Players looking to train their team should make way for the Survival Area. This is indicated by a small blue square on the upper-right corner of Sinnoh’s map. It stands between the Fight Area and Stark Mountain. While trainers can’t battle Wild Pokemon or other trainers at the Survival Area, they can heal their Pokemon at the Survival Area’s Pokemon Center or stock up on healing items at the PokeMart.
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Navigating Route 225
After defeating Champion Cynthia, players will be pushed to go to Snowpoint City and take the ferry to the Battle Zone. Once in the Fight Area, they have the option of going to Route 230 or going north to Route 225. The Survival Area and Stark Mountain are located north of the Battle Zone, so start by entering the tunnel to Route 225.
Players can either go straight or left. Going left requires HM Rock Climb to reach an HP Up item, but this path leads to a dead end. If players wish, they can ignore the HP Up and return to Route 225 to retrieve all the dropped items. Since Route 225 is a maze, it’s better to just make way for the Survival Area.
From Route 225’s entrance, go north to an intersection where there are three trainers and Cut Trees waiting. The item behind the Cut Trees is a Rare Candy. Go left (past the Ranger and Bird Keeper trainers) and then follow the path up the stairs. Taking the path south will lead to a dead-end and an Ultra Ball. Instead, go right up the next set of stairs and along the bridges. Follow the bridges to another mountainous region with small stairs. There will be a Ranger trainer who can easily be avoided if players don’t want to battle. Go past the ranger and down the stairs to reach the platform with an Ace Trainer. Go north to the house with the purple roof and go up the stairs. At the top of the mountain, players can use HM Surf to reach the Dubious Disc, an item needed to evolve Porygon2 into Porygon-Z. Grab it or ignore it, and continue along the patch of grass. There will be another Ace Trainer waiting near the stairs. Use HM Cut on the trees or walk through the grass to reach the other end of the mountain. Once off the mountain, go left and battle the Ace Trainer hidden among the trees. Navigate to the right in the large patch of grass to reach the sign that says “225. " Go past the “225” sign to arrive in the Survival Area.
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More Information About Route 225
The Pokemon leading up to the Survival Area can be as low as level 20 or as high as level 52. Therefore, it’s recommended to bring a strong team when going through Route 225. If players want to avoid battling, they should bring some Repels to ward off Wild Pokemon. Unfortunately, some of Route 225’s trainers will be harder to evade.
Here are the Pokemon that can be found in the grass on Route 225:
Players who aren’t looking to grab every item on Route 225 won’t need to use HM Surf. But those who want to Surf or use one of the three various fishing rods to Fish can find the following Pokemon:
Finally, there are special Pokemon that can only be found using the PokeRadar or during Swarms:
Pokemon Trainers
Route 225 is also home to some powerful trainers. At this point in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, players should already have a well-balanced team. Some of these trainers can be challenged for a rematch once they’ve been defeated.
Here are the trainers looking to battle:
Seven of these trainers can be battled on the way to the Survival Area. It’s also possible to have a Double Battle with Pokemon Ranger Ashlee and Bird Keeper Audrey/ Psychic Daisy. Those who need a Dawn Stone may want to use HM Rock Climb to reach Dragon Tamer Geoffrey, who can otherwise be avoided.
Items
There are plenty of items to find on Route 225. Certain items such as the Dubious Disc and Lax Incense are necessary for Pokemon evolution/breeding, while others are used for buffing up Pokemon (HP Up, Rare Candy).
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl are available now on Nintendo Switch.
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