10 Postgame Challenges in Pokémon Sun And Moon

Source: Nintendo

Finished Pokémon Sun and Moon's main campaign and craving more adventure? Don't worry, the Alola region still has a whole bunch of extra missions, secret objectives, and hidden collectibles out there for you to discover.

Game Freak has always been good at keeping secrets from Pokémon trainers. Ever since we discovered Mew hidden away in the code of the original games, it seems the Japanese developers have taken it upon themselves to add weird and wonderful surprises into every single game. Pokémon Sun and Moon are no exception, with Ultra Beasts, Z-Crystals, and even hidden Legendaries. There's plenty more to uncover; you just need to know where to look.

It goes without saying that the following pages contain major post-game spoilers. If you don’t want to know Sun and Moon’s juiciest secrets, turn away now!

10. Catch The Ultra Beasts

Pretty much immediately after defeating the Elite Four and becoming the first ever champion of Alola, you’ll find yourself involved with Anabel and Looker, a couple ofPokémon detectives some of you will recognize from previous games. The pair will invite you to take part in a series of missions to catch the mysterious Ultra Beasts.

It’s a fairly linear task, although it will take a decent amount of time. The UB’s only appear in the specific locations, so make sure you listen up carefully to Anabel and Looker. You’ll know you’re in the right place if the normal background music has been replaced with the funky UB music.

9. Catch Necrozma

Completing all of the UB missions will set the terrifying legendary Pokémon Necrozma loose on the world. You can find it and catch it in the Farthest Hollow of Ten Carat Hill on Melemele Island. However, you must remember to go and talk to Looker beforehand otherwise it won’t spawn.

Be warned, Necrozma is at level 75 and by far the hardest Pokémon to capture in-game, so it’s a good idea to use your Master Ball or bring a boat-load of Ultra Balls and a Pokémon that knows False Swipe.

Pro Tip: Necrozma is a Pokémon, not a UB so Beast Balls will not be particularly useful.

8. Catch All Of The Guardian Deities

The Guardian Deities are next up for the Ultra Ball treatment. You will have already battled - and hopefully caught - the Electric/Fairy Tapu Koko after completing the main story; now it’s the turn of the other island guardians.

You can find the Psychic/Fairy Tapu Lele in Akala Island’s Ruins of Life, the Grass/Fairy Tapu Bulu in Ula’ula Island’s Ruins of Abundance, and the Water/Fairy Tapu Fini in Poni Island’s Ruins of Hope.

You’ll have to beat a simple puzzle at each location before you can challenge the Tapu. At level 60, they’re all pretty strong. As long as you’re battling with the team you used to beat the Elite Four, you shouldn’t have too much trouble.

7. Beat The Eevee Trainers

If you fly to Royal Avenue and talk to the veteran cashier, he will tell you about eight Pokémon trainers that he wants you to meet. These trainers are scattered throughout the region and each of them uses a different Eeveelution.

Talk to the veteran again and he will give you clues about all of the trainers’ locations. Okay, so you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure them out, but it’s a fun little side-quest and you’ll get a pretty amazing reward for completing it.

6. Get Type: Null And Silvally

Find Gladion at Aether Paradise and he will present you with your very own Type: Null. He’ll also give you a bunch of memory drives that you can use to change the typing of Silvally, Type: Null's evolution.

Type: Null will only evolve into Silvally when leveled up with high happiness. Remember happiness has nothing to do with your partner’s Pokemon Refresh stats; it’s a completely separate and hidden value that can only be increased through methods such as walking with your Pokemon, having your Pokemon massaged in Konikoni City, and leaving your Pokemon to bathe in the hot springs at Poke Pelago’s Isle Avue.

Pro Tip: If you want to check up on Type: Null’s progress, take it to Konikoni City and talk to the veteran next to the massage shop. If she says, "My! It feels incredibly close to you! Nothing makes it happier than being with you!", Type: Null will evolve next time you level it up.

