Brand new to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is the ability to physically sneak upon Pokémon on the field. Sneaking offers a new and exciting way to encounter and catch Pokémon, especially those of a rarer calibre.

Pokémon caught in this way can be higher Level than usual, have better stats (IVs), rare moves (Egg Moves, even), hold items or even rare abilities (including their Hidden Ability ).

To sneak, all you need to do is gently press on the Circle Pad ; doing so will cause your trainer to slowly tip-toe - the gentler you press, the slower you move. Now sneaking by itself is fairly useless, although it does look funny when you try to sneak near people.

Hidden Pokémon¶

No, the best use of sneaking is in places where Pokémon can be found. Here, a Hidden Pokémon may appear in the tall grass, cave interior or water. In general, these Pokémon are represented as a moving, shadowy figure - often showing a tail or other body part - giving out their signature battle cry.

Essentially, Hidden Pokémon are similar to the rare Pokémon found in shaking grass in previous titles and can cause the grass to shake too. However unlike the rare Pokémon of old, it’s possible to determine the Pokémon’s identity before you encounter them, from their appearance and cry.

Anyway, once a Hidden Pokémon has been located, you can attempt to sneak up on them. If you successfully touch the Hidden Pokémon, a battle with them will instantly ensue.

Before this occurs, be wary of moving too quickly, as it may scare off the Pokémon. Furthemore, Hidden Pokémon in caves and water are known to vanish and move around. So it’s not always that easy.

The DexNav¶

To make sneaking easier, Devon Corp. has invented the DexNav - a handy app designed for Pokémon-catching enthusiasts, accessible from the bottom screen (soon after acquiring the Pokédex).

The DexNav functions in two ways, although they are both the same in the end.

• If a Hidden Pokémon suddenly appears, the DexNav will automatically search for the Pokémon and attempt to display information about it.

• Having encountered a particular Pokémon on the field, you can tap the Pokémon’s icon on the DexNav screen and press the “ Search “ button. Doing so may cause a Hidden version of that Pokémon to appear nearby (if it does, the DexNav will switch to the above function).
  During Search mode, a variety of information will be displayed for the Hidden Pokémon - the higher the Search Level , the more information will be available.

• Search Level : The number of times you’ve encountered the Pokémon, whether in the wild, in trainer battles or even in towns (when you interact with them).

• Level : The Pokémon’s Level; an exclamation mark indicates a higher Level than the average wild Pokémon.

• First Move : The Pokémon’s first move; an exclamation mark means it’s an Egg Move, not normally found on wild Pokémon.

• Type : The Pokémon’s Type(s).

• Potential : A measure of the Pokémon’s stats; each star indicates a perfect IV.

• Held Item : An item held by the Pokémon, if there is one. (Cannot co-exist with “Ability”.)

• Ability : The Pokémon’s Ability; an exclamation mark signifies a rare Hidden Ability. (Cannot co-exist with “Held Item”)

DexNav Chaining¶

Similar to the PokéRadar in previous games, you can chain Hidden Pokémon encounters with the DexNav. Doing so has similar properties to having a high Search Level, boosting the chances of having beneficial features and possibly the likelihood of Shiny Pokémon …

We actually briefly touched on the method earlier; having seen a Pokémon (so it’s recorded in your Pokédex), it will appear on the splash screen of the DexNav. Now, if you tap on the Pokémon and “Search” for it, there’s a chance it will appear as a Hidden Pokémon nearby.

Unfortunately, Searching doesn’t always work and the DexNav may complain, telling you to look elsewhere. In which case, just run around for a bit until the RNG is in your favour and try again.

If the Hidden Pokémon does appear (whether by Searching or just randomly), sneak up on it to initiate a battle like normal, then either catch or KO the Pokémon. Do not run or, obviously, scare off the Pokémon.

Immediately after this, you can use the DexNav to continue searching for the same or different Pokémon. Unless you’re really unlucky, the DexNav will find a Hidden Pokémon almost straight away, which means you’ve successfully started your chain!

From here, repeat the cycle until you get tired or catch the Pokémon you want. Beware that as your chain increases, the Hidden Pokémon will start to run away earlier or, if in a cave or the water, move around faster. Meaning you cannot afford to dilly dally.