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Spikemuth: Piers's Gym, the Birthplace of Team Yell and Galar's Dynamax-Free Town

1247 words | Reading time: 6 minutes

In Spikemuth, there's no stadium and no Dynamax. Cut off from any power source, this punk town in Galar has watched its visitors drift away; yet it is still home to the seventh Gym of the Gym Challenge, run by Piers, and to the hideout of Team Yell, which was born within its walls.

Contents

Spikemuth, a Galar Town Without Dynamax

Spikemuth is located in Galar, and you stop there in Pokémon Sword and Shield. You reach it via Route 9, which stretches out to its west. Its real-world model is Llandudno, a seaside town in Wales, and its streets cultivate a punk vibe where every shop shows off its own style.

Above all, the setting tells a story of decline. Without a power source, the town can't make use of Dynamax, and its visitors eventually abandoned it. No other stop on the player's journey has neither a stadium nor a Dynamax facility.

Its notable places come down to two addresses: a Pokémon Center and the Gym. Spikemuth is also the town where Team Yell was born, and its hideout is here.

Covered street in Spikemuth under its arched roof, lined with shops with lowered metal shutters and run-down facades, lit by a purple neon light
Lowered shutters and peeling facades: the streets of Spikemuth, deprived of Dynamax, bear the marks of a town its visitors have abandoned.

Piers and Spikemuth's Seventh Gym

This is the setting for the seventh stage of the Gym Challenge, the second-to-last on the circuit. The Gym Leader in charge, Piers, defends the Dark type here, and the player comes to earn their seventh Badge.

Trainers also await the player inside the Gym. For lack of power, Dynamax isn't available there: battles take place at normal size, which makes it an exception on Galar's Gym circuit.

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Piers holding his mic stand at the start of the battle, on the Spikemuth Gym field in Pokémon Sword and Shield
Piers, the Dark-type Gym Leader, awaits the player who has come for their seventh Badge, in a battle without Dynamax.

The Shutter, Marnie and a Gym Turned Down

Getting into town isn't straightforward: as you approach Spikemuth, a metal shutter blocks the way for Trainers. The hero, Victor or Gloria, then runs into Marnie, who shows them another way in; however, they can only take it after beating her in battle.

Once Piers is defeated, Marnie joins her brother. The Gym Leader offers her the chance to succeed him as head of the Gym, but she declines: she's aiming to become Champion. The player then heads back toward Hammerlocke, where Raihan holds the eighth and final Badge.

Team Yell, a Trade and Daily Rematches

Spikemuth is the birthplace of Team Yell, Marnie's band of supporters, which has set up its hideout there. To place it among the groups of recent generations, check out our feature on organizations from Kalos to Paldea.

At the far east end of town, a Team Yell Grunt runs a counter and offers a trade: hand over your Obstagoon to get a Mr. Mime nicknamed Mymo, at level 40. Its Psychic and Fairy types make it the classic form of Mr. Mime, not its Galarian variant.

The postgame gives you a good reason to come back. Once you're Champion of Galar, you can challenge Marnie once a day near the Pokémon Center. She then fields five Pokémon at level 59 or 60: Liepard, Toxicroak, Scrafty, Morpeko and Grimmsnarl.

Two Team Yell Grunts in front of a Spikemuth shop's metal shutter, the hero in the middle of the street and a classic-form Mr. Mime on the right
Team Yell is at home in the streets of Spikemuth, where you can also come across a classic-form Mr. Mime, the species from the trade.

Spikemuth on Screen and on Cards

In the animated series, the town debuts in episode JN099 of season 25. Ash Ketchum and Goh arrive there after being tricked by Team Yell, who led them to believe that Ash's battle against Marnie, in the Hyper Class of the World Coronation Series, would take place there rather than in Wyndon. Piers, whom they meet at the Gym, sets the record straight, then gives Ash a motorcycle ride to Wyndon, while Goh takes a Flying Taxi.

On the way, Piers explains why his sister is competing in the Series: to draw challengers to the Gym and breathe new life into her hometown, the only one in Galar without a stadium or a power source. Ash wins, but Marnie's talent impresses the audience so much that Spikemuth draws attention once again, raising hopes of a revival.

The Trading Card Game has featured the town too: it has appeared since the Darkness Ablaze expansion of the Sword & Shield series, released in France on August 14, 2020, and it still shows up on other cards.

Ash and Goh, seen from behind, in front of the Spikemuth Gym stage where Piers stands, mic in hand, with Pokémon including Toxtricity, Obstagoon and Rillaboom, in the animated series
In episode JN099, Ash and Goh arrive at the Spikemuth Gym, where Piers tells them the battle against Marnie is taking place in Wyndon.

Spikemuth at a Glance

Feature Detail
Region Galar, reachable via Route 9 to the west
Games Pokémon Sword and Shield
Real-world model Llandudno, in Wales
Gym Seventh in the Gym Challenge, Dark type, Gym Leader Piers
Distinctive trait No stadium or power source, so no Dynamax
Team Yell Born in Spikemuth, where its hideout is located
After the League One battle per day against Marnie
In the anime First appearance in episode JN099, season 25

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What type of Pokémon does the Spikemuth Gym use?
    Dark type. It's the seventh Gym of the Galar Challenge, run by Gym Leader Piers.
  • Why is Dynamax impossible in Spikemuth?
    The town has no power source and no stadium. It's the only stop on the route in that situation, so its Gym battles take place without Dynamax.
  • How do you get into Spikemuth?
    A metal shutter blocks Trainers from entering. Marnie shows the player another way in, which they can only take after beating her in battle.
  • How do you battle Marnie after the League?
    After becoming Champion of Galar, simply return to Spikemuth: she waits near the Pokémon Center and accepts one battle per day, with a team at level 59 to 60.
  • What trade can you make in Spikemuth?
    A Team Yell Grunt, stationed at a counter on the east side of town, trades a level 40 Mr. Mime nicknamed Mymo for an Obstagoon.

In short

Spikemuth comes down to two addresses, a Pokémon Center and a Gym, but it matters in Galar's story: a town deprived of Dynamax, the birthplace of Team Yell and the home of Piers and Marnie. The anime portrayed it as a town that one Trainer's talent can rescue from obscurity.

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