Byron + Canalave Gym Puzzle (Pokémon Platinum)

Canalave City’s Byron is the sixth Gym Leader in Pokémon Platinum. He is Leader Roark’s father, and he uses Steel-type Pokémon that are around level 40.

After you defeat him, Byron will provide you with the Mine Badge, as well as TM91 Flash Cannon.

Quick Strategy

You won’t need a ton of strategy for this fight, as long as you pay attention to levels and type effectiveness.

But before you set foot in the gym, make sure you:

• Visit Iron Island first. You will have to visit Iron Island at some point in order to progress through the game, and going before fighting Leader Byron will grant your Steel-resistant Pokémon tons of easy EXP before the battle.
• Bring Ground-, Fire-, and/or Fighting-type Pokémon. All of these are strong against Steel. Ground types in particular have a 4X type advantage over two of Byron’s Pokémon, including his strongest one, Bastiodon.
• Stock up on Revives and healing items. Byron’s Bastiodon is built like a fortress. You might find yourself slowly chipping its health away while it wreaks havoc on your Pokémon—don’t give it the satisfaction. Heal when you need to.

Tip: Iron Island before the Canalave Gym

Above all else, it is recommended that you visit Iron Island before taking on Canalave Gym.

You’re going to have to do it anyway, and going now is a fantastic opportunity to train, for two reasons:

1. Leader Byron uses Steel-type Pokémon, which Iron Island is crawling with. By taking Pokémon that are strong against Steel (Ground, Fire, and/or Fighting types), you’re guaranteeing those Pokémon a massive amount of easy EXP before the big fight.
2. The first time you visit Iron Island, you will meet Riley, who not only accompanies you in battles, but heals your Pokémon and replenishes their PP after every fight (similar to Cheryl from Eterna Forest). This is some of the easiest experience in the game, and by employing EXP Share, you can stack major levels on your whole party in a relatively short time.

Before you embark, be sure to bring at least a couple of Pokémon you plan on taking into the battle with Leader Byron later (of the super-effective types listed above), as well as a few other Pokémon you generally want to level up.

If a non-party Pokémon has the EXP Share, you should remove the item from them and bring it along as well.

Reaching Iron Island is simple.

First, from Canalave City’s Pokémon Center, head west over the drawbridge.

When you reach the Canalave City Gym, turn south.

Turn eastward at Sailor Eldritch’s house, which is the one with the sign in front of it. Sailor Eldritch can be found at the shipyard right next to it.

Speak with him, and he will take you to Iron Island at no cost.

The first time you visit the island, talk to the man standing at the mouth of the cave at the top of the stairs.

He will introduce himself as Riley and invite you to train with him later. You will be able to find him again a short distance into the cave, where he will temporarily join you as a battle partner.

Riley assists you like Cheryl did in Eterna Forest:

Not only will he fight alongside you, but he will also revive your Pokémon and heal all of their HP and PP after every battle.

This is a perfect opportunity to shore up your team with higher levels.

If you enter the cave with level 30 Pokémon, it’s pretty easy to get them up to level 40 without some of the usual headaches of grinding.

Once you have a couple of Fire-, Fighting-, or Ground-type Pokémon around level 40, Byron won’t pose much of a problem.

When you’re confident in your levels, head back to Canalave City by speaking with Sailor Eldritch, then save your game, and enter Canalave Gym.

Canalave Gym Puzzle Guide

Canalave Gym’s puzzle is simpler than Wake’s or Maylene’s.

The whole Gym is reminiscent of a steelworks factory, complete with conveyor belts, hydraulic lifts, and workers looking to blow off some steam.

As soon as you enter the Gym, you will encounter Black Belt Ricky, so go ahead and get that battle out of the way.

After that, walk north and take a right at the section with all the gray and yellow platforms with the white “+” markers on them.

These are lifts that will take you to other floors if you step on them.

In this case, you will see four lift platforms in a row.

The platform you need to step on to proceed is the last one on the right, with the others leading to dead ends.

Tip: It’s worth mentioning that there are two workers to battle in this section before taking the lift. Both battles are optional, but it is recommended that you fight them for the easy EXP.

After you’re done in this section and have taken the right-hand lift to the next floor, move southeast, and onto the next lift.

Then approach the next lift at the end of the corridor here.

Note that you’ll have to fight Ace Trainer Cesar as you head in that direction.

The lift after your battle will bring you up the second floor, where you will find the Gym’s first conveyor belt.

Step onto the platform and it’ll take you to the far left.

On the other side, follow the path around to the next lift, which will take you to the third floor.

