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Use the Gym leaders’ fixed ace levels as a practical route through Victory Road, then build a League team with coverage for each opponent’s full roster—not just its headline type. The story lets you challenge Gyms in different orders, but their teams do not scale to your level. After earning all eight badges, pass the Champion Assessment and prepare for the Elite Four, Top Champion Geeta, and Nemona.
Which Gym should you do first?
The Gym order is not locked by the game. Because leaders’ levels stay fixed, following the ascending ace levels below helps avoid hitting an unnecessary level wall. GameWith lists these recommended ace levels; treat them as progression guidance, not a requirement to use a particular team.
| Suggested order | Leader and location | Specialty | Ace level | Useful coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katy, Cortondo | Bug | 15 | Fire, Flying, or Rock |
| 2 | Brassius, Artazon | Grass | 17 | Fire, Ice, Flying, Poison, or Bug |
| 3 | Iono, Levincia | Electric | 24 | Ground |
| 4 | Kofu, Cascarrafa | Water | 30 | Grass or Electric |
| 5 | Larry, Medali | Normal | 36 | Fighting |
| 6 | Ryme, Montenevera | Ghost | 42 | Dark or Ghost |
| 7 | Tulip, Alfornada | Psychic | 45 | Dark, Ghost, or Bug |
| 8 | Grusha, Glaseado Mountain | Ice | 48 | Fire, Fighting, Rock, or Steel |
Every Gym leader Terastallizes their final Pokémon. Its Tera Type can change the matchup, so check the ace rather than assuming the leader’s specialty tells you everything you need to counter. Brassius’s Sudowoodo, for example, changes the type matchup when it Terastallizes. The team should also have enough variety to handle opponents that do not share one defensive profile.
Before the leader battle
Each Gym has a challenge before its battle, such as Katy’s Olive Roll or Brassius’s Sunflora search. Completing a challenge is part of clearing that Gym, but you can choose when to visit it. Badges affect obedience for higher-level Pokémon, so an over-leveled team is not automatically dependable if its members are above the obedience level your badges allow.
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How to enter the Pokémon League
- Earn all eight Gym Badges.
- Travel to the Pokémon League outside Mesagoza.
- Answer Rika’s Champion Assessment questions. For the school question, choose Naranja Academy in Scarlet or Uva Academy in Violet.
- When asked what you intend to do if and when you become Champion, give an answer consistent with the response you gave earlier. A wrong answer can be retried.
- Heal and check your party before starting the League battles, which begin as a sequence.
How to beat the Elite Four
The Elite Four fights come in this order: Rika, Poppy, Larry, then Hassel. Their teams range from levels 57 to 61, and each ace Terastallizes. You can heal between fights, so use those breaks to restore HP, clear status conditions, and adjust your party if needed. Save Terastallization for a moment when it can prevent a knockout or secure an important weakness.
Rika — Ground (levels 57–58)
Rika uses Whiscash, Camerupt, Dugtrio, Donphan, and Clodsire. Water, Grass, and Ice attacks can be useful, but Clodsire’s Water Absorb makes Water a poor choice against it. Grass is a safer way to pressure Clodsire; it is also especially effective against Whiscash, while Camerupt is especially vulnerable to Water. Rika’s Clodsire Terastallizes into Ground.
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Poppy — Steel (levels 58–59)
Poppy’s team is Copperajah, Magnezone, Bronzong, Corviknight, and Tinkaton. Fire attacks work well against much of the roster; Ground or Fighting coverage can help, too. Dual typings complicate a one-type strategy, so do not assume one attack will handle every opponent safely. Her Tinkaton Terastallizes into Steel.
Larry — Flying (levels 59–60)
The Medali Gym leader returns with Tropius, Oricorio, Altaria, Staraptor, and Flamigo. Electric, Ice, and Rock attacks give you useful options, but the team’s secondary typings mean a single counter may not sweep it. Flamigo Terastallizes into Flying.
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Hassel — Dragon (levels 60–61)
Hassel uses Noivern, Haxorus, Dragalge, Flapple, and Baxcalibur. Ice and Fairy coverage can help across the team, but account for each Pokémon’s secondary typing when choosing an attack. Baxcalibur Terastallizes into Dragon.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to beat Top Champion Geeta and Nemona
After the Elite Four, Top Champion Geeta uses a mixed team with Pokémon around levels 61–62. Her ace Glimmora Terastallizes into pure Rock, making Fighting, Ground, Steel, Water, and Grass attacks useful against it. Do not treat the League as finished when Geeta falls: Nemona challenges you for the final Victory Road fight, and her starter depends on which starter you chose. Heal after the assessment and prepare for that separate battle.
Build coverage instead of relying on one counter
Your starter and available catches will differ, so there is no single required team in this route. Use the level progression to decide when to challenge each Gym, then check type matchups against the entire opposing roster. In particular, account for secondary typings, abilities such as Clodsire’s Water Absorb, each leader’s Terastallized ace, and whether your Pokémon can survive the opponent’s attacks. Broad coverage is more reliable than bringing several Pokémon that all depend on the same matchup.
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