Unofficial Pokemon Heart Gold Guide by Chris Boots-Faubert for
The word "Pokémon" is an abbreviation of the words "Pocket Monster," from the English translation of the original Japanese words Poketto Monsuta, and represents in just three syllables what has become one of the most successful (if not the most successful) media franchises created in Japan. To the initiated it immediately conjures images of the yellow and black mouse-like Pikachu following behind a young and dark-haired boy in a ball cap, together wandering the lands of the fictional world that is based off of modern-day Japan, and in which they seek adventures, learn (and by example teach) moral lessons, and discover new truths, experiences, and make new friends while sharing the quest to one day become a Pokémon Master. The average person -- even if they have never played the games, read the books, or watched the television show -- knows what a Pokémon is, despite the fact that the franchise is largely targeted at children, because its saturation into our popular culture in the past two decades has been nearly as complete and as wide as that of Bart Simpson. Images from the games, movies, and television shows have graced objects as diverse as lunch boxes, T-shirts, and even the fuselage of a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet belonging to All Nippon Airways! The assignment to write the walkthrough for Pokémon HeartGold represents something of a watershed moment, as it is the enhanced remake of the original Pokémon Gold (published in 1999) which was my favorite game from the second generation, and because it is part of the most popular series of video games ever created, having sold over 200 million units since 1996. It was declared "The Most Successful RPG Series of All Time" by the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008, and went on to earn a total of eight world records from Guinness, as well as a string of awards too numerous to even summarize from gaming sites, publications, and annual awards programs worldwide. As a remake, HeartGold is everything that a Poké Fan could want in a new take on Gold, including the updated fighting and game play style of the 4th Generation, the addition of new content, and of course the enhanced graphics that, even though it retains the original style of strategy familiar to anyone who has played any game in the series, is still as close to being in the world of the television show as we can hope to get! The style of this walkthrough is a mixture of narrative and reference, and is divided into logical sections of the game centering around the cities and the path of travel between them. HeartGold is a rich and deep gaming experience with some content that, while it is essentially part of the story mode, can still easily be missed in casual play. For that reason each section contains a detailed description of the special events, side-quests, or what is euphemistically referred to as "optional" story play by most fan sites, as this is the only way to efficiently cover this content. This guide can be used as a companion as you play through the game, or as a reference source for wrapping up play after you have completed the main story. In it you will find both hints and close detail that includes secret information, and access to companion resources via the World Wide Web, as well as hints and tips that are intended to enhance your enjoyment of the game. Please be aware that each section and the videos for them can contain spoilers that reveal more information than the game designer intends for the player to have at each stage -- so if you prefer to have a 100% spoiler-free experience, you are advised to complete each section of the game prior to reading that section of the walkthrough! Pokemon HeartGold is a complex game with optional content that far exceeds that of the plot and play in the story mode. In addition to the story mode walkthrough content, each section may contain references to additional content that, while it may or may not be directly part of the story mode, indirectly relates to it or presents opportunities through which the player can obtain an edge in the game that they might otherwise have missed. While this information is briefly covered in the walkthrough sections, the Appendix Sections of the walkthrough offers a more in-depth examination of these subjects, often including detailed instructions on how to take advantage of each segment in the game. Though the individual appendixes may not be referenced in each section, you are nonetheless encouraged to make use of the Table of Contents as a constant source of reference for this additional content, through the appendixes, whenever you encounter references to such content within the individual sections. Additional content in HeartGold includes, but is not limited to: - Apricorn Sciences Reading these additional sections prior to playing the game will likely provide information that may be viewed as "spoilers" and you should be suitably cautioned to that effect. Additional content that is not covered in the individual appendixes may also be covered as part of the FAQ Section, so if you do not find what you are looking for in an appendix, please refer to the FAQ Section prior to requesting that information. SuperCheats HeartGold Assets In the process of writing this walkthrough I have utilized the wealth of resources and information that is available on our site, and you may want to as well! The following links will be of specific value to you as you play through the game: -- HeartGold Landing Page (http://www.supercheats.com/nintendods/pokemonheartgold.htm) When a resource already exists there is nothing to be gained by duplication, which is why I do not include a Pokedex, TM or HM Guide, Move Guide, or detailed Breeding Section in this walkthrough. All of that information is already available on SuperCheats! Enjoy!
Preface
- Berry Sciences
- Daily, Weekly & Special Events
- Gift Pokemon
- In-Game NPC Traded Pokemon
- Legendary Pokemon
- Mystery Gift System & Events
- Pokewalker Exclusive Pokemon
- Rival Fights
- Shard Trading
- Special Items & Accessories
- Swarm Pokemon
- Trainer Card Stars Guide
- Trainer Rematches
- Version Exclusive Pokemon
-- HeartGold Pokedex (http://pokemon.supercheats.com/)
New Bark Town
An introduction to Pokemon
From the title screen you are prompted to begin your new adventure - and once you do that, you are presented with a short menu of help files, including Control Information and Adventure Information. The control information explains how the touch-screen functions and goes through the buttons, and the Adventure Information provides some very general hints on how to play the game. The final option on the menu is "No Info Needed" and you press that to continue to the game.
Next we meet Professor Oak, who introduces himself and tells you a little about the world and Pokemon before prompting you to tell him about yourself -- if you are a boy or a girl, and how you spell your name. After you make and confirm those selections, he gives you a cheerful send-off and you find yourself in your room in New Bark Town!
There is really nothing to do up here, so head downstairs to meet your Mom, who will give you your bag, your Trainer Card, the Save Card, and the Options Card, which opens up some menu options! She also tells you that Professor Elm is looking for you, but before you leave, take a look at the menu on the touch screen now.
Click on your Trainer Card and you will see that it contains some basic information on you -- your ID number, name, the amount of money you have, your score and time played (both of which are zero at the moment) and when your adventure began. Touch the card to flip it over and you will see spots for your Hall of Fame Debut, stats for links, battles, and trades, and a spot for you to sign your ID card. You may as well sign the card now, right? Pull out your DS/DSi Stylus and click on 'Sign Card' to get started.
Now that you have signed your card, back out of that screen to the main menu and hit the Options Card. Here you can change the way the game works -- I suggest changing the text from 'MID' to 'FAST' as that is the only setting that you really need to change now. Close the Options Menu now.
Finally open the Bag Menu and take a look. Inside the bag are pockets for specific items, including:
• Item Pocket
• Medicine Pocket
• Poke Ball Pocket
• TM's & HM's Pocket
• Berry Pocket
• Mail Pocket
• Battle Items Pocket
• Key Items Pocket
It may seem odd but each of those pockets save for mail will be very important later on. For now, be aware that you will be filling those pockets as you play the game, and many of the items that you end up putting into your bag will be crucial in succeeding at catching them all, and becoming a Pokemaster!
After you are finished with the bag, it is time to hit the last card - SAVE - and save your game. Do that so that if you end up quitting you do not have to sit through the interview with the Professor and getting the items from your Mom again, right?
So - you have saved your progress, you have your basic kit save for a few items, and you are very nearly ready to begin your adventure into the world of Pokemon! Before you leave the house, go click on the TV -- at the moment there is a movie playing, but later in the game TV's can be an important source for information so don't neglect them!
Outside you will encounter a forceful wind that will blow a Pokemon into you, and then your neighbor will show up to claim it. If you try to leave the town by one of the exits you will be stopped by another neighbor, who will warn you that venturing into the wilds without your own Pokemon is a dangerous thing to do!
Let's take a look around the neighborhood for a moment. The house directly below yours belongs to your neighbor Lyra's family -- that is the girl your Mom mentioned and who claimed her Pokemon earlier. The house next to Lyra's belongs to umm, someone, and then the house above (which is not a real house but is in fact a Pokemon Lab with an apartment above and how cool is that I ask you?) is where you will find Professor Elm.
As you approach the house you will notice a red-headed stranger standing on the side peaking in the window. I don't want to scare you but this is one of those significant points -- walk over and say hello just for fits and shiggles -- and get knocked on your butt. There will be more details on this person later in the walkthrough... For now, head inside the lab!
Inside you will meet Professor Elm, who will tell you about his research and about how Pokemon are carried in balls. I have often wondered if the Poke Ball was anything like the bottle in I Dream of Jeanie and has a tiny house inside it where your Pokemon live, hang out, and watch TV. That would be way better than the obvious and implied reality, which is that your Pokemon exists inside in a state of animated suspension, a digitized prison in other words... I think I will hold on to the idea that there is a little house in there.
He then moves on to the advantages of walking with Pokemon -- that is significant in that this is a remake of the version of the game in which you could walk with one of your Pokemon following you, just like Ash did in the series! He talks about Lyra and how walking with her Pokemon helps her to better bond with it, and then announces that he will be giving you your very own Pokemon!
Before you get to pick your Pokemon though, the Professor gets an email and pauses to read it. The email is from Mr. Pokemon, an old friend of the Professor's who has discovered some sort of rare Pokemon related item, and he wants the Professor to come get it. The Professor does not have the time to do that, so he decides that it would be a great idea if you went in his place to the meeting. With that settled, he directs you to choose your starter Pokemon!
Walk over to the Poke Ball Storage System and click on it to see the three balls there, which appear on the touch screen. The ball closest to you contains a Chikorita, the one on the top right contains a Cyndaquil, and the one on the top left a Totodile. Lets examine these Pokemon before you make your choice, shall we?
-- Chikorita is a Grass-type Pokemon, and is the first form of the Meganium evolutionary line. Like most Grass-types, Chikorita emits a sweet scent that has a calming and healing effect, and it can create vines from its neck and leaves from the leaf on top of its head. This is actually a quite rare Pokemon, and it is found in large open plains or small forests where it lives with other Pokemon in its evolutionary line. In the series, Ash's Chikorita was obtained in the episode The Chikorita Rescue, and had something of a minor fault; it liked Ash so much that sometimes it would refuse to be switched out for another Pokemon during battles!
It starts with the moves Growl and Tackle, and picks up the moves Razor Leaf at Level 6, and Synthesis at Level 12, becoming a much more effective battler. It evolves into Bayleef at Level 16, and Meganium at Level 32. As a Grass-type it is weak against Fire, Poison, Flying, Bug, Dragon, and Steel types.
-- Cyndaquil is a Fire-type Pokemon, and it is the first form of the Typhlosion evolutionary line. It is known for its ability to defend itself with the flames that burn from its back, and its ability to become more powerful as it gets angry. It has the innate ability to generate smoke, which lowers the accuracy of attacks from its opponents.
In the series Ash caught one early on, in the episode Good 'Quil Hunting, and while this Pokemon featured prominently in his battle rotation, was a slightly flawed member of his team due to its slowness in generating its fighting abilities. When Ash left Johto for the Hoenn Region, this was one of the Pokemon that was left in the care of Professor Oak.
Starting with the moves Tackle and Leer, Cyndaquil comes into its own once it acquires the moves Ember at Level 10, and Quick Attack at Level 13. Cyndaquil evolves into Quilava at Level 14, and Typhlosion at Level 36.
-- Totodile is a Water-type Pokemon, and is the first form of the Feraligatr evolutionary line. It is known for the extreme power of its bite, and its ice-cold fang ability. Like all water Pokemon, its effectiveness and strength increases when it is in a pinch. In the animated series, Ash obtains his Totodile after a battle with Misty, and retains it throughout his adventures in Johto, after which he left it with Professor Oak in his lab for safe keeping.
It starts with the moves Scratch and Leer, but really becomes a useful Pokemon when it picks up Water Gun at Level 6, and Bite at Level 13. Totodile is one of only two starters that do not make their first evolution until quite late, evolving at Level 18. Water is of course very effective vs. Fire type Pokemon, and not so effective against Grass and Dragon types.
Most trainers choose Cyndaquil or Totodile as their starters, mostly because those two have a decided advantage over Chikorita, but in the end they all end up being very powerful Pokemon, so you should really choose based upon the type that you like to play, or even the one that you like best. You really cannot pick wrong here! Once you have decided and selected your starter Pokemon, head back to the Professor to learn about the machine that heals Pokemon -- there is one in every Pokecenter!
He tells you that Mr. Pokemon's house is located in Cherrygrove City, and wishes you good luck on your trip! On your way out of the lab one of the lab assistants will stop you to give you some potions which can also be used to heal your Pokemon, even when in battle! Once you have those it is time to leave the lab.
A meeting with two legends
After you exit the lab you will bump into Lyra, who is happy to see your choice of Pokemon and offers you some advice. Before she leaves she tells you to go show your new Pokemon to your Mom -- a good idea so why not do that now?
Back at home your Mom tells you that your Pokegear has come back from the repair shop. How convenient for you! You are about to set out on your very first mission and here is the gear you will be needing! As you watch a new card is added to your menu for the Pokegear, and of course there is now one for Pokemon as well.
Your mother points out that the Gear also allows you to make phone calls, and you are prompted to tell if you remember how that works. If you have not played the earlier games, well then you should go ahead and read this mini-tutorial now. After you read that, go ahead and select the card for the Pokegear.
You will notice that at the moment you only have two options available to you -- you can make a phone call, and change the background color of your Pokegear display. Go ahead and customize the color to suit you, and then look at the phone mode. At the moment the only number that you have is for your Mom, so we will need to do something about that!
If you select the Pokemon card you will see a screen that shows you all of the Pokemon in your party, and what their current health is. Select your only Pokemon and you will have the option of reading a summary of its stats and background information that consists of the Trainer Memo and Info, Skills and Battle Moves, and finally the Ribbon Screen that details the ribbons that your Pokemon has earned. Don't worry about the ribbons for now, we will cover that later, but do review the other screens, as they have important information on them.
Before we do anything else, head upstairs to your room and log into your computer to check your email. There is a letter from Lyra! Go ahead and read that now, After that take a look at your Wii -- those are big in Johto at the moment!
As you start to leave town the Professor will run out of his lab and stop you, because he forgot to give you his phone number. Sweet, we now have someone other than our Mom to call when we get scared or need advice! A most excellent thing indeed!
-- Route 29 --
Note: This is our first Route -- at the start of each Route I will include a "Beasties List" that you can consult for the different Pokemon encountered along the Route, followed by their Johto Pokedex Number (to make looking them up on our online Pokedex easier for you), the time of day that you can encounter them, and the method of encountering in case you want to capture one.
Although you may not yet have the ability to Surf, Headbutt, or Fish, I will list the Pokemon that can be caught that way so that later all you will need to do is check the Route entrance portion of each section to see what is there and how to catch it! For Pokemon that are part of the Radio Program Scheme please see the appropriate appendix.
Route 29 Beasties List
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Night) Normal / Headbutt
-- Pidgey #010 (Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Rattata #017 (Any) Normal
-- Sentret #019 (Day) Normal
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
Now exit the town on to Route 29 (this is the left side exit just past the lab), and you will see a sign that says you are headed in the right direction. Bear in mind that at the moment we do not have any Poke Balls, so we will not be catching anything, but that does not mean that you cannot pick up a little experience (XP) on this trip!
When you head into the tall grass you can encounter wild Pokemon who you will fight for XP. If you had Poke Balls you could weaken and then capture them -- more on that in a bit -- but for now let us just concentrate upon reaching Cherrygrove City alive, shall we?
After you head left you can head up and back to the right in the tall grass, where you will have a few fights and then find a Poke Ball-looking object on the ground. Be on the lookout for these, they are basically treasure chests that contain useful items! This one contains a potion, and that may come in handy later!
Work your way to the Gatehouse, where you can talk to the guard to learn about ledges. Outside was a fat kid who reminds you to save often, and inside is a man who reveals that different types of Pokemon will be encountered past here. You exit the gatehouse onto Route 46.
Route 46 Beasties List
-- Aipom #123 (Any) Headbutt
-- Geodude #034 (Any) Normal
-- Heracross #114 (Any) Headbutt
-- Rattata #017 (Any) Normal
-- Spearow #013 (Day) Normal
This end of Route 46 is basically a dead-end since you cannot get past the ledges, but it is important because there is a wide swath of tall grass here where you can easily get a Rattata and a Geodude once we have Poke Balls! Go ahead and return to the other side of the gatehouse and then continue left along the upper road until you enter Cherrygrove City.
Cherrygrove City Beasties List
-- Corsola #173 (Day) Fishing
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Krabby #166 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Staryu #169 (Night) Fishing
-- Tentacool #164 (Any) Surf
-- Tentacruel #165 (Any) Surf
As you enter the town an old man will approach you and decide to show you around -- follow him to learn about running shoes, and the buildings in the town. He shows you Route 30 and mentions that Mr. Pokemon's house is a bit further along that Route. Then he shows you the sea, and then his house before he gives you a pair of running shoes. This is a most excellent item to receive as it allows us to move faster when walking by holding down the B-button -- but be aware that running through tall grass makes encountering a wild Pokemon more likely!
After he gives you the shoes he goes into his house. Follow him in and talk to him to learn about the party size limits and what happens to extra Pokemon that you catch. With that done, why don't we head over to the Poke Mart first?
Talk to the counter person to see their inventory -- we do not need to buy anything just now, we are just looking! There are no Poke Balls available just now, a fact that one of the customers points out to you. Now after we have talked to the two people in the shop and then exit and head next door to the Pokecenter, shall we?
First talk to the nurse behind the counter who will offer to heal your Pokemon -- have her do so! After you collect your now fully-healed Pokemon, talk to the people here to learn that the Underground is presently closed for renovations, and that there is a PC here for you to use. Go ahead and use the PC, it is on the corner of the counter.
-- The PC Storage System --
From this PC you can access the one you have at home, so you can check your mail, and you can access "Someone's PC" that turns out to be the storage system for your extra Pokemon! You do not know who this PC was created by, but as you adventure you will learn the answer to that question.
There are 18 boxes in the PC, and each box can hold 30 Pokemon, for a total storage matrix of 480 Pokemon plus the 6 you can have in your party. Each of the boxes can be customized with a label and background color, and once you start catching Pokemon you will want to do that, adding special boxes by type, but for now, open the PC and select Move Pokemon. Now move the hand pointer to the label for Box 1, then hit the A-button.
Move the pointer to "Name" and hit A again, then delete the label that reads Box 1 and replace it with A-Team and select OK. Now select "Wallpaper" and change the background to Pokecenter. Do the same for Box 2 but name it B-Team, and then change the label for Box 18 to "Incoming" and Box 17 to "Outgoing" now. You can change their backgrounds to Simple if you like.
These four box changes are a standardized system that a lot of the trainers who compete use -- your A and B Teams are pretty obvious, being where you store the Pokemon who rotate into your two teams. As a general rule your A-Team represents the team that you do player vs. player battles with, and your B-Team is used for tourney play. For now, you want to add in what you consider your favorite Pokemon as you catch them, so that you can have them in position for training in your free time.
The Incoming and Outgoing boxes are for trades, which we will cover in a bit. Whenever you are leaving the PC Storage System, ALWAYS leave from the Incoming Box, as that way any Pokemon you catch in the wild when your team is full will end up in this box, so you will know where the Pokemon you have recently caught are.
Eventually you will make boxes for the different types, and sort them out that way, but for now, go ahead and change to the Incoming Box and exit the PC by hitting the B-button four times.
-- The Communications Center --
Head upstairs via the left stairs to visit the Communication Center -- a place that will become very important later when you are trading Pokemon and meeting new trainers in real life at events and tourneys. This is where trades will happen face-to-face, and where you will mingle with friends and other trainers! For now though, talk to the woman at the counter all the way to the left to learn about your Trainer Card.
If you take a look at your Trainer Card now, you can see that some of the stats are now filled. You can check your play time, score, and wallet contents. and sign the back of your card as well if you have not already done so! The top screen shows you the pictures of the Gym Masters you will eventually fight to win their Gym Badge, but for now we are done with the card!
The next woman to the right is the hostess for the Union Room -- this is where you will meet with other trainers in person and exchange cards, numbers, and trade Pokemon, but for now it is not available. The last spot to the right is the Communication Club Colosseum, which is where you will go to battle other trainers in real life. It is also unavailable at the moment.
Note - if you own other Pokemon games from this generation (DS-based games) you can use a second DS to trade Pokemon from them into this game once you have activated these rooms. We will cover this in some detail later.
Now exit the Pokecenter and take a look around. In the house below the Pokecenter you will meet two people who will talk about nature and evolution, and in the house to the far left past the Guide Gent's house you will meet a pair of people who will talk about the Gyms.
Now head towards the exit above and the Guide Gent will come running to you with an item that he forgot to give you! He has a map for you -- one that shows all of the cities in the land! The map is an add-on to your Pokegear, so go ahead and open that now and check it out!
Using the map you can not only see what is ahead on your route, but you can tell which locations that you have visited, and which you have not! There is additional information that can be added to each location entry, and a sub-map shows up when you move the pointer to a city showing you the location of important buildings like the Poke Mart and Pokecenter for that town.
If you have not already done so, now would be a good time to save the game. Okay, all saved? Excellent!
-- Route 30 / Mr. Pokemon's House --
Route 30 Beasties List
-- Caterpie #024 (Day) Normal
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Metapod #025 (Day) Normal
-- Pidgey #010 (Any) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Surf
-- Poliwhirl #073 (Any) Surf
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
Continue up Route 30 and through the tall grass to the right of the stairs and grab the potion here then head up the stairs then up a bit to the house ahead. This is not Mr. Pokemon's house but it is an important house nonetheless! The man inside will give you the Key Item "Apricorn Box," which you can use to store the nuts you collect from trees in that can later be fashioned into special items here.
As you exit the house you will notice a tree to the left of the door with a round object on top of it -- you guessed it! This is one of the trees you can collect from, and when you click on it you obtain a Green Apricorn! If you check the Key Items Pocket in your bag you will notice the Apricorn Box is now available there. Select that and you can see what it contains -- in this case your one Green Apricorn.
Follow the path to the right of the Collector's house and grab the Antidote on the ground here. Note that this set of tall grass is one that contains Spinarak, so when we have some Poke Balls we should definitely come back and catch one!
Follow the path up to Mr. Pokemon's house where he will greet you and then give you the Mystery Egg! He will rest your Pokemon for you, and then you will be introduced to Professor Oak! Like all Pokemon Professors he has his own area of research, and like all Professors he wants your help! He asks you to accept a Pokedex, and then help him to obtain the data for it -- a good deal for both of you I promise!
He exchanges phone numbers with you and then departs, and you will note the new card on the menu for the Pokedex? You are now missing only one card!
The Case of the Redheaded Stranger
Now that you have completed obtaining the egg from Mr. Pokemon take a moment to examine the Pokedex that you received from Professor Oak. The main page contains a summary of how many Pokemon you have seen and how many you have obtained, as well as options to open the Pokedex, Search it, or quit. Go ahead and open it, then hit the A-Button on your Pokemon.
This opens up a data screen that shows you the area that this Pokemon can be found in if it is known, with selections to change the time of day in case that is one of the factors in finding the Pokemon in the wild. The next screen gives you a relative size comparison, and the next after that shows you the various forms of this Pokemon.
As you exit the house you get a phone call from Professor Elm -- something has gone horribly wrong and he needs you to get back to the lab as fast as you can! Well? What are you waiting for?! RUN!
Okay I was kidding about running -- seriously. Now if you look to the left of the house you will see an Apricorn Tree - go ahead and grab the Pink Apricorn from it, and then follow Route 30 back to Cherrygrove City. If you had any fights on the way stop off at the Pokecenter to heal before you continue back to the lab.
As you approach the eastern exit from Cherrygrove Town you are confronted by the red-haired stranger who was previously looking in the window of the Pokemon Lab -- and they force you into a Trainer Battle! This is your first experience with this sort of fight, but it is little different from a wild fight, so use your best moves and keep your Pokemon healthy!
You should be able to beat him easily -- but you will likely need to heal your Pokemon now so after you peak at their Trainer Card head back to the Pokecenter and heal up! As a general rule I make it a habit to save whenever I heal in a Pokecenter and I try to remember to save after pivotal events as well, and you may want to too
If you use the ledges and paths you can get back to New Bark Town without having to fight any wild Pokemon, the choice is yours, but either way, once you are back head to the Lab and talk to the Professor!
Inside you find the Professor with a local cop who is there to investigate the theft of one of the Poke Balls from the lab! It seems that while you were away a strange boy broke into the lab and stole one of the two balls that you did not choose earlier. The cop pretty much decides that you must be the person who did it when Lyra arrives to defend you, and reveal that she witnessed the break-in!
Remember that kid we had to fight back when we were leaving Cherrygrove? Right! That Pokemon we battled was the stolen one. Now, we saw his Trainer Card, so here is where we are given the opportunity to name our rival! Being a big fan of the previous set of games, I named mine Gary, but you can choose any name you like -- your little brother, ex-significant other, or even that jerk of a shop teacher at school, it is your call! I was briefly tempted to name him Ron Weaslby but I hear that JK Rowling might not like that so, well, nuh uh.
We give the Professor the egg and he is very surprised to learn that Professor Oak gave us a Pokedex -- well, clearly Elm did not think as much of us as it seemed that he did before. Harumph! At least now he knows we are something special, right? The Prof jokingly tells us to do the gym challenges and then fight the Elite Four -- something that we will be doing, no joke -- and then he tells us to talk to Mom. Right, off to home and Mom!
Now, Mom is not exactly thrilled that we are off on another adventure, but she decides that if we want to she will have us send half of any prize money we win so she can hold onto it for us -- that is really nice of her -- and I would not be at all surprised if Mom factors into our adventures later, right? So we should go ahead and tell her that we want her to save money for us, yeah!
To start the next phase of our adventure let's head back to Cherrygrove City -- hey look at that, as soon as we leave here is Lyra and her Pokemon! Well what do you know, we get a timely lesson on how to catch wild Pokemon -- hey this could come in handy! If we only had some Poke Balls! After Lyra walks us through a capture in careful detail, she tells us that it is better to lower their health as much as we safely can, and then what do you know?! She gives us some Poke Balls! Excellent!
On our way back to Cherrygrove we can probably catch our first new Pokemon -- I caught a Level 3 female Sentret who I named Rockie and a Level 3 male Pidgey I named Scoot myself but YMMV.
After you heal-up at the Pokecenter head to the Poke Mart next door to discover that they have new Poke Balls in stock! Excellent! But a word about buying balls? When you are purchasing the regular balls you should buy them in increments of 10 -- the reason for that is simple: every time that you buy 10 Poke Balls you receive 1 free Premier Ball as a bonus! Right now we only have limited funds so just buy your first 10 balls to go with the 3 or 4 you have left from Lyra, and then note the second salesperson behind the counter who was not there before.
She sells Air Mail and a special type of ball called a Heal Ball. This is actually a useful one to have if you do not have a full party, because it instantly heals any Pokemon that you catch! That is not all that useful if the Pokemon is going to be deposited directly to the Storage PC, since they are automatically healed when that happens, but it is very useful if they are going into your party, so why not buy 2 or 3 of the Heal Balls while we are here? We can use those to catch our next few Pokemon and thus have them ready to help us fight if needed!
Now would be a good time to save -- so why not do that?
-- A Pause for Development --
This is a good time for us to do some strategic development before we continue on with our adventure. First we want to gather a full party of Pokemon, and there were some areas we previously visited that would make that easy. Second, we will want to level the entire party to around 8 to 10 now just to save time, as that will be helpful later. So, what we are going to do is revisit the dead-end past the Gatehouse at Route 46, where we can obtain a Geodude, a Spearow, or a Rattata (or all three if we are feeling lucky!).
Back by Mr. Pokemon's house were some interesting bug types, so we may want to return there and catch one. Now that we have a full party, we should spend some time leveling them all to at least 8 but preferably 10. That is going to take some time though, so why not do that now?
If you caught a Spearow and a Pidgey you should pick which you actually like best since they are both Normal/Flying types and you only need one of those for your A-Team. If you caught both a Rattata and a Sentret you need to pick which of those you want to use since both are Normal types and you only need one in your party now. Because the flying Pokemon are also Normal types you could in theory not even bother with another Normal -- remember you want to have as many types in your party as you can manage in order to have the right variety to handle most situations.
An ideal party at this stage should consist of a Flying/Normal, Fire, Water, Grass or Bug, but at a minimum you should have been able to capture and choose from the following Pokemon:
- Caterpie #024 (Bug Type)
- Geodude #034 (Rock/Ground Type)
- Hoothoot #015 (Normal/Flying Type)
- Metapod #025 (Bug)*
- Pidgey #010 (Normal/Flying Type)
- Rattata #017 (Normal Type)
- Sentret #019 (Normal Type)
- Spearow #013 (Normal/Flying Type)
* This is the evolved form of Caterpie, and when it is caught in the wild it lacks any offensive moves, so this should only be in your party if you have evolved a Caterpie, as then it would have offensive moves.
Back? Cool! And wow, your party looks great! Good on ya, mate! You should be back in Cherrygrove City now, so heal up and then we can continue on our adventure!
Apricorn Collecting
Once you have trained your party up to at least Level 12 so that you are ready for the first gym you are ready to go (but be aware if you have completed the trade for the Onix that once you level it beyond Lvl 10 or 11 it will stop complying with your orders until you obtain the first gym badge, so you may want to hold off on taking it higher than Lvl 10).
Obviously higher is better, but 12 is the minimum you will want to be at when you face the gym leader, so that you can make mistakes without it actually costing you the battle, so you may as well get that bit out of the way and train-up your team now. If you did not begin with a water Pokemon, that will be the only gap in your team but you can correct that ahead and prior to the gym battle if you like! Also note that having an extra Bellsprout would be a good idea -- we will cover why in a bit, but if you are going to get one, go ahead and get two!
From Cherrygrove head up Route 30 past the Apricorn Collector's house. Remember to check the top of the tree there as the Apricorn may have re-grown, and if so go ahead and grab that again! After you clear the tall grass to the right of the Collector's house move to the left path instead of heading up the right, which would take you to Mr. Pokemon's house.
If you have not already explored this section of the Route you will now be able to fight the pair of trainers who were fighting each other earlier, so do that. Just past the second trainer now that the path is not blocked, you will spot a sign that has a trainers tip on it. There is another trainer to fight ahead, Bug Catcher Don, and just past him on the right is a path that leads to Mr. Pokemon's house -- if you had Cut, which you do not.
-- Route 31 --
Route 31 Beasties List
-- Bellsprout
-- Caterpie #024 (Day) Normal
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Night) Normal
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Metapod #025 (Day) Normal
-- Pidgey #010 (Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Surf
-- Poliwhirl #073 (Any) Surf
-- Rattata #017 (Night) Normal
-- Spinarak #032 (Night) Normal
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
As you head up the stairs ahead you will cross onto Route 31, which happens to be a good place to snag a second Bellsprout. You can name it 'Trade Me' if you like -- I did to remind me that it was caught for trading. Around the corner here is the entrance to the Dark Cave -- we do not want to go in there just now -- and to the left of the entrance is a treasure ball with a potions, so grab that and then continue to the left (West) down the stairs.
Head south to fight Bug Catcher Wade, who will exchange phone numbers with you once you have beaten him. After the fight, grab the treasure ball southeast of him with a Poke Ball, and then check out the tall grass behind him. In the morning you can catch a Ledyba here, and in the morning/daytime you can catch a Metapod if you do not already have it.
Be sure to grab the black Apricorn from the tree above before you continue west!
As you pass through the gatehouse ahead you will be stopped by Lyra again -- she now gives you the Vs. Recorder, a Key Item that goes into that pocket. This allows you to record battles, either with trainers or friends.
-- Violet City --
Violet City Beasties List
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Surf / Fishing
-- Poliwhirl #073 (Any) Surf
As you exit the gatehouse you arrive in Violet City! Standing to the right of the Pokecenter door ahead is a boy who trades berries for shards -- remember that for future reference. Inside you should heal and save -- and swap one of your party for the trading Bellsprout while you are here. Talk to the people inside to learn about Team Rocket, traded Pokemon, who made the Pokemon Storage System, and the chance to tell a TV Star what you think of him!
-- Primo's Secret --
The TV Star Primo has another function in the game -- if you know the secret codes, you can unlock backgrounds and obtain some useful eggs through him! To unlock the eggs and the backgrounds you need the secret codes, and you can obtain those by using your web browser and going to the site "http://www.filb.de/games/tools/aikotoba?l=en" where you are prompted to enter your trainer number -- you get that off of your Trainer Card.
Using the site above, enter your trainer number, game, and language, and it will return the secret codes that you need to tell Primo! In addition to the backgrounds you can also get three eggs from Primo, an egg for a Mareep, a Wooper, and a Slugma! How cool is that?
