The Karate King is a powerful Pokémon Trainer who has a lot of strength and power. He’s also very skilled in karate. So if you want to get Tyrogue from him, you’ll need to be very strong and skilled in karate as well.
You’ll need the ability to use HM03 Surf and HM07 Waterfall outside of battle to reach him, so that means having collected all 8 Johto gym badges.
Tyrogue is given as a gift Pokémon directly after winning the battle. You’ll need a free space in your party in order to receive it, so only bring a maximum of 5 Pokémon of your own.
The path through Mt. Mortar to reach Kiyo can be confusing, as there are lots of ways to get off track.
We’ve included a full walkthrough below to ensure you don’t get lost.
Tip: It would be a good idea to bring an Escape Rope (or a Pokémon with the move Dig) to get out of the cave easily after beating Kiyo.
To get to the right section of Mt. Mortar, start by flying to Ecruteak City and take the east exit out onto Route 42.
Don’t take the first entrance into Mt. Mortar that you see.
Instead, Surf across the water and head further east.
Once you’ve crossed this body of water, you should see a second entrance to Mt. Mortar. This time, head inside.
Note: You can reach this section of Mt. Mortar from Mahogany Town, too. Simply reverse the process by leaving the town’s west gate and surfing to the west over the first body of water you reach.
After entering the cave, use Surf on the water on either side of the land. It doesn’t matter which side you choose.
Whichever side you choose, Surf to the north a short distance and you’ll soon come across a waterfall. Use your Pokémon to climb it.
Again, when you get to the top of the waterfall, it doesn’t matter which direction you pick. Simply Surf north a small distance and you’ll see a small patch of land with another cave entrance.
Go through the entrance and then walk immediately to the right.
Keep walking as far as possible in a straight line and you’ll reach some water.
Surf across the water, still going in a straight line directly to the right until you hit dry land again.
Once you’re back on the ground, Surf across the other water to the north and disembark on the other side.
Upon landing, take a few steps north and Surf again on the next bit of water.
This time, get off on the first bit of dry land to the left.
Now, walk to the left as far as possible, then take a few steps south.
You should reach the jump-able ledge in the picture below. Hop over it.
Once you’ve jumped over, walk to the left again for as long as possible until you reach – you guessed it – another body of water.
Head north across this water until you hit dry land once again.
Then, walk to the right until you reach more water and Surf again.
Disembark at any of the available spots on the north bank.
Your next Surf spot is the pool to the right of the previous one.
Hop back onto land using the only other available spot.
Then, head as far left as possible. You should see another body of water just to the south.
Next to that body of water is a downward ladder separated from you by a one-way ledge.
Surf on the water to make your way around the ledge.
Climb down the ladder to the next floor.
Walk to the right and then head south, taking the second set of steps on the left-hand side, as pictured below.
The thin passages at this point may look confusing, but there’s actually only one way you can go.
Walk to the right and up until you reach another set of steps leading to a T-junction.
Take the southern path at the T-junction, following it until you come to another ladder leading downward.
Climb down the ladder.
Then, go down the first set of steps and head immediately to the right.
Head south here and you’ll soon see a long set of stairs with a trainer at the bottom.
Congratulations, you’ve reached the Karate King!
Talk to him to initiate a battle.
He has two quite tough Pokémon, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, both at level 34.
Both are weak to Flying-Type and Psychic-Type moves, although his Hitmonchan carries both Ice Punch and Thunder Punch to threaten Flying-Type Pokémon.
If you manage to defeat him, he’ll gift you a level 10 Tyrogue of your very own – provided you have enough space in your party.
Don’t worry if you forgot to make room for your new companion. The Karate King will continue to offer your prize every time you talk to him until you take it with you. You will need to repeat all that surfing again, though.
Your Tyrogue will begin to evolve at level 20. However, which Pokémon it evolves into will depend on his highest stat.
If Tyrogue’s attack exceeds its defense, it will evolve into Hitmonlee If its defense exceeds its attack, you’ll get Hitmonchan If both stats are equal, its evolved form will be Hitmontop
Although the Karate King’s gift is the only Tyrogue available as you play through the game, you can still collect all three evolutions.
To do so, first evolve your Tyrogue into either Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, or Hitmontop. Then, put the adult version in the Day Care with a Ditto and hatch yourself another baby Tyrogue to evolve as you see fit. This way, you can collect the whole trio.
