Pokemon Emerald Kaizo Guide: The Most Cruel Third-Gen ROM Hack

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Alex Maksymiw

Having began his writing career at Veryali Gaming, Alex has changed gears and has decided to write about his one true passion, Pokémon! Alex is one of our resident competitive experts and loves messing around with peculiar EV's, move sets and typing combos to keep his opponents on their toes. Also, when he's not out tossing Pokeballs in the tall grass, he's quite a handy guitar player and a decent photographer to boot!

Latest posts by Alex Maksymiw (see all)

• Pokemon Emerald Kaizo Guide: The Most Cruel Third-Gen ROM Hack - August 7, 2023
• Pokemon Tectonic Guide: Becoming the Makya Champion and Saving the World Along the Way - July 27, 2023
• Pokemon Emerald Rogue Guide: The Addicting Pokemon Rogue-Like Game - July 22, 2023

Welcome to Hoenn with a Twist

Whether it’s your first time in Hoenn or returning, one thing is sure: Pokemon Emerald Kaizo is unlike any official Pokemon experience. It will push your battling skills to the limit and requires you to mix up your strategy throughout the game.

If you’ve played Emerald before, you’re at a slight advantage; however, the challenging battles make this ROM hack. Suppose you’re bored of defeating endless Zubats and Poochyenas from Team Magma and Aqua Grunts. In Emerald Kaizo Team Aqua and Magma, grunts are formidable trainers.

That own varied Pokemon teams, which makes sense because if I led a team of environmental fanatics hell-bent on destroying the world to create a new one. I’d want capable troops, anyway; let’s get ready to battle and jump into this!

Story Synopsis

The Hoenn region is a tropical land filled with beautiful sunny coastal cities and islands. However, Mt. Chimney, the active volcano of the Hoenn region, spews ash into the air. As a result, various kinds of areas, from deserts and rain forests. It’s a region where the earth and sea collide and interact in perfect balance.

However, two evil teams seek to upset the balance of earth and sea, severely affecting the region’s environment and ecosystem.

• Team Aqua – Want to wake Kyogre to increase the sea level and stop Team Magma from devastating ocean life.
• Team Magma – Wants to wake Groudon to increase the land mass of Hoenn and stop Team Aqua from destroying the land of Hoenn.

Where do you fit into all of this? Well, you’re a kid thats just moved to Littleroot Town; your father, Norman, is the Petalburg gym leader.

In true Pokemon fashion, your goal is to complete the Pokedex for Professor Birch and become the Champion of the Hoenn Region. You will inevitably collide with Team Magma and Aqua’s plans, and it’s up to you to stop the two evil teams.

Key Features

• Challenging restrictions to gameplay, not allowed to use healing items in battle.
• Featured Pokemon spanning from generations 1 – 3 are found all over Hoenn.
• Challenging battles and new bosses increase in difficulty over time.
• Battle Frontier and Battle Tents are situated all around Hoenn.
• Decreased wild Pokemon encounters.
• New challenging puzzles to solve.
• All Pokemon feature new move pools.

The Walkthrough

I won’t bore you with meticulous details of the game’s intro. However, there are some key points and ventures to get you on a flying start in Emerald Kaizo. Mostly, the map in Emerald Kaizo is the same, apart from a few changes.

Each town will feature extra patches of tall grass. You can find Pokemon here, which are rare in the surrounding locations. I recommend catching Pokemon in these small areas, as you can catch a Growlithe and even a Cyndaquill in Oldale Town.

Before all that, though, you’re going to need to select your starter Pokemon:

• Treeko – A Grass-type Pokemon and my choice for my Emerald Kaizo run.
• Torchic – A Fire-type Pokemon that evolves into Blaziken Fire/Fighting-type.
• Mudkip – A Water-type Pokemon that evolves into Swampert, a Water/Ground-type Pokemon

The Adventure Begins with a Single Battle

After obtaining your first Pokemon, you must head to Oldale Town. Stopping off the Pokemart, you can pick up Pokeballs for a low price. Emerald Kaizo is a challenging game; you must diversify your team immediately.

Tailow is one of the best Pokemon to catch in the early game as Swellow’s Guts ability, combined with Air Slash, Facade and Endeavor, rip through opponents all the way to the Elite Four. So much so that I swapped my Pidgeot later in the game for Swellow.

