Pokémon Sun and Moon Guides

How to Cap your Bottle: A Hyper Training Guide

Come learn who, what, when, where, why, AND how to Hyper Train in the newest Pokémon games! All in the same glorious FAQ!

In previous generations, trainers who wanted to start competitive battling have had to deal with many confusing aspects of raising Pokémon, from EVs to IVs to Natures – and more! All of these aspects are outlined in this article. Pokémon Sun and Moon now gives us a new method to IV breeding. Well, sort of anyway. To that extent, I’ve prepared a not-so-brief FAQ about the new Hyper Training function. Hyper Training allows you to upgrade your Pokémon’s stats when they can’t gain any more levels – in a way that was previously unthinkable.

What is Hyper Training?

Hyper Training is a new function in Pokémon Sun and Moon. It allows you to make your Level 100 Pokémon stronger using Bottle Caps. These Bottle Caps allow you to edit the IVs of your Pokémon to increase their stats by up to 31 points each.

Okay, but what are IVs?

From the article linked earlier:

“Individual Values, or IVs, are numbers that influence how strong a Pokémon is in each stat. Each Pokémon has an IV value for each stat that is determined when the Pokémon is generated. These values range from 0 to 31 inclusive, and each one raises a Level 100 Pokémon’s stat by 1 point (ignoring Nature). Simply put, a Level 100 Piplup with a 0 Attack IV will have 31 less Attack than if that value was 31.”

How can IVs be changed?

IVs can not be changed, they can only be added to; a Bottle Cap raises a stat by an amount equal to the number of missing IVs, which effectively makes the IV for that stat 31. However, the IV itself within the Pokémon’s code is not changed.

That seems redundant. Why can’t the IV just be changed?

Because of the unique effect IVs have on the move Hidden Power. To again quote the stats article:

“IVs also determine the type (and power in gens 2-5) of the move Hidden Power. The formula hasn’t changed since gen three, meaning a Fairy Type Hidden Power (and also Normal, but who cares) is not available and that Fairy is the only type that a certain overrated ninja frog thing can never be. Hidden Power calculation takes the least significant bit of each IV, throws them into a formula, and maths it out.”

The fact that the IV itself isn’t changed means that the Pokémon’s Hidden Power is also unchanged. Also note that this means a Hyper Trained Pokémon will pass on the original IVs when bred, meaning you can’t just throw a Gold Bottle Cap on a Ditto and pass the love around to all your Pokémon. Sorry.

So how do Bottle Caps raise a Pokémon’s stats?

To be honest, I don’t know. I guess they contain some hidden knowledge that allows them to get stronger? At least, the cap to my real-life Snapple bottle today did (Real Fact #011: Flamingos turn pink from eating shrimp), so it’s plausible I guess?

More seriously, some Bottle Cap collector trains your Pokémon in exchange for one, however boring this explanation is.

How do I use a Bottle Cap?

This guy does Hyper Training.

Bring it and the Level 100 Pokémon of your choice to Mr. Hyper in the Hau’oli City Mall.

Note the words “Level 100 Pokémon” in the above sentence. Yes, Hyper Training does require training the Pokémon to Level 100, which is a royal pain. Currently there is no good way to do this either.There are a few methods, but generally all are somewhat time consuming. This is the main drawback of Hyper Training.

What should I use a Bottle Cap on?

Something that you are planning to use in competitive battling. I’d always start by planning your teams on Pokémon Showdown (or similar), and then deciding what to Hyper Train based on that.

Are there multiple types of Bottle Caps?

There are regular (Silver) caps that raise one stat and Gold Bottle Caps that raise all six stats at once.

How do you get a Bottle Cap?

The best ways to get Bottle Caps consistently are Fishing, Poké Pelago, and the Festival Plaza.

You also get one from Mina after defeating her at Poni Gauntlet. That would have been shown here if the person who took this picture hadn’t run out of space for them!

Regular Cap Methods:

Method A) Fishing
Time required: 1-1.5 minutes per cycle
Chance for a Cap: 1%
Cost: None
Method:
1. Go to the Steelix House in Seafolk Village.
2. Go out on the balcony. There is a fishing spot.
3. Fish.
4. Leave the balcony.
5. Repeat steps 2-4.

Method B) Festival Plaza
Time Required: None (other than the process of getting the FC, which takes ~30 minutes)
Chance for cap: 100%
Cost: 100 FC initially, 150 or 200 FC subsequent times
Method:
1. Get to plaza rank 8.
2. Find someone with Treasure Hunt (2) set in the first slot of their plaza (that being the one that is shared).
3. Add this person as your VIP.
4. Add said Treasure Hunt (2) to your plaza (preferably in the first slot so that others can leech off it)
5. Use said Treasure Hunt within 5 minutes after adding it.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 (will cost 200 FC each time after the first), farming for FC in the type matchup tests when needed. Cost can be reduced to 150 by replacing Treasure Hunt with any 1 star facility and then replacing said 1 star facility with a new Treasure Hunt.

Gold cap methods

Method C) Poké Pelago
Time Required: 12-24 hours per cycle
Chance for a GOLD cap: ~40%
Cost: 0-36 Poké Beans
Method:
1. Go to Pelago.
2. Send your Pokémon on “Rare Treasure Hunt”.
3. Wait 24 hours (can be as much as halved with Pokébeans).
4. Repeat.

Method D) FP Adjusted. (Not fully tested!)
Time Required: 45 mins
Chance for GOLD cap: ~100%
Cost: 100 FC initially, 150 or 200 FC subsequent times
Method:
1. Get to plaza rank 8.
2. Find someone with Treasure Hunt (2) set in the first slot of their plaza (that being the one that is shared).
3. Add this person as your VIP.
4. Add said Treasure Hunt (2) to your plaza (preferably in the first slot so that others can leech off it).
5. Use said Treasure Hunt just over 45 minutes after adding it.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 (will cost 200 FC each time after the first), farming for FC in the silly type matchup tests when needed. Cost can be reduced to 150 by replacing Treasure Hunt with any 1 star facility and then replacing said 1 star facility with a new Treasure Hunt.

Is Hyper Training worth it?

If you want a cover legendary, an Ultra Beast, a competitive Ditto (why?), Silvally, or anything with Tapu in its name, you actually can’t IV breed; Hyper Training is the only method of changing IVs. This is really handy, as it save you a TON of soft resetting for those Tapus and Celesteelas that everyone seems to be using. If what you have can be IV bred, then the process will be significantly longer, as the Pokémon will need to be trained to level 100 first. Also, don’t be afraid to combine the two: once you are consistently getting 4 perfect IVs, you can always Bottle Cap the last two.

If you have any other Hyper Training questions, feel free to ask in the comments!

Edited by bobandbill and Nick Wilde.