ThePokemonfranchise is a series of games that likes to test its players with the same set of challenges in each main entry. Players must beat every gym leader in the region, the elite four, and their rival at set intervals. These rivals usually begin theirPokemonjourney at the same time as the protagonist, and they often pop up to challenge the player in a playthrough with an ever evolving team of tough Pokemon.
There can be up to seven battles with a rival in a main seriesPokemongame, and each of these are supposed to be more difficult than the last. However, some rival battles can be harder than others.
Bede is a secondary rival inPokemon Sword and Shield, and he makes himself known to the player when he first demolishes the main rival, Hop, in their first battle. Players will then obviouslymake quick work of Bedeand their fairy types straight away, but this arrogant trainer will continue to test the players' skill throughout Galar.
Since Bede only uses one type of Pokemon, he is easier to deal with than a lot of other rivals. However, his final battle at the Pokemon Championship at the end of the game can catch players unaware if they are not prepared. After taking on the fairy gym, Bede is just one battle in a long line. Anyone who has never tackled an elite four challenge before will definitely struggle against this rival as their Dynamax Hatterene will pack a punch. Stocking up plenty of Potions and Elixers is only one way of getting through this obstacle.
For a while, the player’s neighbor in Sinnoh, Barry, does not pose much of a threat during the fourth generation games. This overzealous and excitable kid is far too busy rushing about the region to battle properly. However, his final appearance in these games can be a surprising challenge.
Barry will battle the player just as they begin to attempt the elite four. As a result, anyone who did not expect to see Barry again may not have healed their Pokemon after Victory Road. Though, even with a team of fully-healed Pokemon, this battle can be a challenge. Barry starts with a Staraptor with Intimidate to cut any Pokemon’s attack, which makes dealing with his bulky Snorlax a chore,plus a diverse teamthat can deal with any issue the player throws at him. Also, Barry can easily counter the player’s starter by using his own that he deliberately chose to be the opposite type. Some rival battles inPokemonare more difficult, but the timing of this challenge is a true test of the player’s skill.
The bratty and antagonistic rival, Blue, was the first enemy in thePokemonfranchise and set the standard for the gaming series going forward. His temperament toward the player is awful, and every battle with him in the Kanto region is especially difficult. That is in part due to the fact that Blue is clever enough to have picked the starter Pokemon that is strong against the player’s first partner.
Whileevery battle with Blue is difficult,the fifth encounter with the trainer is often a big hurdle for players. For starters, this rival accosts the player during the part of the game when they are trying to stop the Team Rocket of Silph Co. As a result, the player’s Pokemon are likely to be badly beaten and bruised. Secondly, this was the first time a player had to face-off against Alakazam. This lightning-fast psychic type has an impossibly high special attack and no weaknesses. If players aren’t careful, this one Pokemon can one-shot an entire team.
Silver is the generation 2Pokemonrival who had the unfortunate task of following Blue. This criminal once again chooses the starter opposite the player’s type, yet he does not feel like the same challenge as his predecessor. That is, until his final encounter.
One of the common criticisms of the gen 2 games is that the level curve is quite jarring. The final gym leader in the region, Claire, hardly has any Pokemon above level 55, and that is because the developers included the entire Kanto region in the post-game. Therefore, many players will not have a full team of Pokemon above level 55 by the time they face Silver at the end of Victory Road. His team ofhigh-level, diverse, strong attackerscomes out of knowhere, and many players have to perform a late-game grind just to get past this rival.
Once the player finally gets crowned the champion of the Alola region in Sun and Moon, they will often be forced to defend their title from a series of strong trainers. One of these trainers is Hau, the player’s rival, one who often gets criticism for being too friendly during a generation 7 playthrough. His final battle is not as easy as many players expect, though.
Hau not only has two counters to the player’s starter in the form of his own starter pick and an Eveelution, he also has a great team behind him. His Komala can easily take any Pokemon out of commission by using Yawn to put them to sleep, and his Raichu can paralyze its foes while others are frozen by Crabominable. It is one of the most frustrating events to watch an entire team go down due to status effects.
The rivalry between the player character and N in the generation fivePokemongames has led to one of the best stories in the main series so far.The face of the evil Team Plasmais hell-bent on liberating Pokemon, and seeks to catch that region’s legendary beast to achieve his goals. Naturally, this journey leads the player to gaining a legendary Pokemon of their own, but N also gets the opposite one of equal power depending on the version the player is using.
This story moment leads to an epic yin and yang match up between the two rivals that sees N posing a threat without one of the three regional starters but a legendary instead. Even if players manage to take out his Zekrom/ Reshiram, N has tricks up his sleeve with his Zoroark’s disguise ability and a powerful Klinklang that will keep using Shift Gear until it can overpower whatever the player has.