In addition, Swellow’s high speed and attack stat give it slightly more firepower over Pidgeot at the sacrifice of health and defense. To unlock Route 102, you must first defeat May, located in Route 103 north of Oldale Town. It’s a simple battle if you’ve leveled your starter and caught an extra Pokemon.

After defeating May, head to Route 102; there will be a series of challenging trainer battles here, so I suggest catching a few extra Pokemon. I kept my Pidgey and starter Pokemon leveled for the area. Trying to level all your Pokemon can spread your team too thin.

Petalburg City: Meeting Wally

There’s only a little to do in Petalburg City other than meet Wally and your dad Norman. After the scene, you can venture to Route 104 and Petalburg Woods. Remember, in Kaizo, there are extra trainers on routes, and the original trainers of the Emerald version have stronger teams.

On my adventure, I caught a Phanpy in Petalburg Woods. Phanpy isn’t usually a strong choice; however, in Kaizo, Phanpy and Donphan have been given a significant upgrade to their move pools. My Phanpy had Mud Shot straight out of the bat. My Donphan would eventually learn Earthquake and fan favorite Rollout, of course.

You’ll encounter your first Team Magma grunt in Petalburg Woods. He’s no pushover; unlike the original Emerald game, he will have a much-varied team, so train up your Pokemon before making contact with the Devon Corporation employee. However, Team Magma Grunt is nothing compared to the battle with Red on Route 104 south of Rustboro City.

Leaving Petalburg Woods, talk to the NPC by the building next to a patch of berries. He will give you the Bullet Seed TM, a valuable move for Treeko or Grass-type Pokemon, early in the game. After defeating the double battle trainers on the bridge, you’ll have to face Red!

Red Battle #1

Red leads with Eevee in your first encounter, I recommend knocking it out before it can boost its stats with Curse. Treeko equipped with Bullet Seed can deal severe damage to Red’s Team and can knock his Pikachu out in just two rounds if you’re lucky.

Bulbasaur can catch you out with Sleep Powder and I advise you to heal your team and equip them with Oran Berries to increase your sustainability in battle.

Rustboro City and the Devon Corporation

Congratulations on beating Red! It’s time to move on to Rustboro City, the Trainer School, and Devon Corporation home. Exiting Rustoboro City from the North will lead to Route 115; however, you can’t do much here; instead, head to Route 116, located at the northeast exit of the city.

There are several trainers here to challenge and soak up that valuable experience. Consider catching a Grimer for its Disable move, as this can be extremely useful in the upcoming fight with Rock-type specialist Roxanne.

• I suggest leveling your Pokemon to levels 15-17 to match Roxanne’s team.

Gym Battle #1 – Roxanne

Roxanne is tough for the first gym leader and will give you a taste of the horror that is Emerald Kaizo. Unlike the original games, gym leaders have way bigger move pool to cover their team’s weaknesses.

Lileep caused me the most pain in my playthrough due to its regenerative abilities with Recover and Giga Drain. However, decreasing its stats can significantly increase your chances of beating it.

After defeating Roxanne, you will have to defeat a Team Aqua grunt who has stolen the Devon Goods key item and Peeko Mr. Briney’s Wingull.

You can find the grunt in the cave at the end of Route 116. After defeating the grunt, Mr. Briney will allow you to sail on his ship to Dewford City and Slateport City.

• Leaving Rustboro City, you should be tasked with delivering the Devon Goods to Captain Stern in Slateport City and delivering a letter to Steven in Granite Cave in Dewford Town.

Now it’s time to leave Rustboro City and head to Mr. Briney’s house; before you leave the city for greener pastures, rematch May who can be found at the south entrance. You don’t have to fight her, but I recommend it for experience points. 

Although not essential while backtracking through Petalburg Woods, use Cut to unlock the east part of the woods.

Here, you can pick up the Miracle Seed, an item that powers up Grass-type moves, and other valuable items that can be sold.

Dewford Town: White Sand Paradise

Dewford is your first stop on your quest; there’s not a lot in Dewford Town. However, you can pick up the Silk Scarf, which powers up Normal-type moves.

I’d later equip this to my Sceptile to power up the Crush Claw move. At the same time, waiting to learn Leaf Blade.

