Pokemon X and Y Phase 1 Bug Badge Walkthrough

Pokemon X and Y optimal walkthrough

Vaniville Town → Santalune City Gym (Viola).

Phase1 of 10 TargetLv 10-12 RewardBug Badge + TM83 Infestation

Route Map

This is the linear order of every meaningful stop in Phase 1. Routes 1, 2, and 3 are short, but Santalune Forest is where most of your early team-building happens.

Starter Choice

Tierno presents the three Kalos starters in Aquacorde Town. Your rival (Calem or Serena, depending on your character's gender) will always pick the starter with the type advantage against yours — they're testing you. Trevor's gift later in Phase 5 (a Kanto starter from Sycamore in Lumiose) does not overlap, so commit confidently here.

Chespin

Grass

Final form: Chesnaught (Grass/Fighting). Bulky physical wall with priority Spiky Shield. Vs Viola: ✗ weak to Bug — Chespin will struggle, plan for Pansear/Fletchling as backup.

Fennekin

Fire

Final form: Delphox (Fire/Psychic). Special-attacking glass cannon with Mystical Fire. Vs Viola: ★ best starter — Ember 2HKOs both her Pokémon, and Vivillon's Gust does neutral damage.

Froakie

Water

Final form: Greninja (Water/Dark) with Protean — every move you use changes Greninja's type to match, then gains STAB. Strongest endgame starter. Vs Viola: neutral — Bubble works but it's a slow start.

Vaniville Town

The opening sequence. There are no battles or items to collect here that matter long-term, but pay attention to two small things:

Route 1 — Vaniville Pathway

A scripted walking path with no wild encounters and no items in the grass. Calem/Serena (your rival) joins you at the midpoint and walks you the rest of the way. Nothing missable.

Aquacorde Town

The first real town. At the riverside café, all five protagonists gather and Tierno offers the starter Poké Balls.

Key events, in order

1. Starter selection — pick from Chespin, Fennekin, or Froakie.
2. Your rival picks the type-advantage starter against yours and challenges you to your first battle (Lv 5 vs Lv 5).
3. Naming — Shauna asks for your name and your rival's name. You can rename your rival here, but their default (Calem or Serena) is canonical.
4. Trevor gives you a Pokédex on Sycamore's behalf — actually, the Pokédex itself is delivered shortly after on Route 2 by Sina and Dexio; in Aquacorde, Trevor only explains the assignment.
5. Pokémon Center (north of café) — first save point. Heal up.
6. Poké Mart counter inside the Pokémon Center — you'll have ~3,000 Pokédollars from your first battle prize. Buy 5× Poké Balls (200 each) and 2× Potion backup. Don't overspend; Santalune City has a wider stock.

Trainers in Aquacorde

Route 2 — Avance Trail

Your first proper route with wild Pokémon and items. The Pokédex is delivered here by Sina and Dexio, Sycamore's lab assistants, near the route's northern bridge. After that you can scan the encounter list.

Wild Pokémon — Route 2

Pokémon	Versions	Method	Notes
Bunnelby Normal · Lv 2–3	X & Y	Grass	Evolves into Diggersby with Huge Power. Will be your Cut/Strength HM mule later.
Fletchling Normal/Flying · Lv 2–3	X & Y	Grass	★ Priority catch. Evolves into Talonflame — Gale Wings priority makes it dominant for the next 5 phases.
Pidgey Normal/Flying · Lv 2–3	X & Y	Grass	Solid alternative if Fletchling won't appear. Pidgeotto handles Viola fine.
Zigzagoon Normal · Lv 2	X & Y	Grass	Catch one even if you don't use it — Pickup ability nets you free items (Potions, Repels, Revives) every battle.
Scatterbug Bug · Lv 2–3	X & Y	Grass	Evolves into Vivillon — pattern depends on your 3DS region setting, not version. Pattern is locked at catch.

Items on Route 2

Trainers on Route 2

Santalune Forest

The first real grind area. You'll do most of your level 2→8 grinding here, complete your first trainer gauntlet, and pick up a free elemental monkey (Pansage/Pansear/Panpour) from a friendly NPC. Many trees can be examined for hidden items.

