The Battle Frontier (Japanese: バトルフロンティアBattle Frontier) is a special post-League area in Pokémon Emerald that features several arenas where players can battle their Pokémon.
In the anime, this Battle Frontier, rather than being on one of Hoenn's many small islands, is spread across the Kanto region, presumably so as to reflect on the then-recent releases of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen as well as Emerald. Much like the Gyms do not have a requirement that Ash beats anyone besides the Gym Leader, Ash is not required to compete in any matches besides those against the Frontier Brain.
In either canon, the Battle Frontier is owned and operated by Scott, who meets up with the player throughout the game in Emerald, and met up with Ash in The Scheme Team.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
Overview
In-game view of the Battle Frontier
Upon the player's first entry into Hoenn's Battle Frontier, their Trainer card will be upgraded into a Frontier Pass by a woman at the entrance. This pass holds the Trainer card, as well as a small map of the Battle Frontier and the player's records with the Frontier. Saved-up Battle Points, or BP, are listed, as are any of the seven Frontier Symbols the player has won. One battle from within one of the facilities may be recorded and stored on the Frontier Pass, which may be watched or overwritten with another at any time.
On winning through a set amount of battles in any given facility, Battle Points will be awarded, usually in small amounts, but gradually growing through each consecutive streak. Defeating the Frontier Brain of a given facility for the first time awards the silver Symbol of that facility, as well as 20BP, while the second defeat of the same Brain gives the Symbol a golden color and the player another 20BP. The Frontier Brain will only appear in 3-vs-3 single battle mode.
No two Pokémon entered can hold the same item, though all items are allowed to be held (even if they would have no particular reason for being held). Items cannot be used from the bag during battle. Battles conducted here do not award experience or money. Any Pokémon can be entered for battle, except for the following Pokémon:
Returning from Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the Battle Tower (Japanese: バトルタワーBattle Tower) is the most standard of the facilities. Like before, it features a standard 3-vs-3 single or 4-vs-4 double battle format, with straight runs of 7 Trainers that get progressively more powerful as the player goes on.
At the 35th and 70th battle, five and ten runs through, respectively, Salon Maiden Anabel, the Frontier Brain, appears. If she is defeated, she awards the Ability Symbol.
All multiplayer functions found in Ruby and Sapphire are retained, as well. For a detailed description of these, see Battle Tower (Hoenn). Through a glitch, players may exploit the Battle Tower in Emerald to clone their Pokémon.
In the anime
In the anime, the Battle Tower was the sixth of the facilities Ash challenged, in the episodes Talking a Good Game! and Second Time's the Charm!. After losing the first match, Ash redoubled his efforts and rechallenged Anabel, resulting in a win. This version of the Battle Tower is near Tohjo Falls.
In the Battle Palace (Japanese: バトルパレスBattle Palace), Pokémon battle on their own, without any commands from their Trainers. This is very similar to the rules at the VerdanturfBattle Tent. The style of the Pokémon's battle depends on its nature, and this style may change when the Pokémon's HP falls low.
At a streak of 21 (three trips through) or 42 (six trips through), Palace Maven Spenser challenges the player. If defeated, he awards the Spirits Symbol.
The Battle Factory (Japanese: バトルファクトリーBattle Factory) is more dedicated to research than the other facilities, and the subject of the scientists' research is the abilities of Trainers when using random Pokémon in battle. Before the player begins a battle, they will be told some information about the opponent's team, and may switch one of the Pokémon they have with them with one of the Pokémon used by the Trainer they just defeated. This is just like the Battle Tent in Slateport City.
At the 21st and 42nd battle in a streak, three and six times through the Battle Factory, Factory Head Noland will challenge the player to a battle. Like all other Trainers in the facility, including the player, his Pokémon are completely random, and so cannot be known until he is encountered. If he is defeated, he awards the Knowledge Symbol.
Battle style
Trainers are divided into 9 different battle styles, based on the number of moves in 7 different categories. They are as follows:
A move may be counted more than once. Any attack not in any of the categories is not considered.
Three moves from a category is needed to meet the criteria for the first three categories, while only two moves are needed to meet the criteria for the last four. If there are no categories meeting the criteria, then the battle style "appears to be free-spirited and unrestrained." If there are at least three categories meeting the criteria, the battle style "appears to be flexibly adaptable to the situation." If exactly one category is matched, the battle styles are as follows:
Category
Battle Style
1
"appears to be one based on total preparation"
2
"appears to be slow and steady"
3
"appears to be one of endurance"
4
"appears to be high risk, high return"
5
"appears to be weakening the foe to start"
6
"appears to be impossible to predict"
7
"appears to depend on the battle's flow"
If exactly two categories meet the criteria, then the battle style is the one that appears furthest down the list above.
