Located west of Route 1 and accessible only with Surf, Route 17 and Route 18 are the end of the line for exploration in southern Unova. There's a good chance this will be your last 'new' stop in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, meaning that the trainers along here have some of the highest levels in the game. Don't enter this area without a strong team.
Route 17 Pokémon
- Alomomola - Common, Whirlpool, All Seasons
- Frillish - Common, Surfing, All Seasons
- Jellicent - Rare, Whirlpool, All Seasons
Hop onto your Pokémon and Surf to the shoals off the coast. You'll see a current rushing nearby, and, unsurprisingly, if you try to jump into it you'll be swept back south. We'll deal with more of these shortly. Your first challenger is fishing over here, near a Blue Shard. Check the shoals to the left of the trainer for another, hidden Blue Shard as well.
Fisherman Lydon
- Feebas, level 64
- Finneon, level 64
- Lumineon, level 64
Reward: 2,048 P
West of the shoals you'll find another trainer, swimming north and south in front of more sweeping currents. If you jump into the lowest current you'll be sent all the way to Route 18. Jumping onto the current north of where you're deposited will take you back to where you started on Route 17, back by the aforementioned trainer.
Swimmer Jeffrey
- Tentacool, level 65
- Huntail, level 65
Reward: 1,040 P
If you jump into the middle current near Jeffrey you'll be tossed around a bit before winding up in the middle of the currents, beside a trainer. To the east of her are shoals where you can find another trainer, sitting near a Dive Ball.
Swimmer Ruth
- Clamperl, level 65
- Shellder, level 65
Reward: 1,040 P
Fisherman Bucky
- Krabby, level 64
- Qwilfish, level 64
- Kingler, level 64
There's more to see on Route 17, but you can't get at it until you've circumvented Route 18. Hop into the currents to travel west and get back onto land.
Route 18 Pokémon
- Alomomola - Common, Whirlpool, All Seasons
- Audino - Common, Rustling Grass, All Seasons
- Carnivine - Rare, Tall Grass, All Seasons
- Crustle - Uncommon, Tall Grass, All Seasons
- Dunsparce - Rare, Rustling Grass, All Seasons
- Frillish - Common, Surfing, All Seasons
- Jellicent - Rare, Whirlpool, All Seasons
- Sawk - Uncommon, Tall Grass / Rustling Grass, All Seasons - Black 2 only
- Scrafty - Common, Tall Grass / Rustling Grass, All Seasons
- Throh - Uncommon, Tall Grass, All Seasons - White 2 only
- Tropius - Rare, Tall Grass, All Seasons
- Watchog - Rare, Tall Grass, All Seasons
Climb the stairs from the beach. North of the stairs you'll find a trainer who will challenge you to a Triple Battle. Past her you'll be in the middle of the Route, more or less, where you'll find a house. The Ace Trainer inside the house will restore your team to full health. Also here is a bespectacled fellow, hiding by the bed, who will purchase Rare Bones from you for 10,000 P. Not bad.
Veteran Gina
- Kingdra, level 68
- Skarmory, level 68
- Donphan, level 68
Reward: 5,440 P
The path here splits to the west and the south. We'll start by going south, assuming you have a Pokémon with Strength equipped, as you'll need to push a boulder out of your way. On the other side of the boulder is a roaming trainer. To the left of him you'll find a Zinc in the grass, while on the right is a hidden Rare Candy, sitting in a bare patch of ground on the edge of the cliff.
Black Belt Zachary
- Hariyama, level 65
- Throh, level 65
- Hitmontop, level 65
Reward: 2,080 P
Head back north to the house and turn west. You'll head down two sets of stairs, and at the bottom of the taller set are four trees that serve as a Hidden Grotto. At the bottom of the stairs you'll see another boulder that can be moved with Strength. Nudge it out of your way and on the other side you'll find a trainer waiting. Sitting near him is a Star Piece. The Veteran is quite powerful, despite only having one Pokémon, and deploying a strong Fighting-type move right off the bat will save you a lot of pain.