I have heard other players say that they were not able to unlock all of the items when they first arrived at Violet City -- you may not know some of the words that you need for his phrases at the moment, and may need to return to Primo later, when you do know the words... I am not sure how accurate that is considering that I was able to unlock everything when I arrived the first time, but YMMV.
Obtain Codes for the following items from Primo:
- Mareep Egg
- Slugma Egg
- Wooper Egg
- Big Brother Background
- Heart Background
- Kimono Girl Background
- Pokeathlon Background
- Revival Background
- Soul Background
- Spiky Pika Background
- Trio Background
You can unlock them one after the other, though with the backgrounds you may want to check in the Storage PC after unlocking each one to be sure that it took!
If you head upstairs you will notice that the Communications Club Colosseum and the Wireless Club Union Room are now open -- technically they opened once you had three Pokemon in your party, but the fact that they are now open should be noted if you want to trade with a friend or move some of your more advanced Pokemon in from other games. Note that the Underground is still closed.
-- First Trade --
Exit the Pokecenter and head to the house southwest of it (nearby). Inside there is a kid who, if you talk to him, will trade you an Onix for that extra Bellsprout I suggested that you obtain. Bonus! You have just completed your first NPC>Player trade! Now granted, you would have eventually caught an Onix, but this way you have it now, and that will come in handy when we fight the gym leader!
So if you like (I did) go ahead and level him up, but be aware that he will never be fully controllable until you get that first badge! If you are going to train him up you may want to also throw the three eggs you just picked up from Primo into your party and run them to hatching -- I chose to do this as well for an obvious reason: Slugma can have Magma Armor, and having him in the party with it when you are trying to hatch other eggs reduces the number of steps it takes.
In addition to that, Wooper is a Water/Ground Type which fills that slot in the party, and Mareep is an Electric, which you will want available for rotation into your party at certain points. You do not have to take the time to hatch these -- it takes almost 9,000 steps to hatch an egg -- but the benefit to doing so at this stage of the game is incalculable.
Battling Elder Lee in the Sprout Tower
Now that your team is ready stop by the Pokecenter for a last heal and save, and then continue along the path into town. Directly ahead of you as you go north is the Pokemon School -- you could just go inside, but doing that will deprive you of the joy of meeting the teacher! So follow the road to the left until you reach the Pokemart and you will spot a man standing in between the Gym and the Mart -- go have a chat with him, and tell him that you did NOT beat the Gym Leader yet.
He takes off running -- and you follow him -- and he leads you to the entrance of the school. Head inside and speak with him again to learn that his name is Earl, and this is his school! As you watch he will cover the basics of the care and leveling of your Pokemon. After he finishes talking head to the chalkboard behind him and read up on stat changes in battle -- basic info on the conditions Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Burn, and Frozen.
If you are new to the games reading these little lessons will teach you what item each condition requires to cure, and any special notes on the conditions -- for example when your Pokemon is poisoned you learn that the damage that stat change does continues after the battle, so that each time you move you continue to lose HP. If you keep walking and fail to correct the stat change, your Pokemon will eventually faint when it runs out of HP. Using an antidote will cancel the Poison stat change.
After you finish reading the board stop by each of the seated students and talk to them to hear about berries, abilities, trading, and the fact that Pokemon can hold items, and held items will transfer if you trade the Pokemon that is holding the item to another player. On the right side of the room is an NPC who will tell you about groups -- and will walk you through creating and naming a group. Obviously as you are alone at the moment you are the only member of the group, but hey, now you know how to form groups!
Exit the school and head west down the road past the mart to a house, inside of which is a girl who names her Pokemon after her favorite foods. That takes care of every building in the town save for the Gym itself, so why not head over there?
When you enter the Gym you will notice that it appears to be suspiciously empty save for one man, and by the way he is dressed it is a safe bet that he is not the Gym's Master. Go have a chat with him and he will provide you with a hint on how to proceed from here. He asks if you are there to fight Falkner, who is the Gym Leader of course, and then he mentions the Sprout Tower -- suggesting in a vague way that seeking training in the Tower is a good idea.
The Sprout Tower is north of the School, so head back towards the School and then follow the road over the bridges to the north. There are two NPC's on the road you may want to talk to: the first encourages you to beat the Gym Leader, the second talks about Pokegear.
-- The Sprout Tower --
Sprout Tower Beasties List
-- Gastly #058 (Night) Normal
-- Rattata #017 (Any) Normal
Inside there are a variety of NPC characters from whom you can acquire useful information and tips, and learn about a special move that can be obtained here by the successful trainer. Climb the ladder on the left of the main room and head to the right for your first battle with a trainer named Sage Nico. You face a total of three Level 3 Bellsprouts, gaining 162 XP if you beat them all (you should easily do that considering that you have leveled every member of your team to 12).
After the fight head down the ladder to the right of Nico and grab the Paralyze Heal potion from the treasure ball below. Follow the hall to the west to encounter Sage Chow, who has three more Level 3 Bellsprouts. You will handily beat him, and then climb the ladder nearby to return to the second floor of the Tower. To the north is a treasure ball with an X Accuracy item.
If you are not familiar with the items in the game, now is a good time to take a look at it and learn what it is! Tap the card for your bag and then highlight the Battle Items Pocket, and you will see that this pocket now contains the item that you just picked up! Move the cursor over the item to highlight it and its description will appear on the main display: "An item that raises the accuracy of a Pokemon in battle. It wears off if the Pokemon is withdrawn."
These are useful if you are facing a Pokemon that has a move that lowers your accuracy like smokescreen, but be aware that these are one-time-use items, and are destroyed when you use them. As it notes above, the bonus to accuracy only lasts while the Pokemon you used it on is your active Pokemon -- if you switch them out during the battle you lose that bonus.
Head south along the hallway here -- but be aware that from here up you can have random encounters with wild ghost Pokemon! Remember the comment you heard from one of the people you met on the way into town about there being ghostly activity at the Tower? Right! The thing about ghosts is that physical moves do not effect them -- but fortunately for us the Pokemon here are all low-level! The first wild Pokemon you are likely to encounter here is a Gastly -- who has the natural ability to paralyze and to put you to sleep using the move Hypnosis.
For this fight I chose to use my Spinarak, Spidey, who has the natural ability of Insomnia, which prevents him from being put to sleep. He also has the move Leech Life, which is effective against ghost types. Leech Life will do small to medium damage to the foe, which is good as you want to weaken but not kill them so that you can capture them. In theory you could just start chucking balls in the hopes of getting a lucky capture, but at this stage in the game we do not have an abundance of balls or money, so that may not be the smartest way to proceed. Once you have weakened the Gastly and captured it, depending upon how much damage you had done to you it may be a good idea to retreat to the Pokecenter and heal up before you continue...
Follow the path east and fight Sage Edmond, who like the previous Sage's has a trio of Level 3 Bellsprouts. Defeating them gains you another 162 XP and some money which will come in handy later :) Now head up the nearby ladder to the top level of the Tower!
First grab the Potion from the treasure ball to the left, then fight Sage Jin, who has a Level 6 Bellsprouts worth 108 XP, Sage Neal, who also has a Level 6 Bellsprout worth another 108 XP, and Sage Troy, who has a Level 7 Bellsprout and a Level 7 Hoothoot. Once you defeat Troy he tells you that it is not far to the Elder... And it is not! Head around the left side of the pillar and you will encounter your Rival, who it seems has just defeated the Elder himself!
As you observe, the Elder gives your rival the Technical Machine (TM) that is the reward for beating him, and then uses a special item called an Escape Rope to instantly depart from the Tower. Above and to the right in the corner is a treasure ball with an Escape Rope in it -- go ahead and grab that now -- then walk over and speak with the Elder.
Elder Lee tells you about his function in the Tower, and then the fight to test your bond with your Pokemon begins! Elder Lee starts with a Level 7 Bellsprout, then a Level 10 Hoothoot, and finally another Level 7 Bellsprout to finish the fight. You should easily defeat these, and then you will be rewarded with your own copy of TM70, which is called Flash. This TM is what you need to be able to enter the Dark Cave that we saw when we were entering the town.
Now that you have passed the test leave the Tower either by using the Escape Rope or simply walking out if you want to save it (those things are handy for getting out of caves when you have gotten lost so you may want to consider holding on to that for when you are in an area not so easy to navigate out of). Either way, head over to the Pokecenter to heal up!
Violet City Gym Battle
Now that you are all healed and your team is trained up for the Gym Battle, go ahead and run over to the Gym and enter, and you will see that the man that greeted you earlier is no longer blocking the lift pad in the center of the room -- now he is standing next to the right statue inside. Go ahead and talk to him to get a battle tip before you move forward and step onto the lift.
Once you are on the lift it quickly raises you to the upper level of the Gym, where you will see the Gym Leader, Falkner, at the far end of the level, with his two Junior Gym Trainers to the left and right. As you move forward you will be challenged by Bird Keeper Abe (the first Assistant on the left).
If his name was not clue enough, his Pokemon should be -- a bird! His Level 9 Spearow should not be much of a challenge for your Rock Type Pokemon, in fact you should be able to one-hit kill it with Rock Throw for an easy victory and come welcome money!
Note: If you are new to the game and unfamiliar with the type strengths and weaknesses it would be a good idea for you to save after each fight, that way if you make a big mistake or get creamed by Falkner you do not have to re-fight the entire Gym Battle sequence!
Follow the path around and you will be challenged by the second Gym Trainer, Bird Keeper Rod, who has a pair of Level 7 Pidgey's. Rock Throw will one-hit kill them for a very fast victory!
As long as you have not taken too much damage or used more than a few PP in moves, you should be good to go ahead and take on Falkner without having to retreat to the Pokecenter to heal.
When you challenge him Falkner makes a bold statement about his bird type Pokemon, and then jumps right into the fight with his Level 9 Pidgey -- by now you know that Rock Throw is your move of choice here, as it is very effective against the bird-types here! Opening the battle with a nice one-hit take-down is a good way to start the show, especially since his next Pokemon is a Level 13 Pidgeotto!
Pidgeotto is the first evolved form of Pidgey, and normally this evolution takes place at Level 18, but as you can see this one is only Level 13. Hmm, I have always wondered about how that works -- after all Pidgeotto are not born, they are evolved, so how did he get one that is well below the level that is required for evolution? FYI both Pidgey and Pidgeotto are the first two forms in the Pidgeot Evolution Line -- the Pidgeotto will evolve into a Pidgeot at Level 36. A Pidgeotto is a Normal/Flying type Pokemon and can have the abilities Keen Eye or Tangled Feet. It is a bird-type Pokemon of the Raptor variety.
In the anime Ash catches his Pidgeotto in the Viridian Forest in the episode Ash Catches a Pokemon, and it becomes a member of his main team. It is his first Flying-type Pokemon, and he used it in battles against Team Rocket, and in his Gym Battles vs. Giovanni for the Earth Badge, vs. Misty for the Cascade Badge, vs. Brock for the Boulder Badge, and vs. Koga for the Soul Badge. After his Pidgeotto evolved into a Pidgeot it left him to guard and look after other Pidgey's and Pidgeotto in the wild.
Unlike a Pidgey, the Pidgeotto has very sharp talons and uses fly and dive as its primary attack modes. If you read the manga you will already know to expect being faced with this challenge, as Falkner owns one in those stories.
This foe is weak against Rock, Electric, and Ice type Pokemon, and strong vs. both Bug and Grass types. It is largely unaffected by Ground and Ghost Pokemon, so you will want to avoid using any of those four types against it. It will take normal damage from all other types. At Level 13 it can know the moves Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust, and Quick Attack, and is incapable of learning the move Peck.
Falkner's Pidgeotto knows the move Roost, which allows it to restore HP during battles, and you will likely find yourself experiencing that in your fight with him. A few good hits with Rock Throw are the cure for that little trick, however, and you will quickly find yourself defeating the Violet City Gym Leader, and earning your first Gym Badge, the Zephyr Badge, as well as $1560 in prize money! As we need to restock Poke Balls this money is certainly a welcome addition to our wallet, even if we are sending part of our winnings home to Mom!
Now that we have the Zephyr Badge, all Pokemon up to Level 20 -- including ones we receive in trades -- will follow our orders, which means you want to be sure that you do not train any of your Pokemon past Level 20 until we pick up the next Gym Badge, right?
In addition to the badge and the money, Falkner also gives us TM51, Roost, which when used restores half of the maximum HP for the Pokemon that uses it.
As you leave the Gym you get a phone call from Professor Elm -- they have discovered something important, and although he does not want to go into detail on the matter, he has dispatched one of his assistants to meet you at the Violet City Poke Mart to give you the egg that you previously obtained for him from Mr. Pokemon. After you ring off with the Prof you will need to head over to the Pokecenter and open a slot in your party.
-- Obtaining the Pal Pad --
When you arrive at the Center you will notice that the Underground entrance is no longer blocked! The girl that was standing in front of the escalator leading down to the lower level is now gone, and this area is accessible as a result of your beating the first Gym Leader and obtaining the first Gym Badge! Go ahead and hit the escalator had head down now!
When you reach the lower level the woman at the counter on the right will call you over -- her name is Teala, and she is your guide to the Pokemon Wi-Fi Club and how about that?! The first thing that she does is hand you your Pal Pad -- and important item for several reasons. Once that is placed into your Key Items Pocket, she goes on to explain that you can register your friends in it -- a necessary step if you plan to battle and trade with them online via your Wi-Fi connection!
After she tells you about registering friends open the Key Items Pocket and select the Pal Pad -- you can register a friend's code if you already know it by manually putting it in, and you can now learn what your code is! Why not do that now?
-- Obtaining Togepi --
Now before you leave be sure that you access the Pokemon Storage System via the PC and then store one of your party and then meet the assistant at the Mart to get the egg. If you have not healed yet you should probably do that, and once you have the egg that would be a good time to save the game as well! Now head over to the Poke Mart and go inside!
To the left by the counter is a uniformed Delivery Guy -- whenever you see one of those always talk to them -- this one has been dispatched from your Mom, and has a package that contains a Super Potion in it that she sent to you!
As you depart the Mart you are stopped by an elegantly dressed woman who seems to have recognized the egg you are carrying. The implication from what she says suggests that she was who Mr. Pokemon originally received the egg from. She works out for herself that he gave it to the Prof, the Prof gave it ti his assistant, and the assistant gave it to you, which seems to be okay with her. She cautions you to take very good care of the egg, and adds that she is counting upon you to do so, so do not disappoint her then, right mate?
Hatching Togepi
Under normal playing conditions the egg that you just received would be the first one you encounter in the game -- bearing in mind that you are not expected to know about Primo or have access to all of the secret codes for him. So with that in mind, the main story presumes that this is the first egg that you have encountered, and that you are not aware that it takes X number of steps in order to hatch it, so it mercifully is an egg that requires only half of the steps that most do to hatch! You also do not know what is inside that egg, right?
Togepi is the base type of the Togekiss Evolutionary Chain, and is a Normal Type Pokemon whose form is that of a baby half-in-half-out of its egg. Its official species is the Spike-Ball Pokemon, and its first evolution is to a Togetic when it max's its Happiness Level. Its final evolution is to Togekiss, which happens when it is exposed to a Shiny Stone. Female Togepi are prized, and any effort that you make to hatch a female is worth it since you need a female in order to breed more of them, however obtaining a male from this egg is not necessarily a bad thing -- in a bit I will explain why...
It can have the ability of Hustle or Serene Grace, and requires 2,800 steps to hatch. It has the special trait of siphoning off the positive energy of others and then release that when it encounters those in need of it. They have a very joyful outlook and childishly trusting nature that can cause them to be oblivious to any danger around them. They are very rarely ever found in nature, and are more likely to be male than female (their gender ratio is 87.5% male, 12.5% female).
In the anime episode Attack of the Prehistoric Pokemon Ash finds an egg, and in the episode Who gets to keep Togepi, it hatches and instantly bonds with Misty, who is the first person it sees, believing her to be its mother. Togepi are prized as a good luck charm, and their move Metronome permits them to call upon a wide variety of moves, which makes them very unpredictable in battles.
In fights they are weak to Fighting Type, and unaffected by Ghost Types, while all of the other types only damage them normally. Their starting moves are Growl and Charm, and they learn their signature move, Metronome, at Level 6. Metronome is a very powerful move because of what it is, so this is not one of the moves that you should delete to add a new move. The egg received from Mr. Pokemon will hatch knowing the moves Growl and Charm, which all Togepi know at hatching, but it will also know the move Extrasensory, which is normally only available as an egg move, which means that it must have been bred from a Hoothoot or a Noctowl that knew the move at the time of its breeding.
-- Breeding for a Female Togepi --
The sex of the Togepi is determined at the time that the egg is created, and NOT when it is hatched, so saving prior to its hatching and trying to reload and hatch it again in the hopes of getting a female is pointless. If you need evidence of that fact -- some trainers refuse to accept it at first -- simply write down the ID number and Nature of the Togepi then hatch it again; they are exactly the same, which means that they were locked in at the time of the egg's creation, and not at the hatching point.
I said earlier that ending up with a male Togepi is not really a bad thing -- and it is not -- it just means that you are going to have to do a few extra steps in the process of obtaining a female to use as your Alpha Breeder. To breed the Togepi has to complete its first evolution, which means that you need to build its Happiness Level to maximum, at which point it will evolve. There are several ways to accomplish this, but first you want to get them within a few points of leveling up and then:
- Place the Togepi in the number one position in your party and then take 256 steps. They gain 1 Happiness for every step, and you need to get their Happiness Level above 220 in order to evolve them. With their happiness level at 220 they will evolve on their next level-up; or
- Feed it Vitamins. Carbos, Calcium, HP-Up, Iron, PP-Up, Protein, or Zinc will raise its Happiness at a rate of 5 from 0-99, 3 from 100-199, and 2 from 200-254; or
- Repeatedly have it groomed. This requires you to transfer the Pokemon to Platinum however.
In addition to the above methods, using Togepi in very important battles, such as Gym Battles and the Champion Battles also raises its Happiness, as does leveling it up, but these last two are the slowest and least predictable and effective methods.
Once you have its Happiness capped you only need to level it and it will evolve, at which point it can then breed, but if it is a male, you cannot breed more Togepi from it... Or can you? The answer is, YES, yes you can, but to do that you will need to first get the National Dex, and then acquire a Ditto, which is a special Pokemon that can act as a surrogate female for literally ANY of the Pokemon in the National Dex that have the ability to breed!
Once you have a Ditto, breed it with your male Togepi over and over again until you acquire a female, and you now have an Alpha Breeding Host. Under ideal circumstances you are going to want the Alpha have inherited the move Extrasensory if you can, as that will give you the Alpha and your existing male Togepi both having the move, which means that chances are much higher that any eggs that they produce will also have that move. The challenge is that you are not only trying for a female (7 to 1 odds) but also for an egg-move inheritance (50/50 odds). It has been my experience that you should expect to have to breed a minimum of 30 to 60 eggs to hit that goal.
Why go to all of this trouble? Two good reasons: having this ability means you can breed the perfect Togepi for any situation, including regular team play, casual match play, and the all-important Tournament Pokemon. The second reason is that the effort that you put out in working towards that perfect breeding pair means that you will have a much easier time completing your Poke Dex! You will find that many trainers will willingly trade you rare and event Pokemon for a legitimate female Togepi with a good egg-move!
Returning to show Professor Elm the Egg
Now that you have walked-off the required number of steps and hatched your Togepi, you will get a phone call from Professor Elm asking you to bring it back to the Lab so that he can have a look at it. No worries mate, he is not going to steal it from you! After you save, backtrack along Routes 31 and 30 to Cherrygrove City (on Route 31 be sure to stop and chat with Wade, as he may have a new berry for you!). After you reach Cherrygrove, takes Route 29 back to New Bark Town and visit with the Professor in his Lab. On the way you will pass by the Apricorn trees that you have already discovered, and as they may have grown a new Apricorn, be sure that you grab those as well!
On the way back to New Bark Town you may as well not avoid wild fights, since you actually want to level your team up. Remember that you can now control all Pokemon including those obtained by trading to Level 20! Leveling your entire party to 19 or 20 is a lot of work, but getting them to around 15 before you set out on the next major leg of the adventure is not that hard, and pays dividends in several ways, so you should consider taking the time to do that... Remember that running while in tall grass increases the likelihood of a wild encounter.
-- A Word About Shiny Pokemon --
On my way back to New Bark Town I found myself looking at a Shiny Pidgey in one of my wild encounters! This is rare... Wait... What is that? You don't know about Shiny Pokemon?! Well then before you continue from here I humbly suggest and encourage you to take a moment to carefully read Appendix 16, which covers the subject of Shiny Pokemon in some detail. Being aware of the details and knowing how to spot a Shiny Pokemon will be very valuable to you should you strike it lucky and hit the odds!
-- Back on the Route to New Bark Town --
As you make your way towards the town remember that there is an Apricorn tree next to Mr. Pokemon's house, and one beside the Collector's House as well, so you may want to detour and grab them.
When you arrive at the Lab and speak with the Professor he is shocked at the Pokemon that you show him, declaring that as far as he knows, there is not another one like it in Johto! As a reward for hatching the egg the Professor gives you an Everstone -- a Pokemon hold item that, when given to one of your Pokemon, prevents them from evolving when they level up! The Everstone is put into the Item Pocket of your bag for future reference, and if you wanted to prevent Togepi from evolving from its presently too too cute form, you can give it to them now.
Before leaving the Lab you should probably use the Pokemon healing system there and then save your game...
Solving the Puzzle
Now that we have returned to our hometown and had a chat with Professor Elm, we should drop in to say hello to Mom and thank her for that nice package that she sent us! After we say hello and perhaps deposit any extra money we have that we do not think we will need any time soon, it is time to head back towards Violet City on the next leg of our journey, which is to the Ruins of Alph, south or a bit west and then south of Violet City depending upon which route that you want to take.
For now though, follow Route 29 to Cherrygrove, and then Routes 30 and 31 to Violet City. Once we arrive take a moment to hit the Poke Mart to buy some balls and whatever other items you think we will need, and then hit the Pokecenter to heal and save.
-- Route 32 --
Route 32 Beasties List
-- Bellsprout #064 (Any) Normal
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoppip #067 (Day) Normal
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Mareep #053 (Any) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Qwilfish #163 (Any) Fishing
-- Qwilfish #163 (Any) Swarm
-- Rattata #017 (Any) Normal
-- Tentacool #164 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacool #164 (Any) Surf
-- Tentacruel #165 (Any) Surf
-- Wooper #056 (Night) Normal
-- Zubat #037 (Night/Morn) Normal
Now that we have done that, head south on Route 32 and grab the apricorn from the tree here, then head west into the Ruins area.
-- Ruins of Alph --
Ruins of Alph Beasties List
-- Geodude #034 (Any) Rock Smash
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Fishing
-- Quagsire #057 (Any) Surf
-- Unown #061 (Any) Normal
-- Wooper #056 (Any) Surf
Once you arrive at the Ruins Site you can stop by the Ruins Research Center and chat with the folks there to gather some hints about what is ahead, and then enter through the only Ruins entrance that is obviously accessible. Inside you will spot a ladder in the center of the chamber -- and below is a large twisting and wide set of chambers in which you can find random NPC's to chat with. Tired of that now? Good! Head back up and then north and enter the passage ahead, turn right and exit, then up and left through the next passage and you will find yourself at the actual entrance!
In the main chamber is a guide who will give you the official welcome, and then you should move over to the wall with the puzzle and touch it to begin. Now place the small pieces and rotate them until you complete the puzzle, at which point it will briefly glow and you will drop down into the lower level of the Ruins!
After you land you will meet an archeologist who is so impressed by your solving the puzzle above that he gives you the UNOWN Report. Excellent! The report will become our key to venturing further into the Ruins and, eventually, obtaining all 28 Unown -- we will have to come back later to fully explore the Ruins however, because we will need to have additional TM's to get through the various paths, but for now why don't you check out the Unown Report in the Key Items Pocket of your bag.
This is actually a tracking sheet that will let you know which Unown you have captured so far -- and of course you are going to want to catch at least one of each, right? After all, you gotta catch 'em all! The report also provides you with identifying information and the research that is known about each Unown, and will record the data that you figure out from the inscriptions as you unlock the new areas!
Now if you run along the path towards the exit you should quickly have a random encounters with some of the Unown that we can catch -- and hey, why not catch them?! We cannot catch them all but we can catch the following in this area: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J.
If you decide to catch the Unown that we can catch here, this would also be a good place to pick up some XP and level your party to 15 or even 16, since you are going to want them all at at least Level 17 when you face the next Gym Leader!
Once you have all of the Unown (assuming that you decided to capture them) return to the chamber where we solved the puzzle and move to its rear, where you will find in the center of the wall a panel that has a word carved in it. Close examination reveals the word "Escape" spelled out in Unown letters. Remember the Escape Rope that we picked up in the Sprout Tower? Why don't we use that now?
Open your bag and use the Rope -- doing this will not consume the Rope but it will cause the secret door here to open! Inside you will find four treasure balls that contain an Oran Berry, a Heal Powder, an Energy Powder, and a Pecha Berry! Though some of the berries do have special uses it would be an idea to hold on to those for now until you can fully understand their uses and what you will be doing with them later, right?
You will note that there is a hole in the floor in the rear of the chamber -- this leads to a new chamber that has Unown text carved into the floor that reads "OUR CLAN ENGRAVED WORDS IN THIS PLACE." There are no Unown to encounter here, but there is another hole in the southeast corner of the room that you can drop down to reach the chamber that we were catching Unown in earlier. With that done we have basically completed the area that we have access to now, and we have caught all of the types of Unown that we can catch here, so head back to town to the Pokecenter and heal up, and then save!
Catching a Dunsparce
The Dark Cave Beasties List
-- Dunsparce #052 (Any) Rock Smash
-- Dunsparce #052 (Any) Swarm
-- Geodude #034 (Any) Normal
-- Wobbuffett #108 (Any) Normal
-- Zubat #037 (Any) Normal
You will recall that we obtained the TM Flash from Elder Lee in the Sprout Tower? It is time to teach that TM to one of our Pokemon now, as we will need it for the next stage of the game. Now head to the west along Route 36 and you will encounter an odd tree just past the southern junction that leads back to the Ruins. Run up to it and talk to it -- hey! That is not a tree, it is a Pokemon! Right!
Now turn around and talk to the NPC standing in the road behind you and he will gift you HM06, which is Rock Smash! Good thing too, because we need that right now! Go ahead and decide what Pokemon you want to teach it to, but be aware that HM's are not like TM's -- you cannot overwrite them easily with another move! In order to do that, they have to be deleted, which we cannot do right now, so make sure that you teach it to the one you actually want to have it!
Unlike TM's, HM's are not destroyed when you use them, so you can teach them to more than one Pokemon if you like.
After you have taught the TM and HM, head back down Route 36 through town to the blocked path just past the School. Using Rock Smash, destroy the boulder that is blocking the path to obtain a Blue Shard! At the end of this narrow path there is a tree that you can use Headbutt on -- if you had it -- you don't though, so just mark that down in your mind for future reference.
Head over to Route 31 now, and then to the entrance to the Dark Cave and enter. Inside it will be very dark -- hence the name -- dark that is until you select your Pokemon and then use Flash! You may be interested to learn that the Dark Cave is not so much a.. umm... well... Dark Cave... as it is a network of Dark Caves. What do I mean by that?
Now that you can see you will notice that there is a winding path, down which is a treasure ball. On the way to it chances are good that you will have a wild encounter -- you will find Geodude, Onix, Zubat, Sandshrew, and Rattata in the cave at various times of the day and night, and obviously if you encounter one you do not have you should catch it!
There is a Potion in the treasure ball, so grab that and continue along the cave. Since you are likely to encounter a fair number of Geodude here, this would be a good place and time to level your Water-Type Pokemon...
Ahead of you there are two boulders blocking the path -- walk up to one and use Rock Smash on it and... Surprise! There was a Pokemon inside, and it is one we do not have! How cool is that?! A Dunsparce! I do not believe that it matters which of the boulders you break, as both have the Dunsparce in them... So if you mess up and kill the first one you have a chance to grab another.
This is as far into the cave as we can go at this point, since we do not have surf or the ability to push the boulders out of our way just now, so head for the exit and back into the wonderful sunlight! Head back to town and heal-up, then save. You may want to move any new Pokemon from the Incoming Box to their proper storage box as well, so that the Incoming Box does not get full.
The Miracle Seed Gift
From the Poke Mart head south on Route 32, where you will be stopped by a man who will give you a Miracle Seed. This is a held-item that will increase the power of Grass-Type moves when you give it to that sort of Pokemon. What a nice gift!
If you are not aware of it, the Miracle Seed is a Type-Enhancing Hold-Item -- the Miracle Seed increases the power of Grass-Type attacks by 20% (in previous Generations the increase was only 10%). To use it simply open your bag, target the item, and then use the "GIVE" button to give it to one of your Grass-Type Pokemon.
In the tall grass patches on Route 32 you can catch Rattata, Bellsprout, Mareep, and Hoppip fairly easily, and Wooper at night.
Past the second large patch of tall grass you will see a trainer named Youngster Albert, who has a Level 6 Rattata and a Level 8 Zubat. Defeating Albert will earn you $128 in prize money.
To the west is a path that leads up to the trainer that you can see from the main path but you need to have Cut in order to access it so we will have to revisit this section of the path later. South of here is a treasure ball with a Repel in it -- grab that and then head back to the east to face a trainer named Picnicker Liz who has a Level 8 Nidoran-F which you should find no trouble at all! Exchange phone numbers with Liz so you can re-battle her later, and then continue south.
-- A Split in the Path --
As you approach the overhead train tracks there is a set of stairs leading down to a body of water with a wooden bridge to the east, and the path continues to the south, so you have two ways to go here.
South Path: The path continues through tall grass and you encounter a trainer named Camper Roland, who has a Level 9 Nodoran-M, and again he should be minimal trouble. Bang a U-Turn here to grab the treasure ball that you can see on the screen to score a Great Ball.
Head back west and follow the path south but don't go down the stairs -- instead go into the grass west of them to find a treasure ball that holds TM09, Bullet Seed, a nice grass-type move. Now backtrack and head down the stairs to connect with the main path.
East Path: Down the stairs and the south on the bridge brings you to a pair of trainers fishing off of the west side -- Fisherman Henry has a pair of Level 8 Poliwag, and they'll try to use Hypnotize on you. Fisherman Justin has a Level 5 Magikarp that knows only Splash -- fear the Splash! His next Pokemon is a Level 15 Magikarp that knows Tackle as well as Splash, followed by a pair of Level 5 Magikarp, and he pays off a sweet $160!
Continue on the bridge for an encounter with Fisherman Ralph and his Level 10 Goldeen. If you exchange phone numbers with Ralph you can re-battle him later. Follow the bridge to the path ahead to rejoin the main path!
-- Back on the Main Path --
You encounter a trainer named Youngster Gordon with a Level 10 Wooper, and then the path turns a corner and you discover a Pokecenter and the entrance to Union Caves! Outside the Center is a bloke who wants to sell you a Slowpoke Tail snack for a million quid... Yeah right! Hit the Center, heal and save, and the speak to the Fisherman to the left of the counter to collect the Key Item: Old Rod. Now you can fish!
If you talk to the older bloke in the southwest corner of the Center he will ask if you are collecting Apricorn? Say yes and he gives you two Lure Balls that are useful for catching Pokemon while fishing, and then tells you about Kurt, who can make special items out of Apricorn! How cool is that?
South of the Center is Bird Keeper Peter, who has a two Level 6 Pidgey and a Level 8 Spearow for you to pound on! He gives fairly decent XP for the fight plus $256 which is not bad...
In the southeast corner is a path blocked by a rock -- smash that and collect the Shell Bell from the treasure ball. The Shell Bell is a hold item that restores a small amount of HP during battles. After you grab that all that is left is for us to head inside the cave!
-- Union Cave --
Union Cave Beasties List
-- Geodude #034 (Any) Normal
-- Goldeen #078 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Onix #062 (Any) Normal
-- Quagsire #057 (Any) Surf
-- Rattata #017 (Any) Normal
-- Sandshrew #048 (Any) Normal
-- Seaking #079 (Any) Fishing
-- Wooper #056 (Any) Surf
-- Zubat #037 (Any) Normal
For the moment we do not want to head down -- we want to follow the path here and, at the first turn we duck into the alcove here and grab the X Attack from the treasure ball here. Towards the exit to the next level north of here is a trainer named Fire-breather Ray, who has a Level 9 Vulpix.
