Chapter three: Route 5, where you receive the Rotom Bike, then the port city of Hulbury and Nessa’s Stadium, home of the Water-type Gym Leader.
Route 5
Route 5 links Turffield to Hulbury, crossing above the Wild Area on a long bridge. Two Team Yell grunts are harassing a doctor; beat them and he gives you the Rotom Bike, which at last speeds up your travels.
The Pokémon Nursery is on this route. The woman who runs it gives you a Toxel (Lv. 1), then five Exp. Candy XS. You can leave two Pokémon there to get Eggs.
The tall grass hides Stufful, Swirlix (Sword) or Spritzee (Shield), Minccino, Wobbuffet, Drifloon and, in Sword only, Galarian Farfetch’d. Among the hidden Pokémon: Espurr, Nuzleaf (Sword) or Lombre (Shield), Applin and Nincada. On the bridge, feathers appear at random.
At the end of the bridge, Hop is waiting for you.
| Opponent | Pokémon | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Hop | Wooloo Lv. 18, Corvisquire Lv. 19, the evolution of his starter Pokémon Lv. 21 (Thwackey, Raboot or Drizzile) | 1,680 Poké Dollars and a Revive |
Items: TM31 behind a rock in the southeast of the lower area, and a Shed Shell under the trees to the left of the Nursery.
Hulbury
Hulbury lives off fishing and the seafood trade. Head to the lighthouse, east of town, guarded by two Toxtricity statues: that is where you meet Nessa for the first time. At the market, the incense stall sells incense and the herbalist sells herbal remedies. A woman seated at the market trades her Cottonee for a Minccino.
The seafood restaurant, the Breakwater, offers food deliveries: the first one earns you five Nuggets, and after three deliveries the chef gives you a Lucky Egg, which boosts the Exp. Points gained. Items to pick up: TM82 behind the lighthouse, a Shell Bell on the docks to the southeast, and a Full Heal near the station stairs.
Nessa’s Stadium
The mission
You have to make your way through a network of pipes to the exit. By pressing the blue, yellow and red valves, you change the course of the water to open your path. Take the time to observe which passages each color opens before you set off.
The battle against Nessa
| Pokémon | Level | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Goldeen | 22 | Water Pulse, Whirlpool, Horn Attack, Agility |
| Arrokuda | 23 | Aqua Jet, Bite, Whirlpool, Fury Attack |
| Drednaw (Dynamax) | 24 | Razor Shell, Water Gun, Bite, Headbutt |
Grass and Electric types are effective. Beware of Whirlpool, which traps your Pokémon and hurts it for several turns. Drednaw, a Water/Rock type, is extremely weak to Grass (four times) and Fighting.
Rewards: the Water Badge, 3,840 Poké Dollars and TM36 (Whirlpool). After the battle, Sonia gives you TM79. At the entrance to the Stadium, the Ball Guy gives you a Lure Ball.
