Pokemon Null ROM

Pokemon Null is a heavily modified ROM hack of Pokémon Emerald built from the ground up for the Nuzlocke experience. Every trainer has been hand-crafted, every route rebalanced, and the Pokédex expanded to include Pokémon from Generations 1–9, including brand-new Mega Evolutions. Expect no mercy.

Features

• 275+ Hand-Crafted Competitive Battles: Every single trainer battle has been personally designed with a competitive mindset, featuring synergistic held items and teams that work together to challenge even veteran players.
• Next-Generation Custom AI: Features a brand-new AI system built from the ground up to counter player strategies, predict switches, and play with a professional competitive mindset.
• Generations 1–9 Roster: The Pokédex has been expanded to include Pokémon from all nine generations, featuring updated abilities with new functionality to keep the meta fresh.
• New Mega Evolutions: Includes classic Mega Evolutions plus brand-new Megas for beloved Pokémon, including those inspired by Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
• Reshuffled Hoenn Routing: The standard Hoenn journey is reimagined with a reshuffled gym order, 3 new explorable areas, 10 new boss fights, and various new rivals and characters.
• Hardcore Nuzlocke Balance: Meticulously balanced for the Nuzlocke challenge with tuned encounter tables, resource management, and a difficulty curve where every loss matters.
• In-Menu Pre-Status & Pre-Damage: A revolutionary party menu feature that allows you to instantly apply status conditions or set specific HP levels for strategic play with abilities like Guts or Flail.
• Hard Level Caps: Built-in level caps ensure you never overlevel the next boss, maintaining a consistent and fair challenge throughout the game.
• Resource-Based Customization: Access a dedicated system that allows you to change your Pokémon’s Natures and IVs, allowing you to optimize your team for specific encounters.
• HM-Free Exploration: Use all HM moves directly in the overworld without needing to teach them to your Pokémon or carry “HM Slaves.”
• Infinite Rare Candies & Candy Bag: Completely eliminates level grinding with a dedicated Candy Bag that instantly raises your Pokémon to the current level cap.
• Porta-PC & Toggleable Repel: Access your Pokémon storage boxes from anywhere and manage wild encounters with an infinite, toggleable Repel.
• PokéRider Traversal: Run anywhere and fly to previously known locations instantly using the PokéRider item, replacing the need for Fly.
• Simplified Evolution Methods: Over 50 generational lines have been updated with simplified evolution methods, removing the need for trade-based evolutions.
• Balanced Starter Selection: Start your journey with Chespin, Fennekin, or Froakie, chosen specifically for their balanced viability in a tactical Nuzlocke setting.
• Status Immunity Bypassing: Innovative battle gimmicks allow certain Pokémon to bypass traditional type-based status immunities (e.g., Corrosion Salandit or Soak strategies).
• Casual Mode Toggle
• Legendary Status Rework
• Guaranteed Fishing Pulls
• Dual Bike Access
• Sped-up Traversal
• No Poison Overworld Damage
• Heal from Menu

Changelog

V1.2.6

• Fixed Mega Evolutions sometimes being unable to move.
• Fixed Delphox not being able to learn Psystrike.
• Fixed Lottery being redoable if you don’t speak to the Clear a second time.
• Fixed the effect of the following moves not working: Alluring Voice, Anchor Shot, Spirit Shackle.
• Fixed Struggle failing on Prankster if all unusable moves are priority moves.

V1.2.5

Bugs

• Fixed several issues with Berries that apply stat changes. 
• Fixed Silk Trap, Obstruct, Burning Bulwark, Mat Block, and Crafty Shield incorrectly blocking Status Moves.
• Fixed Covert Cloak not working against abilities and items that add additional effects, such as King’s Rock and Poison Point.
• Fixed Powder affecting Grass-Types.
• Fixed Glaive Rush missing its Contact property.
• Fixed Flare Blitz not being boosted by Reckless.
• Fixed Terrain Pulse not applying its effect when the user is not grounded.
• Fixed Persim Berry having a delayed activation when Outrage confuses.
• Fixed Adrenaline Orb not activating when Intimidate is blocked by Clear Body.
• Fixed Intimidate and similar abilities triggering Eject Pack at the wrong time when Mega Evolving.
• Fixed Greta being unable to set Stealth Rock with Stone Axe.
• Fixed the pond in Rustboro Grove being walkable on some tiles.

