Striaton City Gym

Your guide to the first gym in Pokémon Black and White! Learn type matchups, defeat the gym leaders, and claim your first badge and TM83 Work Up.

Alright, so you've made it to Striaton City! This first gym is a bit of a restaurant-themed place, and it's basically a refresher on the classic Fire, Water, Grass type triangle. It's a good spot to make sure you've got the basics down.

If your Pokémon need a little more experience, you can always head back to Route 2 for some training battles.

Now, about your starter choice – if you picked up that free Pan Pokémon from the Dreamyard earlier (which I highly recommend!), you'll have a big advantage here. This little guy is designed to counter whichever Gym Leader you're about to face.

As soon as you step inside the gym, a helpful aide will give you a Fresh Water. The gym's puzzles are all about type weaknesses. You'll need to step on a water droplet to open the first curtain.

Trainer Battle 1

Your first opponent is:

After that battle, step on the green leaf symbol to open the next curtain.

Trainer Battle 2

Next up, you'll face:

Once you've dealt with them, hit the fire pad. This will open the final curtain, and you'll find yourself face-to-face with the three Gym Leaders. Who you actually fight depends on which starter Pokémon you chose at the beginning of the game.

Gym Leader Chili (Fought if starter was Snivy)

If you picked Snivy, you'll be battling Chili. He's got:

Gym Leader Cilan (Fought if starter was Oshawott)

If you chose Oshawott, you'll face Cilan. He'll send out:

You'll quickly see how important type matchups are here, as his Pokémon is super effective against your starter.

Gym Leader Cress (Fought if starter was Tepig)

And if you started with Tepig, you'll be up against Cress. Her team includes:

After you defeat whichever leader you're up against, you'll earn the Trio Badge – congratulations! You'll also receive TM83 Work Up.

Well done on getting your first badge! It's a long road to becoming the Unova Champion, but this is a great start.

Don't forget to open your Bag and check your TMs & HMs pouch for that TM83 Work Up.

As soon as you leave the gym, Fennel will whisk you away to her lab. She'll give you HM01 Cut. Now, this is important: you'll need to teach Cut to a Pokémon to clear away one specific tree blocking your path. Since you'll only need it for that one tree for the entire game, choose wisely and don't waste it on a Pokémon you plan to keep in your main team long-term. Once you've got a Pokémon ready for cutting duty, it's time to head back to the Dreamyard.