Victory Road

Head up the stairs and you will enter Victory Road.

At the first turN you find N waiting for you – after telling you about how he was enlightened, N gifts you with HM05 Waterfall. Excellent! About time we obtained this! Now if we just had a fishing pole...

Now as you continue on the path the automatic Badge Checker verifies your right to be here and travel this Road – and at the end you are treated to a melodramatic confirmation that you are indeed able to enter!

The cave ahead leads to the Elite Four, but to the right of it is a Pokemon Center where you can heal up your team, and where you can access the PC and buy supplies.

If you work your way through the maze of ruins outside you can find Treasure Balls containing a Star Piece, TM01 Hone Claws, and a PP Up. Using your Dowser you can grab a hidden Dusk Stone, and Iron.

All that is left now is for you to head inside the passage and begin your awesome struggle to reach the Elite Four!

Victory Road

As you pass through the entrance and enter this challenging path you should try to work out in your mind what you want to accomplish here. Obviously your primary concern is to level-up your team to get them to the point that dealing with the long string of battles that make up the Elite Four will be easier to manage.

You may be thinking that getting your team to a minimum of Level 75 is a bit over-reaching but in reality, considering that they have to do the Elite Four Battle in one long string, it is really the minimum you should be shooting for.

Still this is about fun, not work, and spending loads of time grinding levels would really be a lot of work, so we shall not do that. The goal of Level 75 across the board should be well within your reach at this point, assuming you have been following the guide, so hey, let's have some fun!

Victory Road Part I - Cave

The first thing you should be aware of is that this is a Wild Pokemon area as well as being the route to the Elite Four. In addition to trainer battles and items you will find Wild Pokemon battles, which you can either embrace or ignore, your call.

Among the Wild Pokemon you will find here are Level 46 to 53 Banette and Golurk, and in the water you will find Basculin, and Marill. In the water holes will be Azumarill, Basculin, and Marill.

Of these Pokemon the only one you actually can get here from this path are Banette and Golurk, and the only one you should actually need to get is Golurk; you will not have trouble getting one so don't even try, it will come naturally!

Ahead of you is Ace Trainer Jamie, who has a Level 55 Drifblim and a Level 55 Claydol and pays $3300.

Head north and push the boulder into the pit to continue to the next trainer battle, at which

Psychic Al shows you her Level 54 Metang and Level 54 Cofagrigus and pays you $1728.

Head north from here and through the exit.

Victory Road Part II - Garden

This very brief outside area has grass and trainers, and if you have been following the guide, there are no Pokemon you actually need to capture.

Among the Wild Pokemon here are Level 47 to 49 Audino, Dunsparce, Lilligant, Petlil, Roselia, and Roserade, and if you have been following the guide you already have these all in your collection, so there is no need to stop and collect any of them. If not, get what you need before leaving.

As you enter the area you'll find your first battle just ahead.

Ace Trainer Shelly has a Level 55 Swoobat and a Level 55 Lilligant and pays you $3300.

Following the path up and to the right (then up more) will give you a Treasure Ball with an Ultra Ball, and then back on the path and west is your next battle.

Ace Trainer Beckett has a Level 55 Whimsicott and a Level 55 Unfezant and pays you $3300.

After that battle a hop west and south is a tree you can use Cut on, but there is nothing down there except the first trainer you battled before and the entrance, so instead head a bit more west and then south, use Cut on the tree you encounter there, then head down through the Dark Grass to a Treasure Ball with a Full Restore in it.

That wraps up this area, so zone through the trees above to enter the next area.

Victory Road Part III - Ruins

After you zone in and cross the bridge you have your first battle.

Veteran Cathy has a Level 55 Sigilyph and a Level 55 Crobat and pays you $4400.

Up the stairs on the left is your next encounter.

Doctor Logan has a Level 54 Clefable and pays $3240 as well as heals your team for you - you can return to him to get healed as needed for future reference.

To the east is a patch of Tall Grass in which a Max Repel is found in a Treasure Ball just inside, and down the stairs you can reach the water if need be. There are some Pokemon to be had here and if you have been following the guide one in particular - Altaria - that you will want to capture.

Victory Road Part IV - Cave

Back in the cave again right as you enter you have your first battle here.

Veteran Abraham has a Level 55 Gigalith and a Level 55 Skarmory and pays $4400.