On the next level head west to pick up TM39, Rock Tomb, from the treasure ball there then backtrack and head north, grabbing the X Defend from the treasure ball there. Now backtrack to the long section of water that we first saw entering the cave and head around the left side of it, to face Hiker Daniel, and his Level 11 Onix.
After the fight head east to face Hiker Russel, and his trio of Geodudes (Levels 6, 4 and 8). Follow the path east then south and fight Fire-breather Bill and his pair of Level 6 Koffing, then grab the Great Ball from the nearby treasure ball. Follow the path west and south to encounter Poke Maniac Larry, and his Level 11 Slowpoke. Head east and then south and grab the Awakening from the treasure ball before using the exit here!
-- Route 33 --
Route 33 Beasties List
-- Aipom #123 (Any) Headbutt
-- Heracross #114 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoppip #067 (Morning/Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Rattata #017 (Any) Normal
-- Spearow #013 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spearow #013 (Morning/Day) Normal
-- Zubat #037 (Morning/Night) Normal
As you exit the cave head south and a little east for a pair of side-by-side Apricorn trees -- a Pink and a Black. Head west to challenge Hiker Anthony and his Level 11 Geodude, Level 11 Machop and a very sweet $352! Trade phone numbers so you can re-fight him later, and then continue along the path and enter Azalea Town.
We meet Team Rocket
Azalea Town Beasties List
-- Aipom #123 (Any) Headbutt
-- Heracross #114 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spearow #013 (Any) Headbutt
As you approach the entrance of town near the well you spy a local confronting a thug -- a thug from Team Rocket! The thug gives away a bit of information and then knocks the local on his butt. The local takes off -- and the thug moves over to block the entrance to the well. If you walk up and talk to him the thug will politely decline to allow you to pass, so we may as well head into town, right?
First thing that you should do is hit the Center and heal up, and then the Mart in case you need to re-supply. Directly south and east of the Center is a house outside of which is a woodpile -- click on the woodpile and you will obtain a Full Heal! The mailbox outside says that this is the Charcoal Kiln -- inside you see some Farfetch'd and a few locals who are worried about the fate of the Slowpoke.
The building to the west is the Azalea Town Gym, but the entrance is blocked by another Team Rocket thug. North and a bit west is Kurt's House -- someplace that we want to visit! Grab the white Apricorn from the tree outside, then head inside to introduce yourself.
Kurt is not in the mood to make balls today -- in fact all that he wants to talk to you about is Team Rocket and the missing Slowpoke! After he fills you in Kurt tears out the door, vowing to deal with the thugs -- and you chase after him! When you reach the well you find that the Rocket thug is missing, and you can now head down into the well...
-- The SLOWPOKE Well --
The Slowpoke Well Beasties List
-- Goldeen #078 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Seaking #079 (Any) Fishing
-- Slowpoke #080 (Any) Normal
-- Slowpoke #080 (Any) Surfing
-- Zubat #037 (Any) Normal
As you reach the bottom you discover an injured Kurt who, having fallen down the well cannot move. He urges you to take the fight to the enemy, and hey there, you do! Inside the first area you encounter the thug that had been guarding the entrance, and boy is he angry! Take out his pair of Level 9 Rattata and then grill him to learn that they have indeed been cutting the tails off of Slowpoke!
Fight the next Team Rocket Grunt, who has a Level 9 Zubat and a Level 11 Ekans -- then grab the Super Potion from the nearby treasure ball before continuing on to the next fight, facing a trio of Level 9 Zubat. Past the two poor Slowpoke who are missing their tails is the next fight with Team Rocket's Executive Proton, who fields a Level 9 Zubat and a Level 12 Koffing.
He talks a little smack during the fight but his Pokemon are weak and you emerge victorious. Despite his loss he reveals more about Team Rocket and then runs off. Kurt appears and congratulates you and then leads you out of the well to his house.
Note: You can catch a Slowpoke without needing to move the boulder or surf, the odds are just higher for Zubat, so be patient and you will get your Slowpoke!
-- Kurt's House --
Kurt rewards you with a Fast Ball -- and then notices that you have a bunch of Apricorn and offers to make you some balls! All that you need to do is give him the Apricorn that you want to have made into balls and, a day later, return to receive them. His granddaughter then exchanges numbers with you so that you can ring up her grandfather whenever, and you are good to depart.
As you head towards the west gate you are stopped by your rival, who wants to fight! For this fight he has a Level 14 Gastly, a Level 18 Croconaw, and a Level 16 Zubat. After you defeat him -- you DID defeat him, right? After you defeat him he fills you in on his major hate for Team Rocket and then storms off, and you? You head to the Center to heal your team, that is what you do!
-- Azalea Town Gym --
Now that we have defeated the local cadre of Team Rocket grunts and their leader the Gym is no longer blocked -- and it is about time for us to obtain our second badge, right? Head over to the Gym and enter, and have a chat with the bloke who is standing just inside -- he is something of a greeter who is in most gyms. He tells you that this Gym was created by Bugsy, and contains a huge nest of Bug-type Pokemon (no surprise here). He also offers you some tips: Bug Types do not like fire, and flying type moves are pretty effective -- this is good advice!
As we pass through the next door the new area has large bugs that we can use to cross -- take the center bug to face the first Gym Sub-leader, Bug Catcher Al, who has a Level 12 Caterpie and Weedle. Despite the good advice of the doorman I used my Flaaffy Peep, who did very well using a Thunder Shock and a Tackle to finish each off. Fire and Flying are not absolutely required is my point.
Ride back across then take the spider on the far left to reach the center area on the other side -- there is no challenger on the left side so we do not have to take the right-hand spider.. Our next challenger is Bugcatcher Benny, who has three Pokemon: a Level 7 Weedle, a Level 9 Kakuna, and a Level 12 Beedrill. The first two should be one-hit kills, with the Beedrill putting up the most fight, using his Fury Attack.
As you approached you no doubt noticed the red and blue levers and the corresponding beams in the spider tracks. For right now do not touch them -- just walk on to the next spider and it will take you across and to the left side, where you will face a pair of twin trainers, Mimi and Amy. I am pretty sure that this is the first doubles battle that we have had in the game so far -- I do not recall there being an earlier one anyway.
First up is a Level 10 Spinarak and Level 10 Ledyba. I used Flaaffy and Wooper for this fight, with Flaaffy one-hitting the Ledyba with Thunder Shock and Wooper taking out half of the Spinarak's health with Water Gun on the first exchange. There was no full second exchange since Flaaffy took out the Spinarak on the opening move using Thunder Shock.
That takes care of Amy and Mimi! At this point you may need to use a potion or two on your Pokemon if they took a little damage. If they took a lot of damage or you ended up in a prolonged fight you may want to retreat to the Center to heal and recover PP -- either way you are heading back across to the other side now.
Back on the other side use the blue switch and then cross again to reach the trainer on the far-right, Bug Catcher Josh! He fields a Level 13 Paras who will use Poison and Leech Life very effectively. I switched to Hoothoot and did a one-hit using Peck to end this fight, but I still had to deal with Flaaffy being Poisoned and I hate having to use resources, even in a Gym Battle.
Cross back over and throw the switch, then cross again and throw the switch by the twins. Now cross and throw the red switch, and the path is clear to the area with the Gym Leader. You may want to save here in case things go bad, right?
Bugsy is very confident, and he has three rather well trained Pokemon, starting with a Level 17 Scyther! The Scyther has a Sitrus Berry so expect it to heal itself at least once, and then for Bugsy to use a Super Potion. This is the same as in the original I think, but either way it is a tactic you should be familiar with from the other games.
Scyther might use U-Turn, which will take out your Pokemon and recall Scyther all in one move, which can be devastating if that was your heavy hitter, so you may need to revive here. Next comes a Level 15 Metapod that should be an easy take-down for you, and then back comes Scyther! Fortunately Scyther usually uses Gather Energy as its first move, so you have a chance to either one-hit it or weaken it considerably and then take it out on the next turn, which brings up his last Pokemon, a Level 15 Kakuna. Not too bad, it could have been another Scyther, right?
Just pull out your Fire Type and one-hit the Kakuna with a Fire attack and this battle is over! Bugsy gives you the Hive Badge, which means Pokemon up to Level 30 -- even traded ones -- will obey your commands. Pokemon knowing Cut can use it outside of battle, and he gives you TM89, U-Turn.
Now reverse the switches to leave. Outside you get a call from Mom telling you that she bought you something -- some Tanga Berries with your money -- and that you should look for the delivery guy. Great. Hit the Center and Heal then Save. If you left Apricorns with Kurt and a day has passed pick up your new balls now too -- I got 10 Friendship Balls from him myself. Grab the package from your Mom and then head to the West Gate.
Obtaining HM01 Cut
Ilex Forest Beasties List
-- Butterfree #026 (Any) Headbutt
-- Caterpie #024 (Any) Headbutt
-- Caterpie #024 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Golduck #141 (Any) Surfing
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Metapod #025 (Any) Headbutt
-- Metapod #025 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Noctowl #016 (Any) Headbutt
-- Oddish #083 (Night) Normal
-- Paras #070 (Any) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Fishing
-- Psyduck #140 (Any) Surfing
-- Zubat #037 (Any) Normal
The West Gate leads to the Ilex Forest -- that is the next place that we want to visit!
Shortly after we enter we meet one of the employees of the Charcoal Kiln who is in a bit of trouble. Two of the Farfetch'd that belong to the owner have escaped while he was using them to gather wood, and he wants your help to recapture them!
The way that this works is simple -- on the forest are piles of twigs, and when you step on them any Farfetch'd nearby will turn in that direction. Once they do that, sneak up behind them and capture them by pressing A. It is that simple. After you catch the first one, you head deeper into the forest and you will spot a treasure ball with a Revive in it -- grab that and head up, and you will see a Farfetch'd that is not in an easy position to catch.
What you need to do is get it to move until it is in a location where you can approach it from behind -- you cannot catch them from the side! Bear in mind that the forest is like tall grass -- there are wild encounters here. Once you capture the last one, you head back to the bloke who thanks you -- admitting that he is not a Trainer. Just then his boss shows up and gives you HM01, Cut, as your reward for helping him. How cool is that?
Decide who to teach Cut to, and do that, and then cut the nearby tree to head north, where you encounter the Ilex Forest Shrine, erected as a tribute to the forest's protector. Follow the north path for a Trainer Tip, and then grab the Antidote from the treasure ball partially hidden at the lake. There is a treasure ball with an X-Attack on the path below that dead-ends into some trees, so grab that and then follow the path north and east.
You will reach a point where you could go north -- and there is another Kimono Girl ahead (remember the woman who asked about the egg in Violet Town? She was also a Kimono Girl) -- but she can wait for the moment. Instead of heading north continue east and then south, then west to meet with a man who is head-butting the trees here. Talk to him -- he is a move tutor -- and he will offer to teach you the move Headbutt! Excellent! Now we can use that to obtain Pokemon that we could not catch before!
Head north and visit with the Kimono Girl, who you think is the same one from Violet City, but she denies that, and asks that you help her find her way out of the forest. You agree of course, but before you can do that, your lead Pokemon shows her the way out for you! Grab the Ether in the nearby treasure ball and then head west to the Gatehouse. Inside speak with the guard behind the counter to receive TM 12, Taunt, and then exit onto Route 34.
-- Route 34 --
Route 34 Beasties List
-- Abra #089 (Any) Normal
-- Corsola #173 (Any) Fishing
-- Drowzee #087 (Any) Normal
-- Ditto #092 (Any) Normal
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Kingler #167 (Any) Fishing
-- Krabby #166 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Ralts (Any) Swarm
-- Rattata #017 (Any) Normal
-- Spinarak #032 (Any)
-- Tentacool #164 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacruel #165 (Any) Fishing
Head north as you leave the gate to read a Trainer Tip sign, and face-off against Youngster Samuel and his Level 7 Rattata, Level 10 Sandshrew, and a pair of Level 8 Spearow. After you defeat him take a look in the tall grass to the left to at a bare minimum grab a Ditto and Abra, right? Ditto will really come in handy when you want to breed and you do not have the correct combination of sexes.
North on the path is Pokefan Brandon, who has a Level 13 Snubbull and Level 13 Mareep that should be easy to handle. Once you take him out, head west along the pond to challenge Picnicker Gina, who fields a pair of Level 9 Hoppip and a Level 12 Bulbasaur! After you defeat her go ahead and exchange numbers and then get back on the north path, and ahead you will find yet another challenger!
Youngster Ian has a Level 10 Mankey and a Level 12 Diglett for you to fight -- and this is the first time that we have faced these I believe. Ian will want to trade phone numbers if you beat him, so do that. Now head along the path to encounter Lyra and her Grandfather!
- The Day-Care Center -
Standing just outside of a building whose use we will soon discover is an old man, and as we approach we hear Lyra call out to him. When she sees us she calls us over and introduces us to her Grandfather, who is the owner of the Pokemon Day-Care Center, a place where you can place your Pokemon to raise their levels and also breed them if they are the right sort. Behind the counter is Lyra's Grandmother, who she also introduces you to -- after a bit of teasing towards Lyra you are greeted and then Lyra exchanges numbers with you before departing herself.
If you have any interests in becoming a Pokemon Breeder this is a very important discovery for you indeed! Here you can place two Pokemon and, if they are in the same egg group, and they like each other, they will produce an egg that will hatch into a new Pokemon -- how cool is that?! If you have played the other games you already know about this, if you have not, well, now you do!
As you leave the Center Lyra's Grandfather exchanges numbers with you, and then you can head north to the next patch of tall grass and face Camper Todd and his Level 14 Psyduck, who has water attacks and Disable, so be careful with that one! After you defeat him he wants to exchange numbers, and then you should grab TM63, Embargo, from the nearby treasure ball. Now head for the gate ahead and enter Goldenrod City!
Goldenrod City Gym Boss Battle
Visiting a new city -- and this is one of the bigger cities in Johto -- is always a pleasure, and Goldenrod is no exception to that rule. There is a lot to do here, and you are going to want to spend some time exploring! Before you do that, head to the Center and heal and save! Now that you have taken care of that routine chore, check out the buildings and talk to all of the people in town. At a minimum you will want to explore:
-- Goldenrod Department Store
-- Goldenrod Bike Shop
-- Goldenrod City Game Corner
-- Goldenrod City Radio Tower
-- Goldenrod Underground
-- Goldenrod City Flower Shop
-- The Name Rater
-- Johto-Kanto Magnet Train Line Station
-- The Global Terminal
-- Goldenrod Department Store --
In the Goldenrod Department Store on the 5th Floor is a Trainer that will trade you a Machop for a Drowzee, and on the 6th Floor you can buy a ticket for the Daily Drawing. Also on the 6th Floor is a rack of vending machines from which you can purchase healing beverages -- sometimes you will get two for the price of one!
On your way out be sure to use the lift instead of the stairs and head down to the Basement Level, where you will find treasure balls distributed around. You can obtain an Ultra Ball, an Ether, and a Burn Heal -- don't worry, you are not stealing! One of the employees tells you that you can have the junk on the ground if you like.
-- Goldenrod Bike Shop --
Stop in to talk to the owner who will loan you a bike as compensation for advertising for him!
-- Goldenrod City Game Corner --
In previous versions of the games the Game Corner had casino style slot machines -- the Japanese version of HeartGold and SoulSilver still do but the other versions have a simple matching game instead. Talk to the bloke at the table to get your Coin Case, and then sit across from him to play the game. If you win enough coins you can purchase some Pokemon as prizes here!
It does not cost you anything to play this game, and playing it is not hard to figure out! On the boarder there are blocks that tell you how many points there are and how many Voltorb there are in a given line. If you have played Minesweeper you sort of get the idea, but sadly there are no warning systems and there is no easy way to know for sure if a square has a Voltorb, because unlike Minesweeper there is no relationship between the numbers and the potential presence of a Voltorb.
The simple way to play is to reveal any lines with no Voltorb and then quit -- you receive all of the coins that you win up to that point after quitting, whereas if you draw a Voltorb you lose all the coins from that game. This may be a bit boring but by playing that way you can easily acquire the coins you need by trading time for coins. Embrace the suck, mate, it is really the only way to do it.
::Prizes::
Pokemon
- Abra 200 Coins
- Dratini 2,100 Coins
- Ekans 700 Coins
Held Items
- Metronome 1,000 Coins
- Silk Scarf 1,000 Coins
- Wide Lens 1,000 Coins
- Zoom Lens 1,000 Coins
TM's
- Flamethrower 10,000 Coins
- Ice Beam 10,000 Coins
- Rest 6,000 Coins
- Substitute 2,000 Coins
- Sword Dance 4,000 Coins
- Thunderbolt 10,000 Coins
-- Goldenrod Underground --
As you enter the Underground you will run into Lyra, who will give you a Fashion Case and then take off. The Underground contains a variety of shops and services as well as Trainer Battles, so be aware that there will be some fighting involved here, but that is a great way to level so no worries there mate! Head on in and explore for a bit -- you can get your Pokemon groomed to increase their mood and how much they like you, you can get deals on items, but all that depends upon the real life day of the week, so check back often, right?
-- Goldenrod City Radio Tower --
Inside at the desk you can play the daily lotto - if any of your Pokemon have ID numbers that match the numbers of the lotto you can win a prize. This includes Pokemon in storage in the PC as well!
To the right of the counter you can take a five-question quiz of general questions that, if you pass it, gets you a Radio Card for your Pokegear -- with that you can now listen to the radio!
The questions are:
(1) Can you check the Town Map in your Pokegear? (Yes)
(2) Nidorina can only be female. True? (Yes)
(3) Kurt, the Poke Ball creator, uses apricots as ingredients? (No)
(4) It's impossible to use a TM on a Magikarp. True? (Yes)
(5) In Professor Oak's popular show, Pokemon Talk, is he on with Marie? (No)
Head upstairs and collect a Blue Card from Buena so that when you listen to her broadcasts and learn the secret word you can obtain points on your Blue Card!
-- The Global Terminal --
The Global Terminal has three floors, and uses warp panels to go from floor to floor. The blue panel goes to the Global Trade Station (GTS), the green panel to the Box Data and Dress-Up Data on the 2nd floor, and the pink panel to the 3rd floor, for the Battle Video Gallery.
An the GTS Level you can register your location and view the location of trainers you have traded with in the world, access the GTS system to do trades, and use the consoles to check rankings on the Vs. Recorder via Wi-Fi, and examine Battle Videos Rankings online.
I wanted to note that if you are in to collecting trade locations on the Big Globe this is now a lot easier as you can specify the geographic location when searching for a trade now! How cool is that?!
-- Goldenrod City Flower Shop --
Located right next door to the City Gym is the Flower Shop -- a place where, if you defeat the Gym Leader, you can obtain the Key Item Watering Can, which you need to clear the Sudowoodo from Route 36! Remember to return here after you defeat the Gym Leader!
-- Name Rater --
This is the place where you can get the name you have given a Pokemon rated and, if it is low or you do not like it, you can change it! Of course this does not work on traded Pokemon but still, this could be useful!
-- Goldenrod City Gym --
As you enter you will see the Greeter -- speak to him to learn that this is a Gym for Normal Type Trainers, and his recommendation that you use Fighting Type Pokemon.
As you can see there are raised platforms for you to negotiate, so head up the stairs and then north to face Beauty Victoria, who has a Level 9 Sentret, a Level 13 Sentret, and a Level 16 Sentret. After you defeat her head down the lower stairs to the center area and face Beauty Samantha, and her pair of Level 16 Meowth. If you have trouble in here remember that the Onix we traded for earlier would be very effective here!
Run around the east side of the room (on the outside part) to enter the arch above, and you are in the proper center of this area now. You will face Lass Carrie, who has a Level 17 Snubbull that should not give you too much trouble. After her the last junior leader left is Lass Cathy, who uses a trio of Level 15 Jigglypuff! Mind their Charm, but hey, we always hurt the ones we love, right?
The Gym Leader is next - Whitney - and she only has two Pokemon, but depending on what you brought with you and how high -- or low -- the levels are, they can be something of a challenge! She opens with her Level 17 Clefairy, who you should expect to have a lengthy fight with as Whitney will use a Super Potion when you get its health low. This Clefairy has Metronome and Mimic, so chances are it will snag a copy of one of your moves. If it gets lucky with Metronome it can really hurt you.
Her next and final is a Level 19 Miltank -- I thought that this was an unlikely one for her considering that she likes cute and adorable and the Miltank is hardly that, but maybe some people find cows pretty? She usually leads with Stomp here, and depending on your type that can be bad, or good. When she gets desperate she will use Attract in the hopes of keeping your Pokemon from really doing the hurt, and this is generally followed by a Super Potion, so you end up having to battle another almost full health bar with Attract whittling away at your damage potential.
Once you defeat her Whitney has an emotional breakdown and starts crying, leaving you wondering what you should do. When you try to leave you are stopped by one of her assistants who explains that this is usual, and she will settle down in a moment, so wait for Whitney to calm down and then talk to her. When she calms down she will give you the Plain Badge -- this lets you use Strength outside of battle -- and she gives you TM45, Attract, which you have already seen is a useful TM.
Now that you have beaten her, head back to the Center to heal and save, then hit the Flower Shop and grab the SquirtBottle -- excellent! You should have explored all of the city by now, so that means we are done with Goldenrod City -- for the time being that is!
Clearing the Path
There are a handful of tasks that we did not take care of earlier, so before we continue from here, head south and backtrack to Azalea Town real quick, and talk to the bloke in the Charcoal Kiln to get the Charcoal hold item, which you want to give to a Fire-Type to boost its move.
Visit Kurt to pick up Balls if he has any for you, and then return to Goldenrod and use the Gate House to the north, where you can talk to the guard there to learn that he has a letter that he needs delivered to Route 31.
We need to visit that Route anyway as we have been getting calls from one of our friends there, so why not take it? Be helping a bloke out won't we? To do that we will need to make a slot in our party available, so if you want, head back to the Center and remove one of your Pokemon now. He adds a Spearow with the letter to your party and you are ready to exit the gate house to the north!
-- Route 35 --
Route 35 Beasties List
-- Abra #089 (Any) Normal
-- Ditto #092 (Any) Normal
-- Drowzee #087 (Any) Normal
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Golduck #141 (Any) Surfing
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Night) Normal
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Nidoran-F #095 (Any) Normal
-- Nidoran-M #098 (Any) Normal
-- Pidgey #010 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Fishing
-- Psyduck #140 (Any) Surfing
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Yanma #101 (Any) Normal
-- Yanma #101 (Any) Swarm
Route 35 is pretty typical of the Routes, just fight your way along it and take out the Trainers that you encounter. There is a photographer on the path you can have take your picture -- why not? At the top of the path you will reach a split where you can go north to the National Park, and east to continue along the Route. For now hold off on visiting the National Park, continuing along the path to the east and you will see a tree that can be cut just past a Trainer.
Before you cut that tree, follow the tall grass south -- remember we have the opportunity here to pick up some Pokemon we do not have yet, so we may as well take advantage of that! In an alcove to the west along the path is a treasure ball with a Paralyze Heal in it -- grab that and continue south, all the way to the bottom, where you can get a treasure ball with TM66, Payback in it.
Once you have captured what you want to and looted the treasure balls head back to the entrance to the National Park.
-- National Park --
National Park Beasties List
-- Caterpie #024 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Night) Normal
-- Metapod #025 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pidgey #010 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Sunkern #103 (Day) Normal
There are a few things that you will want to do here before moving on the Route 36, starting with the Bug Catcher Contests depending upon the day of the week you arrive. If you arrive on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday you can sign up for the contests -- just talk to the guard by the right hand door inside to sign up. The contest is simple enough -- just catch a Bug-Type and have it judged.
You are allowed to take one of your Pokemon in with you, you have 20 minutes and you receive 20 special balls. You are allowed to keep the last Bug-Type that you collect, so you do not have to keep going after your first catch if you do not want to -- you can return to the entrance and tell the guard you want to stop rather then run out the entire 20 minutes. If you do that, you just have to wait for the judging! The thing about stopping early though is you are not likely to win...
The bigger and more leveled the Pokemon is the more points it is worth, so you are not going to win by catching a Caterpie. You can only compete once per contest day, so make it count!
Prior to getting the National Dex you can catch a Caterpie, Weedle, Metapod, Kakuna, Paras, Venonat, Butterfree, Beedrill, Scyther, or Pnisir.
Post National Dex you can catch:
-- Tuesdays: Caterpie, Weedle, Metapod, Kakuna, Paras, Venonat, Butterfree, Beedrill, Scyther, or Pinsir.
-- Thursday: Wurmple, Nincada, Silcoon, Volbeat, Kricketot, Kricketune, Dustox, Combee, Scyther, and Pinsir.
-- Saturday: Wurmple, Nincada, Cascoon, Illumise, Kricketot, Kricketune, Beautifly, Combee, Scyther, and Pinsir.
The prizes range from good to really good, so it is worth competing even if you do not take the top prize!
After the contest go into the Park and grab TM28, Dig, and the held item Soothe Bell before heading back to the entrance!
-- The Pokeathlon Dome --
To the left is the Pokeathlon Dome. The guard at the center of the counter will point the way. The first man on the left is a photographer who will take a picture of your team if you like, while the other two blokes are just talkers. Exit through the left side door and you will be approached by an old gentleman named Magnus with a Poliwrath, who will judge your relationship with the Pokemon in the number one slot of your party -- if it is good enough he will tell you that you are ready to compete.
You are escorted to the Dome and Magnus fills you in, after which you can look around outside before you go in to the Dome to talk with other Trainers, use the Aprijuice stand to obtain the Key Item Apriblender, which adds the ability to blend your own Aprijuice using the Apricorn Box.
There are ten events inside, each of which can be entered by selecting it at the desk. The ten events are:
-- Block Smash
-- Circle Push
-- Disc Catch
-- Goal Roll
-- Hurdle Dash
-- Lamp Jump
-- Pennant Capture
-- Relay Run
-- Ring Drop
-- Snow Throw
As you approach the registration desk, Whitney shows up, enthusiastic about the games. When she sees the way that you are dressed she is a bit disappointed, and runs off to get you a proper shirt. Now you are ready to explore the Dome, check out the observation areas, talk to people, and participate in events! The points you win can be used to purchase special items in the Dome, including Rare Candy, the harder to get Apricorn, and MooMoo Milk.
-- Route 36 --
Route 36 Beasties List
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Growlithe #129 (Any) Normal
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Night) Normal
-- Nidoran-F #095 (Any) Normal
-- Nidoran-M #098 (Any) Normal
-- Pidgey #010 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Stantler #131 (Any) Normal
Head back on the path and cut the tree to access Route 36, then take the first right turn in the path and you will come to the tree that was blocking our path earlier, and that constitutes the last item in our Mopping up Exercise! Using the SquirtBottle that we obtained from the Flower Shop we can get the "tree's" attention... Yeah, not a tree at all!
After the fight head for the Center in Violet City to heal and save, then deliver that letter on Route 31! The recipient is the bloke standing next to the apricot tree, and after you give him the mail he gives you TM44, Rest.
Apricorn Jackpot
Head back to Route 36 where the path was blocked and south and west to where you came from on Route 36. North of here is an entrance to the National Park and a trainer you can fight. Head up here first so that you can grab the Blue Apricorn from the tree here, then backtrack to where the path was blocked and head north then west, continuing west where the path branches to the north. Ahead of you is a treasure ball with a Hyper Potion for you to grab.
Head north once you have the Hyper Potion, and you will hit Route 37!
Route 37 Beasties List
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Growlithe #129 (Any) Normal
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Night) Normal
-- Pidgey #010 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pidgeotto #011 (Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spinarak #032 (Night) Normal
-- Stantler #131 (Any) Normal
If you have yet to add a Fire-Type Pokemon to your party, now is the time to do it! Spend the time to grab a Growlithe as you are going to need a Fire-Type later. On the right side of the path past the tall grass are three Apricorn trees you will want to gather from, and this is also a good place for you to level your team if you need to. Remember you are headed for another Gym Fight, and you will want to be ready for that! Everything at Level 22 should be fine!
If you plan to catch a Stantler or a Growlithe be sure to bring PLENTY of balls! Stantler can be really hard to catch, even if you take it down to a sliver of health -- expect to gi through a dozen or more balls regardless of type. For Growlithe, well, he has Roar, so you will be putting him to sleep and throwing a ball -- and maybe not catching him. Bring lots of balls!
Once you have done all that you want to do here, head north to the gate and pass through into Ecruteak City!
Using the Treasure Detector
Ecruteak City Beasties List
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Fishing
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Surfing
-- Poliwhirl #073 (Any) Surfing
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
First stop is the Center to the right, where you will meet Bill, the bloke who invented the PC storage system. He will introduce himself and then depart for his house in Goldenrod City -- if you want to make a quick trip back there right now he will give you a Level 5 Eevee for your troubles -- considering how many Pokemon that an Eevee can evolve into, it would be an idea to go ahead and do that now, and then head to the Day-Care Center and deposit the Eevee and a Ditto now, because we are going to want 7 of them to get all of its advanced forms!
I'll wait while you run back there and get the Eevee and then hit the Day-Care Center. After you drop off your Eevee and Ditto talk to Lyra's Grandfather outside -- if he says they do not get along, you are going to need to try a different Ditto, because not getting along means no breeding! If they get along, there is a good chance you are going to get an egg after a certain number of steps are taken! After the first egg, you can have the Day-Care Man ring you on your phone whenever another egg is produced, which is a good idea.
Once you have an egg -- or all 7 eggs -- reset your team and head back to Ecruteak City!
-- Back in Ecruteak City --
Hey! Welcome back!
Hit the Center to heal and save, then check the house to the left of the Center where you will find a man who will give you the Dowsing MCHN -- this is a Key Item so go into your Key Items Pocket and register it so that you can call it up with the Y-Button. Now, test it out by opening it and holding your finger on the circular display, and it will warm up and show the direction of treasures! As an aside, if you watched the anime series you may remember that James bought a treasure detecting kit and found a lot of bottle caps -- I am just saying.
Holding your finger down on the detector will cause it to detect -- on the screen you will see the item it is finding as an orange dot -- simply move next to it and hit A to pick it up. Head to the northeast corner and you will find a fountain -- use the detector here to score a free Rare Candy!
-- Ecruteak Dance Theater --
Directly north of the Center is the Dance Theater -- and that is our next stop! Inside you will see a Kimono Girl being harassed by a Team Rocket Grunt -- let's head up on the stage to serve him out, shall we?
He has a Level 12 Koffing which should not be much of a challenge at this point, and after you defeat him you learn that he has an important mission, and then he runs off. You know, Team Rocket always has been very good about giving away information...
Speak with the Kimono Girl for a compliment of sorts, and then as you leave the stage you will be stopped by a member of the audience who will give you HM03, Surf. We cannot actually use this yet, but once we get the next badge it will make our lives a lot easier! If you talk to the audience you will learn that the Kimono Girls are not just famous dancers but are also renown for being Pokemon Trainers of great skill. Hmm...
Next stop is the Mart, where we can restock the items that we need to. I always try to keep at least 5 of each of the stat items and potions on hand, and 30 or so regular balls minimum, but you may find you need more or less depending. Either way you should have enough money on hand to re-supply now.
There is a bare plot of earth to the west of the Theater with a sign that says "Ecruteak City A Historical City" posted in it. Use the Treasure Detector to grab a Hyper Potion here -- those restore 200 HP so you will want to hold on to that until your levels are a lot higher!
In the southwest corner of the town is the Gym -- we will get there in a bit -- for now though head to the northwest corner and the Burned Tower. In the anime this was full of ghost Pokemon - Hmm...
When we enter -- despite the sign saying it is unsafe -- we see other people here and three legendary Pokemon in the lower level! As you head to the right you are braced by Eusine, who is tracking the legendary Suicine -- who happens to be below! Morty the Gym Leader is here -- go ahead and say hello to him -- and then head north to face... Your Rival!
Your Rival has been training his team, and even though he only has four, he can give you a run for your money! This is a good battle and you should actually level some of your team in it, and pick up a cool $1408 in the process. Sweet!
This is a wild encounter area, and you will see Koffing, Rattata, Raticate, and Zubat here -- so if you have not caught or traded for any of these, now would be the time to grab them before you head down that ladder. In the middle of the north section of this level is a treasure ball with an Antidote, and in the southwest corner of the building on this level is a treasure ball with an HP Up.
