CobbleClub trainer progression

The 32-Badge Journey

This is the backbone of our long-term Pokémon progression: four full regions, 32 canonical gym badges, regional trainers, leagues and a difficulty curve that grows with the player instead of resetting every eight badges.

KantoBadges 1–8Current live pathway

JohtoBadges 9–16Builds on Kanto completion

HoennBadges 17–24Higher overall difficulty

SinnohBadges 25–32Hardest core region

Region 1

Kanto — badges 1 through 8

Kanto is the introduction to the full run. It should feel like a proper Pokémon campaign: Brock starts manageable, each gym asks more of the player, and the Indigo League is a meaningful step up without pretending it is the end of all 32 badges.

#	Leader	Badge	Difficulty role
1	Brock	Boulder Badge	Easy → early-mid introduction
2	Misty	Cascade Badge	Early-mid
3	Lt. Surge	Thunder Badge	Early-mid+
4	Erika	Rainbow Badge	Mid-game
5	Koga	Soul Badge	Mid-game tactical
6	Sabrina	Marsh Badge	Mid-hard
7	Blaine	Volcano Badge	Harder Kanto test
8	Giovanni	Earth Badge	Hardest Kanto gym

How gyms work

Trainer paths, not single boss fights

Each Kanto gym has themed prerequisite trainer battles before the leader. RCT handles the battle teams, AI, progression requirements and level-cap flow. CobbleClub adds the server-specific reward and announcement layer around those wins.

RCT

Progression gates

Required trainers lead into the gym leader instead of letting players skip straight to every badge.

Levels

Natural cap growth

The next required trainer drives the practical level cap so the player grows with the route.

Difficulty

Gradual AI ramp

Early trainers are forgiving. Switching, status, recovery and item use become more important later.

Kanto League

After Giovanni

Lorelei

The first Elite Four step and the start of full-team endgame-style Kanto battles.

Bruno

More pressure, stronger coverage and a deeper team.

Agatha

Status, disruption and stronger tactical play.

Lance

The hardest Elite Four battle in the Kanto set.

Champion Blue

Kanto completion, Hall of Fame milestone and the transition point toward the next region.

Rewards

Badges and first-clear rewards

Gym leaders award the correct Kanto badge. CobbleverseBadges is the preferred item source, with compatible fallback handling for CobblemonPokemonBadges-style items.

First-clear rewards

PokéDollars
Gems
Rare Candy
Correct gym badge
League/Champion bonuses
Kanto League Trophy at Champion completion

Safe delivery

If the player's inventory is full, the reward drops directly in front of them. Only that player can pick it up for the first 20 seconds, and they receive an inventory-full message so the reward is not forgotten.

Server moments

Major victory announcements

Major progression wins can announce the player, the opponent they defeated and the Pokémon party they used. Gym clears can also announce the badge earned, while Champion completion receives a Hall of Fame-style message.

Where this is going

Kanto is only the first quarter

Important balancing rule

Giovanni is the end of Kanto, not the end of CobbleClub's trainer progression. Johto should start approachable for a Kanto graduate, then Hoenn and Sinnoh continue raising the overall ceiling. The full difficulty curve is designed across all 32 badges.

The long-term goal is for every region to bring its own appropriate Pokémon pool, trainer themes, gym leaders, canonical badges and league progression so the journey feels like a connected Pokémon series inside Minecraft.