Welcome to the Pokémon League! You've struggled long and hard to get here, and your efforts are about to bear fruit. There are four battles standing between you and the Pokémon League Championship match, each of them more difficult than anything you've faced before. Are you ready to bring the League to its knees?
Aside from a Pokémon Center out front, the League itself consists of an enormous castle. Enter the castle and, eventually, you'll find your way to a non-descript room with four doors. Each of these rooms contains a member of the Elite Four. You can fight them in any order you wish. You must defeat all four Elite Four members before you can advance to the battle against the Champion.
Top Left – Elite Four Wikstrom
- Klefki, level 63
- Probopass, level 63
- Scizor, level 63
- Aegislash, level 65
Reward: 13,000 P
Befitting a knight, the team of Wikstrom of the Elite Four consists entirely of Steel-type Pokémon. They are, on the whole, a little on the slow side, though their high defenses and good typing make the battle reasonably tough. Fire-, Ground-, and Fighting-type Pokémon do nicely here, though not in every situation.
- Klefki comes first, and largely exists to throw out Spikes that will ding your party every time you send out a new Pokémon. Otherwise it's nothing special. Get off a Fire-type move first thing to negate the possibility of Spikes pestering your party.
- Next is Probopass. This chunky Pokémon has some very powerful moves, but it is extraordinarily slow. Fighting-type moves are optimal, though Probopass' massive Defense will likely keep it alive unless you use a Special Attack move like Focus Blast. A Water-type move like Surf may serve you better. Probopass has the Sturdy Ability, so the chances that you will defeat it in one round are pretty low.
- Third is Scizor. The speedster of Wikstrom's team, Scizor's attacks are all normal, allowing you to throw out something with a high Defense and get good results. A single Fire-type move will fry Scizor.
- Last is Aegislash. Unless you've used one yourself this will be your first encounter with Aegislash, and the experience can be pretty strange. Aegislash moves between a Shield Forme and a Sword Forme, swapping its Defense with its Attack as it changes. Bait it with something vulnerable to its moves - Sacred Sword, Shadow Claw, and Iron Head - so Aegislash switches, then bring it a new Pokémon that can wallop it. Another Fire-type move will do nicely.
Top Right – Elite Four Malva
- Pyroar, level 63
- Torkoal, level 63
- Chandelure, level 63
- Talonflame, level 65
Reward: 13,000 P
Does Malva look familiar? If you paid attention to your Holo Caster transmissions, she should - and she appears to hold a grudge. A Fire-type trainer, Malva largely specializes in fast, frail, glass cannon Pokémon. With one exception they don't take a whole lot to defeat, but if any of them are given a chance they can wallop your party. Either match speed with greater speed or use Pokémon that don't mind Fire-type moves. Rock-types are a great choice for this fight.
- First is Pyroar. Likely the weakest of Malva's Pokémon, Pyroar will use Noble Roar to debuff your lead Pokémon and generally weaken you for the skirmishes to come. Not that difficult, though watch out for Wild Charge, an Electric-type move that can do in any Water-type Pokémon you might deploy.
- Second is Torkoal. Tough and slow, Torkoal is most likely to surprise you with Earthquake. Other than that it's not a big deal. It's Defense is quite beefy but its Special Defense is poor, leaving Torkoal vulnerable to Water-type moves.
- Third is Chandelure. The most powerful Special Attack user on Malva's team, Chandelure can plow through your team with Flamethrower and Shadow Ball. It can also be a little more tricky and use Confuse Ray if you don't present it with an easy target. A fast Dark-type Pokémon can make this fight pretty easy.
- Last up is Talonflame. Extremely fast and capable of dishing out a ton of damage with Brave Bird, Talonflame can tear up your party if you don't have something with a high Defense. Throwing out a Rock-type with a decent matching move will allow you to swallow Talonflame's attacks with minimal damage and deal four-times super effective damage in return. A single Stone Edge will rip Talonflame to pieces.
