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Alex Maksymiw
Having began his writing career at Veryali Gaming, Alex has changed gears and has decided to write about his one true passion, Pokémon! Alex is one of our resident competitive experts and loves messing around with peculiar EV's, move sets and typing combos to keep his opponents on their toes. Also, when he's not out tossing Pokeballs in the tall grass, he's quite a handy guitar player and a decent photographer to boot!
Latest posts by Alex Maksymiw (see all)
- Pokemon Emerald Kaizo Guide: The Most Cruel Third-Gen ROM Hack - August 7, 2023
- Pokemon Tectonic Guide: Becoming the Makya Champion and Saving the World Along the Way - July 27, 2023
- Pokemon Emerald Rogue Guide: The Addicting Pokemon Rogue-Like Game - July 22, 2023
Table of Contents
- Field Effects
- 1/100 Shiny Encounters
- Difficulty Settings
- Relationships
- Rift and Boss Battles
- Side Quests
- Achievements
- Post Prologue: Gearen City
- The Pokémon Rejuvenation Adventure Begins
- Velvet Building
- Emerald Building
- Aqua Building
- Magnolia Library
- Event Pokémon
- Oceana Pier
- Gearen City
- Chrisola Hotel
- AP Center: Valuable Items
- Story and Sewers
- Unlocking Gearen City Gym
- Side Quests
- Help Center Quests
- Quest 1: Help Starly (Easy)
- Quest 2: Missing Mother (Normal)
- Quest 3: Hidden Library Part 1 (Easy)
- Quest 4: Love Letter (Easy)
- Quest 5: Dangerous Pokémon (Hard)
- Quest 6: Battle Me (Hard)
- Quest 7: Wretched Music! (Hard)
- Gym Leader Venam
- Color Mixing Puzzles
- Corrosive Field Effect
- Venam's Team
- Normal Mode Team
- Best Pokemon Rejuvenation Alternatives
- FAQs
- Question: Are Pokémon Rejuvenation and Reborn Linked?
- Question: Can You Purify Shadow Pokémon in Pokémon Rejuvenation?
- Question: What Generation is Pokémon Rejuvenation?
- Pokemon Rejuvenation Game Guide: Final Thoughts
- Recommended Reads:
Pokémon Rejuvenation requires more out of the player than the official main game titles in the Pokémon series.
Mastering type matchups, abilities, natures, and team building is essential to be successful at the game.
In addition, trainers will have to contend with the unique game mechanic to Pokémon Rejuvenation and Reborn called Field Effects.
Understanding how to adapt to these effects is important if you are going to beat gym leaders and areas.
New trainers will discover that Pokémon battles in Pokémon Rejuvenation are tough, especially in the beginning with a limited team. Therefore, it is best to expand your team as soon as you can.
Pokémon Rejuvenation Mechanics & Features
Pokémon Rejuvenation plays differently from the Nintendo versions. This is thanks to a long list of gameplay adjustments and additions to core gameplay mechanics in the game. Players should try to utilize the following mechanics to be successful in-game, especially when playing the game on intense mode.
Field Effects
Field Effects occur in battle, modifying Pokémon abilities, moves, typing, and, status effects. Field effects need to be taken into account as they can have a drastic impact in battle. It’s best to discover the kind of field-effect for areas and gym battles to adapt your team accordingly.
1/100 Shiny Encounters
Pokémon Rejuvenation features adjustments to the rate of shiny encounters. Whilst just a cosmetic change, trainers should make use of the soft reset function before Pokémon encounters to reset for shines, abilities, and IVs. You can do this by saving the game with “D” and resetting the game with “F12”.
Difficulty Settings
Pokémon Rejuvenation features 3 difficulty modes casual, normal, and intense mode. It’s recommended that beginner players play the game in normal mode. Intense mode, the “Dark Souls” difficulty level requires strategy, strong IVs, hidden abilities, as well as a bit of luck!
Relationships
Trainers sometimes will be given dialogue options that will impact how characters perceive you—leading to different outcomes in the narrative.
Rift and Boss Battles
Periodically the player will have to fight Rift Pokémon these are challenging battles tied to the narrative. In addition, the player will encounter boss battles usually found in side quests.
