The Route to Driftveil City

The Route to Driftveil City

On your way out of town via the west gate you run into Hugh and a bunch of Team Plasma Grunts – and it looks like a battle is in the offing!  Team Plasma Grunt has a Level 27 Trubbish and pays you $1080.  Team Plasma Grunt has a Level 27 Watchog and pays you $1080.  After the battle the Grunts depart and Hugh reveals why he hates Team Plasma so much...  Hugh heals your Pokemon and then departs, and the way to the west gate is now open to us.

As you exit the gate on to Route 5 you encounter Bianca, who gifts you with HM02 Fly – a Hidden Move that is incredibly useful and valuable to us!  With Fly and a Flying Pokemon we have full mobility and can Fly to any city we have previously visited!  Sweet!  She also briefs us about Hidden Grottos, small hidden places among the trees where Pokemon hide.  She then leads us into a nearby Hidden Grotto by way of demonstration – inside we find a wild Minccino and capture it.

A woman near the gate offers to sell us 5 Qualot Berries for $200 - a good deal.  By the food truck we battle Baker Jenn, who has a Level 24 Sunkern and a Level 24 Combee, and pays us $960.  Inside the food truck is a woman who will pay premium prices for some of your food items so if you have extra you may want to sell some to her...  There are some trainers ahead on the road you can battle with...

Dancer Brian has a Level 25 Scraggy and will pay you $800.  Musician Preston has a Level 25 Maractus and will pay you $800.  After the battle he gifts you with an Electric Guitar prop.  Ahead the road is blocked by Motorcyclist Charles, who demands you compete with him in a Rotation Battle!  He has a Level 26 Tirtouga, a Level 26 Sigilyph, and a Level 26 Archen, and after you beat him pays you $832.

That opens up the Route so well done!  Below you are some twins to battle – Backers Ava and Aya have a pair of Level 24 Minccino, and pay you $1152.  Ahead of you is the Driftveil Drawbridge – but before you go onto it and cross it you should complete what Route 5 has to offer, so start by claiming the Treasure Balls to gain a Hyper Potion and a Super Repel.  Yancy briefly rings you up but that does not go anywhere.  In the grass above you battle Artist Horton who has a Level 25 Sigilyph and pays you $2500.  Pokemon Ranger Lois has a Level 25 Budew and a Level 25 Roselia, and pays you $1500.  She gifts you a Cheri Berry as well.

In the grass you will find Level 23 to 25 Cinccino, Emolga, Gothita, Liepard, Minccino, Trubbish, and Audino.

– The Driftveil Bridge –

As you head out on to the bridge stop and chat up the bloke you run into to unlock the Funfest Mission “Wings Falling on the Drawbridge” and then look in the shadow spots on the bridge to capture yourself a Ducklett – or the odd Genius Wing, Health Wing, Swift Wing...  Once you have managed that, head along the bridge and you exit into Driftveil City!

As you head into town you encounter a Team Plasma Grunt brow-beating an ex-Team Plasma Grunt into rejoining the Team – but he does not want to!  And then Hugh shows up with his standard low-key approach – and the Grunt runs away with Hugh chasing after him!

The ex-Grunt fills you in and invites you to their Home to hear the rest of the story...  Be an idea now to hit the Pokemon Center to heal up and re-supply – and save our game – then

– Driftveil City –

Down the street from the Center is the Driftveil Continental Hotel, and on the top floor is a trainer who will gift you with a Big Root – and a bunch of trainers throughout that you can chat up...  Exit the Hotel and head back along the street to the building across the main street to find the Driftveil Chateau Hotel,  where you will find in the lobby the Master Move Tutor, who will accept Red Shards to teach your Pokemon the following moves:

Covet (2 Shards)
Bug Bite (2 Shards)
Drill Run (4 Shards)
Bounce (4 Shards)
Signal Beam (4 Shards)
Iron Head (4 Shards)
Super Fang (6 Shards)
Uproar (6 Shards)
Seed Bomb (6 Shards)
Dual Chop (6 Shards)
Low Kick (8 Shards)
Gunk Shot (8 Shards)
Fire Punch (10 Shards)
Thunder Punch (10 Shards)
Ice Punch (10 Shards)

On the top floor is a trainer who will gift you with an Air Balloon, after which you should head downstairs and outside and hit the Driftveil Market, where you can buy Incense from an ex-Plasma Grunt, Moomoo Milk, and find a man in black who, if you show him a Pokemon over Level 30 will gift you an Expert Belt.  There is also an Herb Merchant if you like but be aware that Pokemon are not keen on the often bitter taste...  Before you finish up with the Market you need to enter via the back door and grab TM63 Embargo from the Treasure Ball that is behind the counter.

Charles is riding around behind the Market if you need to get some XP for your team, as he will gladly do another triple battle rotation with you!

To the southwest of the Market is the Driftveil Luxury Suites – man this town has a lot of hotels – a girl in the lobby would like to see a Pokemon that knows Attract, and if you show her one, she will give you a Heart Scale.

On the 19th Floor you will find trainers to chat with, and on the 23rd Floor a trainer who will gift you with an Everstone – a held item that when it is equipped by a Pokemon will prevent them from evolving. 

Through the gate to the south is where the Tourney is held, but as you are not yet qualified we can safely ignore that for the moment... 

Across the street is the Grand Hotel Driftveil, where you can obtain a Shell Bell from the bloke by the counter who counts the Pokemon in your Dex...  On the 14th Floor you will find some young trainers to chat up, and on the 19th Floor two trainers who offer observations.

