Emerald Gym Leaders & Elite Four: Order, Teams & Badges
Every Hoenn Gym Leader, the Elite Four and the Champion in order — full teams with levels, items and moves for Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire, each on the map.
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Hoenn has eight Gyms and a five-battle Pokémon League, fought in this order: Roxanne in Rustboro (Rock), Brawly in Dewford (Fighting), Wattson in Mauville (Electric), Flannery in Lavaridge (Fire), Norman in Petalburg (Normal), Winona in Fortree (Flying), Tate & Liza in Mossdeep (Psychic) and the Sootopolis Water Gym — Juan in Emerald, Wallace in Ruby and Sapphire — then Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, Drake and the Champion, Wallace in Emerald or Steven in Ruby and Sapphire. This guide lists every team with levels, items and moves for all three editions, what each badge really does, the TM every leader hands over, the story step that opens each Gym, and how to beat each fight — with every Gym and every leader on the map.
- Games
- Ruby Sapphire Emerald
- Gyms
- 8, in a fixed order — Rustboro, Dewford, Mauville, Lavaridge, Petalburg, Fortree, Mossdeep, Sootopolis
- The League
- Ever Grande City: Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, Drake, then the Champion — all eight badges and HM07 Waterfall to get there
- Edition swap
- Sootopolis: Wallace (Ruby & Sapphire) vs Juan (Emerald) · Champion: Steven (Ruby & Sapphire) vs Wallace (Emerald)
All eight Hoenn Gym Leaders in order
| # | Gym | Leader | Type | Badge — what it does | TM reward | Levels (E · RS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rustboro City Gym |  Roxanne | Rock | Stone Badge — Attack +10% · Cut outside battle | TM39 Rock Tomb | Lv 12–15 (E) · Lv 14–15 (RS) |
| 2 | Dewford Town Gym |  Brawly | Fighting | Knuckle Badge — Pokémon up to Lv. 30 obey · Flash outside battle | TM08 Bulk Up | Lv 16–19 (E) · Lv 17–18 (RS) |
| 3 | Mauville City Gym |  Wattson | Electric | Dynamo Badge — Speed +10% · Rock Smash outside battle | TM34 Shock Wave | Lv 20–24 (E) · Lv 20–23 (RS) |
| 4 | Lavaridge Town Gym |  Flannery | Fire | Heat Badge — Pokémon up to Lv. 50 obey · Strength outside battle | TM50 Overheat | Lv 24–29 (E) · Lv 26–28 (RS) |
| 5 | Petalburg City Gym |  Norman | Normal | Balance Badge — Defense +10% · Surf outside battle | TM42 Facade | Lv 27–31 (E) · Lv 28–31 (RS) |
| 6 | Fortree City Gym |  Winona | Flying | Feather Badge — Pokémon up to Lv. 70 obey · Fly outside battle | TM40 Aerial Ace | Lv 29–33 (E) · Lv 30–33 (RS) |
| 7 | Mossdeep City Gym |  Tate & Liza | Psychic | Mind Badge — Sp. Atk and Sp. Def +10% · Dive outside battle | TM04 Calm Mind | Lv 41–42 (E) · Lv 42–42 (RS) |
| 8 | Sootopolis City Gym |  Juan (Emerald) · Wallace (Ruby & Sapphire) | Water | Rain Badge — All Pokémon obey · Waterfall outside battle | TM03 Water Pulse | Lv 41–46 (E) · Lv 40–43 (RS) |
Every Gym name opens its building on the map, and every leader’s name and picture opens their marker inside the Gym, with the same party the tables below show. The levels column is the leader’s lowest-to-highest Pokémon in Emerald (E) and in Ruby and Sapphire (RS) — a good yardstick for how far to train before each door.
What each Hoenn badge does: obedience, stat boosts and HMs
A Hoenn badge does one of two things besides unlocking a field move. Every second badge raises the level up to which traded Pokémon obey you — without any badge that cap is level 10, the Knuckle Badge raises it to 30, the Heat Badge to 50, the Feather Badge to 70 and the Rain Badge removes it. The other four badges instead boost one of your stats by 10% in battle: Attack from the Stone Badge, Speed from the Dynamo Badge, Defense from the Balance Badge, and both Special Attack and Special Defense from the Mind Badge. The level 20/40/60/80 steps that many lists quote for these four badges belong to the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire remakes, not to the original games. Which badge unlocks which HM, and where every HM is, is in the HM guide.
Note — HMs wait for their badge: You can teach an HM the moment you receive it, but the field effect — cutting a tree, surfing, smashing a rock — stays off until the matching badge is yours. Cut needs the Stone Badge, Flash the Knuckle Badge, Rock Smash the Dynamo Badge, Strength the Heat Badge, Surf the Balance Badge, Fly the Feather Badge, Dive the Mind Badge and Waterfall the Rain Badge.
