Roark

Roark (Japanese: ヒョウタ Hyouta) is the Gym Leader of Oreburgh City's Gym, known officially as the Oreburgh Gym. He hands out the to s who defeat him. He specializes in. He is Byron's son and the grandson of the Underground Man.

In the games
Roark's team is made up entirely of Pokémon. After he is defeated, he will give the player the and ; the Badge gives the player the ability to use  outside of battle. Roark, as the Oreburgh Mine's safety supervisor, lets the Trainers of Oreburgh train in the mines. Despite his young age, he keeps the mine running safely and efficiently. After losing, he feels embarrassed that his Cranidos lost to a Trainer without any Badges and cautions the protagonist that the following leaders are a lot tougher. Roark later appears in the Underground, welcoming the player on their first visit there, and explaining a handful of features of the area. Like the other Gym Leaders, he can be fought again at the Battleground in.

As a child, Roark spent a significant amount of time playing on Iron Island.

Apparently, Riley was considered for position of Oreburgh Gym Leader first, but he declined and suggested Roark for the position, and Roark was instead instated.

Rematch



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Pokémon World Tournament
Roark uses three of these Pokémon in Single Battles, four in Double and Rotation Battles, and all six in Triple Battles. He will always lead with his signature Pokémon,.

Sinnoh Leaders Tournament




Type Expert/World Leaders Tournament





 * Oreburgh Mine
 * "OK, stand back and watch this. Using the hidden move, a boulder blocking your way..."
 * "Fallen boulders need to be smashed so they're out of the way. If you could get the Badge from the Gym in town, you'd be able to do this too. Of course, you'd have to beat the Gym Leader first. That'd be me!"


 * Oreburgh Gym
 * Before battle
 * "Welcome! This is the Oreburgh Pokémon Gym! I'm Roark, the Gym Leader! I'm but one who decided to walk proudly with  Pokémon! As the Gym Leader, I need to see your potential as a Trainer. And, I'll need to see the toughness of the Pokémon that battle with you!"


 * After the opponent sends out their last Pokémon
 * "Think you can take down the next Pokémon like you did earlier?"


 * When the opponent's last Pokémon is at critical health
 * "No way! Not yet! Not giving up!"


 * Upon being defeated
 * "W-what? That can't be! My buffed-up Pokémon!"


 * After being defeated
 * "This is embarrassing... I went and lost to a Trainer who didn't have a single Gym Badge... But that's tough. You were strong, and I was weak. That's all there is. According to Pokémon League rules, I have to give you our Gym Badge since you've beaten me, the Leader. Here's your official Pokémon League Coal Badge."
 * "Having that Coal Badge means your Pokémon can now use the hidden move Rock Smash outside of battle. You should also take this, too."
 * "That TM76 contains the move . It's a move that inflicts damage on foes that switch into battle. Incidentally, a TM will teach its move to a Pokémon instantly. But a TM will break when you use it, so make certain you want a Pokémon to learn that move."


 * If talked to again
 * "In this region of Sinnoh, there are seven other Gym Leaders. I should warn you — they're a lot tougher than I am!"


 * The Underground
 * "Hey! ! Is this maybe your first time here? Welcome to Sinnoh's Underground! Huh? Where is this, you ask? Doesn't the Radar make it obvious? This is a giant underground network of passages underneath Sinnoh. Huh? What am I doing down in this expanse of a place? That's kind of hard to answer. I mean, you can do pretty much anything you want down here. For instance, you can dig up Treasure, Spheres, and make a Secret Base. You can play with your friends down here, too. You should talk to the Underground Man in Eterna City. I have to get going now. I'll see you around!"


 * Resort Area
 * "Hi! Could I take a peek inside your Villa?"
 * Yes: "Thanks!"
 * No: "...Oh, sorry. Am I intruding on something?"