Veteran Vincent
- Tyranitar, level 70
Reward: 5,600 P
South of the bottom of the stairs you'll find a beach, at the end of which is a Pearl String hidden in a rock. North of the bottom of the stairs you'll find another trainer. Yet another is waiting at the end of the thin strip of grass to the left of the Hiker. Past her you'll find TM19 Telekinesis. Like the previous Veteran this one is quite powerful, and it's highly recommended that you deploy a fast Pokémon with a strong Ice-type move to wipe it out quickly.
Hiker Stephen
- Hippopotas, level 64
- Crustle, level 64
- Hippowdon, level 64
Reward: 2,048 P
Veteran Maya
- Salamence, level 70
Reward: 5,600 P
North of these two trainers the path will split again, further north and to the east. If you head north up the stairs you'll find an odd fellow named Crasher Wake, a Gym Leader from Sinnoh. Speak to him and he'll charge off towards Driftveil City. If you want to see him again you'll need to visit the Pokémon World Tournament and challenge him on the stage. Nearby his vantage point is a bridge, and crossing it will bring you to a trainer.
Veteran Chester
- Staraptor, level 68
- Relicanth, level 68
- Krookodile, level 68
Reward: 5,440 P
Across the bridge you'll find a Magma Stone. You can take this item to a chamber in Reversal Mountain and summon a Heatran to battle, and potentially trap. Head down the stairs from the Magma Stone and you'll find a beach. Check the beach for a hidden Heart Scale. The water beyond bears more currents that will sweep you back to Route 17. The upper current just sweeps you back to Route 18, so hop onto the lower current.
You'll wind up by a shoreline to the east. Ignore it for a moment and check the nearby shoal for a hidden Shoal Salt. Then Surf south, weaving between the currents. You'll find shoals with a Pearl String. Hidden nearby is a Shoal Shell.
Sail back north, then carefully make your way between the currents to the west. You'll run into a trainer as you Surf. Defeat him, then slowly make your way south, then west again, to find another trainer.
Swimmer Wright
- Carvanha, level 65
- Sharpedo, level 65
Reward: 1,040 P
Swimmer Dara
- Chinchou, level 65
- Gorebyss level 65
Reward: 1,040 P
Slip past Dara and weave around a few more currents, heading west, until you find a beach. You'll find a stretch of Route 18 that you can't reach any other way. On the south end of the beach you'll find a PP Max and a hidden Prism Scale, and right by your original landing spot in the north you'll find a hidden Pearl. Northwest along the beach you'll run afoul of a trainer.
Battle Girl Wendy
- Poliwrath, level 65
- Sawk, level 65
- Medicham, level 65
Reward: 2,080 P
North of Wendy you'll come to a plot of dark green grass. Sitting in it is an Iron, and over to the west a ways further is another PP Max. That's all for Route 18, so head back to the currents and ride them back to the landing that you ignored earlier, in the northeast of Route 17.
Back on land you'll find the P2 Laboratory, and inside it is a Dubious Disc. Also here is the Plasma Frigate, and it's full of Team Plasma Grunts who are reconsidering their life choices. Head to the bridge and you'll find Colress, still waiting where you last saw him, and if you speak to him he'll challenge you to a fight.
Pokémon Trainer Colress
- Magneton, level 72
- Rotom, level 72
- Metagross, level 72
- Beeheeyem, level 72
- Magnezone, level 72
- Klinklang, level 74
Reward: 14,800 P
Aside from the big jump in levels and the addition of Rotom Colress hasn't changed a whole lot since your last encounter. Much of his team is vulnerable to Fire- and Fighting-type moves, making them good options alongside the more-obvious Ground. Magneton and Magnezone both have Sturdy, so keep in mind that you won't get a OHKO with most moves. Rotom is very fast and can use Hydro Pump, so be careful deploying Ground-types against it. Klinklang remains the greatest threat if you give it time to buff itself with Shift Gear, making it crucial that you wipe it out within a turn or two.
Beat Colress and he will give you a Master Ball. You can hereafter find him on the deck of the Plasma Frigate, and challenge him again once a day.
Taking down Colress ends your time on Route 17 and Route 18. Return to the beach and Surf south to find a current that will sweep you back to the gate that leads to Route 1.