Sunyshore City Gym puzzle solution and how to beat Volkner in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Sunyshore City, the Sunyshore Gym puzzle and Volkner are your next targets in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, following on from Route 222 in your adventure.

Below we'll take you through all the key details for the location, including any Pokémon encounters, trainers, and items that might be available, plus a walkthrough of your key objectives and anything else you'll need to know.

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Sunyshore City Pokémon, trainers and items

Enter the City and a guy called Flint will approach you - he's one of the Elite Four! He wants to you reinvigorate this city's Gym Leader by giving him a proper battle - that shouldn't be too hard for you. There are a few other things to see and do around town as well.

Show the scientist in the house up the Rock Climb wall in the east of town a Pokémon with the Nature he asks for, and he'll give you a few different (not essential) Pokétch Apps.

Behind the Poké Mart is Sunyshore Market, where you can buy Poké Ball stickers. Flint will block the entrance to the Gym while Volkner, the Leader, is away. He's at the Lighthouse, so when you're done exploring head there, in the south-east of the city via the raised path.

In the north of town, Jasmine, a Gym Leader from the Johto region, will stop you proceeding north without this city's Gym badge.

Talk to Volkner at the top of the Lighthouse and he'll head to the Gym - time to go give him a battle! Look through the binoculars after he leaves for a peek at the Pokémon League.

Items

Sunyshore City Gym puzzle solution and how to beat Volkner

Sunyshore Gym is an Electric-type gym, although there are a lot of non-Electric Pokémon that you'll have to deal with here, too. The main thing is to bring some Paralyze Heals to save you trips back to the Pokémon Center each time one of yours gets Paralyzed!

In this Gym, the puzzle involves stepping on coloured buttons which change things about the environment. Here's how to get through it.

Sunyshore Gym puzzle solution

Different colour buttons rotate the giant cogs of the gym (and the paths attached to them) in different directions and a different number of times. Green buttons rotate the giant cogs anti-clockwise one quarter-turn, for instance. You need to step on them the right number of times for the paths to line up, allowing you to proceed. Here's what to do.

1. Step on the right hand green button once, then go south onto the starting area, and over to the left to stand on the other green button.
2. Then go north to the first trainer and through the door.
3. In the second room, go beat Guitarist Jerry on the right first.
4. Then, step on the blue button three times (just walk off to the side of it and back onto it again).
5. Then come back to the starting area and go up the stairs on the left, where the patch will now be lowered allowing you to pass.
6. Go down the stairs the other side to battle School Kid Forrest.
7. Go south onto the second blue button, then east from that to the green button.
8. Go south and east, past Guitarist Jerry, up the stairs and across the now-lowered path to the next trainer.
9. The next room has red buttons, which cause a double turn clockwise.
10. Battle Guitaris Lonnie on the right.
11. Step on the right hand red button once then come back to the starting area.
12. Then go onto the left one once, and down to battle Ace Trainer Destiny.
13. Go up the steps left of Ace Trainer Destiny and over the path to battle Guitarist Preston.
14. Go south from Guitarist Preston and stand on the green button twice, then go right and under the electric shock coils to the blue button.
15. Step on that once and go back up north and right, down to the right hand side where Ace Trainer Zachery is waiting.
16. Now, go south across the path, step on the right-hand red button by the entrance to this room once, then go back up the right hand side, and you'll be able to get to Volkner!

How to beat Volkner

Volkner's Pokémon have really good coverage moves - Raichu has Surf, for instance, so you can't just rely on Ground-type Pokémon to tank everything with their electric-type immunity. Remember that Grass is resistant to Electric-types too. He'll also use a Hyper Potion regularly when they get to below half health.

Luxray also has a Citrus Berry which'll restore its health when it gets low. His Raichu will also use Volt Switch if you allow it, which will rotate it out for other Pokémon as well as doing some damage.

Items

Trainers and Opponents

The Beacon Badge, which you get for winning, allows you to use Waterfall in the wild - now you just need the HM for it! Heal up, then head to the northern shore of the city and talk to Jasmine - she'll let you pass, and give you the Waterfall HM!

Your next objective is to defeat the Elite Four and become the Champion! To do so, you need to head north to Route 223, then Victory Road, then out the other side to the Pokémon League! So, next stop: Route 223!

For more guides and links to the rest of our walkthrough pages meanwhile, return to our main Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl walkthrough hub.