Gym 1: Roxanne — Rustboro City, Rock
The first Gym is in Rustboro City, north of Petalburg Woods. Nothing gates it: once you have picked your starter and visited your father in Petalburg, the road through Route 104 and the woods leads straight to the Gym’s door.
The Gym’s puzzle: No puzzle. The Gym is a plain hall with two Youngsters (three in Emerald, where a Hiker joins them), and you can walk past all of them to Roxanne if you want the badge fast — although the experience is worth taking.
Roxanne’s team in each edition. Levels, items and moves are the first battle’s; the map marker carries the same party.
Gym Leader Roxanne — Emerald · Lv 12–15
- Geodude — Lv. 12 — Tackle, Defense Curl, Rock Throw, Rock Tomb
- Geodude — Lv. 12 — Tackle, Defense Curl, Rock Throw, Rock Tomb
- Nosepass — Lv. 15 — Oran Berry — Block, Harden, Tackle, Rock Tomb
Gym Leader Roxanne — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 14–15
How to beat her: every Pokémon she has is Rock-type, so Water and Grass moves do the work — Geodude is Rock/Ground and takes four times damage from either, Nosepass takes double. A Mudkip or Treecko around level 14–16, a Lotad, a Shroomish or a Makuhita all handle her. Rock Tomb lowers your Speed each time it lands, so kill Geodude before it stacks. In Emerald, Nosepass holds an Oran Berry and uses Block to stop you switching — bring the answer in, do not plan to swap to it.
Reward: the Stone Badge (Attack +10% · Cut outside battle) and TM39 Rock Tomb.
Gym 2: Brawly — Dewford Town, Fighting
Dewford Town is an island, so the second Gym is behind a boat ride. Mr. Briney only ferries you from Route 104 after you have rescued his Wingull, Peeko, from the grunt outside Rusturf Tunnel — Team Magma in Ruby, Team Aqua in Sapphire and Emerald. While you are on the island, the Hiker just inside Granite Cave hands out HM05 Flash for free; this badge is what makes it usable.
The Gym’s puzzle: The Gym is a dark maze with trainers hiding in it. Every trainer you beat lights up another part of the hall, and it turns fully bright once Brawly is down. In Ruby and Sapphire one Battle Girl stands where you cannot avoid her.
Brawly’s team in each edition. Levels, items and moves are the first battle’s; the map marker carries the same party.
Gym Leader Brawly — Emerald · Lv 16–19
- Machop — Lv. 16 — Karate Chop, Low Kick, Seismic Toss, Bulk Up
- Meditite — Lv. 16 — Focus Punch, Light Screen, Reflect, Bulk Up
- Makuhita — Lv. 19 — Sitrus Berry — Arm Thrust, Vital Throw, Reversal, Bulk Up
Gym Leader Brawly — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 17–18
How to beat him: Flying and Psychic moves beat pure Fighting — a Taillow, Wingull or Ralts line around level 18–20 is enough. Emerald’s Meditite is Fighting/Psychic, so Flying and Ghost hit it instead of Psychic. Do not give him free turns: every set has Bulk Up, and a Makuhita that has used it twice hits far harder than its level suggests. In Emerald that Makuhita also holds a Sitrus Berry and knows Reversal, which does the most damage when it is nearly fainted — finish it in one hit rather than chipping it down.
Reward: the Knuckle Badge (Pokémon up to Lv. 30 obey · Flash outside battle) and TM08 Bulk Up.
Gym 3: Wattson — Mauville City, Electric
The third Gym stands in the middle of Mauville City, reached from Slateport along Route 110. Wally stops you at the Gym door for a battle first — his single Ralts is a warm-up, not a gate. Beat Wattson and the man in the house on the city’s southeast side becomes relevant: he gives HM06 Rock Smash, and the Dynamo Badge switches it on.
The Gym’s puzzle: Electric barriers block the hall. Stepping on the floor switches turns sets of barriers on and off, so the puzzle is finding the switch order that opens a path to Wattson; once he is beaten every barrier stays off.
Wattson’s team in each edition. Levels, items and moves are the first battle’s; the map marker carries the same party.
