Complete Pokemon Pokopia Bubbly Basin Story Walkthrough: All Main and Side Quests

There's so much new content to see and do in Pokémon Pokopia's new Expansion Pass world that completing the story may end up feeling like an afterthought. But the story offers new Pokémon to meet (including a recruitable mythical Pokémon) and new buildings and features, so it's honestly worth powering through as soon as you start the Expansion Pass. Plus, you can always explore Bubbly Basin while you wait for that pesky Pokémon Center to be built.

Here's a complete story walkthrough for Bubbly Basin, including both main quests and side quests.

How to Unlock the Bubbly Basin Gate

The first wave of the Expansion pass introduces a new gate that will take you to a new world, Bubbly Basin. But you can’t just swim through the gate as soon as you log in after buying the Expansion Pass. First, because you need to have learned the move Dive from Manaphy. Second, because you don’t actually know where the gate is. 

The entire Bubbly Basin quest can be started in Bleak Beach, where Popplio will be waiting for you outside the Pokémon Center. Once you initiate a conversation with the little blue seal-like Pokémon, they will be registered in your Pokédex. Your Pokédex will also update to add a new Bubbly Basin category where all new Pokémon from the first wave of the Expansion Pass will be registered. 

While talking to Popplio, they find out that you restored Bleak Beach and asks if you can help its home too. Popplio will then take you to an underwater gate in the ocean area behind the Pokémon Center. The gate, of course, takes you to the new world, where a sunken town and a series of story quests await you. 

The story quests in Bubbly Basin are very similar to the other worlds’ storylines. Get to a new town, increase the environment level, rebuild the Pokémon Center, and complete a world-specific task (like summoning rain in the Withered Wastelands or lighting up the town in Bleak Beach). And, as a result, meet a mythical Pokémon. 

Raising the Environment Level to Three 

Popplio’s first request is for you to bring back some Pokémon to the town. The actual task you have to complete is raising the environment level to three, which can be achieved by building some habitats to summon new Pokémon and then completing the Pokémon’s requests to improve their habitats to raise the environment level. 

At the same time, Professor Tangrowth asks you (via a call on your Pokédex, as the Professor does not come underwater with you) to find the Pokémon Center, which you’ll find down a nearby tunnel. The game will point you to it. 

Rebuilding the Pokémon Center

While the PC is immediately available to use, Tangrowth will ask you to rebuild the Pokémon Center. The Pokémon Center rebuilding kit unlocks at environment level three, so fulfilling Popplio’s quest has to be done first. Rebuilding will cost 25 star-spotted rock, five shiny pearls, 10 seashells, and 10 sea glass fragments. It will be finished “tomorrow” once you start building.

Starting the Ocean Temple and Finding Popplio’s Friends

After reaching environment level three, Popplio will give you a new task: building the ocean temple. The kit for this will automatically be placed above the town, and you will have to clear away sand and dirt to make it buildable. Now, the Ocean Temple requires 15 Pokémon to construct, so Popplio also asks you to find some of its old friends to help out. 

Popplio provides you with vague nicknames and locations for where to find these Pokémon  (though, you may have already found some of them depending on how much habitat building you have been doing). Each Pokémon will have its own quest. Some are longer or more complicated than others. 

The Shy, Spiky One: Mareanie

This spiky Pokémon is looking for a shiny pearl. You can get one by giving a grubby pearl to a Pokémon with the Scrub ability (like Shellder or Cloyster). After giving Mareanie a shiny pearl, you’ll then be asked to make a sofa with the pearl. The marine sofa takes 1 seashell, 1 shiny pearl, and 1 twine. Once you place the sofa in Mareanie’s habitat, the Pokémon will agree to help you build the temple. 

The One with the Big Mouth: Totodile

The beloved water starter is just looking for a playmate. You’ll meet Totodile on the bridge, where it’ll ask you to play the Look this Way minigame. This will be followed by a game of hide-and-seek. Finally, Totodile wants to play with a bubble machine, which will be inside the nearby daycare building. 

The Bubble machine needs electricity however, so you will have to summon a Chinchou to help power it. The recipe for Chinchou’s Fluffy relaxation habitat (given by Totodile) includes any lighting (using one that doesn’t require electricity is easiest), a cushion bed, and any doll. 

Once Chinchou is summoned, the bubble machine can be powered and will create a habitat for Totodile. Totodile will then be available to help build the temple. 

The One with the Big Claws: Corphish

Corphish wants you to build a submarine, so your first task is to acquire a Submarine kit. You can either grab one from the basement of the Cerulean gym building (the broken down building to the right of the main town on the map) or buy one from the Pokémon Center. 

Once you bring a kit to Corphish, they’ll ask you to build it. You will need 10 iron ore and five sea glass fragments, as well as four Pokémon builders (one of which needs the Build specialty. Corphish already has this ability). The sub only takes an hour to build and afterward, Corphish becomes free to help you build the temple.

The One with the Charming Whiskers: Barboach

Barboach can be found crying in the right-most building in the upper part of town (where the houses feature the ornate-style furniture and blocks). The poor water Pokémon has lost its precious seashell seat and asks you to go find it in the Deep Sea, the deepest part of Bubbly Basin where no natural light reaches. 