Side Quests
Side quests add more content to this fan-made experience and expend overall playtime. Trainers will be able to accept side quests from the designated Help building as well as talking to people. Completing quests is essential as you will receive great rewards such as items, Pokémon encounters, money and, access to new areas.
Achievements
As you play the game, you’ll unlock achievements; you’ll get AP (achievement Points) as a pat on the back. You can use AP to purchase valuable items such as Golden items that allow you to use HM’s without the need for Pokémon.
Post Prologue: Gearen City
Once you’ve escaped the sinking S.S. Oceana you will be taken to Oceana pier this is where your adventure will begin. There is little to do here for now, but take notice of the Fletchling and Nidoran in the area return later to catch them.
Advance to Gearen Labs to pick your starter Pokémon. Once you enter Gearen Labs you will have the opportunity to buy some items from a shop to the right. Buying a few Poke balls and Potions is a good idea as you will need to build your team as soon as possible.
It can be difficult to choose your starter in Pokémon Rejuvenation with 24 starters to choose from. However, don’t be discouraged from picking your favorite starting Pokémon as many of the starters offer their niches in strength. However, that being said, Squirtle, Tepig, Oshawott are the weakest starting Pokémon in the game, as a result of poor abilities and move coverage. In addition, the player can find Squirtle in the wild early in the game negating value to its pick.
The Pokémon Rejuvenation Adventure Begins
After choosing your starter, you will be challenged by Amanda followed by Ren. It’s your standard first Pokemon battle of any Pokémon game. However, be sure to press “S” in-battle to get information on field effects as well as stat changes. Once you’ve defeated them, you’ll shortly be given a CyberNav and Pokedex; now you are free to start exploring East Gearen City. Be careful there are many trainers lurking around the city.
Exiting Gearen Labs head left and interact with the bush at the end of the street to obtain a Gourmet Treat. An item that allows you to catch the attention of event Pokémon such as the Nidoran from Oceana Pier. You can return to Oceana Pier to catch the Fletchling and Nidoran. Make sure to save the game before interacting with Nidoran to soft reset until you get good IVs or even a shiny.
Velvet Building
The Velvet Building is located left of Gearen Labs. Advance to the 1F and talk to the woman in the middle of the room. She will give you a choice of picking from her right or left hand to receive a special type of Poke ball. You will be given a Steam Ball if you choose right, and a Mineral Ball if you choose left.
Don’t forget to pick up the Great Ball lying on the bottom of the floor. Trainers can be found in all three Velvet, Aqua and, Emerald Buildings so make sure to have a healed team. Advancing to the 2F at night, and you’ll find a Pachirisu running around the room you can use a Gourmet Treat to battle it. Pick up the remaining items in the room and head to final 3F to find an Exp Candy XS.
Emerald Building
You will want to visit the Emerald building before the Aqua building to level your team a bit. Talk to the NPCs in the lobby to learn about the strange occurrences at night on the 3F. To advance to the 2F you will need to defeat a trainer blocking the elevator; this is an easy battle.
Once you’ve entered the second-floor, talk to the NPCs to receive a Full Heal and a Super Repel. Now head to the third floor and walk inside the smaller room; this will trigger an event with Shuppet.
Aqua Building
The Aqua Building is located left of Venam’s house. Be sure to explore this building and pick up the Old Rod and Iron item on the first floor. However, don’t advance to the third floor as you will be forced into an impossible battle by a trainer called Mercury.
Magnolia Library
Magnolia Library is located north of the Emerald Building. Handing over $300, you’ll get access to the library where you can battle Ren again once you have won the Poison Heart badge. You can also find a move tutor who can teach your Pokémon the following moves for the cost of a few shards. There’s not a great deal to do here until you have obtained the Poison Heart badge.
- Bind– 1 Red Shard
- Covet– 1 Blue Shard
- Helping Hand– 1 Yellow Shard
Once you have obtained the Poison Heart badge you will be able to access the second floor of the library. You will find another move tutor on this floor. In addition, you will also meet Zumi a character who will trigger a quest.