Bottom Left – Elite Four Drasna
- Dragalge, level 63
- Druddigon, level 63
- Altaria, level 63
- Noivern, level 65
Reward: 13,000 P
It wouldn't be an Elite Four without a Dragon-type user. Drasna has a different sort of roster of Dragons this time around, eschewing slower powerhouses like Dragonite and Salamence for a crew of speedier, somewhat less bulky Pokémon. If you've been raising an Ice-, Fairy-, or a Dragon-type of your own then this fight shouldn't cause you too much trouble.
- First is Dragalge. Stocked with four sweeping moves - Dragon Pulse, Surf, Sludge Bomb, and Thunderbolt - Dragalge can do a lot of damage if you don't wipe it out quickly. Sludge Bomb is deadly to Fairy-types, so Ice- and Dragon-type moves are a better choice. Ground- and Psychic-type moves can also wipe this thing out in a rush. Try to use a special move so its Poison Point doesn't poison your Pokémon.
- Druddigon is second, and it's the most straightforward of the four. It utilizes several powerful physical attacks to straight-up brutalize your party. On the plus side, however, Druddigon is pretty slow, and its Special Defense is poor. Use a special attack to take it down, as well as avoid its annoying Rough Skin Ability.
- Altaria comes out third. Though it can still do lots of damage with Moonblast and Dragon Pulse, Altaria is more annoying than an out-and-out threat, given that it can put your Pokémon to sleep with Sing and buff its Defense with Cotton Guard. An Ice-type move should put it down.
- Last is Noivern. Another speedy sweeper, Noivern can inflict a lot of pain with Air Slash, Dragon Pulse, Flamethrower, and Super Fang. It has a four-times weakness to Ice-type attacks, like Altaria, but is fast enough to outpace an Ice-type and blast it to pieces with Flamethrower. You may want to send something out to paralyze Noivern before deploying an Ice-type to finish it off.
Bottom Right – Elite Four Siebold
- Clawitzer, level 63
- Gyarados, level 63
- Starmie, level 63
- Barbaracle, level 63
Reward: 13,000 P
Water-types don't make it into the Elite Four all that often, so you may not be fully prepared to take down Siebold. His Pokémon are a mixture of speeds, though all can put down your Pokémon in a single hit if you choose the wrong team member to deploy. Electric-type attacks are the only ones that will be consistently strong against Siebold's team.
- The first Pokémon out is Clawitzer, a heft crayfish that can - and usually will - wipe out your fighters in a single attack. Clawitzer can use Water Pulse, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, and Aura Sphere, all of which are boosted by its Ability, Mega Launcher. On the plus side, Clawitzer is a bit slow and doesn't have great defenses, giving you the chance to OHKO the thing before it unleashes an attack. Electric- and Grass-type moves are your best bets.
- Next is Gyarados. A veteran of Pokémon, Gyarados has several potent attacks - Waterfall, Ice Fang, and Earthquake - that it can swiftly boost with Dragon Dance. Deploy something that can use an Electric-type move right at the beginning of the fight or Gyarados may Dragon Dance itself beyond your control.
- Third is Starmie. A speedy sweeper, Starmie uses Dazzling Gleam, Psychic, and Surf to batter your party, and can buff its own with Light Screen. It's fairly common for Light Screen to come out first, so deploy a physical attacker with a good Bug-, Dark-, Electric-, or Grass-type move and take Starmie out in one hit.
- Last is Barbaracle. A strong competitor for ugliest Pokémon design, Barbaracle has a slew of strong physical moves that won't mean a thing if you have a Grass-type move at your disposal. One hit with Grass should be all it takes. Barring Grass, any special Electric- or Fighting-type move will do nicely.
Beat the Elite Four and the door at the end of the central hub will open, revealing the chamber of the Champion. Heal up, then head inside.
Champion Diantha
- Hawlucha, level 64
- Tyrantrum, level 65
- Aurorus, level 65
- Gourgeist, level 65
- Goodra, level 66
- Gardevoir, level 68
Reward: 16,320 P
Ever wonder why Diantha kept showing up? Now you know why: She's the Champion of the Kalos Pokémon League. Unlike the Elite Four Diantha's team has types that are all over the place, making this a trickier battle. Depending on your own party you'll breeze past some of her Pokémon and get stuck on others. The more types you can cover, the better off you'll be.