At a minimum you should snag a Koffing here, and a Raticate to save yourself the hassle of evolving the Rattata you have back in the PC storage system! This is a good place to level -- you are going to want to have your entire party at or above Level 23 for the next Gym Battle, so now would be a good time to do that.
Once you have captured what you want to, and leveled your party, go down the ladder and you will see the trio of legendary Pokemon scatter -- Eusine comes down to chat with you and then you can leave. You will be encountering all three in the wild eventually, either by accident or on purpose when you start hunting them, but for now do not worry about them.
Note: Two of the three can be really hard to catch and we will cover them later in the walkthrough, but you may want to consider reserving your Master Ball for one of them, right?
There is a treasure ball in the northwest corner of the lower level but we cannot reach it yet -- we need to be able to roll the rocks out of the way and we do not have that HM yet -- we will have to remember to return here! Now that we are done here, head to the Center to heal and save, and then head for the Gym!
-- Ecruteak City Gym --
Talk to the greeter to get a little 4-1-1 on this Gym: the specialty of the house is Ghost Types -- that makes sense if you watched the TV show...
Our first battle is with Medium Georgina, who fields a team of five Level 16 Gastly, all of which can be 1-shot-killed using Ember on your Fire-Type. Our next battle is with Medium Grace, who has a pair of Level 20 Haunter -- these can also be easily handled by your Fire-Type! Next is Medium Edith with her Level 22 Haunter -- take that down quickly and extinguish her light as well!
You will probably walk off the edge of the path and teleport to the entrance about now -- use that as an opportunity to hit the Center and heal up, right? Now back on the tracks, we face Medium Martha, who has a Level 18 Gastly, a Level 20 Haunter, and a Level 20 Gastly. You can take them down quick with your Fire-Type, just be sure it does not get too close to Level 30 because you are going to gain levels here. The way is now clear for us to take on the Gym Leader, so let's do it!
Morty has a Level 21 Gastly, a Level 25 Gengar, a Level 21 Haunter, and a Level 23 Haunter -- and I found that Fire worked best in this fight! Once you have defeated him, he gives you the Fog Badge, and Pokemon up to Level 50 (including traded ones) will now obey you! You can now use Surf outside of battle as well, and he gives you TM30, Shadow Ball. Congrats! You have now taken down half of the Gym Leaders in Johto!
With Surf now on the menu you may want to re-visit the areas that we have already been through because there are some spots throughout them that having Surf gives access to items we did not have access to before. In addition there are now some Pokemon that we can now catch that we could not catch before.
You can now visit the Bell Tower and they will allow you in, but you still need to obtain the Rainbow Wing in order to go up into Ho-Oh's Tower, and for that you will need the assistance of the Kimono Girls, so we will put that on the back-burner for now.
Capturing the Red Gyarados
From here head east through the gate house and onto Route 42.
Route 42 Beasties List
-- Aipom #123 (Any) Headbutt
-- Flaaffy #054 (Any) Normal
-- Goldeen #078 (Any) Fishing
-- Goldeen #078 (Any) Surfing
-- Heracross #114 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Mankey #136 (Any) Normal
-- Mareep #053 (Any) Normal
-- Seaking #079 (Any) Fishing
-- Seaking #079 (Any) Surfing
-- Spearow #013 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spearow #013 (Any) Normal
As you exit the gate house on to the Route you will spy a treasure ball above by the cliff -- grab that to get TM65, Shadow Claw, then move east and a bloke will pop out of the cave entrance and give you HM04, Strength. This is obviously a good thing! If you have not already done so teach Surf to one of your team, and then Surf east across the water here to the other side.
Cut the tree here and go south to gather the three Apricorn trees -- a Pink, a Green, and a Yellow one. Head up and east to grab the Super Potion from the treasure ball, For now we are ignoring Mt. Mortar and continue east, fighting the trainers we encounter. I am no longer going to list the trainers and their teams since you have reached the point in developing your team where you no longer need to fear these encounters.
After you cross and fight the fisherman you will notice a small section of grass below the path with a boulder that you have to use Surf to reach -- go there and target the boulder with A to find a hidden Max Potion -- always a good thing to find. Now, back on the trail heading east, fight two more trainers and we arrive in Mahogany Town!
-- Mahogany Town --
Hit the Center to heal and save then talk to the bloke standing in front of the Town Gym. Okay, Team Rocket is clearly active in this town -- and that Souvenir Shop sure looks suspicious! Inside you can buy a few items -- I topped-off my potions and regular balls -- and you will note a radio in the left corner that, when you click on it, makes a strange signal. Head outside and load your radio -- it is already picking up the strange signal! What could that be??
Head east up to the bloke standing by the house and he will offer to sell you a Rage Candy Bar -- I bought one -- you should too! Now head into the house and talk to the mother to learn what is really going on... A rare Red Gyarados?! Hey, that means it is a Shiny! We have to investigate this!
-- Route 43 --
Route 43 Beasties List
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Flaaffy #054 (Any) Normal
-- Girafarig #149 (Any) Normal
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Surfing
-- Mareep #053 (Any) Normal
-- Noctowl #016 (Night) Normal
-- Pidgeotto #011 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Fishing
-- Venonat #109 (Any) Headbutt
-- Venonat #109 (Morn/Night) Normal
Head back into town and follow the north path, and talk to the guard in the gate house to learn he is looking for a red scale. Continue on to the north and we have a trainer battle, then head up the tall grass path to the west of the gate above -- this is a perfect opportunity to snag a Girafarig by the way! Fight the trainer here, and then the trainer above, before turning south to grab the Max Ether -- yes I know you could have just gone through the gate to grab that but where is the fun in that?!
Backtrack to the pond to the west and Surf out onto that and up to take on another trainer -- you should be finding this a really easy leveling spot for your starter! Follow the northwest path to reach the entrance to the Lake of Rage.
-- Lake of Rage --
Lake of Rage Beasties List
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Gyarados #077 (Any) Fishing
-- Gyarados #077 (Any) Surfing
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Surfing
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Venonat #109 (Any) Headbutt
At the entrance use Surf to the left (west) to grab the Red Flute from the treasure ball there. Now follow the path north and loop around through the water maze to reach the area above, where there is a house. Inside is a bloke who will give you TM10, Hidden Power. Now backtrack a bit and head north again and grab TM43, Secret Power, from the treasure ball above. Now work your way east, but avoid confronting the Red Gyarados, all the way to the eastern shore and then head north, grabbing the Choice Specs from the treasure ball there.
Now we need to return to the eastern shore, following the path south to the Fishing Guru's House -- inside you talk to the Guru, and he fills you in on his take on the situation. At this point you have to decide if you are going to take down the Red Gyarados -- and when I say take down, I mean capture! Come on, this is a Shiny! You cannot NOT catch it! But if you are set to do that, heed this warning:
He is a Level 30, and you cannot use electrical moves like Thunder safely on him, because he is both a Water and a Flying Type, which means that those moves will probably kill it. You will want your team to be at LEAST level 30 across the board, but you should be close to that now anyway. So if you are not ready, go level up, and when you have leveled up, go get a bunch of Great Balls and maybe five Net Balls..
If you need to level up, follow the path south back to town as there are some trainers here that we can battle -- this is the proper gate path by the way, that we avoided by following the grass path to the west. Anyway, fight them, get leveled, hit the Center to heal and save, and be sure that you have the balls that you need for this capture! Ready? Excellent! Let's go get that Shiny Red Gyarados!
-- The Red Gyarados --
The way that I approached this fight was to pick a fairly higher-level Pokemon -- my Sableye, Leli, who is at Level 44, and knows the moves Faint Attack, Knock Off, Confuse Ray, and Shadow Ball. This is part of the three teams that I imported after winning the last Gym Battle in order to save time and not have to level my starting team here. Obviously Confuse Ray would be a bad move to use, as would any move that will either damage over time or allow the target to damage itself. I decided to go with Faint Attack because it carves away health in predictable amounts.
As you watch the video, you will see that three hits took it into the red -- maybe not as far into the red as I would have preferred but you work with what you have. If the health had been more reduced I very likely would have used Great Balls for this capture, but as there was still a meaningful chunk of health there, I went with a Net Ball, which as we all know, has a small advantage at catching Water-types. I did not re-shoot this video, I really did capture it on the first toss, and yes, that is rare! You can expect to go through quite a few balls catching this one, I just got really lucky here.
After you capture it, you receive the Red Scale, a Key Item that you are going to want to hold on to as it has a specific and valuable use that we cover in the next section!
-- Back to Mahogany Town --
Now that we have completed this area, it is time to head back to shore -- where you will encounter Lance, who you may recall was a member of the Elite Four in the last four games! He fills you in on his take of what has happened here, and then asks for your help, telling you that he thinks you are a serious trainer. Coming from Lance that is something of a good compliment!
Follow Lance back to town and enter the Shop, where you find him frantically searching for the secret entrance that he knows is there. If you need to, hit the Center, heal and then save before you enter the Shop. Lance opens the secret entrance, and we follow him downstairs, tripping the first alarm and having our first fight! Basically we want to fight our way through this secret headquarters,
That first alarm earns us a series of fights. At the first junction head south and then east, past the next junction, tripping another alarm. Do these fights, then grab the Hyper Potion from the treasure ball. Backtrack to the previous junction and follow it south and east, where you will battle Scientist Gregg, then grab the Guard Spec.
Backtrack to the junction and head east and south, then west to the next alarm. After these fights, continue west and grab the Nugget from the treasure ball, then trip the next alarm to the west. If you are using the same team member you are probably burning through PP at an alarming rate, so you may want to switch-out your lead after every few alarms, right?
Ahead is a teleport pad, some stairs going down, and north is a grid of squares that can spawn wild battles. If you do not have a Voltorb, this is a place that you can get one! If you head straight up you meet up with the original hallway that we entered the headquarters by. There is a grunt above you can fight for the XP and another alarm that you can trigger for some more XP. After you wrap up these fights, head back down and use the stairs (the teleport pad just takes you back to the entrance).
Lance is waiting for you -- he heals your team so you now have your PP fully recharged -- and Lance heads down the hall. Follow him, but head south at the juncture and click on the middle crate to the west, for a Full Heal, then head back up to the first hall and fight the grunt, then down and east to fight another grunt before using the stairs to go down to the next level.
Lance is waiting and has figured out how we can get the door on the level above open -- we need the Executives voice to do it. As he is hiding in the leader's office, well... We are going to need several passwords to make all this happen!
Head into the room north of you and beat the scientist and thug there -- beating the grunt gets you the first password! There is a Full Heal in the east hall so grab that and then continue west to the next room and defeat the scientist and thug there for the second password. At the back of the room is a pair of treasure balls -- one with X-Special, one with a Protein. At the top of the hall to the north is a treasure ball with TM49, Snatch.
Now head to the northeast corner of the level and up the stairs, then follow the hall west, beat the grunt, and head down the stairs here. Head south and around the corner and you will be confronted by your Rival, who will give you a piece of his mind -- and his new doubts about himself. Hmmm. Then he leaves -- what?! No fight??
Grab the Ultra Ball ahead and then open the doors here, then take out the fake Giovanni, and the battle is on! A short fight and the Rocket Exec takes off, and the Murkrow in the corner reveals that it can mimic his voice. Follow the Murkrow to the door and it will open it for you, which triggers yet another confrontation!
You fight Ariana and a Grunt with Lance as your partner, and the fight is rather one-sided, as you and Lance have much higher teams than they do. All you need to do now is defeat the Electrode on your side to disable the machine and save the day! Lance gives you HM05, Whirlpool. Before you leave do the stairs to get to the dead end and grab the treasure ball with TM46, Thief.
Return to town and the Center, heal and save, then head over to the Gym!
-- Mahogany Town Gym --
This is an Ice-Type Gym, so bring your flamer and cut him loose! As long as you trained your team up to Level 30 minimum -- and you should have already done that to get the Red Gyarados. I used a combination of Fire-Type and Water-Type to get through the sub-leaders, and then Water-Type to do in the Gym Leader with no real challenge here.
After defeating the Gym Leader you are awarded the Glacier Badge, and the ability to use Whirlpool outside of battle! He also gives us TM07, Hail. Congrats on your 5th Gym Badge! Head over to the Center, heal and save!
The Aerodactyl Puzzle
Now that we have wrapped things up in Mahogany Town it is time to mop-up some of the things that we missed due to not having Surf. You are probably looking at the map and saying to yourself: "No, Blackthorn City is the next logical destination!" I completely understand why you would feel that way, I did too, but the game is not going to allow you to access that city right now -- there is a proper place and time to do so, Grasshopper, and that time is not now.
Rather than hit things on the way, we are going to do one long run back to New Bark Town -- so head west on Route 42 to Ecruteak City, then south on Route 37 to Route 36, east on Route 35 to Violet City, then east on Route 31 to Route 30 and head south, stop by Mr. Pokemon's house to trade him the Red Scale for the Experience Share real quick, then on to Cherrygrove City, and finally follow Route to New Bark Town! Nice trip, had a few wild encounters, grabbed a few Apricorns on the way, so bonus!
Now before we start the mopping-up exercise we are going to do some preemptive exploration -- there is a reason that we are doing this by the way, which will become obvious in a bit. So, head east from New Bark Town using Surf on to Route 27! "Why are we going here?!" you ask? "We don't have Waterfall or the steps we need to get through this Route!" you say... True, but take a look at the Beasties List below...
-- Route 27 --
Route 27 Beasties List
-- Chinchou #176 (Any) Fishing
-- Doduo #204 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Lanturn #177 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Ponyta #206 (Any) Normal
-- Quagsire #057 (Night) Normal
-- Raticate #018 (Any) Normal
-- Sandslash #049 (Any) Normal
-- Shellder #171 (Any) Fishing
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Tentacool #164 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacool #164 (Any) Surfing
-- Tentacruel #165 (Any) Surfing
-- Tentacruel #165 (Any) Fishing
Yeah, that's right, but there is more. While you are catching the ones you do not have, head east and make landfall, where you are greeted by a bloke who welcomes you on your first steps into the Kanto Region! That is right, we are officially in Kanto! How about that? The entrance to Tohjo Falls is above, but there is no point in going in as we do not have the things we need to pass that way...
Instead continue east on the water to a spit of land with a treasure ball that contains a Rare Candy -- excellent! As soon as you have caught what you need to head back to New Bark Town as we are done here for now! You can use the machine in the Professor's Lab to heal up if you need to, then continue west towards Cherrygrove,
At the west end of town is some water, and you can see a bloke standing on a sandbank from shore. Head over and chat him up to get the Mystic Water from him! This is a held-item for Water-Types that increases their power.
Now head back to shore and take Route 30 north, and at the first tall grass head all the way east to the pond, and surf into it to the short grass area to the southeast. Land in the very center and hit A to grab a Nugget!
Surf back to Route 30 and head north. then west on Route 31 to Violet City, and head towards the Sprout Tower to the north. Surf the water on the east side of the bridge to grab a treasure ball with a Rare Candy, and the west side for a treasure ball with a PP Up! Now head back to town.
-- Union Cave and the Missing Unown --
Now we take a run down Routes 32 and 33 to Azalea Town, and climb down the Slowpoke Well. Remember when we were here before but could not access the deeper areas? Well, now we have Surf and Strength, don't we? So now we can access them!
When we hit the first patch of tall grass on Route 32, head west then north, cut the tree, and stop at the cliff face. Use your treasure finder to located the Super Potion here, then talk to the bloke to the east to get TM05, Roar! How about that? A very useful TM!
Before you enter the cave stand by the entrance and use your treasure detector and grab the Great Ball here, then go inside, then head west and north and go down to the lower level, heading west along the bottom and using your treasure detector to grab the X-Speed there. Now Surf north, catching a Quagsire if you have not already got one or evolved one. Head north and fight Hiker Leonard, then continue north a few steps and use your treasure detector to grab a Revive.
Head northwest and fight Hiker Phillip, head up the steps and Surf north, then exit into the Ruins of Alph. Fight Psychic Nathan, then enter the Ruins above complete the Ho-Oh puzzle inside (same basic strategy as last time but a bit more challenging) to drop down to the lower level. If you are having trouble completing the puzzle simply mind the edges, as they only fit together properly, and that is generally where any mismatch will place.
Don't bother trying to do the word puzzle at the back of the room -- it requires us to have Ho-Oh in the first position in our party, and as we do not have it yet, we will have to come back to this later when we do. After you drop down, capture W, X, Y, and Z -- that is all that is unlocked with the Ho-Oh Puzzle!
Now exit the Ruins and retrace our steps back to where we fought the Hiker and headed up the northwest exit from the cave, but this time take the southwest path, using Strength to move the boulder that blocks that path. Follow it out to the exit and we are in a different part of the Ruins!
Make your way through the boulder maze being VERY careful not to fall down the ledges, and enter the Ruins. Go to the back wall and read the sign there -- it says "WATER" in Unown script. Go into your bag and use a Water Stone to open this door -- and inside you will find four treasure balls containing a Leppa Berry, a Mystic Water, a Star Piece, and a Star Dust.
Return to the Puzzle Room and solve the puzzle -- this one is dead easy to do as there really is only one way that the pieces will join. Once you drop down, you want to capture K, L, M, N, O, P, and Q here!
As you exit to the surface in the Ruins look to the south and you will see a pond you have to Surf across. Now enter the last Ruins building here, head to the rear of the chamber and read the sign -- "LIGHT" - in Unown script. Simply trigger Flash, the chamber opens, and there are four treasure balls like before, one with a Moon Stone, one with a Sitrus Berry, one with a Heal Powder, and one with an Energy Root! With that done, return to the main room and access the Aerodactyl Puzzle.
As you can see in the video, these puzzles are not that great a challenge, and once you have it completed, you are on the second to last stage of catching all of the Unown! Drop down and capture R, S, T, U, and V, which should be about 15 minutes worth of work, and then return to the surface. Just at the top of the ladder is a Photographer -- you should have a photo taken to commemorate getting the first 26 Unown!
Now before we head back to town, first head to site office and talk to all three men there to update the Unown Report -- talk to the bloke at the top center of the office repeatedly until he fully updates the Report -- and that brings the quest to as done as we can make it without Ho-Oh! We have to solve the final word puzzle before the Researcher will open the door in the back of the main Ruin (the one with the Photographer where we exit).
Before you leave be sure that you Surf to the west and grab the Hyper Potion from the treasure ball there! Now it is time to head to the Mart in town and restock balls and any of the supplies that you have used up, then hit the Center, heal and save!
-- Back to the Union Cave again --
Now head back to the Union Cave again, but this time go to the lower part of the main level and surf across to the treasure ball with the Potion in it. Surf south to the small island with the rock and grab the Big Pearl there, then Surf down, cross the spit of land, and surf down again to the stairs that lead down to the lower level here.
Poke Maniac Andrew, Surf east and fight Poke Maniac Calvin, then go down and Surf south, east, then north to the treasure ball with the Elixir. Now Surf back and south then west to battle Ace Trainer Gwen. Pull out your treasure detector and use that to find the Calcium. Head south from here and, using your treasure detector, grab the Ultra Ball before fighting Ace Trainer Emma!
Head back north then Surf east and immediately south, fighting Ace Trainer Nick, then grab the Hyper Potion from the treasure ball above., then backtrack to the main level, and take the Azalea Town exit!
-- Back to Azalea Town --
As you exit Union Cave onto Route 33 be sure to grab the two Apricorn here, then head west towards town! Head down into the Slowpoke Well -- Cameron the Photographer shows up here, so take a photo or not -- then enter the well proper and head to where you fought the Executive earlier. Push the boulder out of the way and follow the path to the water, where you use Surf.
Use your treasure detector to grab the Full Heal here, then go down the ladder and use Surf. From here there are two paths that you can follow -- the path to the west takes you to a Researcher who gives you a King's Rock -- this is a hold item that you need. It does several things: when held it has a chance of causing your opponent to flinch with each of your attacks, and when it is held by a Poliwhirl or a Slowpoke when traded, they will evolve into their next form! Clearly a valuable gift!
Following the east path takes you to a treasure ball with TM18, Rain Dance. To save you some time in evolution, head out on the water above and grab a Slowbro before you leave the area -- once you have it, or are ready to go, backtrack to the exit -- be sure to use your treasure detector to grab the Super Potion in the area below where you fought the Executive if you have not gotten it already. There is a Great Ball near the puddle at the Well exit too, so grab that and head into town to heal and save. Be sure that you pick up any balls with Kurt if you ordered some, and then exit west to the Ilex Forest.
-- On the Way Back to Ecruteak --
Head north in the Forest, cut the tree, then Surf in the lake above, exiting in the dead-end path to the west, where you can use your detector to obtain a Big Mushroom! Now Surf back south, then follow the path with your detector active to find the Repel, the Super Potion, the Tiny Mushroom, the Full Heal, and the Ether -- a nice haul for a walk in the woods!
-- Route 34 --
Follow Route 34 and, when you reach the Day-Care Center, Surf onto the lake here heading south, climbing out on the wide stretch of short grass that is fenced off of the Route -- there is a treasure ball here with a Nugget in it -- you can always use the money for selling that, right?
WARNING: Earlier in Ecruteak we unleashed three Legendary Pokemon, and one of them -- Entei -- is often found surfing here. You need to be aware that Knocking them out can cause them to no longer be obtainable! You want to go very careful here -- I would even consider using a Master Ball if you traded one in from another game! Your best tactic is to weaken but not KO it, be sure not to use moves that continue to cause damage over time, and then just keep trying to catch it every time you encounter it.
Its condition and health stay the same with each encounter, so you can weaken it and then it will still be weakened the next time you encounter it. Using moves that prevent it from running is a good idea -- Mean Look comes to mind -- but most of all, be patient and careful! The easiest way to manage this may be to trade-in Master Balls by doing resets in Emerald, as that game has a relatively quick path to the Master Ball, but YMMV.
Surf south and you will encounter another fenced-off area with three trainers: Irene and Jenn who double-team you, and have Water-Types in their 20's, which should not be much of a challenge for you at this point! You then face their sister, Kate, who has two Water-Types in their mid-20's. After you defeat Kate she gives you a Power Herb, which is nice,
Run through Goldenrod, healing and saving at the Center; if you are using an "Incoming Box" scheme now would probably be a good time to move those Pokemon off to their proper boxes to make room in that one, right? Once you have taken care of those chores, exit out onto Route 35!
-- Route 35/36 --
As you head along the Route you will see a pond on the left (west) side of the path. Surf across the top of that pond and grab the Green Apricorn there, then use your treasure detector to find the Nugget. Be aware that this is one of the easy places to catch a Golduck via Surf -- so you may want to do that to save yourself the time of evolving one, right?
As you walk Route 36 after cutting the tree on 35 and grabbing the Blue Apricorn from the tree by the gate above, be sure to have your detector active, and grab the Awakening in the tall grass. Remember the tree Apricorn Trees to the right as you get near the city gate if you did not get them earlier -- or it is a new day since you left.
Cianwood City Gym Battle
Do anything that you need to do in Ecruteak -- heal and save, team change-ups, and any shopping to replace used items and resources. Restock balls, that sort of thing. When you are done, head west to Route 38!
-- Route 38 --
Route 38 Beasties List
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Farfetch'd #160 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magnemite #119 (Any) Normal
-- Miltank #151 (Any) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Raticate #018 (Any) Normal
-- Rattata #017 (Any) Normal
-- Snubbull #125 (Any) Normal
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Tauros #150 (Any) Normal
On the way out of town via the west gate be sure to use your treasure finder to grab the Ultra Ball just before the gate entrance, then hit the gate! Outside if you follow the short grass path to the north you can fight Sailor Harry, and then Lass Dana, followed by School Kid Chad. Now double back through the tall grass to fight Beauty Valerie -- and catch a Farfetch'd, a Magnemite, and a Tauros!
Head back to the gate then follow the road west to fight Bird Keeper Toby, then harvest the White Apricorn from the nearby tree. Grab the Max Potion from the treasure ball beside the road, and then continue west. If you have the patience, you can try for a Miltank or Snubbull, but they are both very rare, so... Head west up the stairs and onto Route 39.
-- Route 39 --
Route 39 Beasties List
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Farfetch'd #160 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magnemite #119 (Any) Normal
-- Miltank #151 (Any) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Raticate #018 (Any) Normal
-- Snubbull #125 (Any) Normal
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Tauros #150 (Any) Normal
As you enter the Route a bloke named Baoba stops you to tell you about himself and his plans. He used to run the Safari Zone in Fuchsia City, and now he is starting one in Cianwood -- he asks you to exchange numbers so that he can let you know when the big opening day is -- how cool is that? Now fight Psychic Nelson (the bloke who is walking up and down the road), then head a bit north and west and harvest the Green Apricorn from the tree here. Take a look at the Miltank, then head into the building and talk to the man inside.
He explains that his Miltank is sick, and you should take a look at it. Head next door and talk to the little girls, then the Miltank -- Give it six Oranberry to heal it -- talk to the little girls to get the Seal Case then go talk to the bloke again and he will sell you MooMoo Milk. I bought a dozen, but you get what you can afford. Talk to his wife for your reward -- TM83, Natural Gift.
Use your treasure finder outside to grab a PP Up, then head south and grab TM60, Drain Punch, from the treasure ball there. Use your treasure finder to grab the Nugget from the pasture, then go north to get the X-Attack near the right-hand tree. That wraps up this area, so head back to the road and south, then fight Sailor Eugene, Pokefan Derek, and Pokefan Ruth.
-- Olivine Town --
Olivine Town Beasties List
-- Corsola #173 (Any) Fishing
-- Kingler #167 (Any) Fishing
-- Krabby #166 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Staryu #169 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacool #164 (Any) Surfing
-- Tentacruel #165 (Any) Surfing
Now head into town and have a brief meeting with your Rival, who still complains a lot! Now before we get to finding the Gym Leader there are a few things that we need to do, starting with visiting the house near us. Inside you receive the Good Rod from the Fisherman. Along the way to the next block is the Photographer if you want your pic taken again, then visit the Cafe next to the Center before going to the Center to heal and save!
In the Center you can battle Beauty Charlotte to see what it looks like when ball capsule seals are used, which you may as well do since it is extra XP, right? Once you've healed and saved exit the Center and hit the Mart to resupply, then head over to the beach and, using the Good Rod, catch a Krabby - two if you do not already have one. You need the Krabby because there is a guy that wants to trade for it here in town, and we want to get it out of the way now...
Once you have your Krabby to trade put it in your party and head to the house on the left above the Mart, and talk to the guy inside. He will trade you a Voltorb holding a Cheri Berry. Excellent! Now head to the house next door and get some Seals from the little girl inside.
Head for the Lighthouse now and go in. Using the stairs, fight your way to the top by defeating the trainers you encounter, grabbing TM87, Swagger, on your way up. Exit on the top level through the door leading out to a ledge, follow the ledge all the way around and grab the treasure ball with a Rare Candy, then head inside the Lighthouse.
Fight the Sailor and then grab the Ether from the treasure ball nearby. Fight Bird Keeper Dennis, then use your treasure finder to grab the Hyper Potion before hitting the ladder up. fight the two Sailors and grab the Super Repel from the treasure ball. You are now ready to head up the ladder and talk to Jasmine, the Gym Leader for Olivine City!
Her Pokemon is sick, and she needs you to get some med's from a pharmacy on the other side of the sea... I smell a road... err.. Sea Trip! Now go through the door that Jasmine opened, grab the Super Potion, then use the lift to head downstairs and out.
-- Route 40 --
Now that you are ready head to Route 40 and check out the beach -- you see the Battle Frontier? Yeah, we will return here later. Below the BF there may be a different person standing on the beach each day -- when I arrived it was on a Monday, and the person was Monica of Monday, who gave me a Sharp Beak!
Route 40 Beasties List
-- Corsola #173 (Any) Fishing
-- Kingler #167 (Any) Fishing
-- Krabby #166 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacool #164 (Any) Surfing
-- Tentacruel #165 (Any) Surfing
Fight your way along the Route, stopping on the sandbar to grab TM88, Pluck, then continue south. When you hit Route 41 stop, then head west, fighting the trainers you encounter. You will reach a whirlpool -- use Whirlpool to cross through it and cross the beach ahead, then head into the cave nearby, entering the Whirl Islands.
Go down and head south, grabbing the Carbos, continue along the path and down the ladder, grabbing the Max Elixir and Full Restore, then go back up and backtrack, then grab the Full Restore. Follow the east-north-east path, grab the Nugget, continue east then up the ladder. Grab the Ultra Ball, then head back down. Head south and grab the Escape Rope, then head up the ladder, Surf east and grab the Ultra Ball, then down the ladder, follow the path, and grab the Calcium. Use the ladder here and exit, head around the back of the island and Surf, use Whirlpool to get past the Whirlpool
At this point you are near the end of the Route, so you can either head towards land or go around and take on the nearby trainers -- it is your call. We will be coming back to the Whirl Islands later, so for now just remember where they are :)
-- Cianwood City--
The first thing that you will want to do is hit the Center, heal, open a slot in your party, and then save. Then talk to the guy standing at the counter -- he is the defacto Gym Greeter for Cianwood! Visit the Pharmacy and get the Secret Potion next, then visit the house to the west where a bloke will give you a Level 20 Shuckle holding some Berry Juice. You can visit the Photographer's House if you like and have your photo taken, otherwise it is time to head to the north up the beach where you will see one of the legendary Pokemon that we released earlier, Suicine!
As you approach he runs off, and you are attacked by Mystery Man Eusine -- his team is mid-20's and not that bad. Haunter might be something of a challenge but a Psychic Pokemon will make short work of it. After the battle ends go heal and save at the Center and then head to the Gym. That cave entrance leads to the Safari Zone, but we do not need to go there yet.
-- Cianwood Gym --
The Gym Leader is right in the front but he cannot hear you due to the water. First clear the sub-leaders on the right, then on the left, and then return to the Center to heal and save before you come back, climb the left side and at the top, turn the winch to cut off the flow of water. This annoys the Gym Leader, Chuck, who rumor has it is supposed to be based upon Chuck Norris, but that cannot be true, because if it were Chuck Norris there would be no way to turn the water off -- you see the water flows because Chuck Norris allows it to flow!
Chuck opens with a Level 29 Primeape, which is not that bad really. His second up is a Level 31 Poliwrath though, and that might slow you down a bit! After you beat him -- proof he is NOT Chuck Norris -- he gives you the Storm Badge, and TN01, Focus Punch! When you exit the Gym the lady outside spots your new badge and gives you HM02, Fly. Looks like we will not be Surfing back after all!
Archer Battle
If you have yet to catch the Krabby to trade in Olivine, you can break the rocks over by where Suicine was and easily catch a few Krabby. Using your treasure detector in that area you can grab a Revive, and a Star Dust on the other side by the beach where the drying racks are set up. After you heal and save at the Center, teach Fly to one of your team and then use it to return to Olivine City.
-- Olivine City --
The first thing that you should do is hit the store to replace any supplies, and then head up to the top of the Lighthouse, where you take the lift to the top and then deliver the med's to Jasmine. Amphy gets his health -- and his shine -- back, and Jasmine returns to the Gym -- which is where we now are headed!
As you exit the Lighthouse you get the call saying that the new Safari Zone is open! How cool is that?!
Now it is time to head over to the Gym, where the greeter warns us that Jasmine uses Steel-Type Pokemon, I guess because we helped her at the Lighthouse we do not have to fight sub-leaders this time, so it is just us against Jasmine! Head to where she is sitting on her throne and let's get this battle rolling!
First out is a Level 30 Magnemite, followed by another, and finally a Level 35 Steelix! As she is not in the habit of using potions this should be a short fight, and at the end of it you receive $4,200 and the Mineral Badge, as well as TM23, Iron Tail. With this badge all Pokemon up to Level 70 will obey you, including those acquired in trades!
As you exit the Gym you get a call from Professor Elm, who asks how you are doing and then tells you that something odd has happened with the Radio Broadcasts -- they are now talking about Team Rocket! You quickly turn on your radio and yes, indeed, they ARE talking about Team Rocket -- and they have even named the station Team Rocket! Something clearly must be done about this!
Quickly return tot eh Center, heal, then save. Make any team adjustments that you want to, if you have a higher level team to cycle in, but remember to check that you have all of the HM's covered with your new team, right? Now, it is time to Fly to Mahogany Town, then head west to the next island and cut the tree leading to the three Apricorn Trees. The only reason we are here is to confront Suicine so that it runs away again. With that accomplished, it is time to Fly to Goldenrod City and save the day!
