The Hoenn region was introduced in Gen III of the Pokémon series – Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. It was also used in Omega Red and Alpha Sapphire. This region has some very well hidden locations; so well hidden in fact that many players are still unaware of them.

The reason for this is that, beginning with Gen III, Nintendo began making Mystery Gifts available to those who purchased the GameBoy Advance Wireless Adapter. These Mystery Gifts were only available for a limited time, and sometimes they were not even offered in North America. Meaning that the last entry on this list might be one of the most exclusive locations in the entire Pokémon series.

10 Feebas’ Secluded Habitat

Gen III (Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald) introduced a little fish Pokémon called Feebas; however, it kind of seems like the developers didn’t want players to actually find a Feebas. There are only six squares (out of hundreds), in a very specific location where this elusive Pokémon can be caught.

To make it a little harder for the player, these six squares are picked at random for each playthrough. To find Feebas, the player needs to search the river that runs through Route 119. Use the best fishing rod and fish each square four or five times, because Feebas doesn’t always appear on the first encounter.

9 Rooftop Sale

The Lilycove Department Store is a great place for one-stop shopping in Hoenn. Something most players never encountered was the Lilycove Dept. Store rooftop sale. These sales only begin after the player defeats the Elite Four, and even at that point they are held randomly on very rare occasions.

Players are at least given a heads-up regarding the time of these sales by watching the Pokémon news. The items available at the rooftop sale are decorations for the player’s secret base – most notably boards that can be used to cover the sinkholes. The selection of the rooftop sale was expanded for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

8 Secret Shore

The Secret Shore is a location from Gen VI that eluded many players. In truth, there isn’t much happening on the Secret Shore, but it’s still worth visiting. This hidden area is located on the southeastern portion of the map and requires the player use a circuitous route to get there (the first time anyway).

The player needs to use the Dive ability on the dive spot furthest to the east along Route 129. There are no items, trainers, or wild Pokémon on the Secret Shore – there are, however, six locations for a possible secret base.

7 Mirage Island

Very, very few players have ever seen Mirage Island outside of screenshots. It’s an extremely rare occurrence for this legendary island to appear. The island only appears if one of the Pokémon in the player’s party has a personality number equal to the random number generated each day.

This number is between 0 and 65535 – meaning with a full party the player has a 1 in 10923 chance of the island appearing. The Pokémon in the party can be exchanged with new ones for additional 1 in 10923 chances. This island is the only location for players to find a Liechi Berry, which is needed to make Gold Pokéblocks.

6 Sealed Chamber

The Sealed Chamber is not only a puzzle in itself to find, but also requires solving an actual puzzle. The player will need a Pokémon that knows the Dig move, as well as the Pokémon Wailord and Relicanth.

Wailord and Relicanth also need to be in the right spots within the party to trigger an earthquake that opens a path. The trail to the Sealed Chamber starts by diving in the correct spot along Route 134. This will lead to an underground chamber where the player needs to solve a puzzle to advance. Accessing the Sealed Chamber makes Regis available to be caught.

5 The “Secret” Secret Base

Having a secret base is an amusing little diversion in the Pokémon games. Many players only visit their base on rare occasions, and never really invest much money for decorations.

On the other hand, some players take their secret base very seriously – this entry is for these players. Hidden away in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is a location called the Secret Islet. This spot is located south of Route 126, and is a tiny island with one tree. The only thing on this island is a Secret Spot; allowing for a truly out-of-the-way secret base.

4 Navel Rock

Navel Rock is accessed by riding aboard the S.S. Tidal. To get the pass that will take the ship to Navel Rock, players must obtain the associated Mystery Gift (via the GameBoy Advance Wireless Adapter). This requirement kept a lot of players from ever visiting this location, or even knowing it existed.

Upon reaching the island, the player must go down a series of ladders until reaching a dead-end on a raised platform. This is where players can catch the legendary Ho-Oh. In addition to Ho-Oh, the legendary Pokémon Lugia can be found on the lower levels.

3 The Abandoned Ship

The Abandoned Ship in Hoenn, on Route 108, is a location that is out of the way, but not exactly hidden. What is hidden is the fact that using the Dive ability the player can access another section of the ship normally unreachable.

Getting to Abandoned Ship will also require a Pokémon in the party knowing Surf, in addition to a Pokémon that has learned Dive. Getting to the underwater sections of the ship requires using Dive in the room with a large pool of water. In this hidden area is a ton of valuable loot. The most notable loot in this hidden area is a Water Stone, TM18 (Rain Dance), and the Scanner.

2 Birth Island

Birth Island is a small triangular island that can be found in Pokémon Emerald, Fire Red, and Leaf Green. In Emerald, the player can get to Birth Island by obtaining the proper pass for the S.S. Tidal.

Once the island has been reached, the player must solve a puzzle by moving around a small triangular stone piece. Solving this puzzle will make the legendary Pokémon Deoxys appear. There is nothing else of note on Birth Island – no items, wild Pokémon, or trainers are found here. However, Deoxys is a powerful Pokémon that makes visiting this island well worth it.

1 Faraway Island

This legendary island is unfortunately another location that was only available as part of a special event – that was only available in Japan, and only for those with the GameBoy Advance Wireless Adapter. Using a cheating device like the GameShark or Action Replay, it is possible to visit this island.

Those playing via emulation on VisualBoy Advance can use the codes for these cheating devices. This allows the player to obtain the Old Sea Map; which, when given to Mr. Briney will allow him to ferry the player to this island. Faraway Island is the only official location in the Pokémon series where a Mew can be caught.

NEXT: Pokémon: 10 Hoenn Memes Only True Fans Understand