Phase 5 Hoenn route manual

Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Balance Badge Guide

Balance Badge

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire Balance Badge guide: desert cleanup, Petalburg City, Norman's Gym, Slaking counterplay, Surf unlock, and first Surf errands.

Game Boy Advance Pokemon Ruby / Sapphire

Phase 5 Balance Badge Petalburg Gym, Norman, Surf, Route 118, Weather Institute, and Fortree setup. 05 / 10

By Damodar Sharma Updated May 28, 2026 Walkthrough

Catch checklist

Obtainable Pokemon

New Pokemon you can realistically add during this phase of the original Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire route.

#0072 Tentacool waterpoison Ruby & Sapphire Surf routes after Norman Surf encounter

#0278 Wingull waterflying Ruby & Sapphire Surf routes after Norman Surf encounter

#0279 Pelipper waterflying Ruby & Sapphire Surf routes after Norman Rare Surf encounter

#0183 Marill water Ruby & Sapphire Routes 102 / 117 water Surf encounter

#0283 Surskit bugwater Ruby & Sapphire Routes 102 / 117 water Rare Surf encounter

#0129 Magikarp water Ruby & Sapphire Early water routes Old Rod or Good Rod if already obtained

#0118 Goldeen water Ruby & Sapphire Routes 102 / 117 water Old Rod or Good Rod

#0328 Trapinch ground Ruby & Sapphire Route 111 Desert Deep sand cleanup if skipped before Norman

#0343 Baltoy groundpsychic Ruby & Sapphire Route 111 Desert Deep sand cleanup if skipped before Norman

#0331 Cacnea grass Ruby & Sapphire Route 111 Desert Deep sand cleanup if skipped before Norman

Lavaridge to Petalburg. This phase turns you back toward your father, Norman. It includes desert cleanup if you skipped it, Petalburg Gym’s room structure, Slaking counterplay, Surf, and the first useful Surf errands.

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire optimal walkthrough

Lavaridge Town -> Petalburg City Gym (Norman).

Phase5 of 10 TargetLv 29-32 RewardBalance Badge + HM03 Surf

Route Map

Phase 5 is shorter than Phase 4, but Norman is one of the most dangerous Gym Leaders in the game.

Optional

Route 111 Desert

Trapinch, Baltoy, Fossil

Return

Mauville -> Petalburg

Backtrack west

City

Petalburg City

Heal + stock up

Gym 5

Petalburg Gym

Defeat Norman

Reward

Wally's house

Get HM03 Surf

Optional

First Surf errands

Routes 105-109, New Mauville later

Phase Sections

This phase now works like the newer walkthroughs: keep this page as the phase index, then open each section page for the deeper route, boss, item, encounter, and cleanup details.

Section 1 Before Petalburg

If you did not clear the desert after Flannery, do it now. Trapinch and Baltoy are long-term options, and the fossil choice is permanent in Ruby/Sapphire.

Section 2 Petalburg Gym Rooms

Petalburg Gym uses a room system instead of a normal hallway. Each room advertises a battle style like Speed, Accuracy, Defense, Recovery, or One-Hit KO.

Section 3 Understanding Truant

Norman's Slaking has Truant, which means it only acts every other turn. That ability is the entire fight.

Section 4 Gym Strategy - Norman, The Normal Leader

Norman uses Slaking Lv. 28, Vigoroth Lv. 30, and Slaking Lv. 31. His reward is the Balance Badge and TM42 Facade.

Section 5 Phase 5 Resources And Checklist

Team Recommendations Role Best picks for Norman Why it matters --- --- --- Fighting offense Combusken, Breloom, Makuhita/Hariyama Hits Normal types super effectively Truant control.

Section Planner

Order	Section	What it covers
1	Before Petalburg	If you did not clear the desert after Flannery, do it now. Trapinch and Baltoy are long-term options, and the fossil choice is permanent in Ruby/Sapphire.
2	Petalburg Gym Rooms	Petalburg Gym uses a room system instead of a normal hallway. Each room advertises a battle style like Speed, Accuracy, Defense, Recovery, or One-Hit KO.
3	Understanding Truant	Norman’s Slaking has Truant, which means it only acts every other turn. That ability is the entire fight.
4	Gym Strategy - Norman, The Normal Leader	Norman uses Slaking Lv. 28, Vigoroth Lv. 30, and Slaking Lv. 31. His reward is the Balance Badge and TM42 Facade.
5	Phase 5 Resources And Checklist	Team Recommendations Role Best picks for Norman Why it matters --- --- --- Fighting offense Combusken, Breloom, Makuhita/Hariyama Hits Normal types super effectively Truant control.

Phase Checklist

Open each section page in order before treating this phase as complete.
Use the route map above as the high-level path, then use section pages for the deeper tables and boss notes.
Check the final resources and checklist section before advancing to the next phase.

Wild Pokemon

Surf Unlock - Early Route Cleanup

After Norman, Surf opens older water tiles. These are cleanup catches, but they matter for dex and Nuzlocke routing.

Pokemon	Versions	Method & Rate	Notes
Tentacool Water/Poison - Lv 5-35	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 103 Surf 60%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Wingull Water/Flying - Lv 10-30	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 103 Surf 35%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Pelipper Water/Flying - Lv 25-30	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 103 Surf 5%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Wingull Water/Flying - Lv 10-30	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 104 Surf 95%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Pelipper Water/Flying - Lv 25-30	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 104 Surf 5%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Marill Water - Lv 5-35	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 102/117 Surf 99%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Surskit Bug/Water - Lv 5-35	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 102/117 Surf 1%	Available in the listed area during this phase.