You're stuck. You've made it past the rainy mess of Route 117, you've probably dealt with those annoying Breeders and their endless Marill, and now you’re staring at a rock that looks like a lumpy potato. It’s blocking your path to Verdanturf Town or maybe you’re just tired of being restricted. You need to know how to get rock smash in pokemon emerald, and honestly, it’s one of the easiest HMs to miss if you’re just sprinting through the houses.
Unlike HM01 (Cut), which you usually grab because the house is right next to the Gym, Rock Smash is tucked away in a corner of Mauville City that feels like an afterthought.
Emerald is a bit of a weird beast compared to Ruby and Sapphire. A lot of the NPC placements shifted around, and the internal layout of the cities can feel like a maze when you're ten years old—or twenty-five and playing on an emulator at 3 a.m. Getting this move isn't just about clearing the path; it’s your ticket to some of the best items in the game. Without it, you aren't getting through Rusturf Tunnel. You aren't helping that guy reunite with his girlfriend. You're basically stuck in a loop of cycling back and forth on the Seaside Cycling Road.
Where Exactly Is the Rock Smash Guy?
Mauville City is the heart of Hoenn. It’s the crossroads. If you’re standing in the middle of the city, right by the Pokemon Center, you’re actually really close.
Head to the right of the Pokemon Center. There’s a house nestled just to the southeast of the Gym. This isn't some grand mansion. It doesn't have a sign out front that screams "IMPORTANT UTILITY MOVE INSIDE." It’s just a house. Go inside, and you’ll find a guy who is surprisingly enthusiastic about breaking things.
Talk to him. He’ll give you HM06. That’s it. No side quests. No "bring me three Pecha Berries." He just hands it over because he likes the idea of you smashing rocks. It’s one of those moments in Pokemon where the logic of "giving a ten-year-old high-yield explosives in move form" isn't really questioned.
But here’s the kicker. Just because you have the disc doesn't mean you can use it.
The Dynamo Badge Gatekeeper
You can teach Rock Smash to a Pokemon immediately. It’s a Fighting-type move. It has a measly 20 power (though it can lower Defense, which is nice for early-game grinding). However, to actually break those overworld boulders, you have to beat Wattson.
Wattson is the Mauville City Gym Leader. He uses Electric types. If you started with Mudkip, this is a breeze. If you started with Treecko or Torchic, you might actually struggle a bit with his Magneton. Magneton’s Steel typing makes it a tank against anything that isn't Fire or Ground. Once you earn the Dynamo Badge, the game "authorizes" you to use Rock Smash outside of battle.
Now you can go back to those annoying rocks.
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Why You Actually Need This Move (Beyond Progress)
Most players think of HMs as a "move tax." You have to waste a slot on a "HM Slave"—usually a Zigzagoon or a Geodude—just to move around the map. And yeah, Rock Smash is objectively a bad move in a competitive sense. It’s weak.
But in Pokemon Emerald, Rock Smash is a gambling mechanic.
When you break a rock, there is a random encounter table that triggers. Sometimes nothing happens. Sometimes a Geodude jumps out and tries to Self-Destruct in your face. But occasionally, you find items.
- Hard Stone: Boosts Rock-type moves.
- Revives: Essential for the Elite Four.
- Everstone: Stops evolution (great for breeding later).
- Heart Scales: These are the gold currency of Hoenn.
Heart Scales allow you to visit the Move Tutor in Fallarbor Town to relearn moves your Pokemon forgot or passed over. If you're trying to optimize a Gardevoir or a Salamence later in the game, you will be begging for Heart Scales. Smashing rocks is one of the few ways to farm them early.
The Rusturf Tunnel Subplot
If you haven't done it yet, take HM06 over to the west of Mauville. You’ll hit the Rusturf Tunnel. There’s a guy in there—Wanda’s boyfriend—who has been trying to dig through the rock with his bare hands or something equally inefficient.
Smash the rock for him.
This isn't just a "feel good" moment. Doing this connects Verdanturf Town and Rustboro City. It opens up a massive shortcut that saves you from having to sail with Mr. Briney every time you need to go back to the Devon Corporation. Plus, the guy gives you the HM for Strength as a reward. You literally cannot finish the game without doing this. Strength is required for the later Gyms and the Victory Road puzzles. It’s a chain reaction of utility.
Common Mistakes People Make
Don't be the person who tries to delete Rock Smash later and realizes they can't.
HMs are "sticky." In the Generation III games, you cannot overwrite an HM move with a new move just by leveling up or using a TM. You have to visit the Move Deleter in Lilycove City. This is a huge pain if you accidentally taught Rock Smash to your Combusken or your high-level Breloom.
Try to keep it on a dedicated utility Pokemon. Marill, Geodude, or Zigzagoon are the MVPs here. Zigzagoon is particularly great because its "Pickup" ability might snag you a Rare Candy while you’re running around looking for the Rock Smash guy’s house.
Another weird quirk: some people think they need to find the "Rock Smash Guy" in every town. You don't. Once you have the HM, it stays in your bag forever. It has infinite uses.
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The Technical Specs
For the nerds who want the numbers, here is what Rock Smash looks like in the Emerald engine:
It’s a Fighting-type physical move.
It has 15 PP.
It has a 50% chance to lower the target's Defense by one stage.
In the original Ruby and Sapphire, this move was actually a TM (TM47). Game Freak realized that making it an HM was a better way to gatekeep the player's progress and ensure they didn't wander into high-level areas too early. By the time you get to Diamond and Pearl, they kept it as an HM, but in Emerald, it truly feels like the first "gate" of the mid-game.
Moving Toward the Mid-Game
Once you have handled the business in Mauville and helped the couple in the tunnel, the world opens up. You’ll head north toward the fiery heights of Mt. Chimney. You'll deal with Team Magma and Team Aqua's nonsense.
The pacing of Emerald is legendary because of these small hurdles. Finding how to get rock smash in pokemon emerald is the moment the game stops holding your hand and tells you to start exploring the interiors of houses and talking to every NPC.
Your Checklist for Success:
- Reach Mauville City.
- Find the house southeast of the Gym (right of the Pokemon Center).
- Talk to the man inside to receive HM06.
- Defeat Wattson at the Mauville Gym to get the Dynamo Badge.
- Teach the move to a "utility" Pokemon like Zigzagoon or Geodude.
- Head to Rusturf Tunnel to clear the path and unlock the Strength HM.
Don't just rush to the next town. Take a second to smash those rocks on Route 111. You might find a Rare Bone or a Heart Scale that makes your life much easier when you're facing the Elite Four down the road. Emerald rewarded the patient player. It rewarded the curious player. And it definitely rewarded the player who bothered to walk into a random house in Mauville City.
Get your badge. Break those rocks. Open up the map.
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The next step is to head North toward Route 111, but make sure you have a Pokemon with the "Flash" HM or a lot of patience, because things are about to get dark in the caves ahead. If you've already cleared the tunnel, your next major goal is the Heat Badge in Lavaridge Town, which requires navigating the jagged pass and the cable car. Make sure your team is healed up, because the trainers on the road to the volcano don't play around.