Pokemon Emerald Walkthrough IV (Dewford)
Created | Updated Oct 5, 2012
And now we find ourselves on the sandy beaches of dewford. Before i go through this route lets review what kind of pokemon you might have by now.
Mudkip, Torchic or Treeko (should have learned their fire, grass or water move by now), Ralts, possibly Wismer, Shroomish and Slakoth. If you've caught any other pokemon like tailow or seedot i think your being a bit desperate (remember, quality over quantity!).
If you go into the first house you come across when you arrive the residents will give you a silk scarf (despite you bursting into their home uninvited), it will boost normal type moves and is perfect for your slakoth or whismer (or any pokemon really because they pretty much all learn normal moves at some stage). Talk to a fisherman at the beach and he wil give you your first fishing rod, the old rod. It's pretty much useless and can only catch Magikarp and (if you're lucky) tentacool.
Magikarp
Water type, completely useless and can only learn tackle (weak normal attack), flail (gets stronger the more damage is taken) and splash (quite literally does nothing, not even stat reduction). However, magikarp are worth raising, for when they get to level 20 they evolve into the mighty Gyarados and learns bite (if taken to the move tutor it can also learn thrash). To level up a Magikarp you must use the bait-and-switch meathod. Place Magikarp at the front of your list and withdraw it at the start of the battle, this way Magikarp will get exp points (experience) without having to battle.
(dont know much about tentacool, never trained one, sorry!)
Head north and west to reach Dewford cave where Steven is. A guy in the cave will give you HM 5 Flash which, when in possesion of Dewfords Gym badge, will light up the darkest of caves. You wont realy need it for this cave as long as you stick to the left or right wall and bring an escape rope just in case. In the long term Flash is a bit of a waste of a move space, all it does is lower the enemies accuracy (kinda usefull i guess) and, in the field there are only 2 dark caves anyway! I think youre best bet is to catch an oddish or something and teach it Flash, then leave it on your PC untill you need it.
On the bottom floor of the cave you will see (if you have flash :)) a boulder sitting, quite centrally, on a raised platform. Any experienced gamer will notice a hidden item here a mile off, and if you press A while looking at the boulder you will find that it is an everstone! An item that, when held by any pokemon, completely prevents evolution (use it if you want but i can never resist seeing my pokemon evolve)
Pokemon to look out for in the cave,
Makuhita
Burley fighting type (which for some reason learns whirlwind?) which evolves at level ? into Hariyama not much else to be said, it's a big strong fighting type basically.
Zubat
An old classic, learns Bite and Wing Attack and ,when you meet Steven, you can also teach it Steel Wing. Evolves into Golbat at level 22 and once it's really happy, into the speedy Crobat (for me, this ALWAYS happens when battling my way through dad's gym). Small side note, Crobat can learn fly so it can be your designated flying pokemon. Also zubat and it's evolved forms are all poison, flying types so will be almost immune to a rival's treeko, grovyle.
Aron
Steel rock type good with Roxanne's Rock Tomb, also learns Matal claw and, later, iron tail. At level 30(ish) it evolves into the armadillo like lairon and at 42 into the almighty Agron. All three have stupidly high attack and defence stats (what with being coated in steel). Aron's final form Agron, aswell as being a brutal monster, can learn one of the widest varieties of TMs of any pokemon in the game (wider even than Zigzagoon!). It can learn thunderbolt, blizzard, flamethrower and even surf! Agron is definately worth the training it takes to get it!
Nosepass
You can only get this once you get the Rock Smash HM from Mauville so if you really want one, come back later. As seen in Rusboro gym, Nosepass is a mighty rock type which is another allegable pokemon for Rock Tomb. It also has a knack for electric moves bacause of its big magnetic nose! Nosepass does not evolve.
Sableye
A creepy ghost, dark type that wonders the cave, not really very strong and dosen't learn many good attacks (looks pretty cool though). Sableye doesn't evolve either.
Once you get through the cave walk around the path and into the little chamber, don't jump down the ledges yet or you'll wind up back at the start. Go into the chamber and meet Steven, he will register himself in your Pokenav (no use for this by the way) and give you TM Steel Wing to teach to a strong flying type. Thing about steel wing is that it's a steel type and can only be learned by flying types, while generaly flying types are lightweights and not very good with steel and rock moves, just something to bear in mind (the exception for this is of course Skamory). Despite already having paid you with a pokenav, if you visit Mr Stone having delivered the letter he will give you an exp share, an item that, when held, gives the bearer half of the exp points earned in battle (however many pokemon were used).
Once the letter is delivered you can head of to Slateport (with or without Dewford's badge), but if you do decide you can defeat Brawley now and here's how.
Deford gym likes to rub in your face the fact that you can't use flash yet by being a pitch black gym. Feel your way around untill you run into a gym trainer, the pokemon in the gym are meditite (psycic, fighting), machop (fighting) and makuhita (fighting). Once you beat a trainer the gym will get a bit brighter. Unless you caught an aron or geodude in the cave, you shouldn't have much trouble with these trainers.
Brawley himself has a machop, a meditite (i think) and his strongest, a makuhita. If you have a Ralts at this point here is my suggested strategy. Use your starter to take down the machop (shouldn't be to hard), the next stage relies partly on luck, when Brawley sends out meditite send out ralts and use double team as much as possible to raise evasion, if meditite throws a successful focus punch at you, Ralts is unlikely to survive it (focus punch is cancelled if the user takes damage that turn). Once ralts is at the peak of evasion start throwing out confusions, and once meditite is one attack away from defeat, heal ralts with a berry or potion so it is fighting fit for makuhita. Hopefully makuhita's moves will all miss and he should cripple under ralts' super effective confusion attacks but if he hits or the plan fails some other way or if you don't have a ralts, just go off to slateport and come back once your team is stronger.
