Kalos walkthrough section
Pokemon X and Y Phase 1: Santalune Forest
Bug Badge 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.
Phase 1 Bug Badge Viola Santalune Gym Leader Vaniville Town to Santalune City Gym. 01 / 10 
Phase 1 section 6 of 10
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.
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 |
X only | Grass (common) | Butterfree gets Compound Eyes — useful if you plan to fish for hidden abilities later. |
 Weedle |
Y only | Grass (common) | Beedrill is the Y counterpart. Eventually gets a Mega Stone post-game (Beedrillite is OR/AS-era, not here). |
 Pidgey |
X & Y | Grass | Same as Route 2 — fine pick if you didn't get Fletchling. |
 Fletchling |
X & Y | Grass (uncommon) | Second chance if you missed it on Route 2. |
 Scatterbug |
X & Y | Grass | Higher encounter rate here than on Route 2. |
 Pikachu |
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
| Item | Location |
|---|---|
| Potion | Visible, west side near a stump |
| Antidote | Visible, mid-forest (handy against Weedle/Caterpie poison) |
| Paralyze Heal | Visible, near eastern path — Pikachu/Static makes this useful |
| Poké Ball ×3 (hidden) | Various tree-rustle spots — examine glowing/wobbling foliage |
| Tiny Mushroom (hidden) | One of the mushroom clusters on the forest floor — sells for ~250P |
Trainers in Santalune Forest
Three confirmed trainers, spaced south → middle → north. Calem/Serena heals between fights if you talk to them.
| Trainer | Roster | Reward | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngster Joey western trail |
Scatterbug Lv 3, Fletchling Lv 3 | 72 P | Bug + Flying — Fennekin's Ember 2HKOs both. Watch Fletchling's Tackle priority. |
| Lass Anna middle trail |
Pikachu Lv 5 (♂) | 250 P | Pikachu hits hard for this point in the game. Lead with anything non-Water; Static paralysis is the bigger risk. Fennekin's Ember works — Pika has no Ground move. |
| Lass Lise south, near exit |
Weedle Lv 2, Bunnelby Lv 4 | 96 P | Weedle's Poison Sting can poison your lead. Fennekin/Fletchling clear easily. |
Notable NPCs & side events in Santalune Forest
Dex quick links