Using your Dowser you'll find a Max Revive directly ahead to the east, and then continue along the path there are some more battles to be had...

Ace Trainer Shanta has a Level 55 Heatmor and Level 55 Galvantula and pays $3300.

Ace Trainer Webster has a Level 55 Durant and a Level 55 Ferrothorn and pays $3300.

With respect to Wild Pokemon they are few in type and spread through the different cave sections - for example in this section and then next you can find Level 41 to 55 Boldore and Onix by just walking, and Excadrill and Onix in the Dust Clouds. If you have been following this guide however, you already have all of those types, so you do not need to collect any in the first two parts of the cave.

Branching Paths

Ahead you reach a point where the path branches – what these are is different ways to get to the same destination but as we want to get in every trainer battle we can, we need to be systematic about this – so head south first down the narrow path that leads outside, where you have a battle.

Backpacker Mae has a Level 54 Sawsbuck and pays $1296.

Surf across the river here to claim the Escape Rope from the Treasure Ball, and if you like, Surf back into the river and use Waterfall (the HM N gave you earlier) to head down the falls and follow the river west. You will reach a point where there is a cave entrance south that will take you to the water portion of the very first area we entered in Victory Road.

While there are no Pokemon you need to collect there, heading in here is worthwhile as you can have a battle or two at the very far south end of that cave river so head in there and south now.

Veteran Claude and Veteran Cecile have Level 55 Braviary and Mandibuzz, then Level 55 Carracosta and Archeops, and pay you $8800.

Continue along this path here around and up the stairs to grab TM93 Wild Charge from the Treasure Ball here, and then backtrack all the way back to the river outside where you entered this lower section, then backtrack all the way to the falls and head up and return to the junction point where we headed south from the cave before, and this time head north...

The North Section of the Cave

Push the boulder on the left into the hole then follow the path west here for a battle.

Pokemon Ranger Elle has a Level 54 Magmar and Level 54 Camerupt and pays $3240, gifting you with a Rawst Berry.

Follow the path west and exit the cave via the south exit to find a set of ledges - head up for a battle.

Ace Trainer Elmer has a Level 55 Zweilous and Level 55 Elektross, and pays you $3300.

Grab the Max Reveive from the Treasure Ball on the next ledge, then continue up, following the Dowser up the right-hand path to grab the Rare Candy from the hidden spot, then double back and go up the left-hand-side path to have a battle.

Battle Girl Chalina has a Level 54 Throh and Level 54 Sawk, and pays you $1728.

Continue up to a long path heading east, and follow that to have another battle.

Veteran Portia has a Level 54 Zebstrika, Level 54 Starmie, and Level 54 Sawk, and pays $4320.

There is a narrow path of stairs heading south and a broad set heading north - head down the narrow set to the first ledge and grab the Dragon Fang from the Treasure Ball there, and then note that the path here splits in two directions.

The West Steps

These lead to a cave entrance that requires you to use Flash to expand the area you can see. This cave has a lake in it, and if you activate your Dowser you will note that there is a hidden item on the east side on a narrow beach there - that being a Max Elixir. Once you have that Surf south to another beach with a Treasure Ball that has a Rare Candy in it, and then follow the Dowser to the other side and grab a hidden Red Shard.

Down the stairs and then north and east leads you to a Treasure Ball with a PP Max, and heading south and east will take you to an exit that leads to the area with the stones above the junction - so turn around and backtrack to the split and take the East Steps this time.

The East Steps

The primary reason that we are headed into this cave is to grab a Druddigon, which is one of the few Pokemon we still need to collect here - which you should do almost straight away on going in.

South is a battle with Veteran Hugo, who has a Level 54 Fraxure, Level 54 Zweilous, and Level 54 Flygon, and pays $4320.

Follow the south path down and grab the Dragon Scale from the Treasure Ball, then you can head out of the exit at the bottom onto a broad ledge that leads to... A cave entrance that is being blocked by a particular Pokemon of special note.

Well there is nothing you can do about that now, but remember this particular Pokemon and cave because it will be important later. For now backtrack all the way back to the top and take the broad path up the stairs there.

The Broad Path Up

At the top of the stairs you have a battle.

