There are numerous missions that the player can do in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s main storyline. These include finding and battling the new Titan Pokemon, disbanding the mysterious Team Star, defeating all the Paldea gym leaders, participating in the Pokemon League to become a Champion and be the very best like no one ever was, or catching every Pokemon to complete the Pokedex.
Even after accomplishing all these and the credits roll, there is still much more for the player to do, like challenging Gym Leaders and former Team Star squads to a rematch. One noteworthy event is the Academy Ace Tournament, organized to commemorate the player’s victory in becoming a Paldea Region Champion.
This guide will teach you how to defeat Raifort in the Academy Ace Tournament!
The Academy Ace Tournament
Before the player can start competing in the Academy Ace Tournament, the player must first do something for Top Champion Geeta. She will ask for the player’s help before she can participate in the tournament: she will ask the player to challenge all the Pokemon Gym Leaders in the region to a rematch so they can prove their skills. The Academy Ace Tournament will only begin after the player defeats all Gym Leaders in the Paldea region in a rematch.
In the Academy Ace Tournament, the player will participate in four back-to-back battles against other Pokemon Trainers, whether faculty members or other academy students. The player must defeat all the other four Trainers to become the ultimate champion and be declared the academy’s ace.
To enter the tournament, speak to the staff member dressed in blue next to a Gengar at the front desk of the Entrance Hall in the Academy in Mesagoza.
On the first try in the Academy Ace Tournament, the player will battle a predetermined group of Trainers: Arven, Jacq, Dendra, and Top Champion Geeta. In subsequent attempts, however, the player will battle four different Trainers randomly selected from Arven, Jacq, Dendra, Hassel, Tyme, Miriam, Raifort, Saguaro, Salvatore, Penny, Director Clavell, or Nemona.
While battling in the tournament, the player cannot change the Pokemon in their party. However, the player’s Pokemon will be fully healed, and the player’s Tera Orb will be recharged after each round.
Rewards
After winning the Academy Ace Tournament for the first time, the player will earn money and EXP points, unlock a Sporty Cap (Pokemon League), and grant the player access to 6-Star Tera Raids (if the player has finished at least ten 4-Star Tera Raid battles).
For the player’s subsequent wins of the whole tournament, the player will be awarded a random prize which is either up to 10 Rare Candies, a maximum of three Nuggets, one Big Nugget, up to three PP Ups, a PP Max, three random Vitamins, three random Tera Shards, a rare Apriball (a Beast Ball, a Dream Ball, a Fast Ball, a Friend Ball, a Level Ball, a Lure Ball, or a Moon Ball), a random nature Mint, a Bottle Cap, a Gold Bottle Cap, or a scarce Ability Patch.
Raifort
After beating the Academy Ace Tournament for the first time, prepare for an exciting battle with Raifort, the Academy’s history teacher, as the player may battle Raifort if the player participates in the tournament again!
Raifort does not have a type specialty but will use six Pokemon: a Level 65 Raifort, a Level 65 Seviper, a Level 65 Grumpig, a Level 65 Lumineon, a Level 65 Scizor, and a Level 66 Genger with a Ghost Tera-Type.
Raifort’s Zoroark
Zoroark is a Dark-type Pokemon that is weak (super effective) to the Bug-type, Fairy-type, and Fighting-type moves, resistant (not very effective) to Dark-type and Ghost-type moves, and immunity (no effect) to Psychic-type moves.
Raifort’s Zoroark will use the following moves:
- Night Daze is a special Dark-type move with 85 Power and 95 Accuracy. Alongside dealing damage, it has a 40% chance to lower the Accuracy stat of the opposing Pokemon.
- Sludge Bomb is a special Poison-type move with 90 Power and 100 Accuracy. Alongside dealing damage, it has a 30% chance of inflicting Poison on the opposing Pokemon.
- Psychic is a special Psychic-type with 90 Power and 100 Accuracy. Alongside dealing damage, it has a 10% chance of lowering the Special Defense stat of the opposing Pokemon by one stage.
- Flamethrower is a special Fire-type move with 90 Power and 100 Accuracy. Alongside dealing damage, it has a 10% chance of inflicting Burn on the opposing Pokemon.
Aside from its moves, Raifort’s Zoroark has the Ability called Illusion, which will disguise the Pokemon as the last non-fainted Pokemon in the user’s party as the Pokemon with the Ability enters the battle.
The Pokemon’s disguise will break when the Pokemon with the Ability takes damage from an attack, not from entry hazards or weather attacks. In the context of this battle, Raifort’s Zoroark will enter the battle disguised as Gengar, the last Pokemon in Raifort’s party.
Raifort’s Seviper
Seviper is a Poison-type Pokemon which means that it is weak (super effective) to Ground-type and Psychic-type moves and resistant (not very effective) to the Bug-type, Fairy-type, Fighting-type, Grass-type, and Poison-type moves.
Raifort’s Seviper will use the following moves:
- Glare is a Normal-type status move that will paralyze the opposing Pokemon.
- Gunk Shot is a physical Poison-type move with 120 Power and 80 Accuracy. Alongside dealing damage, it has a 30% chance of inflicting Poison on the target Pokemon.
- Psychic Fangs are a physical Psychic-type, moving with 85 Power and 100 Accuracy. Alongside dealing damage, it destroys the protective barriers active in the battle.
- Crunch is a physical Dark-type move with 80 Power and 100 Accuracy. Alongside dealing damage, it has a 20% chance of lowering the target Pokemon’s Defense stat by one stage.
