Quick Guide:
- Follow Marlon into the Depths of Cinder Volcano
- Defeat Vega and the Light of Ruin
- Survive the Encounter with Primal Groudon
- Infiltrate Shadow Base
- Challenge Shadow Boss Zeph
Cinder Volcano Depths – Overview

Points of Interest | |
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1F | |
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Light of Ruin Grunt |
B1F | |
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Agent Vega Double Battle |
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Shadow Remains Cave |
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Heat Rock Cave |
B2F | |
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Primal Groudon Battle |
Exits and Passages | |
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1F | |
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Route 4 West |
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Ladder Down to B1F |
B1F | |
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Ladder Up to 1F |
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Ladder Down to B2F |
B2F | |
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Ladder Up to B1F |
Items
Items | |
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1F | |
X Attack (hidden) |
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B1F | |
TM76 Stealth Rock | ![]() |
Zygarde Cell | ![]() |
Red Shard (hidden) |
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Heat Rock | ![]() |
Max Revive (hidden) |
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Lava Cookie | ![]() |
B2F | |
Occa Berry (hidden) |
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Dire Hit (hidden) |
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Star Piece | ![]() |
Elixir (hidden) |
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Ultra Ball (hidden) |
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Wild Pokémon (all floors)
Wild Pokémon (all floors) |
|
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Cave | |
Woobat Psychic/Flying |
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Slugma Fire |
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Salandit Poison/Fire |
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Camerupt Fire/Ground |
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Graveler Rock/Ground |
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Excadrill Ground/Steel |
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Heatmor Fire |
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Magmar Fire |
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Surfing | |
Slugma Fire |
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Magcargo Fire/Rock |
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Rock Smash | |
Geodude Rock/Ground |
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Graveler Rock/Ground |
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Shuckle Bug/Rock |
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Cinder Volcano Depths – 1F

When you enter the cavern, you’ll see someone in a strange uniform passed out on the floor, presumably put there by Marlon.

However, when you try and walk past him to the ladder, he jumps up and reveals himself as a Grunt of Aklove’s new organization, the Light of Ruin.
Light of Ruin Grunt | |
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Floette Fairy (Lv.38) |
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Ribombee Bug/Fairy (Lv.38) |
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Sylveon Fairy (Lv.39) |
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He’s easily taken care of, but when you do he runs off to tell the rest of the Light of Ruin you’re here. Climb down the ladder after him.
Cinder Volcano Depths – B1F

When you climb down the ladder, the Grunt is desperate to get to his boss before you do.
Follow him, and you’ll see a confrontation already in progress.

Vega, Crater Town Gym Leader and spy for the Shadows, is now apparently a leader of the Light of Ruin, and Marlon wants to take him down.
Time for a Double Battle.
Like the ones with Jax, you need to select three Pokémon to use alongside Marlon’s three – a Krookodile, a Cacturne, and a Dusclops.
Light of Ruin Double Battle | |
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Agent Vega and Light of Ruin Grunt | |
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|
Liepard Dark (Lv.38) |
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Floette Fairy (Lv.38) |
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Ribombee Bug/Fairy (Lv.38) |
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Sylveon Fairy (Lv.39) |
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Honchkrow Dark/Flying (Lv.39) |
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Absol (Mega) Dark (Lv.40) |
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This battle is straightforward, because Marlon’s Pokémon are quite formidable and make good partners.

After winning the battle Vega tries to escape, and Marlon chases after him, deeper into the depths of the volcano.
There are two chambers accessible from this central area – both contain useful items, but it might be worth going into the left chamber first.

You find the body of a Shadow Warrior. Knowing what you do now about how they are made, you’re given the option to lay it to rest.
After you do that, go back to the main chamber and go south.

Make sure your Pokémon are fully healed before climbing down the ladder, because the fight ahead is extremely tough.
Cinder Volcano Depths – B2F

Marlon thinks he has Vega cornered, but Vega has one card up his sleeve – an artifact that summons a Primal Groudon from the heart of the volcano!

Vega flees, and you and Marlon are left to deal with the legendary Pokémon. However, you’re cut off from your Pokeballs by a rockfall.
Marlon offers to battle the Groudon commanding your Pokémon, which is highly unusual but your only option.
Legendary Battle | |
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Primal Groudon | |
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Primal Groudon Ground/Fire (level scales) |
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This is one of the toughest battles in the game.
The Groudon level scales, so you can’t really be too prepared for it. In addition, you’re only allowed to tell Marlon to switch Pokémon or to use items – you cannot select the move he tells the Pokémon to use.
It’s very hit and miss because the move he selects may not be the most effective or the most powerful one.

But if you manage to beat Primal Groudon, the rockfall is cleared and you and Marlon are free to chase after Zeph.
Marlon explicitly tells you not to follow him to the Shadow Base. But going by the updated mission objective, you plan on ignoring that.
Getting to Shadow Base

The Shadow Base is in the same place as it was in the very beginning of the game – just outside of your hometown, Frozen Heights.