- Diantha leads with Hawlucha, a nimble, powerful Fighting- and Flying-type Pokémon. Give Hawlucha even one turn and it will use Swords Dance to buff its Strength, then lay into you with several powerful moves. Hawlucha is a bit frail and has lots of weaknesses (Flying, Electric, Psychic, Ice, and Fairy), so unless your Pokémon are extremely slow this fight shouldn't be too bad.
- Next is Tyrantrum. Bursting with heavy physical attacks - including the brutal Head Smash - and kept safe by a high Defense, Tyrantrum would be a sweeper if it weren't for a poor Speed stat. Tyrantrum's Special Defense is low enough that you should be able to OHKO the thing with a good Ice- or Fairy-type move, so long as you're using a special attack.
- Third is Aurorus. The buffing specialist of Diantha's team, Aurorus will set up Light Screen and Reflect to deaden your attacks. It can also use Thunder and Blizzard, though either one hits that hard. The best move for this fight is Brick Break, as it will tear Reflect and Light Screen apart, though any Fighting-type move will do nicely.
- Fourth is Gourgeist. Though it seems like one of the lesser Pokémon in Diantha's arsenal, don't underestimate Gourgeist. It can use the move Trick-or-Treat, which turns one of your Pokémon into a Ghost-type, assuming it wasn't one already. Gourgeist will then follow up with Phantom Force for a very quick kill. Launch a powerful attack immediately to wipe Gourgeist out before this happens. (Alternately, toss out a Normal-type and watch Gourgeist flail uselessly as most of its attacks fail to work.)
- Fifth is Goodra. With Dragon Pulse, Muddy Water, Fire Blast, and Focus Blast in its repertoire, Goodra can put a decent hurt on your party. It also has good defenses, so the likelihood of getting a OHKO is a bit low. A fast Fairy-type is your best bet.
- Last of all is Diantha's Gardevoir. Always the final Pokémon on Diantha's team to rear its head, Gardevoir will begin the battle by evolving into Mega Gardevoir. This will turn it into a swift, powerful Dragon- and Dark-type killer with Moonblast. It's also no slouch against other foes with its high Special Attack stat, particularly if it uses Shadow Ball. Gardevoir fares poorly against Steel-type Pokémon, and you'll probably have at least one of those kicking around. Poison- and Steel-type moves will put Gardevoir down, though regardless of how you kick its butt Gardevoir is best handled with physical attacks.
Defeating Diantha will bring your challenge to a close. You've beaten the Pokémon League Champion! Congratulations! Watch the credits... and...
... oh, one more battle? Sure, why not.
... oh, one more battle? Sure, why not.
Pokémon Trainer AZ
- Torkoal, level 60
- Sigilyph, level 60
- Golurk, level 60
Okay. Now the credits roll. Woo!
Post-Game Things To Do
Fly out to Lumiose City and have a look in Lumiose Station, on the North Boulevard. Sycamore's two assistants are waiting, and they will upgrade your Pokédex to the National Pokédex, allowing you to catch any Pokémon that has ever existed. Neat. Sycamore himself is standing on the platform in Lumiose Station. He'll give you a TMV Pass for Kiloude City, the only city on the map which you haven't yet visited. We'll visit Kiloude City in another article.
Head for the Pokémon Lab, where you first met Sycamore. Speak to the Scientist by the fancy control panel on the second floor and he'll give you a Poké Radar. This handy device will allow you to track Pokémon in clumps of grass or flowers. Use this to start catching some of those National Pokédex entries on Routes you've already visited.
Almost done. Head to the café where you first met the Champion. It's down the street from the Pokémon Lab, to your left, on the right side of the street. Speak to Diantha and she'll offer to trade you a Ralts, and, like Shauna, she'll trade it for absolutely anything. No big catch, there... except that the Ralts is carrying Gardevoirite.