives up Dragon Pokémon: Arcanine, Snorlax, Lapras, Electabuzz, Charizard and Kangaskhan make up his team.
| Order | Opponent | Team | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lorelei | Wigglytuff, Cloyster, Exeggutor, Starmie, Omastar, Articuno | Explosion or Self-Destruct: Cloyster |
| 2 | Bruno | Clefable, Muk, Hitmonlee, Machamp, Slowbro, Rhydon | Explosion or Self-Destruct: Muk |
| 3 | Agatha | Jynx, Alakazam, Arbok, Gyarados, Venusaur, Gengar | Explosion or Self-Destruct: Gengar; Sleep: Jynx, Venusaur |
| 4 | Lance | Arcanine, Snorlax, Lapras, Electabuzz, Charizard, Kangaskhan | Explosion or Self-Destruct: Snorlax |
The Rival
The Rival is the Castle’s final opponent. His team depends on the Game Boy cartridge you plugged in and on your starter choices: with no compatible cartridge, you face his default team; with Pokémon Red or Blue, his evolved starter Pokémon is the one that beats yours (if you chose Bulbasaur, he plays Charizard, and so on); with Pokémon Yellow, his Eevee has evolved into Vaporeon, Jolteon or Flareon depending on your game. In every case, his Pokémon are level 50 or at the level of your best Pokémon.
Round 1
| Situation | Rival’s team |
|---|---|
| No compatible Game Boy cartridge (default team) | Exeggutor, Slowbro, Ninetales, Clefable, Electabuzz, Pinsir |
| Red or Blue, you chose Bulbasaur | Charizard, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Gyarados, Magneton, Dodrio |
| Red or Blue, you chose Charmander | Blastoise, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Magneton, Arcanine, Dodrio |
| Red or Blue, you chose Squirtle | Venusaur, Alakazam, Magneton, Gyarados, Arcanine, Dodrio |
| Yellow: if Blue’s Eevee evolves into Vaporeon | Vaporeon, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Magneton, Arcanine, Sandslash |
| Yellow: if Blue’s Eevee evolves into Jolteon | Jolteon, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Cloyster, Arcanine, Sandslash |
| Yellow: if Blue’s Eevee evolves into Flareon | Flareon, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Cloyster, Magneton, Sandslash |
Round 2
| Situation | Rival’s team |
|---|---|
| No compatible Game Boy cartridge (default team) | Exeggutor, Slowbro, Ninetales, Clefable, Electabuzz, Pinsir |
| Red or Blue, you chose Bulbasaur | Charizard, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Gyarados, Magneton, Dodrio |
| Red or Blue, you chose Charmander | Blastoise, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Magneton, Arcanine, Dodrio |
| Red or Blue, you chose Squirtle | Venusaur, Alakazam, Magneton, Gyarados, Arcanine, Dodrio |
| Yellow: if Blue’s Eevee evolves into Vaporeon | Vaporeon, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Magneton, Arcanine, Sandslash |
| Yellow: if Blue’s Eevee evolves into Jolteon | Jolteon, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Cloyster, Arcanine, Sandslash |
| Yellow: if Blue’s Eevee evolves into Flareon | Flareon, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Cloyster, Magneton, Sandslash |
A few constants: Alakazam appears in every cartridge-linked team (Psychic, Recover, Flash or Reflect), while Exeggutor is in almost all of them. In Round 2, several of the Rival’s moves change: for example, his Dodrio gives up Tri Attack, Fury Attack and Reflect for Body Slam, Toxic and Fly, and his Alakazam swaps Flash and Seismic Toss for Reflect and Thunder Wave. The default team, with no cartridge, consists of Exeggutor, Slowbro, Ninetales, Clefable, Electabuzz and Pinsir.
The Castle’s gifts
After you beat the Elite Four and the Rival, Professor Oak hands you, in his lab, one of the following eight Pokémon, drawn at random. These are Pokémon that the Game Boy games only give out once. You can redo the Elite Four and the Rival as many times as you like to get the others. All of them can be sent to your Red, Blue or Yellow cartridge; their original Trainer is STADIUM and their ID number is 02000.
| Pokémon | Level | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Bulbasaur | 5 | Tackle, Growl |
| Charmander | 5 | Scratch, Leer |
| Squirtle | 5 | Tackle, Tail Whip |
| Hitmonlee | 20 | Double Kick, Meditate |
| Hitmonchan | 20 | Comet Punch, Agility |
| Eevee | 25 | Tackle, Sand-Attack |
| Omanyte | 20 | Water Gun, Withdraw |
| Kabuto | 20 | Scratch, Harden |
If the Pokémon is then traded to Pokémon Gold, Silver or Crystal, it holds a Normal Box (the Round 1 gift, which contains a silver trophy for your room) or a Gorgeous Box (the Round 2 gift, which contains a gold trophy). All the details are on the Rewards page.
