Tierno: the Kalos rival who wanted to start a dance troupe

He wants to start a dance crew, not win a League. Tierno is part of the group of friends who travel alongside the Kalos hero, and he's the one who delivers the starter Pokémon on behalf of Professor Sycamore. The rest of the time, he judges species by the way they move — which gives him a team built entirely around dance moves.

Contents

• The Boy Who Delivers the Starter Pokémon
• A Dance Crew Instead of a Badge Quest
• Where You Battle Him, and What Becomes of Him
• Unova, a Half-Sister and an Offscreen Career
• Tierno at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Boy Who Delivers the Starter Pokémon

The adventure in Pokémon X and Y starts with him. In Aquacorde Town, Tierno hands the player and two other members of the group the starter Pokémon Professor Sycamore has set aside for them: the scene goes to the messenger, not the researcher.

The game then keeps using him as a tutorial guide. You meet him again at the Santalune City Pokémon Center, where he explains to the player how the inside of a Center is organized, then in Reflection Cave, where he leaves you the TM that teaches Flash.

His own start is more unusual than it looks. He's the second rival in the series, after Wally, not to receive any of the starter Pokémon offered by the Professor — but where Wally caught his own, Tierno's Corphish was given to him, like the Pikachu entrusted to his friend Trevor.

🌱 The trio he hands you has its own section: browse the Pokémon starters.

A Dance Crew Instead of a Badge Quest

Tierno isn't chasing the eight Badges. His stated goal is to put together a dance team with his own Pokémon, which leads him to recruit by an unusual standard: he looks for species whose moves are truly impressive.

That standard shows up directly in the moves he teaches. Swords Dance and Petal Dance are part of his repertoire, and the game takes the idea all the way: each of his Pokémon knows at least one move that evokes dancing.

His personality fits. Nothing about him is serious: music and dance steps are all he has on his mind, so much so that he regularly teases Trevor for being too uptight. His look follows suit: tall, heavyset, three brown spikes of hair over shaved sides, a black T-shirt printed with a Vanillite, and orange shorts.

Where You Battle Him, and What Becomes of Him

You battle him three times over the course of the adventure, on Route 5, on Route 7 and then on Route 19.

The Battle Maison gives him a second life in gameplay terms. He serves as the player's partner when they choose a Multi Battle, with a Hawlucha and a Talonflame; it was earlier, on Route 7, that he stood on the other side of the field, teamed up with Trevor against the player and their rival.

Once the story is over, he settles in Coumarine City and asks every day to see a Pokémon that knows a randomly drawn dance move — a pastime that defines the character better than any of his battles.

Unova, a Half-Sister and an Offscreen Career

The rest of his career is told without ever being shown. A later game says he has become a famous dancer who performs mostly in Unova: Kalos and its Gyms are behind him, and the player never sees any of it.

His family shows up in the same indirect way. Lida, his younger half-sister on his father's side, confirms they're related while pointing out that they have never met — brother and sister exist for each other on paper, not in the story.

The rest of his appearances are footnotes. The mobile game made him a playable character on March 18, 2024, although he had already appeared there as a background character: default pairing with a Crawdaunt, alternate pairing with a Talonflame obtained by exchanging Training Tickets. On the card side, his first illustration dates back to the Kalos Starter Set, released in France on November 8, 2013.

Tierno at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Tierno in Pokémon X and Y?
  A Kalos Trainer and friend of the player, who hands them the starter Pokémon sent by Professor Sycamore. You battle him three times: on Route 5, on Route 7 and then on Route 19.
• Why does Tierno want dancing Pokémon?
  Because his dream is to start a dance team. So he looks for Pokémon with spectacular moves, and each of his own knows at least one move that evokes dancing, such as Swords Dance or Petal Dance.
• Which Pokémon does Tierno have?
  The available sources confirm five: a Corphish, which the Professor gave him instead of his catching it, then a Talonflame, a Roserade and a Crawdaunt on Route 19, and a Hawlucha at the Battle Maison.
• Does Tierno have any family?
  Yes, a younger half-sister named Lida, on their father's side. She confirms the family tie herself and says they have never met.
• What becomes of Tierno after the adventure?
  You first find him in Coumarine City, where he asks every day to see a Pokémon that knows a randomly drawn dance move. Later, he's mentioned as a famous dancer who performs mostly in Unova.

In short

Tierno holds a rare place in the gallery of rivals: he goes through the entire Kalos adventure without ever aiming for the League. The game uses him as a messenger, as a tutorial, as a Multi Battle partner, then leaves him in Coumarine City asking for one dance routine a day. His real career, as a dancer, is only told from afar, from Unova.