-- Goldenrod City and the Radio Tower --
If you have used any PP or have any damage, go inside the Center and heal, and you may as well save now too. With that accomplished check your kit to make sure you do not need any supplies -- if you are in need, see to that at the Mart. All set now? Good! Head for the Radio Station!
You will see Rocket Thugs all over town -- ignore them and head to the Radio Station now -- go inside and discover that you cannot get up the stairs dressed the way you are! What to do? Why, head to the Underground of course! When you get down there look for the goth-type dude.. Okay, the Team Rocket Thug -- at the photo studio, and he will help you get a uniform. Now that you are kitted out all goth, head back to the Radio Station!
As you are about to achieve total chameleon victory your Rival shows up and... Yes... Sigh... Totally blows your cover! There is nothing for it but to battle the Rocket Guard now -- which you do! After you beat him the Rocket Guard runs off to report your presence, your Rival totally disses you, and then you get a call from Professor Elm, who tells you about the Pokerus Virus - odd...
No longer dressed like a cast member of Twilight, we head up the stairs and -- no surprise -- end up in a fight with some Rocket Grunts! Basically just fight your way up until you reach the top. As long as you have been regularly leveling your team you should have no trouble here -- if you transferred in a team you will have even less difficulty.
My team at this point consists of:
-- Ebony: Level 64 Umbreon
-- Reno: Level 48 Lapras (Surf/Whirlpool)
-- Peep: Level 32 Amphoros (Strength/Flash) Original Team Member
-- Slade: Level 30 Skarmory (Cut/Rock Smash/Fly) HM Mule
-- Maggie: Level 50 Magmortar (Fire Team Alpha)
-- Racer-X: Level 63 Metagross (One bad-ass dude)
A lot of variations can work here, but if you have the ability to move in a better team I say do it!
Clear the Grunts on this level then move up. When you reach the 4th Level you will see what at first looks like the Station Manager, but turns out to be our old nemesis -- and you will fight him. He has a team of Koffing and Weezing and they like to poison, so be aware of that and have plenty of Antidotes?
You are probably going to notice that he gets in poisons pretty easy, and you have more misses than usual. That is the game favoring your opponent a little more than usual to adjust the difficulty and make this more challenging, so embrace the suck and kick his butt!
After you beat him Petrel tells all, and hands you the key that you need to rescue the real Director. It seems that he is having a change of heart -- either that or he realized finally that you are going to win this war -- either way, good for us, bad for Team Rocket!
Head down to the street and hit the Center to heal and save, hit the Mart in a nearby town (you will have to Fly there) to re-supply, then Fly back and hit the Underground!
-- The Underground Rescue --
As you approach the restricted area of the Underground you will be stopped by a Kimono Girl who will gives you a judging review and then leaves. Now head to the armored door and use the key to open it. Inside is a Grunt to fight, but before you can reach the second Grunt your Rival shows up and forces you into a fight. As you might expect his team is a little better, but they should not be a real challenge for you, just play strong types against and you will be fine. The one you will likely have the most trouble with is his Haunter, and he brings him out last.
After this fight if you took a strong beating go ahead and hit the Center to heal and save -- there is no point in proceeding with a weakened team. Your Rival starts to have serious doubts about how he has been training his team -- good, he needs to learn a more Karmic Route!
Ahead of you is a treasure ball with a Full Heal in it -- grab that and then head down to the next room, where there are three switches. You want to push them in this order: Red, Blue, Green. Head down and fight the next Grunt, then west and grab the Smoke Ball. You may as well head north and take out that Grunt before heading back east to fight the Grunt by the door there.
If you go through the door there is an Ultra Ball in the hall behind a crate, and more Grunts to fight. A Max Ether is next, then another Grunt, a final Grunt, and then you reach the center where you can grab TM82, Sleep Talk, and get the Key Item Card Key from the real Director. He pleads with you to stop them from using the Station for nefarious purposes, and of course you agree to help!
Backtrack to the previous area and open the gate with the Purple Pad, then use the stairs and exit into the main corridor of the Underground. I suggest hitting the Center to heal and save now, then enter the Station and proceed to the third floor, using the key-card to open the locked door. Defeat the Grunt inside and then go up the stairs and battle Proton (the Team Rocket Executive from the Slowpoke Well). After hte fight grab the Ultra Ball on the ground next to him and proceed up the stairs.
Ariana is standing in front of the lift -- you'll need to battle her as well! She begins with a Level 32 Arbok, then fields a Level 32 Murkrow, and finally ends with a Level 32 Vileplume! Of the three Vileplume is likely to give you the most trouble, as it has Acid Attack and Mega Drain, which lets it skate on some of your health. Still you should be able to take it down using type strengths. Once you defeat her take the lift to the Observation Deck.
-- Archer Battle --
At the top of the Observation Deck you will encounter Archer, the new leader of Team Rocket. This is the bloke to beat -- take him out and you put the final end to Team Rocket... At least in this version anyway! If you have any stat issues or damage the time to deal with them is before you talk to Archer as this goes right to battle after you talk to him.
He begins the battle with a Level 35 Houndour, followed by a Level 38 Houndour, and finally a Level 35 Koffing. After you beat him he disbands Team Rocket and, when you leave, you will notice that all of the Rocket Thugs are gone from both the building and the town! The Station Director shows up and thanks you, then gives you the Rainbow Wing as your reward for your brave and selfless actions. Of course the Rainbow Wing is the Key Item that we need to gain access to Ho-Oh's Tower back in Ecruteak City!
Five Questions
Our next logical task is to capture Ho-Oh, but we do not have everything that we need to do that just yet... Right, you have the Key Item, you beat the Gym Leader in Ecruteak City and have that Badge, but to get Ho-Oh we also need the final Johto Gym Badge, and that we do not have, so Fly to Mahogany Town now, and head east -- the bloke who was blocking the road will allow you to pass now!
-- Route 44 --
Route 44 Beasties List
-- Aipom #123 (Any) Headbutt
-- Bellsprout #064 (Any) Normal
-- Heracross #114 (Any) Headbutt
-- Lickitung #180 (Any) Normal
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Fishing
-- Remoraid #174 (Any) Fishing
-- Spearow #013 (Any) Headbutt
-- Tangela #182 (Any) Normal
-- Weepinbell #065 (Any) Normal
No Route is complete without some Trainer fights, so take on Psychic Phil, then grab the Red Apricorn from the tree above the path. Grab the Max Repel from the treasure ball below, and then follow the north side of the path first, fighting Fisherman Wilton, and Poke Maniac Zach, grabbing the Ultra Ball from the treasure ball ahead. Use your treasure detector to locate the nearby Elixir, and then follow the path south and west to take on Ace Trainer Allen.
Continue west to fight Ace Trainer Cybil, then run onto the bridge to fight Fisherman Edgar, and thus clearing the first part of the Route of Trainers! Backtrack east now to where the two paths join and then continue, fight Bird Keeper Vance, and arrive at the entrance to the Ice Path -- you did not think that we were just going to be able to walk into town easily did you?
-- Ice Path --
Ice Path Beasties List
-- Golbat #038 (Any) Normal
-- Jynx #155 (Any) Normal
-- Swinub #195 (Any) Normal
-- Zubat #037 (Any) Normal
Navigation is not that bad in here, so treat this aas an opportunity to obtain some Pokemon that are missing from your dex, right? When you reach the next Ice Pond use your treasure detector and you will detect nearby treasure. Using the rocks in the ice pond work your way across to the far rock, where you will find a Max Potion. Sweet!
Continuing east the path splits, with stairs going up and ice going east. First, slide across the ice to get HM07, Waterfall, clearly an item we do not want to skip! Now head back to the stairs and continue along the path to meet the bloke who dropped that HM -- but it is okay, he wants us to keep it!
Go down the ladder and follow the path -- fall down the first hole that you come to and you are a level below on a large ice pond. Go west and grab the Max Potion, then take the ladder in the northeast corner back up. Those boulders are not there for decoration! Push one down into each hole and then use them to reach the center area on the level below, grabbing the Full Heal before heading down the ladder there!
On the next level head east, break the rock, and grab the NeverMeltIce. then head up the next ladder. Follow the path around and use the center area to reach the corner where you will grab TM72, Avalanche.
Now take the ladder up and slide the boulder down one slot, then slide across the bottom of the ice and up, using the boulder to stop so you can slide down to the treasure ball with an Iron in it. Now head for the next ladder up and grab the Protein, then rescue the Kimono Girl from the ice. As far as I can tell that treasure ball cannot be obtained, so go ahead and exit the cave and enter Blackthorn City!
-- Blackthorn City --
Blackthorn City Beasties List
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Surfing
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Fishing
Okay now, we are here to defeat the Gym Leader and get that last badge for Johto, and that is really all that we want to do here! Still you should be aware of the things you can do here, right? In the nearby house is a bloke who wants to trade you his Dodrio for a Dragonair, which I know I do not have to tell you is like trading a Really Really Nice Mercedes for a Chevy Chevette! Not worth the trouble in other words, as it is too imbalanced. On the other side of the table from him is a woman who will award your lead Pokemon with the Effort Ribbon if it has maxed its EV's.
There is a Center and Mart, the Move Deleter and Move Tutor House, and the Gym. Routes 45 and 46 are below, and if you are not leveled up you really should consider heading onto those Routes to fight the trainers there, as you are about to face a team that is in the high 30's with a Level 41 Kingdra as the kicker! Now, have you leveled your team? Really? And you are sure that you are ready for this? Stocked up on all the things you might need at the Mart? Healed up and saved at the Center? Have your best team set up? Okay, I trust you -- let's go win the 8th Gym Badge!
-- Blackthorn City Gym --
The greeter gives you his advice and cautions you about the floors inside, so you put your lead in its ball, and then you enter! Using the arrows and button turn the path and head in, fighting Ace Trainer Paulo, who fields two Level 35 Dratini and a Level 35 Seadra. Next comes Ace Trainer Lola and her Level 35 Dratini, and Level 37 Dragonair. Manipulate the path to cross, and then face Ace Trainer Cody and her Level 35 Horsea and Level 37 Seadra! Next is Ace Trainer Fran with a Level 38 Seadra, then Ace Trainer Mike, with his Level 38 Dragonair. All that remains now is to move the walkway to the other side and greet the Gym Leader!
At this point you have probably taken some accumulated damage. You can either hit the Center to heal, or use Ether and pots to bring your team back to fighting status, the call is yours, but once you have done one or the other, it is time to take this Gym Leader down!
As you know Clair likes Dragon-Types, and she opens the battle with her Level 38 Gyarados! She follows this with a pair of Level 38 Dragonair, and finally her Level 41 Kingdra!
Now what should have happened here is Clair should have forked over the Badge... But she did not. She has added an extra step because Clair is a whinger who should never have been made a Gym Leader! Does the Elite 4 know she is pulling this crap?! I have half a mind to... Bugger!
-- The Dragon's Den --
Right, first thing go heal, then go behind the Gym and Surf up the path to the entrance, then go in.
You will have to fight some trainers along the way -- after all this is really sort of a second Gym Battle, right? Or not... There is a Revive in a rock to the left on the first ledge -- use your treasure detector to locate it -- and a Calcium in a treasure ball to the east. Surf west to battle Ace Trainer Piper, then grab the Max Potion from the rock. Don't you think it is total pants to have wild encounters in a Gym Battle?
Head southwest to fight the twins, Clea & Gil and grab the Max Elixir, then head to the south side of the lake using Whirlpool and enter the Den, where you will be asked five questions:
(1) What are Pokemon to you? Answer = Ally
(2) What helps you win battles? Answer = Strategy
(3) What kind of trainer do you wish to battle? Answer = Anyone
(4) What is most important for raising Pokemon? Answer = Love
(5) Strong Pokemon. Weak Pokemon. Which is more important? Answer = Both.
Clair shows up and cannot believe you passed... Man she really does not like us! She grudgingly hands over the Rising Badge, which allows us to climb waterfalls, and Pokemon to Level 100 will now obey you. He mentions Lugia -- that was a clue you know? And we have achieved what we set out to!
As you leave Clair gives you TM59, Dragon Pulse.
Capturing Ho-Oh
As you exit the Dragon's Den Cave you get a call from the Professor -- he has something that he wants you to see, so you should pay him a visit now! Fly to New Bark Town and enter the Lab, where you will be greeted by Lyra, who is happy that you collected the 8 Johto Badges! The Professor is also pleased -- so pleased in fact that he gives you a Master Ball! If you are not aware, the Master Ball is a guaranteed catch item -- no matter what the health is it catches what you throw it at without fail. I suggest that you save that and use it on one of the roaming legendary Pokemon, because two of them can end up being un-catchable if you kill them.
The Prof mentions that the Kimono Girls are looking for you... Ruh Roh Relroy! From the way Lyra is talking I think she likes you mate. The Prof tells us that the Kimono Girls are awaiting us at the Ecruteak Theater, so that is clearly our next stop!
-- Back to Ecruteak --
If you need to. heal and restock your kit, then save before heading to the Theater. As you arrive you encounter your Rival, who it seems has lost his battle with the Kimono Girls! So here is the cast:
-- Zuki, who we met in Violet City, and she has a Level 38 Umbreon.
-- Naoko, who we met in the Ilex Forest, and she has a Level 38 Espeon.
-- Miki, who we met in Ecruteak, and she has a Level 38 Flareon.
-- Sayo, who we met in the Ice Cave, and she has a Level 38 Jolteon.
-- Kuni, who we met in the Goldenrod Tunnel, and who has a Level 38 Vaporeon.
This was a tough series of fights against a good set of Pokemon so you should feel good about whipping their butts! For winning you are rewarded with the Key Item, Clear Bell, which is the final item needed to summon Ho-Oh! Excellent! And what do you know?! He has arrived!
Hit the Center to heal and save, resupply any kit you used at the Mart, then head to the Tower to join the Kimono Girls. Head into the Barrier Station of the Bell Tower and talk to the guard inside on the right and he will note that you have the Ecruteak Gym Badge and allow you to pass. Run through the underground passage and exit onto the Bellchime Trail -- one of the more beautiful areas of the game!
At the end of the trail is the Tower, and inside there is another guard. As you approach he goes to block you and then realizes that you are in possession of the Key Item required to gain admittance to the Tower itself, and he allows you to pass. Now you might be thinking -- that wasn't too hard! Well, that also was not the challenge for this quest, LOL!
Go up the ladder, cross to the other side of the level, and climb another ladder, and you find yourself at the start of a maze. To get through the maze, follow these steps:
(1) Go left and grab the Full Heal;
(2) Go right twice, then up, left past the pillar all the way to the other side;
(3) Go right (2 jumps) then a little up and another jump right;
(4) Go down and then right (2 jumps) then up the ladder.
(5) Go down and left, then down and left again;
(6) Go down (2 hops) and grab the Ultra Ball;
(7) Go right then down, then left and down (2 hops), and grab the PP Up;
(8) Go left (2 Hops) and up and left (3 Hops), then down;
(9) Right (2 Hops) then down, left (2 Hops), and down again, and left (2 Hops);
(10) Grab the Escape Rope and then go to the top of the platform and right (2 Hops);
(11) Go up past the pillar and then left (2 Hops), then up the nearby ladder!
(12) Go right (2 Hops) and then down, left (1 Hop) and down (3 Hops);
(13) Now follow the right-hand path --on your characters left side but right to you -- (4 Hops).
(14) Go up the ladder to the next level;
(15) Grab the Max Potion and then head right over the bridge and up;
(16) Take a left on the top bridge and grab the Full Heal, then down (2 Hops) and take the ladder up;
(17) Go up and right (5 Hops) -- mind you avoid the teleporter -- and grab the Max Revive;
(18) Go down (5 Hops) then left and down and take the teleporter pad;
(19) Go down and take the teleporter, then head left and grab the HP Up;
(20) Continue left and down to the next teleporter, then up and left, grabbing the Full Restore;
(21) Head back to the right and use the teleporter;
(22) Go around the pillar and use the ladder to go up;
(23) Go around the pillar and down crossing the board to the ladder and head up!
You are not on top of the tower, and facing you are the five Kimono Girls -- the Clear Bell is deployed, the Kimono Girls dance, and the bells ring on the Tower, summoning Ho-Oh! I probably do not have to say this, but now would be a good time to save your game...
Walk forward and engage Ho-Oh -- you have a choice here, taking the easy route or the more difficult one. Easy is using your Master Ball -- but personally I would hold on to that to use on one of the at-risk legendary ones. The more difficult way is to work his health down then capture him with regular or Ultra Balls. That is what I prefer. At Level 45 he is not real easy to accidentally kill -- but be conservative just the same.
Some helpful advice: do NOT allow your lead Pokemon to faint, because if it does, the fight is over. If you have Ultra Balls, use those first, as they have a slightly better chance of catching him. If you burn through all of your balls, it is better to just re-load the game from your save.
It took me 45 minutes of throwing balls, and I burned through all of my Ultra Balls and most of my Great Balls to catch him -- and while this is one of the more frustrating aspects of he games, getting a legendary down to a sliver of health and then getting failure after failure until you are hip-deep in broken balls -- but then, that is also what makes the capture more satisfying, right?
Now that we have Ho-Oh it is time to head back to town using Fly and heal and save. Be absolutely sure that you save mate.
The time has come to head onto the Glory Road, so before we do that, take a good hard look at your team! Are they leveled enough? Are they all at the same level? Do you need to do a bit of leveling still? If you do, then do, because once we start down this road, there is no sense in turning back! So go train up your team mate, and when you are ready, hit the next section!
The Champion Battle
Fly back to Ecruteak and re-supply at the Mart, heal and save at the Center, then Fly to New Bark Town and Surf Route 27. Enter Tohjo Falls, and go up the Waterfall. Surf to the other side and go down the Waterfall there. Before you exit, note the set of stairs on the right side? Use that and follow the path behind the Falls to get the Moon Stone that is sitting in a treasure ball there! Now you can exit the Falls Cave.
As you exit the cave you are jumped by a trainer -- Ace Trainer Megan -- and then enter the house near you. There is an old woman inside who will judge how well your Pokemon trusts you -- evidently mine did not trust me enough to do whatever it was she would do if they did... Be VERY CAREFUL not to fall down that ledge, as if you do you have to re-run the Falls.
Surf east now, then face Ace Trainer Blake, before continuing to the east. On the bridge you will encounter Ace Trainer Brian. After you fight him Surf south and use Whirlpool to cross over then head west to fight Bird Keeper Jose, then grab TM02, Dragon Claw. Head back to the bridge then up the stairs and along the cliff face. When you come down the other side, use your treasure detector to grab the Revive, and then grab the treasure ball near by for a Destiny Knot!
*/
Fight Psychic Eli on the next bridge, then Ace Trainer Reena, and a bit further down Fisherman Scott. Psychic Vernon is a bit further on, and north of him is a Rest House where you can heal. Outside of the house is Ace Trainer Joyce, and a Blue Apricorn Tree. Further on you face Ace Trainer Gaven, Ace Trainer Jake, and Ace Trainer Jamie.
North of Jamie is the Pokemon League Reception Gate -- inside you can go to Mt. Silver -- if the guard would let you -- and Kanto, after you beat the Elite Four that is... For now Victory Road is where we are bound, so continue north!
-- Victory Road --
As you move along the path you need to push that boulder and then grab the Potion on the path, and a Full Heal further on. Towards the level exit to the east is a Max Revive you should grab, then head back and take the ladder up. Grab the Max Revive at the end of the first ledge, then take the next ladder up, then drop down the hole in the floor. On the path push the boulder ONCE, then use the steps to run down and up the other side, where you push the boulder back a few spots to clear the route. On this level at the end is a Full Restore. Head up to the next level via the ladder, and follow the path around to the treasure ball, and get yourself another Ultra Ball!
Continue along past the first hole and drop down the second, grabbing the HP Up here, and then take the ladder back up, follow the path all the way around to the narrow gully with the three breakable rocks blocking it -- break them to grab TM79, Dark Pulse.
From here head north towards the exit and your Rival will run up and stop you from leaving! Once again he has vowed to crush us -- but really, I mean, he has not had much luck with that quest of his, has he?
Your Rival starts the fight with a Level 36 Sneasel, and when you crush that, brings out a Level 37 Haunter. After you take that out, he sends in his Level 38 Golbat, and then a Level 40 Feraligatr -- and it gets a little tougher. A Level 37 Magneton is next, and finally a Level 37 Kadabra! You know, we have easily trained our teams above 40, and he had a jump-start on us and most of his team is under 40... What has he been doing?!
Your Rival finally understands that his way is not the right way, and vows to battle you again once he figures out the right way... You know, he could save a lot of time by just asking us.
-- Indigo Plateau --
Use the nearby exit and hey! We have reached the Indigo Plateau! Man we are good! Ahead a little ways is the Pokemon League Headquarters -- so head in and have Nurse Joy heal your team, then hit the Market Counter for any of your kit needs. Now would be a good time to save, too.
At the top of the stairs you will find the Host, who will explain that once you enter that door, you cannot turn back. You have to face the Elite Four all in one go, so be sure you have all the kit you need (and can afford) and are ready for this mega-fight! Ready? Well STOP!
Before you face the Four, step back outside for a minute...
-- Back to Blackthorn City --
Now that we have visited the PLHQ we can Fly back here any time that we want, so Fly to Blackthorn and hit the Center there, opening a slot in your party (so you only have 5 Pokemon in it). Now head back into the Dragon's Dead and talk to the Master there -- Clair's Grandfather -- who gives you a Level 15 Dratini!
Bear in mind that this is a Dragon-Type, and that his giving it to you is a signal honor, so be sure that you thank him! Right, now we have wrapped up the last piece of the Ho-Oh Quest, so it is time to take the plunge and beat the Elite Four! So head back outside, Fly to the PLHQ, and drop the Dratini into storage and the grab Ho-Oh and put him in the lead for your party so we can wrap up the last outstanding matter for Johto -- the ? ! Unown!
Fly to Violet City and make your way to the Union Cave entrance. Head to the northwest corner and go down a level, Surf up and take the upper of the two paths, Surf up, and then exit the Cave! Run along the path and into the entrance and read the sign -- it spells "HO-OH" in Unown Script, and as you have him as your lead, the door magically opens! Inside are four treasure balls containing a Life Orb, a Leppa Berry, a Charcoal, and a Revival Herb!
Now exit the Ruin and Fly to Violet City, then return to the Ruins and go into the Office, where you should talk to the center Researcher to fully update the Unown Report. He will complete the report, and then a panel in the main Ruins (the one we always exit from) will open, and you can now find the final two forms!
With that last chore out of the way, the Unown Report is finished, and the Unown Quest is done! Now it is time for our biggest battle yet! Fly back to the PLHQ and head up the stairs, it is time to face the Elite Four!
-- The Elite Four --
BEFORE you take on the Elite Four there are a few things that you can do that will make your life a LOT easier, starting with the following:
-- Train your entire team to a MINIMUM of Level 45 or;
-- Import a higher level team;
-- Make sure that you have plenty of kit - 20 each of Full Restores, Max Potions, and maybe that many Revives, Awakenings, and Full Heals, though you should not really need 20 of each;
-- Do not even think about entering this battle without a Psychic Pokemon, and it would be a good idea to have it know the moves Shadow Ball and Bite.
-- A Fire-Type with the moves Lava Plume and Fire Spin are also handy.
As you enter you are greeted by Will, the first member that you must battle. He starts with a Level 40 Xatu, followed by a Level 42 Xatu, then a :eve; 41 Exeggutor. That is half of his team down! His next is a Level 41 Jynx, and finally, a Level 41 Slowbro. That was a challenging battle, but you are destined to win, so there you have it!
Before you progress to the next area, heal your team using pots, and if necessary restore PP to any special moves, and then SAVE. Once you have saved, go ahead and enter the next chamber!
Now we meet Koga, who uses a much richer strategy in his battles. He begins with a Level 40 Ariados, followed by a Level 43 Forretress, then a Level 42 Muk. That is half of his team down! Next we face a Level 44 Crobat, and finally a Level 41 Venomoth! Koga was a bit more graceful about losing, but not all that much more graceful. Sheesh, these are supposed to be the best of the best, but their manners?
As before, heal up, restore PP if you need to, and then SAVE.
Bruno is next, and he is pretty cocky! He starts the battle with a Level 42 Hitmontop, followed by a Level 43 Onix and then a Level 46 Machamp. Three down, two to go, starting with a Level 42 Hitmonlee, and last but not least, a Level 42 Hitmonchan!
As before, stop and heal, restore PP if you need to. This is also a good time to use any PP Up's you have on the best moves of your best team member! Now SAVE and then head into the next chamber!
Karen of the Elite Four is awaiting you, and she is into Dark-Types, so be prepared! She starts with a Level 42 Umbreon, followed by a Level 47 Houndoom, then a Level 44 Murkrow. Next is a Level 45 Gengar, then a Level 42 Vileplume!
As before stop to heal, replace PP, and add any other stat boosters that you have and want to. If you had trouble with any of the previous fights, consider using some of the Rare Candy that you have -- you should have 8 of them -- on the team member that had trouble due to their level. After you have made all of the adjustments that you need to, SAVE!
-- The Battle with Lance --
It is time to battle Lance, the Pokemon League Champion! You are prepared, you are ready, you are the best! It is time to prove that to the one person in all the land who will actually respect it! You can expect this to be a longish battle, because he will use potions...
Lance leads with his Level 46 Gyarados, then follows with his Level 48 Aerodactyl, then his Level 48 Charizard -- that is half of his team down! Next he offers his Level 50 Dragonite, his Level 49 Dragonite, and finally another Level 49 Dragonite!
You have done it! You have beaten the Champion! Good on ya mate! As the battle ends Mary arrives with the Professor, but before she can interview you, Lance spirits you off to the next chamber! Here you -- and your team -- are registered as League Champions! As you watch each of your team is paraded before you in the screen in a flashy way, and each receives their Championship Ribbon! How excellent!
Obviously this is not the end-end, just the completion of our adventures in Johto -- Kanto is still ahead of us, but as is the tradition for the games, when you beat the Champion you are treated to the credits, and why not? The brilliant folks who made this game deserve a little credit, right?
Vermilion City Gym Battle
NOTE: From here on, all Pokemon are listed by their National Dex Number and not their Local Numbers.
After the credits play out you find yourself in your bedroom at home, and when you come downstairs your Mom tells you that the Professor wants to see you, so we should head over to the Lab now, right? I wonder what he wants? Ah! He has an S.S. Ticket for us for passage on the boat to Kanto! All we need to do is head to Olivine City and take the boat then, right?
Fly to Olivine City and enter the Ship Terminal and you will run into Professor Oak! To be honest I was hoping this would happen, since it means we finally get our National Dex Expansion! How sweet is that?
-- Battle Frontier --
Now before we jump on the ferry lets take care of a few optional bits: west of town is the enrrance to the Battle Frontier, so lets head over there and see what there is to see! Head through the gate and pass the Center to find the proper entrance for the BF -- enter and you will be called over by ouw of the counter girls, who will upgrade your Vs. Recorder, and explain the basic rules, services, points, and performance monitoring to you. The other staff at the counter will explain different aspects of the BF to you, so go ahead and take a minute to read up on that.
You may want to play around here for a bit just to see how things work -- and talk to the people you meet here, as there are some interesting characters, starting with "The Judge" who will rate your Pokemon for you! On your way out notice the house to the west? That has move tutors in it that will teach your Pokemon special moves in exchange for Battle Points -- something to bear in mind for later! When you are done exploring head back to the entrance and return to town.
-- Safari Zone --
Safari Zone Beasties List
-- Aron #304 (Any) Normal
-- Cacnea #331 (Any) Normal w/ Blocks
-- Chimecho #358 (Any) Normal
-- Croagunk #453 (Any) Normal
-- Duskull #355 (Any) Normal
-- Electrike #309 (Any) Normal
-- Fearow #22 (Any) Normal
-- Gible #443 (Any) Normal
-- Lairon #305 (Any) Normal
-- Linoone #264 (Any) Normal
-- Lotad #270 (Any) Normal
-- Lunatone #337 (Any) Normal
-- Manectric #310 (Any) Normal
-- Masquerain #284 (Any) Normal
-- Nuzleaf #274 (Any) Normal
-- Pachirisu #417 (Any) Normal
-- Riolu #447 (Any) Normal
-- Seviper #336 (Any) Normal w/ Blocks
-- Shinx #403 (Any) Normal
-- Shuppet #353 (All) Normal
-- Solrock #338 (Any) Normal
-- Spheal #363 (Any) Normal
-- Surskit #283 (Any) Normal
-- Torkoal #324 (Any) Normal w/ Blocks
-- Trapinch #328 (Any) Normal w/ Blocks
-- Zangoose #335 (Any) Normal
-- Zigzagoon #263 (Any) Normal
Using Fly head to Cianwood City and head through the entrance to the Safari Zone. Talk to the woman at the counter, who is so cheerful and happy that you feel you almost have to visit the Zone, right? On the way in you have a battle with Hiker Devin, who likes Dunsparce. After that battle, continue west across the bridge and fight Camper Grant, then grab the Revive before backtracking to the cave entrance to the north.
Inside you have a choice -- go down or up... going down leads to the Sea and Route 47, a quick side-trip for us! Using Surf head west and grab the Pearl from the small beach there (use your treasure detector), then head north to the Waterfalls and up, following the river to the green open space where you will obtain the White Flute!
Backtrack to the river heading north near the cave entrance and use Waterfall to head up, and you will find a clearing with some tall grass in it that contains Miltank and Dittos, so if you do not already have them, now is a really good time to get them mate!
Head back through the caves, where you can catch a Kingler if you do not already have one, then head up to the top and fight Kae and Thom. After the fight follow the path around and grab the Lagging Tail before you head north to battle with Duff and Eda! Further along you can have the Photographer take your picture, then cross the bridge to the tall grass, and head south west through the grass to a hidden path, at the end of which is a Nugget!
Head north into the Zone and you will find a bloke selling stat upgrades on the right, a girl selling Air Mail, Quick Balls, Nest Balls, and Dusk Balls on the left. There is a Center above that you can use to heal and save, and of course the entrance to the Zone itself.
As in the previous games, the Zone is a great place to grab Pokemon you do not have, right? When you enter the owner asks if you want to take the Owner Aptitude Test? Well, why not? He asks us to catch a Geodude and show it to him -- at which point he will inform you that there is a second test that is not quite ready yet, and tell you to return later.
And now that we have had some fun at the Zone, maybe got a few we did not have before, it is finally time to get on the boat to Kanto! So use Fly to return to Olivine City, then head into the Pier and show your ticket to the Sailor, who will let you onto the dock.
-- Boat Trip --
As you enter the boat an old man bumps in to you -- he is looking for his missing granddaughter. The Sailor in the hall tells you that most of the passengers are trainers who will want to battle you in their cabin -- a familiar element from previous games -- so why not do that, starting with the one on the left?
Right, the one on the left turned out to be the cabin of the man with the missing granddaughter -- so let us try the next one -- where we encounter Pokefan Colin! The levels here will be a bit closer to our own now, so these fights will actually be fun. When you finish off Colin head over to his twins Meg & Peg, and fight their very cute Pokemon.
In the cabin on the far-right is Fire-breather Lyle, and while I am thinking about this, do not forget to use your treasure detector on the boat, as you may be surprised at what you find! Now head below and talk to the Sailor guarding the hatch to the east, who will ask you to look for one of his mates, and then battle Sailor Jeff in the mess above.
In the large crew quarters to the west you can fight a very seasick Trainer named Juggler Fritz. Head back to the cabin deck and clear the cabins on the south side of the hall if you have not already, battling Hiker Noland, then find the goldbricking Sailor, who is so mad at you that he challenges you to a battle!
After all that, you may want to pop into your cabin for a nap -- I know I did!
Now that we have located the sleeping Sailor, head back to the entrance to the engine room and battle Picnicker Debra, then head down to the Captain's Cabin to locate the missing little girl, who plays hide-and-seek with you. You will find her in a corner on the next deck at the very end, and you take her back to her Grandfather, who rewards you with Metal Coat for your help. And just in time too, because the ship has arrived!
We are in Vermilion City, Gateway to Kanto! How cool is that?! Pretty darn cool!
