Where To Get TM17 Protect in Pokémon HGSS

TM17 Protect is one of the TMs only available for sale at the 5th floor of the Goldenrod Department Store. It costs 2,000 Pokédollars, and you can get multiple copies as long as you have enough to buy them.

Aside from the Dept. Store, there are no other ways to get TM17 in HeartGold/SoulSilver.

Finding TM17 Protect

The Goldenrod Department Store is directly right of Goldenrod City’s Pokémon Center.

It’s a big building so it’s hard to miss!

The player on the street between the Pokémon Center (left) and the Goldenrod Department Store (right)

Head inside the Goldenrod Department Store. Then take the escalators or the elevator to the 5th floor (5F).

If you are taking the elevator, simply talk to the NPC attendant and select “5F” from the menu.
If you will be using the escalators, take the upward escalators on each floor until you see a green sign with a number 5 beside the floor’s elevator entrance.

The player standing in the Goldenrod Department Store 5F

You should see a single counter directly to the right of the escalators and the elevator exit.

Speak to the NPC behind the counter to bring up the menu for the TMs they have available for sale.

The set of TMs for sale at the Goldenrod Department Store, with a red highlight around TM17 Protect

The TM for Protect will not have its move name displayed in the menu. It will instead be designated as “TM17”.

Using TM17 Protect

Protect Move Details
Type	Normal
Category	Status
Power	– – –
Accuracy	– – –
PP	10

Protect is a Normal-type status move that grants the user invulnerability to the opponent’s moves for 1 turn. This applies to both damaging and status moves.

Its chance of succeeding will be cut in half when used in consecutive turns (e.g., using Protect on the 1st turn, then using Protect again on the second turn).

Turn No.	Success Chance
1	100%
2	50%
3	25%
4+	12.5%

That means that using Protect immediately after the first time will only have a 50% success rate.

Then it will be reduced to 25% when used again after that, and so on until it caps at the fourth consecutive use. This makes 12.5% the lowest possible success rate for Protect.

Key Takeaways:

Protect is a universal TM. This means that most Pokémon can be taught Protect via TM, with the exception being certain species that cannot learn moves from TMs in the first place.
The effect apples only to moves on the same turn. Protect will not prevent damage from weather or from any status effects that the user already has.
The move can succeed even when the user has Substitute up. This will shield the Substitute from move damage.
It can also succeed even when the user is attacked by no-miss moves. These could be weather-supported moves such as Thunder in rain or Blizzard in hail, moves assisted by Mind Reader and Lock On, or moves used by Pokémon that have the Ability No Guard.
Protect cannot affect Perish Song. It will be unable to prevent its effect from beginning, and it will not be able to save an afflicted user if it is used at the end of Perish Song’s countdown.

Good Pokémon To Teach Protect

A Pineco using Protect in a battle

In spite of Protect’s wide availability and its useful effect, it is usually only recommended for Pokémon that will benefit from the temporary invulnerability it grants.

These are usually Pokémon whose stats, move pools, held items, and Abilities allow them to take advantage of extra turns in battle.

Here are some examples:

Pokémon that serve as stallers. They take advantage of chip damage from status effects like burns and poison by prolonging battles.

They are especially potent when they use Protect to take advantage of Toxic’s increasing poison damage. Since stalling relies on staying power, this is usually best for Pokémon with great bulk and access to healing (see no. 2).
Pokémon that have high defenses and recovery. Protect is perfect for supplementing the longevity of bulky Pokémon when they have access to healing through moves and items.

This can take the form of moves like Recover, Soft-boiled, Wish, Ingrain, and Leech Seed. But this can also be the healing provided by held items like Leftovers, Black Sludge, and a Toxic Orb if the holder has Poison Heal.
Pokémon that have the Ability Speed Boost.They receive an increase in Speed with each turn they are active in battle.

This means that they can always guarantee at least one buff to their Speed by using Protect.

The following Pokémon are recommended choices for Protect:

Blissey
Skarmory
Vaporeon
Umbreon
Milotic
Gliscor
Porygon2
Yanmega
Ninjask
Forretress
Breloom
Dusclops

BACK TO THE MAIN GAME Pokémon HGSS Full Strategy Guide

Guide Navigation

Pokémon HGSS
- Where To Get TM17 Protect in Pokémon HGSS

J. Cloverfield

23 articles

She's a social science major and hobbyist illustrator known for her shyness, temper, and love of pink. Her first try at gaming was with a Pokémon Silver bootleg as a preschooler, and by now she's played nearly all of the Pokémon games—spin-offs included. Zero Escape, Ace Attorney, Danganronpa, Shin Megami Tensei, Fire Emblem, and Story of Seasons are some of her other favorite franchises.

View Writer's Posts →