Poni Gauntlet Pt. 2

Guide to defeating Black Belt Tracy, Veteran Duo Tsunekazu and Nobuko, and Captain Mina in Pokémon Sun and Moon's Poni Gauntlet Pt. 2.

Alright, you've made it to Poni Gauntlet Pt. 2! This section is all about pushing through some tough trainers before you hit the Battle Tree. Let's get you prepped!

Black Belt Tracy

First up is Black Belt Tracy. He's got a couple of Pokémon that can hit hard, so be ready.

Pokemon	Level	Type
Pangoro	60	Fighting/Dark
Machamp	60	Fighting

Pangoro is super weak to Fairy-type moves, so if you have any Pokémon that can dish those out, now's the time to use them. Keep an eye out, because Pangoro can use Parting Shot to lower your stats before switching out. Machamp is a strong attacker but isn't very fast. It has Dynamic Punch, which can be confusing if it hits, but it's not always accurate. A Ghost-type Pokémon would do great against Machamp.

As you continue west along the bridge, look for the final Zygarde Cell (95). If you've been diligent, you might have collected all 95 Cells and 5 Cores by now. Remember, some only show up during the day or night, so you might have a few more to track down.

There's also another Zygarde Cell waiting for you in the Ruins of Conflict, but you can only get to it after beating the main story. If you're unsure about any Zygarde Cells or Cores, there's a dedicated section later in the guide that lists them all.

Just ahead, before you reach the Battle Tree, you'll find the last set of trainers. It's easy to miss, but there are actually two trainers here, not just one, standing by the north exit.

Veteran Duo Tsunekazu and Nobuko

Get ready, because this is one of the tougher battles you'll face. It's a Double Battle with six Pokémon on each side, meaning no one is safe!

Pokemon	Level	Type
Wishiwashi (School)	61	Water
Turtonator	61	Fire/Dragon
Electivire	61	Electric
Comfey	61	Fairy
Alomomola	61	Water
Lilligant	61	Grass

Tsunekazu has Wishiwashi, Turtonator, and Electivire. Nobuko brings Comfey, Alomomola, and Lilligant to the fight.

Wishiwashi can hit hard with Hydro Pump and Ice Beam. Grass or Electric-types are good choices here, but watch out for Ice Beam's weakness against Grass-types. Comfey might not seem like a big threat initially, but it's super annoying with Light Screen and Floral Healing. It also heals itself with Draining Kiss. Your best bet is to take it out quickly with Poison or Steel-type moves.

Next, Tsunekazu might send out Turtonator. While it doesn't have Shell Trap this time, it still has Fighting and Steel-type moves alongside its usual STAB attacks. Ground-types are your best bet to counter it.

If not Turtonator, he might bring out Electivire. This Pokémon also hits hard and has moves like Fire Punch and Brick Break. It can also use Quick Attack to finish off weakened opponents. Again, a strong Ground-type Pokémon will make short work of it.

On Nobuko's side, Alomomola is a bulky Water-type supporter. Like Comfey, it's not directly threatening but can be a pain with Soak (making you weak to Electivire), Helping Hand (boosting its ally's attacks), and Heal Pulse. It can surprise you with Aqua Jet too. When facing Alomomola, focus on taking down its offensive partners first.

Finally, Nobuko has Lilligant, which also plays a support role. While it has Leaf Storm, it usually uses Helping Hand, After You (letting its ally attack immediately), and Sunny Day to boost Fire-type moves from Turtonator and Electivire. Be mindful of these support moves.

A key difference in Double Battles is that you can't switch Pokémon after defeating an opponent. Because this battle is so offensive-heavy, it's generally not recommended to switch out unless you have a Pokémon that can resist both of your opponents' main attacking types.

After you get past these tough veterans, head east from the exit. You'll find a Punk Guy. If you have a Bewear, you can trade it for his Talonflame, which has its Hidden Ability. You can find Bewear rarely in this area, or catch a Stufful and evolve it. It's a bit of a shame that Talonflame's Hidden Ability got nerfed, but it's still a decent trade!

Before you head into the Battle Tree, it's a good idea to go back to the entrance and say hello to Mina again.

Captain Mina

Captain Mina is here, and her team might feel familiar!

Pokemon	Level	Type
Klefki	61	Steel/Fairy
Shiinotic	61	Grass/Fairy
Granbull	61	Fairy
Wigglytuff	61	Normal/Fairy
Ribombee	61	Bug/Fairy

Her team is exactly the same as when you encountered her during the UB Taskforce sidequest. The only real difference is that her Wigglytuff is holding Fairium Z. So, apologies if this feels a bit like déjà vu!

Klefki's main role is setting up Reflect and Light Screen, which will reduce the damage from both physical and special attacks for its team. It has good defenses but not much in the way of offense. Still, try to hit it with super-effective Fire or Ground-type moves if you can.

Shiinotic has a decent Special Attack and good defensive stats, but it's quite slow. It can use Spore to put your Pokémon to sleep and Moonlight to heal itself. To avoid a headache, use Poison-type moves for 4x damage, or Fire, Flying, or Ice-type moves for 2x damage.

Granbull has a fantastic Attack stat and a wide variety of coverage moves, including Fairy, Dark, Ground, and Rock-type attacks. It also has Intimidate to lower your Pokémon's Attack. However, its other stats are just okay, so a bulky Pokémon with super-effective moves should handle it well.

Wigglytuff is basically a punching bag with high HP but otherwise mediocre stats, except for its decent Special Attack. Besides its STAB moves, it also carries Fire and Ice-type attacks. A good Poison-type or even a Steel-type can handle this one easily.

Finally, Mina has Ribombee, which is incredibly fast and has a decent Special Attack. On top of its STAB moves, it also has Psychic and Grass-type attacks. Take it out with your Fire, Rock, or Steel-types. Steel-types are especially good for resisting its Fairy Z-Move.

Once you clear Mina's trial, you'll earn a Bottle Cap, which is super useful for Hyper Training!