Poco Path Pokémon
- Diglett - Inside Inlet Grotto
- Fletchling - Clearing near the lighthouse
- Hoppip - Grass on the north side of the path to the lighthouse
- Lechonk - Road and grass near Cabo Poco
- Scatterbug - Grass near the lighthouse
- Tarountula - Grass and trees near Cabo Poco
- Yungoos - Inside Inlet Grotto
With starter in hand and Nemona leading the way, you've set out on your adventure into the Paldea Region. Your first step takes you onto Poco Path, a straightforward, grassy area that's teeming with Pokémon to capture. Nemona doesn't waste time introducing you to the topic, either, and gives you five Poké Balls. Better get started on that collection.
Catching Pokémon
Catching Pokémon is pretty simple... in theory. All you technically need to do is run into a Pokémon on the field, get into a battle, and use a Poké Ball. If you get lucky the Pokémon will get caught in the Poké Ball and you'll have a new team member. That said, Pokémon tend to prefer not getting caught, and the chances are good that a healthy Pokémon will wriggle out of the ball. There are three steps you can take to increase your chances of catching a wild Pokémon:
- Lower its health. Whenever you enter battle with a Pokémon its health will be displayed in the top-right corner of the screen as a bar. Inflicting damage on the Pokémon will reduce the size of the bar. The smaller the bar, the better the chances that you'll catch the Pokémon when you chuck a Poké Ball at it.
- Inflict status ailments on the Pokémon. A Pokémon that's been paralyzed or put to sleep will be easier to catch. This isn't an option right now, but it will be eventually.
- Use higher-level Poké Balls. Again, this isn't an option right now, but as you get further into the game you'll gain access to higher-quality balls that stand a better chance of landing a Pokémon.
The Pokémon of Poco Path are all low-level and easy to catch, so you shouldn't have any trouble snagging the ones you want. Smack your target once to reduce its health, then hurl a Poké Ball. Nemona will promptly toss you into battle with a Lechonk, and you can easily catch it with a single Poké Ball. Nemona will further replenish your stock with ten more Poke Balls.
In addition to running into Pokémon you can also lob your Poké Balls at them from afar with the ZR button. This will disturb Pokémon and typically trigger a battle. You can also hurl your Poké Ball at Pokémon that are out of reach to get into a fight. Tilt the camera a little and your trainer's aim will adjust itself accordingly. Try it out on the Tarountulas in the tree to the right of the entrance to Poco Path.
One last thing. As you catch more and more Pokémon you'll run out of space in your party. You can offset this by placing Pokémon into Boxes, via the menu. Unlike previous Pokémon titles you can place Pokémon into Boxes regardless of where you are - and pull them back out again as you please. No more PCs in this version.
You're now free to explore Poco Path. Your destination is the lighthouse at the other end of the path, and aside from Pokémon and the occasional item there's nothing stopping you. Once you reach the far end of Poco Path you'll hear a cry. Inspect the right side of the path to find a break in the ropes that lead up to the lighthouse.
Check the break and you'll wind up getting knocked to the bottom of a cliff, where you'll need to restore a powerful-looking Pokémon to health with your Sandwich. Follow it into the nearby Inlet Grotto and it will slowly but steadily bash a path for you back to Nemona, as well as save your butt from a high-level Houndoom. There are some new Pokémon to catch along the way, so keep your Poké Balls handy.
Once you're back on Poco Path Nemona will register her phone number in your Rotom Phone, and give you TM032 Swift. You'll then meet Arven, another student at the Academy, who will promptly challenge you to combat.
Pokémon Trainer Arven
- Skwovet, level 5
Reward: 300 P
Arven's Skwovet is another pushover, though a bit more troublesome since it's Normal-type, which you can't properly target without a Fighting-type. Use your STAB attack move to knock it out.
Defating Arven will earn you Koraidon's or Miraidon's Poké Ball, the home of the imposing-looking Pokémon that saved you during your trip through Inlet Grotto. Arven will take off, and after a trip up the lighthouse you'll be sent on the next leg of your journey, towards the small town of Los Platos.