How to Beat Kabu and Kabu's Pokemon

This is a guide on how to beat Kabu and obtain the 3rd Badge in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Read on to see the Gym Leader of the Motostoke Gym's Pokemon and other walkthrough information on how to defeat Kabu.

Previous Gym	Next Gym
Nessa	Bea (Sword)	Allister (Shield)

How to Beat the Third Gym Challenge

Kabu's Pokemon and Type Specialty

Type and Suggested Level

Type Specialty
Suggested Level	Lv. 25 ~ Lv. 27

Kabu's Pokemon

Pokemon	Lv.	Type	Known Moves
Ninetales	Lv. 25		・Will-O-Wisp ・Fire Spin ・Quick Attack ・Ember
Arcanine	Lv. 25		・Will-O-Wisp ・Flame Wheel ・Bite ・Agility
Centiskorch	Lv. 27		・Flame Wheel ・Coil ・Bug Bite ・Smokescreen

Recommended Pokemon Against Kabu

Here are some Pokemon that are obtainable up to this point in the game that could help you turn the tides of battle!

Pokemon	Lv.	Type	Known Moves
Drizzile	Lv. 28		・Water Gun ・Water Pulse ・Sucker Punch ・Bind
Drednaw	Lv. 28		・Protect ・Water Gun ・Rock Tomb ・Headbutt

Motostoke Gym Walkthrough

Bring plenty of Poke Balls!!

In the Motospoke Gym, you will receive 2 Points for each Pokemon you catch, and 1 Points for each Pokemon you KO. Since you'll need to catch Pokemon to get as many points as possible, bringing enough Poke Balls to catch them is a must.

KO your partner's Pokemon

As soon as the battle starts, knock out the Pokemon of the trainer assigned as your teammate. When your partner's attacks KO the opponent, you won't receive any points and the challenge will become more difficult to complete.

Catch the rare Pokemon who appear

Litwick

Vulpix

Sizzlipede

Some of the Pokemon who appear in Motostoke Gym are rare, so take the opportunity to catch them here. Litwick, in particular, evolves into the powerful Chandelure, as a Ghost/Fire type with a whopping 145 Special Attack, can prove to be a powerful member of your party. For players of Pokemon Shield, consider bringing Litwick out for the battle with the next Gym Leader, the Ghost-type user Allister.

Use attacks with low power to weaken your opponents

Instead of using powerful attacks to knock out your opponents in a single hit, use weaker moves to lower their HP until their health bar turns yellow, or ideally red. Catching Pokemon yields more points than knocking them out, so try to catch Pokemon as much as possible.

Inflicting Pokemon with status effects makes them easier to catch

While weakening a Pokemon to catch it, consider inflicting a status effect like Paralysis or Sleep to improve the Catch Rate even more. Check Part 2 of the walkthrough for tips of catching Eldegoss, who can use Sing to put opponents into a deep sleep.

How to Beat Kabu

Raise a Water, Ground, or Rock-type Pokemon up to Level 25

Kabu, the Gym Leader of Motostoke Gym, uses Fire-type Pokemon as well as a mixed Fire/Bug-type Pokemon, Centiskorch. Water, Fire, and Rock-type Pokemon will be Super Effective against Fire types, especially Rock types, which are 4x Super Effective against Centiskorch. Since Kabu's Centiskorch is at Level 27, it's a good idea to have your strongest Pokemon at least at Level 25 at this point in the game.

Drednaw is especially recommended

The Water/Rock-type Pokemon Drednaw can be found in the 2nd Mine area of the game. With its initially high level, and starting off already knowing Rock Tomb, Drednaw will be a welcome addition to your team.

Dynamax a Water-type Pokemon from the 1st Turn

Kabu will use Will-O-Wisp to inflict the Burn status effect on your Pokemon from the first turn. If you don't have Burn Heals, this will turn into a problem as the battle drags on. Use Dynamax from the first turn on a Pokemon with a type advantage against Kabu's Fire types, and take out each of his Pokemon one by one in one or two hits.

Keep in mind that the Burn status has the effect of cutting your Pokemon's attack in half, which can cause a problem if you plan to use physical moves. If you have a Rawst Berry, which serves to cure Burn automatically, having your lead Pokemon hold it can save you from wasting a turn using Burn Heal.

Related Links

Gym Challenges

List of Gym Challenges

Gym Leader Battles

Go Back to All Gym Leaders
1st Badge		2nd Badge		3rd Badge
Milo		Nessa		Kabu
4th Badge				5th Badge
Bea (Sword)		Allister (Shield)		Opal
6th Badge
Gordie (Sword)			Melony (Shield)
7th Badge			8th Badge
Piers			Raihan