Before heading into Granite Cave, I recommend defeating Brawly, the Dewford Town gym leader and Fighting-type specialist. His gym is fairly easy to navigate, and although your vision is restricted, your view will become clearer each time you defeat a trainer. Despite a tough match with Roxanne, Brawly was no match for my Pidgeotto!

Gym Battle #2 – Brawly

A Flying-type Pokemon will destroy Brawly’s team, especially Swellow! However, there are a few things your bird will want to look out for. Take extra care with Brawly’s Pokemon that knows Rock Tomb.

While Swellow is faster than most Pokemon, it won’t be able to take many hits. Brawly’s Poliwrath can quickly end your Swellow with Hypnosis, so I recommend equipping it with a Chesto Berry.

Granite Cave: Puzzles

After defeating Brawly, you’ll be able to use HM05 Flash outside of battle! Head to Granite Cave north of the town. You’ll have to defeat a couple of trainers and a Team Aqua Grunt. Make sure to pick up the hidden Stardust item on the rock outside of the cave.

Inside the cave, your vision is restricted; however, talk to the hiker near the entrance, and he will give you HM05 Flash. This move will make it a lot easier to get through the cave. Descending into Granite Cave, you’ll find an ice puzzle only found in the Emerald Kaizo ROM. Don’t worry; I’ve solved the puzzle for you. Check out the video below!

• Note that if you fail the second-floor puzzle, you will have to complete the first puzzle again.

Delving deeper into the cave, head to the very west of the cave and drop down the second ledge. This will lead to a small room and Steven! Give him the letter, and he will return Steel Wing. With this complete, you can continue to Slateport City, one of my favorite cities in the game!

Slateport City: Bustling Markets and Museum Mayhem

Be warned as soon as you get off Mr. Briney’s ship, a trainer will challenge you. The Slateport City beach has significant changes from its original layout. In Kaizo, you must battle many hidden trainers and double battles. Moreover, you will be blocked from the right, forcing you to challenge the trainers.

If you are low on healing supplies, head into the building on the beach. You can obtain Soda Pops from the man in the middle of the building. However, be careful, as you must face a few trainers before interacting with the merchant.

• There is a lot to do in Slateport City is not only home to Slateport Museum and Captain Stern’s docks but also home to a bustling market and Battle Tent.

In the Battle Tent, you can rent three Pokemon from six. Each Pokemon will be equipped with an item. After each battle, you’ll be asked if you’d like to swap your Pokemon for a Pokemon from your opponent or original line-up. After three victories, you’ll be awarded a Full Heal. I found that the Focus Energy Machop was extremely powerful.

To progress the story in Slateport City, you will first have to go to the docks to be prompted to go to the Oceania Museum. This will unlock the museum, where you must fight Team Aqua on the second floor. If successful, you’ll deliver the Devon Goods to Captain Stern.

Now you are free to venture forward to Route 110; the route features many trainers, Cycle Road and Trick House. However, you won’t be able to access either until later in the game. Traveling left at the Trick House will lead to Route 103 and a few trainers. You can Surf here as a shortcut to Oldale Town.

Traveling right will lead to Mauville City, your next destination and home of the third Pokemon gym leader Wattson, an Electric-type specialist. However, you will be challenged by May before you can get there. Note that the encounter with May will vary depending on the Starter Pokemon you picked. 

Mauville City: Game Corner and Pokemon Day Care

Battling your way through Route 110, you’ll eventually reach Mauville City. The Cycle Road north entrance can be found on the right near Mauville’s south entrance. Arriving in Mauville, there are several things to do, such as picking up either a Mach Bike or an Acro Bike. Don’t worry. You can swap your bike free of charge in the bike shop.

Acquiring a bike will give you access to the cycle route on Route 110. There are extra trainers here to challenge and sap up some extra experience points. The Game Corner can’t be accessed until you obtain a Coin Case. The lady next door will trade you a Coin Case for Harbor Mail. However, Harbor Mail is only sold in the Lillycove City Department Store. So you’ll have to wait much later into the game before getting access to the Game Corner.

The Pokemon Day Care can be found on Route 117 by exiting Mauville City to the East. Before you can challenge Wattson, you will have to fight Wally in a strange battle against a Level 70 Ralts. However, don’t worry; it’s an easy battle as Ralts only uses the Pain Split move.

