Scott: The Talent Scout Who Built the Battle Frontier

He watches Trainers long before he opens his door to them. Scott runs Hoenn's Battle Frontier, the complex reserved for players who have already beaten the League once. Before that, he's just a figure who keeps turning up: a man who appears in some corner of a town, exchanges a few words and vanishes. Yet every one of those appearances is counted, and eventually pays off.

Contents

• Eleven Appearances in Hoenn, Only Four Required
• The S.S. Tidal, Then a House Squeezed Between Two Buildings
• In the Anime, the Creator of the Battle Frontier
• Founder in the Manga, and a First Card in 2005
• Scott at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Eleven Appearances in Hoenn, Only Four Required

In Pokémon Emerald, Scott is a major character who never takes center stage. The game gives him eleven chances to cross paths with the player over the course of the main story, only four of which are mandatory.

The four required encounters mark the story's big turning points: in Petalburg City, once Wally has caught his first Pokémon; in front of the Slateport City museum, once Team Aqua has been driven off; in Mauville City, after a win over Wally; and on Route 119, right after a battle against the rival. So Scott shows up wherever the player has just proven something.

The other seven encounters are optional and far more discreet: the Trainers' School in Rustboro City, the Battle Tents in Slateport City, Verdanturf Town and Fallarbor Town, the Cove Lily Motel in Lilycove City, the area outside the Mossdeep Space Center, and the Pokémon Center in Ever Grande City. You have to stray from the shortest route to catch them all.

The S.S. Tidal, Then a House Squeezed Between Two Buildings

Getting into the Battle Frontier isn't a reward for progress along the way but a door that only opens after a first victory over the Hoenn League. Scott then waits for the player aboard the S.S. Tidal, where he mentions that the place exists; the second trip on the ship takes you there for good.

On your first visit, he greets his guest at the entrance and then heads home, to a house set between the Battle Dome and the Battle Tower. That's where he hands over 1 to 4 Battle Points (BP), the amount depending on how many times you crossed paths with him during the adventure: the game retroactively rewards the attention you paid him.

After that, Scott keeps handing out rewards as you pull off feats in the complex, without ever battling himself. He stays present offscreen, even in another game: in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, a bodyguard talks about him on the spectators' floor of the Battle Maison. The boss of the biggest facility in Hoenn is a man you hear about more than you see.

🔥 Something to stock your own Battle Frontier: browse our Pokémon figures.

In the Anime, the Creator of the Battle Frontier

The anime gives him a very different entrance. After the Hoenn League, Ash returns to Pallet Town and notices that the Gym in Viridian City has changed; the new Gym Leader challenges him and Ash loses the battle, before discovering that his opponent is a member of the Elite Four.

Scott watched the match from the stands. That's when he invites Ash to take on the Battle Frontier— a recruiter who makes up his mind after a loss rather than a win, which says a lot about what he looks for in a Trainer.

He then reappears at every one of Ash's Frontier battles, a loyal spectator of his own creation. The Frontier Brains, for their part, know him perfectly well: Scott is the creator of the Battle Frontier.

Founder in the Manga, and a First Card in 2005

The Pokémon Adventures arc that covers Emerald makes him the founder of the Battle Frontier, and he also appears during the clash between Groudon and Kyogre. The manga gives him a means of transport the games never mention: a small flying saucer.

We learn there that he's an acquaintance of Norman and that he travels across Hoenn looking for Trainers worthy of becoming Frontier Brains, until he has gathered the seven who appear in the series. Once Jirachi has been found, his ambition shifts: he wants thousands of visitors.

The card game followed close behind. Scott made his first appearance there in the EX Emerald expansion, released in France on August 26, 2005.

Scott at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Scott in Pokémon Emerald?
  The head of the Battle Frontier. He crosses paths with the player several times during the adventure, then grants them access to the complex once the Hoenn League has been beaten.
• How do you get into the Battle Frontier?
  You first need to beat the Hoenn League once. Scott then waits for the player aboard the S.S. Tidal and tells them about the Battle Frontier, which becomes accessible on the next voyage.
• How many BP does Scott give you on your first visit?
  From 1 to 4, depending on how many times you met him during the main story. Of the eleven possible encounters, four are required by the story.
• Does Scott have any Pokémon?
  None are attributed to him. He never battles: his role is to scout Trainers, open the Battle Frontier to them and hand out its rewards.
• What becomes of Scott in the anime?
  There, he's the creator of the Battle Frontier. He spots Ash after a loss at the Viridian Gym, invites him to take on the Frontier, then attends every one of his battles there.

In short

Scott holds a rare place in the Pokémon cast: he doesn't battle, he organizes. Where other authority figures test themselves against the player, he builds the venue, recruits the people who will run it and counts the visits. The most telling detail is still the welcome bonus, calculated on how many times you bothered to talk to him before you knew who he was: a director who sizes up his future customers at first sight.