Chapter five: the big city of Hammerlocke, Route 6 and its fossils, then Stow-on-Side and the fourth Gym, run by Bea (Fighting) in Sword or by Allister (Ghost) in Shield. This is also when the story of Galar’s legend picks up steam.
Hammerlocke
With three Badges, you head north through the Wild Area to Hammerlocke. In front of the stadium, you overhear a conversation between Chairman Rose, his assistant Oleana and Bede. Raihan, the city’s Gym Leader, then invites you to the Relics Hall, where Sonia continues her research on the legend; she gives you two Revives there. His Gym, the last of the Challenge, is not yet open to you.
The city is packed with services: the BP shop, the Battle Café, the Effort and Friendship judges, and the Move Reminder by the river to the west. A Trainer, on the field opposite the museum, trades a Togepi for a Toxel. Items to collect: TM29 on the ramparts of the Relics Hall, a Muscle Band in the left-hand alley, and a Rare Candy behind the Poké Ball statue at the back of the right-hand area.
Route 6
Two Team Yell grunts first block the entrance to this desert route: beat them to get through. The path, dotted with ladders, is home to Galarian Yamask, Helioptile, Dugtrio and Maractus, plus Axew (mostly Sword) or Trapinch (mostly Shield). Among the hidden Pokémon: Silicobra, Durant or Heatmor, Hippopotas and, very rarely, Hawlucha.
At the far west of the route, Cara Liss revives fossils. By combining two fossils, she creates one of these four Pokémon:
| Fossils | Pokémon |
|---|---|
| Fossilized Bird + Fossilized Drake | Dracozolt |
| Fossilized Bird + Fossilized Dino | Arctozolt |
| Fossilized Fish + Fossilized Drake | Dracovish |
| Fossilized Fish + Fossilized Dino | Arctovish |
On Route 6, you find two Fossilized Dinos (Sword) or two Fossilized Fish (Shield) to the left of the big rock, south of the camping spot. The man at the Pokémon Center in Stow-on-Side gives you two Fossilized Birds (Sword) or two Fossilized Drakes (Shield). The other fossils are found in the Wild Area or obtained through trading. The route also hides TM15 and TM30, two Rare Bones and a Rare Candy.
Stow-on-Side
A mountain town known for its historic mural, Stow-on-Side welcomes you on arrival with Hop, hurt by Bede’s criticism and determined to test his new team.
| Opponent | Pokémon | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Hop | Cramorant Lv. 29, Toxel Lv. 29, Silicobra Lv. 30, the evolution of his starter Pokémon Lv. 33 | 2,640 Poké Dollars |
Opal, who watched the battle, hands you the League Card of the town’s Gym Leader. The “Bargain” merchant offers a different product every day, and a taxi driver, in the house at the bottom of the stairs, gives you TM06. TM74 is on the roof, reached by the ladder to the southwest, and a Dusk Stone is behind the Pokémon Center.
The Stow-on-Side Stadium
The mission
The same in both versions: you slide along a course on a saucer that you rotate with the joystick. Walls and obstacles make the saucer spin in a set direction. The course has three stages, each ending with a Trainer; teleporters let you return to the entrance.
Bea (Sword)
| Pokémon | Level | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Hitmontop | 34 | Triple Kick, Quick Attack, Counter, Revenge |
| Pangoro | 34 | Bullet Punch, Circle Throw, Night Slash, Work Up |
| Sirfetch’d | 35 | Detect, Swords Dance, Brutal Swing, Revenge |
| Machamp (Gigantamax) | 36 | Scary Face, Revenge, Knock Off, Strength |
Effective types: Flying, Psychic and Fairy. Reward: TM42 (Revenge).
Allister (Shield)
| Pokémon | Level | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Galarian Yamask | 34 | Brutal Swing, Hex, Disable |
| Mimikyu | 34 | Shadow Sneak, Baby-Doll Eyes, Hone Claws, Slash |
| Cursola | 35 | Ancient Power, Curse, Hex |
| Gengar (Gigantamax) | 36 | Venoshock, Hex, Hypnosis, Payback |
Effective types: Ghost and Dark; Normal and Fighting moves have no effect. Reward: TM77 (Hex).
In both cases: the Badge, 5,760 Poké Dollars and a Heavy Ball given by the Ball Guy at the entrance.
The Stow-on-Side ruins
As you leave the stadium, tremors are coming from the ruins northwest of town. With Sonia, you find Bede there using the Chairman’s Copperajah to pry Wishing Pieces off the mural, hoping to prove his loyalty. The mural collapses and reveals ancient statues of Zacian and Zamazenta: Sonia realizes that the sword and shield of the legend’s heroes were actually Pokémon. You battle Bede.
| Opponent | Pokémon | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Bede | Duosion Lv. 32, Gothorita Lv. 32, Galarian Ponyta Lv. 33, Hattrem Lv. 35 | 4,200 Poké Dollars |
Oleana and Rose arrive next: disappointed, the Chairman disqualifies Bede from the Gym Challenge. Sonia gives you two Revives. Next stop, Ballonlea, beyond the Glimwood Tangle.