At this point in the game, I’d recommend challenging the trainers on Route 117 before Wattson. There are several double battles on the route, and at the end, you will get to Verdanturf Town, a small town with a Battle Tent. A scientist lives to the right of Wanda’s House. He will give you Rock Smash!

You won’t be able to use it until you’ve beaten Wattson; you can use Rock Smash to unblock the tunnel in Verdanturf Town to get access to Rustboro City and Route 111. In my playthrough, I taught my Grovyle X-Scissor from the move tutor in the Verdanturf Town Pokemon Centre.

Gym Battle #3 – Wattson

Wattson is a challenging battle if you’ve leaned on your Swellow so far. That said, it could land a hit or two before it gets knocked out. My starter Treeko, which evolved into a Grovyle by this point, wasn’t the best Pokemon for the job. However, I could kick them where it hurt with Grovyle’s Double Kick and lower my opponent’s defense with Crush Claw.

Electabuzz is a tricky Pokemon to face due to its Fire/Psychic/Electric/Ice-type coverage. My Donphan was the star of this battle as I only had to worry about Ice-type attacks and the occasional Surf.

Route 111 and Mt. Chimney

After defeating Wattson, you can use Rock Smash outside of battle, enabling you to unblock Route 111 and carry on the story. There are many hidden double battles on this route that can easily catch you off guard. Route 111 is one of the game’s longest routes, so make sure to bring lots of healing items to keep your party ready for battles.

At the top of the route, you will discover the Route 111 Desert. However, you won’t be able to get access to it until you’ve obtained the Go-Goggles after beating Flannery, the fourth gym leader. So head west to Route 112 and Mt. Chimney; here, you will find several Team Magma grunts to battle.

Moreover, grunts have blocked the Cable Car to the Mt. Chimney summit. Therefore you’ll have to walk around through Fiery Path. I caught a Torkoal here, as its excellent defense and White Smoke ability gives it great defensive capabilities. In addition, it learns Explosion, a powerful move that can KO an opponent at the sacrifice of your Pokemon.

Exiting Fiery Path will lead out to Route 112, along with a few more Team Magma grunts. After defeating them, the Route will open back onto Route 111. If your team needs healing, use Cut to avoid trainer battles and access the Old Lady’s Rest Stop, where you can heal your team.

There are many double battles in this area, and in upcoming areas, I used a combination of Torkoal and Donphan to fire barrages of Rock Slides to attack my opponents twice in the same round. Moreover, Donphan and Pidgeot were also a great combination as Pidgeot’s Flying-type protected it from my Donphan’s Earthquake.

• Note that if you are defeated in battle, you will spawn back at the last Pokemon Centre you healed at last.

Defeat the remaining trainers on Route 111 and enter the ash-covered land off Route 113. Here you can visit the Glass Workshop, where you can obtain a Soot Sack to collect ash to be crafted into items. I found the White Flute most useful as it lures wild Pokemon to your area.

Route 113 leads to Fallabor Town. However, Red will rematch you at the end of the route!

Red Battle #2

It appears Red was a tad embarrassed after his defeat on Route 104 and has trained a formiddible team that will catch off a tired traveler. You’re going to struggle with this battle if you don’t have an answer for Snorlax’s high defense and health regeneration.

However, that’s where Swellow’s Endeavor comes into play! Immune to Snorlax’s Earthquake Swellow or your Flying-type equivalent will be your best bet! Oh what am I saying there’s no equivalent for Swellow! This battle would be hell of a lot easier if you weren’t subject to Paralysis and Sleep so do yourself a favor and deal out the Chesto Berries.

Fallabor Town: Team Magma and Move Reminder

Fallabor Town is vacant of a Pokemon gym; however, you will find another Battle Tent here and, more importantly, the Move Reminder located left of the Pokemon Centre, where you can trade a Heart Scale to relearn one of your Pokemon’s old moves.

Moreover, you will also find the Fossil Maniac’s house further west. Return here with Pokemon fossils, and he will revive them!

Proceed to Route 114 after talking to Lanette in the Pokemon Centre. You will have to battle nine Team Magma grunts in Route 114! However, you will also be able to catch a Swablu, a fantastic Flying-type Pokemon that evolves into Altaria!

