Part 5: Aspertia Gym

Main Walkthrough

You've got your first badge, the Basic Badge, and your Pokémon are stronger than ever. Leave Aspertia Gym with your head held high -

- and you'll find your first fan, Bianca, is waiting. To congratulate your win she'll give you TM27 Return, which is great for Normal-type Pokémon that really likes their trainers (and raising Happiness is really easy, so long as your Pokémon fight regularly and stay in your party). Cheren will come out, and the two of them will register themselves, as well as Professor Juniper, in your Xtransciever, which to this point has had almost no use. You'll have a brief chat with all three, then discover why it's worth calling them all: Juniper will evaluate your Pokédex, Cheren will give you battle tips, and Bianca will tell you how much your Pokémon like you. 

After Bianca activates your C-Gear, an online wireless system, she'll tell you about the next Pokémon gym: The Virbank Gym in Virbank City. Heal up your Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, speak to the blonde girl on the second floor of the northeastern building for an Ultra Ball, then head back to Route 20. Just before you get onto the route, Bianca will stop you and upgrade your Pokédex with a new feature: The Habitat List. This function will tell you what Pokémon are living in your current area, and where. Bianca will also tell you about rustling grass.

Rustling Grass

Once you chat with Bianca and learn about rustling grass, you'll begin to see this very phenomenon whenever you're wandering near shorter grass. The vast majority of the time, when you check rustling grass, you're about to get into a fight with an Audino. This might not seem like a big deal -

- save for the fact that, pound for pound, Audinos provide more experience to your Pokémon than any other wild encounter in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2. If you want to level up your Pokémon quickly - and aren't concerned about maximizing their EVs - hunt for Audinos. (Just make sure your Pokémon has at least one half-decent physical attack. Special attacks don't work so well.)

Route 20 Pokémon

  • Audino - Common, Rustling Grass, All Seasons
  • Dunsparce - Rare, Rustling Grass, All Seasons
  • Patrat - Common, Tall Grass, All Seasons 
  • Pidove - Common, Tall Grass, All Seasons
  • Purrloin - Uncommon, Tall Grass, All Seasons
  • Sewaddle - Common, Tall Grass, All Seasons
  • Sunkern - Rare (most common during Summer), Tall Grass, All Seasons

Make your way to the hiker on Route 20. Noticing your Basic Badge, he'll let you through - but not before forcing you into a battle.

Hiker Jerome

  • Riolu, level 11

Reward: 352 P

Near Jerome are some stairs. Go down to find another trainer.

Preschooler Albert

  • Psyduck, level 10

Reward: 40 P

Just beyond the Preschooler, Cheren and Hugh will catch up with you. (Will you ever be allowed to wander in peace?) Cheren will spend a bit of time explaining about the dark green grass, which houses slightly stronger Pokémon - and, occasionally, you'll run into double battles. Cheren will hand over three Pecha Berries, then take his leave. Enter the dark grass to find a Great Ball.

Just beyond the dark grass, near the base of the hill, is another trainer.

Preschooler Lin

  • Lillipup, level 10

Reward: 40 P

Go up the stairs. On the first ledge to your right is an Antidote. Continue up and through the grass, or, optionally, go around the side of the platforms to avoid the grass and fight the trainer by the north-most stairs.

Nursery Aide Kimya

  • Dunsparce, level 11

Reward: 440 P

Kimya's Dunsparce has a lot of HP and loves to use Rollout, so be careful of deploying Flying-types against it.

On the next ledge up from Kimya is a Dire Hit. Keep climbing and, beside the tunnel to Virbank City, you'll find a pair of trainers who will only challenge you if you have two Pokémon in your team.

Twins Lia & Lily

  • Sunkern, level 9 (Lia)
  • Sunkern, level 9 (Lily)

Reward: 144 P

Enter the tunnel. Inside you'll be stopped by the attendant, who will give you two Great Balls. Keep going through here and you'll reach Virbank City, home of your second gym challenge - and some other troubles which you'll be forced to clean up.

Return Trip

Once one of your Pokémon knows Surf you can hop into the water near the Virbank City exit. Hop onto the small stretch of land on the right side of the water and you can find a hidden Heart Scale with your Dowsing Machine. Sail south of here and you'll find a larger landmass with a pit and two items in the middle. Come here during Autumn and you can cross the leaves that fill the pit to reach a Max Revive and a Rare Candy. Also hiding in the leaves are three Pokémon Rangers.

Pokémon Ranger Malory

  • Deerling, level 32
  • Scolipede, level 32
Reward: 1,980 P, Sitrus Berry

Pokémon Ranger Leaf

  • Arcanine, level 33
Reward: 1,980 P, Leppa Berry

Pokémon Ranger Bret

  • Stoutland, level 33
Reward: 1,980 P, Leppa Berry

There's a patch of dark grass up here that you can access in any season. The only new Pokémon you can catch here is Venipede, which will show up uncommonly at all times of the year.


If you sail east from the small island with the Heart Scale you'll hit a waterfall. If you know Waterfall - which requires becoming the Champion - you can rise up the waterfall and make your way to the Cave of Being. Professor Juniper is inside, and speaking to her will scatter three legendary Pokémon - Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf - to other sections of Unova. You'll need to hunt them down and catch them.

While you're up near the Cave of Being, look to the southeast. If you're here during Autumn you can cross a pit to get at a Sticky Barb. Turn on your Dowsing Machine and you can also find a Big Mushroom while Surfing to the northeast of the Cave of Being. Check along the ledges that lead back to the main path through Route 20.

Part 7: Virbank City and Virbank Complex

Main Walkthrough