In this round, there are eighteen puzzles, each associated with a Pokémon. It turns out that there are three Pokémon each of six different types, as follows:
| Type | Pokémon A1 / Answer | Pokémon A2 / Answer | Pokémon B1 / Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Rattata / YARDARM |
Raticate / MAST |
Meowth / CEILING |
| Fire | Charmander / WOODSTOCK |
Charmeleon / PUNK ROCK |
Ponyta / RED CHINA |
| Ghost | Yamask / RIGHTMOST |
Cofagrigus / RIM |
Duskull / PASTOR |
| Water | Squirtle / STUMBLE |
Wartortle / THUMBHOLES |
Krabby / REPTILES |
| Rock | Cranidos / GOLDEN STATE |
Rampardos / BUSH |
Rockruff / ABSOLUTION |
| Dragon | Dratini / PEARL |
Dragonair / LENT |
Bagon / JADE |
Step One: Evolution
Two of the three Pokémon of each type form an evolution chain—one evolves into the other. The third is unpaired, but in the games can evolve into another Pokémon. Each of those six Pokémon are represented as the left-side combatants on the puzzle page: Persian, Rapidash, Dusclops, Kingler, Lycanroc, and Shelgon. This suggests that you need to somehow evolve your Meowth / Ponyta / etc.
In order to do so, you need to figure out the hidden evolution mechanic for each type, clued by the A1 / A2 pair of answers. These are:
- Normal: Rotate A1 by 90 degrees to get A2
- Fire: To get A2, take the entry two after A1 in We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel
- Ghost: To get A2, remove all occurrences of the letters G,H,O,S, or T from A1
- Water: Add the letters HHO to A1 and anagram to get A2
- Rock: Interpret A1 as an album. A2 is the artist who made A1.
- Dragon: A1 is the drag name of a competitor from RuPaul's Drag Race. A2 is their birth last name.
This gives the following six evolved answers:
- Normal (Persian):
WALL - Fire (Rapidash):
SOUTH PACIFIC - Ghost (Dusclops):
PAR - Water (Kingler):
LITHOSPHERE - Rock (Lycanroc):
MUSE - Dragon (Shelgon):
SOTOMAYOR
Step Two: Fighting
In the right hand column of the puzzle page are six Pokémon owned by your rival. Each is given a name and its type matches up with one of your Pokémon.
In order to successfully fight one of your rival’s Pokémon, you need to take your Pokémon’s answer and the rival Pokémon’s name, and combine them using one of the three sub-meta answers—the “battle mechanics”. Each battle mechanic is used twice.
The battle mechanics used are:
TAKE OUT- given two answers, ‘subtract’ one from the other.BLACK MAGIC- the enemy name indicates a Magic: the Gathering set, and the evolved answer names a cycle of cards within that set (a thematically-linked group of cards in all five colors). The result is the black card of that cycle.BE MEAN- take the ‘average’ of the two answers.
The six pairings are as follows:
| Your Pokémon | Rival Pokémon | Fight Mechanic | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
Persian / WALL |
Snorlax / STRONGHOLD |
BLACK MAGIC |
SOULS |
Shelgon / SOTOMAYOR |
Goodra / VINSON |
BE MEAN |
BLACKMUN |
Lycanroc / MUSE |
Sudowoodo / LEGIONS |
BLACK MAGIC |
GRAVEBORN |
Krabby / LITHOSPHERE |
Golduck / MANTLE |
TAKE OUT |
CRUST |
Rapidash / SOUTH PACIFIC |
Flareon / RAISIN |
BE MEAN |
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING |
Dusclops / PAR |
Mismagius / ONE |
TAKE OUT |
BIRDIE |
Step Three: Extraction
Upon confirming a fight result, you will be given a series of blanks and numbers. The numbers range from 1 to 18.
| Answer | Pattern |
|---|---|
SOULS |
__ (13) __ (14) (3) |
BLACKMUN |
(18) __ (10) __ __ __ (5) __ |
GRAVEBORN |
(4) __ __ (12) __ __ (16) __ __ |
CRUST |
__ (17) __ (7) (15) |
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING |
__ __ __ // __ __ // __ __ __ __ __ __ (9) // (2) __ // __ __ (11) __ __ __ __ __ // __ __ __ __ __ __ __ // __ __ __ __ __ __ // __ __ __ __ __ __ |
BIRDIE |
__ (6) __ (1) __ (8) |
Writing down the appropriate letters gives the Memory Orb
“location”: DISGUISED AS VOLTORB.