Gym Leader Wattson — Emerald · Lv 20–24
- Voltorb — Lv. 20 — Rollout, Spark, Selfdestruct, Shock Wave
- Electrike — Lv. 20 — Shock Wave, Leer, Quick Attack, Howl
- Magneton — Lv. 22 — Supersonic, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, SonicBoom
- Manectric — Lv. 24 — Sitrus Berry — Quick Attack, Thunder Wave, Shock Wave, Howl
Gym Leader Wattson — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 20–23
How to beat him: a Ground-type is immune to everything he throws, so a Geodude, Marshtomp or Numel around level 22–25 shuts the fight down. Magnemite and Magneton are Electric/Steel and take four times damage from Ground, and Fire or Fighting moves work on them too. Two things to respect: Voltorb’s Selfdestruct, which will take a healthy team member with it, and the Thunder Wave and Supersonic spam that turns a slow fight into a long one. In Emerald his ace is a Manectric that out-speeds most of your team and holds a Sitrus Berry.
Reward: the Dynamo Badge (Speed +10% · Rock Smash outside battle) and TM34 Shock Wave.
Gym 4: Flannery — Lavaridge Town, Fire
Lavaridge Town sits on the far side of a mountain. Grunts block the cable-car station on Route 112 until you have chased the team out of Meteor Falls; then you ride up to Mt. Chimney, beat the leader at the crater — Maxie in Ruby and Emerald, Archie in Sapphire — and walk down Jagged Pass, the only way into town.
The Gym’s puzzle: The Gym is a bathhouse on two floors. Geysers on the basement floor shoot you up through holes into the first floor, Flannery’s students hide in the hot springs, and one-way ledges keep you from simply walking back — the ledge next to Flannery is the shortcut out once she is beaten.
Warning — Bring more than one Water-type: Emerald’s Numel and Camerupt know Magnitude, a Ground move that hits your Water-type back hard. Do not rely on a single Marshtomp; a second answer means Overheat plus Magnitude cannot end the fight in two turns.
Flannery’s team in each edition. Levels, items and moves are the first battle’s; the map marker carries the same party.
Gym Leader Flannery — Emerald · Lv 24–29
- Numel — Lv. 24 — Overheat, Take Down, Magnitude, Sunny Day
- Slugma — Lv. 24 — Overheat, Smog, Light Screen, Sunny Day
- Camerupt — Lv. 26 — Overheat, Tackle, Sunny Day, Attract
- Torkoal — Lv. 29 — White Herb — Overheat, Sunny Day, Body Slam, Attract
Gym Leader Flannery — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 26–28
How to beat her: Water, Ground and Rock hit everything she has. In Emerald, Numel and Camerupt are Fire/Ground, so a Water move does four times damage and Electric does nothing to them. A Marshtomp or a Wailmer around level 27–30 is the clean answer. Overheat is the move to fear: it nearly halves a full-health Pokémon, and Emerald’s Torkoal holds a White Herb that cancels the Special Attack drop once, so it can fire it twice at full strength. Sunny Day makes every Fire move stronger and Attract stalls a lead of the opposite gender — a female Water-type against her all-female team avoids that entirely.
Reward: the Heat Badge (Pokémon up to Lv. 50 obey · Strength outside battle) and TM50 Overheat.
Gym 5: Norman — Petalburg City, Normal
The fifth Gym is your father’s, back in Petalburg City — and its doors stay locked until you hold four badges, which is why the game sends you to Lavaridge first. Beat Norman and Wally’s father in the house next door hands you HM03 Surf, the move that opens half of Hoenn (the HM guide has the full list of who gives what).
The Gym’s puzzle: The Gym is a grid of small rooms, one trainer each, with the door labels telling you what the trainer inside relies on: Speed, Accuracy, Confusion (Zero Reduction in Ruby and Sapphire), Defense, Recovery, Strength and One-hit KO. Clearing three rooms in a row opens the way to Norman; the shortest route needs no more than that.
Warning — Ghosts are not a free win here: A Ghost-type is immune to Slash and Facade, but every Slaking and Vigoroth also carries Faint Attack, a Dark move that hits Ghosts normally and never misses. Use a Ghost to stall the loafing turns, not to wall the whole fight.
Norman’s team in each edition. Levels, items and moves are the first battle’s; the map marker carries the same party.
Gym Leader Norman — Emerald · Lv 27–31
- Spinda — Lv. 27 — Teeter Dance, Psybeam, Facade, Encore
- Vigoroth — Lv. 27 — Slash, Facade, Encore, Faint Attack
- Linoone — Lv. 29 — Slash, Belly Drum, Facade, Headbutt
- Slaking — Lv. 31 — Sitrus Berry — Counter, Yawn, Facade, Faint Attack
Gym Leader Norman — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 28–31
How to beat him: only Fighting moves are super-effective against a Normal team, so a Makuhita, Breloom or Combusken around level 30–33 leads. The fight is about Slaking: its ability Truant makes it loaf around every second turn, and a level-31 Slaking hits like nothing else you have met. Use the loafing turn to attack and the active turn to Protect or to switch. In Ruby and Sapphire the second Slaking has Focus Punch and Slack Off; in Emerald it knows Counter, which throws a physical hit back at double damage, so hit it with special moves on its active turn or not at all. Emerald’s Linoone will Belly Drum on the first turn it gets — take it out before that becomes a sweep — and Spinda’s Teeter Dance confuses your whole side.