-- Vermilion City --
Vermilion City Beasties
-- Chinchou #176 (Any) Fishing
-- Combee #415 (Any) Headbutt
-- Diglett #050 (Any) Rock Smash
-- Heracross #214 (Any) Headbutt
-- Lanturn #171 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Shellder #090 (any) Fishing
-- Shuckle #213 (Any) Rock Smash
-- Spearow #021 (Any) Headbutt
-- Tentacool #164 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacool #164 (Any) Surfing
-- Tentacruel #165 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacruel #165 (Any) Surfing
-- Wingull #278 (Any) Swarm
As we exit the Pier we encounter Suicine, who once again takes off over the water. On some sand to the west you can see a treasure ball -- run around the house to the west and Surf over to the sand spit and grab the Luck Incense from the treasure ball, then face the boat directly north and Surf to its center to grab the Heart Scale -- use your treasure detector to locate it.
-- Vermilion City Gym --
Now Surf west to the City Gym and enter, talk tot eh greeter to learn that the traps are now working again -- lucky us -- and then battle Juggler Horton, Guitarist Vincent, and Gentleman Gregory, and then go looking for the secret switch in one of the trash cans -- once you locate the first switch, the second one will be in one of the cans next to the first, so it is pretty much luck as to whether or not you hit it. You will hit it eventually though, and when you do the electric fences will drop, giving you access to Lt. Surge.
Lt. Surge opens the battle with his Level 51 Raichu, followed by a pair of Level 47 Electrode, then a Level 47 Magneton, and finally his Level 53 Electrabuzz! Victory means we are awarded the Thunder Badge along with TM34, Shock Wave! What a grand way to start a new land, though I have to admit that it feels kind of strange coming into it like this... I guess I am unused to a game having more than 8 Gyms.
Battle with Sabrina of Saffron City Gym
Now it is time to explore Vermilion City, so hit the Center, heal and save, then visit the house directly west of the Center to meet with the Fishing Dude, who requests that you show the Fishing Dude at the Lake of Rage any Magikarp that you catch. Yeah, we can do that!
To the west of the Mart is a house with a mom and son who will mention the Magnet Train, and beside that is the Pokemon Fan Club -- you know it is really strange being here, and seeing all this, and then remembering it from the original games... It has been so long that it is amazing that it all seems so familiar! Talk to the Chairman for a free Rare Candy (you have to listen to him talk about his Pokemon to get it).
-- Route 6 --
Route 6 Beasties List
-- Abra #063 (Any) Normal
-- Bellsprout #069 (Any) Normal
-- Combee #415 (Any) Headbutt
-- Gloom #044 (Night) Normal
-- Golduck #055 (Any) Surfing
-- Hoothoot #163 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #129 (Any) Fishing
-- Oddish #043 (Night) Normal
-- Pidgey #016 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pineco #204 (Any) Headbutt
-- Poliwag #060 (Any) Fishing
-- Psyduck #054 (Any) Surfing
As you enter the Route follow the narrow path to the west to grab TM62, Silver Wind, from the treasure ball here. Battle Picnicker Selena, then Day & Dani on the path above. Battle Camper Virgil as you follow the path around, and then talk to the man blocking the entrance to the tunnels to learn why he is blocking it.
-- Saffron City --
Pass through the gate and enter the city, hitting the Center to heal and save. Talk to the people in the Center for a little local info, and then head out and east to Mr. Psychic's House, where you will obtain TM29, Psychic. As you exit you should get a call from the bloke at the Safari Zone telling you that he has come up with the second test now.
On the next street up in the center is the HQ for Silph Co., and while you cannot ride up the lift just yet, head inside and talk to the Guard by the lift to obtain the Up-Grade Held Item. The street above to the west is where you will find Copy-Cat Girl, and the same street on the east side has the Mart. The next street up contains the City Gym, the Fighting Dojo, and the Magnet Train Station on it,
-- Saffron City Gym --
It is time for another Gym Battle! Head in and talk to the greeter and then hit the first teleport pad, and battle Medium Rebecca, who begins with a Level 45 Bronzor, followed by a Level 45 Hypno. Take the lower-left pad to battle Psychic Franklin, who leads with his Level 44 Kadabra, followed by a Level 47 Girafarig. Take the top-left pad to battle Psychic Jared, who leads with his Level 42 Mr. Mime, followed by a Level 42 Exeggcute, then a Level 45 Exeggcute.
Take the lower-left pad to battle Medium Darcy, who leads with a Level 44 Slowpoke, followed by a Level 46 Slowbro. Take the upper-right pad, then the lower-left pad, Take the lower-left pad to reach the center of the Gym and the Gym Leader!
-- Saffron City's Sabrina Battle --
Sabrina is the leader of the Gym in Saffron City, and she considers herself something of a Psychic -- and sports a team of three Psychic-Type Pokemon. Obviously you will want to use physical attacks against her, the stronger the better.
First out of the gate is her Level 53 Espeon, easily taken down using the move Bite, or a similar move. Next up is her Level 55 Alakazam, followed by her Level 53 Mr. Mime! Defeating Sabrina wins us the Marsh Badge and TM48, Skill Swap.
After the battle step in the red pad to teleport to the entrance, where you can strut out into the street, having taken down your tenth Gym -- your Second in Kanto!
Solving the Power Plant Theft
After you exit the Gym hit the Center to heal and save, and then take the east exit from town onto Route 8.
Route 8 Beasties List
-- Abra #063 (Any) Normal
-- Combee #415 (Any) Headbutt
-- Growlithe #058 (Any) Normal
-- Haunter #093 (Night) Normal
-- Hoothoot #163 (Any) Headbutt
-- Kadabra #064 (Any) Normal
-- Noctowl #164 (Night) Normal
-- Pidgeotto #017 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pineco #204 (Any) Headbutt
After you enter the Route head east and down to battle Biker Dwayne, Biker Harris, and Biker Zeke, the pick up TM41, Torment. Follow the path east and then north to battle Super Nerd Sam, then cut the nearby tree and enter the fenced-off bush area. You can catch an Abra, Haunter, Kadabra, and Noctowl.
North of the fence on the road you can battle Moe & Lulu, then Super Nerd Tyrone, and finally Gentleman Milton around the south bend. Head north and grab the Yellow Apricorn, then enter Lavender Town and use the Center to heal and save, then hit the Mart to resupply.
-- Lavender Town --
Though it is small compared to some of the other towns, Lavender is actually sort of interesting -- it has the Lavender Volunteer Pokemon House, the Name Rater's tent, the House of Memories, and the Kanto Radio Station. All of these are cool but we do not really want to do anything with them at the moment, because the real reason we are here is to fix the problem at the Electric Station. So with that in mind head to the north exit of town and onto Route 10.
Route 10 Beasties List
-- Electrabuzz #125 (Any) Normal
-- Goldeen #118 (Any) Fishing
-- Goldeen #118 (Any) Surfing
-- Magikarp #129 (Any) Fishing
-- Quagsire #195 (Night) Normal
-- Raticate #020 (Any) Normal
-- Seaking #119 (Any) Fishing
-- Seaking #119 (Any) Surfing
-- Spearow #021 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Voltorb #100 (Any) Normal
When you hit the Route you will notice right off the bat that there are no tall grass sections on this side of the divide -- so mostly we will be fighting trainers until we reach the water route to the Electric Station. Before we get started with that head up the center stairs and push the boulder out of the way to grab TM69, Rock Polish.
After you grab the TM, head down and follow the northeast path to battle Pokefan Robert, then meet Hiker Jim on the trail above. After the battle head into the Rock Tunnel -- bring a Pokemon with Flash. It is not likely that you have not already gotten most of these, but there are some Pokemon that you can catch in here!
Rock Tunnel Beasties List
-- Cubone #104 (Any) Normal
-- Geodude #074 (Any) Normal
-- Geodude #074 (Any) Rock Smash
-- Kangaskhan #115 (Any) Normal
-- Machoke #067 (Any) Normal
-- Machop #066 (Any) Normal
-- Marowak #105 (Any) Normal
-- Onix #095 (Any) Normal
-- Zubat #041 (Any) Normal
Take the stairs ahead and head east then pull out your treasure detector and grab the X-Defend from the rock, then head west northwest and grab TM56, Fling. Backtrack to the first stairs near the entrance and head down the west stairs and immediately north, following the path to grab the treasure ball with the Elixir in it. Now backtrack to the stairs and continue west, using the ladder to head down.
You can smash the rocks if you need a Geodude, otherwise follow the path to the east and then north, then double back west to use the ladder to head up. Head east then north, then west to a set of double-stairs. Use the south stairs and your treasure detector to grab the X-Accuracy, then the north stairs to pass over the rise and continue down the stairs on the other side, using the ladder to go down.
Use the north stairs to cross over and grab the treasure ball with a Revive, then double back and follow the south stairs, moving east and then taking the stairs to the south here. Grab the PP Up from the treasure ball here. Head back north and then, following the north wall all the way around and down to the dead-end with the pair of breakable rocks, break the rocks and, using your treasure detector, grab the Max Potion there.
Head back but take the south side of the path instead of following the wall and head up the ladder. From here head north and east, and exit the cave. There is a Center here, so go ahead and heal and save, then follow the path north past the tall grass, then surf south on the river here to the Power Plant.
-- Power Plant --
Pull out your treasure detector and grab the Carbos before you enter the Plant. Inside you can talk to the guard at the stairs to learn what the problem is, and you can learn more from the other techs and guards on this level about he Plant and what has happened. The tech in the northwest corner will offer to trade you a Magneton for a Dugtrio -- but to be honest that does not seem like a fair trade to me, as he is getting the better end of the deal here.
After you speak with the Manager and try to leave, the guard at the stairs gets a call and you learn that the thief has been spotted in Cerulean City! Well, now we know where we need to go next! Backtrack up the river then continue along the path to Route 9.
-- Route 9 --
Route 9 Beasties List
-- Fearow #022 (Any) Normal
-- Goldeen #118 (Any) Fishing
-- Goldeen #118 (Any) Surfing
-- Magikarp #129 (Any) Fishing
-- Mankey #056 (Any) Normal
-- Primeape #057 (Any) Normal
-- Raticate #020 (Any) Normal
-- Rattata #019 (Any) Normal
-- Sableye #302 (Any) Swarm
-- Seaking #119 (Any) Fishing
-- Seaking #119 (Any) Surfing
-- Spearow #021 (Morn/Day) Normal
Head west on the Route and battle Picnicker Heidi, then head south over the ledge and grab the Full Restore from the treasure ball before battling with Hiker Clarke. Head west and battle Camper Dean, then head north and battle Hiker Eoin. After the battle cut the nearby tree and grab TM91, Flash Cannon, from the treasure ball here. Backtrack to the stairs to the west, head down and cut the tree, and grab the Light Clay from the treasure ball.
Drop down the ledge and head west and south to battle Picnicker Edna before you grab the Max Potion from the treasure ball. Take the north path through the tall grass to battle Camper Sid, before dropping down the ledge and heading around and north on the path into Cerulean City!
-- Cerulean City --
This is a real city and, you probably know this, the home city of the Gym Leader Misty, who rose to fame as Ash's companion on his adventures in these and other lands! In a way this is where it all began, and I cannot wait to visit Pallet Town! But we are not here for sightseeing or to explore the city, we are here to catch a thief. Now that we have visited the city we can Fly here whenever we want, so we should head for the Gym now and look for our thief!
Talk to the bloke outside of the Gym to learn that the thief has run inside -- so we should head inside ourselves! As we enter a thug wearing Team Rocket kit slams into you on his way out! Team Rocket?! Didn't we destroy their organization earlier?? Before we can do or say anything the thug blurts out info like Team Rocket thugs always do, and then runs off. There is no reason to stay here, chase him!
When you exit head north on to the bridge that leads to Route 24, and you will find the thug again. In a very Yoda-like way he tells you that you need to battle him in order to learn his secret. Man says he wants a battle, well then we give him a battle!
Ah, he didn't know we did in Team Rocket! Well now we know where he has hidden the part, so head back to the Gym and around the pool to the other side and grab the Key Item: Machine Part from the pile of floats there. We now have what we need to repair the Power Plant, so hit the Center to heal and save and then head for the Power Plant!
Head east on Route 9 following the path back to the river, and Route 10. Head inside the Plant and talk to the Manager, who will replace the stolen part and fire up the generator, restoring electricity to the region! The Manager rewards you with TM57, Charge Beam.
Now for a brief few side trips to make all this worth it: Fly to Saffron City and talk to teh Copycat Girl to learn that she has lost her doll and will give you a Magnet Train Pass if you find it for her! Now Fly to Vermilion City and go to the Pokemon Fan Club, where you will talk to the man at the table who has the doll! He gives you the lost doll. As you exit the building you are approached by Steven -- the Hoenn Region Champion! He shows you Latias and mentions that he is investigating why it has come to the region.
After the chat Fly to Saffron and chat with the Copycat Girl to give her the doll, and obtain your Magnet Train Pass! Considering that we went to all that trouble to get the power back on, the least that we can do is go take a train ride to Johto -- and we need to be there anyway for our next small task!
Head to the station and go through the check point, showing the guard your pass, and then head down the stairs for an animation of riding the train. When you reach Goldenrod City Fly directly to the Safari Zone and talk to the owner to get the second test -- catching a Sandshrew! The Owner will show you his new machine -- The Safari Zone Area Customization -- and then he mentions that you will need to use that in order to configure the Zone so that you can actually catch a Sandshrew!
Change the first zone or two to Desert, then enter the Zone and catch a Sandshrew -- dead easy! Once you have the Sandshrew, hit the Center to heal then move it to the number one position in your party and save. Head back to the Owner to show it to him and pass the second test! Now head back to Saffron City on the train.
Celadon Gym Battle
Take the west gate to Route 7.
Route 7 Beasties List
-- Combee #415 (Any) Headbutt
-- Growlithe #058 (Any) Normal
-- Heracross #214 (Any) Headbutt
-- Houndour #228 (Night) Normal
-- Murkrow #198 (Night) Normal
-- Raticate #020 (Any) Normal
-- Rattata #019 (Any) Normal
-- Spearow #021 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spearow #021 (Morn/Day) Normal
As you exit the gate onto Route 7 head north through the tall grass to the clearing above to grab the treasure ball with a Mental Herb in it. Head back to the path and continue west around, oh, forty feet or so, and Surprise! You have arrived in Celadon City.
Celadon City Beasties List
-- Combee #415 (Any) Headbutt
-- Grimer #088 (Any) Surfing
-- Heracross #214 (Any) Headbutt
-- Muk #089 (Any) Surfing
There are a few things to see and do here, so to start head all the way north behind the Center on to the path in the woods, and follow it all the way to the west, and grab TM67, Recycle, from the treasure ball here. Head back to the first street and pop into the Celadon Condominiums, and have a chat with the Manager on the ground level.
Take the lift in the lobby to the 3rd Floor where you will be greeted by Lyra -- she tells you about the Sound Designer here who will gift a special device to anybody who collects all of the Kanto Gym Badges that will allow them to listen to the old GBA music. You can have a chat with the Programmer, the Planner, the President, the Game Director, the Graphic Designer, and finally, the Sound Designer who is standing by the large globe. Curious? Check the sign between the lifts to learn that you are standing in the Game Freak Development Room!
Get back on the lift and hit the Roof, and you can chat up a bloke who likes high places, and see an entrance and a lift that you cannot use. To get there we need to go all the way back to the lobby, take the stairs there and use the lift on the 2nd Floor. In the small building on the roof is the Story Teller -- if it is after sunset he will tell you a story -- a rather amusing one.
-- Celadon Department Store --
This is next on our list of places to visit in town -- and as you are here be certain to pick up any packages your Mom may have sent to you, right? On the wall by the lift is a list of where to find what:
- 1F: Service Counter
- 2F: Trainer's Market
- 3F: TM Shop
- 4F: Wiseman Gifts
- 5F: Battle Collection
- 6F: Rooftop Atrium
Clearly this is an opportunity to pick up a few TM's you do not have, as well as stock up on kit, so why not? Before you leave you may like to use the vending machines at the top level as there are some conveniently priced drinks up there.
On the next street down there is a bridge and a man standing beside the house over a short pond -- Surf over and have a chat with him to learn that Grimer has appeared in the pond here! If you do not have one, now is the time, right? You can grab a Grimer and a Muk here fairly easy.
Next stop is the Game Corner if you like -- this game has been described as rather like Minesweeper by some sites, but it is not, as there is no relation between the numbers and where the bombs are. The easy way to play is to clear all of the lines that have a zero, avoiding the ones with numbers. It is slow but consistent. Once you have the coins you need, head next door to grab your prize from the Prize House!
Prizes are:
-- Pokemon --
-- Eevee 6,666 Coins
-- Mr. Mime 3,333 Coins
-- Porygon 9,999 Coins
-- Technical Machines --
-- Double Team 4,000 Coins
-- Endure 2,000 Coins
-- Giga Impact 15,000 Coins
-- Gyro Ball 10,000 Coins
-- Hidden Power 6,000 Coins
-- Psychic 10,000 Coins
-- Held Items--
-- Metronome 1,000 Coins
-- Silk Scarf 1,000 Coins
-- Wide Lens 1,000 Coins
-- Zoom Lens 1,000 Coins
There is a bloke to the right of the counter inside who will examine your Pokemon and tell you which move-type they will have with Hidden Move.
There is an eating contest at the cafe down the road -- not that you can do anything there -- but there is a tree to be cut south of it, and at the end of the path that the tree is blocking is the City Gym!
-- Celadon City Gym --
Inside is a maze of sorts -- so cut the tree and head north, west, and north to battle Jo & Zoe, who lead with a Level 47 Victreebel and Vileplume respectively. This battle pays off in some decent XP and $3000, not bad for a Gym Battle!
Head to the east side of the Gym to battle Lass Michelle, who leads with her Level 44 Skiploom, followed by her Level 45 Hoppip, and finally finishing with her Level 46 Jumpluff. After the battle head all the way north to battle Picnicker Tanya, who has just a Level 49 Exeggutor. Beauty Julia is blocking the tree in the center above, so head over to battle her Level 44 Paras, then her Level 47 Parasect, and finally her Level 44 Carnivine.
After the battle work your way through the maze west and north to the tree and cut it, then head up into the next area of the Gym, where you will find the Gym Leader, Erika.
She has four Pokemon iu her team: a Level 51 Jumpluff, a Level 56 Victreebel, a Level 56 Bellossom, and finally a Level 52 Tangela. Winning the battle earns you the Rainbow Badge, TM19, Giga Drain, and the satisfaction of winning your third badge in Kanto, and your 11th in the game!
Exit the Gym and head for the Center to heal and save now, and then use the west exit of town!
Battle with Gym Leader Misty
Using the west entrance to Celadon City, you will enter Route 16 on your way to our next destination, Fuchsia City.
Route 16 Beasties List
-- Combee #415 (Any) Headbutt
-- Fearow #022 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Grimer #088 (Any) Normal
-- Heracross #214 (Any) Headbutt
-- Muk #089 (Any) Normal
-- Murkrow #198 (Night) Normal
-- Slugma #218 (Any) Normal
-- Spearow #021 (Any) Headbutt
Follow the path until you reach the cut-able tree on the west side and cut it, following that small path to the house Trendy Sayings bloke. How excellent! The tall grass patch beside the house has some Murkrow and Slugma in it for you to catch, so if you do not already have those, now is a good time to get them!
Continue along to the main path and enter the gate house, where the guard will stop you, declaring that you cannot proceed without you have a bicycle. Well that's okay, we have one of those, don't we? Jump on to your bicycle and head out on to the path, and when you reach the corner the Route will change.
Route 17 Beasties List
-- Fearow #022 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Grimer #088 (Any) Normal
-- Muk #089 (Any) Normal
-- Slugma #218 (Any) Normal
Around the corner and you are now on Route 17! There is a bit of tall grass off to the east where you can catch any of the above if you still need one, though I cannot imagine that you would at this point. Following the Route you will find a few trainers to battle!
Start with Biker Dale, who has a Level 47 Gulpin, and then Biker Reese, who has a Level 45 Weezing. The path branches ahead, and along the east branch you will find Biker Joel, who has a pair of Level 43 Magmar, Biker Jacob, who has a Level 43 Magmar and a Level 43 Tentacruel. You will ride quite a distance to the other end of the branch before battling Biker Ernest, who has a Level 45 Teddiursa and a Level 44 Marill.
Now ride back to the start of the branch and take the west-side branch where you will battle Biker Aiden, who has a Level 45 Tentacruel, then Biker Dan and Biker Theron, who will tag-team battle you with a Level 39 Gulpin and Level 45 Croagunk, followed by Dan's pair of Level 37 Weezing one after the other. A bit further down the path you will battle Biker Glenn, with his Level 39 Koffing, Level 41 Magmar, and Level 43 Weezing.
Towards the end of the path is Biker Teddy, who has a Level 46 Seviper, and Biker Markey, and his Level 47 Skorupi, After this battle there is a short stretch and you arrive on Route 18!
Route 18 Beasties List
-- Fearow #022 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Grimer #088 (Any) Normal
-- Hoothoot #163 (Any) Headbutt
-- Muk #089 (Any) Normal
-- Slugma #218 (Any) Normal
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Wurmple #265 (Any) Headbutt
At the start of the Route you battle Biker Charles and his Level 41 Koffing, Level 42 Weezing, and Level 41 Charmeleon. Once you finish the battle you will exit the bike path via the east gate and then you can get off of your bicycle.
To the south is a patch of tall grass where you can battle Bird Keeper Bob and his Level 48 Noctowl, then Bird Keeper Boris and his Level 39 Doduo, Level 37 Doduo, and Level 41 Dodrio! The tall grass here is a good place to grab a Slugma, Grimer or Muk should you still need one.
Head to the east a bit and you have arrived in Fuchsia City!
-- Fuchsia City --
Fuchsia City Beasties List
-- Gyarados #130 (Any) Fishing
-- Hoothoot #163 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Surfing
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Wurmple #265 (Any) Headbutt
Take the first right (south path) after entering town to reach the Center, the Gym, and a house belonging to Bill's Sister. Cameron the Photographer is standing by the south gate here -- the gate that leads to Route 19, someplace we will be going very soon. First though, head to the Pal Park Warden's house, to learn how this all shaped out.
Head back to the main road and cut the tree blocking the fenced-off area to grab the Red Apricorn from the Apricorn tree. The Mart is above this area -- exit and run around -- where you can refill any kit you have used up.
To the east is a Shard Trader who will trade you berries for any shards you have collected, and to the north is the Safari Zone, which sadly is at present closed.
Using your treasure detector search the gardens area to the east and south to find a Nugget, and then we have two quick Gym Battles to win! First, head into the Gym to battle Janine -- so have a chat with the greeter and then head up the right side of the Gym to battle Picnicker Cindy and her Level 48 Nidoqueen,
Head to the other side of the Gym to fight Camper Barry and his Level 48 Nidoking, then head down and to the right to fight the real Janine -- who starts the battle with her Level 47 Crobat, a pair of Level 47 Ariados, and her Level 50 Venomoth, before finally facing her Level 44 Weezing. She gives you the Soul Badge, TM84, Poison Jab, and her vow to improve her skills for next time.
Hit the Center, heal and save, and then Fly to Cerulean City, then head north on Route 24 over the bridge and onto Route 25. Whip out your treasure detector and grab the nearby Revive, then fight School Kid Dudley, Lass Ellen, School Kid Joe, and finally Lass Laura and Lass Shannon! Now technically they are the final battles in the series challenge for the road, but there is another trainer, Super Nerd Pat who you may as well battle before you grab the Protein from the treasure ball above.
Talk to the bloke in the red jumper -- Ace Trainer Kevin -- in the clearing to collect your reward of a Nugget, and then you battle him! After the battle stop at Bill's Sea Cottage where Bill's grandfather asks you to show him a Pokemon with a leaf on its head: Go up the stairs to the east and interrupt Misty on her date -- which makes her cross with you -- and then she heads back to her Gym, which is perfect for us as that is precisely what we wanted!
-- Cerulean City Gym --
Fly back to the city and enter the Gym to discover that the Gym is populated again! Excellent! Say hello to the Greeter and then begin working your way through the sub-leaders. If you have taken too much of a beating or used too much PP, after the last sub-leader head to the Center to heal and save, then return and face Misty!
Misty turns out for the battle with her Level 49 Golduck, followed by her Level 54 Starmie, her Level 49 Quagsire, and finally her Level 52 Lapras. Winning this battle earns you the Cascade Badge and TM03, Water Pulse.
That wraps up the first of a few minor chores! Fly to Lavender Town and enter the Radio Station to chat with the Director (the bloke in brown at the back of the room) to obtain his thanks and the Expansion Card for your radio. Fly back to Vermilion and take the east entrance to town onto Route 11, and approach the sleeping Snorlax.
If you plan to capture the Snorlax, SAVE NOW!
Tune your radio to the Pokeflute Channel and talk to the Snorlax to cause it to battle you. Weaken it and then capture it, and you have a rather unique addition to your potential teams and your Dex!
Battle with Blue
With Snorlax in our PC Storage we are now on the cusp of an adventure of sorts -- but as we do not have the proper moves available a full exploration of Diglett's Cave is really not on just now. Still, we do need to get through it, so dust off your Repels and use them! Enter the cave and pop the top of a Repel and keep doing that all the way through so that we are not forced into fights we do not want or need at the moment. Our only goal is to reach the other side of the Cave, and exit onto Route 2, which is the start of our next great adventures!
Once you are through the cave, pop around the right side of the entrance to grab the Carbos from the treasure ball there, then head back around and to the west, cut the tree at the end of the narrow path, and head north into Pewter City!
-- Pewter City --
Enter town and hit the Center to heal and save, and then run over to the hill east of the Mart and speak with the bloke on top to receive the Key Item: Silver Wing. Head into the Museum at the north end of town and speak to Steven, then the Scientist, who will ID your stone for you. As you exit the Museum you are confronted by the battle with Latios! Do your best to capture it, right?
In the northeast corner of the town are a pair of Apricorn Trees -- a White and a Blue. Collect those and then, using your treasure detector, grab the Guard Spec from the flower garden to the southeast. With that done all that remains is for us to pop into the Gym and have a battle, right?
-- Pewter City Gym --
Have a chat with the Greeter and then take on the sub-leaders to pick up some easy XP. If you need to, heal and save do so, and then face Brock (I thought it rather fitting for you to take on Misty and then Brock as your next Gym Leader).
Brock opens the battle with his Level 51 Graveler, followed by his Level 51 Rhyhorn, his Level 54 Onix, Level 52 Kabutops, and finally his Level 53 Omastar! Defeating Brock wins us the Boulder Badge and TM80, Rock Slide. It is also a star moment for you if you happen to be a fan of the anime (which I am!).
Bear in mind that this is really all that we came here to do at the moment, so head back south now, hit the Center to heal and save, and then return to the entrance to the cave and continue south from there!
Grab the Pink Apricorn from the tree by the house, then head inside to be gifted with a Nugget! Head straight south from here and enter the gate, where you will encounter one of the Professor's Assistants, who will give you a Sacred Ash and let you know that the Prof is waiting for you in Pallet Town!
Exit the gate and continue south, grabbing the Elixir from the treasure ball on the west side of the path, then cut the tree nearby and get on the path, where you will battle Bug Catcher Rob, and then head south into Viridian City!
-- Viridian City --
If you need to hit the Center to heal and save. It would be nice if we could fight the Gym Leader now, but sadly he is out. Once you have healed up continue south for our meeting with the Prof in Pallet Town! On the way out of town cut the tree and talk to the bloke standing inside the blocked off area to obtain TM85, Dream Eater.
Once you have the TM, head south through the gatehouse and follow the west side of the path -- grab the Black Apricorn -- battle School Kid Danny, Ace Trainer French, and Ace Trainer Quinn before you enter Pallet Town! The house to the west belongs to Red, and the one to the east Blue, whose sister Daisy will admit that her brother is the missing Gym Leader, and yes, indeed, he is away at the moment.
Head into the Lab to chat up the Prof, who will have a chat with you, give you a bit of encouragement, and have a look at your Dex for you! With that done, what we really need to do is head for the second to last Gym, on Seafoam Island. We have to get that 15th Gym Badge in order for Blue to return to his Gym so that we can battle him and obtain the last badge. So once you have finished talking to the Prof, head to the water and Surf out!
-- Route 21 --
Route 21 Beasties List
-- Chinchou #170 (Any) Fishing
-- Hoothoot #163 (Any) Headbutt
-- Lanturn #171 (Any) Fishing
-- Ledyba #165 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Mr. Mime #122 (Any) Normal
-- Shellder #090 (Any) Fishing
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Tangela #114 (Any) Normal
-- Tentacool #072 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacool #072 (Any) Surfing
-- Tentacruel #073 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacruel #073 (Any) Surfing
-- Wurmple #265 (Any) Headbutt
Route 21 is pretty basic -- and there are probably a few Pokemon that you could add to your dex here, Tangela for example, who you can grab on the tall grass on the other side of the fence from Pallet Town. Once you have any that you need, head back onto the water and follow the route, where you will find some trainers to battle as well!
Your first battle will be with Swimmer Nikki who is in the water, and then on the first sandbank you battle Bird Keeper Kinsley and Fisherman Murphy. On the second island is Fisherman Arnold, and on the water to the south, Swimmer Chelan. On the third island is Fisherman Liam, and in the channel nearby is Swimmer Tyson.
The next island south has Fisherman Gideon, then in the channel is Swimmer Esteban, and on the next island you will battle Bird Keeper Easton, for the last battle prior to reaching Cinnabar Island.
-- Cinnabar Island --
There is a Center on the Island for you to heal and save at -- however there is not much else for you to do here due to the volcano having erupted...
Cinnabar Island Beasties List
-- Chinchou #170 (Any) Fishing
-- Lanturn #171 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Shellder #090 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacool #072 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacool #072 (Any) Surfing
-- Tentacruel #073 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacruel #073 (Any) Surfing
So once you are all healed up and have saved, jump back on the water and continue along, and you cross on to Route 20!
-- Route 20 --
Route 20 Beasties List
-- Chinchou #170 (Any) Fishing
-- Lanturn #171 (Any) Fishing
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Shellder #090 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacool #072 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacool #072 (Any) Surfing
-- Tentacruel #073 (Any) Fishing
-- Tentacruel #073 (Any) Surfing
Route 20 is pretty much the same as 21 in the sense of what you are facing -- trainers and wild encounters is pretty much it. But you can pick up some good XP from the trainer battles, so you may as well do those...
You can battle Swimmer Frankie and Swimmer Mina on the water, then head south to the sandbar to face Bird Keeper Bert, Picnicker Cheyenne, and Bird Keeper Ernie. Back on the water you battle Swimmer Leona, and then at the first cave entrance, Picnicker Adrian is waiting for you.
-- Seafoam Island Gym --
Enter the cave here and take the ladder up, have a chat with the Greeter, and then take out the sub-leaders! If you take too much damage or use up your PP you should probably hit the Center on Cinnabar or one of the towns via Fly and heal up before facing the Leader...
There are a total of six sub-leaders to battle, followed by the Gym Leader Blaine, who is at the center of the Gym. Blaine leads with his Level 54 Magcargo, followed by his Level 54 Magmar, and finishes up with his Level 59 Rapidash. This victory is an important one -- it gains us the Volcano Badge and TM50, Overheat. As we now have the 15th Badge, it is time to Fly to Cinnabar Island and have a chat with Blue, who is standing above the Center.
Blue tells you about what has happened here on the Island, and then tells you that he will be waiting for you at his Gym when you are ready, and with that he marches off. Right then, well... This is what we have been striving for, so Fly to Viridian City now!
-- Viridian City Gym --
Take the blue left-arrow on the right side of the Gym to battle Ace Trainer Arabella, who leads with her Level 53 Stantler, and finishes with her Level 52 Tauros. Follow the far right side up, using the two red up-arrows to the blue left-arrow to reach the neutral pad, and then go straight down from there to the blue left-arrow to confront Ace Trainer Salma. Salma leads with her Level 50 Slowking, then finishes with her Level 53 Lickilicky.
Return to the entrance, and then follow the path up the right side to the neutral pad, then use the red up-arrow in the center of the room to reach the next neutral pad. Head up and use the red up-arrow to end up on the next neutral pad, then use the red up-arrow to the right of the pad to reach the next neutral pad! Take the red up-arrow to the right and that will land you at the next neutral pad, then the red up-arrow above, and that will take you all the way around the top and down to the neutral pad in front of Ace Trainer Bonita!
