Part 40: Route 21

Main Walkthrough

All good things must come to an end, and your time in Kalos - and Pokémon X and Y - is swiftly drawing to a close. There are just two obstacles standing in your way: The Pokémon League itself, and its precursor challenge, Victory Road. Always one of the greatest struggles in a Pokémon game, Victory Road remains one of the most difficult areas to traverse in Generation VI. Make sure you have Strength, Surf, and Waterfall equipped on your Pokémon before you try and tackle this giant dungeon.

Victory Road is located at the intersection of Routes 21 and 22. After having your badges verified and defeating the guardian trainer, enter Victory Road. Head straight north to find the first trainer.

Ace Trainer Alanza
  • Weavile, level 60
Reward: 6,000 P

Hop into the water to your left and Surf west. Debark on the other side and look for a stalagmite near a set of stairs. It contains an X Attack. Wander up the stairs and you'll find an opponent waiting. You can get around him by going up the next set of stairs, on your right, and Rock Smashing through the small boulder.


Ace Trainer Bence
  • Steelix, level 56
  • Electrode, level 56
  • Kangaskhan, level 57
Reward: 5,700 P

Go up the stairs beside Bence and trek south. Another trainer awaits. You can slip around his patrol route if you're careful.

Black Belt Markus
  • Machamp, level 60
Reward: 2,880 P

Yikes. This guy's tough, considering he has both Stone Edge and Earthquake. Unless you can get a verified kill on the first hit, a Flying-type is not a great choice. A Psychic-type with the move Psychic is probably wiser.


Go south from Markus. You'll find a pool, patrolled by a trainer, whom you can avoid if you watch her route closely and stick to the corners. At the bottom-left edge of this pool is a Dusk Ball.

Battle Girl Veronique
  • Hawlucha, level 57
  • Mienshao, level 58
Reward: 2,784 P

Yikes. Two powerful Pokémon. Hawlucha is the more troublesome of the pair, as it's very strong yet able to take a fair beating before it goes down. Psychic-type moves are recommended. Mienshao is stronger, but it's frailer. Psychic will also work well on it.

Backtrack to Markus in the north and go west. You'll emerge outside, on a bridge. A trainer's walking along it.

Backpacker Farid
  • Haxorus, level 58
Reward: 2,320 P

Another biggun. Haxorus packs quite a wallop, but its defenses aren't amazing. Dragon- or Ice-type moves should bring it down quickly enough. If you do deploy a Dragon-type, make sure it's a fast one, as Haxorus will rip it apart with Dragon Claw otherwise.


Across the bridge and to the left on the grass is a rock. Check it for a Hyper Potion. In the north is another cave entrance. There's a bush to the left of it, and hidden in it is a Full Heal. Enter the cave and you'll run into a trainer.

Battle Girl Sigrid
  • Medicham, level 60
Reward: 2,880 P

This area is filled with stepping-stones that you'll need to hop across. Travel along them until you land the top-left ledge, just south of a bridge. Head north, under the bridge. A trainer is running back and forth up here.

Black Belt Ander
  • Pangoro, level 57
  • Heracross, level 58
Reward: 2,784 P

Pangoro's not a huge deal. Heracross can be, as it uses a very powerful Close Combat move capable of wasting most Pokémon. A quick Flying-type move will obliterate both, especially Heracross.


Run up the stairs at the end of this northbound path. You'll find a Carbos, and in the wall behind the stalactite in the middle of the platform is a Smooth Rock. Run all the way back south and destroy the breakable rock to the south of Ander with Rock Smash. Walk down into the pit surrounding the stepping stones and check the stalactite in the north for an Ultra Ball.

Head southeast between stepping stones. You'll find a rise with more stepping stones. Hop across them to find your way outside. Follow the path south and you'll come to another small cave. Inside is TM03 Psychock.

