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Everything you can do in the new ‘Pokemon Sun and Moon’ demo

Published Oct 18th, 2016 2:38PM EDT
Pokemon Sun and Moon Demo Guide
Image: Serebii.net

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If you own a Nintendo 3DS, chances are that you plan on downloading the Pokemon Sun and Moon demo at some point today. Before you jump in, you might want to know exactly what there is to do in the demo, so we’ve put together a guide detailing every Pokemon you can catch, battle you can participate in and item you can transfer to the full game when you get it in November.

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For the most part, the Pokemon Sun and Moon Special Demo Version is a guided experience. You begin by picking up a Greninja from your mailbox, at which point your mom arrives to take you to City Hall. Once you arrive, your mom will introduce you to Hau, a local of Hau’oli and your guide around the island.

The minute the two of you leave City Hall to begin exploring, you’ll run into a pair of Team Skull Grunts, which will initiate the demo’s first battle.

This is your first opportunity to use your new Greninja and see the updated user interface and battle system of Pokemon Sun and Moon. Dispatch the opposing Yungoos and the two Grunts will run away, promising to return with their sister.

Once the battle is over, Hau will tell you to meet him at the Pokemon Center up the road. Catch up with him, enter the Pokemon Center and talk to Hau to receive a Super Potion. Once you leave the Pokemon Center, Hau will introduce you to Professor Kukui. Hau tells Kukui he should train you so that you’ll be prepared to battle Team Skull should you run into them again. He agrees, and tells you to meet him at Ten Carat Hill, which is up the road and to the right from the Center.

Talk to the old man in front of the dirt path to go up to Ten Carat Hill. Kukui will meet you at the top of the hill and then tell you to head for the cave at the end of the path. You’ll have to fight some wild Pokemon in tall grass and take on a pushover of a trainer before you reach the cave, but you shouldn’t have any trouble.

Inside the cave, Kukui will tell you about the trial, which involves taking pictures of four Pokemon in the cave — two Jangmo-o and two Hakamo-o. Kukui gives you a Poke Finder in order to take pictures, and warns you that the Pokemon will attack when startled. Before he sends you on your way, Kukui hands over his Pikachu, who will help you battle any Pokemon you encounter should you need him.

Run through the cave, take the first three pictures and battle two Jangmo-o and one Hakamo-o. After the third battle, you’ll hear a loud noise from outside the back of the cave. Exit the cave and walk forward, where you’ll spot a Totem Hakamo-o. This one’s bigger and stronger than the others, but you’ll still make quick work of it with your Greninja. Congratulations, you’ve completed the trial!

But the demo isn’t over yet. After Kukui gives you your rewards (a Z-Ring and a Z-Crystal), Hau returns with Team Skull (and their “big sister” Team Skull Admin Plumeria) on his tail. Using your Z-Ring, you can unleash Pikachu’s Z-Move, Gigavolt Havoc, on Plumeria’s Golbat for a one-hit KO.

At this point, you have completed the demo… but if you want to discover all the demo’s secrets, you’ll need to jump back in and start exploring.

When you load the demo up again, you’ll find yourself at the Pokemon Center, where the professor will give you a Ride Pager that you can use to call on a Tauros to ride around the city. Here’s everything you can do post-completion:

  • Head to Ten Carat Hill. Jump on your Tauros and dash through the rocks to the right of the entrance. Here you’ll find a few patches of grass and a man who runs the Pokémon Catching Challenge. He’ll hand you a bunch of Poke Balls, a few Heal Balls and a Great Ball and tell you to catch as many Pokemon as you can. If you catch at least three, he’ll reward you with a Nugget, which you can transfer to the full game.
  • Back in Ten Carat Hill, a couple of new trainers will have arrived along with the youngster which you probably defeated on your way to the cave the first time around. Beat all three and Ace Trainer Sheri (located near the entrance of Ten Carat Hill) will allow you to fight her. Beat her and you’ll receive a Star Piece.
  • Finally, head back to Hau’oli and run all the way down the road with the Pokemon Center on it. At the end of the road, you’ll see a group of Slowpokes and a lady standing to their left. Talk to the lady to head to Mahalo Trail, where you’ll need to jump on to your Tauros and break all of the rocks on the path on your way up the trail. Once you reach the top, you’ll meet a mysterious old man who will give you three Stardusts.

Here’s a list of all the Pokemon you can see or encounter in the demo:

  • Greninja
  • Pikachu
  • Jangmo-o
  • Hakamo-o
  • Yungoos
  • Golbat
  • Rockruff
  • Pikipek
  • Tauros

Along with the bonus activities, there are also citizens throughout the city who seem to suggest that you can return on certain days after you start playing to participate in additional events. Once Pokemon Sun and Moon launch on November 18th, you’ll be able to transfer your Greninja and any items you collect to the full game by speaking with Professor Kukui in the Pokemon Center.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.