In the anime
In the anime, the Battle Factory is located near Cerulean City, and was the first factility challenged by Ash. It appeared in the episodes Numero Uno Articuno and The Symbol Life. The Frontier Brain Noland allows the challenger to choose one of his Pokémon for him to use in a one-on-one battle. According to Scott, he suggested that a sky roof would be added so that Flying-types could use their full potential.
This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. Reason: items (both Pick Up and items on the ground)
The Battle Pyramid (Japanese: バトルピラミッドBattle Pyramid) is a 7-layer pyramid. Each level is shrouded in darkness, and can only be lit up by defeating opponents on the level. Trainers cannot take any items into the pyramid, and items found within can only be used while inside, being stored in a special item bag that is handed out to those who challenge it.
Wild Pokémon are encountered within the Battle Pyramid, with strategies differing depending on how many floors the player has ventured through. The tactics used by the wild Pokémon will progress as follows:
After passing through 21 floors (three passes through) and 70 floors (ten passes), Pyramid King Brandon appears at the top to challenge the player. If he is defeated, he awards the Brave Symbol.
The Battle Pyramid flying in the anime
In the anime
In the anime, the Battle Pyramid was located near Pewter City, but has helicopter-like turbines installed in it, thus giving it the ability to move around anywhere. The location of the Battle Pyramid is only revealed to those who have defeated the other six Frontier Brains, and so it was the seventh and final of the facilities challenged by Ash, between Battling the Enemy Within! and Pace - The Final Frontier!.
The Battle Dome (Japanese: バトルドームBattle Dome) is a tournament between 16 Trainers.
Before each battle, the player can find out about their opponent, such as the Pokémon they use, their battle style, and how they train. Competitors can find out who was eliminated in each round by looking at the tournament bracket.
After the player has won five and ten championships, Dome Ace Tucker will challenge him or her. On his defeat, he awards the Tactics Symbol.
Seeding
The tournament bracket is organized as follows:
Left Bracket: 1 vs 9, 13 vs 5, 8 vs 16, 12 vs 4
Right Bracket: 3 vs 11, 15 vs 7, 6 vs 14, 10 vs 2
Seedings are determined by their ranking: the sum of the combined base stat totals of all Pokémon, plus 1/20 of the product of the number of different types represented by the Pokémon and the highest level among the Pokémon. If two trainers tie in ranking, the higher internal trainer number will win the tiebreaker; the player will always win the tiebreaker against any CPU trainer, while Dome Ace Tucker will win any tiebreaker against other CPU trainers. In the event of a tie battle, the higher seed advances and the lower seed is eliminated.
Battle Style
The battle style of a Trainer is solely determined by the effort values of all of the trainer's Pokémon. A stat is considered to be emphasized if it makes up at least 30% of the team's EVs (taking nature into account: for this calculation, EVs on a Pokémon with a beneficial nature are worth 10% more, while EVs on a hindering nature are worth 10% less), and neglected if there are no EVs in that stat among the entered Pokémon.
If there any emphasized stats, they are shown (if there are three emphasized stats, only two are shown). Otherwise, if there are any neglected stats, they are shown (if there are more than two, only two are shown; the ones that are shown are further influenced by the number of entered Pokémon having a hindering nature in the particular stat). Otherwise, the Trainer is said to "raise Pokémon in a well-balanced way."
CPU Battles
Note that the game does not simulate battles between two CPU trainers. Instead, the outcome between two CPU trainers is broken down as follows: each trainer is scored based upon the sum of the following:
The type affinity of damaging attacks: each attack dealing damage on the team is compared against each Pokémon on the opposing team. 4 points are awarded if the attack is normally effective, 12 if super-effective, and 20 if 4x super-effective. No points are awarded if the attack is resisted. 8 points are deducted if the attack is 4x resisted, and 16 points are deducted if the attack is ineffective. For the purposes of calculating this, Template:Type2 attacks are considered to be neutral against Pokémon with Levitate. Against Pokémon with Wonder Guard, type matchups that are not super-effective do not award nor deduct points.
The sum of the base stats of all Pokémon, divided by 10
The seeding of the Trainer, minus 1
A random value from 0 to 31
The Trainer with the higher score advances; if this is a tie, then the higher-seeded Trainer advances. During tournaments in which he may be challenged by the player, Tucker always appears as the #2 seeded contestant, and will always win his battles against CPU opponents.
