Rival

A rival is one of the main characters in the Pokémon games that is well known to the protagonist and has similar skills, goals, and achievements. Rival characters appear frequently during the protagonist's quest, having a role in several events and often challenges them in battles. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary goal of said character.

After the defeat of the Elite Four and the Pokémon Champion, the rival can usually be battled at the player's leisure, but only at certain times with increasingly powerful Pokémon. More often than not, they will have the starter Pokémon of their home region that is strong against the one the player chose at the beginning of the game.

## Rivals

There are many rivals in PokeMMO. Each rival is unique to their region.

### Kanto

#### Gary

*Main article: Gary*
He is a very cocky and somewhat unfriendly young man, typically bidding people farewell with "Smell ya later!", and his primary motivation throughout the game is to become the greatest Trainer. Aside from that main goal, he also seems to take satisfaction from always being one step ahead of the player character. He eventually accomplishes his goal, defeating the Kanto Elite Four and becoming the Pokémon Champion, but is quickly defeated by the player, losing the position.

### Hoenn

#### Brendan/May

*Main article: Brendan/May*
They are helping their father Birch finish the Hoenn Pokédex and becoming a Pokémon Professor. They are also the player's rival and friend. They are the only rivals unavailable for battle after entering the Hall of Fame.

#### Wally

*Main article: Wally*
Wally is a young, sickly boy who lives in Petalburg City. Despite his illness, his dream is to train Pokémon. In his room, in Petalburg City, there are a lot of books about how to raise and battle with Pokémon covered in sticky notes, a notebook which has been written and erased again and again and a terrestrial globe with pins in places in the Kalos and Unova regions, suggesting that he has been wanting to go outside and catch Pokémon for a long time.

### Sinnoh

#### Barry

*Main article: Barry*
Barry, like the player, lives in Twinleaf Town and is also the player's childhood friend (and soon-to-be rival). Barry is always in a hurry and extremely impatient, and because of this, often crashes into other people (usually demanding a fine from them) or misses important details.

Barry is incredibly determined and it is very difficult to discourage him; the only thing that has done this so far was his crushing loss to the Team Galactic Commander, Jupiter at Lake Acuity, although this defeat lead to a major positive change in Barry's character, causing him to become slightly more serious, realistic, and mature. He is also quite the braggart, often boasting about his battling prowess or how cool his Pokémon are. Barry does have a soft side, however, as seen after the wild Starly attack.

### Unova

#### Bianca

*Main article: Bianca*
Like the player, Bianca lives in the starting town of Nuvema Town, and is also a childhood friend of the player (and soon-to-be rival). Though being described as 'flighty' by Professor Juniper and Cheren, she also has a strong and determined side, which she demonstrates by embarking on a Pokémon journey despite her father's strong opposition. This is emphasized in Nimbasa City, where her father disallows her to become a Pokémon Trainer. With the help of Nimbasa City Gym Leader Elesa, Bianca convinces her father to let her follow her dream.

#### Cheren

*Main article: Cheren*
Cheren is a childhood friend of the player who also lives in the starting town of Nuvema Town. As he holds a greater degree of knowledge about Pokémon than his friends and tends to offer the player advice during the course of their journey, his comments are often witty and intellectual. He also misunderstands Bianca's humor often, to her dismay. While Professor Juniper describes him as being very honest, she also remarks that he can be 'a little difficult'; his impatience in particular is often seen throughout the earlier stages of his journey. He is also described as being quite judgmental by Alder.

#### N

*Main article: N*
The player first meets N in Accumula Town after Team Plasma's public rally and Ghetsis' speech, where he challenges the player to a Pokémon battle. He again appears outside of the Nacrene Gym, for another battle, and later at Nimbasa City, where he asks the player to talk to him while riding the Rondez-View Ferris Wheel. During this excursion, N reveals that he is the leader of Team Plasma; Ghetsis had asked him to assist him in Team Plasma's liberation of Pokémon. It is confirmed after the ride when a group of Plasma Grunts address him as their leader, and he battles the player to allow them time to get away. He is again encountered at the Chargestone Cave, where he battles the player, and lastly, in Dragonspiral Tower, where he successfully befriends Reshiram.