During the third main story mission of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, players will be asked to take part in the Z-A Royale, a battle tournament to determine the strongest trainers in Lumiose City. Those who prove themselves worthy will earn themselves a wish, but to do so, they'll need to win a series of battles to increase their rank, with the aim being to go from Rank Z to Rank A.
Every Pokemon in Pokemon Legends Z-A (Complete Pokedex)
Discover the complete Pokedex for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, featuring 230 Pokemon and 64 Mega Evolutions.
For all but one of the battles that players win, their rank will increase by one letter, although there's a special promotion battle a few hours in that sees them skip more than half the alphabet. As such, there are only eleven Pokemon Legends: Z-A Promotion Matches before the credits roll. Here are the Pokemon that players will need to beat and some ideas on how to counter them.
From Vinnie onwards, trainers will Mega Evolve their final Pokemon.
Zach (Rank Z)
Zach's Team
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How to Beat Zach in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Zach's first two Pokemon are both weak to Electric-type attacks, so players should lead with a 
Mareep (available in Wild Zone 1) or something similar. Depending on their level, they can probably get away with brute-forcing Zach's Pikachu, but if they're having trouble, they should switch out to a Ground-type Pokemon to finish the job.
Yvon (Rank Y)
Yvon's Team
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How to Beat Yvon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Like Zach before her, Yvon leads with two Pokemon that share a common weakness. Both Spritzee and Swirlix are weak against Poison and Steel-type attacks, so players should use this to their advantage. Spinarak (found in Wild Zone 4) is an excellent choice here, as it's resistant to Fairy-type attacks. For Vivillon, a Rock-type Pokemon would be best, although Flying, Ice, and Electric-types can also get the job done.
Xavi (Rank X)
Xavi's Team
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How to Beat Xavi in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Xavi is the first promotion match that players will really need to plan for, as only two of his Pokemon share a weakness. In fact, the Fighting-type that players will need to bring to counter Furfrou is weak against Kadabra, so they can't even rely on brute force. Venipede and Roselia take double damage against Fire, while Kadabra is weak against Bug, Dark, and Ghost, so players should plan their team accordingly.
Rintaro (Rank W)
Rintaro's Team
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How to Beat Rintaro in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Rintaro's team covers the three main elements, so players can use their starter to tackle one of them. Simisage, Simipour, and Simisear have no shared weaknesses, though, so where possible, they should aim to bring a Grass, Water, and Fire-type of their own and use them as and when needed. Alternatively, a Rock or Poison-type Pokemon will deal double damage to one of the trio and regular damage against the other two.
Vinnie (Rank???)
Vinnie's Team
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How to Beat Vinnie in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Vinnie's team may look pretty varied on paper, but they all share a common weakness: Fighting-type attacks. Players should use this to their advantage and bring a couple of Fighting-types along. Those who chose Tepig as their starter are in luck here, as the little fire pig picks up Fighting as a secondary typing after evolving into Pignite at level 17. They should definitely bring a few backups, though, as Mega Drampa can hit pretty hard.
Canari (Rank F)
Canari's Team
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How to Beat Canari in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Canari is an Electric-type trainer, so players will definitely want to bring a Ground-type Pokemon or two. Heliolisk is also weak to Fighting-type attacks, and Stunfisk is weak against Grass, Ice, and Water, so players should fill any remaining slots accordingly. They'll definitely want to keep at least one Ground-type in reserve for Mega Eelektross, though, as it has no other weaknesses.
Ivor (Rank E)
Ivor's Team
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How to Beat Ivor in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
All of Ivor's Pokemon are Fighting-types or have Fighting as their secondary typing, so it's a good idea to bring a couple of Fairy or Flying-type Pokemon along. The former is particularly useful against Heracross due to its 4x weakness. Machamp and Mega Falinks are weak against Psychic-type attacks, so if players have evolved one of those rooftop Abras that they've found into an Alakazam already, it can do some pretty decent damage here.
Corbeau (Rank D)
Corbeau's Team
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How to Beat Corbeau in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Corbeau is another one of those trainers whose team seems pretty varied at first glance, but there are a few common weaknesses that players can exploit. Arbok, Roserade, and Mega Scolipede are all weak against Psychic-type attacks, so players should be sure to take advantage of this. As for Gyarados, players should bring an Electric or Rock-type. The latter can be useful against Mega Scolipede too, although most will probably want to exploit Gyarados' 4x weakness to the former.
Jacinthe (Rank C)
Jacinthe's Team
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How to Beat Jacinthe in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Mega Clefable is a Fairy/Flying-type, meaning it's weak against Electric, Grass, Poison, Rock, and Steel. This bodes well, as both Aurorus and Carbink have a 4x weakness against Steel-type attacks, and they're super effective against Gardevoir as well. Grass-type Pokemon can also be useful during this battle, as they're super effective against three of Jacinthe's team. If players do go down this route, though, they should bring a Poison or Ghost-type to deal with Gardevoir.
Grisham (Rank B)
Grisham's Team
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How to Beat Grisham in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Mega Charizard X is a Fire/Dragon-type, meaning its three main weaknesses are Ground, Rock, and Dragon. Tyanitar and Pyroar are also weak against Ground-types, so players should build their team around this common weakness. They'll need to bring something to deal with Malmar and Pangoro as well. A Fairy (Pangoro) and Bug-type (Malamar) can work well here, as in addition to dealing 4x damage, they can also help out against Tyranitar if needed.
Taunie (Rank A)
Taunie's Team if Players Chose Chikorita as Their Starter Pokemon
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Taunie's Team if Players Chose Tepig as Their Starter Pokemon
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Taunie's Team if Players Chose Totodile as Their Starter Pokemon
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As in previous fights against Taunie, her team will include the two Pokemon Legends: Z-A starter Pokemon that players didn't choose. This is good news in a way, as it means that players will be able to use their own starter Pokemon to deal with one of them. Of course, it also means that they'll be vulnerable when she brings out her Mega Evolution at the end of the battle. As such, players will need to make sure that they bring a Pokemon or two that can attack her final Pokemon's weakness(es). Totodile users are in luck here, as they can bring a Fire-type to tackle both Megam Meganium and Avalugg.
As for Taunie's other four Pokemon, there aren't any common weaknesses for players to exploit, so they'll need to pick a designated counter for each of them if they want to target weakness. The best strategy here is to bring Pseudo-Legendaries or starter Pokemon from other generations, as these tend to be the hardest-hitting options available before the post-game kicks in. Meowstic is weak against Ghost, Dark, and Bug, Goodra is weak against Ice, Fairy, and Dragon, Avalugg is weak against Fighting, Fire, Rock, and Steel, and Manectric is weak against Ground.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
- Released
- October 16, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