AI Fixes & Adjustments

• Fixed AI being able to use Stone Axe or Ceaseless Edge when Stealth Rock or Spikes, respectively, are already maxed out.
• Fixed AI being able to use Stone Axe or Ceaseless Edge over fast kill when it isn’t intended.
• Fixed AI incorrectly using Syrup Bomb when it shouldn’t, such as against Clear Amulet.
• Fixed AI incorrectly calculating Revenge as boosted when it shouldn’t during switch-in evaluation.
• Fixed AI applying a score penalty to self-targeting moves when the target is in a semi-invulnerable state and the AI is faster.
• Fixed AI not correctly applying a score penalty to setup moves in certain cases, such as Take Heart and Stuff Cheeks when facing Unaware.
• Fixed AI evaluating Stomping Tantrum at full power during switch-in evaluation if the previous Pokémon was flinched.
• Fixed AI being able to use Memento against targets with Clear Body or White Smoke.
• Fixed AI incorrectly applying a Gem boost to Future Sight, which cannot be boosted by Gems.
• Fixed Feint AI not applying if the target has Wide Guard or Quick Guard alongside a Protection Move.
• Fixed some Shell Smash setup discouragement checks not being properly applied by the AI.
• Fixed Upper Hand AI having the wrong percentage of being used.
• Fixed King’s Shield AI incorrectly applying to Aegislash-Shield.
• Removed Two-Turn AI to eliminate some unwanted side effects. Sky Attack, Freeze Shock, and Ice Burn are now calculated like regular damage, but are still discouraged by AI when no Power Herb is present.

Learnsets

• Fixed some oversights where Pokémon were missing moves due to their evolution level, including Armaldo missing Rock Blast and Kingdra missing Icy Wind.
• Metal Burst and Counter are now Heart Scale exclusive moves for Archaludon.
• Added Level 99 and/or Level 100 moves for some of the weaker Safari Zone Pokémon, Ultra Beasts, and a few other Pokémon (e.g Luxray, Goodra, Ursaluna-Bloodmoon).
• Slightly improved the learnsets of some future Paradox Pokémon.
• Some other minor changes may have been made but are not further specified.

Trainers

• Reduced the Level of the following Pokémon by 1: Camper Charlie’s Floette-Eternal, Fallarbor Courtney’s Iron Moth.
• Reworked Blackbelt Nob’s Conkeldurr for consistency reasons: Conkeldurr is no longer preburned and now has Flame Orb.
• Slightly reduced the amount of Hurricanes in the game: Ninja Boy Lao Noctowl Hurricane -> Air Slash and Gym Leader Winona 1 Celesteela Hurricane -> Air Slash.
• Gym Leader Winona 1’s Landorus: Floaty Fall -> Fly. 
• Magma Grunt Zeldest’s Yveltal has been reworked: Fiery Wrath -> Dark Pulse, Black Glasses -> Apicot Berry. 
• Seafloor Cavern Archie’s Iron Jugulis: Yache Berry -> Assault Vest to improve Iron Bundle’s viability for the fight.
• Triathlete Stephin’s Ogerpon: Growth -> Upper Hand to remove some severe cheese.
• John & Jay’s Iron Jugulis: Terrain Pulse -> Thunderbolt to account for the above bugfix.
• Pokéfan Bethany’s Chi Yu: Energy Ball -> Ruination. 
• Changed Juan’s Kingdra set to account for Electric Terrain being permanent since 1.2, which made its Chesto Berry Rest set no longer work.
• Rocket Ambush Weezing: Focus Band -> Ability Shield to make the fights less restrictive.
• Youngster Des’ Blaziken: Bolt Strike -> Thunder Punch. 
• Slightly changed the Maxie & Archie Double Battle in Victory Road based on community feedback.
• Nature mistakes: MHO Grunt #10’s Zarude: Timid -> Jolly, SFC Shelly’s Pheromosa: Naive -> Jolly
• As compensation for some of the above nerfs, to keep a similar overall difficulty, the following sets have been buffed: Sis And Bro Reli&Ian’s Kricketune, Leaf 2 Deoxys, Frontier Head Noland’s Mawile.

