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As you go off the beaten path or progress deeper into the game, there will be occasions where you’ll encounter an obstacle than you can’t pass without the aid of Pokémon. At these times, you will need to use the corresponding TM (Technical Machine) or HM (Hidden Machine) learned by your Pokémon.

Remember: HMs and TMs are useless unless taught to a Pokemon!

Also beware that once learned, HMs cannot be forgotten (until you reach the Move Deleter later on). This can be annoying if you have a lot of great moves on your Pokémon and you’re forced to delete one when learning a new one (although luckily there’s also the Move Reminder who lives in the same house).

For this purpose, some players like to bring along a “HM Slave” (or two) - a Pokémon whose only purpose is to use HMs. This way, you don’t have to compromise your battle Pokémon, but it means you’ll be wasting one of your six party slots. Man… when will Game Freak finally remove HMs?!

HM01: Cut

Acquired from the Parfum Palace back garden, this move lets your Pokémon - with sharp claws or a scythe - cut down a thorny plant blocking your way to a secret path or goodie. In battle, its damage is pretty poor and outside of battle, there are few (if any) thorny plants in the way of progress.

TM94: Rock Smash

Obtained from Ambrette Town ; Rock Smash does… exactly what it says, breaking small, cracked rocks in the way. It’s no longer a HM, so can be relearned or forgotten as often as you like. Since it’s been demoted to TM status, that’s a hint that it’s not vital for getting around Kalos.

However, besides opening up side routes, Rock Smash occasionally lets you encounter wild Pokémon hiding inside the rocks, items or - after beating the Elite Four - even Pokémon fossils (rarely found in Glittering Cave)!

HM03: Surf

Need a water Pokémon to learn Surf? Try using your fishing rods.

Given to you when you step foot into Route 12 and after obtaining the Mega Ring; Surf lets you traverse medium-depth water, such as rivers or ponds. While surfing, you may encounter wild, water-based Pokémon. Of all the HMs, Surf is one of the better ones for battle and ideal for your special Water attackers.

HM04: Strength

Found in Cyllage City ; Strength flexes your Pokémon’s muscles, allowing you to move big cubic rocks, provided there is no other obstruction in the way (such as a wall). Cue a variety of Strength-based puzzles, where you must cleverly manoeuvre the rocks, often dropping them into pits, to get exactly where you want.

Once you’ve used Strength once, you will be able to continuously push rocks until you leave the area, so there’s no need to keep applying Strength each time you want to nudge a rock.

HM05: Waterfall

The final HM is given to you near the end of Route 19 ; with this you can ascend and descend the giant waterfalls encountered while using Surf. Like Surf, Waterfall is a powerful move in its own right and a good fit for any physical Water attackers.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Pokemon Company International
  • Platforms,
    3DS
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    1 November 2013
  • Last Updated
    11 July 2022
  • Guide Author
    Daniel Chaviers

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Become the ultimate Pokémon champion with our greatest Pokémon strategy guide yet. Inside we cover:

  • Everything that’s new to Pokémon X & Y.
  • 5 amazing tips to get your Pokémon collecting off to a blistering start.
  • Every single route, trainer battle and hidden shortcuts are covered.
  • What Pokémon can be found on what routes (both versions).
  • How to beat every single gym leader without breaking a sweat.
  • Where to find all those hidden items.
  • The locations of every single legendary Pokémon!
  • Where to find all of the amazing Mega Stones.
  • Pokémon-Amie, Super Training, Battle Chateau etc all covered!
  • Accompanied by over 240 super high-quality screenshots!
  • Additional details on the elusive event Pokemon distributions.
  • Encounter rates for finding wild Pokemon.
  • Videos for all the Gym Leader and Elite Four battles, plus legendary and shiny Pokemon.
  • Dozens of additional tips and reminders throughout the main walkthrough.
  • How to solve crime with the Looker Bureau in the post-game.
  • Full breakdown on how to breed the perfect Pokémon of your dreams!
  • How to catch those insanely rare Shiny Pokémon!
  • List of all the really helpful (and free) O-Powers.

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