5. Get Cosmog And Cosmoem

This event depends on what version have the game you have so read this information carefully.

Pokémon Sun: Take your Solgaleo to the top of the Altar of the Sunne at night and go through the rift. you’ll find that the time has changed to daylight.

With Solgaleo still in your party, head to the Lake of the Moone and go to the very center. A short cutscene will play and a Cosmog will appear for you to take. Cosmog evolves into Cosmoem at level 43, Cosmoem will then evolve into Solgaleo at level 53.

Pokémon Moon: Identical, except take your Lunala to the Altar of the Moone.

4. Defend Your Pokémon League Title

Praise Arceus! Finally, for the first time ever, you can defend your Pokemon League Championship title against a whole host of powerful hopefuls.

All you have to do is re-battle the Elite Four and then head up to your Champions’ chair. Once you’re there you’ll be greeted by a random trainer looking to steal your crown. I don’t want to spoil too much so I won’t go into any further detail. Let’s just say there are a few unexpected challengers to the throne.

Pro Tip: You can also fight special NPC’s such as Guzma and Faba by finding them in the overworld.

3. Upgrade The Poké Finder

In order to upgrade your Poké Finder to it's maximum level, you're going to need a whopping 1,500,000 points. Here are all of the spots you can visit in order to get a snap of a rare beastie:

Melemele Island: Hau’oli Cemetery, Hau’oli City Beachfront, Hau’oli City Shopping District, Kala’e Bay, Melemele Meadow.

Akala Island: Brooklet Hill, Lush Jungle, Paniola Ranch, Route 8, Royal Avenue, Wela Volcano Park.

Ula’ula Island: Blush Mountain, Mount Hokulani, Mount Lanakila, Route 13, Thrifty Megamart Abandoned Site, Ula’ula Meadow.

Poni Island: Poni Coast, Poni Meadow, Vast Poni Canyon.

Pro Tip: For bonus points, try and snap your photo as the Pokémon is performing an action; a giggling Vanillite will garner around twice as many points as a stationary one.

2. Challenge The Battle Tree

Situated in the farthest corner of Poni Island, the Battle Tree is a place for only the most committed trainers. If you have no interest in competitive battling, it’s very unlikely you’ll enjoy what lies ahead.

The moment you enter the area you'll be greeted by Red and Blue, the main characters from the original Pokémon games. Blue will challenge you to a battle, though you get to choose which trainer to face:

Red's Team: Pikachu, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Snorlax, Lapras.

Blue's Team: Alakazam, Exeggutor, Machamp, Arcanine, Gyarados, Aerodactyl.

Inside the Battle Tree itself, you will take part in Single, Double, or Multi Battles as you look to build up a winning streak and earn in-game currency called Battle Points (BP). BP can be used to purchase rare items, such as Mega Stones, from the areas’ receptionist.

Pro Tip: If you’ve hatched 20 Pokémon eggs or more, you can talk to an Ace Trainer who will add a ‘Judge Button’ to your PC Boxes. This button will allow you to view and assess the individual values (IV’s) of each and every one of your Pokémon, increasing your chances of doing well in the Battle Tree and in competitive play.

1. Complete Your Pokédex And Trainer Passport

Of course, the final goal in any Pokémon game is to finish the Pokédex. Easier said than done but, with the popularity of the Global Trade System (GTS), its definitely an achievable goal.

Even after you've managed all of that, there’s still one more challenge before you can complete your Trainer Passport:

Win 50 consecutive Single Battles, 50 consecutive Double Battles, and 50 consecutive Multi Battles in the Battle Tree. Then, and only then, can you claim you're a true Alolan Pokémon Master.

Pro Tip: Make sure you've collected the Shiny Charm from the Game Freak Director in Heahea City otherwise you won't get the final stamp.

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Pokemon Trainers, is there anything we’ve missed out that deserves a place on the list? Let us know in the comments section below!