- Dual Chop– 2 Yellow Shards
- Block– 2 Blue Shards
- Super Fang– 2 Red Shards
Event Pokémon
To build a versatile team in Pokémon Rejuvenation, you will need to make the most of the event Pokémon. Luckily Gearen City has many available event Pokémon scattered around. However, they won’t always be so easily obtained like Nidoran (M).
Trainers will have to complete quests, talk to NPCs, visit specific areas at certain times, and stock up on Gourmet Treats. Don’t forget to save before interacting with the event Pokémon to ensure you get a shiny–unless you’re as lucky as me and got a shiny Shuppet the first time!
Here is a list of available event Pokémon early in the game located in and surrounding Gearen City:
Oceana Pier
- Nidoran (M)– Intractable with Gourmet Treat.
- Fletchling– Intractable once returning to Oceana Pier post prologue.
- Litleo– Obtained as a gift for completing the Dangerous Pokémon side quest.
Gearen City
- Pachirisu– Interactable with Gourmet Treat located on the second floor of the Velvet Building at night.
- Shuppet– Interactable at night, located on the third floor of the Emerald Building.
- Voltorb– Obtained by purchasing four Poke balls $400 each from the Black Belt vendor below the entrance to the Shopping Emporium.
- Pichu– Received as a gift for completing the Battle Me quest.
- Serviper– Hatched from an egg located in a secret room in Gearen City Gym. The room is unlocked in the third room by mixing the poisons to mix the following colors, brown, white, and orange.
- Buizel– Caught by defeating his previous trainer. To trigger this quest return to Oceana Pier and enter the building west of the area and interact with the trainer within.
- Nidoran F– Located by the Emerald building, interact with Nidoran (F) four times to battle the Pokémon.
- Feebas– Only obtainable after defeating Gearen City gym. Located in Gearen Lab, by talking to the girl by the PC.
- Blitzle– Interactable with Gourmet Treat located south of Junction Bridge. Rock Smash or the Golden Hammer item is required to access Blitzle’s location.
- Gossifleur– Interactable with Gourmet Treat located in Gearen Park after talking to Melia.
Chrisola Hotel
Coupled with side quests and a Game Corner, Chrisola Hotel is a great location to visit to train your team and earn some money. The hotel includes a Basement /Pool, Lobby (1F), a Casino/AP Center (2F), and rooftop. You can battle against an Audino breeder on the rooftop as it’s a great way to earn XP as you’ll also receive 3 Exp. Candies for beating her.
You should consider spending time at the casino and AP center. Talking to an NPC towards the AP Center will trigger them to flush their Coin Case down a drain. Allowing us to get access to it later. There are some powerful items, moves, and Pokémon to obtain here.
Voltorb flip game is the best arcade game to accumulate coins in the game corner. As you can apply simple strategies to advance through levels. For example rows with high totaled numbers can help indicate where the hidden Voltorbs are located. The Game Corner also includes a lottery where you’ll have the chance to win a Masterball. You can also pay for coins if you run out or want to buy prizes. However, refrain from this as coins are expensive costing either 50 for $1,000 or 500 for $10,000 Ouch!
Here is a list of prizes you can redeem your winnings for:
- TM10 Hidden Power– 5,000 coins, a very powerful move that changes typing depending on the Pokémon.
- TM70 Flash– 1,000 coins, decreases the accuracy of the target.
- Seel– 1,000 coins.
- Spoink– 4,000 coins.
- Maractus– 5,000 coins.
- Helioptile– 6,500 coins.
AP Center: Valuable Items
The AP Center is where you can spend your AP rewarded from obtaining achievements. There are many valuable items to obtain from the AP center, that can boost your Pokémon’s Nature and EV’s. However, I recommend that you save up your points for the golden items. These items allow you to use HMs without having to waste a move slot in your team.
The Golden Hammer is a great first choice as you will be able to get access south of Junction Bridge. Exp. All (30 AP), another notable purchase will make training your Pokémon much easier.
