Mauville City & Cycling Road

1. Trick House and Rival Battle on Route 110

Head north from Slateport City along Route 110 past the Trick House at the Route 103 fork, then continue beneath the Seaside Cycling Road overpass. You will encounter your rival May or Brendan directly under the overpass for a battle; counter Wingull with Electric attacks and use Flying, Water, or Rock moves to handle their starter and supporting Lombre or Slugma. Defeating them earns you prize money, registers them in your PokéNav Match Call, and rewards you with the Itemfinder.

Tip: Electric moves neutralize your rival's Wingull swiftly, while Flying handles Lombre or Grovyle.

2. Mauville City Arrival and Essential Errands

Pass through the Mauville South Gate into Mauville City Proper, where a central signpost proclaims "The bright & shiny city of fun!". Visit the house in the southeast corner next to the pathway fence to obtain HM06 (Rock Smash) from the man inside, then check the dead-end narrow alley behind the southeast fence to locate a hidden X Speed. In the center of town outside near the Poké Mart, decide whether to have the Move Tutor teach Rollout to an eligible party member.

3. Rydel's Cycles and the Game Corner

Head east of the Pokémon Center into Rydel's Cycles to receive your choice of a Mach Bike or an Acro Bike directly from Rydel. Next, enter the house southwest of the center directly beside the Poké Mart and trade a Harbor Mail to the woman inside to secure the Coin Case. Step just west into the Mauville Game Corner with your new case to speak to a girl inside for a Starter Plush Doll (Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip Doll) and access the slot machines, roulette, and prize counters.

Tip: Picking the Mach Bike lets you climb muddy slopes and record time trials, whereas the Acro Bike enables hopping across thin rails.

4. Confronting Wally at Mauville Gym

Head to the northwest section of Mauville City Proper, where you will find Wally and his uncle blocking access to the Mauville Gym. Challenge Wally to a battle against his Level 16 Ralts, exploiting its low physical Defense with Bug-, Ghost-, or Dark-type moves to avoid its Double Team evasion and Confusion status. Defeating him earns you P960, prompts Scott to approach and congratulate you, and clears the doorway so you can enter the Gym.

Tip: Dark-type attacks like Bite from Poochyena quickly knock out Ralts before it stacks Double Team.

5. Conquering Wattson's Electric Gym

Enter the Mauville Gym and step on the glowing electrical pads to deactivate the blue gate barrier beams while navigating past trainers like Guitarist Kirk, Youngster Ben, Battle Girl Vivian, and Guitarist Shawn. Challenge Gym Leader Wattson, using Ground-type attacks against his Voltorb, Electrike, Magneton, and Sitrus Berry-holding Manectric, while being ready for Voltorb's Selfdestruct, Magneton's 20-damage SonicBoom, and Manectric's Shock Wave. Overcoming him yields the Dynamo Badge, P2400, and TM34 (Shock Wave).

Tip: Ground-type Pokémon like Marshtomp or Geodude are completely immune to Electric attacks and deal quadruple damage to Magneton.

6. Seaside Cycling Road Challenge

Ride south through the Mauville South Gate onto the Seaside Cycling Road, which stretches all the way back down toward northern Slateport. Battle Triathletes Abigail, Anthony, Benjamin, Jasmine, and Jacob using Ground- and Fighting-type moves against their teams of Magnemite and Voltorb. If you brought the Mach Bike, you can bypass all battles and attempt the official time trial from gate to gate.

The short version

What matters

• Obtain HM06 Rock Smash from the man in the southeast house so you can clear cracked rocks once Wattson is defeated.
• Collect either the Mach Bike or Acro Bike from Rydel to vastly improve your travel speed and access terrain-specific areas.
• Defeat Gym Leader Wattson to secure TM34 Shock Wave and the Dynamo Badge, which boosts Speed slightly and activates HM06 outside of combat.

Common mistakes

• Challenging Wattson without Ground-, Fighting-, or Fire-type moves leaves you struggling against Magneton's massive twelve-type resistance profile.
• Forgetting to bring a Harbor Mail to the woman beside the Poké Mart locks you out of obtaining the Coin Case and using the Game Corner.

What you can skip

• The Seaside Cycling Road Triathlete battles can be bypassed entirely if you prefer an uninterrupted Mach Bike sprint.