Reward: the Balance Badge (Defense +10% · Surf outside battle) and TM42 Facade.
Gym 6: Winona — Fortree City, Flying
The sixth Gym is up in the trees of Fortree City, and an invisible Kecleon stands in the way of its door. Walk east onto Route 120, where Steven has you battle another Kecleon and hands you the Devon Scope; use it in front of the Gym to reveal the one blocking the entrance. Winona’s badge is the one that makes HM02 Fly usable — the rival hands the machine over on Route 119, just before this city.
The Gym’s puzzle: Rotating gates. Walking through a turnstile spins it, which closes one path and opens another, so several gates have to be passed more than once to reach Winona; in Ruby and Sapphire no trainer in here can be skipped.
Winona’s team in each edition. Levels, items and moves are the first battle’s; the map marker carries the same party.
Gym Leader Winona — Emerald · Lv 29–33
- Swablu — Lv. 29 — Perish Song, Mirror Move, Safeguard, Aerial Ace
- Tropius — Lv. 29 — Sunny Day, Aerial Ace, SolarBeam, Synthesis
- Pelipper — Lv. 30 — Water Gun, Supersonic, Protect, Aerial Ace
- Skarmory — Lv. 31 — Sand-Attack, Fury Attack, Steel Wing, Aerial Ace
- Altaria — Lv. 33 — Oran Berry — Earthquake, DragonBreath, Dragon Dance, Aerial Ace
Gym Leader Winona — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 30–33
How to beat her: an Electric move hits four of her five (only Altaria and Emerald’s Tropius take it neutrally), and an Ice move covers those two — Altaria is Dragon/Flying and takes four times damage from Ice, and so does Tropius. A Manectric or a Magneton paired with an Ice Beam user around level 33–35 clears the room. Skarmory walls physical attacks, so hit it with Fire or Electric. Altaria is the real threat: Dragon Dance then Earthquake sweeps a slow team, and in Emerald it holds an Oran Berry. Emerald’s Swablu opens with Perish Song, which faints everything on the field three turns later unless it switches — do not let a valuable lead sit through it.
Reward: the Feather Badge (Pokémon up to Lv. 70 obey · Fly outside battle) and TM40 Aerial Ace.
Gym 7: Tate & Liza — Mossdeep City, Psychic
Mossdeep City is out at sea, and the sea route to it, Route 124, only opens after you have cleared the team’s hideout in Lilycove City — Magma in Ruby, Aqua in Sapphire and Emerald. Steven’s house is in this town too: HM08 Dive is his to give, right away in Ruby and Sapphire, and in Emerald only after the Space Center has been defended.
The Gym’s puzzle: In Ruby and Sapphire the floor is covered in spin tiles that whisk you across the room, and pulling switches changes the direction some of them point; the twins are reachable once every switch has been pulled. Emerald rebuilt the Gym completely: warp panels link a series of rooms, and in each one the trainers and statues sit on spin tiles that rotate when you step on certain floor tiles, while you walk normally.
Tate & Liza’s team in each edition. Levels, items and moves are the first battle’s; the map marker carries the same party.
Gym Leaders Tate & Liza — Emerald · Lv 41–42 · Double Battle
- Claydol — Lv. 41 — Earthquake, AncientPower, Psychic, Light Screen
- Xatu — Lv. 41 — Psychic, Sunny Day, Confuse Ray, Calm Mind
- Lunatone — Lv. 42 — Sitrus Berry — Light Screen, Psychic, Hypnosis, Calm Mind
- Solrock — Lv. 42 — Sitrus Berry — Sunny Day, SolarBeam, Psychic, Flamethrower
Gym Leaders Tate & Liza — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 42 · Double Battle
How to beat them: this is a Double Battle, so a move that hits both foes at once — Surf above all — is worth more than any single-target attack. Lunatone and Solrock are Rock/Psychic: Water, Grass, Bug, Ghost, Dark and Steel all hit them super-effectively, and although they are also weak to Ground, Levitate makes them immune to Earthquake. Emerald adds Claydol (Ground/Psychic — Water, Grass, Bug, Ice, Ghost and Dark) and Xatu (Psychic/Flying — Electric, Ice, Rock, Ghost and Dark). A level 40–45 Water-type with Surf plus a strong Dark or Ghost attacker is the shape that works. Their plan is Sunny Day into SolarBeam and Flamethrower from Solrock while Lunatone puts something to sleep with Hypnosis and sets up Calm Mind behind Light Screen; break it by taking Solrock out first. They carry four Hyper Potions between them, and in Emerald both stones hold a Sitrus Berry.
