Chapter seven: Routes 7 and 8, between Hammerlocke and Circhester, then the spa town of Circhester and its stadium, run by Gordie (Rock) in Sword or by Melony (Ice) in Shield.
Route 7
From Hammerlocke, Route 7 heads east and crosses the Wild Area on a big bridge. Hop challenges you there with a revamped team.
| Opponent | Pokémon | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Hop | Trevenant Lv. 34, Heatmor Lv. 34, Snorlax Lv. 35, Boltund Lv. 35, the final evolution of his starter Pokémon Lv. 37 | 4,440 Poké Dollars |
The tall grass hides Perrserker, Thievul, Galvantula, Liepard, Inkay and Morpeko. Among the hidden Pokémon: Karrablast (mostly Sword) or Shelmet (mostly Shield), Corviknight, Meowstic and Seismitoad. Items: TM58 behind a rock to the right of the camping spot, and Safety Goggles on the small path south of the bridge.
Route 8
Route 8 runs through ruins where you make progress along paths and ladders, then Steamdrift Way, covered in snow, which leads to Circhester. Falinks patrol among the ruins. You can meet Golett, Gurdurr or Boldore, Pawniard, Togedemaru, Rufflet (Sword) or Vullaby (Shield), then Snom, Snorunt and Sneasel on Steamdrift Way. Galarian Darumaka, which is rare, appears only in Sword.
Notable items: TM96 at the top of the ladder to the west, TM43 just before the end of the route, a King’s Rock in the middle of the Falinks area, a Big Nugget to the northwest and a Pixie Plate under the tall grass in the middle.
Circhester
A mountain town where it snows nonstop, Circhester is famous for its baths, the Hero’s Bath, where the hero of the legend is said to have rested. As you arrive at the stadium, you run into Hop, who has just lost to the Gym Leader. The ice cream vendor, south of town, trades a Throh (Sword) or a Sawk (Shield) for a Vanillish.
The Circhester Stadium
The mission
The same in both versions: a three-stage course dotted with invisible pits. A trap detector vibrates more and more strongly as you approach a pit. If you fall, you restart the stage, but the pit stays visible. The last stage takes place in a sandstorm (Sword) or a blizzard (Shield) that hides almost everything: move forward step by step, keeping an eye on the detector.
Gordie (Sword)
| Pokémon | Level | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Barbaracle | 40 | Shell Smash, Rock Tomb, Razor Shell |
| Shuckle | 40 | Power Split, Stone Edge, Struggle Bug, Rock Tomb |
| Stonjourner | 41 | Stealth Rock, Rock Tomb, Body Slam, Wonder Room |
| Coalossal (Gigantamax) | 42 | Tar Shot, Stealth Rock, Heat Crash, Rock Tomb |
Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground and Steel types are effective. Coalossal, a Rock/Fire type, is four times weak to Water and Ground. Reward: TM48 (Rock Tomb).
Melony (Shield)
| Pokémon | Level | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Frosmoth | 40 | Icy Wind, Feather Dance, Bug Buzz, Hail |
| Galarian Darmanitan | 40 | Icicle Crash, Headbutt, Taunt, Fire Fang |
| Eiscue | 41 | Amnesia, Freeze-Dry, Hail, Icy Wind |
| Lapras (Gigantamax) | 42 | Icy Wind, Ice Beam, Surf, Sing |
Fire, Fighting, Rock and Steel types are effective; Frosmoth, an Ice/Bug type, is weak to Fire, Rock and Flying. Reward: TM27 (Icy Wind).
In both cases: the Badge, 6,720 Poké Dollars and a Moon Ball given by the Ball Guy.
After the Badge
Sonia invites you to lunch at the town’s grill. There she discovers Hammerlocke’s missing tapestry, which depicts the legend’s heroes without their Pokémon: Hop then thinks back to the encounter in the Slumbering Weald. At the baths, Hop challenges you again.
| Opponent | Pokémon | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Hop | Dubwool Lv. 40, Corviknight Lv. 40, Pincurchin Lv. 39, Snorlax Lv. 39, his final starter Pokémon Lv. 41 | 4,920 Poké Dollars |