- Golden Axe– 15 AP
- Golden Hammer– 15 AP
- Golden Surfboard– 20 AP
- Golden Gauntlet– 25 AP
- Golden Scuba Gear– 25 AP
- Golden Wings– 25 AP
- Golden Jetpack– 25 AP
- Golden Drift Board– 25 AP
- Golden Claws – 25 AP
Story and Sewers
Once you’ve finished exploring head to Venam’s house if you haven’t already. You’ll be shown a short cinematic introducing you to Venam. She will try and trick the player into giving her a Pecha berry.
Run over to the Shopping Emporium and enter the berry shop. The shopkeeper will give you a Pecha Berry filled with wasabi. Return to Venam and give her the berry, she will ask if it was your idea. Answer with “All me!” for maximum relationship points. Now that you have completed this sequence she will ask you to come to the Sewers located southwest of the map.
Arriving at the entrance of the Sewers, Ren will join you and Venam. After a bit of banter, Venam will charge ahead into the sewers. Follow after her, in this area, you will fight alongside Ren in double battles against trainers, wild Pokémon. It’s difficult to catch Pokémon while accompanied by Ren as you have to knock out one to be able to target with the Poke ball.
Therefore, it’s best to return later to catch the wild Pokémon in the area. Noibat and Geodude are notable catches however, they have a low encounter rate. Explore past the bridge and head left to find the Coin Case that the gambler in Chrisola Hotel flushed away.
Unlocking Gearen City Gym
Once you have fought your way through the Sewers, you will be greeted by Venam and she will lock you out of the next room. You’ll need to tread back to the generator room and interact with the numbered generators in sequence to the numbers Ren gives you. Now that you have solved this simple puzzle, head back to the door and enter the room.
After talking with Venam and Melia, you will be challenged by a group of Trubbish and a Garbador. The battle isn’t too hard as you will be supported by Ren. Once you have defeated the Garbador, Venam will invite you to a battle at her gym.
Side Quests
Side quests play an integral part of Pokémon Rejuvenation. You’ll be rewarded each time you complete a quest. You can accept quests from Help buildings as well as talking to NPCs therefore you want to be chatting with everyone you see. However, some quests and events will not be available until you have progressed in the story, or you have obtained the Poison Heart badge.
Even though we are early in the game, Gearen City has one of these Help buildings (a key place to know). It’s located North of the Emerald Building and left of Magnolia Library.
Help Center Quests
You can choose quests in any order you seem fit, but be careful as some quests will require you to fight challenging battles. Therefore, I recommend training your Pokémon to the level cap before accepting these quests. Talking to the NPC next to the quest board will give you information on your current task.
Here are the quests available at the Help Center ranked from easy to hard.
Quest 1: Help Starly (Easy)
- Talk to the girl next to the PC in Gearen Labs.
- Battle the gang member located at Oceana Pier.
- Return to the girl before heading back to the Help Center to claim your reward of potions and $890.
Quest 2: Missing Mother (Normal)
- Talk to Sasha in the Petal Saloon located in the Shopping Emporium.
- Head to the 2F of the Aqua Building and talk to a girl before returning to Sasha.
- Visit the 3F of the Velvet Building and talk to the customer before returning to Sasha.
- Go to the Emerald Building and talk to the NPC sitting left near the entrance.
- Return to Sasha and venture forth to an unlocked building in Oceana Pier.
- Defeat a Lv. 19 Lopunny in a trainer battle. Now return to the Help Center to receive your $550 reward.
As a result of your efforts, the Petal Saloon will now be back in business and you’ll be able to receive a free haircut to increase your friendship level with your Pokémon. Additionally, you will be able to check the friendship status with your Pokémon by talking to an NPC in the saloon. Haircuts can only be made once a day and will cost $1,500 after your free haircut.
Quest 3: Hidden Library Part 1 (Easy)
- Enter Gearen Labs and talk to the backpacker left of the entrance.
- Talk to the receptionist at Chrisola Hotel.
- Travel to Leaflet Garden located above Gearen Labs and talk to the mother sitting on the left bench.
- Talk to Karrina South- East Gearen City left of the Sewers entrance.
- Return to the backpacker with your findings before heading back to the Help Center. You’ll receive 5 Great Balls and 3 Timer Balls as your reward.
Quest 4: Love Letter (Easy)
- Travel to the 2F of Oceana Pier Gate and talk to Eric. He will give you the love letter.