Congratulations on defeating the small army of Team Magma grunts! The trail of grunts should lead you to Meteor Falls. You will be able to explore this place fully when you acquire HM07 Waterfall, so for now, meet the scientist and Archie, prompting you to head back to Mt. Chimney, where you’ll face Maxie, the leader of Team Magma.

Exit Meteor Falls by jumping down the cluster of ledges leading you to Route 115; however, be ready. There are a couple of double battles at this location. The route will lead back to Rustboro City. Make sure to stop off at the Devon Corporation to inform Mr. Stone that you have completed his tasks, and he will give you an Exp. Share in return!

Proceed to Route 116 and through the Rusturf Tunnel. Use Rock Smash to unblock the tunnel and unite a couple; in return, they will give you HM04 Strength in return. Then head to Route 111 and Mt. Chimney. The grunts blocking the Cable Car to the summit will be gone, so make your way up. You will have to fight two Magma grunts and a Magma Admin at the summit.

• Interact with the Mt. Chimney sign outside of the Cable Car and next to the entrance to Jagged Pass to heal your Pokemon!

Maxie Battle #1

After defeating Maxie take the Meteorite from the strange machine next to Maxie.

Jagged Pass: Next Stop Lavaridge Town

The battle with Maxie has undoubtedly hurt your team, so make sure to heal your squad up at the sign before continuing to Jagged Pass. Entering the pass, you will be challenged to a double battle. Jump down the ledges to descend Mt. Chimney; interestingly, you’ll find a Team Magma grunt facing a rocky wall, which is Team Magma’s secret base entrance.

Exiting Jagged Pass, you’ll enter Lavaridge Town. Here you will find a hot spring connected to the Pokemon Centre and Herb shop. Talk to the NPC underneath the hot springs to obtain a Wyant Egg. Other than that, there isn’t much else to do other than challenge the Pokemon Gym!

Gym Battle #4 – Flannery

Kaizo Flannery trades in her iconic Torkoal for a much more powerful team. I brought a Fire-type to the Fire with my own Torkoal as its Earth Power and Rock Slide dulled down her team’s flames. At the same time, Explosion was a free knockout when old Torky was hurt.

Pidgeot’s Air Slash did a number on Flannery’s team, and that all-so-sweet flinch allowed me to get away with some cheeky knockouts.

• Equip your first Pokemon with a Chesto Berry, as Flannery will always lead with Hypnosis.

 Congratulations on beating Kaizo Flannery. You’re one step closer to becoming the champion! However, before you challenge Norman, the gym leader of Petalburg City. Use May’s Go-Goggles gift to enter and explore the desert on Route 111. There are some trainers to battle here, and you can catch Trapinch, a fantastic Pokemon to add to your team.

Moreover, each time you enter Route 111, has a chance to spawn in the Mirage Tower. You can obtain either the Root Fossil or Claw Fossil at the top of the tower, which can later be revived by the Fossil Maniac in Fallabor Town.

However, you’ll need the Mach Bike and Rock Smash to get to the top. Remember that you can only pick one fossil, so choose wisely.

• Reviving the Claw Fossil will give you an Anorith, a Bug/Rock-type that evolves into Armaldo.
• Reviving the Root Fossil will give you a Lileep, a Grass/Rock-type that evolves into Cradily.

Make a detour to Fiery Path and use Strength to push past the boulders to get a Fire Stone and, more importantly, the Toxic TM, a fantastic move that can be used in many strategies and is perfect for Emerald Kaizo. I also recommend returning to Mt. Chimney, as trainers have returned to the area after Team Magma was defeated.

Now you’re ready to take on the Petalburg City Pokemon Gym!

Gym Battle #5 – Norman

Norman’s gym lacks puzzles but features several trainers specialized in all tactics, from stalling, speed, critical hits, and confusion. The battle with Norman is carried out in the double battle format, a format that you can exploit.

I lead my team with Donphan and Pidgeot as Pidgeot’s immunity to Ground-type attacks allowed me to dish out big damage with Donphan without worrying about my other Pokemon in battle.

Defeating Norman will Prompt Wally’s dad to enter the gym and give you HM03 Surf! At this point in the original game, you return to Mauville City, where Wattson will task you with resetting a generator in New Mauville. A location only accessed after obtaining Surf. However, in Kaizo, you cannot complete this until beating the Elite Four. 

So our next destination is Fortree City, a city resembling that of the Ewok’s home on Endor and home to Winoa, the sixth gym leader you’ll face in Hoenn.