– North of the Pokemon Center –

Note: before you head up above the Pokemon Center free up a slot in your party first.  With one open slot you can then continue.

Above the Center you will find the entrance to the Twist Mountain Shortcut that is currently under construction and thus not accessible, and to the east of that the home that the ex-Plasma Grunt told you about.  As you approach he leads you to meet with Rood, who demands to battle you before inviting you inside. 

Rood has a Level 27 Herdier and a Level 27 Swoobat and pays you $2700.  After the battle Rood apologizes and then Hugh shows up and is invited to join you.  Inside you go, where Rood tries to explain to Hugh the facts as he knows them, but Hugh is not interested.  After saying his piece he takes off to battle at the Pokemon Gym. 

Rood has a favor to ask of you – he wants you to look after the Pokemon he has, a Level 25 Zorua!  After you accept it you can chat with the other trainers here to learn a bit of the back story.  Be an idea to go store that new Pokemon since it does not factor into our next stage.

– Route 6 –

At this point the local Gym is now open and you can access it for the battle with its Gym Leader and obtaining another Gym Badge, but your team may not be leveled sufficiently to manage that battle just yet.  Or maybe they are – you have to decide that for yourself – but assuming that they are not, Route 6 is to the west and it is a pretty good place to grind some levels and get your team to Level 48 or there about...  It has a plethora of Pokemon too, as you shall soon see!

On Route 6 in the tall and dark grass you can catch Level X to 26 Deerling, Foongus, Karrablast, Marill, Shelmet, Swadloon, Tranquil, and in the shaking grass an Audino, Azumarill, Castform, Emolga, Dunsparce, Unfezant, and Leavanny.  If you had a Fishing Pole you could catch a Basculin, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, or Politoed, and if you had Surf you could catch a Azumarill, Basculin, or Marill on the water.

In addition to the above the following trainers are present for you to battle for the XP and money:

Pokemon Breeder April who has a Level 27 Minccino and a Level 27 Deerling and pays you $864.

Parasole Lady Nicole who has a Level 28 Castform and pays you $896.

After a brief call from Yancy you battle School Kid Mara, who has a Level 27 Deerling and a Level 27 Shelmet, and pays you $540. Just past her is a Treasure Ball with an Elixer and a Treasure Ball that turns out to be a Wild Foongus!

When you reach the Seasons Research Lab you battle Scientist Jacques who has a Level 28 Deerling and pays you $1344. 

Scientist Marissa has a Level 27 Shelmet and a Level 27 Karrablast and pays $1296.  In a Treasure Ball beside the building is a Moon Stone so be sure to grab that!  Inside the building you can chat up the trainers who will teach you a lot about the seasons and how they impact Pokemon, and there is a trainer who will give you a special Deerling – but you will need to open a spot in your party, so Fly back to town to do that first! 

You will want to take the Level 30 Deerling back to town and store it in your PC before you proceed, and once you reach the Lab again continue to the west to fond a Treasure Ball that is really a Foongus, and then battle School Kid Alvin who has a Level 27 Foongus and a Level 27 Karrablast and pays $540.

Nearby is a real Treasure Ball with an Ultra Ball in it, and another Foongus posing as a Treasure Ball.  Above that you battle Parasol Lady Tihana, who has a Level 28 Castform and pays $896.

On the right over the bridge is a rest house where you can get your team healed, and obtain a Shiny Stone from the little girl inside.  If you head into the dark grass behind the house and head to the right along the path you will battle Pokemon Ranger Richard, who has a Level 28 Whirlipede and a Level 28 Foongus, and pays $1680.  He gifts you with a Pecha Berry for beating him.  That is the final trainer battle for Route 6 as you have reached the end and Chargestone Cave – so return to working yoru way through the grass to obtain Pokemon and train your team, and when you are ready, head back to the city and take on the Gym Leader!

The Fifth Gym Battle with Clay in Driftveil City

– The Driftveil Gym and Gym Leader Battle –

Outside of the Gym Hugh is waiting for you, and he warns you that the battle is tough, and that the Ground-types will be a challenge for you...

When you enter the Gym you talk to the receptionist to learn you need to use the lift, and when you take the first lift down you will find the Greeter waiting for you, and they gift you with a Fresh Water as usual, and then you will take on the Assistant Gym Leaders, starting with Worker Noel and his Level 31 Baltoy, who pays you $1240.

Head down and to the right to battle Worker Tavarius, who has a Level 29 Drilbur, Level 29 Baltoy, and Level 29 Sandile, and pays you $1160.

Up and all the way left takes you to Worker Niel who has a Level 30 Baltoy and a Level 30 Sandile and pays $1200. 

Head all the way back to the right and all the way up to battle Worker Tibor who has a Level 30 Sandile and a Level 30 Drilbur and pays $1200.

On the top right platform is Worker Friedrich, who has a Level 31 Sandile and pays $1240.

All the way left and all the way down from him is Worker Pasqual who has a Level 30 Drilbur and a Level 30 Baltoy, and pays $1200.  He is the final Assistant Gym Leader, so it is time to beard the lion in his den... Err... To challenge Clay on his platform!

Leader Clay opens with his Level 31 Krokorok followed by his Level 31 Sandslash, then his Level 33 Excadrill.  He pays $3960 and of course gives you your fifth Gym Badge, the Quake Badge.  He also gifts you with TM78 Bulldoze.  With that battle completed Pokemon up to Level 60 will obey you, including those obtained in trades!

Clay then uses his special lift to take you to the exit, then heads outside.  You follow and have a chat with Hugh, then Clay tells you about the Pokemon World Tournament – which is on the south side of town, and tells you he will be waiting there for you.