Walkthrough:Pokémon Sword and Shield/Part 25
Battle Tower
After you leave the Slumbering Weald, for the first time you’ll find yourself at somewhat of a loose end, with a bevy of options available to you. If you talk to your Mom, she’ll suggest heading to Wyndon’s Battle Tower, and we’re going to follow her advice.
The Battle Tower was previously Rose Tower, but after the Chairman was apprehended following the Darkest Day, Leon took over and has remade it into a battling facility. When you head inside, you’ll see a staff member on the left-hand side talking to a Type:Null. Strike up a conversation and they’ll reveal that it’s now yours, along with all the Memories that change its type.
There are two counters inside - the counter on the left has two BP shops, where you can spend points earned in the Battle Tower, and the registration desk. The right counter has rental teams you can borrow, as well as an NPC who can bring over Pokémon from older games, and the ability to Hyper Train your Pokémon, provided they are level 100 and you have Bottle Caps to hand over. Talk to the lady at the registration desk, choose single or double battles depending on your preference, and get started!
You can use your own Pokémon, or pick up a rental team for use. There are five rental teams available, three of which are geared for single battles, and two designed for double battles - find one that meshes with the style you want to play and try it out.
Basic Team
"This team is good for Single Battles! It’s a nice, simple team that’s built around three Pokémon close to the heart of anyone in Galar. Take a good hard look at what types of Pokémon your opponent is sending out, then choose one of these great allies to send out yourself!"
Skill Team
"This team is good for Single Battles! The Pokémon on this team know tons of moves that can help them boost their stats in battle. Send out Duraludon first and have it use Reflect or Light Screen to get a defensive advantage, then swap in others as fit for the situation!"
Tough Team
"This team is good for Single Battles! This almighty team is ready for any opponents. Of course they can unleash heavy hit after heavy hit, but if you also use their status moves wisely, then you might even be able to pull out a win against opponents that might usually put you in a real sticky situation!"
Rain Team
"This rain-ready team is good for Double Battles! Falling rain can boost the power of their moves or trigger certain Abilities, so start by sending out Pelipper first to get the rain going and get this team rolling!"
Slow Team
"This team is good for Double Battles! They might look real slow to start with, but all you need is a good Trick Room, and suddenly your slow bulky team will be a fast bulky team! Lucario will be great support if you know how to use it, so hurry straight into a Trick Room!"
The first few levels have two trainers each - after each victory you’ll be awarded 2 BP, plus an extra 3 BP when you clear each level. At the end of level three you’ll be challenged by Leon, and this can be genuinely difficult. As all Pokémon in the Battle Tower are set to level 50, you won’t be able to rely on a level advantage, and as well as having a pool of Pokémon to pick from, making it harder to plan ahead, they also have optimal EVs for their movesets (even if some of the movesets are a bit funky). He will, whatever happens, always bring his Charizard, and Gigantamax it on its first turn in battle. Don’t worry if you lose; you can go right back in and challenge him again.