 * Villa
 * Any of the following
 * "The Underground extends even underneath the Resort Area. I wonder... If I really tried, would I be able to extend it to even places like Kanto and Johto?"
 * "If it were me, I would display the things I dig up. You know, from places like the mine and the Underground. I would turn the place into my personal museum."
 * "If it were me, I'd like to put a Fossil over there. You don't think so? No? I think a Fossil would match this decor."
 * "This place feels different from an underground Secret Base. That reminds me: what color is your underground Flag now?"
 * "What I think about while digging underground... What did the Pokémon see before they became Fossils? I'd love to go back and see them as they were back then."

If Byron is not at the Battleground
 * Battleground
 * Before battle
 * "Would you like to battle? You'll get to see a different me than you saw at my Gym."
 * Yes: "I've got a I'm going to send out. It's tougher than even my dad's !"
 * No: "Hmm... That's a heartbreaking answer."
 * If talked to again after the player answered "No": "Oh, you do want to battle?"


 * When the opponent's last Pokémon is at critical health
 * "No way! Not yet! Not giving up!"


 * Upon being defeated
 * "W-what? That can't be! My buffed-up Pokémon!"


 * After being defeated
 * "Pokémon from ancient times... Fossils that are yet to be discovered... I wonder if I can find new Fossils if I dig all over Sinnoh?"

If Byron is also at the Battleground
 * Before battle
 * "I went down to the Underground every day. I toughened up my Pokémon by digging up Fossils nonstop. Could I show you how tough I made them in a battle?"
 * Yes: "Here goes! These are my rocking Pokémon, my pride and joy!"
 * No: "This is another topic, but you know those Spheres you can dig up? Yes, those Spheres. The ones in the Underground. Why do you suppose Spheres grow if you leave them buried? It's not a huge issue or anything, but doesn't it strike you as odd?"
 * If talked to again after the player answered "No": "Look, can I have some time? I feel lucky to have run into you here, so can I challenge you to a battle?"


 * When the opponent's last Pokémon is at critical health
 * "No way! Not yet! Not giving up!"


 * Upon being defeated
 * "W-what? That can't be! My buffed-up Pokémon!"


 * After being defeated
 * "When I became a Gym Leader, I finally realized how great my dad is. Not that I'd ever admit that to him, of course."


 * If talked to again
 * "...We lost control there. Next time I'd like to challenge you to a Fossil-digging race underground."


 * Pokémon World Tournament
 * Before battle (first round)
 * "I need to see your potential as a Trainer. And, I'll need to see the toughness of the Pokémon that battle with you!"


 * Before battle (second round)
 * "Every day, I toughened myself up by digging up Fossils nonstop. Could I show you how tough I am in a battle?"


 * Before battle (final round)
 * "Here goes! This'll be a rocking battle!"


 * Upon being defeated
 * "Wh-what? That can't be! My buffed-up Pokémon!"


 * If the player is defeated
 * "See? I'm proud of my rocking battle style!"


 * After battle (if the player won)
 * "...We lost control there. Next time, I'd like to challenge you to Fossil-digging race underground in the Sinnoh region."


 * After battle (if the player lost)
 * "Thanks! The battle gave me confidence that I may be able to beat my dad!"


 * In the lobby (after the tournament)
 * "With skill like yours, it's natural for you to win. Still, wasn't it hard to train Pokémon that much? By the way, are there any Fossils in Nacrene City's museum?"

In the anime
Roark first appeared in Shapes of Things to Come!, in which he was seen excavating for buried fossils at the Oreburgh Mine. He later battled Paul, during which he demonstrated his strong abilities, even beating Paul's with his. However, his powerhouse,, was not powerful enough to defeat. With this victory, Paul earned the from Roark. Following his defeat, Roark battled and defeated in A Gruff Act to Follow!.

In Wild in the Streets!, Roark used Cranidos to battle a, which had been unleashed in Oreburgh City. During the conflict, his Cranidos evolved into.

