As with most Pokemon games, you will have a rival that occasionally challenges you in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet. This time around, your rival will choose the weaker typing when choosing their starter Pokemon and will be friendly toward you. Below we go over every rival encounter and how to easily make short work of their Pokemon team.

Rival Battle One¶

This will take place right after you choose your starter. Nemona will choose the typing that’s weak to the starter you chose. Here’s who she will choose based on your starter choice.

• Quaxly: Nemona Chooses Fuecoco
• Fuecoco: Nemona Choose Sprigatito
• Sprigatito: Nemona Choose Quaxly

To win the battle, simply use the elemental attack that your starter comes equipped with.

Rival Battle Two (Your First Day of School)¶

Nemona will want a rematch on your first day of school. Here is a look at her slightly updated team.

In addition to this, she will have her starter at level 8. Simply use yours to counter her.

Rival Battle Three (After Entering Third Gym)¶

After you obtain two gym badges, you will encounter Nemona as soon as you enter the third gym you wish to challenge. This time she will have three Pokemon on her team. Here are her two new additions.

These two are pretty weak. You can take Rockruff down with water, grass, fighting, steel, or ground attacks. As for Pawmi, you simply need to use a ground type attack to take them down.

Once you have taken them out, she will send out the level 22 starter that is opposite of yours. She will use a Tera Orb on them, but this should not make too much difference as it doesn’t change their type. Simply send your own starter out and use super effective attacks to make quick work of her last Pokemon.

Rival Battle Four (After Beating Your Fifth Gym)¶

Once you beat your fifth gym, Nemona will immediately run up to you, demanding a battle. Luckily, you do get your Pokemon healed right before it starts, but you won’t be able to switch around your team. She now has four Pokemon, three of which are evolved forms.

Once again, you will want to use a water, fighting, steel, ground or grass type to make quick work of Nemona’s first Pokemon Lycanroc. After he’s dealt with, she will send out the dragon-type Goomy. Counter Goomy with dragon, ice, or fairy-type moves. Pawmo is a bit more trouble since it has a dual typing.

For Pawmo, use Psychic, Fairy, or Ground-type moves. Nemona’s final Pokemon is level 37 and will be the opposite type as your starter. She will once again use the Tera Orb on them, do the same, and use your starter to quickly take her final Pokemon down.

Rival Battle Five (When Entering Your Seventh Gym)¶

Upon entering your seventh gym, Nemona will challenge you to another battle. Here’s who she has on her team this time around.

Lycanroc can still easily be taken down by a water, fighting, steel, ground, or grass type move. Sligoo, can be hit hard using an Ice, fairy, or dragon-type, if you just came from the ghost-type gym, then you can fly back to pick an ice Pokemon up. Pawmo can be dealt with by using Psychic, Fairy, or Ground-type moves. You can find all three of these Pokemon types around Alfornada.

Finally, she will send out the level 43 starter she chose and use a Tera Orb on it. Do the same with your starter to make quick work of her.