| # | Pokémon | Item | Moves | Nature | EVs | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP | Attack | Defense | Sp. Atk | Sp. Def | Speed | |||||||||
| 0006 | 
|
Charizard |  Charti Berry
|
Fire Pledge | Dragon Pulse | Air Slash | Will-O-Wisp | Timid | - | - | - | 252 | - | 252 |
| 0464 | 
|
Rhyperior |  Weakness Policy
|
Rock Polish | Rock Blast | Earthquake | Dragon Rush | Jolly | - | 252 | - | - | - | 252 |
| 0537 | 
|
Seismitoad |  Damp Rock
|
Rain Dance | Weather Ball | Mud Shot | Gastro Acid | Modest | 252 | - | - | 252 | - | - |
| 0612 | 
|
Haxorus |  Scope Lens
|
Breaking Swipe | Rock Slide | Leer | Snarl | Hasty | - | 252 | - | - | - | 252 |
| 0681 | 
|
Aegislash |  Sitrus Berry
|
King's Shield | Swords Dance | Shadow Sneak | Iron Head | Relaxed | 252 | - | 252 | - | - | - |
| 0812 | 
|
Rillaboom |  Assault Vest
|
Grass Pledge | Earth Power | Focus Blast | Snarl | Modest | 252 | - | - | 252 | - | - |
| 0815 | 
|
Cinderace |  Choice Scarf
|
Fire Pledge | Shadow Ball | Focus Blast | Electro Ball | Modest | - | - | - | 252 | - | 252 |
| 0818 | 
|
Inteleon |  Expert Belt
|
Water Pledge | Shadow Ball | Blizzard | Mud Shot | Modest | - | - | - | 252 | - | 252 |
| 0866 | 
|
Mr. Rime |  Rocky Helmet
|
Fake Out | Slack Off | Freeze-Dry | Psychic | Quiet | - | - | 252 | - | 252 | - |
Once you’re able to defeat Leon, he’ll hand over his rare League Card, and the receptionist downstairs will give you some goodies, including BP, as well as unlocking the ability to choose your music in the Tower. She will also unlock the Judge function, which allows you to check your Pokémon IVs while in the box.
Once you’re all battled out, head to Hulbury for an impromptu career change…
Hulbury
We’re in Hulbury to visit the Captain’s Table restaurant, where you dined with Chairman Rose early in your adventure. Go inside and talk to the chef behind the bar, and he’ll tell you the delivery driver called in sick, and ask you to fill in. Accept his offer, and he’ll hand over the first delivery - although he didn’t grab the address, just a clickety-clack sound down the phone. It’s the sound from the trains coming into and out of the station, so enter the house next door and hand over the delivery to the lady inside, who’ll tip you an Exp. Candy L as a thanks.
Go back to the restaurant to collect your next delivery (and five nuggets as recompense). The chef forgot to ask for the address again, but did hear a Pokémon cry, which sounds like a swirl. It’s a Swirlix, which you can find in the fourth house north of the Pokémon Center. Deliver the food to the gentleman inside, then go back to the Captain’s Table to collect your reward, two big nuggets.
There’s one more delivery for you to complete - this time to a place with a green roof, even though there aren’t any houses in Hulbury that match that description. This delivery is going to the right-most stall in the market just below the restaurant. Hand it over before returning, and you’ll be given a Lucky Egg, a rare item that increases the experience gained in battle for whichever Pokémon holds it.
While you’re here, you can head over to the lighthouse where you’ll find a group of musical Pokémon outside. Speak to the person next to them, and he’ll tell you that they’re the Pokémon band the Maximizers, and you can listen to them in concert should you wish. This is actually just a sneaky way to make the Credits replayable whenever you wish, so this section is entirely optional, but it’s a neat little touch anyway.
Motostoke
The next stop is Motostoke, so fly in and make for the Stadium. Our old friend Ball Guy is outside, and if you chat to him he’ll hand over his apparently much-coveted League Card. This is all we’re here for, so make for our next stop in Spikemuth.
Spikemuth
Enter under the shutters and you’ll see Marnie standing outside the Pokémon Center. Speak to her and she’ll propose an exhibition match now that she’s officially the Gym Leader here. Make any preparations you need to, then take her up on her kind offer.
It’s a typical Marnie team, with a heavy dose of Dark-type Pokémon alongside Toxicroak to mix things up slightly. Her Liepard will use Fake Out turn one, so unless you have a Ghost-type or a Pokémon that's immune to flinching, you can use this turn to boost your stats with a X item of choice, as you won’t otherwise get to attack anyway. Fighting-type and Fairy-type Pokémon will work well, as long as you have a strategy in place for dealing with the troublesome Toxicroak.
After your victory, Marnie will give you her rare League Card as a reward. While you can’t rematch her immediately after, you can come back to Spikemuth once a day to spar against Marnie for money and experience.
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This article is part of Project Walkthroughs, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive step-by-step guides on each Pokémon game. |