Reward: the Mind Badge (Sp. Atk and Sp. Def +10% · Dive outside battle) and TM04 Calm Mind.
Gym 8: Juan (Wallace in Ruby & Sapphire) — Sootopolis City, Water
The last Gym is inside the crater city of Sootopolis City, reached by diving on Route 126, and its door stays locked while the weather crisis is on. In Ruby and Sapphire that means waking the titan in the Seafloor Cavern and then facing it in the Cave of Origin beneath the city; in Emerald both Groudon and Kyogre are loose, and Wallace sends you to the Sky Pillar to wake Rayquaza instead. Only then does Wallace hand over HM07 Waterfall and step aside — in Ruby and Sapphire he is the Gym Leader himself; in Emerald his old mentor Juan holds the Gym.
The Gym’s puzzle: An ice floor on three levels. You have to step on every ice tile exactly once to open the stairs up; step on a tile twice and it breaks, dropping you to the floor below, where the Gym’s trainers wait on one-way ice slides. At least one of them has to be fought before the stairs will take you back up.
Warning — Emerald’s Kingdra does not run out of steam: Kingdra knows Double Team, Rest and holds a Chesto Berry: it can become hard to hit, then sleep off all the damage and wake up at once. Toxic does nothing lasting against it. Bring accuracy — a move that never misses, or Haze/Roar to reset its evasion — and enough power to finish it in one wake cycle.
Juan’s team in Emerald, and Wallace’s in Ruby and Sapphire. Levels, items and moves are the first battle’s; the map marker carries the same party.
Gym Leader Juan — Emerald · Lv 41–46
- Luvdisc — Lv. 41 — Water Pulse, Attract, Sweet Kiss, Flail
- Whiscash — Lv. 41 — Rain Dance, Water Pulse, Amnesia, Earthquake
- Sealeo — Lv. 43 — Encore, Body Slam, Aurora Beam, Water Pulse
- Crawdaunt — Lv. 43 — Water Pulse, Crabhammer, Taunt, Leer
- Kingdra — Lv. 46 — Chesto Berry — Water Pulse, Double Team, Ice Beam, Rest
Gym Leader Wallace — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 40–43
- Luvdisc — Lv. 40 — Flail, Attract, Sweet Kiss, Water Pulse
- Sealeo — Lv. 40 — Encore, Body Slam, Aurora Beam, Water Pulse
- Seaking — Lv. 42 — Horn Drill, Fury Attack, Rain Dance, Water Pulse
- Whiscash — Lv. 42 — Amnesia, Rain Dance, Earthquake, Water Pulse
- Milotic — Lv. 43 — Recover, Twister, Ice Beam, Water Pulse
How to beat him: Electric and Grass, with one exception each. Whiscash is Water/Ground — immune to Electric, but Grass does four times damage. Emerald’s ace Kingdra is Water/Dragon and resists Water, Fire, Ice and Steel; only Dragon moves are super-effective, so a Dragon Claw or DragonBreath user, or plain strong neutral hits, are the plan. A level 45–48 team with one Electric-type, one Grass move and something that can take a Water Pulse is enough. Ruby and Sapphire’s Wallace ends with Milotic, which heals with Recover and gets tougher when you inflict status on it (Marvel Scale) — leave it healthy and hit it hard. Seaking’s Horn Drill is a one-hit KO if it lands; Luvdisc only stalls with Attract and Sweet Kiss, so do not waste your best moves on it.
Reward: the Rain Badge (All Pokémon obey · Waterfall outside battle) and TM03 Water Pulse.
The Hoenn Pokémon League: Elite Four and Champion
With all eight badges, climb the waterfall at the south end of Ever Grande City (HM07 Waterfall, unlocked by the Rain Badge), cross Victory Road and enter the Pokémon League. The five battles come in a fixed order with no healing between them beyond what you carry: Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, Drake and then the Champion. Every Elite Four member carries two Full Restores and the Champion four. The Elite Four are the same four people in all three editions, with a few changed Pokémon and movesets; the Champion is not — Steven in Ruby and Sapphire, Wallace in Emerald. A team at level 50–55 with the counters below finishes the League on the first attempt; the Elite Four rematches use exactly the same teams.