- Travel to Shopping Emporium and buy 1 Burn Heal from the vendor located south of the emporium.
- Talk to Cameron east of the Petal Saloon to give him the items.
- Return to Eric before returning to the Help Center to receive $350 and a Nugget as your reward.
Quest 5: Dangerous Pokémon (Hard)
- Travel to Oceana Pier and head right. You’ll want a team fit to fight fire-type Pokémon.
- Defeat two Litleo’s (Lv. 15) and a Pyroar (Lv. 25) in a double battle formation.
- Adopt Litleo into your team and return to the Help Center to receive $350 and a Super Potion.
Quest 6: Battle Me (Hard)
Travel to the rooftop of Chrisola Hotel and challenge Wanderer Novae to a battle. This is a challenging battle therefore, it’s recommended your team is at the Lv. 18 cap. Save the game before battling to be able to reset the game if you lose. Novae’s team consists of 6 Pokémon:
- Trumbeak (Lv.16)
- Charjabug (Lv.17)
- Rockruff (Lv.17)
- Steenee (Lv,18)
- Sandygast (Lv.18)
- Passimian (Lv. 20)
I’d recommend bringing Litleo, and Fletchinder to fight against Charjabug, Steenee, and, Passimiam. You’re going to want to be careful of Passimiam’s Rock Smash as it will lower your Pokémon’s defense. Bring a strong Grass-type to make short work of Sandygast and Rockruff.
- Once you have defeated Novae return to the Help Center to receive $350 and Pichu.
Quest 7: Wretched Music! (Hard)
- Travel to Hotel Chrisola and talk to the receptionist, after entering the basement save the game.
- Challenge Rorim to a battle
- Next head back to the lobby walk to the left corridor and talk to the girl in the top left room.
- Follow the corridor and talk to the second bell boy.
- Return to Rorim with the new dancers before heading back to the Help Center. Collect $1,100, Gourmet Treat, and, TM119 Magical Leaf as your reward.
Rorim is a powerful trainer and this is one of the toughest battles you will face so far in the game. However, building a team to counter Rorim is not too difficult… Rorim’s team consists of:
- Spinda(Lv.15)
- Vivillon(Lv.16)
- Oricorio(Lv,16)
- Lombre(Lv.17)
Rorim enters the battle with Spinda you’ll want to open with a Pokémon that has Fighting-type moves. Be wary of Lombre once it has used Rain Dance as this will power up Lombre’s Bubblebeam move.
So make sure you bring along a Poison-type such as Serviper, Nidorina, or Nidorino. If you struggle with Oricorio bring a Pokémon that knows dark-type moves. Serviper is a great pick here.
Gym Leader Venam
There are a total of 18 gym leaders in Pokémon Rejuvenation. Unlike the regular Pokémon games rejuvenation adds a unique field effects mechanic that will add to the challenge of fighting these trainers. In addition to progressing through the story, you will need to obtain badges to raise the level cap of your Pokémon.
Gearen City gym specializes in Poison-types so make sure to stock up on Pecha berries from the Shopping Emporium. You’ll need to solve color mixing puzzles to advance to Venam.
Color Mixing Puzzles
- Until then advance to the first room and battle the trainer. Once you have defeated the trainer they will explain that you need to mix Magenta to unlock the door to the next room. Interact with the red and blue gases.
- For the second room, you will need to make orange then green. Mix red and yellow and confirm it. Followed by mixing teal and yellow to create green.
- You will be required to make orange, white and, teal in the third room. First mix red and yellow, then green, red, and blue, then finally green and blue.
- Access the secret room by making brown, white, and orange. Once you access this area Venam will allow you to take anything you find. Pick up the Serviper egg and grab the hidden rare candy.
Venam is the first gym leader you will go up against in Pokémon Rejuvenation, and she is no pushover. Located in East Gearen City and Specializing in Poison-types, Venam has a few tricks up her sleeve that make her battle challenging.
Not only will the player have to contend with her deadly Venam’s Kiss move but also fight with infliction from the Corrosive Field, effect.
