If you have been trying to move water around in Pokémon Pokopia and keep hitting a wall, you are not alone. The Suck move is one of Ditto's most useful abilities in the game, letting you vacuum up bodies of water and deposit them exactly where you want. But unlocking it requires working through a specific chain of story events that the game does not spell out clearly. Here is everything you need to know to get Suck and start reshaping your island's waterways.
What Does the Suck Move Actually Do?
Suck functions like a water bucket in sandbox games such as Minecraft. It allows Ditto to inhale a block of liquid and carry it until you choose to release it somewhere else. According to game guides, the move works on a wide range of liquids including water, ocean water, hot-spring water, vending machine drinks, and even lava.
This makes it one of the most flexible tools in Pokémon Pokopia for island customization. You can use it to:
- Clear flooded areas that are blocking habitats
- Construct custom ponds, creeks, or rivers from scratch
- Redirect water sources to attract water-type Pokémon
- Build hot springs or lava features for specific habitat requirements
How to Unlock the Suck Move
Unlocking Suck is tied to a specific questline and cannot be obtained by exploring freely. You need to follow the story progression carefully across two separate areas.
Step 1: Rebuild the Rocky Ridges Pokémon Center
Before anything else, you must advance far enough through the Rocky Ridges area to rebuild the Pokémon Center there. This is a major milestone that sits at the end of a series of smaller quests and tasks in that zone. Expect to spend a significant amount of time completing those prerequisite requests before the center becomes available.
As confirmed by community discussion on Reddit and summarized across multiple guides, the Rocky Ridges Pokémon Center rebuild is the key gate that unlocks the next step in the chain.
Step 2: Talk to Piplup at Bleak Beach
Once the Rocky Ridges Pokémon Center is rebuilt, head to Bleak Beach and speak directly with Piplup. This step is easy to miss because the request does not appear in your request list automatically. You must physically talk to Piplup to trigger the Make a Waterfall request.
Step 3: Create a Marshy Tall Grass Habitat
Piplup's waterfall request requires the help of Paldean Wooper, who you need to attract to your island. To do this, you must build a marshy tall grass habitat. According to Game8's walkthrough team, this habitat requires placing 4 yellow tall grass tiles adjacent to a body of muddy water.
A waterfall of muddy water can be found southwest of the Withered Wasteland gate if you need a source. Once you place the habitat components correctly, wait for Paldean Wooper to arrive. After it shows up and you complete the interaction, Ditto will learn the Suck move.
How to Use Suck: Full Controls
Once Ditto has learned Suck, using it is straightforward once you understand the button layout. Here is a full breakdown of the controls:
| Action | Button Input |
|---|---|
| Inhale liquid | Hold Y + ZR while facing the liquid |
| Spit out liquid | Press A while facing target area |
| Gulp and discard liquid | Press B to swallow and remove the liquid |
To pick up water, stand in front of any body of liquid and hold Y while pressing ZR. Ditto will inhale the liquid and hold it. Move to your target location, face the area you want to fill, and press A to release it.
If you accidentally inhale liquid you do not want to place anywhere, pressing B will make Ditto swallow and permanently discard it. Be careful with this option if your island has limited water sources, since discarded liquid is gone for good.
What Liquids Can Suck Move?
Suck is not limited to plain water. The full list of transferable liquids in Pokémon Pokopia includes:
This variety opens up a lot of creative possibilities. Moving hot-spring water lets you build custom spa habitats, while relocating lava can help create volcanic terrain features.
Why Is the Suck Move Worth the Wait?
Unlocking Suck opens up a major layer of island customization that is simply not possible before you have it. Water-type habitats require specific liquid conditions, and being able to relocate water precisely means you can attract Pokémon that would otherwise never appear on your island. Clearing flooded zones also frees up building space that was previously unusable.
The progression gate (rebuilding the Rocky Ridges Pokémon Center) takes time, but every step leading up to it also builds out your island in meaningful ways. By the time Paldean Wooper teaches Ditto the move, you will already have a much more developed island to experiment with.
For more tips on building habitats, managing island resources, and mastering Ditto's full move set, browse the latest Pokémon Pokopia guides to keep your island growing.