When you left the last time, it was sealed behind you – but now it appears to have been unsealed, presumably by Marlon.
Head on inside.
Shadow Base – 1F

Points of Interest | |
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Marlon’s Uniform |
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Level 1 Key Card |
Exits and Passages | |
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Frozen Heights |
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Level 2 Key Card Access |
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Shadow Base Elevator |
Items
Items | |
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Hyper Potion | ![]() |
Metagrossite or Tyranitarite or Garchompite |
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When you enter, you’ll have the choice of going left or right.
Left leads to the area you escaped from previously, and right leads to where you need to go now.

Apparently Marlon decided to take off his uniform after breaking through the front door, and left it lying there for you to pick up and put on.

As ‘Marlon’, you will be able to move around the Shadow Base pretty freely.
Head west and you’ll see a room with a scientist in it.

Just north of him is an item you will need – the Level 1 Key Card.
There are all sorts of locked doors in this base, and this will help you get through some of them.

There’s only one way to get up and down floors in the base, and that’s the elevator.

It even comes with its own elevator attendant.
First, head to B1F.
Shadow Base – B1F

Points of Interest | |
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Level 2 Key Card |
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Shadow Grunt |
Exits and Passages | |
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Shadow Base Elevator |
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Level 1 Key Card Access |
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Level 2 Key Card Access |
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Level 3 Key Card Access |
Items
Items | |
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Pearl (hidden) |
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Calcium (hidden) |
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Dusk Ball (hidden) |
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Reaper Cloth | ![]() |
Zygarde Cell | ![]() |
Protein | ![]() |
Dusk Ball | ![]() |

Luckily you picked up that keycard on the floor above, because the way forward is locked with Level 1 access.
Head on through when you open them.

First, go to the northeast room to pick up something useful.
It’s the Level 2 Key Card, sitting on a desk a Grunt is working at.

With this in hand, you can go back to the area you woke up at in the beginning of the game and open the locked door there to get a Mega Stone for your starter Pokémon – a Metagrossite, Garchompite, or a Tyranitarite.

Past another Level 1 door is a Grunt who wants to battle you – as a friendly spar session, of course.
You can fight him again and again if you need some training.
Shadow Grunt | |
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Scrafty Dark/Fighting (Lv.40) |
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Malamar Dark/Psychic (Lv.41) |
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After you’ve got everything of value from this floor, head back to the elevator and select B2F.
Shadow Base – B2F

Points of Interest | |
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Shadow Scientist |
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Level 3 Key Card |
Exits and Passages | |
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Shadow Base Elevator |
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Shadow Warrior Lab Entry/Exit |
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Level 3 Key Card Access |
Items
Items | |
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Zygarde Cell | ![]() |
Up-Grade | ![]() |
TM41 Torment | ![]() |
Black Glasses | ![]() |

As soon as you arrive on this floor, you’ll need to open another security door with your keycard.

Head east and then south until you bump into someone along that corridor.

Just like the Shadow Grunt upstairs, this Scientist offers herself as a training partner.
Shadow Scientist | |
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Mawile Steel/Fairy (Lv.40) |
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Vikavolt Bug/Electric (Lv.40) |
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Bronzong Steel/Psychic (Lv.41) |
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In the south part of this floor is the entrance to the lab where the Shadow Warriors are made.
The grunt guarding it thinks you’re Marlon, so he lets you in.

This is the location of the final item you need – the Level 3 Key Card.
With this, you can head back to the elevator and go straight to B3F, where Zeph has his office.
Shadow Base – B3F

B3F is the final floor of the base, and Marlon is already here ahead of you.
Items | |
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Houndoomite | ![]() |

A man with scruffy red hair walks through a security door – this must be Marlon when he’s out of uniform.
Now that you have the Level 3 card you can follow him.

Zeph is in the middle of explaining himself to Marlon when you barge through the door.
He accuses you of being a spy, so it’s time to battle Zeph one more time.
Shadow Base Battle – Boss Zeph | |
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|
Mightyena Dark (Lv.41) |
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Exploud Normal (Lv.40) |
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Decidueye Grass/Ghost (Lv.42) |
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Gengar (Mega) Ghost/Poison (Lv.41) |
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After you beat him, Zeph soon comes to his senses when Marlon tells him your father is Aros.
Zeph explains why he developed the method of making Shadow Warriors, and how he was manipulated by Fey, the leader of the Science Society, all along.
The most interesting piece of info you get though is that Marlon and Ivory are none other than your Rival’s parents!

The Light of Ruin has been detected in Vivill Town, which is across the Great Desert east of Dehara City.
However you’ll need to beat the Gym first, so that’s where you’re going next.