Mudkip, Torchic or Treeko (should have learned their fire, grass or water move by now), Ralts, possibly Wismer, Shroomish and Slakoth. If you've caught any other pokemon like tailow or seedot i think your being a bit desperate (remember, quality over quantity!).
If you go into the first house you come across when you arrive the residents will give you a silk scarf (despite you bursting into their home uninvited), it will boost normal type moves and is perfect for your slakoth or whismer (or any pokemon really because they pretty much all learn normal moves at some stage). Talk to a fisherman at the beach and he wil give you your first fishing rod, the old rod. It's pretty much useless and can only catch Magikarp and (if you're lucky) tentacool.
Magikarp
Water type, completely useless and can only learn tackle (weak normal attack), flail (gets stronger the more damage is taken) and splash (quite literally does nothing, not even stat reduction). However, magikarp are worth raising, for when they get to level 20 they evolve into the mighty Gyarados and learns bite (if taken to the move tutor it can also learn thrash). To level up a Magikarp you must use the bait-and-switch meathod. Place Magikarp at the front of your list and withdraw it at the start of the battle, this way Magikarp will get exp points (experience) without having to battle.
(dont know much about tentacool, never trained one, sorry!)
Head north and west to reach Dewford cave where Steven is. A guy in the cave will give you HM 5 Flash which, when in possesion of Dewfords Gym badge, will light up the darkest of caves. You wont realy need it for this cave as long as you stick to the left or right wall and bring an escape rope just in case. In the long term Flash is a bit of a waste of a move space, all it does is lower the enemies accuracy (kinda usefull i guess) and, in the field there are only 2 dark caves anyway! I think youre best bet is to catch an oddish or something and teach it Flash, then leave it on your PC untill you need it.
On the bottom floor of the cave you will see (if you have flash :)) a boulder sitting, quite centrally, on a raised platform. Any experienced gamer will notice a hidden item here a mile off, and if you press A while looking at the boulder you will find that it is an everstone! An item that, when held by any pokemon, completely prevents evolution (use it if you want but i can never resist seeing my pokemon evolve)
Pokemon to look out for in the cave,
Makuhita
Burley fighting type (which for some reason learns whirlwind?) which evolves at level ? into Hariyama not much else to be said, it's a big strong fighting type basically.
Zubat
An old classic, learns Bite and Wing Attack and ,when you meet Steven, you can also teach it Steel Wing. Evolves into Golbat at level 22 and once it's really happy, into the speedy Crobat (for me, this ALWAYS happens when battling my way through dad's gym). Small side note, Crobat can learn fly so it can be your designated flying pokemon. Also zubat and it's evolved forms are all poison, flying types so will be almost immune to a rival's treeko, grovyle.
Aron
Steel rock type good with Roxanne's Rock Tomb, also learns Matal claw and, later, iron tail. At level 30(ish) it evolves into the armadillo like lairon and at 42 into the almighty Agron. All three have stupidly high attack and defence stats (what with being coated in steel). Aron's final form Agron, aswell as being a brutal monster, can learn one of the widest varieties of TMs of any pokemon in the game (wider even than Zigzagoon!). It can learn thunderbolt, blizzard, flamethrower and even surf! Agron is definately worth the training it takes to get it!
Nosepass
You can only get this once you get the Rock Smash HM from Mauville so if you really want one, come back later. As seen in Rusboro gym, Nosepass is a mighty rock type which is another allegable pokemon for Rock Tomb. It also has a knack for electric moves bacause of its big magnetic nose! Nosepass does not evolve.
Sableye
A creepy ghost, dark type that wonders the cave, not really very strong and dosen't learn many good attacks (looks pretty cool though). Sableye doesn't evolve either.
Once you get through the cave walk around the path and into the little chamber, don't jump down the ledges yet or you'll wind up back at the start. Go into the chamber and meet Steven, he will register himself in your Pokenav (no use for this by the way) and give you TM Steel Wing to teach to a strong flying type. Thing about steel wing is that it's a steel type and can only be learned by flying types, while generaly flying types are lightweights and not very good with steel and rock moves, just something to bear in mind (the exception for this is of course Skamory). Despite already having paid you with a pokenav, if you visit Mr Stone having delivered the letter he will give you an exp share, an item that, when held, gives the bearer half of the exp points earned in battle (however many pokemon were used).
Once the letter is delivered you can head of to Slateport (with or without Dewford's badge), but if you do decide you can defeat Brawley now and here's how.
Deford gym likes to rub in your face the fact that you can't use flash yet by being a pitch black gym. Feel your way around untill you run into a gym trainer, the pokemon in the gym are meditite (psycic, fighting), machop (fighting) and makuhita (fighting). Once you beat a trainer the gym will get a bit brighter. Unless you caught an aron or geodude in the cave, you shouldn't have much trouble with these trainers.
Brawley himself has a machop, a meditite (i think) and his strongest, a makuhita. If you have a Ralts at this point here is my suggested strategy. Use your starter to take down the machop (shouldn't be to hard), the next stage relies partly on luck, when Brawley sends out meditite send out ralts and use double team as much as possible to raise evasion, if meditite throws a successful focus punch at you, Ralts is unlikely to survive it (focus punch is cancelled if the user takes damage that turn). Once ralts is at the peak of evasion start throwing out confusions, and once meditite is one attack away from defeat, heal ralts with a berry or potion so it is fighting fit for makuhita. Hopefully makuhita's moves will all miss and he should cripple under ralts' super effective confusion attacks but if he hits or the plan fails some other way or if you don't have a ralts, just go off to slateport and come back once your team is stronger.
