As with all games in the series, progression in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl revolves around defeating Gym Leaders.
The fifth Gym Leader is Fantina, holder of the Relic Badge.
How to solve the Hearthome City Gym puzzle
In order to reach Fantina, you'll need to solve a puzzle in which you have to choose the correct doorway each time.
To reach her directly, take the following path:
- Right, Middle, Left, Right
However, we'd always recommend checking the other rooms for Trainers to battle, as you can gain a couple of valuable levels in the process.
How to defeat Fantina in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
As always, make sure you heal up at the Pokémon Center before taking on the Gym Leader.
Fantina uses Ghost-type Pokémon so bear in mind the following:
- Ghost and Dark-type Pokémon are super effective.
- Poison and Bug are not very effective.
- Normal and Fighting-type moves will have no effect.
Ghost-type Pokémon are not the best at dealing with Physical moves, so if you have a Dark-type Pokémon with the likes of Crunch, Knock Off, or Thief, they will work very well.
If you've paid a visit to the Grand Underground, you should be able to encounter Absol. Quite simply, this is one of the best Pokémon in the game for a whole host of reasons, so you should make the effort to capture one.
Murkrow is another readily-available Pokémon, if you have Diamond.
Watch out for Fantina's Drifblim, as it can inflict a burn on your team. She'll also use Hyper Potions, so don't assume the battle is won before it actually is!
The difficulty with Ghost-types is in their strength against most things, but if you've followed our advice and picked up Absol, for example, then her Gengar and Mismagius shouldn't pose too much of a threat. However, do be mindful of Confuse Ray, which can be an annoyance.
Defeating Fantina will get the Relic Badge, which unlocks the ability to use Surf outside of battle.
She'll give you the Stickers she uses for her capsules, and TM55 Shadow Claw. A strong Ghost-type move, it helps critical hits land more easily.
Now that you have your fifth Gym Badge, you're ready to move onto the next part of the adventure!
