Part 40: Opelucid City and Route 9

Main Walkthrough

Your seventh Pokémon League gym challenge, Opelucid Gym is very straightforward compared to just about every other gym in the game. It consists of a tall, draconic elevator that raises you, fighter by fighter, to the leader at the top. You'll need to choose between two fighters twice on your way up, for a grand total of three fights before you face Drayden, the gym leader.

Opelucid Gym is populated exclusively by Dragon-type Pokémon. It's possible for you to have a Dragon-type of your own if you visited Mistralton Cave and picked up an Axew - or perhaps just evolved a Swablu - though if you don't you'll nevertheless find Dragon-type moves to be very handy in this gym. Ice-type moves are a great alternative. If you have neither you may find a Steel-type Pokémon useful for resisting Dragon-type moves, though your Steel-type will have trouble with Drayden - and your opponents on the way up will occasionally know Flamethrower, which will singe Steel-types.

Grab your customary Fresh Water from Clyde, then climb onto the dragon statue to your left. Your first opponent in this gym is always the same.

Veteran Lucius

  • Fraxure, level 46
Reward: 3,600 P

Step back onto the pad after beating Lucius, raise your own dragon's head into the air, then choose either the right or left floor panels. Choosing the right will bring you to a battle with Veteran Jerry, who prefers an offensive approach. Choosing the left will take you to Veteran Rhona, who sticks to defense.

Veteran Jerry

  • Fraxure, level 45
  • Druddigon, level 45
Reward: 3,600 P

Veteran Rhona

  • Fraxure, level 45
  • Druddigon, level 45
Reward: 3,600 P


Beating one of the two will allow you to rise to the next tier. Note that you can fight both trainers on each, if you wish, to maximize your experience earnings. Choosing the right trainer, Veteran Ron, will put you in a Triple Battle, while choosing Veteran Denae on the left will put you in a Rotation Battle.

Veteran Ron

  • Fraxure, level 44
  • Druddigon, level 44
  • Axew, level 44
Reward: 3,520 P

Veteran Denae

  • Fraxure, level 44
  • Druddigon, level 44
  • Axew, level 44
Reward: 3,520 P

And, last up...

Leader Drayden

  • Druddigon, level 46
  • Flygon, level 46
  • Haxorus, level 48

Reward: 5,760 P

That's quite a beard. If you can target his team's weaknesses - particularly with Ice-type moves - then Drayden is a pushover. Otherwise you have some work to do. Drayden's Druddigon can use Revenge to smack both Ice- and Steel-types around, and Flygon can take out your Steel-types with its Ground-type moves. Haxorus is more straightforward, though it's also hideously strong. All three hit hard in general.

Dragon Tail makes buffing a single Pokémon a non-starter, since it will switch out your team members, so if you can't target weaknesses your best bet here is to impair each enemy by either poisoning, burning, confusing, or paralyzing them. You may find burn of greatest value, since it also reduces attack damage, though watch out for Flygon if you're using a Fire-type Pokémon.

You'll receive the Legend Badge for defeating Drayden. You'll also receive TM 82 Dragon Tail. Leave the gym and Drayden will meet you outside. Heal up your team, then follow him to his home in the middle of Opelucid City. He'll tell you a story about the lore of Unova's Dragon-type Pokémon, and once he's done bad things will happen. Team Plasma!

Opelucid City is now covered in unbreakable ice, and you'll need to slide around to get anywhere. Drayden has most of the Team Plasma Grunts near the Pokémon Center handled, though there's one a short slide to the north who is happy to fight you.

Team Plasma Grunt

  • Watchog, level 44
  • Muk, level 44
Reward: 1,760 P

Continue to slide north from this Grunt and you'll find another one, standing guard in front of a house.

Team Plasma Grunt
  • Golbat, level 44
  • Garbodor, level 44
Reward: 1,760 P

Backtrack and head west through Opelucid City. Head north along the road to the gym and you'll find one final Grunt who's itching to battle.

Team Plasma Grunt
  • Seviper, level 44
  • Weezing, level 44
Reward: 1,760 P

Slide to the right side of the street, then north. You can squeeze past the giant hunk of ice in the middle of the road to reach the gym. Out front is Zinzolin, and he'll challenge you to a battle.


Team Plasma Zinzolin
  • Cryogonal, level 46
  • Cryogonal, level 46
  • Weavile, level 48
Reward: 8,640 P

Zinzolin uses all Ice-type Pokémon, so if you have a Fire- or Fighting-type on your team this should be an easy battle. Otherwise just keep Dragon-types off of the battlefield, assuming you used one to trounce Opelucid Gym.

Drayden will heal your team after the battle, then present Team Plasma's target: The DNA Splicers. This will prompt Team Plasma's Shadow Triad to show up and steal the DNA Splicers. You'll need to track them down to get the DNA Splicers back. Slide south, to the eastern entrance of Opelucid City, to find the first of them.


Team Plasma Shadow
  • Pawniard, level 46
  • Pawniard, level 46
  • Absol, level 48
Reward: 8,640 P

A Fighting-type move is ideal for this fight. You'll rip through the Shadow's team like paper.

Once the ninja flees you'll have a quick meeting with Cheren and Drayden, and you'll receive your next destination: Humilau City. To reach Humilau City you'll need to return to Undella Town, in the east of Unova, and trek through the Marine Tube.


Very pretty. Speak to the girl with the parasol at the other end of the Marine Tube for TM42 Facade, then head out into Humilau City.

Part 42: Humilau City

Main Walkthrough