Honey: the boss of the Master Dojo and the mother of Max Soup

At the Master Dojo, the master gives the lessons and his wife runs everything else. Honey manages the establishment Mustard founded on the Isle of Armor: the meals, the housekeeping, and the disciples who live on site. Before all this she ran an import-export company, took up Pokémon training late in life, and along the way came up with the recipe that changed how Gigantamaxing works.

Contents

• From CEO to dojo manager
• Max Soup, discovered by accident
• A late-blooming Trainer, yet a formidable one
• With no guest Champion, she steps in herself
• Anime, manga and trading card game
• Honey at a glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

From CEO to dojo manager

Before the Isle of Armor, Honey headed an import-export company. It's a business trip to Galar that changes the course of her life: Mustard crosses her path there, the attraction is immediate on both sides, marriage follows, and from their union comes Hyde.

When Mustard buys the island to set up his dojo there, she decides to follow him and trades running a company for managing a training establishment. Housekeeping, cooking, upkeep: everything that isn't learning to battle falls to her.

She doesn't just look after the building, but also all of her husband's students, who have given her a no-nonsense nickname: "Matron". When the player arrives, she's once again the one who opens the door, while the island's rival — Klara in Sword, Avery in Shield — does everything to send them packing.

Max Soup, discovered by accident

Honey's most lasting contribution to Galar isn't a battle, it's a recipe. Max Soup makes Gigantamax available to a species that was denied it and had to settle for Dynamax: it doesn't make the Pokémon stronger, it unlocks a form.

The detail that matters comes down to one thing: she came up with it by accident, without trying to solve anything. A kitchen discovery rather than a lab one, which fits a character whose domain is running the household rather than research.

The game turns it into a very concrete reward. Once Mustard's first trial is won, Honey gives the player a Bulbasaur or a Squirtle capable of Gigantamaxing — a potential that only shows up at the final evolutionary stage, as Venusaur or Blastoise. The one the player doesn't take, she keeps for herself.

🍲 Bulbasaur or Squirtle, you have to choose wisely: see the section Starters.

A late-blooming Trainer, yet a formidable one

Honey didn't build her life around battling: she only took up training after watching her husband devote himself to it. So the calling came after the marriage and after the founding of the dojo, almost by osmosis.

The result belies the starting point, since Mustard himself is said to be only one step ahead of her. Her level is said to be nearly equal to that of the founding master, which effectively makes her the second strongest fighter in the dojo.

The game doesn't put her in the spotlight right away. You first have to wrap up the three trials, then fund the dojo's renovations with Watts: only the last three renovation tiers unlock her two League Cards and the right to battle her.

With no guest Champion, she steps in herself

Honey wanted to give the dojo a top-tier opponent. She asks the Pokémon League to bring a Champion from elsewhere to the island, a way of measuring the students against a level the Isle of Armor doesn't produce on its own.

The effort goes nowhere, and her reaction sums up the character: with no big-name guest, she takes on the role of opponent herself. The manager becomes the final exam of her own house.

A gatecrasher slips in just before: the Trainer whose spot at the dojo the player had snatched, who has since joined the students and announces he wants to beat everyone there. Honey knocks him back with no apparent effort, before turning to the player — whom she congratulates when they win.

Anime, manga and trading card game

The anime gives her a brief appearance, but one true to her role: we first see her sweeping in front of the dojo, a Bulbasaur and a Squirtle at her side, when the arrival of Leon catches her off guard. She is later seen serving a drink to the taxi driver who had brought him there.

The manga gives her a more decisive role. As Avery and Klara bring an unconscious boy back to the dojo, it's Honey who recognizes in him the aftereffects of Eternatus's poison and offers to keep him there until he recovers.

On the trading card side, her first appearance dates back to the Sword & Shield Chilling Reign expansion, released in France on June 18, 2021. Three media, three registers — the housekeeper, the diagnostician, the card — for a character the games had already placed at the heart of the dojo.

Honey at a glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Honey in Pokémon?
  The manager of the Master Dojo, on the Isle of Armor. She is the wife of Mustard, the master of the house, and the mother of Hyde. Before joining him, she headed an import-export company.
• What is Honey's Max Soup?
  A dish that makes Gigantamax available to a species that was denied it and had to settle for Dynamax. Honey is its creator, and she came up with it by accident.
• How do you battle Honey?
  You first have to finish Mustard's three trials, then help Honey upgrade the dojo by giving her Watts. The last three upgrades unlock her two League Cards and a battle against her.
• Is Honey a good Trainer?
  Yes, even though she wasn't one at first: she took it up by watching her husband. Her level is said to be almost equal to Mustard's, and she very easily beats the student who comes to challenge her before her battle against the player.
• Which Pokémon does Honey give the player?
  A Bulbasaur or a Squirtle, handed over after Mustard's first trial, and capable of Gigantamaxing once it reaches its final evolution. Honey keeps the one the player didn't choose for herself.

In short

Honey holds a rare place in the series: she is neither a Gym Leader, nor a Champion, nor a member of an organization, and yet the Master Dojo wouldn't stand without her. The game keeps her in the background for the whole journey, then places her at the very end of the chain, once the player has fully renovated the dojo. The woman who invented Max Soup is also the one who puts overconfident students in their place.