How To Get TM21 Frustration in Pokémon Platinum

There are two ways to get TM21 Frustration in Platinum:

One copy is found in the Team Galactic HQ. This is only available after defeating Snowpoint City’s Gym Leader Candice, and speaking with Commander Jupiter at Lake Acuity.
Unlimited copies can be purchased at the Veilstone Prize Exchange. Each copy costs 8000 Coins, which must be won or bought at the Game Corner next door.

TM21 Frustration Locations

Location #1: Galactic HQ (Step-by-Step)

TM21 Frustration’s primary location on the Town Map.

The easiest method of obtaining TM21 Frustration is to find it inside of Team Galactic’s Headquarters. However, it can only be obtained after receiving the Icicle Badge from Snowpoint City’s Gym Leader Candice.

There are a couple of short steps required to gain entry into Galactic HQ.

While inside, you will also need to track down the key that opens Team Galactic’s security doors.

Entering Galactic HQ

The first step is getting into the building itself.

After defeating Candice at the Snowpoint Gym, head to Mt. Acuity for a short chat with Commander Jupiter about some big Team Galactic plans in Veilstone City.

Then Fly to Veilstone City to investigate.

If you try walking into the main Galactic HQ building in the northeastern sector of town, you will be denied entry. Instead, speak with the Galactic Grunt standing in front of the building.

Speaking with the Grunt in front of Galactic Headquarters.

This will prompt the Grunt to run away.

Immediately afterward, Looker from the International Police will show up with the Storage Key the Grunt dropped while escaping.

Looker showing up with the Storage Key.

Looker will then offer to open the backdoor to the HQ, via the Galactic Warehouse on the other side of town.

There are quite a few level 40+ Grunt battles ahead, so heal your team at the Pokémon Center first. Then start heading to the west from the Pokecenter.

Heading west from Veilstone City’s Pokémon Center.

Turn north at the street corner by the Department Store.

Making a turn at the Department Store.

Turn eastward to move behind the Department Store, then head up the stairs to the north to enter the Galactic Warehouse.

Entering the Galactic Warehouse.

As soon as you enter, Looker will show up and use the Storage Key to open the security door for you.

Then he will take off down the stairs. Follow him.

Entering the security door and heading down the warehouse stairs.

Now that you’re inside HQ, you’ll need to find the Galactic Key that opens the facility’s security doors.

Finding the Galactic Key

First, head east through the hallway on the next floor, ignoring the corridor to the north.

Moving east down the hallway.

At the first corner, you will come across one of several Galactic Grunts to battle.

None of these battles is particularly hard—the Grunts generally use the same Golbat, Houndour, Stunky, etc. that you’ve come to expect.

But they’re all around level 40 and can wear out your team if you’re not careful.

Defeat this Grunt and continue heading northeast.

Heading past the first Galactic Grunt.

A second Grunt is guarding the next corner, so defeat him and continue up the stairs.

Passing the second Grunt and heading upstairs.

The Grunt in the next room has no Pokémon and can’t battle you; pass him and head up the opposite staircase.

Climbing the next set of stairs.

In the northwest corner of the next room are a pair of yellow circles on the floor.

These are warp tiles; stepping on one will teleport you to another warp tile elsewhere in the building.

Fight the Galactic Grunt guarding the hallway, then step on the left warp tile.

Heading to the left-hand warp tile.

In the next room, step on the next warp tile to continue.

Stepping on the next warp tile.

Then in the next room you’ll want to head up the stairs.

Going upstairs.

You will come up in the middle of a hallway.

Head to the left end and step on the warp tile there.

Heading left toward the warp tile.

Now in this next area, cross the hallway and go down the staircase to the east.

Heading down the stairs.

Once you’re downstairs, head west.

Turning westward on the next floor.

There is a Scientist trainer to battle here, but he’s optional.

Head around him and take the staircase at the northwest corner.

Passing the Scientist trainer and heading for the stairs.

Now just go west down the long dimly-lit hallway.