Sidney — Dark
Elite Four Sidney — Emerald · Lv 46–49
- Mightyena — Lv. 46 — Roar, Double-Edge, Sand-Attack, Crunch
- Shiftry — Lv. 48 — Torment, Double Team, Swagger, Extrasensory
- Cacturne — Lv. 46 — Leech Seed, Faint Attack, Needle Arm, Cotton Spore
- Crawdaunt — Lv. 48 — Surf, Swords Dance, Strength, Facade
- Absol — Lv. 49 — Sitrus Berry — Aerial Ace, Rock Slide, Swords Dance, Slash
Elite Four Sidney — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 46–49
- Mightyena — Lv. 46 — Crunch, Take Down, Sand-Attack, Roar
- Shiftry — Lv. 48 — Fake Out, Extrasensory, Double Team, Swagger
- Cacturne — Lv. 46 — Faint Attack, Needle Arm, Cotton Spore, Leech Seed
- Sharpedo — Lv. 48 — Surf, Crunch, Slash, Swagger
- Absol — Lv. 49 — Sitrus Berry — Swords Dance, Slash, Aerial Ace, Snatch
How to beat him: a Fighting move is super-effective against all five, and a Bug move does four times damage to Shiftry and Cacturne (both Grass/Dark). The fourth slot is the only edition difference: a Water/Dark Sharpedo in Ruby and Sapphire, a Crawdaunt in Emerald — Electric or Grass for either. Absol sets up Swords Dance and holds a Sitrus Berry, so do not give it a free turn.
Phoebe — Ghost
Elite Four Phoebe — Emerald · Lv 48–51
- Dusclops — Lv. 48 — Shadow Punch, Confuse Ray, Curse, Protect
- Banette — Lv. 49 — Shadow Ball, Grudge, Will-O-Wisp, Faint Attack
- Sableye — Lv. 50 — Shadow Ball, Double Team, Night Shade, Faint Attack
- Banette — Lv. 49 — Shadow Ball, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Facade
- Dusclops — Lv. 51 — Sitrus Berry — Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, Rock Slide, Earthquake
Elite Four Phoebe — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 48–51
- Dusclops — Lv. 48 — Curse, Confuse Ray, Future Sight, Shadow Punch
- Banette — Lv. 49 — Spite, Will-O-Wisp, Shadow Ball, Faint Attack
- Sableye — Lv. 50 — Faint Attack, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Attract
- Banette — Lv. 49 — Toxic, Skill Swap, Shadow Ball, Psychic
- Dusclops — Lv. 51 — Sitrus Berry — Confuse Ray, Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, Earthquake
How to beat her: Ghost and Dark moves. Normal and Fighting attacks do nothing to any of them, and Sableye (Dark/Ghost) has no weakness at all in these games — wear it down with strong neutral special moves. Psychic works on the two Dusclops and the two Banette. Her Dusclops drain your PP with Pressure and stall with Confuse Ray and Curse; the last one carries Earthquake and Ice Beam, so it is not the passive wall it looks like.
Glacia — Ice
Elite Four Glacia — Emerald · Lv 50–53
- Sealeo — Lv. 50 — Encore, Body Slam, Hail, Ice Ball
- Glalie — Lv. 50 — Light Screen, Crunch, Icy Wind, Ice Beam
- Sealeo — Lv. 52 — Attract, Double-Edge, Hail, Blizzard
- Glalie — Lv. 52 — Shadow Ball, Explosion, Hail, Ice Beam
- Walrein — Lv. 53 — Sitrus Berry — Surf, Body Slam, Ice Beam, Sheer Cold
Elite Four Glacia — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 50–53
How to beat her: Electric and Fighting cover the whole room. Sealeo and Walrein are Ice/Water and their Thick Fat halves Fire damage, so Electric, Fighting, Rock or Grass beat them rather than a Fire-type; Glalie falls to Fire, Fighting, Rock or Steel. Hail chips every non-Ice Pokémon each turn once it is up. Walrein’s Sheer Cold is a one-hit KO when it hits — the second Glalie in Emerald also knows Explosion.
Drake — Dragon
Elite Four Drake — Emerald · Lv 52–55
- Shelgon — Lv. 52 — Rock Tomb, Dragon Claw, Protect, Double-Edge
- Altaria — Lv. 54 — Double-Edge, DragonBreath, Dragon Dance, Aerial Ace
- Kingdra — Lv. 53 — SmokeScreen, Dragon Dance, Surf, Body Slam
- Flygon — Lv. 53 — Flamethrower, Crunch, DragonBreath, Earthquake
- Salamence — Lv. 55 — Sitrus Berry — Flamethrower, Dragon Claw, Rock Slide, Crunch
Elite Four Drake — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 52–55
- Shelgon — Lv. 52 — Dragon Claw, Rock Tomb, Protect, Crunch
- Altaria — Lv. 54 — Take Down, DragonBreath, Dragon Dance, Refresh
- Flygon — Lv. 53 — Fly, Dig, DragonBreath, Sandstorm
- Flygon — Lv. 53 — Flamethrower, Crunch, DragonBreath, Sand-Attack
- Salamence — Lv. 55 — Sitrus Berry — Flamethrower, Dragon Claw, Crunch, Fly
How to beat him: Ice Beam. Altaria, Salamence and Flygon all take four times damage from Ice, and a Dragon move hits every member for double. Emerald swaps the second Flygon for a Water/Dragon Kingdra that resists Ice — Dragon or strong neutral hits for that one. Salamence leads with Intimidate and holds a Sitrus Berry; it and Altaria both set up Dragon Dance if you give them the turn, so open with your fastest Ice attacker.
