Six treasure maps. Six decorative Poké Balls. And one Starmie that refuses to set up home in your town until every last one is in your hands.
That’s the real shape of Bubbly Basin’s treasure hunt, and it’s worth saying at the start, because the maps themselves barely matter.
In Pokémon Pokopia, treasure maps are collectibles dug out of the shining spots that appear each day across the Bubbly Basin map. Each one points to treasure that humans left behind before they vanished.
What the game never tells you, though, is that the maps are optional. Treasure stays exactly where it is regardless of whether you’re carrying the paper describing it. Nothing stops you from heading directly to every single spot today.
The region hides six maps in total, all exclusive to the DLC. They turn up randomly as you dig the glowing ground spots — the same ones that normally hand over relics, fossils and mysterious slates.
Map one sits behind a wall of blue rocks
Reward: Decorative Great Ball.
Make your way to the bathing house beside the Pokémon Center in Bubbly Basin. Descend the stairs on its left-hand side, continue past the bench, and keep an eye out for a wall of blue rocks.
Break it down. A secret room lies on the other side, with the decorative Great Ball tucked inside.
Number two lies beneath the coral
Reward: Decorative Heal Ball.
You’ll find this one in an underground room northeast of the ocean temple. Swim beyond the tall red-roofed building until you arrive at the spot where Barboach shows up during the “Build the Beautiful Building!” important request.
Begin smashing the ground blocks beside the large coral and keep tunnelling downward. Before long the way opens into the room where the decorative Heal Ball is kept.
Map three pulls double duty as a shortcut
Reward: Decorative Dive Ball.
Treasure number three waits close to the abandoned gym in Bubbly Basin. Travel east from the main square until a wall of dirt blocks stops you. Punch through and follow the trail to the gym.
Position yourself in front of the building, face south, and take down the wall of star-spotted rocks. The decorative Dive Ball is in the room behind it.
Commit this spot to memory — it comes back into play at the end.
Nets, tracks and blue crystals
Reward: Decorative Net Ball.
Head for the cave northwest of the main square — the very spot where you ran into Frillish during the “Build the Beautiful Building!” important request.
Once you’re past the entrance, drop back into the water. That leads to a room where nets are blocking the way. Clear them and continue downward.
When you arrive in a room featuring tracks and blue crystals, look along the southeastern side for a wall of blue rock. Tunnel through the blocks and the decorative Net Ball is sitting there.
Watch for the yellow mailbox
Reward: Decorative Lure Ball.
Number five is stashed close to a house with a yellow mailbox standing out front. Just one location on the map matches that: the northeast side, home to the portal pods.
When you reach the house, dig along its west side near some coral. Behind it is the room containing the decorative Lure Ball.
The final one is a ruin down south
Reward: Decorative Quick Ball.
Travel to the map’s southern reaches, close to the Bubbly Basin gate. Starting at the gate, head north, take the stairs down, and then turn west.
Ahead you’ll see what’s left of a house, with a wall of star-spotted rocks sitting behind it. Smash through and the decorative Quick Ball is in the room on the other side.
What the six Poké Balls are really for
Rooting around Bubbly Basin for its hidden corners is enjoyable in itself. The six decorative Poké Balls are the true reward, though, since collecting the set unlocks the “mermaid’s gym” habitat.
That habitat belongs to Starmie. Without the balls, there’s no Starmie.
Here’s what goes into building it.
The quickest route: head back to the abandoned gym from Treasure Map #3, east of the main square. The six exhibition stands you need are already inside.
Set your six decorative Poké Balls on the stands in whatever sequence you like — order makes no difference.
All that remains after that is a marine sofa, and odds are the recipe is already tucked away in your book.
Then park yourself in your brand-new gym and wait for a Starmie to judge your town a place worth living.