Traveling west through the dim hallway.

Circle around the boxes stacked up to the west and you’ll find a Poké Ball item on the ground.

Examining the item behind the boxes.

Pick up this item to get the Galactic Key.

Obtaining the Galactic Key.

You will need this key to get through the other security doors in the facility, including the room that has TM21 Frustration.

Finding TM21 Frustration

Note that you can open the security door for a shortcut to the entrance, so you can leave to heal if you need to.

Otherwise, turn around and head back the way you came.

Backtracking down the hall.

Head back up the stairs at the end of the hall.

Going up the stairs.

Travel east through the long room, passing the Scientist trainer again.

Heading east through the room.

Go back up the stairs in the small stairwell to the east.

Climbing back up the stairs.

Step onto the warp tile on the other side of the hall.

Heading back onto the warp tile.

Then cross the entire length of the hall to climb the eastern staircase. You will have to battle the Grunt to get by.

Crossing the length of the hall to the opposite staircase.

Now in this area, just head down the linear hallway.

There are several Galactic Grunts here, but none of them should pose much of a threat.

Heading south down the hall, battling Grunts along the way.

Turn eastward with the hallway. Fight or dodge the spinning Grunt in the middle of the corridor to get by.

Turning right at the southwestern corner of the hallway.

Use the Galactic Key on the door at the end of the hallway.

Opening the next security door.

Enter the new room and head for the Poké Ball item on the eastern side.

Approaching TM21 on the ground in Galactic HQ.

Pick up this item to get your only free copy of TM21 Frustration.

Obtaining TM21 Frustration.

Location #2: Veilstone Game Corner (Repeatable)

TM21 Frustration’s secondary location on the Town Map.

You can buy unlimited copies of TM21 Frustration from the Veilstone Prize Exchange for 8,000 Coins each.

To reach the Prize Exchange building, head southward from Veilstone City’s Pokémon Center, keeping to the eastern paved street.

Heading south from the Veilstone City Pokémon Center.

Head up the next staircase you come across and the blue-roofed Prize Exchange building will be directly in front of you.

Entering the Veilstone Prize Exchange building.

Speak to the clerk and look through their prize listing until you find TM21 Frustration.

TM21 Frustration’s listing at the Prize Exchange.

Each copy of TM21 Frustration costs 8000 Coins, and you can either buy or win coins from the Game Corner next door.

The PokéDollar-to-Coin exchange rate is 1,000 PokéDollars for 50 Coins (or 10,000 PokéDollars for 500 Coins).

So buying TM21 Frustration without playing the slots would cost 160,000 Pokédollars for each copy.

Frustration Details and Uses

In-game description of TM21 Frustration.

Frustration is a damage-dealing Normal-type physical move. Its base power is higher the less the user likes its trainer.

Frustration Move Details
Type	Normal
Category	Physical
Power	Varies
Accuracy	100%
PP	20 (max. 32)

Frustration is Return’s hate-driven equivalent—whereas Return works best when the user is enamored by its trainer, the opposite is true for Frustration.

The formula used in calculating Frustration’s base power is this:

Frustration Base Power Formula

A Pokémon’s Friendship stat has a maximum value of 255 and a minimum value of 0.

Therefore, Frustration’s base power can range from 1 (if the user’s Friendship is at its peak) to 102 (if the user completely despises its trainer).

There is almost no reason to choose Frustration over Return, aside from some fringe situations.

Keeping a Pokémon happy is much easier than making it miserable—even knocking out an opponent can make a Pokémon’s Friendship level rise.

So Return is clearly the better move, unless you just like pretending to be evil in video games.

Miscellaneous Info about Frustration:

Buneary is the only Pokémon that can learn Frustration through leveling.
A copy of TM21 Frustration can be sold for 500 PokéDollars.
If Frustration is used in a Pokémon battle, it will earn the user 2 Appeal Points, plus 2 bonus Appeal Points if the user acts last in that turn.

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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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