Grant is a wall. Honestly, if you strolled into the Pokémon X second gym expecting the same breeze you got from Viola in Santalune City, you probably left with a fainted team and a bruised ego. It’s a massive jump in difficulty. Most players remember the Kalos region as being "too easy" because of the Exp. Share, but Grant’s Tyrunt doesn’t care about your overleveled Chespin. It will bite you. Hard.
The Cyllage City Gym is more than just a place to get a badge; it’s a geography lesson and a combat reality check rolled into one. You’ve spent the last hour or two wandering through Route 8 and Route 9, maybe catching a Luvdisc or smashing some rocks in Glittering Cave. Then you hit this seaside town and realize the gym is literally built into the side of a mountain. You have to climb.
Finding Your Way Through the Cyllage City Gym
The layout is vertical. Instead of the usual puzzles involving sliding tiles or invisible walls, Grant makes you scale rock walls. It’s actually pretty cool because it uses the 3D depth of the 3DS, which was a huge selling point back when the game launched. You aren't just walking; you’re ascending.
Don't ignore the NPCs. The trainers here use Rock-types, obviously, but they have some tricky coverage. You’ll run into a hiker or a climber who might toss out a Lunatone or a Solrock. If you’re relying solely on a Fire-type starter like Fennekin, you’re in for a miserable afternoon. You’ll want to reach the top where Grant is waiting, looking like he just finished a marathon. He’s got those colorful stones in his hair and a very chill attitude for someone who is about to wreck your day with prehistoric monsters.
The Grant Problem: Tyrunt and Amaura
Grant is the first Fossil Pokémon specialist you encounter in the main series who actually feels intimidating in the early game. His team consists of two Pokémon: Amaura and Tyrunt. They are both Level 25. On paper, that sounds low. In practice, their typing is a nightmare if you aren't prepared.
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Amaura comes out first. It’s a Rock/Ice type. This is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s four-times weak to Fighting and Steel moves. If you caught a Riolu back on Route 22 or evolved your starter into Quilladin or Frogadier, you have options. However, Amaura has the Refrigerate ability. This turns Normal-type moves into Ice-type moves and gives them a power boost. That Take Down it loves to use? It’s now a STAB Ice move that hits like a truck. If you brought a Grass or Flying type, Amaura will delete them before you can blink.
Then there is Tyrunt.
Tyrunt is the real boss of the Pokémon X second gym. It’s Rock/Dragon. Let that sink in for a second. At this point in the game, you probably don't have a Fairy-type move worth anything, and Dragon-types are incredibly rare. Tyrunt has Strong Jaw, which boosts biting moves. Its movepool includes Rock Tomb and Bite. Rock Tomb is the "run-killer" because it lowers your speed every single time it hits. You think you’re faster? You aren't anymore. After two Rock Tombs, Tyrunt is outspeeding your entire party and flinching you with boosted Bites. It’s a brutal cycle.
How to Beat Grant Without Losing Your Mind
You need a plan. You can't just mash A.
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First, go get the Old Rod. You can find it in the aquarium in Cyllage City. Catch a Luvdisc or a Magikarp. Better yet, if you haven't traded for it yet, look for the guy in the Pokémon Center who wants a Luvdisc in exchange for a Steelix. Yes, a Steelix. Having a massive Steel/Ground snake for the second gym is basically a cheat code. Steel resists almost everything Grant throws at you, and a 4x effective Iron Tail or a solid Ground move will turn his fossils back into dust.
If you don't want to use the "Steelix Strategy," head back to the tall grass on Route 10. You can find Hawlucha there. Hawlucha is a godsend for this fight. It’s fast, and its Fighting-type moves will shred Amaura. Just be careful with Tyrunt; Hawlucha is part Flying, so it takes super-effective damage from Rock Tomb.
- Priority 1: Get a Fighting-type. Machop is available in Glittering Cave.
- Priority 2: Lower Tyrunt's Attack. If you have a Pokémon with Intimidate or Growl, use it. Tyrunt’s physical power is its only real asset.
- Priority 3: Speed control. If you can paralyze Tyrunt with Thunder Wave (available on some Pikachu or Butterfree), you negate its speed advantage.
Why This Gym Matters for the Kalos Meta
The Cyllage Gym serves a specific purpose in the game's design. It forces the player to engage with the Fossil mechanic. Right before this, you went to Glittering Cave and chose between the Jaw Fossil and the Sail Fossil. This gym is a showcase of what those Pokémon can do. It's essentially a "trial by fire" for the new Rock-type additions of Generation VI.
A lot of people complain that Pokémon X and Y are too hand-holdy. I disagree when it comes to the gym leaders' movepools. Grant’s use of Rock Tomb is a deliberate lesson in stat stages. If you don't understand that lowering an opponent's speed or increasing your own defense matters, Grant will teach you by force.
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Common Mistakes Most Trainers Make
Most people go in with a Combusken or a Fletchinder. It’s a natural instinct. You want to use your cool evolved Pokémon. But Grant is a hard counter to the "Bird Spam" strategy that works so well in the first gym.
Another mistake is neglecting the dowsing machine. There are several useful items hidden around Cyllage City and the surrounding routes, including X-Items and Berries, that can tilt the favor in your direction. If you’re playing a Nuzlocke challenge, this is usually where runs go to die. The combination of high base power moves and speed reduction makes Tyrunt a statistical anomaly for this stage of the game.
Honestly, the best way to handle the Pokémon X second gym is to play defensively. Don't try to out-damage Tyrunt. It’s a Dragon; it has naturally high base stats. Instead, use status effects. Poison it. Burn it. Do anything to chip away at its health while you heal up.
The Cliff Badge and Beyond
Once you finally take down that Tyrunt, you get the Cliff Badge. It allows you to use Strength outside of battle, which opens up a massive chunk of the map you couldn't reach before. You also get the TM for Rock Tomb.
Keep that TM. It is one of the most useful TMs for the mid-game. Being able to guaranteed-lower the speed of a faster opponent is huge, especially when you start running into Team Flare’s faster Poison and Dark types later on.
The second gym is the peak of the early game's challenge. After this, the world opens up significantly. You’ll be heading toward Shalour City and the Mega Evolution tower, but you wouldn't get there without proving you can handle a prehistoric T-Rex first.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
- Trade for Steelix: Find the NPC in the Cyllage Pokémon Center who wants a Luvdisc. This makes the gym a cakewalk.
- Hunt for Hawlucha: Catch one on Route 10 to deal massive Fighting damage to Amaura.
- Level to 26: Grant’s team is Level 25. Being even one level higher gives you a slight edge in the math behind the damage rolls.
- Use the Glittering Cave: Don't rush through it. Catch a Machop or a Onix there to bolster your defenses against Rock-type moves.
- Equip a Persim Berry: Tyrunt loves to use Bite, which has a flinch chance, but if he uses a move that confuses you, having that berry saves a turn.