Bonita leads with her Level 50 Spinda, and finishes with her Level 52 Sudowoodo. After the battle use the red up-arrow on your right to end up at the neutral pad on the upper right, and then use the red up-arrow in the very center of the room to reach Ida and Elan, the last set of sub-leaders for you to battle!
They lead with a Level 52 Porygon and a Level 50 Azumarill, which you should handily defeat, clearing the way for you to take on the Leader! If you have taken too much damage or lost a lot of PP, it may be an idea to hit the Center, heal and save, and the return.
If you are ready to face the Leader then head back down and use the yellow down-arrow on the right, which will put you back on the upper right neutral pad. Now use the red up-arrow on the far right next to the wall, and that will place you on the top neutral pad, right before the Leader. All that you need do at this point is walk up and face him!
-- Leader Blue Battle --
Blue is rather cocky and insulting, but as he leads with a Level 55 Exeggutor, I suppose he can get away with that... Next up is his Level 58 Rhydon, then his Level 56 Machamp, which puts you half-way through his team.
Next up is his Level 58 Arcanine, followed by his Level 52 Gyarados, and finally his Level 60 Pidgeot to finish off the battle! Victory here means that you have now earned the final Gym Badge for the game, the Big Number 16, the Earth Badge, as well as TM92, Trick Room, and the ability to finally use Rock Climb outside of battle! Congratulations mate! You are very close to the pinnacle for this game!
There is a bit left still for us to do in the main story line, and then there are quite a few minor items that we need to take care of, but for now bask in your accomplishment! As you exit the Gym you get a call from Professor Oak telling you that he has something for you that he forgot to give to you, and that you should return to the Lab in Pallet Town now.
When we arrive at the Lab the Prof gives us HM08, Rock Climb. About time that we got that one, right? Considering all of the rock walls we could have climbed along the way if we had just had the ability... Finally he tells us that we now have access to Mt. Silver, an advanced area that is restricted to only the best trainers! Excellent!
It's not over, you know? The adventure? There is still a bit to go, you see? Right, so Fly to the Victory Road Reception Center, and head inside. You can now take the west exit inside, which leads directly onto Route 28!
Route 28 Beasties List
-- Aipom #190 (Any) Headbutt
-- Dodrio #085 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Doduo #084 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Donphan #232 (Any) Normal
-- Heracross #214 (Any) Headbutt
-- Magikarp #129 (Any) Fishing
-- Natu #177 (Any) Headbutt
-- Poliwag #060 (Any) Fishing
-- Poliwag #060 (Any) Surfing
-- Poliwhirl #061 (Any) Surfing
-- Ponyta #077 (Any) Normal
-- Rapidash #078 (Any) Normal
-- Sneasel #215 (Night) Normal
-- Tangela #114 (Any) Normal
Work your way along the path to the Pokemon Center, past the ever-present Cameron the Photographer, and head east back onto Route 28 heading east, cut the tree and into the house, where you receive TM47, Steel Wing. Exit the house and continue east to grab TM35, Flamethrower, from the treasure ball there. Backtrack to the Center, heal and save if you need to, and then head to the entrance to Mt. Silver Cave.
-- Mt. Silver Cave --
There are two ways that you can go from here, up the wall or into the water. Head up the wall and exit the cave, heading south to grab the Escape Rope from the treasure ball. Continue up the stairs to grab TM76, Stealth Rock, then head north and down to the next ledge and enter the cave there. Inside is a treasure ball with a Full Restore in it. Grab that and then exit. Head down to the next level and south and enter the cave there, cross the cave to the west and head north to the exit.
Follow the path up and around, grab the Max Elixir, then head up and around and grab the Max Revive, then head back and up and head around to the rocks to break them and grab the Calcium. Head back around and exit, then around the corner and into the first cave entrance, grabbing the Protein, before exiting and moving to the next entrance.
Inside head south and exit, head around and up the wall, then to the west and up, and finally enter the cave and run along to the west and up the cliff. Exit at the top and you are on the final snow-covered walk to meet your ultimate battle -- Red!
-- The Battle with Red --
After you walk up and talk to him, Red engages you in battle, starting with his Level 88 Pikachu! You know that was PIKACHU? That you are battling Ash Kethcum, right? He follows with his Level 82 Snorlax, then his Level 84 Blastoise, and that is half of his team!
Red next calls up his Level 84 Charizard, then his Level 84 Venusaur, and finally his Level 80 Lapras. Chances are that you had the most trouble with his Lapras, who can take a LOT of damage and dish it out. Add to that his unlimited supply of Full Restores, and you need both skill and luck to defeat it.
You have defeated Red! As you celebrate your victory, the game saves, you see the credits, and you have the satisfaction of having won the game! All that remains is a quite a bit of odds and ends -- completing your Pokedex, picking up the odd treasure, that sort of thing! You can find quite a bit of guidance in the Appendixes if you want to try to complete everything, but that is really beyond the scope of the walkthrough part of this guide!
Well done mate!
My Final Stats: 194 hours, 51 minutes, 16 badges, 257 Pokedex. How did you do?
The following questions are taken from the SuperCheats HeartGold Forum and were asked by Forum Members.
Q1. Where do I obtain the Experience Share Held Item?
A1. After you defeat the Red Gyarados in the Lake of Rage you receive a Red Scale Key Item. Take that to Mr. Pokemon and he will trade you the Experience Share item for it.
Q2. How do I fix the lift in Silph Co.?
A2. You do not fix it -- once you have completed the Power Station Quest, and you have traded a Rotom from one of the other games, you can place the Rotom in the first slot in your party and visit the Silph Co. HQ. The first visit with Rotom the guard will be at the lift, but if you leave and return, the guard will be gone and the lift is now functional.
Simply enter the lift and ride it to the 2nd Floor, where you will find five machines in the center of the room -- you can allow Rotom to enter these, and thus change its form into theirs and learn different moves!
The Microwave will teach it Overheat
The Rotary Fan will teach it Air Slash
The Refrigerator will teach it Blizzard
The Washing Machine will teach it Hydro Pump
The Lawn Mower will teach it Leaf Storm
Q3. How do I get Rock Climb?
A3. You defeat the final Gym (Badge 16) to get Rock Climb and the ability to use it outside of battle.
Q4. How do I use the Magnet Train?
A4. First you need to complete the Power Station Mission, and then you need to help Copycat (a little girl in Saffron City) get her Poke Doll back. The doll is in the Pokemon Fan Club in Vermilion City. Once you return the doll to Copycat, she will give you the Magnet Train Pass that she received when the Train Authority tore down her family's house to build the station!
Q5. I was breeding Pokemon and I have a bunch of eggs in my PC. I got the Pokemon I wanted, now how do I get rid of these eggs? They cannot be released!
A5. You have to hatch each egg in order to release them, they cannot be removed in any other way. Load your party with one Pokemon and five eggs and then run back and forth outside until they hatch, after which you can release them. Rinse and repeat until you have disposed of all of the eggs.
Before you release the Pokemon though, check them to be sure none are Shiny, as you can obtain Shiny Pokemon through breeding!
Q6. How do I trade Pokemon from Emerald/FR/LG/Pearl/Diamond/Platinum/Ruby/Sapphire to HeartGold?
A6. There are several methods that you can use:
Method 1: Requires two DS's/DSi's – Using the Pokemon Wireless Club Union Room for the DS-based games (Pearl, Diamond, Platinum, and SoulSilver) load each DS with your games, add the Pokemon that you want to trade into HeartGold on the other game, and catch enough throw-away Pokemon on HeartGold, adding them to your party. Enter the Union Room and complete the trades via the usual method.
Method 2: Requires a Nintendo DS or DS Lite (Will NOT work with a Dsi or Dsi XL). For GBA Games (FireRed, LeafGreen, and Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald) you will need to complete the games you wish to trade from, and progress HeartGold to the point where you have Pal Park access.
Once you are ready, insert the GBA game into the GBA slot on your DS/DS lite, and the DS game into the DS slot. Turn the power on and advance to the Loading Menu.
For this example we are using Pokemon Emerald and Pokemon Pearl...
From the Power-On Menu Select A, and then the Pokemon Pearl, advance through the title screen to the Loading Menu (with the Continue Option). Select the fourth menu option – “MIGRATE FROM EMERALD” – and hit A.
At this point you will be asked to confirm your action – to do so you must use the touch-screen to say YES – and then you will be warned that this process is one-way; you cannot trade the Pokemon back to the GBA cart from the DS card!
Select the six (6) Pokemon that you wish to trade from Emerald to Pearl (Pal Park Migration must be completed in lots of six Pokemon). Complete the migration and then turn off the DS when the trade is completed.
Now load Emerald and enter the Pal Park, enter via the desk, and you will find the six Pokemon that you have migrated within their respective zone-type area in the Park (Water-type will be found in the Water Zone in the Pal Paark, etc.).
Once you have caught all six of the migrated Pokemon exit the Park proper and use the Storage System to move them where you want them to go, and then SAVE YOUR GAME!
Note: For all of the DS carts excluding HeartGold and SoulSilver you are limited to migrating six (6) Pokemon per real-life 24-hour day, per cartridge. What does that mean? It means that you can migrate six Pokemon from Ruby, six from Sapphire, six from FireRed, six from LeafGreen, and six from Emerald per day, but to migrate more from any of those cards, you will have to wait another 24 hours.
If you are migrating directly to HeartGold or SoulSilver however, the time-limit has been removed! You can transfer via migration as many as you like form the aforementioned GBA cartridges, with the following caveat: after each migration you must exit the Park and save (placing the migrated Pokemon wherever you like in the storage system prior to saving).
Method 3: Requires a willing friend to assist you either in person or via Wi-Fi. Select the Pokemonn that you want to trade to your HeartGold or SoulSilver card and add them to your party, and then:
• For in-person local trading: Trade the Pokemonn to your friend, turn off your DS and insert HeartGold/SoulSilver, log back into the Trade Lounge, and trade them back.
• For Wi-Fi Trades: Enter the Wi-Fi lounge in the Poke Center basement and connect to your friend via the Internet (requires you both to exchange end enter your Friend Codes for each game). Trade the Pokemon to your mate, then log HeartGOld/SoulSilver, reconnect, and trade them back.
Method 3: Global Trading System (GTS) Method: This is often considered a last-resort method when you do not have any mates to help you out, and I strongly caution against using this method, as it is not entirely reliable. Basically you take the Pokemon that you want to trade and post it to GTS using a very specific Pokemon as the required trade (one you already have on your HeartGold card). Simply complete the trade with yourself to move the desired Pokemon to your card.
Appendix 01
Apricorns were a part of the original Pokemon Gold and Silver, though in SS and HG they are easier to obtain and have more uses. You cannot grow them now, but you can hold as many as you like in the case, and they are available daily from each tree, rather than the more limited fashion of the earlier games.
Each Apricorn can be crafted into a particular type of ball, and of course this is accomplished by handing them in to Kurt, who is something of an expert at the process. It takes a full real-life day for him to turn your Apricorns into balls, so you will have to remember to check in with him every day. If you played the previous games that is old hat, but in the new games there is an additional function applied to Apricorns: Juicing!
Using the special Juicer that you obtain rather late in the game you can create your own juices for use in buffing your Pokemon up for competition matches. While the juices can also be purchased, the prevailing wisdom is that making them yourself is the smarter way to go!
-- Apricorn Balls --
-- Fast Ball (White Apricorn)
Catches fast Pokemon -- the faster the base speed the higher the catch multiplier.
-- Friend Ball (Green Apricorn)
Pokemon caught with this ball like you better -- gives a base happiness of 200.
-- Heavy Ball (Black Apricorn)
Used to catch heavy Pokemon over 225 pounds in weight.
-- Level Ball (Red Apricorn)
The larger the gap in level between your Pokemon and the target, the higher the multiplier.
-- Love Ball (Pink Apricorn)
Highly effective vs. Pokemon of the opposite gender than yours.
-- Lure Ball (Blue Apricorn)
Has a high multiplier for Pokemon caught while fishing.
-- Moon Ball (Yellow Apricorn)
Highly effective on any Pokemon that evolves using the Moon Stone.
-- Apricorn Juice --
Black Apricorn -- No Use
Blue Apricorn -- Raises Skill Stat, and has a Dry Taste
Green Apricorn -- Raises Jump Stat, and has a Bitter Taste.
Pink Apricorn -- Raises Speed Stat, and has a Sweet Taste.
Red Apricorn -- Raises the Power Stat, and has a Spicy Taste.
White Apricorn -- No Use
Yellow Apricorn -- Raises the Stamina Stat, and has a Sour Taste.
Using the ApriShaker Key Item you can insert Apricorns and crush them as you walk along. The juice works similar tot he Pokeblocks from the previous games, though with less variety and function. You can also purchase pre-made juices outside of the Battle area, but conventional wisdom suggests that the ones you make are more effective.
Appendix 02
In the original games you could pick berries once a day, and in later games you could grow them on patches of proper soil all over the land. As the berries had a particularly valuable use in the earlier games, being able to grow them selectively to use in creating blocks was well worth the effort -- but neither of those mechanisms exist in this game. In its place, berries are more of a utility than a means to an end.
To obtain a reasonable supply of useful berries, the player can obtain a set of Berry Pots, in which they can grow their berry plants by keeping them with them as they adventure. No more making the rounds to various plots to fertilize and water them then!
Under this system there are really only a handful of what are termed "useful" berries for you to cultivate, and those include the following:
-- Babiri Berry: Weakens an opponents Special Steel-type Attack.
-- Charti Berry: Weakens an opponents Special Rock-type Attack.
-- Cheri Berry: Cures Paralysis
-- Chesto Berry: Cures Sleep.
-- Chilan Berry: Weakens an opponents Special Normal-type Attack.
-- Chople Berry: Weakens opponents Special Fighting-type Attack.
-- Coba Berry: Weakens an opponents Flying-type Attack.
-- Colbur Berry: Weakens an opponents Special Dark-type Attack.
-- Haban Berry: Weakens an opponents Dragon-type Attack.
-- Kebia Berry: Weakens opponents Special Poison-type Attack.
-- Leppa Berry: Restores 10 PP
-- Mago Berry: Restores HP / Causes Confusion if hates Sweet food.
-- Occa Berry: Weakens opponents Special Fire-type Attack.
-- Payapa Berry: Weakens an opponents Special Psychic-type Attack.
-- Pecha Berry: Cures Poison
-- Persim Berry: Cures Confusion
-- Pomeg Berry: Makes more friendly but lowers base HP.
-- Rawst Berry: Cures Burn
-- Rindo Berry: Weakens opponents Special Grass-type Attack.
-- Shuca Berry: Weakens an opponents Special Ground-type Attack.
-- Sitrus Berry: Restores small amount of HP.
-- Tanga Berry: Weakens an opponents Special Bug-type Attack.
-- Wacan Berry: Weakens opponents Special Electric-type Attack.
-- Wiki Berry: Restores HP / Causes Confusion if hates Dry food.
-- Yache Berry: Weakens opponents Special Ice-type Attack.
Appendix 03
As in the previous games there are regular special events in the game that are time and day based, or based upon other criteria. The following events are of particular value for working on your Dex:
-- Daily --
- Buena's Points: After you obtain the Blue Card Key Item you can listen to Buena on the radio at 2AM, 5AM, 8AM, 11AM, 2PM, 5PM, 8PM, and 11PM to hear the password. Once you hear it, go to Buena and tell her the password to earn points on your card. Once you have enough points you can exchange them for items.
- Goldenrod Underground Mall: Each day the shops available at the Underground Mall change. The following schedule applies:
Sunday: Hair Dresser (Younger) & Herb Shop
Monday: Bargain Shop
Tuesday: Hair Dresser (Older)
Wednesday: Hair Dresser (Younger)
Thursday: Hair Dresser (Older)
Friday: Hair Dresser (Younger)
Saturday: Hair Dresser (Older) & Herb Shop
- Lottery: in Goldenrod City at the Radio Station, you can enter the traditional lottery each day; the day's number is matched against all of your Pokemon numbers (both in your party and in storage). Top prize in this Lotto is a Master Ball.
- Seals: Once you have obtained the Seal Case, you can visit a house in Olivine City to get new seals every day. Seals are applied to your balls to generate special effects when you choose a team member.
- Swarms: the location for each swarm is announced by the Professor on his radio program. Simply tune in to the station to find out what the swarm location and type is.
- Vocabulary Expansion: On Route 16 there is a house in which the Vocabulary Man resides, and if you visit him each day he will teach you a new word to add to your vocabulary.
-- Sunday --
SS Aqua Departs Vermilion City
--Monday --
Rival Rematch at the Indigo Plateau
SS Aqua Departs Olivine City
20:00 - 23:59 Clefairy Dance at Mt. Moon (get Moon Stone)
-- Tuesday --
Bug Catching Contest at the National Park
-- Wednesday --
Hoenn Sound Broadcast.
Rival Rematch at the Indigo Plateau
SS Aqua Departs Vermilion City
-- Thursday --
Bug Catching Contest at the National Park
Sinnoh Sound Broadcast.
-- Friday --
Lapras appears in Union Cave
SS Aqua Departs Olivine City
-- Saturday --
Bug Catching Contest at the National Park
-- Wi-Fi Events / Mystery Gift --
HeartGold is Wi-Fi equipped and can participate in the special events that are held every so often by Nintendo. Mind the news section and the boards on SuperCheats to learn when these events will take place!
Appendix 04
Please note: I have not actually tried these, I am simply reporting what has been officially released on the Japanese Sites about them. Please understand that these events may not take place at the same time in every region -- for example the Japanese Region already has a lot of these Pokemon but most of the other regions do not.
Conventional wisdom dictates that we will eventually receive these, however the question is when. IF you have one of these from a different event/source, DO try to trigger the event with it. I was able to trigger the Celebi Event with the Celebi from Pokemon Colosseum.
- Arceus Event
If you obtained Arceus from the special event and you trade it to HeartGold, and then take him as your party lead to the Ruins of Alph you will open a new area and meet Cynthia, the former Sinnoh Champion!
Cynthia will explain to you that your Arceus has the special ability to create newborn Pokemon and then give you the choice of creating a Level 1 Dialga, Giratina, or Palkia. What you choose is up to you, but all three of these are available in the other games for trade into this one, so really it depends on what game(s) you do not have, as obviously you should choose the one from the one you do not have, right?
- Celebi Event
If you obtain a Celebi from an event and trade it to HeartGold, you can place it in your lead party slot and visit its shrine in the Ilex Forest to trigger a time-travel event that will fill in some details about the game that you have no other way of obtaining. I cannot go into any more detail on this without ruining this event for you.
- Pikachu Colored Pichu
I actually have this one from the event but have not used it yet... If you trade the Pikachu Colored Pichu into your party and put it in the lead position (make sure you have an open party slot), and then visit Celebi's Shrine in the Ilex Forest, a Spiky-eared Pichu will join your party.
The Spiky-eared Pichu is a truly unique Pokemon that cannot be obtained any other way -- it has special moves that that evolutionary line normally cannot learn or obtain, it has a special held-item, and it is always female.
If you place the Spiky-eared Pichu in your lead party slot and take it to Professor Oak he will give you information about its unique origins. He will also rate it untradeable -- but it is already untradeable so not showing it to him still will not allow you to trade it to a different game.
Appendix 05
- Gift Pokemon
Dratini - A special variant of the Pokemon with Extreme Speed that is obtained from the Master of the Dragon's Den (Clair's Grandfather) after you beat Clair and obtain Ho-Oh but only IF you have answered all five test questions correctly. Refer to the section in the walkthrough for the correct answers to the test.
Eevee - Obtained from Bill at his house AFTER you meet him in Ecruteak City.
Mareep - Hatches from an egg obtained from Primo in the Violet City Poke Center as a reward for providing the correct secret phrase. The details on how to accomplish this and a link to a site to obtain the secret phrases from is provided in the body of the walkthrough for Violet City.
Shuckle - Obtained from a nervous trainer in Cianwood City who asks you to mind it for him.
Slugma - Hatches from an egg obtained from Primo in the Violet City Poke Center as a reward for providing the correct secret phrase. The details on how to accomplish this and a link to a site to obtain the secret phrases from is provided in the body of the walkthrough for Violet City.
Togepi - Hatches from the Mysterious Egg obtained from Mr. Pokemon.
Tyrogue - Received from the Karate King in the lower level of Mt. Mortar as a reward IF you beat him in battle. The Tyrogue you receive is Level 10 and tradeable.
Wooper - Hatches from an egg obtained from Primo in the Violet City Poke Center as a reward for providing the correct secret phrase. The details on how to accomplish this and a link to a site to obtain the secret phrases from is provided in the body of the walkthrough for Violet City.
Hoenn Starters - Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip
After you obtain all 16 Gym Badges and defeat Trainer Red (Ash Kethcum) you can visit with Steven at the Silph Company HQ in Saffron City. He will ask you what color stone you prefer, and based upon that choice, award you one of these starter Pokemon.
Kanto Starters - Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle
After you obtain all 16 Gym Badges and defeat the Trainer Red (Ash Kethcum) in battle, you may visit with Professor Oak and he will offer you ONE of the Kanto Starters. You pick it.
- In-Game Trades with NPC's
Please note that some of these trades are really not worth doing because you are giving a better Pokemon than you are receiving, however all of the potential trades are included here in case you actually want to do these trades...
Beldum - Obtained in trade with Steven for a Forretress in the Lobby Level of Silph Company AFTER you have both obtained the Hoenn starter and had the random encounter with him in the Pewter Museum (I am not certain if you have to have captured Latias first). This is a pretty good trade because the Beldum you get from Steven has a Dawn Stone as its held item.
Dodrio - Obtained from a woman in a house in Blackthorn City by trading her a FEMALE Dragonair. This is an outrageously unfair trade, and you would have to be a total git to do it, I am just saying.
Machop - Obtained by trading a Drowzee (any Level) to a bloke on the 4th Floor of the Goldenrod City Department Store.
Magneton - Obtained by trading a Scientist at the Power Plant a Dugtrio. You can do this if you like,, but really Magneton are pretty easy to get, whereas Dugtrio are not so easy to get.
Onix - Obtained by trading a Bellsprout (any Level) to a bloke in the house near the Center in Violet City.
Pikachu - Obtained by trading a Pikachu caught in the Viridian Forest to Lt. Surge in the Saffron City Magnet Train Station AFTER you defeat him in a rematch battle. The Pikachu that he trades you has a foreign Dex Entry, which is sort of cool, but other than that it is bog-standard.
Rhyhorn - Obtained by trading a Bonsly to Brock inside the entrance to Diglett's Cave on Saturdays between 17:00 and 20:00 after a few dialogue exchanges. If you are not aware, a Bonsly is the first evolutionary form of a Sudowoodo (there is only ONE Sudowoodo in the game, so if you killed rather than captured the one that was blocking the path you are SOL), but as the Rhyhorn arrives knowing the move Thunder Fang, this is actually a desirable trade... To obtain the Bonsly you will need to breed your Sudowoodo (with it holding a Rock Incense) with a Ditto, and then hatch the egg.
Steelix - Obtained by trading any Pokemon to Gym Leader Jasmine AFTER you have defeated her in the rematch battle.
Voltorb - Obtained from a bloke in a house in Olivine City in exchange for a Krabby (any Level). Note that there are rocks you can smash to obtain a Krabby from in Cianwood City if you did not collect the Fishing Rod Key Items.
Xatu - Obtained by trading a Haunter to a bloke in the Pewter City Pokemon Center. This is actually a fair trade as the Haunters are easy to get, whereas Xatu? Not so much.
Appendix 06
It is a tradition in the Pokemon games to have certain Legendary Pokemon available to be caught in each game -- some more than others -- and this one is no exception to that tradition! As HeartGold is what is known as a "bridging" version (includes a variety of multi-region Pokemon in it) there is perhaps a bit more variety too in the Legendary Pokemon, so you have the chance to catch some that you would have needed to own previous games to catch otherwise.
When going after a Legendary Pokemon always remember the following rules:
(1) ALWAYS bring plenty of balls of different types. For larger Pokemon Heavy Balls work well, as ro Ultra Balls. Timer Balls and Net Balls can be handy too, depending upon the type, time, etc. Try to learn the advantages and strengths of the different balls so that you use the best ball for the job!
(2) ALWAYS save your game prior to attempting to capture a stationary Legendary Pokemon so that if you mess up and kill it you can re-load.
(3) ALWAYS try to get the targets health as low as you can before you start spending balls on a capture.
(4) NEVER use a time-damage move or a move that continues to damage over multiple turns, as that can quickly cost you the Legendary Pokemon by killing it.
(5) ALWAYS know the TYPE of the Legendary that you are trying to capture and NEVER use types that are strong vs. its type in the capture, as you can easily kill it with them.
(6) ALWAYS save after a Legendary capture. Even when you have the things health down to a red sliver it can take dozens or even hundreds of balls and hours to capture it, and it would be a massive shame to lose it by running low on battery power or accidentally resetting or turning off your game, right?
- HeartGold's Legendary Mob
Articuno (Roaming)
This Legendary Pokemon is a Random Encounter that takes place in the Seafoam Islands any time AFTER you have obtained all 16 Gym Badges. It may take several encounters for you to succeed in capturing it, and as always with random encounters, save often and do not kill it. If you kill it, re-load your save. Articuno is Level 50 when you encounter it and it does not show up on the map.
Dialga (Event Related)
To obtain a Dialga in HeartGold you must trade in an Arceus and follow the event process as detailed in the events section to meet with Cynthia and be given the opportunity to have Arceus create a new baby (Level 1) Legendary Pokemon for you.
Note: It may be possible to do this more than once by using different Arceus but I have not verified that at press time. Dialga can also be obtained via GTS if you have the Dex entry, or from Pokemon Diamond and Platinum.
Entei (Roaming)
After releasing the trio from the Brass Tower, this Legendary is encountered at Level 40, and DOES appear on the map. All of the normal cautions apply.
Giratina (Event Related)
To obtain a Giratina in HeartGold you must trade in an Arceus and follow the event process as detailed in the events section to meet with Cynthia and be given the opportunity to have Arceus create a new baby (Level 1) Legendary Pokemon for you.
Note: It may be possible to do this more than once by using different Arceus but I have not verified that at press time. Giratina can also be obtained via GTS if you have the Dex entry, or from Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
Ho-Oh (Stationary)
After you defeat Team Rocket, battle and defeat the Kimono Girls, and have obtained the Rainbow Wing and beaten Clair, you can find Ho-Oh at the top of the Bell Tower in Ecruteak City. You will need to pass through the maze to reach him -- see the walkthrough section for the specific path that you need to take. He appears at Level 70 and can be a bit difficult to catch because he can sometimes heal himself, so make sure that you SAVE before starting the battle, and remember: slow and steady wins the race!
Kyogre (Stationary)
Obtainable after you first obtain the National Dex, the Kanto Starter, and then the Blue Orb from Mr. Pokemon, a Level 50 Kyogre can be found in the cave off of Route 47. Please be aware that Kyogre is specific to HeartGold, and can only be caught here, just as Groudon is specific to SoulSilver and can only be caught in that game for this generation. However, you should be aware that Kyogre can also be obtained from Sapphire (Cave of Origin) and Emerald (Marine Cave), just as Groudon can be obtained from Ruby (Cave of Origin) and Emerald (Terra Cave). If you have the Dex entry for either they can also be obtained from the GTS.
Latios (Wi-Fi Event Roaming)
If you obtained the Enigma Stone from the Enigma Stone Wi-Fi/Mystery Gift Event, you can take that to show to Steven at the Museum in Pewter City (see walkthrough) and have it discovered to be the Soul Dew Held Item. Once this has happened, after you leave the Museum Latios becomes available for capture as a Random Encounter (Latios DOES appear on the Map).
Note: Latias does not appear in HeartGold, as it is the exclusive for the Enigma Event in SoulSilver, however both Latias & Latios can also be obtained from PokemonRuby, Sapphire, and Emerald, and can be obtained via GTS if you have the respective Dex entry.
Lugia (Stationary)
After obtaining the Key Item: Silver Feather in Pewter City, defeating the Elite Four, and obtaining the National Dex, Lugia will become available for capture in the bottom section of the Whirl Islands. For HeartGold the Lugia is at Level 70, and has a very aggressive attack pattern, so be sure that your kit is topped up and you are a patient Trainer!
Mewtwo (Stationary)
After you earn all of the Kanto Gym Badges and gain access to the Cerulean Caves (the entrance is blocked by a Trainer until you have the Badges), you have the chance to capture this amazing Legendary Pokemon. All of the standard rules apply to capturing him -- save first of course, bring plenty of kit, you know the drill. For the longest time this guy and Mew were the Holy Grail for serious Trainers, and that really has not changed!
Moltres (Stationary)
This Legendary Pokemon is a Stationary Encounter that takes place in the Silver Cave any time AFTER you have obtained all 16 Gym Badges. Save before you battle it! If you kill it, re-load your save. Moltres is Level 50 when you encounter it and it does not show up on the map.
Palkia (Event Related)
To obtain a Palkia in HeartGold you must trade in an Arceus and follow the event process as detailed in the events section to meet with Cynthia and be given the opportunity to have Arceus create a new baby (Level 1) Legendary Pokemon for you.
Note: It may be possible to do this more than once by using different Arceus but I have not verified that at press time. Palkia can also be obtained via GTS if you have the Dex entry, or from Pokemon Pearl and Platinum.
Raikou (Roaming)
After releasing the trio from the Brass Tower, this Legendary is encountered at Level 40, and DOES appear on the map. All of the normal cautions apply.
Rayquaza (Stationary)
This one is a bit tougher to obtain but only because you have to jump through hoops to do it in HeartGold! To obtain Rayquaza, you must first capture Kyogre, and then trade for a Groudon that is specifically from SoulSilver, and then show them both to Professor Oak at his Lab in order to obtain the Jade Orb. Once you have the Orb, return to the same cave from which you captured Kyogre, and Rayquaza will appear -- all the normal rules for capture apply! IF you do not have access to a Groudon from SoulSilver, remember that Rayquaza can also be captured at the Sky Pillar in Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, and can be obtained via GTS if you have its Dex entry.
Suicune (Stationary with Chase Modes)
Like Entei and Raikou, Suicune is released into the lands when you complete the Brass Tower section of the adventure, after which all three are unleashed. With Suicune before it becomes stationary (and thus catch-able) you must first encounter it several times (noted in walkthrough). Once it has become stationary, like the other Legendary Pokemon you want to be sure that you SAVE before you fight it, and that you have plenty of kit on hand so that you can fight a battle of attrition against it.
Zapdos (Roaming)
This Legendary Pokemon is a Random Encounter that takes place in the areas around the Power Plant any time AFTER you have obtained all 16 Gym Badges. It may take several encounters for you to succeed in capturing it, and as always with random encounters, save often and do not kill it. If you kill it, re-load your save. Zapdos is Level 50 when you encounter it and it does not show up on the map.
- Closing Notes on Legendary Pokemon
Some of these MAY be encountered even if you have killed them if the first encounter took place prior to your defeating the Elite Four, but I am not certain that this is guaranteed so it would be an idea not to kill them, right?
Bear in mind that Legendary Pokemon are ALWAYS a desired trade via both GTS and Wi-Fi at events, so do not under-value yours! As a general rule you should only trade what are considered "common" Legendary Pokemon (i.e. the ones that appear in more than one game and are easier to catch like the two trio sets) for other Legendary Pokemon. You should NEVER trade a Legendary for a common or even an uncommon Pokemon unless it is classified as rare itself (was obtained as an event-exclusive that knows a special move, is shiny, or otherwise has restricted availability).
There is no sense in trading a rare or powerful Pokemon just to complete a gap in your Dex -- if you are just looking for Dex entries, there are lots of Trainers active on the Pokemon chat boards on our site that will help you do trade-and-trade-backs just to get Dex entries, after which you can usually find the common and uncommon as trades on GTS for other common/uncommon Pokemon.
Appendix 07
- General Mystery Gift System Introduction -
Event distribution takes several forms, but are all completed via the Mystery Gift Menu in the game loading screen (regardless of version from Generation 3 onwards). From the Loading Screen (Boot Menu) for each game the player is presented with a set of choices, starting with "Continue" at the top that lists the player name, play time, number of badges, and Pokedex entries. Below this in the menu, depending upon the game, are other choices.
For games earlier than HeartGold/SoulSilver, the player is required to take specific steps to activate the Mystery Gift system and add that to the Loading Menu choices, but for HeartGold/SoulSilver that special requirement is removed, and access is granted to the Mystery Gift menu immediately and without any additional requirements.