It’s highly recommended bringing Ground and Psychic-type Pokémon or Pokémon with these types of moves as they are super effective against Poison types.
Unfortunately, trainers who picked a grass starter may struggle with the battle due to Grass being weak to Poison. However, don’t be deterred from picking your favorite Grass-type starter as they will become useful later in the game.
Corrosive Field Effect
- Pokémon with the Corrosion ability get a 1.5x damage boost.
- Grounded and non-Poison or Steel-type Pokémon take scaling damage when entering the battle.
- Grass-type attacks gain a Poison sub-type.
- Merciless ability is activated (critical hits always land on poisoned Pokémon)
Venam’s Team
Venam’s team consists of 2 poison types as well as 4 dual poison types. Giving her great coverage of move types. As a result, you’ll have to switch out your Pokémon carefully.
Her team is slightly different in intense mode with 3 poison types and 3 dual poison types. If you allow Venam to use Toxic Spikes, you will take damage from both the spikes and Corrosive Field. Therefore, knock out her Mareanie or Nidorina as soon as possible.
Normal Mode Team
- Trubbish (Lv.12)
- Mareanie (Lv.12)
- Ivysaur (Lv.13)
- Grimer (Lv.13)
- Whirlipede (Lv.14)
- Seviper (Lv.15)
As mentioned before you are going to want to knock Mareanie out as soon as possible due to its Toxic Spikes and Merciless ability. This is no easy task as Mareanie also uses the Recover move giving the Pokémon sustain in the battle.
However, Mareanie is weak to Electric and Psychic-type moves. Make sure to have a Psychic Pokémon ready for Venam’s deadly Serviper. Equipped with Bulldoze and Venam’s Kiss a dangerous Poison move.
Whilst the battle is challenging there are Pokémon that will make this battle a lot easier. The player can get access to a Serviper, Chingling, Spoink, and, Hoothoot. All four are brilliant picks for the battle due to their move sets.
- Hoothoot– can be found in the tall grass around the city at night.
- Chingling– can be found in wild grass around Gearen City.
- Spoink– Obtained as a reward at the game corner in Chrisola Hotel for 4,000 coins.
Now that you have defeated Venam you will get access to new quests, events, and new dialogue from NPCs. You are now free to enter Venam’s house to pick up the Poison Barb move.
- Return to Gearen Labs and talk to the girl left of the entrance. She will give you a Badge Card and ask you to battle against Falkner in a virtual battle. Defeat Falkner’s Hoothoot (Lv. 11) and Noctowl (Lv. 12)
Best Pokemon Rejuvenation Alternatives
If you are looking for another Pokemon game away from the Game Freak formula to keep you busy after playing this stellar fan-made masterpiece, then you might want to check out some of these ROM hack options below:
- Pokemon Reborn
- Pokemon Insurgence
- Pokemon Unbound
- Pokemon Ultra Violet
- Pokemon Gaia
FAQs
Question: Are Pokémon Rejuvenation and Reborn Linked?
Answer: Pokémon Rejuvenation includes cameos and references of characters and events, but it is a standalone game with its own story. So you can play Reborn or Rejuvenation in any order.
Question: Can You Purify Shadow Pokémon in Pokémon Rejuvenation?
Answer: Shadow Pokémon can be caught by using the Snag Machine in Team Xen battles. After getting your second badge you can purify Pokémon by lowering their heart gauge and visiting the Spring of Purification. Purified Pokémon will be able to learn new unique moves.
Question: What Generation is Pokémon Rejuvenation?
Answer: Pokémon Rejuvenation uses generation 3 as its engine but includes Pokémon from all generations.
Pokemon Rejuvenation Game Guide: Final Thoughts
You’re now well on your way to becoming a Pokémon master. Remember that Pokémon Rejuvenation is a challenging game and that you will struggle with many battles along the way.
However, using this guide you will now have picked up some decent Pokémon to get you started. This is a beginners guide, therefore making progress in the narrative will unlock new areas to Gearen City.
Recommended Reads:
- Pokemon Yellow Guide
- Pokemon Gaia Game Guide: Your Companion for One of the Best Fan-made Pokemon Games
- Pokemon Revolution Online Game Guide