CPU Pokémon Selection
To determine the Pokémon sent out by a CPU trainer against the player, each of the CPU trainer's three Pokémon is given a score. There are two scoring methods, which are chosen at random: the offensive method and defensive method. Both methods compare the type affinity of the Pokémon's damaging attacks against each of the three Pokémon on the player's team. In the offensive method, 2 points are awarded if the attack is normally effective, 4 if super-effective, and 8 if 4x super-effective. In the defensive method, 2 points are awarded if the attack is resisted, 4 if 4x resisted, and 8 if ineffective. 2 points are deducted if super-effective, and 4 are deducted if 4x super-effective. No points are awarded or deducted in any other scenario. For the purposes of this calculation, type matchups that are not super-effective against Pokémon with Wonder Guard are ignored (no points are awarded or deducted), and Template:Type2 attacks are considered to be neutral against Pokémon with Levitate.
If all three Pokémon tie in one method, the other method is used. If all three Pokémon tie in the second method, then two Pokémon and the order they appear are chosen at random. Otherwise, the two highest-scoring Pokémon is chosen (if there is a tie for the second selection, the second selection of Pokémon is chosen at random). There is a 40% chance that the CPU trainer will lead off with the higher-scoring Pokémon, and a 60% chance of leading off with the lower-scoring Pokémon.
In the anime
In the anime, Ash challenged the Battle Dome, which is located near Lavender Town, in Tactics Theatrics!!, as his third facility.
The Battle Arena (Japanese: バトルアリーナBattle Arena) pits two Pokémon against one another for three rounds. If both Pokémon last all three rounds, they are rated on how they battled in three aspects, and the Pokémon with the higher score wins, and the losing Pokémon leaves battle. If they somehow tie, both Pokémon leave battle. A knockout results in an automatic win for the Pokémon that is still standing.
Pokémon are scored on their mind, skill, and body. This is much like the Fallabor TownBattle Tent rules. The Pokémon with the better rating in each category scores two points, while a tie will award one point to each Pokémon.
Mind judges Pokémon on their offensive style. One point is awarded if an attack that deals damage is chosen for use (except Counter, Mirror Coat, and Bide, which do not award points, and Fake Out, which deducts one point), and one point is deducted if Protect, Detect, or Endure was chosen. All other moves do not award points. The Pokémon with the higher number of points wins the two points in the overall judgment.
Skill judges Pokémon on accuracy. One point is awarded if an attack lands successfully, while two points are deducted if it does not, unless it was caused by Protect, Detect, Endure, or Fake Out, in which no points are deducted. The Pokémon with the higher number of points wins the two points in the overall judgment.
Body judges the amount of HP remaining at the end of the third round compared to their amount at the start of the first. The Pokémon with the better ratio wins the two points in the overall judgment.
The Battle Arena is a series of single challenges, rather than a forced streak of some amount, and so after 28 wins and 56 wins, Arena Tycoon Greta appears to challenge the player. On her defeat, she awards the player with the Guts Symbol.
In the anime
In the anime, Ash challenged the Battle Arena, located near Saffron City, as his second facility, in Wheel of Frontier!. Before the match begins, a special machine is used to determine if the match is 1-vs-1, 2-vs-2, or 3-vs-3.
The Battle Pike (Japanese: バトルチューブBattle Tube) is a long pike in the design of a Seviper. Inside of it are 21 rooms, in seven sets of three. The player may choose any of the three in a set to continue through, and in each of the three, any of the following eight events may occur:
Single battle: The Trainer walks up to the player and battles.
Double battle: Two Trainers walk up to the player and battle.
Single battle and healing: 3 Pokémon per side; winner's Pokémon are completely healed.
No event: An NPC stands in the room but does nothing.
Status effect: A surprise attack will inflict a status on one or more of a player's Pokémon. The status includes Kirlia's burn, paralysis, poison, or sleep and Dusclops's burn or freeze.
One or two recovery: One or two of the player's Pokémon will be healed.
Full recovery: All of the player's Pokémon will be healed.
The lady standing outside of the rooms will hint at what is in one of the three rooms. Each quote has two possibilities, but the first is more common than the second.
Quote
Result 1
Result 2
For some odd reason, I felt a wave of nostalgia coming from it...
Status ailment
Heals one or two Pokémon
Is it...A Trainer? I sense the presence of people...
Single battle
Heals all Pokémon
It seems to have the distinct aroma of Pokémon wafting around it...
Wild Pokémon
Single battle, then heal party
I seem to have heard something... It may have been whispering...
