Pokémon Encounters - Paniola Town¶

Welcome to the Pokémon Wild West! There ain’t no Cowboys or Indians to be found, but the atmosphere is top-notch, down to the classy tumbleweed sweeping across the ground! As you step foot into town, Hau will arrive and challenge you to a Pokémon battle. Thankfully, he’ll heal your Pokémon, so the you of you can enjoy a fair match.

Pokémon Trainer Hau¶

It’s about time Hau evolved his starter Pokémon! While it may be stronger, it’s still easy pickings for your starter Pokémon. Just beware that Hau has equipped Normalium Z, so his starter Pokémon can unleash a Normal-type Z-Move as a surprise tactic.

Pikachu is the same as before. Ground-types are the best, since they’re immune, but Grass-types work well too as they can resist its Electro Ball. Otherwise, just smack it hard with Pokémon that aren’t Water or Flying-type.

Noibat hasn’t changed a lot either. Ice moves will inflict 4x damage, which should result in a clean KO. If you’re lacking those, Rock, Dragon and Fairy-types will do the standard super-effective damage. Or simply face it with Pokémon that aren’t Fire, Water, Grass, Bug or Fighting.

Finally, Hau has an Eevee that he must’ve caught from Route 4. Prior to evolving, it’s barely a threat and at most a minor nuisance, using Baby-Doll Eyes to preemptively lower your Attack. Because it’s a Normal-type, Fighting-types are recommended for a quick win.

Emerge victorious in the duel and Hau will gift you with a Dire Hit. As he kindly informs you, Totem Pokémon can be tough because of the stat boosts from their auras. However critical hits ignore the opponent’s stat boosts. Therefore, you can use Dire Hit to increase your Pokémon’s critical hit ratio and take advantage of this mechanic.

Once you’re free to roam, make your way towards the center of town, where the signpost is. If you’re not in urgent need of healing and adventuring supplies, head west from the signpost. By the south-west corner, a pair of Team Skull thugs are harassing a Pokémon. Time to step in and show them that bullying is not okay!

Team Skull Grunt¶

There’s nothing special to say about this common rodent. Although you haven’t seen one out in the wild yet, that’s because they only appear at night. Fighting-types are ideal to send the rat flying to the Moon, while Bug and Fairy-types will also do incredible damage.

After scaring Team Skull out of town, the Pokémon will dash off. If you come back here the next day, the woman here will give you the Bottle Cap the Skull grunts were trying to nab. For now, head north towards the opposite corner. On the side of the small wagon carrying hay, you’ll find Totem Sticker #023 firmly stuck on.

To the right of the wagon, say “Alola” to the Miltank under the roof to receive a free Moomoo Milk. You can return here daily for more free milk, if you choose. East from the milk stand is a house–or rather the only house–that you can enter. Inside, run north into the stair hallway and peel off the obvious Totem Sticker #024.

Next, ascend the stairs to the floor above. Go down the corridor where a bunch of Magmar are. Speak to the Magmar by the bottom-right corner to receive a Quick Ball. Afterwards, go back towards the top of the stairs, then enter the first room on the left. Inside, check the bottom of the chest of drawers for Totem Sticker #025.

That’s everything of value inside here, so exit the house the way you came. Back outside, stroll east towards the Pokémon Center. There’s still a ways to go before the next island trial, so be sure to heal up and buy important supplies. Of note, the right Poké Mark clerk is selling Repeat, Timer and Net Balls.

By the way, on occasions, there’s a man in red standing outside the Pokémon Center, to the right. Each day, he’ll request to buy a random item from for you for 5,000 Poké Dollars. Finally, when it’s time to move on, exit Paniola Town by heading north between the Pokémon Center and the house, following the tread marks on the floor.