Backtrack to the main cave, towards the moveable boulder beside the Black Belt you fought earlier. Get up onto the rise to the south of the boulder and hop across the stepping stones to the north. Fight the trainer ahead.

Psychic William
  • Espeon, level 58
Reward: 3,248 P

Yikes. Not only is Espeon a potent Psychic-type, it has Dazzling Gleam to boot, and is fast enough to catch you off-guard. Use Dark-, Bug- or Ghost-type moves to bring it down quickly, though be careful of deploying a Dark-type Pokémon, given the threat of Dazzling Gleam.


Go down the stairs by William and you'll wind up on the right side of the boulder. Push the west with Strength until it falls into a hole, creating a path for you. Climb the stairs beyond to find a pair of trainers waiting.

Brains & Brawn Arman & Hugo
  • Medicham, level 58
  • Gallade, level 60
Reward: 6,240 P

Hmm, two Psychic- and Fighting-type Pokémon. They're hardly invincible, so long as you choose wisely with your initial team. Use a strong Flying-type move to wipe out at least one of them from the get-go. Gallade is a bit weaker in the defensive department, so target it first.

Beside the bridge to your right is a little pathway that leads north and west. Follow it to find a Rare Candy. Backtrack, cross the bridge, climb the stairs you find, and go outside. East of here is a boulder to move with Strength. After doing so, check the small stone to the left for a Revive. Enter the cave further left and follow the path down to find another boulder to push. This will create a path back to the beginning of Victory Road, if you think you need a break.

Backtrack to the outdoors. You'll be walking through the ruins of what appears to be an old fortress. Challenge (or not) the trainer patrolling to the north.

Fairy Tale Girl Corinne
  • Azumarill, level 56
  • Florges, level 56
Reward: 1,792 P


Up and to your left is a cracked wall you can bust through with Rock Smash. You'll find a PP Up nearby. Back on the path you'll see a trainer slightly north. She's easy to avoid if you don't feel like battling.

Hex Maniac Raziah
  • Gourgeist, level 58
Reward: 1,856 P

To the east of Raziah is a Ranger who will, happily, restore your HP if you talk to her. Beyond, in the north of the ruins, is a Quick Ball. Once you're fully healed, head south, out of the ruins. Calem / Serena will show up and challenge you to one final battle. (In the main game, anyway.)


Pokémon Trainer Calem / Serena
  • Meowstic, level 57
  • Vaporeon / Flareon / Jolteon, level 57
  • Absol, level 59
  • Altaria, level 58
  • Chesnaught / Delphox / Greninja, level 61
Reward: 6,100 P, two Max Revives 

Your neighbor has moved up in the world. Most of their Pokémon pack a wallop, but by now you should have plenty of countermeasures for all of them. Meowstic is strong but doesn't have great defenses; Altaria is fairly meh for a Dragon-type; Absol is strong, but it can't take a whole lot of abuse; the Eeveevolutions are predictable because they stick to their respective elements most of the time; and the starter, well, you've been here before. Use what always works.

Heal up at the Ranger after beating your neighbor, then check around the walls to the southwest. You can bust through the stone with Rock Smash to find a Zinc. Enter the cave in the east and run up the stairs further east to find a trainer.

Pokémon Ranger Petra
  • Slowbro, level 57
  • Altaria, level 57 
Reward: 4,560 P

Altaria is still pretty meh. Slowbro can surprise, though, as it's a Psychic- and Water-type... that knows Flamethrower. Huh. (Also Ice Beam, but that's less surprising.) Be careful if you decide to deploy a Grass-type.


There are two ledges here. Ignore the left one and go right. Go all the way south over ledges until you wind up on a path leading outside. Check the rock to your left, against the cliff edge, for a Pretty Wing. Then run into the ruins up north to find a Max Elixir. Slide down the slope here to start over at the cave entrance.

Return to the right ledge. This time, go south, east, south, and south. In the middle of this small area between ledges you'll find a hidden Escape Rope, one square in front of the northern ledge. Hop east and go up the stairs. You can head for the exit now...

