Part 12: Seafloor Cavern & Sky Pillar
Infiltrate the deep ocean trench, battle Leader Archie, and summon the legendary Rayquaza to stop the apocalypse.
Phase 1: Infiltrating the Seafloor Cavern
Team Aqua has parked Captain Stern's stolen submarine in a deep underwater cave on Route 128. You must dive down and confront them before they wake Kyogre.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough:
- Locate the Submarine: Fly to Route 128. Use Surf and go to the deep ocean ring on the route. Use Dive to go underwater, swim south, and locate the submarine parked outside a cave opening. Press 'B' to emerge in the cave.
- Strength Boulder Puzzle: The cave contains puzzles requiring HM04 Strength and HM06 Rock Smash. Go through the tunnels.
Final Puzzle Solution: In the final room before Archie, you will find 8 boulders blocking the doorway.
- Push the bottom-middle boulder up one slot.
- Push the boulders to its left and right outward.
- Push the middle-row boulders up, and clear the paths to reach the top ladder.
- Confront Archie: At the bottom chamber, you will find Archie standing in front of Kyogre. Defeat him in battle.
- Kyogre Awakens: Maxie and Team Magma arrive, but it's too late. Archie uses the Red Orb, prompting Kyogre to wake up and flee. Out on the surface, a terrible weather storm (alternating between intense sunlight and heavy rain) threatens to tear the Hoenn region apart.
Boss Battle: Leader Archie
| Trainer |
Pokémon (Lv) |
Type |
Strong Against |
Weak Against (2x/4x) |
Less Effective (0.5x/0.25x/0x) |
Top Recommended Counters |
| Leader Archie |
Mightyena (Lv. 41) |
Dark |
Ghost, Psychic |
Fighting 2x, Bug 2x, Fairy 2x |
Ghost 0.5x, Dark 0.5x, Psychic 0x |
Manectric (Electric moves for Crobat/Sharpedo), Magneton, Hariyama (for Mightyena) |
| Crobat (Lv. 41) |
Poison/Flying |
Grass, Fighting, Bug, Fairy |
Electric 2x, Ice 2x, Psychic 2x, Rock 2x |
Grass 0.25x, Fighting 0.25x, Bug 0.25x, Poison 0.5x, Fairy 0.5x, Ground 0x |
| Sharpedo (Lv. 43) |
Water/Dark |
Fire, Ground, Rock, Ghost, Psychic |
Electric 2x, Grass 2x, Fighting 2x, Bug 2x, Fairy 2x |
Fire 0.5x, Water 0.5x, Ice 0.5x, Ghost 0.5x, Dark 0.5x, Steel 0.5x, Psychic 0x |
Phase 2: Resolving the Sootopolis Crisis
Groudon and Kyogre have met in the center of Sootopolis City and are locked in a catastrophic battle. You must find a way to summon Rayquaza to stop them.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough:
- Go to Sootopolis: Fly or Surf to Route 126 and Dive to find the underwater entrance to Sootopolis City. Emerge inside to see Groudon and Kyogre clashing.
- Speak to Wallace: Surf to the left side of the gym and find Steven. He will escort you to the **Cave of Origin** to meet Wallace.
- Indicate Sky Pillar: Speak to Wallace. When asked where Rayquaza might be, select Sky Pillar from the options. Wallace will immediately depart.
- Locate Sky Pillar: Fly to Pacifidlog Town and Surf east/north onto Route 131. Keep close to the northern rock walls until you find an opening leading to the Sky Pillar tower.
- Climb the Tower (First Visit): During the story, the cracked floors are temporarily patched. You do not need the Mach Bike for this visit. Simply run up to the roof.
- Wake Rayquaza: Walk up to Rayquaza. It will scream and fly off towards Sootopolis City, triggering the famous cutscene where it descends from the heavens to pacify Groudon and Kyogre.
Catching Rayquaza (Detailed Guide)
Can we catch Rayquaza right now?
First Encounter (Story): NO. During the story mission, you cannot battle or catch Rayquaza. It only triggers a cutscene and flies away to save Sootopolis City.
Second Encounter (Catchable): YES! Immediately after the Sootopolis weather crisis is resolved (and you receive HM07 Waterfall from Wallace), you can return to the top of the Sky Pillar to battle and catch Rayquaza at Level 70 before or after the Elite Four!
How to Catch Rayquaza:
- Bring the Mach Bike: The cracked tiles on the 2nd and 4th floors of the Sky Pillar are now active. You must ride the Mach Bike at top speed without stopping or turning abruptly, or you will fall through the floor!
- Save Your Game: Rayquaza does not respawn if you knock it out. Save right in front of it before initiating the battle.
- The Master Ball Strategy: Rayquaza is Level 70 and extremely difficult to catch. It is the absolute best candidate for the **Master Ball** you collected from the Aqua Hideout. Using it secures Rayquaza instantly.
- Manual Capture Strategy: If saving your Master Ball:
- Bring Pokémon that can inflict Sleep or Paralysis.
- Use high-defense Steel types (like Magneton) to resist Rayquaza's powerful Outrage and Fly moves.
- Stock up on at least 50+ Ultra Balls or Timer Balls.
Sky Pillar Wild Encounters (Post-Crisis):
| Pokémon |
Type |
Encounter Rate |
| Claydol | Ground/Psychic | 30% |
| Golbat | Poison/Flying | 30% |
| Banette | Ghost | 20% |
| Altaria | Dragon/Flying | 10% |
| Sableye | Dark/Ghost | 10% |