Rainy Route 119 and Fortree City

Head to Mauville City and swap your Mach Bike for an Acro Bike. You’re going to need it to get through Route 119. Venture east and Surf across to land on the shore of the west side of Route 118. You’ll bump into a few trainers here and enter Route 119, reaching the crossroads.

Route 119 starts with a big area of very tall grass with Bug-type trainers hidden in between. Each trainer has a level 100 Bug-type Pokemon I recommend dodging them until you pick up all the Lucky Eggs in the area and equip your Pokemon with them as you’ll get a big boost of experience points.

Later on, you will have to bunny hop over a rail to progress through the route. Battle your way through the trainers crossing the wooden bridge leading you to the Weather Institute. The Weather Institute is a research center that studies the weather in Hoenn. However, it has been taken over by Team Aqua.

By this point, your team is probably hurting. Don’t worry. You can heal your party on the first floor of the center by sleeping in the bed. To disband Team Aqua, you must defeat Aqua Admin Shelly:

Rewarded with Castform, it’s time to reach Fortree City finally. However, not before another rematch with May and obtaining HM02 Fly.

So you’ve finally made it to Fortree City. Still, before taking on Winona, you will have to meet up with Steven on Route 120 to obtain the Devon Scope, a Key Item that allows you to reveal hidden pesky Kecleons blocking your path to the Pokemon Gym.

Gym Battle #6 – Winona

Winona is a very challenging battle, thanks to her controlling the three legendary birds. This means that despite being a Flying-type specialist, she has control of powerful Water/Fire/Electric-type attacks; therefore, you must plan out your party order before the battle.

Onward to Mt. Pyre

Before you go running off into the rainforest of Route 120, I suggest you fly back to Mauville City to swap your bike once again for a Mach Bike. You’ll need it to get to the Mt. Pyre summit. Route 120 links to Route 121 and Lillycove City, and although Team Aqua grunts block the city’s entrance, you can use Fly to fly to the Lillycove City Pokemon Centre. 

At Mt. Pyre, you will have to navigate through a series of floors battling Aqua grunts and trainers; once you reach the top, you’ll have to jump down the holes in the floor to get to the mountain’s exterior. Once you get to the exterior, use the Mach Bike to cycle up the mudslide. A couple of grunts and an admin await you on the other side.

For defeating the grunts, you’ll be given the Magma Emblem, a key Item that allows you to enter Team Magma’s hideout on Jagged Pass. 

Magma Hideout: Maxie’s First Peek at Groudon

Flying back to Lavaridge Town is time to take Team Magma head-on. Magma’s hideout can be found on Jagged Pass; the Emblem will open the secret entrance when in range. Inside you’ll have to face a small army of Magma grunts and an Admin before facing Maxie.

Maxie Battle # 2

Lillycove City: Team Aqua’s Turn

To unlock the Team Aqua hideout in Lillycove City, you must first fly to Slateport City, where you will see Cpt. Stern and a group of people outside the harbor. Archie steals Cpt. Stern’s submarine, the Explorer 1. Now fly to Lillycove City!

Lillycove City is home to the Pokemon Contest Hall, where you can obtain a Pokeblock Case to take part in the Safari Zone on Route 121. I caught an Eevee at the Safari Zone, which I later evolved into Umbreon with a Moon Stone I brought from the Lillycove City Department Store.

• To get access to the north side of Lillycove City, you must once again battle May.

To get to Team Aqua’s hideout, Surf on the Lillycove City beach and head north; their hideout is hard to miss. The hideout is much smaller than Team Magma’s; however, after defeating the Aqua Admin, we learn that Archie has already left to wake Kyogre.

With Route 124 now unlocked, its time to set sail to Mossdeep City to take on the seventh gym leader or, shall I say, gym leaders.

Mossdeep City: Space Centre Attack!

Mossdeep City is a small city located offshore of Lillycove City. The Hoenn’s Space Centre is located here, and you will find Shoal Cave on Route 125 north of the city. 

Gym Battle #7 – Lizz and Tate

Lizz and Tate is yet another double battle gym leader. I found the battle to be easier than the fight with Winona. By this point, my team features an Umbreon, which put in some major work on Gardevoir.

