You’ve probably been there. You just evolved your Misdreavus into a Mismagius and realized, with a sinking feeling, that you missed out on Power Gem. Or maybe you're staring down Charlotte's devastating Fire-type team and wishing your Lycanroc still had Accelerock. In a game as notoriously brutal as Pokémon Reborn, your moveset isn’t just a preference—it’s your lifeline.
The Pokemon Reborn move relearner is one of those essential NPCs that feels like a myth when you first start the game. You know she exists. You’ve heard she’s in the Onyx Ward. But when you actually find her, she’s just pacing outside a locked house, complaining about a lost key.
Honestly, it’s one of the first major "gatekeeper" moments in the game’s utility loop. If you want to optimize your team for the mid-game difficulty spikes, you need her. Here is exactly how to get her inside that house and where to find the payment she demands.
The Onyx Ward House Key Quest
Most players find the Move Relearner pretty early. She is located in the bottom left corner of the Onyx Ward. Specifically, look for the house on 10th St. She’ll be walking back and forth, and if you talk to her, she’ll tell you she can’t get inside.
Here is the kicker: you can't help her immediately. You have to wait until you’ve progressed far enough to have HM Strength and the Mining Kit (or at least the ability to use Rock Smash).
How to get the House Key
- Beat Aya: You generally can't access the specific area for the key until you’ve cleared the Yureyu HQ and dealt with the mess in the Wasteland. You’ll need the badge that allows the use of Strength outside of battle.
- Head to the Underground Railnet: This is the massive tunnel system connecting the different wards.
- Find the Cracked Wall: In the northern section of the Railnet, look for a dark, cracked part of the wall. This is a classic Reborn "secret" that isn't really a secret if you're used to poking every tile.
- Use Rock Smash: Break through the wall. Inside a small hidden room, you’ll find the House Key sitting on the ground.
- Return to Onyx Ward: Hand the key over. She’ll be so thrilled that she actually gives you a Heart Scale to start you off.
Basically, if you try to do this before beating the fifth or sixth gym, you’re just going to give yourself a headache. Reborn loves its progression locks.
Why Heart Scales are the Real Boss Fight
Once she’s inside, the real grind begins. The Pokemon Reborn move relearner doesn't work for free. Each move costs one Heart Scale. In the early game, these feel rarer than Shinies.
You can find a few hidden around the city with the Itemfinder, but those run out fast. If you’re like me and you change your strategy every time you lose to a Gym Leader, you’re going to need a sustainable source.
Farming Heart Scales (The "Real" Way)
The most consistent way to get Heart Scales is by mining. Once you have the Mining Kit from the hiker in the Underground Railnet (near the Grand Stairway), start hitting every sparkling rock you see. It’s a minigame, sure, but Heart Scales show up fairly often. If you’re desperate, you can save-scum before hitting a rock, but that’s a bit tedious.
Later in the game, once you have the Good Rod (found in a house in Spinel Town), you can head to Tanzan Cove.
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Fishing for Luvdisc is the gold standard here. Luvdisc have a high chance of holding Heart Scales. To make this efficient, use a "Thief Lead" strategy:
- Put a Pokémon with the Compound Eyes ability in your first slot (it can even be fainted). This boosts the odds of wild Pokémon holding items.
- Put a Pokémon with Frisk and Thief (like Banette or Noivern) in the second slot.
- Frisk tells you if the Luvdisc has the scale; Thief takes it. Rinse and repeat.
Misconceptions about Relearning Moves
A common mistake is confusing the Move Relearner with Move Tutors. In Reborn, they are very different animals.
The Move Relearner only teaches moves that are in that specific Pokémon’s natural level-up learnset. If you’re looking for high-tier coverage like Iron Head or Drain Punch, she can’t help you unless the Pokémon learns it by leveling up. For those, you need Move Tutors scattered across the region (and usually a pile of Shards to pay them).
Another weird quirk of Reborn? Egg Moves. In the latest versions of the game, the Move Relearner can actually help you recover Egg Moves that a Pokémon once knew but forgot. This is a massive quality-of-life improvement. If you bred a Pokémon with a specific move and accidentally overwrote it, you aren't totally screwed anymore.
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The Agate Circus Alternative
If you’ve progressed to the point where you’re stuck in the Agate Circus (the long stretch where you can't return to Reborn City), don't panic. There is a second Move Relearner located in the bottom right corner of the circus area.
She functions exactly like the one in Onyx Ward and also charges one Heart Scale. This is vital because the difficulty jump in the circus and the subsequent mountains is intense. If you didn't bring a balanced team, you’ll likely need to swap some moves around just to survive the wild encounters.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Team
If your team is feeling underpowered, stop trying to out-level the bosses—Reborn has level caps anyway. Instead, head to the Railnet, grab that key, and visit the Move Relearner. Check your Pokémon’s movesets on a database like Smite or the Reborn wiki to see if you skipped a status move or a priority attack that could change the flow of a battle.
Stock up on Heart Scales through the Luvdisc method as soon as you hit Tanzan Cove. Having a stash of 10-15 scales means you can pivot your strategy instantly when a Gym Leader’s field effect starts ruining your day.