Other

• The following tables have been adjusted: Route 111 Static, Route 119, Magma Hideout 1F.
• Slowking Ability: Shell Armor -> Regenerator. For compensation, an Ability Tutor is included in Dewford Town that turns Slowkings Ability into Shell Armor for 3 Scales.
• Reverted Hurricane to being a Wind move following community feedback.
• Added a new Move Tutor in Sootopolis City to provide more flexibility when building lategame movesets. Also added Heal Bell and Aromatherapy to the Route 120 Move Tutor, and Air Cutter to the second Petalburg Move Tutor.
• Added a comeback mechanic for struggling Nuzlocke runs to encourage keep playing bleeding runs. See the Mechanic Changes document for details.
• Adjusted the Elite Four Heart Scale Shop to lower prices, remove redundant items, and introduce new ones. Most notably, added the Recall Charm, which allows a Pokémon to relearn a move upon use.
• Added TM22 Poison Jab to Route 118, as it was previously unavailable outside of the Lilycove Department Store. 
• Added Hidden Ability Tutors for the following Pokémon: Tauros-Paldea-Combat, Amoonguss, Hatterene, Toxapex, Hydrapple, Slowbro, Cyclizar.
• Added an NPC in Lilycove City Contest Hall that gives you an Air Balloon after the 7th Badge if Spinda is shown. 
• Added an NPC on Route 111, past the Desert, who gives you an Ability Capsule if you show her a Pokémon with an RNG based ability (such as Flame Body) and an alternative ability, provided it currently has the RNG based ability. 
• Added the Return All Items feature to the Gauntlet menu.
• Added a quality of life feature that lets you change Shoal Cave’s state.
• Reduced Golisopod’s catch rate from 15 to 1.
• Wild Ultra Beasts now hold Berserk Gene.
• Improved Morty’s and Clair’s themes. (Credits to IAGeezus.)

V1.2.4

• Fixed Good as Gold blocking Curse from non Ghost type Pokémon.
• Fixed Dragon Tail’s effect working on Mimikyu with Disguise active.
• Fixed Dark types incorrectly being immune to Struggle from Prankster Pokémon if they had a status move.
• Fixed eject activation (Emergency Exit and Eject items) incorrectly passing the endure effect.
• Fixed Stomping Tantrum not being boosted if the previous move missed because the target was in a semi invulnerable state.
• Fixed Stomping Tantrum remaining boosted for the rest of the battle after activating from a miss, which also caused the AI to overvalue it when evaluating switch ins.
• Fixed Covert Cloak incorrectly blocking Silk Trap and Obstruct effects if the triggering move would be blocked by Covert Cloak.
• Fixed a softlock occurring when viewing an Egg summary screen. 
• Fixed Defog being used by the target instead when they are behind a Substitute while Reflect or Light Screen is active.
• Fixed Tera Starstorm not being boosted by Sheer Force, which also caused Covert Cloak and Shield Dust to fail to block its effect.
• Fixed Supersweet Syrup and Illuminate incorrectly activating Adrenaline Orb.
• Fixed a visual bug with Tar Shot displaying a failure message when the target was already affected by Tar Shot but its Speed could still be lowered.
• Fixed Wallace’s Diancie’s Mega Evolution not cancelling multihit moves as intended.
• Fixed Binding Move score stacking with HDM.
• Fixed Echoed Voice and similar moves not resetting their stack boost after a flinch and similar interruptions.
• Fixed the Quality of Life menu missing the Air Slash and Signal Beam tutors.
• Fixed Last Resort not working properly when previous moves were interrupted before being used).
• Fixed Struggle recoil not using standard rounding.
• Fixed the AI incorrectly applying Technician to a boosted Payback.
• Fixed Mortal Spin’s spinning effect activating even when hitting an immune target.
• Fixed Focus Sash reactivating after being consumed by Future Sight.
• Fixed Zoom Lens activating if the original target switched out using a pivot move. 
• Fixed Fling effects not activating if the target’s held item activated during the attack (e.g. Focus Sash, Colbur Berry). 
• Fixed Teatime not affecting certain Pokémon in double battles depending on their position.
• Fixed Wandering Spirit not transferring if Pursuit hit a Pokémon using a pivot move. 
• Fixed Wandering Spirit incorrectly working on Protosynthesis and Quark Drive. 
• Fixed Sleep Talk and Snore not properly reducing sleep turns when switching out.