Moreover, Sceptile’s X-Scissors and Leaf Blade dealt crushing blows on Starmie and Gardevoir. Medicham was another that quickly fell thanks to Pidgeot’s Air Slash.

Lizz and Tate’s Latios and Latias posed the biggest threat as Jirachi was quickly dealt with using Heat Wave. However, even they were withered down with Rock Slide and put down by Donphan’s Head Smash.

Lizz and Late are Psychic-type specialists and will challenge you in a double battle. Despite being the seventh gym battle, I flew through this battle with ease.

After defeating Lizz and Tate, Team Magma will appear and storm the Mossdeep Space Centre. Unlike previous encounters, you’ll have to face Maxie and an Admin in a double battle; however, Steven will fight alongside you, bringing some most wanted firepower!

Return to Steven’s house after defeating Team Magma, and he will give you the HM08 Dive. Now you can backtrack to the several dive spots on Route 124 to obtain some valuable items such as Pearls Green Shards and Heart Scales. To get to Sootopolis, you will have to use Dive and find the underwater entrance on Route 126.

• I highly recommend obtaining a Lanturn, as it became one of the most powerful Pokemon on my team. It’s dual typing of Electric/Water-type.

Archie and the Seafloor Cavern

If you want to continue with the story, head to Route 128 and dive into the patch of water that creates an “X” shape. You should find an underwater entrance with strange glyphs next to the right you can interact with this to heal your team. Inside you’ll find the Explorer 1 submarine that Archie stole, ascend, and you’ll enter Seafloor Cavern.

Archie Battle

Archie will lead this battle with Raikou and Suicune, which can devastate your team if they can get a few rounds of Calm Mind out. Lanturn secured itself in my team after destroying Archie’s Suicune while laughing and lapping up Raikou’s Electric-type attacks with the Volt Absorb ability.

• Now that Archie is defeated and Kyogre and Groudon have awakened, fly to Sootopolis City

Sootopolis City: Wallace and Rayquaza

Groudon and Kyogre fight in Sootopolis City, and Archie and Maxie are clueless about their next steps. So talk to Steven, who will lead you to the Cave of Origin.

I’d use a Repel in here, as Wobbufett’s Destiny Bond will take your Pokemon down with them! Delving deep into the cave, you’ll find Wallace, the Sootopolis City gym leader. Answer “Sky Pillar” to his question use an Escape Rope and head to Rayquaza’s den!

• Sky Pillar is found on the northern area of Route 131, so fly to Pacifidlog Log Town and Surf east.

Head to the top of Sky Pillar to wake Rayquaza and fly back to Sootopolis. Rayquaza will do the rest and disband the oversized goldfish and sleepy Godzilla. With that little distraction over, you can finally challenge Wallace! 

Gym Battle #8 – Wallace

Gym Battle #8 – Juan

After battling Wallace, you’ll have to fight Juan. His team is very similar to Wallace’s. Lanturn will once again fly through his team. However, if you lose Lanturn, be careful of Lapras and Castform for their Thunder.

Evergrande City

Congratulations on obtaining all eight gym badges. Now it’s time to take on the Elite Four. However, before you can get battling, you’ll need to get to Evergrande City and delve through the winding Victory Road!

To get to Evergrande City, ensure you have the Acro Bike equipped and Surf to Route 128. Search the east part of the ocean for a bike rail. Follow this rail to the waterfall and use HM07 Waterfall. Inside Victory Road, you will face high-level trainers along with Wally and Red. Before you head into Victory Road, make sure to equip the Mach Bike!

Wally: Victory Road Battle

Red Battle #3

Elite Four: The Challenge Has Just Begun

You’ve finally reached the Elite Four. Well done. Before you go running in and throwing Pokeballs about, I recommend heading over to the shop, as you can buy Rare Candies for a cheap price here. Every Pokemon from here on out will be level 100, so make sure your team is too.

I also suggest stocking up on Revives and Hyper Potions, as you will take a beating each fight. If you are low on money, return to the mainland and rematch trainers registered on your Pokenav this is a great method for making money, especially for trainers with higher-level Pokemon.

I also recommend you travel back to Lillycove City and visit the Move Deleter to eliminate unwanted HMs. Then fly to Fallabor Town to the Move Relearner and trade your Heart Scales for old moves.

Now you’re ready to begin!

