Route 208 has yet more trainers to take on, along with a few pokemon lurking in the grass.

ROUTE 208 POKEMON

Meditite – Levels 16-17 – Common
Bidoof – Level 16 – Common
Bibarel – Levels 17-18 – Rare
Psyduck – Levels 16-18 – Common
Machop – Levels 16-17 - Uncommon

The only really noteworthy wild Pokemon here is Bibarel, the evolved form of Bidoof and HM Slave extraordinaire. Don’t fret if you don’t find one, though, since they’ll become increasingly common the further along you go.

At the end of the road, near the entrance to Hearthome City, there’s a small house. Talk to the young girl inside and she’ll give you the Berry Finder Poketch application (provided you answer “yes”). The lady there also sells pokepoop... er, mulch. It acts as fertilizer and can help berries grow if you use it when planting. Closeby is a field of grass where you’ll find a martial artist training. Rather than fighting you, he’ll give you a strange Keystone item when you talk to him. Maybe this will be useful later…

Above: The flower shop. Fertilize your garden with good ole pokepoop, yum

But anyhow, on to Hearthome! Hearthome is a place famous for its Pokemon Super Contests. Pokemon Super Contests are totally optional, and we’ll be covering them in more detail in our post-game guide. Needless to say, a lot of the local economy is built around supporting the contests. You’ll run into one of the contest judges as soon as you set foot in the city limits.

There’s a Gym here in Hearthome, but it’s going to be a good while yet before you’re allowed entry. That doesn’t mean there’s not plenty to do here, though. Up north is Amity Square, where you can take one of your “cute” pokemon for a walk with you. (Mind you, the ladies in charge have a very subjective definition of “cute”).

There are some nice items lying around, including one  hidden in one of the stone structures. When you run around here, your pokemon may find things that can be used as accessories. Turn around and press A to check up on them every now and then, and if you’re lucky, they’ll have something for you.

You can also try your hand at making Poffin, a delicious and healthy treat for your pokemon that will boost their stats for the Super Contests. Talk to the old man at the Pokemon Fan Club building to receive a Poffin Case. After you’ve got the case, you can head on over to the Poffin bakery and try your hand at cooking up some beauty enhancements. Just make sure your arm’s in OK shape, because if you’re planning on a Poffin baking spree, it’s going to get tired really fast from the constant spinning.

Even if you don’t want to enter any contests now, you should stop by Super Contest Central to meet the gym leader, then go inside to see a brief scene involving your mom embarrassing you in public. Oh, parents. After this bit’s played out, you will be able to leave Hearthome through the southeast exit.

Well, you will after you manage to administer another beatdown to your rival, anyway. He’ll have his Starly and a few additional pokemon in tow, all around level 20 or so. None of them are really noteworthy save for the starter pokes – by this point he’ll have evolved them into their second form, making them far tougher than before. Once you’re done with fighting him, he’ll run off again.

A man near said exit is carrying a pokemon egg he’ll happily give to you. Make room for it by emptying a slot on your Pokemon roster, or else you won’t be able to take it from him. You’ll need to keep it in your party if you want it to hatch. The amount of time the egg takes to hatch depends on how fast you can rack up several thousand steps on your Poketch pedometer. It’ll take a while (probably around 10,000 steps), but once the egg hatches, you’ll be the proud parent of Happiny. Aww, how precious.