Rival Fights

Appendix 09

Rival Fights

Your Rival in HeartGold is a bit different than those of the previous games in that they are neither a friend or an acquaintance who challenges you, but are, in fact, your enemy!  They actively dislike you and seek to cause you to fail and to defeat you -- at least for most of the game -- so you are not going to have that warm and fuzzy rapport with them that you may have come to enjoy from previous generations of the game!

One aspect of this odd relationship is the aura of mystery that surrounds your Rival.  They are a thief and a bad person, and may even be a Bad Person from the trainer point of view as well, considering how poorly they treat their own Pokemon!  This being the case, your encounters with them will be violent and serious, so you should make every effort to give them a sound beating, right?

To help you on the way to doing that, here is the list of your Rival Encounters with notes so you can be prepared for them.  I want to thank Gryfen for all of his help with this part of the WT, and specifically for noting the various stats and levels.  Thank you Gryfen!

Listing Key: Location (Team) Notes

Rival Encounters (in the most logical order that they may occur).

- Cherrygrove City
(Level 5 Starter Pokemon)
Based upon the one you chose.

- Violet City in the Sprout Tower
(No Battle Here)
You encounter your Rival as he is leaving, having battled the Monk in the Tower.  He makes a disparaging comment and then wastes an Escape Rope to leave.

- Azalea Town
(L18 Starter / L16 Zubat / L14 Gastly)
As you are about to enter the west gate on your way to the Ilex Forest your Rival will challenge you to a battle.  You cannot proceed without fighting this battle, and you really should make every effort to pound his face into the dirt, right?

- Ecruteak City in the Burned Tower
(L22 Starter / L20 Gastly / L20 Zubat / L18 Magnemite)
As you head up around the hole in the floor of the tower you encounter your Rival, who forces a fight.  He has added another Pokemon to his team, but by this time you should have a full team and have already done some leveling, so this should not be much of a challenge as far as Rival Battles go...

- Mahogany Town at the Rocket HQ
(No Battle Here)
As you are on your way back out of the HQ you encounter your Rival, who is his usual cheery self, and he tells you how badly you suck before leaving!

- Goldenrod City in the Radio Station
(No Battle Here)
Your Rival puts in an appearance just as you are trying to sneak past the guard at the stairs and blows your cover!

- Goldenrod City in the Underground Mall
(L34 Starter / L34 Sneasel / L32 Golbat / L32 Haunter / L30 Magnemite)
On your way back out of the restricted area you will be forced into a Rival Battle, and hopefully you will win.  By now you should have your team's training well in hand and have fought most of the Rocket Grunts in the area as well.

- Olivine City in the street
(No Battle Here)
As you arrive in Olivine City your Rival will tell you that the Gym Leader is not in the Gym and offer you some advice, and then depart.

- Victory Road
(L40 Starter / L38 Golbat / L37 Haunter / L37 Kadabra / L37 Magneton / L36 Sneasel)
At this point your Rival is still mostly convinced that he knows what he is doing, and as he has been leveling his team, feels that he can beat you.  I sincerely hope not, because mysterious history or not, this guy is a mouthy git and he needs a good beating!

- Dragon's Den near Blackthorn City
(No Battle Here)
Instead of battling with you, he joins you in a battle against Clair & Lance.

- Mt. Moon
(L50 Starter / L48 Alakazam / L48 Gengar / L47 Golbat / L46 Magneton / L46 Sneasel)
As you enter Mt. Moon your Rival forces you into yet another battle that he is certain he is ready to win.  And yet... Nope, clearly he is NOT ready mwahahahaha!

- Dragon's Den near Blackthorn City
(No Battle Here)
Your Rival appears here on Tuesday and Thursday as part of his training plan, and you can have dialogue with him the first few times that is part of the story line.

- Pokemon League HQ
(Team Levels Vary)
On Monday and Wednesday you can fight Rival Battle Rematches here if you like.

- Celebi Event
(No Battle Here)
This is a special event that takes place after you win the game, and that provides you with some deep background on the story arc you otherwise cannot get.  Don't want to ruin it for you though, so you will have to do it to find out the story!