Bertha

Bertha in Diamond and Pearl
Bertha
Species	Human
Affiliation	Elite Four (Sinnoh)
Hair color	Gray
Eye color	Brown
Relatives	Charm (possible ancestor) Agatha (possible relative)
Voiced by	Dorah Fine (2022)
Debut	Pokémon: Diamond/Pearl Versions

Bertha is the second member of Sinnoh's Elite Four who appears as an opponent in Pokémon: Diamond, Pearl and Platinum Versions, as well as the remakes Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. She specializes in Ground-type Pokémon.

Background

Bertha was an elderly woman who acted as a member of Sinnoh's Elite Four. When she was first challenged by Lucas/Dawn, Bertha saw the trainer as being adorable, but also having a spine. She stated her preference for Ground-type Pokémon and that she would like the trainer to show her what they had learned.

After being defeated, Bertha congratulated Lucas/Dawn and told them that their Pokémon worked as one, which she believed to be the trainer's greatest strength. She warned them that the next trainer was a more formidable opponent, so they should keep their wits about them, but she also expressed her belief that the trainer could go as far as they desired. When challenged to rematches in Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, she would state that Lucas/Dawn appeared to have matured since they last met and now reminded her of when she was young. After being defeated again, she would leave them with advice saying that they should stay as strong as the ground beneath their feet no matter how crushing a defeat may have been.

In Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, she could also appear at the Battle Tower as an opponent in double battles, in which she teamed up with Buck.

Pokémon Roster

Bertha uses the following Pokémon for the Elite Four challenge in Diamond, Pearl and Platinum:

• Quagsire (Diamond/Pearl only)/Gliscor (Platinum only)
• Sudowoodo (Diamond/Pearl only)/Rhyperior (Platinum only)
• Whiscash
• Golem
• Hippowdon

In Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, Bertha uses her Diamond/Pearl roster when battled the first time and her Platinum roster for the first rematch. When battled after completing the Stark Mountain storyline, she uses a variation of her Platinum roster which adds Nidoking and Mamoswine while omitting Golem.

For matches at the Battle Tower, the Pokémon Bertha could use included Rhyperior, Hippowdon, Steelix and Donphan.

In Other Pokémon Games

In Pokémon Masters EX, Bertha and her Hippowdon appeared as a playable sync pair that could be recruited at random through the game's Sync Pair Scout after being added to the game in May 2022. She could alternately use Nidoking or Rhyperior as her Pokémon when acting as an opponent. She was featured in the Solo Event "Sinnoh Elite Four Assemble", in which the members of Sinnoh's Elite Four gathered on the beach after they all arrived on Sinnoh, and Lucian confirmed their intentions to surpass Cynthia. Bertha also appeared as an opponent for the Champion Stadium's Sinnoh Challenge, which replicated the line-up of Sinnoh's Elite Four and champion.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• She was featured in an episode of the Diamond & Pearl series of the Pokémon anime, where she teamed up with Ash and his friends to save a trainer's Magby from Team Rocket. She was shown to own a jeep that she used in the pursuit. Afterwards, she battled with Ash and defeated him easily, while advising him to be more observant in battle.
• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Bertha makes a small appearance during the Platinum arc, where she works with other members of the Elite Four in deciphering Charon's notes for Diamond and Pearl.

Trivia

• Her name may have been chosen due to its similarity to "earth". It also has a similar sound as the name of Agatha, another elderly woman associated to the Elite Four. Her Japanese name is Kikuno, based on the Japanese name of chrysanthemum and also bearing a similar sound to Agatha's Japanese name of Kikuko.
• She is alluded to in Black and White 2, when Shauntal recites a quote from one of her unfinished novels, in which she notes the mystery of the similarities between her and Agatha, in terms of both appearance and name.
• In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Charm of the Miss Fortune Sisters resembles a younger Bertha. She uses a Rhydon and a Gengar, implying a connection to both Bertha and Agatha, and she also claims to be from Kanto. This seems to imply that she may be an ancestor of both Bertha and Agatha, and that they are indeed part of the same family, but the exact details of their relation remain unknown.
• In Diamond and Pearl, her room at the Pokémon League is an ordinary-looking one with a light-brown floor and a fighting ring in the middle. In Platinum, this room is changed to reflect her type choice, containing soil and large rocky formations.