After ascending the east staircase, there’s Rocket a Grunt patrolling near the teleporter. In the next room, there’s a Grunt in the north-west corner and two red Meowth statues towards the north-east. If you try to walk in front of the direction that the statues are facing, the alarm will ring and you’ll be taken back to the entrance of the room.

Team Rainbow Rocket Grunts¶

Thankfully, there’s a design flaw to these statues. At the back of each statue is a button that you can press to rotate the statue in a different direction–the directions available are indicated by the the red arrows near the base of the statue. In this room, both of the statues can be rotated to face north or east.

To proceed, simply rotate the westernmost statue so that it faces north instead of east. This way, you can sneak to the right of the easternmost statue to grab the Calcium , and walk between the two statues to reach the next teleporter. If you want, you can also rotate the second statue so that it faces east, making it slightly easier to walk around.

In the second room, things start to get a little more complicated. First, rotate the statue near the entrance so that it faces east instead of north. Be mindful of the Grunt surveying for intruders along the south. Next, walk around the statue that you rotated, then head east towards the easternmost statue that’s facing west, being careful not to stray into its field of vision.

Rotate this statue so that it faces north. Ignore the nearby statue to the left. Instead, go west and rotate the remaining statue so that it faces south instead of east. At this point, you can’t reach the teleporter just yet, but don’t worry about that. Go around to the east side of the statue, then cautiously head south.

From here, you can go behind the two middle statues to reach the PP Up. After tightening your bag, go to the back of the statue you ignored earlier, and rotate it from north to east. Ta-da! You can now proceed through the teleporter without causing any alarm.

In the third and final room, there are no Grunts–just an intricate Meowth puzzle. First, rotate the nearby statue towards the west side so that it faces south rather than east. Next, go around the statue, being careful not to trigger the west-facing statue near the center. Ignore the nearby north-facing statue for now.

Instead, go over to the south-east statue and rotate it from north to west. Now head for the north-east corner and rotate the west-facing statue near the teleporter so that it’s looking north. Go around to the west side of the two now north-facing statues. Finally, rotate the statue in the north-west corner from north to west.

You can now safely grab the Cell Battery above the statue. From here, rotate the statue directly south of the teleporter so that it faces west. Then do the same for the statue to the right. At this point, you can reach the teleporter via the north-east corner. On the other side are more door-guarding Grunts, and a nearby Max Revive.

The team leader that awaits on the other side of the door is Lysandre of Team Flare. He will egg you into pressing one of two buttons to determine the fate of the world. No matter which button you choose, the outcome is exactly the same. Likewise, there can only be one outcome for a despotic lunatic like himself: total defeat.

Team Flare Lysandre¶

Lysandre’s team is modeled after his final team from X and Y, with a Legendary twist. His first Pokémon, Mienshao, packs a punch with a a hard-hitting STAB High Jump Kick, backed up by its high Attack and reasonable Speed. It also has U-Turn and Fake Out to try and outsmart you. Flying or Fairy-types are recommended.

Pyroar is an evolved Litleo with respectable Special Attack and Speed. Lysandre’s Pyroar can use Flamethrower or Hyper Voice to deal STAB damage, Snarl to lower Special Attack, and Will-O-Wisp to cripple physical attackers. Water, Ground and Rock-types are safe choices, especially if they have good special bulk.

Honchkrow is an evolved Murkrow that boasts impressive offensive stats, but is lacking in the defensive and speed departments. This one can use Dark Pulse for STAB, Heat Wave to annoy Ice-types, and Shadow Ball and Psychic for reasons that are dubious at best. Electric, Rock or Fairy-types are your best bets.

Lysandre’s signature Pokémon, Gyarados, can Mega Evolve into Mega Gyarados, which boasts stupendous Attack and impressive bulk, especially on the Special side. For attacks, it can use STAB Waterfall and Crunch, Earthquake to handle Electric-types, and Stone Edge just in case. Grass, Fighting or Fairy-types are ideal.

Finally, Lysandre has a Legendary Pokémon that depends on which version you’re playing. In Ultra Sun, he has a Xerneas, which is a Fairy-type with Fairy Aura that boosts Fairy-type attacks. Attack-wise it can use STAB Moonblast, Geomancy to store up energy for a massive stat boost, and Psyshock to annoy Poison-types.

Meanwhile, in Ultra Moon, Lysandre has a Yveltal instead. This Legendary Dark Pokémon excudes a Dark Aura that boosts the power of Dark-type attacks. For attacks, it can use STAB Air Slash and Oblivion Wing–the latter absorbing health from its opponent. It also has Psychic and Shadow Ball for reasons only known to him.

Despite their differences, both Legendaries function very similarly. Of the two, Xerneas is the most dangerous since Yveltal isn’t carrying any Dark-type moves to take advantage of its aura. Steel-types like Solgaleo will make mincemeat of Xerneas, and Yveltal can be dispatched with Electric, Ice, Rock or Fairy-types.

Demolish Lysandre’s delusions of grandeur and you’ll be free to push the other button that you didn’t press. In doing so, the way ahead will open halfway, and the teleporter in the corner of the room will activate. Before Lysandre’s words make your head hurt, leave the room via the teleporter and proceed to your next destination.