Wild Pokémon — Santalune Forest

Pokémon	Versions	Method	Notes
Caterpie Bug · Lv 2–4	X only	Grass (common)	Butterfree gets Compound Eyes — useful if you plan to fish for hidden abilities later.
Weedle Bug/Poison · Lv 2–4	Y only	Grass (common)	Beedrill is the Y counterpart. Eventually gets a Mega Stone post-game (Beedrillite is OR/AS-era, not here).
Pidgey Normal/Flying · Lv 3–4	X & Y	Grass	Same as Route 2 — fine pick if you didn't get Fletchling.
Fletchling Normal/Flying · Lv 3–4	X & Y	Grass (uncommon)	Second chance if you missed it on Route 2.
Scatterbug Bug · Lv 2–3	X & Y	Grass	Higher encounter rate here than on Route 2.
Pikachu Electric · Lv 3–5	X & Y	Grass Rare	~10% encounter rate. Worth a few minutes of grass-cycling — Static is annoying for opponents and Pikachu evolves on demand with the Thunder Stone.

The elemental monkey gift (do not skip)

A friendly NPC partway through the forest will offer you one of Pansage, Pansear, or Panpour — but only the one whose type beats your starter's. This is a one-time, missable gift. You cannot trade for the other two until much later, so the call is: do you keep the monkey, or release it and use the slot?

Pansage

Given if you chose Froakie. Use a Leaf Stone (Phase 4+) to evolve into Simisage.

Pansear

Given if you chose Chespin. ★ Best of the three for Phase 1 — covers Viola directly with Incinerate.

Panpour

Given if you chose Fennekin. Use a Water Stone to evolve into Simipour later.

Items in Santalune Forest

Trainers in Santalune Forest

Three confirmed trainers, spaced south → middle → north. Calem/Serena heals between fights if you talk to them.

Notable NPCs & side events in Santalune Forest

Route 3 — Ouvert Way

Wider, more open route with a brook running through it. This is where the trainer density picks up — expect ~6–8 trainer battles depending on path choice. Skiddo Ranch sits just to the north (Phase 2 content; you can peek but you'll be turned back).

Wild Pokémon — Route 3

Pokémon	Versions	Method	Notes
Bunnelby Normal · Lv 4–5	X & Y	Grass	Slightly higher level than Route 2 — better catch if you skipped earlier.
Fletchling Normal/Flying · Lv 4–5	X & Y	Grass	Third and final easy chance — past this you'll need to evolve a Pidgey instead.
Litleo Fire/Normal · Lv 4–5	X & Y	Grass	★ Excellent pick if you chose Chespin or Froakie. Evolves into Pyroar — strong special attacker.
Pidgey Normal/Flying · Lv 3–5	X & Y	Grass	Same notes as before.
Marill Water/Fairy · Lv 4–5	X & Y	Grass near brook	Fairy typing introduced this gen — Azumarill with Huge Power + Belly Drum is a late-game terror.
Azurill Normal/Fairy · Lv 3–5	X & Y	Grass near brook	Pre-evolution of Marill. Skippable — Marill spawns in the same area.
Surskit Bug/Water · Lv 3–5	X & Y	Grass (uncommon)	Same species as Viola's lead — useful scouting catch to study its moves.
Audino Normal · Lv 5	X & Y	Rustling Grass Rustle	Big EXP yield. Always engage rustling grass for free XP throughout the game.
Dunsparce Normal · Lv 5	X & Y	Rustling Grass Rustle	Rare rustle. Serene Grace + Headbutt later makes it surprisingly playable.

Items on Route 3

Trainers on Route 3

Mostly schoolchildren and Roller Skaters from the Trainer's School. The Schoolboy is your first triple-Pokémon battle of the game.

Notable NPCs & side events on Route 3

Santalune City

The first real city — full Pokémon Center with PSS (Player Search System), Wonder Trade, GTS, and Super Training. Stock up before the gym and finish a few side errands.

Pokémon Center upgrades (Phase 1)

Trainer's School (left side of city)

A one-room schoolhouse west of the Gym. Four children and an old man — all dialogue NPCs, no battles. Free items and a key freebie inside.

Roller Skates

Outside the Pokémon Center (or near the south gate, depending on entry path), a Roller Skater girl gives you the Roller Skates automatically. They're a permanent traversal upgrade — Circle Pad to walk, slide pad fully tilted to skate. Skates also unlock a few ledges and shortcuts on Routes 4, 5, 7, and 9.