To find the seashell seat, grab some lights that don’t require electricity and head into the canyon nearby (underneath the bridge). Sink down into the darkness and follow the path. The seashell seat is not in a Pokéball. It’s just placed down and you can grab it easily.

When you give it back to Barboach, Barboach will then ask you to make them an Ocean rest spot habitat to live in. This requires a small coral, one lampion, and one seashell seat. Afterwards, Barboach will move in and will help with the temple-building effort. 

The Floating Pink One: Frillish (Female)

This pink jellyfish-like Pokémon will be at the entrance to a cave to the left of the bridge (you’ll need to dig through some breakable rock to find the Frillish). Frillish will ask you to destroy the netting blocking the cave entrance. Then they want you to explore the cave with them and find a Starmie doll. 

To do this, you’ll need to use the combination of the dowsing machine and Frillish’s Search specialty. Frillish will lead you to a few random treasures hidden in the cave before eventually taking you to a cluster of star-spotted rock. Dig through it and you’ll find the Starmie doll. After Frillish admires the doll, they agree to help you with the temple.

This quest also unlocks the ability to go to the Basin Dream Island, which you can learn more about in our guide. 

Finishing the Ocean Temple

You’ll need more than just those friends Popplio sends you to hunt down to build the Ocean Temple, so make sure to build plenty of habitats. In addition to 15 Pokémon, you’ll need 50 star-spotted rock, 30 stones, 25 seashells, 10 shiny pearls, 10 seashell fencing, and two ocean doors. Luckily, despite it being a massive building, it only takes an hour to build (how a cottage takes longer to build is a mystery only Arceus knows). 

Upon completion, you will be alerted to the fact that there’s a “mysterious presence” within the temple. Skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to know who it is! Waiting for you inside the temple is Manaphy, who you learned Dive from. Unlike Pokopia’s other story-based mythical and legendary Pokémon encounters, Manaphy decides to live in town. 

Raise the Bubbly Basin Environment Level

You can’t escape this quest even if you’re under the sea and Tangrowth is nowhere nearby. Just like all of the other worlds, Professor Tangrowth asks you to raise the environment level to five. This happens upon interacting with the PC after completing the Ocean Temple. As a reminder, you raise the environment level by building new habitats and fulfilling Pokémon’s requests to improve their habitats. 

Reaching level five will earn you a music box item. This quest is the final Important request in Bubbly Basin. However, there are still a few other minor quests you can do.

Mini Story Walkthrough: Other Side Quests

To round out this story walkthrough, here's a look at Bubbly Basin's side quests. These will pop up during and after completing the main storyline, earning you access to new Bubbly Basin features, items, and Pokémon. You will need to summon these Pokémon through habitats before you can start the quests. 

Corsola and the Watermelon Patch

Once Corsola moves into a Basin tall grass and coral habitat, you’ll unlock a quest about Bubbly Basin’s new fruit, watermelon. Corsola will lead you to a nearby farming patch and teach you how to take care of watermelon (the advice also applies to growing other consumables underwater) by blowing air bubbles (using the Water Gun) and having Pokémon use Grow. 

A second Corsola quest will teach you how to handle watermelon, because unlike beans or tomatoes, watermelons are not ready to eat immediately after collecting. Corsola will give you the Seaweed and netting habitat to spawn a Carvanha. You can then give your full watermelons to Carvanha so they can use Cut and turn the whole fruits into slices. 

Chinchou Wants Power

Chinchou will ask you to light up a stage area hidden in a Deep Sea area hidden through the cave housing the Pokémon Center, which Chinchou will guide you to upon starting the quest. You will come up with the idea for a wireless power-transmitter post, which you can then make using two glass and two Pokémetal. 

There is a nearby water wheel that you can use to power the posts, which are easy to place because (as the name suggests), they are wireless and thus the power can run through walls. Powering up the stage will give you the Glowing stage for three habitat and complete Chinchou’s request. Just make sure to check back or place a camera so you know when the new Pokémon has arrived. 

Stunfisk: Flat as a Rug

Stunfisk’s flat body doesn’t have much room for a brain, which is why the Pokémon asks you what the name of a rug is. Once you inform them that it’s called a rug, Stunfisk asks you to find a special rug. This rug is the ocean pals rug, which can be found at the location on the map below. Stunfisk only wants to see the rug —  you do not have to give it to them and can keep it for yourself after showing it to Stunfisk.

Mudkip Blends Up Smoothies

Mudkip wants a new way to eat food, and luckily while they’re talking to you, you think up an idea of how to make a blender! The blender requires two Pokémetal to make. Then, with Mudkip’s help, make a smoothie by placing one slice of watermelon and two other ingredients of your choice. 

You don’t need to give the smoothie you made to Mudkip. When a Pokémon helps make something, they automatically get one of their own. Just talk to Mudkip after you make the smoothie. 

Hopefully this story walkthrough has been helpful in guiding you through rebuilding Bubbly Basin (or helping you out if you get as stuck as Mosslax in Bleak Beach).

And don't forget to check out our other Pokopia Bubbly Basin coverage under our Life Simulation category!