In O'er the Rampardos we Watched, Roark faced Ash again in a rematch. and were defeated by  and. His powerhouse battled against Ash's whole team and was defeated by. Being the victor, Ash earned the.

He reappeared in Ancient Family Matters!, visiting his father Byron in Canalave City. He argued with Byron over which of them loves Fossils more and had a short battle with him. He revealed that Byron suddenly left Oreburgh Gym to him when he was requested to take over the Canalave Gym. Roark was shocked and saddened by his father's sudden departure, thinking that he didn't care what happened to him or his mother. Later, Byron revealed that he had always treasured a Fossil of a 's leaf that Roark had given to him as a child ten years earlier, and Roark accepted that his father did care about him all along.

Along with being the foreman of the Oreburgh Mine, Roark is also the chief of Ancient Pokémon Expedition Operations.

In Dealing With Defensive Types!, he was the referee for Ash's Gym battle against Byron.

Roark appeared in a cameo in the ending credits of Zoroark: Master of Illusions.

Pokémon
This listing is of Roark's known Pokémon in the :

In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Roark first appears arriving in Oreburgh City after exploring the underground with the Underground Man at Eterna City and speaking with his father, Byron, at Canalave City. He meets, a new Trainer who wishes to challenge and sets up a match for the next day.

The next day, Platinum challenges the Oreburgh Gym for their match. After getting through the Trainers inside, she faces Roark in an official Gym battle. In the match, Roark's Cranidos proves to be a powerful opponent for Platinum's Piplup, but the match eventually ends in Platinum's favor. Defeated, Roark awards Platinum with her first Badge, the Coal Badge. Later, he talks with Byron over the phone about his recent loss to Platinum and they begin talking about another subject.

Later, it is revealed that the aforementioned subject was about a mysterious group that had been going in and out of Canalave to read ancient texts at the library. With the recent disappearance of two scientists, Roark worries that his father would start jumping to conclusions about the littlest things. Later, when Byron is forced to find her, Maylene, and Platinum someone to train them so they can confront Team Galactic, he considers Roark at first but soon changes his mind to Volkner.

Later, Roark, along with Fantina and Gardenia, faces the Team Galactic Commanders on the Spear Pillar. After Candice, Maylene, Byron, and Crasher Wake join the fight, Roark and Fantina team up to face Saturn. Eventually, they emerge victorious and attempt to fight Cyrus before he can finish his ritual. Due to a rift in space-time, they are forced to use the Sinnoh Underground to get to Cyrus, but they manage to come up right at the exact spot he was in.

All the Gym Leaders attempt to stop Cyrus's plan by breaking one of his Red Chains. Though a difficult struggle, they manage to succeed, but they bring upon Cyrus's wrath in the process and are defeated.

After the final battle with Cyrus ends, Roark and the other Gym Leaders are taken to a hospital due to their heavy injuries.

Pokémon
This listing is of Roark's Pokémon in the Pokémon Adventures manga.

In the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! manga
Roark first appeared in Oreburgh City after Hareta had been kidnapped by s, defeating them with his. Afterwards Hareta challenged him to a Gym battle. Using a combination of, and the Oran Berry Roark had given him, Hareta managed to defeat Roark and earn the Coal Badge.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
Roark made an appearance in PMDP07 of the manga.

In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Roark or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Trivia

 * His Japanese Leader title is.
 * Roark is the third Gym Leader encountered first in the region that uses Pokémon, the other two being Brock and Roxanne.
 * He and his father's Badges are references to the term Coal Mine. Plus, they both have mines in or near their respective town (Oreburgh Mine and Iron Island, which was once a mine).
 * He is the only Sinnoh Gym Leader not to use any fully evolved Pokémon in his Gym battle in the games.
 * He is also the only Sinnoh Gym Leader whose Pokémon do not change in the slightest between Diamond and Pearl and Platinum.
 * He is the only Gym Leader to have a parent that is a Gym Leader in the same region at the same time.

Related articles

 * Images on the Bulbagarden Archives