In order to help Team Extreme, two trainers from Ruby/Sapphire decided to stop by and answer some questions that might come up, should they not be covered in the Team Extreme page! These two trainers are experienced in the art of raising good pokemon, so they can definitely help you raise the bad, too! Are you extreme enough to handle their advice?

Wilton: Okay, trainers. Are you needing some help, but don't know where to start? That's where we come in! Also, click here to see our random Chuck Norris facts if you need a chance to cool down for a moment.

Q: Okay, dudes, what's the point of Team Extreme?

Rob: Point? There's not really a point to the Team. Mostly, it's for bragging rights.
Wilton: Yeah, after all, who's ever defeated the Elite Four with nothing but a Magikarp!?

Q: What do we need to know before starting an extreme team?

Wilton: Actually, a lot. Let's get a bit technical here. If you're going to train and actually win with these ill-bred batch of runts at your disposal, you need to understand right now that it's going to take some time. You'll need a lot of money for potions and vitamins, because let's face it: these guys are not the best pokemon out there. You'll also need patience, because a lot of these pokemon have very poor stats, too. And if you can snag 'em, invest in the POWER items set in the Battle Tower. Those help a lot with EV training, which is essential, should you want to build a strong team.

Q: What's EV training?

Rob: EV training stands for Effort Value Training. What this does is add points to your pokemon's base statistics, and that affects how their stats grow as they level up, and how much they receive in each stat when they get to level 100. Every pokemon battle gives an EV to a certain stat, and what a pokemon gives depends on what stat it's best at. For instance, Zubat gives an EV of 1 to speed after you defeat it because its biggest stat is speed. But here's the catch to EV training: the game only counts the first 510 EV points you put into training, and those 510 affect what you get on level 100. For example, you put in 100 EVs of every stat by using ten of every vitamin on your pokemon. There's six stats, so that's 500 of your EVs spread to all stats. That means you'll get around +21 to every stat when you reach level 100, as opposed to +50 - +65 to just two stats you focus on.
Wilton: But here's the good news. If you screwed up on EV training or suddenly decide that you don't want to focus on SP ATK training with Magikarp, there are berries that lower the EVs of your stats. And, even if you max out the 510 initial EVs being counted, you can still gain EVs to get more stat boosts on each individual level-up.

Q: What do EVs do?

Wilton: Didn't we just explain this? EVs add points to your stat on a level up. For ever 4 - 5 EVs you get in a stat, you will get +1 of that stat on a level-up. This doesn't always happen, but generally, the more EVs you put in a stat, the higher gains you get on a level-up. Pokemon natures and some abilities also affect this balance, too, so if you spend an hour killing 100 Zubats, you might still only get +1 to speed on a level-up if your pokemon's nature lowers its ability to gain speed EVs.
Rob: Also, some pokemon have ridiculous EVs to begin with. For instance, Chansey and Blissey will always gain at least +4 HP on a level-up, even if you don't EV train with HP.

Q: Where can I get the POWER Band/Sash/ect?

Rob: In the Battle Tower on Diamond/Pearl. They cost 16 BP each, so prepare to spend some time there.

Q: Sami says Pokerus is a good thing. What's so good about making your pokemon sick!?

Wilton: Okay, we get this a lot. Pokerus is a disease, but it doesn't hurt you. It helps you with EV training, because it doubles, triples, or quadruples your EV points on every battle. It's a very good disease, but the main problem is getting it. It's a rare disease, and it only lasts for a few days unless you leave your infected monster in its box.
Rob: And remember that once a pokemon's been cured of Pokerus, it can never be infected again.

Q: What should I have in my inventory once I start my extreme team?

Wilton: Standard stuff, but a lot more of it. Potions and Super Potions will be bought aplenty here, because many of the pokemon have such low HP stats, and part of being extreme means that they don't evolve. The only exception here is Chansey, because you need at least one pokemon with a lot of HP. Besides, Blissey's not much stronger than Chansey, anyway.
Rob: If you want more specifics, you should probably invest in many different potions (even Max ones, if you're training Blissey), antidotes, paralyze heals, and awakenings. Being burned and frozen occur so much less often, that a few Full Heals should cover that one. And don't skimp on Revives, either.

Q: What's the best choice for an extreme team?

Wilton: It's really a matter of opinion, so long as you use only the pokemon listed on the Team Extreme page. For us personally, we generally recommend bringing Chansey along as a must because of her Softboiled ability.
Rob: Feebas, believe it or not, isn't a bad choice either. He can learn Water Pulse and Waterfall, and those are elemental attacks that are severely lacking in this kind of team. If you want someone more general, take Abra, because they can learn a variety of special attacks.