Sidney

Sidney, in the original game, was a Dark-type specialist in Kaizo. His team has had a major upgrade where Dark-types are a minor part of his team. That said, his Houndoom and Sableye are incredibly dangerous. Sableye can take a few hits due to it not having a weakness in Pokemon Emerald. Houndoom is also a pain as it is very fast!

Phoebe

Phoebe stays true to her original Ghost-type specialty but has a few more tricks up her sleeve this time. Gengar will try to take your Pokemon down with it straight out of the bat with Destiny Bond and Hypnosis.

However, the biggest issue with Phoebe’s team lies with her Dusclops and Sableye, as she will use Double Team, Recover and Rest to boost their evasiveness. If you’re not quick enough, these two can become near untouchable enough.

Lanturn is a brilliant Pokemon for this match as it can 2HKO Gengar with Hydro Pump and 1HKO Phoebe’s annoying Crobat. Therefore if Gengar uses Destiny Bond, I switch Lanturn out. If you have any spare Chesto Berries or Lum Berries, equip your Pokemon with them. Crobat and Gengar’s Hypnosis can devastate your team.

Glacia

I found Glacia to be the easiest Elite Four member to beat, but don’t get complacent. Her team can easily wipe you. I led with my Sceptile, as its Frenzy Plant usually scored me an early knockout. However, using Frenzy Plant usually means switching Sceptile out due to its recharge.

Be cautious with Regice, as it will use Explosion to take out a party member. I suggest getting rid of it quickly with a Fire-type attack or using moves such as Fly or Dive to avoid it. This is also the same for Wailord’s sadistic Selfdestruct. Be sure to protect your Grass-type to ensure an easy knockout on Swampert.

• My Lanturn was fantastic in this match, thanks to its Thunderbolt move.

Drake

Drake leads with Latios (Soul Dew), a deadly Pokemon that can run riot over your team. Speed is everything in this fight if you have Dragon-types of your own on your team. However, I’d consider teaching Lanturn Blizzard for battling Drake or switching Slowbro onto your team. Its high defense gives it great sustainability in battle. Moreover, Walrein is a great pick here too!

Save Earthquake for Tyranitar. I found that Flygon had a massive advantage due to Earthquake being a stab move. That said, Flygon has many weaknesses in the fight with Drake.

Champion Steven

Sceptile is hands down the best starter Pokemon in Emerald Kaizo. X-Scissors is possibly the most important move to teach Sceptile for this battle. Metagross, Mewtwo, Deoxys, and Starmie are all weak to the move. Lanturn also fairs well in this battle as its Water-type attacks are super-effective against Jirachi, and its Thunderbolt can destroy Starmie.

I’d recommend swapping Sceptile out for Lanturn in facing Starmie due to its Ice Beam attack. You don’t want to lose Sceptile early on in the fight. Umbreon is an excellent pick for its high defense, giving it outstanding sustainability in battle. Moreover, Salamence’s Crunch can get inflict a crushing blow allowing you to finish it off with a switch.

Pidgeot or Swellow may be fast enough to finish off an opponent; however, I prefer Pidgeot in this scenario, as Heat Wave gave me an extra bit of utility when fighting against Jirachi and Metagross.

Other ROM Hacks Worth Trying

If you really enjoyed this one, consider trying one of these ROMS as well:

• Pokemon Unbound
• Pokemon Gaia
• Pokemon Radical Red
• Pokemon Emerald Rogue
• Pokemon Wally Quest
• Pokemon Ultraviolet
• Pokemon Prism
• Pokemon Scale X Fang
• Pokemon Light Platinum
• Pokemon Brown
• Pokemon Godra

FAQs

Pokemon Emerald Kaizo: The End of the Line… Or is it?

If you’ve made it this far into the article, congratulations on becoming the Champion of Hoenn, and thanks for reading my guide. It was a long and challenging road, and you’ve proved yourself as a master Pokemon trainer.

I hope my tips helped. However, before you turn off your game, you’re not entirely done with Emerald Kaizo. It’s Emerald, and Scott has some even more challenging battles for you to show off your skills in the Battle Frontier. There are also Latios and Latias to catch and the three legendary Regis.

Pokemon Emerald Kaizo was a fantastic ROM hack, and I had a lot of fun developing strategies and putting this guide together. That said, the game could be ruthless, and sometimes I swear the game was laughing at me.