Other Santalune NPCs

Team Recommendations

By the time you enter Viola's Gym, you want a 3–4 Pokémon party at Lv 10–12. The ideal Phase 1 build:

Trade evolutions / held items to start considering

None of your Phase 1 catches trade-evolve. The earliest trade evos in the main story are Phase 4+ (Boldore→Gigalith, Karrablast↔Shelmet, etc.). For Phase 1, just focus on raw levels.

Mega Evolution

Mega Evolution doesn't unlock until Phase 3 when Korrina hands you the Mega Ring in Shalour City. You can see a Mega Lucario in cutscenes before that, but you can't use Megas yet.

Must-Grab Items (Phase 1 Master List)

Gym Strategy — Viola, the Bug Leader

V

Viola — Santalune City Gym

Bug-type · Photographer · Specialty: setup + chip-damage moves like Infestation

Gym puzzle: A giant spider-web criss-crossing the gym floor. You walk along strands and drop through "torn" sections — there's no real puzzle skill required, just navigation. Three gym trainers stand on the webs; only Lass Charlotte is mandatory to fight Viola, the other two can be skipped if you route around them.

Gym Trainer	Roster	Notes
Youngster David	Ledyba Lv 10	Optional — can be avoided by web routing. Bug/Flying; weak to Fire/Flying/Rock.
Youngster Zachary	Spewpa Lv 10	Optional. Spewpa only knows Protect + Tackle — slow battle but easy XP.
Lass Charlotte	Kakuna Lv 7, Combee Lv 9	Mandatory — fight her to reach Viola. Combee's Gust is your only real threat.

Viola's team

Pokémon	Lv	Type	Moves	Held Item	Ability
Surskit	10	Bug/Water	Bubble, Quick Attack, Sweet Scent	None	Swift Swim
Vivillon	12	Bug/Flying	Tackle, Gust, Harden, Infestation	None	Shield Dust

Threat assessment

Recommended counters (in order of effectiveness)

Avoid leading with

• Chespin / any Grass type — Gust hits Grass super-effectively, so do not make Chespin your main Viola answer.
• Froakie — Survivable but Bubble damage on Surskit is mediocre and Vivillon's Gust is neutral. Not the worst, just slow.
• Bunnelby — Normal-type, takes neutral from Bug. Slow and underleveled at this stage.
• Pansage — same Grass-type problem as Chespin; useful later, but not here.

Predicted threat order & recommended play

1. Viola leads with Surskit. Open with Fennekin/Pansear and Ember/Incinerate. ~2 turns to KO.
2. She sends out Vivillon. If your Fire mon is healthy, stay in — Ember 2HKOs, Gust 3HKOs you back. If under 50%, switch to Fletchling for Peck.
3. Watch for Infestation on the switch — it traps you for 4–5 turns and chips. If you predict it, switch to Fletchling preemptively (Flying resists Bug, so Fletchling is your cleanest pivot if Infestation starts trapping your Fire-type).

Reward

• Bug Badge — all traded Pokémon up to Lv 30 will obey.
• TM83 Infestation — 20 power Bug move that traps for 4–5 turns. Niche but useful for catching legendaries later.
• Prize money — roughly 1,440 Pokédollars.

Version Note Summary

Phase 1 Checklist

• Pick a starter and beat your rival in Aquacorde
• Talk to Shauna a second time for 5× Potion (missable)
• Receive the Pokédex from Sina & Dexio on Route 2
• Catch a Fletchling on Route 2 (★ priority)
• Catch a Bunnelby on Route 2 (HM mule + future Diggersby)
• Catch a Zigzagoon for Pickup utility (optional but recommended)
• Catch a Pikachu in Santalune Forest if you want Electric coverage
• Accept the Pansage/Pansear/Panpour gift in Santalune Forest (missable)
• Pick up Potion, Antidote, Paralyze Heal in Santalune Forest
• Meet Tierno and Trevor on Route 3; their trainer battles happen later on Route 7.
• Catch a Litleo on Route 3 if your starter isn't Fire
• Trigger any rustling-grass encounters for Audino XP
• Visit the Trainer's School in Santalune City
• Collect the Quick Ball from the school teacher (missable)
• Receive the Old Rod from the fisherman in Santalune City
• Receive the Roller Skates outside the Pokémon Center
• Buy 10× Poké Balls and 5× Potions before entering the Gym
• Defeat the two gym trainers (Metapod/Kakuna Harden walls)
• Defeat Viola — earn Bug Badge + TM83 Infestation
• Meet Alexa before Route 4 for the Exp. Share