Veteran Sterling has a Level 54 Beartic, Level 54 Golurk, and Level 54 Throh, and pays $4320.

Heading inside the cave you will see that there are two exits ahead that are blocked off, and as you approach them Hugh shows up for a Rivals Battle!

Hugh has a Level 55 Unfezant, Level 55 Bouffalant, Level 57 Samurott, and Level 55 Simisage, and pays you $5700 for the lesson. He gifts you with TM24 Thunderbolt as partial reward for the challenge, then takes off.

Head outside the exit and through the arches to arrive at the Pokemon League entrance - but we are not ready just yet to go in there, rather the point to coming here was to add it as a Fly point and so that you can heal your team and resupply at the Pokemon Center on the left outside!

Once you have healed up, backtrack all the way to the broad stairs and go down them then head east to the stairs at the end of the ledge and down for a battle.

Ace Trainer Caroll has a Level 55 Fraxure and a Level 55 Vanilluxe and pays $3300.

Continue down several flights of stairs for another battle.

Black Belt Martell has a Level 54 Pinsir and Level 54 Heracross and pays $1728.

Directly to the west is a Treasure Ball that contains a Max Elixir, so grab that and continue down to the bottom and enter the cave there for another trainer battle.

Pokemon Ranger Eddie has a Level 54 Electrabuzz and Level 54 Probopass and pays $3240 and gifts you a Cheri Berry.

Continue west and you arrive at the boulder junction from earlier - push the boulder into the hole and then head south to the junction below, and then take the east path.

The East Path

Follow this path all the way to the exit and you will find yourself in a large area with Tall Grass. In the Tall Grass is a Treasure Ball with a Max Repel, and two paths from there. Grab that and then take the south path down and grab the Ultra Ball from the Treasure Ball there, then head down for a battle.

Ace Trainer Pierce has a Level 55 Swanna and Level 55 Ampharos and pays $3300.

Surf all the way east from here and head up the stairs and around the ledge to grab a Full Restore from the Treasure Ball in the corner and then have your next battle.

Ace Trainer Chandra has a Level 55 Darmanitan and Level 55 Tangrowth and pays $3300.

Continue along the path and take the stairs down for another battle.

Psychic Alia has a Level 54 Lampent and Level 54 Musharna and pays $1728.

Head east from here and push the boulder into the hole, then go down and west for another battle.

Ace Trainer Billy has a Level 55 Golurk and Level 55 Sigilyph and pays $3300.

That nicely wraps up all that you can do here, so backtrack all the way outside, at which point you can Fly to the nearest Pokemon Center - either at the start of Victory Road or at the Pokemon League to heal your team and resupply.

This is where you assess your team and its level and decide if you are ready to face the Elite Four or not? If your team is at Level 75 or above, then by all means, supply yourself for that challenge and have at it!

But if your team is not there yet, you are better off leveling them to at least that point first - and to do that painlessly one way that you will likely find the most convenient is to Fly to the entrance to Victory Road, then make your way to that first outside garden area and use Shaking Grass to battle Pokemon like Audino that will make the leveling process much faster and easier.

If you get bored with that or you want to switch things up a bit, check your Habitat Lists for areas that are not completed - now that you have Waterfall as well as the other HM's there is an excellent chance that you can complete those areas now.

An alternate approach that kills two birds with one stone is to check your Pokedex to see what Pokemon you have that you can level up along side your main team by adding them and having them hold the Experience Share - which will allow you to rather easily level them up in order to evolve them into their intermediate or final forms, thus completing their entries in your Pokedex while you level your team to prepare for the Elite Four and the Regional Champ.

Granted that slows the team leveling process down, but it also gets you much closer to having seen every Unova Pokemon, and closer to completing the Unova Dex, which you want to do anyway because that will grant you access to a special area as well as special item. By taking this approach you shorten the time it will take you to complete both of those goals as well as the National Dex, which also has a very valuable reward associated with it - more on that later in the guide.

After you complete the leveling-up process regardless of the approach, and you take in the supplies you will need to keep your team healed and in action for all of the Elite Four battles, head to the entrance and start the process of becoming the Unova Regional Champion!

If you are low on funds and cannot afford to purchase all of the supplies you need, remember that the different wings you can collect on the Driftveil Bridge are an excellent source of fast money, since all but the Pretty Wing sells for $1500.