The Champion — Wallace (Emerald) or Steven (Ruby & Sapphire)
Champion Wallace — Emerald · Lv 55–58
- Wailord — Lv. 57 — Rain Dance, Water Spout, Double-Edge, Blizzard
- Tentacruel — Lv. 55 — Toxic, Hydro Pump, Sludge Bomb, Ice Beam
- Ludicolo — Lv. 56 — Giga Drain, Surf, Leech Seed, Double Team
- Whiscash — Lv. 56 — Earthquake, Surf, Amnesia, Hyper Beam
- Gyarados — Lv. 56 — Dragon Dance, Earthquake, Hyper Beam, Surf
- Milotic — Lv. 58 — Sitrus Berry — Recover, Surf, Ice Beam, Toxic
Champion Steven — Ruby & Sapphire · Lv 55–58
- Skarmory — Lv. 57 — Steel Wing, Toxic, Aerial Ace, Spikes
- Claydol — Lv. 55 — Earthquake, AncientPower, Light Screen, Reflect
- Aggron — Lv. 56 — Earthquake, Dragon Claw, Thunder, SolarBeam
- Cradily — Lv. 56 — AncientPower, Confuse Ray, Sludge Bomb, Giga Drain
- Armaldo — Lv. 56 — AncientPower, Slash, Aerial Ace, Water Pulse
- Metagross — Lv. 58 — Sitrus Berry — Meteor Mash, Earthquake, Psychic, Hyper Beam
How to beat Wallace: Electric moves hit five of his six — Gyarados for four times damage — but Whiscash is immune and takes four times damage from Grass instead. Milotic is the wall: Recover, Toxic and a Sitrus Berry, and Marvel Scale makes it tougher if you inflict status on it, so hit it hard and clean with Electric or Grass. Gyarados sets up Dragon Dance behind Intimidate, Wailord’s Water Spout is devastating at full health under Rain Dance, and Ludicolo stalls with Leech Seed and Double Team. Take Gyarados and Ludicolo out before they set up.
How to beat Steven: his six share Steel and Rock between them, so Fighting, Ground, Fire and Water cover the room. Aggron (Steel/Rock) takes four times damage from Fighting and Ground; Skarmory falls to Fire or Electric; Cradily to Ice, Bug, Fighting or Steel; Armaldo to Water, Rock or Steel; Claydol to Water, Grass, Bug, Ice, Ghost or Dark; and Metagross to Fire, Ground, Ghost or Dark. Metagross is the ace — Meteor Mash plus a Sitrus Berry — and Skarmory’s Toxic and Spikes punish a slow start, so lead fast and hit hard. Aggron carries Thunder and SolarBeam for exactly the Water- and Ground-types you would switch in against it.
Steven in Emerald: the level 77 rematch in Meteor Falls
Emerald does not retire Steven. After you have entered the Hall of Fame, a chamber opens in Meteor Falls where he waits with the strongest single-player team in the game — levels 75 to 78, four Full Restores. It is a one-off battle, so save first and treat it as the true final boss.
Steven — Emerald · Meteor Falls · Lv 75–78
- Skarmory — Lv. 77 — Toxic, Aerial Ace, Spikes, Steel Wing
- Claydol — Lv. 75 — Reflect, Light Screen, AncientPower, Earthquake
- Aggron — Lv. 76 — Thunder, Earthquake, SolarBeam, Dragon Claw
- Cradily — Lv. 76 — Giga Drain, AncientPower, Ingrain, Confuse Ray
- Armaldo — Lv. 76 — Water Pulse, AncientPower, Aerial Ace, Slash
- Metagross — Lv. 78 — Sitrus Berry — Earthquake, Psychic, Meteor Mash, Shadow Ball
Gym Leader rematches in Emerald (Match Call)
Only Emerald lets you fight the Gym Leaders again. After your first Hall of Fame entry, every 60th wild encounter, 20th trainer battle or 20th Battle Frontier battle has a 31% chance of readying one leader for a rematch; their PokéNav Match Call entry then says they are ready. Every rematch is a Double Battle, each leader has four rematch teams that climb in level, and you cannot reach any leader’s second team until you have beaten every leader’s first. Wattson is the exception to watch: he never calls until the New Mauville sidequest is done, which also holds everyone else’s second tier back. The teams bring Pokémon from outside the Hoenn Pokédex and every leader carries three Full Restores.