Raivort’s Grumpig
Grumpig is a Psychic-type Pokemon which means that it is weak (super effective) to the Bug-type, Dark-type, and Ghost-type moves and resistant (not very effective) to Fighting-type and Psychic-type moves.
Raifort’s Grumpig will use the following moves:
- Psychic is a special Psychic-type with 90 Power and 100 Accuracy. Aside from causing damage, it also has a 10% chance of lowering the Special Defense stat of the opposing Pokemon by one stage.
- Power Gem is a special Rock-type move with 80 Power and 100 Accuracy.
- Flash Cannon is a special Steel-type move with 80 Power and 100 Accuracy. Alongside causing damage, it has a 10% chance of decreasing the Special Defense stat of the opposing Pokemon by one stage.
- Earth Power is a special Ground-type move with 90 Power and 100 Accuracy. Aside from dealing damage, it also has a 10% chance of lowering the opposing Pokemon’s Special Defense stat by one stage.
Aside from that, Raifort’s Grumpig has the Thick Fat Ability, which will reduce the damage the Pokemon with the Ability will receive from Fire-type and Ice-type moves by 50%.
Raifort’s Lumineon
Lumineon is a Water-type Pokemon which means it is weak (super effective) to Electric-type and Grass-type moves and resistant (not very effective) to Fire-type, Ice-type, Steel-type, and Water-type moves.
Raifort’s Lumineon will use the following moves:
- Dazzling Gleam is a special Fairy-type move with 80 Power and 100 Accuracy.
- Whirlpool is a special Water-type move with 35 Power and 85 Accuracy that will deal damage that is equal to 1/8th of the opposing Pokemon’s max HP for each turn and prevents the opposing Pokemon from running away or being switched out for four to five turns or until the Pokemon who used the move is switched out or faints.
- Air Slash is a special Flying type move with 75 Power and 95 Accuracy that deals damage and has a 30% chance of causing the target Pokemon to flinch.
- Ice Beam is a special Ice type move with 90 Power and 100 Accuracy that, aside from inflicting damage, also has a 10% chance of freezing the opposing Pokemon.
Raifort’s Scizor
Scizor is a Bug and Steel-type Pokemon, which means it is weak (super effective) to Fire-type moves, resistant (not very effective) to the Bug-type, Dragon-type, Fairy-type, Ice-type, Normal-type, Psychic-type, Steel-type, and especially Grass-type moves, and immune (no effect) to Poison-type moves.
Raifort’s Scizor will use the following moves:
- X-Scissor is a physical Bug-type move with 80 Power and 100 Accuracy.
- Aerial Ace is a physical Flying-type move with 60 Power and will never miss unless the opposing Pokemon uses Protect, Detect, Bounce, Dig, Dive, Fly, Phantom Force, Shadow Force, and Sky Drop.
- Thief is a physical Dark-type move with 60 Power and 100 Accuracy that will steal the held item of the opposing Pokemon if the Pokemon using the move does not have it. The stolen held item will be returned to its owner at the end of a trainer battle.
- Bullet Punch is a physical Steel-type move with 40 Power and 100 Accuracy with an increased Speed priority of 1, allowing it to move faster than most.
Raifort’s Gengar
Gengar is Poison and Ghost-type Pokemon, but as Raifort will Terastallize Gengar, it will change into a Ghost-type because of its Tera Type. It is weak (super effective) to Dark-type and Ghost-type moves, resistant (not very effective) to Bug-type and Poison-type moves, and immune (no effect) to Fighting-type and Normal-type moves.
Raifort’s Gengar will use the following moves:
- Shadow Ball is a special Ghost-type move with 80 Power and 100 Accuracy. Alongside inflicting damage, it has a 20% chance of lowering the target Pokemon’s Special Defense stat by one stage.
- Sucker Punch is a physical Dark-type move with 70 Power and 100 Accuracy that will only hit and damage the opposing Pokemon if it is about to use a damaging move. If the opposing Pokemon has already made their move or is not preparing an attack, this move will fail.
- Sludge Bomb is a special Poison-type move with 90 Power and 100 Accuracy. Alongside dealing damage, it has a 30% chance of inflicting Poison on the opposing Pokemon.
- Fire Punch is a physical Fire-type move with 75 Power and 100 Accuracy that deals damage and has a 10% chance of inflicting Burn on the opposing Pokemon.
Aside from its moves, Raifort’s Gengar has the Ability called Cursed Body, which gives the Pokemon with the Ability a 30% chance of disabling the move of the opposing Pokemon that can damage the Pokemon with the Ability.
Tips
As Raifort’s Pokemon are Level 65 and 66, it is advised that the player use Level 67 and above Pokemon with Bug-type, Ground-type, Dark-type, Electric-type, and Fire-type moves.
This is because Bug-type moves will deal super-effective damage to Raifort’s Zoroark and Grumpig, Ground-type moves will deal super-effective damage to Raifort’s Seviper, Dark-type moves will deal super-effective damage to Raifort’s Terastallized Gengar and also Grumpig, Electric-type moves will deal super effective damage to Raifort’s Lumineon, and Fire-type moves will deal super effective damage to Raifort’s Scizor.
Also, Ghost-type moves would be good as they can deal super effective damage to Raifort’s Grumpig and Terastallized Gengar.
After defeating Raifort, prepare for the next Academy Ace Tournament round!