Help using the Bootleg GBA Save Extractor and Injector after PKHeX Edits

[ThePikachu]

Hey everyone,

I’m running into trouble getting my edits from PKHeX back onto my bootleg Pokémon Leaf Green cartridge and I could really use some guidance.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

• I used GBFlash to dump the ROM so that the Bootleg GBA Save Extractor and Injector would have a ROM to pair with. The ROM plays fine in VBA.

• I used the Bootleg GBA Save Extractor and Injector to pull the save file from the cart. PKHeX was able to open it perfectly.

• I made my edits in PKHeX and exported the save.

• When I use the injector, it tells me the save was successfully written… but when I boot the game on the cart, it’s just my old save with no edits.

So clearly I’m missing a step (or the process for these bootlegs is different).

What I’m trying to figure out is:

1. What is the correct workflow for editing and reinjecting saves on these fake GBA carts?

2. Do I need to be using FlasherGBX alongside GBFlash and the Bootleg Save Tool, or should one handle everything?

3. Are there quirks with how bootleg Leaf Green carts store their saves that I need to watch out for (e.g., offsets, different save banks)?

Basically, I just want to be able to take the save I edited in PKHeX and actually play it back on the cartridge. Any step-by-step instructions or tips from people who have done this before would be massively appreciated.

 

Here's my game's info from FlashGBX

 

Thanks in advance!

[theSLAYER]

It appears that save injection may not have worked, but we do not know for sure; I'll recommend using a different name to test on VBA (in case VBA dumped the save separately and is reopening the game referencing that, do not use state saves when continuing the game, and will probably have to re-extract another save from the edited ROM and check it with PKHeX to confirm whether it actually got overwritten.

As for general advice on the steps to do the "flow", to be honest, not everyone has the same repro cart, nor interest in extraction/injection, so you may never get a proper answer. At the very least for now, you probably won't need anyone other tools besides GBFlash and my tool.

Whatever you intend to do, make sure you have a safe unmodified back up stored separately. Also make sure you keep a record of all the details, like the save type, SRAM location, cartridge type etc (in case you ever need to try to restore it).

Whatever you do, it'll be at your own risk

[ThePikachu]

On 8/27/2025 at 7:08 AM, theSLAYER said:

It appears that save injection may not have worked, but we do not know for sure; I'll recommend using a different name to test on VBA (in case VBA dumped the save separately and is reopening the game referencing that, do not use state saves when continuing the game, and will probably have to re-extract another save from the edited ROM and check it with PKHeX to confirm whether it actually got overwritten.

As for general advice on the steps to do the "flow", to be honest, not everyone has the same repro cart, nor interest in extraction/injection, so you may never get a proper answer. At the very least for now, you probably won't need anyone other tools besides GBFlash and my tool.

Whatever you intend to do, make sure you have a safe unmodified back up stored separately. Also make sure you keep a record of all the details, like the save type, SRAM location, cartridge type etc (in case you ever need to try to restore it).

Whatever you do, it'll be at your own risk

Yeah so the extraction works perfectly, then I'm able to read it with PkHex and make edits and it exports the save just fine.

 

The curious thing is, if I load the edited save file using an emulator (VBA), it loads the unedited version of the save, but if I load that exact same save back into PKHex, it shows the edits. Clicking inject doesn't seem to work. I'm assuming it's something to do with the cartridge but then again, shouldn't I be able to play in the emulator and see the edits that I exported with PkHex? If you have any ideas or know of a possible solution, let me know.

 

Thanks for the response!

 

 

[theSLAYER]

1 hour ago, ThePikachu said:

Yeah so the extraction works perfectly, then I'm able to read it with PkHex and make edits and it exports the save just fine.

 

The curious thing is, if I load the edited save file using an emulator (VBA), it loads the unedited version of the save, but if I load that exact same save back into PKHex, it shows the edits. Clicking inject doesn't seem to work. I'm assuming it's something to do with the cartridge but then again, shouldn't I be able to play in the emulator and see the edits that I exported with PkHex? If you have any ideas or know of a possible solution, let me know.

 

Thanks for the response!

 

 

So what you should do is delete any save (for that game) in the VBA directory.
Load the VBA game with the edited ROM.
Do NOT continue the game with state saves; once the game launches, just let it naturally run and reach the continue screen.

[ThePikachu]

46 minutes ago, theSLAYER said:

So what you should do is delete any save (for that game) in the VBA directory.
Load the VBA game with the edited ROM.
Do NOT continue the game with state saves; once the game launches, just let it naturally run and reach the continue screen.

Once I do that, what’s my next step? At what point do I extract/inject saves? 

[theSLAYER]

1 hour ago, ThePikachu said:

Once I do that, what’s my next step? At what point do I extract/inject saves? 

This is just for you to test whether you actually injected the save into the ROM. 
 

As per the other thread, your FlashGBX appears to be able to write to ROM in carts. So maybe make sure the the save edit is actually edited into the ROM first