X&Y Santalune City

Santalune City

Santalune City is a city famous for its BENCHES, of course. There are several benches scattered throughout the city, and while they won't unlock any special items, it is definitely relaxing to sit on them after a long run through the forest.

Despite all of that excitement, there's still plenty more to do in Santalune City. The Pokémon Center right near the entrance of town is probably a good place to start.

As you enter the Pokémon Center, Tierno will show up and explain to you that you can talk to the lady at the counter to heal your Pokémon, that you can use the PC to the side to switch Pokémon around in your boxes, and you can also buy items in the shop in the top-right part of the Pokémon Center.

The shop on the left only sells Potions and Poké Balls at this point, while the one on the right sells various X items, such as X Attack, X Defend, etc. Even if you're playing Pokémon Y, these items are helpful, particularly the defensive ones, as they effectively raise your Pokémon's stats by 50% when used in battle. You can use those and then heal after you've used a few to become nearly invincible in battle.

On the left side of the Pokémon Center, you'll find a changing room, where you can change your clothes. Remember those clothes your mother said she packed? Well, she wasn't lying; you have a set of extra clothes you can change into, but if you buy or acquire more accessories, you can change into them at any Pokémon Center.

Outside of the Pokémon Center, in the western part of town, there's a house that has a very helpful trade inside. You can trade a Bunnelby for a Farfetch'd named Quacklin'. Quacklin' is at level 10 and comes with the very useful Aerial Ace move. It will be a helpful Pokémon to have for taking on the Santalune Gym, even if you don't use it much afterwards.

The house behind the Pokémon Center also has a guy that will give you a Great Ball, which is more effective than an ordinary old Poké Ball.

If you try to leave Santalune City to the north, you'll be stopped by a lady who is the Gym Leader's sister. She won't let you pass until after you've beaten the Gym Leader, so you'd better get to it.

However, beforehand, stop by the Trainer's School in the middle of town. Talk to the old guy inside and he'll give you 3 X Attacks and 3 X Defenses.

Now, make sure you're ready for a fight, because you'll have to have one before you can enter the Gym. There was a girl on roller skates who blazed past you on Route 3, and now you get to have your revenge against her.

Roller Skater Rinka uses a Zigzagoon L7. It shouldn't be too rough, don't worry. After you beat her, she'll give you some Roller Skates, which you can now use simply by using the control stick to move around rather than the D-pad. They go much quicker than running, too, plus they're not restricted to the 8-way movement.

Further east of the Gym is an exit to Route 22, which is completely optional, but grants you access to a few more Trainers to fight and Pokémon to catch, including Litleo, who may be helpful for the Santalune Gym.