| Leader | First rematch | Fourth rematch onwards |
|---|---|---|
| Roxanne | Golem 32, Kabuto 35, Onix 35, Nosepass 37 | Aerodactyl 47, Golem 47, Omastar 47, Kabutops 50, Steelix 50, Nosepass 52 |
| Brawly | Machamp 33, Meditite 33, Hitmontop 35, Hariyama 37 | Hitmonlee 46, Hitmonchan 46, Machamp 48, Medicham 48, Hitmontop 50, Hariyama 52 |
| Wattson | Mareep 36, Electrode 36, Magneton 38, Manectric 40 | Electabuzz 50, Raichu 51, Ampharos 51, Electrode 53, Magneton 53, Manectric 55 |
| Flannery | Ponyta 36, Magcargo 38, Camerupt 38, Torkoal 40 | Arcanine 51, Houndoom 51, Rapidash 51, Magcargo 53, Camerupt 53, Torkoal 55 |
| Norman | Chansey 42, Slaking 42, Spinda 43, Slaking 45 | Kangaskhan 55, Slaking 57, Blissey 57, Tauros 57, Spinda 58, Slaking 60 |
| Winona | Tropius 38, Dratini 40, Pelipper 41, Skarmory 43, Altaria 45 | Noctowl 53, Tropius 54, Pelipper 55, Dragonite 55, Skarmory 58, Altaria 60 |
| Tate & Liza | Slowpoke 48, Claydol 49, Xatu 49, Lunatone 50, Solrock 50 | Hypno 63, Slowking 63, Claydol 64, Xatu 64, Lunatone 65, Solrock 65 |
| Juan | Poliwag 46, Whiscash 46, Walrein 48, Crawdaunt 48, Kingdra 51 | Lapras 61, Politoed 61, Whiscash 63, Walrein 63, Crawdaunt 63, Kingdra 66 |
Hoenn Gym Leaders and Elite Four: quick answers
- What is the order of the Gyms in Pokémon Emerald?
- Rustboro (Roxanne), Dewford (Brawly), Mauville (Wattson), Lavaridge (Flannery), Petalburg (Norman), Fortree (Winona), Mossdeep (Tate & Liza) and Sootopolis (Juan — Wallace in Ruby and Sapphire). The order is the same in all three games.
- Who is the 8th Gym Leader in Pokémon Emerald — Wallace or Juan?
- Juan. Emerald makes Wallace the Champion and puts his mentor Juan in the Sootopolis Gym. In Ruby and Sapphire Wallace is the eighth Gym Leader and Steven is the Champion.
- What level should my Pokémon be for the Elite Four in Emerald?
- Sidney’s team is level 46–49 and the Champion’s 55–58, so a team around level 50–55 with the right coverage — Fighting or Bug for Sidney, Ghost or Dark for Phoebe, Electric or Fighting for Glacia, Ice for Drake, Electric and Grass for Wallace — wins without over-levelling.
- Are the Elite Four the same in Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald?
- The four members are the same: Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia and Drake. Emerald changes a few Pokémon (Sidney’s Sharpedo becomes a Crawdaunt, Drake’s second Flygon a Kingdra) and many movesets, and it replaces Champion Steven with Wallace.
- How do I unlock the Sootopolis Gym door?
- End the weather crisis. In Ruby and Sapphire that means facing Groudon or Kyogre in the Cave of Origin; in Emerald you have to wake Rayquaza at the Sky Pillar so it stops the two. Wallace then gives you HM07 Waterfall and the Gym opens.
- Why won’t my Pokémon obey me even though I have badges?
- Only the Knuckle, Heat, Feather and Rain Badges raise the obedience cap in these games (to 30, 50, 70 and every level). A traded Pokémon above the current cap ignores you until you win the next of those four; Pokémon you caught yourself always obey.
- How do I rematch the Gym Leaders in Emerald?
- Beat the League once, then keep playing: wild encounters and trainer battles randomly ready a leader for a Double Battle rematch, announced in the PokéNav’s Match Call. Wattson only becomes available once the New Mauville sidequest is done. Ruby and Sapphire have no Gym Leader rematches.
- How do I beat Norman’s Slaking?
- Use its ability against it: Truant makes Slaking loaf around every second turn, so attack with a Fighting move on the loafing turn and Protect or switch on the turn it can act. In Emerald it knows Counter, so use special attacks on its active turns.
- Where is the fifth Gym in Pokémon Emerald?
- Back in Petalburg City, where your father Norman runs it. Its doors only open once you hold four badges, which is why the game routes you to Lavaridge before it.