... or get more items first. Go north, check the stalagmite on the edge of the precipice south of the trainer for a Max Repel, then take on the trainer herself.

Veteran Inga
  • Talonflame, level 61
Reward: 8,540 P

Slide down the ramp to the west and south of Inga, then hop one ledge to the south to find a Dragon Fang. That's it for the ledges, so hop south to the stairs, go up, and go south to find a patrolling trainer. You can fight or avoid him, as you please, though make sure you grab the nearby Full Restore regardless. Up the stairs on the right is another trainer.

Pokémon Ranger Ralf
  • Crobat, level 59
Reward: 4,720 P

Crobat can be a real nuisance with X-Scissor and Cross Poison if you give it a turn or two. You're well off wiping it out in one turn with a Rock- or Psychic-type move.

Veteran Gerard
  • Banette, level 57
  • Leafeon, level 59
Reward: 8,260 P


Push the boulder near Gerard into place. If you follow this path south it will take you back outside, where you can shove yet another boulder into a hole. This will create a very easy path allllll the way back to the beginning of Victory Road, or, if nothing else, a shortcut back to the healing Ranger outside.

Go through the cave exit to your right. Outside are two trainers whom you can avoid if you wish. Check the rocks south of the Artist for a hidden X Defense.

Artist Vincent
  • Smeargle, level 58
Reward: 3,248 P

Ace Trainer Michele
  • Magcargo, level 57
  • Scizor, level 58
Reward: 5,800 P


Continue down the western path. Surf off of the dock and use Waterfall to climb the waterfall to the right of the obvious path forward. Follow the water north at the top of the waterfall until you find somewhere to land. A trainer awaits, guarding TM02 Dragon Claw.

Hiker Corwin
  • Torkoal, level 56
  • Golem, level 56
Reward: 3,136 P

Water for both. Easy enough. Mind Torkoal's surprise Earthquake attack. Mind, too, that Golem has the Sturdy Ability, and won't go down in one hit.


Head back down to the small lake and enter the cave in the cliff, beside the waterfall. Head up the stairs within and you'll face a lineup of trainers, all of whom you can't avoid.

Veteran Timeo
  • Trevenant, level 57
  • Gigalith, level 59
Reward: 8,260 P

Ouch. Trevenant is painful primarily because it has, and will use, Curse to quickly sap its target's health. Very dangerous move. Gigalith is a powerhouse with Stone Edge, which it uses often, and has Sturdy to block a OHKO.

Veteran Catrina
  • Glaceon, level 57
  • Snorlax, level 59
Reward: 8,260 P

Glaceon will use Blizzard, which, despite being inaccurate, really hurts if it lands. Snorlax is always an annoying opponent, and will force you to bring out Fighting-type moves to waste it quickly. Focus Blast will annihilate Snorlax if you can get it off.

Veteran Gilles
  • Skarmory, level 55
  • Umbreon, level 55
  • Alakazam, level 57
Reward: 7,980 P

Skarmory is annoying largely because it will survive the first hit, again thanks to Sturdy. Umbreon is hard to kill, but it doesn't hit that hard in return. Alakazam can surprise because it knows Dazzling Gleam, and is often fast enough to get in its move first on each turn.


Look in the middle of the area with four torches for a hidden Star Piece. Otherwise, head up the stairs in the north and revel in your discovery of the Pokémon League! You did it! All that's left now is fighting the Elite Four... and the Champion. Heal up your team in the nearby Pokémon Center, then steel yourself for the battle of your life.

Return Trip

Come back to the first major outdoor area after upgrading your Mega Ring. Look for a single tower on the west end of the area, near where you first come out, that's blocked off by a wall you can destroy with Rock Smash. Garchompite is sitting at the base of the tower.

Part 42: The Elite Four and the Champion

Main Walkthrough