Q: Why can't my Extreme pokemon evolve?

Rob: The whole point of Team Extreme is to show that weaker pokemon aren't there to just rot in the e-dust. If you let Magikarp evolve, it's no longer a challenge to win a battle because Gyarados is just so insanely strong. It's the same for Feebas, Abra, Caterpie, and everyone else listed, save for Chansey.

Q: Why is Chansey an exception?

Wilton: Because Chansey and Blissey have basically the same statistics, though oddly enough, Blissey's Sp. ATK is doubled. Still, their move sets are the same, and nothing truly changes from letting Chansey evolve. Besides, Sami likes Blissey, anyway.

Q: What stat should each pokemon be trained in?

Rob: Ooooh, this is a long one. It depends on the pokemon and the moves you want to teach them. For instance, training Combee to have a high ATK is useless because the only destructive move it has is considered a 'special attack' move. But for you, here's a list of what stats Sami finds most important for every listed pokemon:

Skitty - All stats, but most important will probably be speed (she can learn a number of special TMs, making her a good jack-of-all-trades)
Meowth - ATK and speed
Glameow - Same as Skitty
Abra - Special ATK and speed
Chansey/Blissey - Special ATK, Special DEF, and HP
Magikarp - All stats if you can afford it, otherwise just stick with ATK and speed.
Feebas - Believe it or not, if you get this guy Water Pulse, you won't regret it. Train him with Special ATK and speed.
Caterpie - ATK and HP
Weedle - ATK and DEF
Wurmple - ATK and DEF
Burmy - DEF and HP
Combee - DEF and Special ATK

Q: How much do potions heal?

Wilton: I'll pretend you have no idea how to play pokemon. Here's a small list of each healing item:

Potion - heals 20 HP
Super Potion - heals 50 HP
Fresh Water - heals 50 HP
Soda Pop - heals 60 HP
Lemonade - heals 80 HP
MooMoo Milk - heals 100 HP
Hyper Potion - heals 200 HP
Max Potion - Heals all HP
Full Restore - Heals all HP and cures status

Q: Where is the Fresh Water/Soda pop/Lemonade/MooMoo Milk?

Rob: Depends on the version you're playing. The Fresh Water, Soda pop, and Lemonade are only on FireRed/LeafGreen, and they're on the top floor of the Celadon Department store, or in a store on one of the Sevii Islands. MooMoo Milk in on the MooMoo Farm in Silver/Gold, in the Cafe on Route 210 on Diamond/Pearl, and found on wild Miltank in all games.

Q: I accidentally let my pokemon evolve! What do I do?!

Wilton: You're kind of screwed there, buddy. Either revert to a save before you evolved your pokemon, or you'll need to breed it and start all over again.

Q: Okay, I'm in xxxx dungeon and I have no curatives, and my pokemon are near death. How can I escape!?

Rob: If you have Chansey/Blissey, use their Softboiled to the best of their ability. Other than that, all you can do is attempt to run from every battle, avoid every trainer, or let your pokemon faint to teleport to the last center. Alternatively, teach a pokemon Dig for this occasion.

Q: What's an ideal team for beating the Elite Four?

Wilton: If you want the best team Sami can think of, then she recommends Blissey, Abra, Feebas, Combee, Skitty, and Glameow. Blissey will be able to heal you a lot, and you'll only need to use one potion as opposed to many between battles. Abra and Feebas can use special attacks (learned with TMs or through breeding), which will help you tremendously. Abra should be taught Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, and Ice Beam if it's possible, otherwise give it what you think you'll need. Feebas will be equipped with Water Pulse and Waterfall idealistically to take out Flint, Bertha, Bruno, and pretty much anyone who uses fire, rock, and ground. Skitty and Glameow will be your main ATK force, and if you need more special moves, give them accordingly. Combee is there because at least one person in every Elite set uses something weak against Flight. And while Gust isn't the best, it's still an attack.

Q: What's an ideal level for these pokemon to be at when facing the Elite Four?

Rob: Since we're talking about weaker pokemon here, you might really need to get them to levels 60 - 80 if you want to do well. It depends on what ones you're bringing with you. Bring the team Wilton described, and you might be able to make it around level 60 - 70. But if you're going with all Magikarp, or something one-sided, then you'll need to crank it up to the 90s to have even the slightest chance in hell.