Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are out, and that means Trainer battles galore for the next few weeks as Trainers return to the legendary franchise. And yes, Gym battles are back. As you progress along the Victory Road storyline, you will encounter many different types of trainers. The Gyms each have a core theme, but the overall challenge has been increased a fair bit in Generation IX. The Gym Leaders are much tougher this time, as their teams often have counters to the rest of their teams weaknesses. And the Tera types add another layer of complication when it comes to preparing for each fight.
The third Gym in the game, located in Levincia City, is headed by Iono. Here you’ll face a horde of Electric-type Pokemon, so keep reading to learn how to prepare fro this charged-up war.
How to get to the Levincia Gym
Like every other Gym in the game, look for the giant Gym building in the town. Trouble is, you need to reach the city first.
To get here by normal means, you will need to progress in the game a bit. This Gym is meant to be the third Gym you encounter, and the Pokemon you fight there will be around level 22-25, so be prepared for that.
If you’ve not unlocked any Pokémon Centers near the town yet, the easiest way to reach Levincia in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is to travel the main path east of Zapapico, then up to the northern coast towards the town.
Also, you might want to stop over on the beach just by the Pokemon Center, it’s a great place to train for this gym. You can even find Water Stones on the beach by checking the gold item sparkles.
Once you go inside, you will meet Rika, another member of the Elite Four. So that’s cool. You will then be ordered to take on the Gym challenge. This time, you need to hunt down a “guest” NPC on Iono’s stream, by the name of Mr. Walksabout, you might recognize this particular Trainer. And now, live on Iono’s stream, your job is to play a little game of Hide and Seek with him. Each of three scenes will load in, and you need to select the hiding NPC inside the scene to complete that phase.
Mr Walksabout location 1 in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
The first one is fairly obvious, as Clive is standing off to the right side of the street. He’s fairly obvious behind the umbrella he’s trying to hide behind. Select him and move on to phase 2.
After you find Mr. Walksabout each time, a Trainer will show up to challenge the player.
The first trainer, Marti, has the following:
- Luxio – Level 22 – Electric – Weak to Ground
You’ll get 3,080 prize money for defeating Marti, and can move on to the next Mr Walksabout Hide-and-Seek challenge.
Mr Walksabout location 2 in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
The second time you have to hunt for this sneaky NPC, look in the Pokemon Center to the left, he’s crouched behind the desk. Place the cursor over him and you’ll complete this phase of the hunt.
The final trainer, Micheal, has the following:
- Tynamo – Level 22 – Electric – Weak to Ground
- Flaafy – Level 22 – Electric – Weak to Ground
Mr Walksabout location 3 in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
The last phase of the Gym Challenge for Hide and Seek is overlooking the main Gym arena, and you will find on the right-hand edge of the screen, hiding inside a boat. He’s kind of hard to see, so use the image below to spot him easily.
How to beat the Levincia Gym and Electric Leader Iono
Iono is a pretty well-rounded Type trainer. Most of her roster is Electric, but has some very specific counters to wreck unprepared Ground types. This battle won’t be too bad as long as you prepare correctly.
- Wattrel – Level 23 – Electric/Flying – Weak to Bug, Dark, Electric, Ground
- Belibolt – Level 23 – Electric – Weak to Ground
- Luxio – Level 23 – Electric – Weak to Ground
- Mismagius – Level 24 – Ghost – Weak to Dark and Ghost (Tera Ground, Weak to Water)
Belibolt can be kind of annoying thanks to its Water Pulse ability that’s a hard counter to Ground types. If you’re overleveled you should be fine, but prepare to heal. They also have an ability that increases their stats when they take damage, so finish them quickly. Mismagius is the real threat here, as though his Tera type might be Electric, the Levitating ability makes him immune to Ground moves. Bring along a high-level Dark-type to deal with it easier. I used Donphan for the entire Gym run, and didn’t struggle too bad. A good mix of Ground, Normal and Dark moves carried me pretty well. Sandile is another good option for most of the fights, although you will need to switch it out when fighting Mismagius.
Bringing along something with high Speed is good, as Mismagius loves to use Confuse Ray and Hex to chip away at slow Pokemon. Throw anything you can at it, and heal when you need to, and you should be fine.
For defeating Iono, you’ll receive 4,320 prize money, TM048 Volt Switch and a Gym Badge. Depending on when you beat this Gym you may be able to command Pokemon up to level 35 or 40. Also, if it’s your third Gym battle, Nemora will show up after to challenge you, so be ready for a much tougher fight. If you planned ahead and brought along your starter and maybe one other Pokemon that hits her team’s weakness as backups, just switch those in and go to town.
Now, it’s on with the Victory Road story! Your next option is Kofu, of the Water Gym. The level jump here isn’t too bad, but you need to take time to be prepared.