🧢Trainers on the Road
Roaming NPC trainers and the optional Radical Red story trainers you meet while exploring.
The world is full of NPC trainers (Radical Cobblemon Trainers). They spawn near players as you explore and are a great source of battles, experience and loot.
How roaming trainers work#
| Behavior | Details |
|---|---|
| Spawning | Trainers appear around you, roughly 25–70 blocks away, depending on the biome |
| Up to | 12 trainers around each player at once |
| Despawning | Trainers you leave unseen disappear after a while |
| Battles on sight | Many trainers challenge you when they see you within about 8 blocks. They won't force a battle if their team is far stronger than your level |
| Rematches | Each story trainer can only be beaten once per player |
Tip Trainers are a good way to train Pokémon up to your current level cap.
Story trainers#
Alongside generic trainers you'll run into the story characters of the Radical Red series. They unlock step by step as you make progress and spawn in themed biomes:
| Trainer | Usually found in | Shows up after |
|---|---|---|
| Rival Terry | Plains and open land, rare biomes, End cities | Various points of the story (several rematches) |
| Brendan | Plains, rare biomes, underground | After Misty, Sabrina and the later Terry battles |
| May | Plains, forests, rare biomes | After Koga |
| Team Rocket admins Archer and Ariana | Badlands, savannas, wastelands, underground, the Nether | Starting after Brock |
| Team Rocket boss Giovanni | Badlands, savannas, wastelands, the Nether | After Erika and later Rocket battles |
Note Story trainers are optional. Beating them does not raise your level cap, and you can finish the whole gym ladder without them. Only the gym leaders, the Elite Four and the Champion count. See Gyms & Badges.
Tips#
- Story trainers hold a signature item. They're tougher than ordinary trainers, so heal before you approach.
- If you're not ready for a fight, keep your distance. Trainers that force battles need to see you up close.
- Wearing out your team?
/warp tp pokecentertakes you to Nurse Joy at spawn.