Idle NPC
Double battle
From every path I sense a dreadful presence...
Battle Pike Queen Lucy
The Frontier Brain of the Battle Pike is Pike Queen Lucy. She challenges Trainers who complete 27 rooms (two passes through the pike) and 139 rooms (10 passes). By beating her, one is awarded with the Luck Symbol.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
The Artisan Cave is a long cave connecting one end of the Battle Frontier to the other. It starts near the Battle Palace and the exit is right next to the Battle Tower. The only wild Pokémon found inside is Smeargle.
House
There is a house next to the Battle Tower. Inside, there is a Trainer who wants to trade a Meowth for a Skitty.
The record hall contains all of the records that the player has set at the Battle Frontier. There are three rooms. The one on the left contains records for the Battle Pike, Dome, and Factory, the one in the center has records for the Battle Tower, and the one on the right contains records for the Battle Palace, Pyramid, and Arena.
If the player mixes records with another Emerald game, Battle Frontier records will be copied over from the other game and compared.
Sudowoodo
A level 40 Sudowoodo is located in the southeast section of the Battle Frontier. Much like in Generation II, NPCs will talk about it as a tree. However, when the player uses the Wailmer Pail on it, it will spring to life. This is the only location of Sudowoodo in the handheld games of Generation III.
Betting man
In the house south of the Battle Pyramid a man can be visited. After receiving at least 3 silver Symbols, he will ask the player to compete in a random facility. The player can give him 5, 10, or 15 Battle Points. If the player wins, the man will give him back twice the amount the player gave him. If the player loses, the Battle Points are lost.
In the house above the Pokémon Center is an old man who can judge one of the player's Pokémon's stats. He examines the Pokémon's IVs and gives feedback on how high or low they are. First he describes the Pokémon's "ability", which is based on the sum of all six of its IVs. Then he indicates which stat has the highest IV and what range it falls in. If 2 or more IVs are tied for the highest then he will choose one randomly.
Pokémon's ability
IV total
Average
0 to 90
Better-than-average
91 to 120
Quite impressive
121 to 150
Wonderfully outstanding
151 to 186
Highest IV
Range
Relatively good
0 to 15
Quite impressive
16 to 25
Outstanding
26 to 30
Flawless
31
Move tutors
In a house next to the Battle Dome, there are two move tutors. They will teach a Pokémon a selection of attacks for a price in Battle Points.
The Battle Point Exchange Service Corner, or simply the Exchange Service Corner, sells various goods in exchange for Battle Points earned at other parts of the Battle Frontier. Players can purchase goods for their secret base, vitamins, and items that can be held by a Pokémon.
Emerald, Todd Snap and all Frontier Brains except for Noland in the Pokémon Adventures manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
In the sixth chapter of the Pokémon Adventures manga, a Trainer named Emerald arrives at the Battle Frontier, where he accidentally interferes in the opening ceremonies and gains the second challenge of clearing the seven Facilities by defeating the Frontier Brains within that time. During this time, Emerald befriends Todd Snap and discovers that the masked Guile Hideout is seeking Jirachi for evil purposes after finding out that an overleveled Sceptile, which later became his, was in the Battle Factory. Now learning of this, he also seeks to stop Guile Hideout from achieving his goal, a task easier said then done.
In the Pokémon Battle Frontier manga
The Pokémon Battle Frontier manga features a boy named Enta being invited to the Battle Frontier by Scott. Once there, he is tutored by Rald and begins to challenge the Frontier Brains.
The manga concludes with Enta's battle with Anabel. Despite Enta's challenge of the Frontier Brains being a major focus, Noland, Greta and Brandon don't appear within the actual series, only appearing on the title page of the fourth chapter.
A girl inside the Battle Pike says "I've completed the challenge 10 times now, but I've never had to battle a Trainer once." This information would be false, because after two straight wins and again at ten straight wins, she would have to battle Lucy. However, it should be noted that she did not state whether or not she beat the Battle Pike ten times in a row, so this might not necessarily be an error.
If, by cheating, players enter through the Battle Palace's Single Battle Halls, the game will then randomly choose Lv. 50 or Open Level, and they will be able to battle Trainers with all six Pokémon they have in their party. When they battle the second Trainer, only the first three Pokémon in their party may be used, and their only move will be Sketch.
All enemy Trainers in the Battle Frontier, except the Frontier Brains, greet the player character before battle with a string of six preset words, phrases or characters from the easy chat system. After the battle, the enemy gives out another message of the same format which depends on whether they've won or lost. This is also the case for all enemies in the Battle Tents or Trainer Hill.