Ignore the conveyor belt to your right, and instead step onto the one to the north.

Once that conveyor belt drops you off, head north from here – passing the first conveyor belt to your right and taking the second one.

You will need to fight Worker Gerardo before you can move forward.

After your fight, the conveyor belt will take you to a small steel platform to the right; cross this platform, and then step onto the next conveyor belt.

As soon as you disembark the platform, you will trigger a battle with Black Belt David.

After the battle, head southward, squeezing through the narrow path between the steel girders. And then step onto the next conveyor belt platform.

Once this drops you off, immediately circle around onto the adjacent platform to your right.

When that one drops you off, just move forward and step onto the new platform in front of you.

This lift will take you back down to the Gym’s second floor.

Once you’re there, circle around to reach the only other lift you can take (on your left).

You will need to fight Ace Trainer Breanna to pass through here.

The lift will deposit you back at the first floor.

Now to your left is a different platform, this one with a red square outline instead of a yellow outline. It’s the only place to go from here, so stand on the platform.

This lift will take you all the way up to the fourth floor, where Gym Leader Byron is waiting for you.

Heal your Pokémon and save your game, then speak with him to initiate the battle.

Battling Leader Byron

For the most part, the battle with Byron is an extension of the battle with the Gym’s other trainers.

You’ve already fought Steelix several times by now, and Magneton is just an evolution of all the Magnemites carried by the workers.

Each of Byron’s Pokémon do have a few new moves and maneuvers to watch out for, however.

Byron’s Magneton

Move List:

• Flash Cannon
• Thunderbolt
• Tri Attack
• Metal Sound

Magneton is an Electric/Steel dual-type Pokémon, so Ground-type attacks will do four times the damage to it, and Fire- and Fighting-type attacks will do double the damage.

Its attacks will give you little to worry about, especially if you’re using a Ground-type, which will withstand Thunderbolt and Flash Cannon with ease.

Tri Attack is pretty powerful. But as a Normal-type move, it won’t land any super-effective hits on you.

The only move that has a chance of inconveniencing you is Metal Sound, which lowers the target’s Special Defense stat by two stages, opening them up for possible retaliation from Byron’s other two Pokémon.

If this happens, you might temporarily switch Pokémon, just in case.

Byron’s Steelix

Move List:

• Flash Cannon
• Earthquake
• Ice Fang
• Sandstorm

Steelix has a 2X weakness to Fire-, Water-, Fighting-, and Ground-type moves, but Ground types are the only Pokémon that aren’t affected by Steelix’s Sandstorm attack, which would otherwise take ⅛ off your HP every turn for 5 turns.

Ground-type Pokémon are weak to Steelix’s Ice Fang though.

So whichever of the four types you use, there will always be a small element of danger.

Still, it’s a Steelix. And it is vulnerable to all the same strategies the previous Steelix have been.

Byron’s Bastiodon

Move List:

• Metal Burst
• Stone Edge
• Iron Defense
• Taunt

Bastiodon is tough, but not tricky or deceptive like the last few Gym Leaders’ ace-in-the-hole Pokémon.

Its Defense and Special Defense stats are obscenely high. But its attacks don’t do the kind of damage you might think by looking at Bastiodon’s daunting visage – and its Speed is nothing to worry about.

The most annoying thing about this battle is that Bastiodon will likely use Iron Defense a couple of times, which will bolster its already high Defense stat by two stages every time it’s used.

By now you have access to plenty of Revives and Hyper Potions. So even if you find yourself having to slowly chip away at Bastiodon’s health because of its impressive defenses, you’ll have the means to do so.

Both Ground-type and Fighting-type moves have a quadruple type-effectiveness over Bastiodon’s Rock/Steel combination, so go with either.

After You Win

After the battle, Byron will award you the Mine Badge.

The Mine Badge will cause all Pokémon up to level 70 to obey you, even those received in trades.

It will also allow you to use the Hidden Move Strength outside of battle, which (among other things) will enable you to pass through Mt. Coronet and reach Snowpoint City.

Leader Byron will also give you a copy of TM91, which teaches his favorite move, Flash Cannon.

Once you’re done in the Gym, ride the conveyor belt on Byron’s right for a shortcut back to the gym’s entrance.

Your rival will be waiting for you outside, ready to lead you to the next part of your journey.

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Chris Haygood

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Chris is an American freelance writer and lifelong gamer. RPGs have been his genre of choice ever since he got Pokémon Blue in 1867, but if he finds a good rhythm game, he will prioritize playing it over both eating and breathing.

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