Using the D-Pad the player cycles through the choices -- Continue > New Game > Connect to Pokewalker > Mystery Gift > Nintendo WI-FI Connection Settings > Wii Message Settings -- are the complete Load Menu choices. Prior to utilizing menu choice four (Mystery Gift) on the Nintendo DS, the player must first configure the Nintendo WI-FI Connection Option (part of the game on the DS, part of the System Configuration on the DSi and DSi-XL). For the purposes of this section, it is presumed that the player (A) has a Wi-Fi capable Network Access Point available to them either in their home or some public location, and (B) has configured their console to utilize this connection.
Under the Mystery Gift Menu there are two Sub-Menus available:
-- Sub-Menu One, which includes the selections (1) Receive Gift, (2) Check Card, and (3) Exit.
-- Sub-Menu Two, which includes the selections (1) Get from a Friend, (2) Get via Wireless, (3) Get via Nintendo WFC, and (4) Cancel.
In Sub-Menu One, the second selection, Check Card, allows the player to review the current three (3) Wondercards active on the console. The player is only permitted to have a total of three (3) Wondercards active at any time. Note that in order to receive a new Wondercard, if there are three already present, one or more must be deleted from the console.
As long as the player has ALREADY claimed the contents of a Wondercard, deleting said card will NOT impact that asset. Therefore the player should verify that they have, in fact, claimed the item or Pokemon associated with the Wondercard prior to deleting it, as Wondercards that have been deleted CANNOT be recovered. Once a Wondercard is present on the system and claimed, the player can obtain the item represented by the card at any Poke Mart by speaking to the specially liveried delivery man there. Prior to deleting a Wondercard from the Sub-Menu, be certain that you have claimed the associated item and saved the game AFTER you have claimed the associated item!
In Sub-Menu Two, each of the selections applies to SPECIFIC circumstances, as follows:
(1) GET FROM A FRIEND
Use this option to accept a Wondercard that has been received by a friend. This type of card is not widely in use outside of Japan, however a Wondercard of this type is marked on the original recipients list as able to be shared, with the number of times it can still be shared (usually 5) indicated.
To obtain a Wondercard in this fashion, the GIVER accesses the Wondercard List from Sub-Menu One and clicks on the Wondercard and selects the SHARE option. The RECIPIENT accesses Menu Choice One (GET FROM A FRIEND) from Sub-Menu Two, and the exchange then commences. At press time this option was only used for Wondercards obtained at National and International Events.
(2) GET VIA WIRELESS
Use this option when you are attending an event that has a distribution point. This is the most often-used method for distribution of event items and Pokemon.
For example, Game Stop Stores and Toys 'R Us recently held events to distribute Pikachu-Colored-Pichu utilizing this feature. To claim the Wondercard associated with this event, the player was required to be physically present at the distribution point, with their DS/DSi, and their Game Card. Using this menu choice, the player connected to the distribution system at the event and downloaded the Event Wondercard automatically (assuming that they had an open slot in the three Wondercard slots available on their game card).
(3) GET VIA NINTENDO WFC
The third choice on the Second Sub-Menu is used by the Nintendo WFC, and is growing in popularity. This type of event does not require the player to be physically present at any specific location, rather it only requires that the player have access to a Wi-Fi hotspot or access point that has an Internet Connection.
Using this selection, the player can connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection via the Internet and download the Wondercard associated with an event. The most recent WFC event at press time was "The Enigma Stone" event, which gave a Wondercard that allowed the player to claim an Enigma Stone at any Poke Mart in the game, which in turn could be presented to Steven Stone at the Museum in Pewter City to obtain the Soul Dew, the result of which was to release the Legendary Pokemon Latios/Latias (depending upon game version) for the player to catch as a random encounter.
A series of WFC events are scheduled for 2010/2011 covering events that have already taken place in the Japanese Region. Players should note that WFC events are Language-Based rather than Region-based, so if the player has an English Language version of the game (regardless of region) they will be able to claim any Wondercards for events active for the English version of the games. A player who has purchased a Japanese version of the game(s) can claim the Wondercard for that version even when they reside or are located outside of the geographical region, as the game(s) are not region-locked.
That covers everything that you need to know about the underlying mechanics of the Mystery Gift System!
- Identification of Genuine Event Pokemon -
Pokemon obtained through the Mystery Gift and Events programs are easy to identify thanks to the Special Trainer Number that they are assigned at creation. This is especially important to note if you are trading via GTS or with trainers that you meet via Wi-Fi as it can tell you if the Pokemon that you are trading -- or are trading for -- is an event Pokemon or not.
As these are highly desirable Pokemon they are often sought in trades both on GTS and via Wi-Fi, and as a result of this also happen to be the most often counterfeited Pokemon existing. Be aware that it IS possible to obtain a counterfeit Pokemon via GTS, though Nintendo is improving its system to evaluate and detect -- and thus to block -- trades of counterfeit Pokemon via the GTS service.
It has been my experience that GTS trades are much safer these days, and less likely to be hacked or counterfeit than those you obtain via Wi-Fi trading, either live or through the Internet. It may help to remember that many of the traders you meet on websites and via official events may not even be aware that the Pokemon that they offering for trade is a hacked or counterfeit one! To help you to avoid getting burned in a trade, or in identifying those "special" Pokemon that you have already traded for, we are including the list below that gives specific identifying information for event Pokemon, with the most important identifying feature being the Trainer ID Number.
The known Special Numbers(1) as of press time for this guide are as follows.
Listing Key: Special Number Trainer Name Pokemon(2) Note(3)
00001 - 01000 PCNYa Several Pokemon obtained from Pokecenter NYC
00001 - 01000 PCNYb Several Pokemon obtained from Pokecenter NYC
00001 - 01000 PCNYc Several Pokemon obtained from Pokecenter NYC
00001 - 01000 PCNYd Several Pokemon obtained from Pokecenter NYC
00010 - 00010 SPACE C Deoxys Houston Space Center Event NA
00010 - 00010 10 ANIV Several 10th Anniversary Events.
00010 - 00010 10ANNIV Several 10th Anniversary Events.
00010 - 00010 10JAHRE Several 10th Anniversary Events.
00010 - 00010 10ANNI Several 10th Anniversary Events.
01000 - 01000 Hayley Several Pokemon received from Wii Pokemon Ranch.
01000 - 01000 EUKALIA Several Pokemon received from Wii Pokemon Ranch.
01000 - 01000 EULALIA Several Pokemon received from Wii Pokemon Ranch.
01000 - 01000 EULALIE Several Pokemon received from Wii Pokemon Ranch.
01000 - 01000 GIULIA Several Pokemon received from Wii Pokemon Ranch.
02000 - 02000 STADIUM Several Obtained from Pokemon Stadium Gym Leader Castle.
02000 - 02000 Stadium Several Obtained from Pokemon Stadium 2.
02089 - 02089 TRU Shaymin Obtained at Toys 'R Us Event NA
02270 - 02270 GAMESTP Jirachi Obtained from Game Stop Event NA
03050 - 03050 SPR2010 Pichu Obtained via Nintendo WFC Event.
03089 - 03089 TRU Reigigas Obtained at Toys 'R Us Event NA
03208 - 03208 Carlo Riolu Traded from Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.
03208 - 03208 Karel Riolu Traded from Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.
03208 - 03208 Kiko Riolu Traded from Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.
03208 - 03208 Kyle Riolu Traded from Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.
03208 - 03208 Almia Darkrai Traded from Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.
05318 - 05318 ALAMOS Darkrai Obtained at Toys 'R Us Event.
05318 - 05318 ALAMOS Darkrai Obtained at Nintendo World Store Event.
06199 - 06199 NZ Jirachi Tanabata 2009 Nintendo WFC Event.
06257 - 06257 PKTOPIA Several Obtained from NA Edition of Pokemon Battle Revolution.
06808 - 06808 10 ANIV Several Obtained at 10th Anniv Celebration, Bryant Park NYC.
06930 - 06930 MYSTRY Mew Obtained at Toys 'R Us Event 2006.
07038 - 07038 ALAMOS Darkrai Europe Alamos Event 2008.
07147 - 07147 10th Deoxys Obtained at Pokemon Movie Event Japan 2007.
07157 - 07157 PALCITY Several Obtained at the 2007 Pokemon Festival JP
08107 - 08107 TCGWC Pikachu 2007 TCG World Championships NA.
08178 - 08178 WORLD08 Lucario 2008 TCG World Championships NA.
08604 - 08604 Seth Heracross 2007 Nintendo GTS Trade Event.
09297 - 09297 TRU Manaphy 2007 Toys 'R Us Event NA.
10017 - 10017 NWS Manaphy 2007 Nintendo World Store Event NA.
10048 - 10048 DUELLBE Ho-Oh Obtained from Pokemon Colosseum DR
10048 - 10048 ERNESTO Ho-Oh Obtained from Pokemon Colosseum SP
10048 - 10048 MATTLE Ho-Oh Obtained from Pokemon Colosseum NA
10048 - 10048 MT BATA Ho-Oh Obtained from Pokemon Colosseum FR
10048 - 10048 MONTE L Ho-Oh Obtained from Pokemon Colosseum IT
10128 - 10128 WCS Milotic 2008 TCG World Championships JP
10187 - 10187 E4ALL Manaphy Obtained from the Pokemon Ranger TotS Movie Event.
10278 - 10278 Nzone Pikachu Obtained from the 2008 Nintendo Zone Event NA
10308 - 10308 ALAMOS Darkrai Obtained from 2008 Target Store Event AU
11077 - 11077 JBHF Manaphy Obtained at 2007 JB Hi-Fi Store Event AU
11088 - 11088 TRU Dragonite Obtained at 2008 Toys 'R Us event NA
12077 - 12077 PKTOPIA Several Obtained from Pokemon Battle Revolution EU
13579 - 13579 JEREMY Several Obtained from 2004 Toys 'R Us event NA
20042 - 20043 WISHMKR Jirachi Obtained from Pokemon Colosseum Bonus Disc NA
20078 - 20078 Aura Mew Obtained from 2007 Movie Event UK
24680 - 24680 JEREMY Several Obtained from 2004 Toys 'R Us event NA
24974 - 24974 Tom Heracross 2007 Nintendo GTS Trade Event.
28606 - 28606 DOEL Deoxys 2006 Nintendo GTS Event NL
30317 - 30317 RUBY Zigzagoon 2004 Wondercard Event DR/FR/NA
30317 - 30317 SAPHIRE Zigzagoon 2004 Wondercard Event DR/FR/NA
37149 - 37149 DUKING Several Obtained by trade from Pokemon XD: Gales of Darkness
40122 - 40122 CHANNEL Jirachi Traded from Pokemon Channel Game AU/UK
41205 - 41205 ANA Pikachu 2004 All Nippon Airways Pikachu Event JP
41400 - 41400 HORDEL Elekid Obtained by trade from Pokemon XD: Gales of Darkness
50039 - 50039 Christy Heracross 2007 Nintendo GTS Trade Event.
50425 - 50425 GW Pikachu Received at the 2005 Hadou Event JP
(1) Note that this list is not a complete list but rather contains the event Pokemon most likely to be encountered for trade outside of Japan.
(2) The specific Pokemon is noted unless there were multiple types, in which case this field is filled with the word "Several" to indicate that fact.
(3) Where appropriate the region or country is indicated for each event using the following abbreviations: AU=Australia / DR=Germany / EU=Europe Regional / FR=France / IT=Italy / JP=Japan / NA=North America / NL=Netherlands / NYC=New York City / SP=Spain / UK=United Kingdom
Appendix 08
With so many generations of Pokemon to choose from, and with all of the Pokemon from the 3rd Generation forward being theoretically available to you via trades and Pal Park, the folks at Game Freak had to come up with some unique ways to include them all in the game while still offering variety, fun, and challenge, and one of the ways that they chose to do that was to include the Pokewalker device as part of the process.
If you purchased a retail copy of either HeartGold or SoulSilver, you also received a Pokewalker in the box with your game! This device is both a pedometer and a game in itself, featuring special routes that are unlocked via events, and items as well as Pokemon that are only obtainable through using this device.
To help you in completing your Dex and knowing which Pokemon are unique to the device we include this list, with details:
Listing Key: Pokemon Name ( Pokewalker Track) Other Games they can be obtained from.
- Carvanha (Warm Beach) Ru/Sa/Em/Di/Pe/Pl/XD
- Castform (Treehouse) Ru/Sa/Em/Di/Pe/Pl
- Feebas (Quiet Cave) Ru/Sa/Em/Di/Pe/Pl
- Finneon (Stormy Beach) Di/Pe/Pl
- Kacleon (Treehouse) Ru/Sa/Em/Di/Pl
- Shellos (Stormy Beach) Di/Pe/Pl
- Skitty (Hoenn Field Track) Ru/Sa/Em/Di/Pe/Pl
- Snorunt (Icy Mountain Road) Ru/Sa/Em/Di/Pe/Pl/XD
- Snover (Icy Mountain Road) Di/Pe/Pl
- Spiritomb (Quiet Cave) Di/Pe/Pl
- Tropius (Big Forest) Ru/Sa/Em/Pl/Col
- Wailmer (Warm Beach) Ru/Sa/Em/Di/Pe/Pl
I include the other games listing as it may be easier for you to obtain them from your other games, or even to do Dex entry trades so that you can obtain them via GTS if only because the Pokewalker may not be everybody's cup-oh-tea! Note that some of the tracks on the walker require events or other key activities in order to unlock.
Appendix 09
Your Rival in HeartGold is a bit different than those of the previous games in that they are neither a friend or an acquaintance who challenges you, but are, in fact, your enemy! They actively dislike you and seek to cause you to fail and to defeat you -- at least for most of the game -- so you are not going to have that warm and fuzzy rapport with them that you may have come to enjoy from previous generations of the game!
One aspect of this odd relationship is the aura of mystery that surrounds your Rival. They are a thief and a bad person, and may even be a Bad Person from the trainer point of view as well, considering how poorly they treat their own Pokemon! This being the case, your encounters with them will be violent and serious, so you should make every effort to give them a sound beating, right?
To help you on the way to doing that, here is the list of your Rival Encounters with notes so you can be prepared for them. I want to thank Gryfen for all of his help with this part of the WT, and specifically for noting the various stats and levels. Thank you Gryfen!
Listing Key: Location (Team) Notes
Rival Encounters (in the most logical order that they may occur).
- Cherrygrove City
(Level 5 Starter Pokemon)
Based upon the one you chose.
- Violet City in the Sprout Tower
(No Battle Here)
You encounter your Rival as he is leaving, having battled the Monk in the Tower. He makes a disparaging comment and then wastes an Escape Rope to leave.
- Azalea Town
(L18 Starter / L16 Zubat / L14 Gastly)
As you are about to enter the west gate on your way to the Ilex Forest your Rival will challenge you to a battle. You cannot proceed without fighting this battle, and you really should make every effort to pound his face into the dirt, right?
- Ecruteak City in the Burned Tower
(L22 Starter / L20 Gastly / L20 Zubat / L18 Magnemite)
As you head up around the hole in the floor of the tower you encounter your Rival, who forces a fight. He has added another Pokemon to his team, but by this time you should have a full team and have already done some leveling, so this should not be much of a challenge as far as Rival Battles go...
- Mahogany Town at the Rocket HQ
(No Battle Here)
As you are on your way back out of the HQ you encounter your Rival, who is his usual cheery self, and he tells you how badly you suck before leaving!
- Goldenrod City in the Radio Station
(No Battle Here)
Your Rival puts in an appearance just as you are trying to sneak past the guard at the stairs and blows your cover!
- Goldenrod City in the Underground Mall
(L34 Starter / L34 Sneasel / L32 Golbat / L32 Haunter / L30 Magnemite)
On your way back out of the restricted area you will be forced into a Rival Battle, and hopefully you will win. By now you should have your team's training well in hand and have fought most of the Rocket Grunts in the area as well.
- Olivine City in the street
(No Battle Here)
As you arrive in Olivine City your Rival will tell you that the Gym Leader is not in the Gym and offer you some advice, and then depart.
- Victory Road
(L40 Starter / L38 Golbat / L37 Haunter / L37 Kadabra / L37 Magneton / L36 Sneasel)
At this point your Rival is still mostly convinced that he knows what he is doing, and as he has been leveling his team, feels that he can beat you. I sincerely hope not, because mysterious history or not, this guy is a mouthy git and he needs a good beating!
- Dragon's Den near Blackthorn City
(No Battle Here)
Instead of battling with you, he joins you in a battle against Clair & Lance.
- Mt. Moon
(L50 Starter / L48 Alakazam / L48 Gengar / L47 Golbat / L46 Magneton / L46 Sneasel)
As you enter Mt. Moon your Rival forces you into yet another battle that he is certain he is ready to win. And yet... Nope, clearly he is NOT ready mwahahahaha!
- Dragon's Den near Blackthorn City
(No Battle Here)
Your Rival appears here on Tuesday and Thursday as part of his training plan, and you can have dialogue with him the first few times that is part of the story line.
- Pokemon League HQ
(Team Levels Vary)
On Monday and Wednesday you can fight Rival Battle Rematches here if you like.
- Celebi Event
(No Battle Here)
This is a special event that takes place after you win the game, and that provides you with some deep background on the story arc you otherwise cannot get. Don't want to ruin it for you though, so you will have to do it to find out the story!
Appendix 10
In the process of playing the game and using the Rock Smash move you are going to find a variety of shards, though initially there is no explanation as to what the shards are for... If you always talk to the people you encounter in towns, eventually you are going to stumble upon one of the two Shard Traders in the game. You might be wondering if it is worth trading these shards to the Shard Traders -- the simple answer is YES, as that is what the shards were put into the game for!
What do you get when you trade a shard to a Shard Trader? Why, berries of course!
There are two Shard Traders in the game: the Juggler outside of the Center in Violet City who you should discover early in the game, and the Juggler near the Pal Park. Depending upon the shard that you trade, you will get a different set of berries -- read the Berry Sciences to get an idea of which berries you want to hold on to and plant, as some are more useful than others!
-- Violet City Juggler --
Blue Shard: Chesto / Oran / Wiki
Green Shard: Aguav / Lum / Rawst
Red Shard: Cheri / Leppa / Pecha
Yellow Shard: Aspear / Iapapa / Sitrus
-- Fuchsia City Juggler --
Blue Shard: Bluk / Cornn / Kelpsy
Green Shard: Durin / Hondew / Wepear
Red Shard: Persim / Pomeg / Razz
Yellow Shard: Grepa / Nomel / Pinap
As far as I know the Enigma Berry does not appear in this game, or have any use, and of the berries that you can trade shards for, the most useful appear to be the Persim (Red Shard) as that allows your Pokemon to recover from Confusion, and is the only really useful berry in the lot from Fuchsia.
There are a few from Violet City that can be thought of as useful, including Chesto and Oran (Blue Shard) which recover from Sleep and restore 10 HP respectively, Rawst and Lum (Green Shard) which heal Burns and Cure ANY Status Issue respectively. All three of the Red Shard berries are useful: Cheri cures paralysis, Leppa restores 10 PP, and Pecha cures Poison. For the Yellow Shard only the Aspear and Sitrus are useful, healing freeze (defrost) and restoring a small amount of HP respectively.
There are two ways that the berries can be used -- either as a held item by your Pokemon, who I presume will activate it when it makes sense to, or by you as an item. Either way for the most part they are like free potions/items, so why not use them? It is not like you have anything else to do with those Shards, right?
Appendix 11
Swarm Pokemon make a return! Finding the Swarms is as simple as listening to Professor Oak's Pokemon Talk Radio channel, where every real life day he will announce a different swarm and location. If you check your map on the Pokegear, you will notice that the active Swarm location is marked on it with an exclamation point -- so finding the Swarms is really very easy!
The following Pokemon have been observed and obtained in Swarms in HeartGold:
Listing Key: Name (Number) Swarm Location
- Baltoy (343) Route 3
- Buneary (427) Route 25
- Chansey (113) Route 13
- Clamperl (366) Route 19
- Ditto (132) Route 47
- Dunsparce (206) Dark Cave
- Kricketot (401) Viridian Forest
- Luvdisc (370) Route 27
- Marill (183) Mt. Mortar
- Poochyena (261) Route 1
- Qwilfish (211) Route 32
- Ralts (280) Route 34
- Relicanth (369) Route 12
- Remoraid (223) Route 44
- Sableye (302) Route 9
- Snubbull (209) Route 38
- Swablu (333) Route 45
- Whiscash (340) Violet City
- Wingull (278) Vermilion City
- Yanma (193) Route 35
Thanks to Swash for the Swarm Locations.
Appendix 12
As in the previous games your Trainer Card is where you look to determine which Badges you have earned and the various stats related to trading, battling, and the like. HeartGold continues the established tradition of using the color of the card to indicate certain milestone events -- and if you like you can change the color by completing any of the following steps (the order does not matter):
(1) No Stars: Red -- This is the color you start with.
(2) One Star: Blue
(3) Two Stars: Green
(4) Three Stars: Pink
(5) Four Stars: Silver
(6) Five Stars: Black
To obtain stars you can do the following in any order:
(1) Defeat the Elite Four.
(2) Complete the National Pokedex.
(3) Collect 5 Shiny Leaves on a single Pokemon and have the Crown made.
(4) Set the top record in 10 Pokeathlon Events.
(5) Get a 100 win streak in the Battle Tower.
It seems like Black is the color that everybody wants, and no question, it is the hardest to get... The events are listed above in what I view as the easiest to the hardest, but YMMV.
Appendix 13
NOTE: Please review the complete Introduction in Appendix 07 before you continue reading this as it provides background information on the mechanism used for the distribution of Mystery Gifts in the Pokemon games.
Despite the fact that all of the generations from the third forward are mostly present here, as is the tradition in these games, there are a certain number of Pokemon that you cannot obtain in HeartGold/SoulSilver. Depending upon how you look at it, this is either a tradition that is worth acknowledging (the Positive view), or it is a method that forces you to buy other games in the series (that would be the Pessimists view).
Either way, it is a fact of life, so here is the list of Unobtainable Pokemon, including the information that you need on how they can be obtained from the other games and by trade. Chances are you will be obtaining most of these by trading them from the other games, or through the GTS system after arranging for a Dex Entry Trade, as the events for some took place at times prior to the release of the current games.
-- Pokemon that cannot captured in HeartGold / SoulSilver --
Listing Key: Name (National Dex #) Note on where they can be obtained.
- Arceus (493) Wi-Fi Events / Wondercard (6) / GTS
- Azelf (482) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Bastiodon (411) Pokemon Pearl or Platinum / GTS
- Celebi (251) Pokemon Coliseum Bonus Disc (1) / Wi-Fi Events / Wondercard (2) / GTS
- Chimchar (390) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Cranidos (408) Pokemon Diamond or Platinum / GTS
- Cresselia (488) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Darkrai (491) Wi-Fi Events / Wondercard (4) / GTS
- Deoxys (386) Wi-Fi Event / Wondercard (2) / GTS
- Drifblim (426) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Drifloon (425) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Empoleon (395) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Glaceon (471) Level @ Route 217 / GTS
- Glameow (431) Pokemon Pearl / GTS
- Grotle (388) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Heatran (485) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Infernape (392) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Jirachi (385) Pokemon Coliseum Bonus Disc (1) / Wondercard (3) / GTS
- Leafeon (470) Level @ Moss Rock / GTS
- Magnezone (462) Evolve from Magneton @ Mt. Coronet / GTS
- Manaphy (490) Pokemon Ranger Egg / Wi-Fi Events / Wondercard / GTS
- Mesprit (481) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Mew (151) Pokemon Emerald / Wi-Fi Events / Wondercard (3) / GTS
- Monferno (391) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Phione (489) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum Breeding / GTS
- Piplup (393) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Prinplup (394) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Probopass (476) Level Nosepass @ Mt. Coronet / GTS
- Purugly (432) Pokemon Pearl / GTS
- Rampardos (409) Pokemon Diamond or Platinum / GTS
- Regice (378) Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, or Platinum / GTS
- Regigigas (486) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Regirock (377) Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, or Platinum / GTS
- Registeel (379) Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, or Platinum / GTS
- Rotom (479) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Shaymin (492) Wi-Fi Events / Wondercard (5) / GTS
- Shieldon (410) Pokemon Pearl or Platinum / GTS
- Skuntank (435) Pokemon Diamond / GTS
- Stunky (434) Pokemon Diamond / GTS
- Torterra (389) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Turtwig (387) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
- Uxie (480) Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum / GTS
--== NOTES ==--
(1) Available as part of the Pokemon Coliseum Bonus Disc, exclusive to the Japanese Version of Coliseum -- the North American version featured Jirachi. The Bonus Disc Celebi and Jirachi could be claimed on the GBA Version Games Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed and LeafGreen in their respective languages only.
(2) This Pokemon was distributed via GBA download as a part of the Pokemon 10th Anniversary "Journey Across America" Tournament and Event, which celebrated the original Japanese release of the Pokemon games. This event took place in 24 US Cities, and included an additional pair of Tournament Events in Houston, Texas (NASA Space Center), and at the New York City Poke Center.
Attendees were shown a preview of the upcoming motion picture "Lucario and the Mystery of Mew," and were allowed to download a select group of Pokemon that were marked with the Original Trainer Name: 10 ANIV with the ID Number: 00010, with the exception of Deoxys, which was marked with the Original Trainer ID: SPACE C, and the Trainer Number: 00010.
(3) A wide variety of Wondercard Events have already taken place in the past, and this Pokemon was a part of one or more of these events. As such you have a couple of choices: wait for a new event that includes this Pokemon (not very likely), or trade for it on the GTS network (a more likely choice).
(4) Requires the Key Item: Card Key obtained from the official Event. As this event has already taken place, if you do not have the event item, your best bet is to arrange a Dex Entry trade wither online or with a mate who has Darkrai and then trade for one on the GTS. This is one of a handful of Pokemon that is very difficult to obtain!
(5) Available via Wondercard from Toys 'R Us 2009 Event. This is another very difficult to obtain Pokemon. Your best bet if you have not attended the event and obtained the Wondercard is to arrange a Dex Trade and obtain it via the GTS.
(6) Available via Wondercard through the Azure Flute Event (November 2009). Your best bet if you have not attended the event and obtained the Wondercard is to arrange a Dex Trade and obtain it via the GTS.
Appendix 14
Shiny Leaves are a rare non-standard item obtained in tall grass with the assistance of your Pokemon and are collected to obtain one of the stars on your Trainer ID Card.
These leaves are obtained by talking to your Pokemon (facing the Pokemon that you have in the first party position and that is walking behind you, and talking to it) in a particular section of tall grass. The section of tall grass that you will need to be in when doing this is entirely dependent upon the Nature of your Pokemon -- please consult the list below to determine which Routes you need to be on for a given Nature.
After you find one leaf you should return to New Bark Town and speak with Lyra in order to trigger the Shiny Leaf Trainer Card Quest. Note that these leaves do not appear in your bag -- to ascertain which of your Pokemon has a leaf you must examine their Summary Screen. The leaf will appear on the Summary Screen along the bottom in the border area.
When you show the first leaf to Lyra she will charge you with the quest of obtaining an additional four leaves on that same Pokemon (note that having one leaf on five Pokemon or five spread over several Pokemon does NOT work -- all five must be held by the SAME Pokemon!). Once you have five leaves on one Pokemon return to Lyra and she will unlock the star on your Trainer Card, and take the five leaves from you and turn them into a Leaf Crown, which she will then return to your Pokemon.
Your Pokemon who have completed the Shiny Leaf Quest will be depicted in the image on their Summary Screen wearing the Shiny Crown!
-- Finding Leaves --
Locating leaves is something of a hit-or-miss process. Even if you are on the correct route for your Pokemon's Nature and you talk to them there is no guarantee that you will in fact obtain a leaf! If you do not, simply continue to look.
Talking to your Pokemon can produce several standard responses with sound and visual indicators, including an exclamation point, smiling face, and musical note, followed by standard messages of condition, mood, or feeling. These do not indicate that they have found a leaf. When you actually find a leaf your Pokemon will display a large red exclamation point, followed by a musical note, and then it will dance in a circle before you finally see the message: ". . . . . . . Oh? (Name) is holding some kind of strange, Shiny Leaf. . ."
After you receive the above message select the Pokemon Card from the 'X' Menu and then select the Pokemon in the number one position, followed by the 'SUMMARY' button, and you will see in the Summary Screen (the top screen, not the touch-screen) on the left bottom that the label "Shiny Leaf" has been added, and a single gold and sparkling leaf image will appear to the right of this label.
In order to simplify the process of obtaining the leaves the table below lists the Natures by Route. Simply check the Route that you are on to see what Natures can find Shiny Leaves there.
Key: Route Number Natures
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
01 Impish / Jolly / Naive / Naughty / Sassy
02 Calm / Gentle / Lax / Relaxed
03 Impish / Jolly / Naive / Naughty / Sassy
04 Calm / Gentle / Lax / Relaxed
05 Impish / Jolly / Naive / Naughty / Sassy
06 Calm / Gentle / Lax / Relaxed
07 Careful / Docile / Modest / Quiet / Serious
08 Careful / Docile / Modest / Quiet / Serious
09 Adamant / Bold / Brave / Hardy
10 Bashful / Lonely / Timid
11 Hasty / Mild / Quirky / Rash
12 Impish / Jolly / Naive / Naughty / Sassy
13 Careful / Docile / Modest / Quiet / Serious
14 Careful / Docile / Modest / Quiet / Serious
15 Adamant / Bold / Brave / Hardy
16 Bashful / Lonely / Timid
18 Hasty / Impish / Jolly / Mild / Naive / Naughty / Quirky / Rash / Sassy
22 Adamant / Bold / Brave / Hardy
24 Adamant / Bold / Brave / Hardy
25 Bashful / Lonely / Timid
26 Hasty / Mild / Quirky / Rash
27 Bashful / Lonely / Timid
28 Calm / Gentle / Lax / Relaxed
31 Impish / Jolly / Naive / Naughty / Sassy
32 Calm / Gentle / Lax / Relaxed
33 Careful / Docile / Modest / Quiet / Serious (See Note 2)
34 Impish / Jolly / Naive / Naughty / Sassy (See Note 1)
35 Calm / Gentle / Lax / Relaxed
36 Careful / Docile / Modest / Quiet / Serious
37 Adamant / Bold / Brave / Hardy
38 Bashful / Lonely / Timid
39 Hasty / Mild / Quirky / Rash
42 Adamant / Bold / Brave / Hardy
43 Bashful / Lonely / Timid
44 Hasty / Mild / Quirky / Rash
45 Careful / Docile / Modest / Quiet / Serious
46 Adamant / Bold / Brave / Hardy
47 Impish / Jolly / Naive / Naughty / Sassy (See Note 1)
48 Calm / Gentle / Lax / Relaxed
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Notes:
(1) Flying-Type Pokemon cannot obtain leaves on this Route.
(2) Ground, Fire, Rock, and Water-Type Pokemon cannot obtain leaves on this Route.
Appendix 15
You may have heard of them or even seen a picture of one on the web, but chances are slim that you have never encountered one in the game, and even if you have encountered one, you may not have realized it as you have to pay close attention during the opening of the encounter in order to see the give-away sign that it is a special Pokemon. Once the encounter is underway, the most obvious signs that you have encountered a Shiny Pokemon are the alterations of the opening visual and sound effects of the encounter/battle and its colors.
At the start of an encounter with a Shiny Pokemon the opening sound effect and graphics are slightly different, featuring radiating sparkles and what most trainers call a "sparkling sound effect" that is obvious once you know what to listen for. This effect is also present when you use a Shiny to battle another trainer, or encounter a Shiny in a battle with another trainer.
In the Second Generation games the sound effect and sparkles occur in the opening sequence before the Pokemon voices its call, while in the Third and later Generations these effects happen after the Pokemon voices its call.
The colors on a Shiny Pokemon are different from those of a normal one -- for example the Pidgey that I encountered had a very light olive-green color to its feathers in place of the rich brown that the normal ones have, and the difference in color is very pronounced and obvious, but that is not always the case. A smaller number of Pokemon have only the slightest variation of color and hue so that spotting the stars and hearing the tinkling sound can be the only effective way to identify their unique form!
Shiny status is not a transient status, and what that means is very simple: if a Pokemon is Shiny, it will always be Shiny, even when it evolves into another form, whereas if a Pokemon is not Shiny there is nothing that you can do legitimately to make it a Shiny. Some casual players make use of game altering hardware and software to edit their Pokemon to boost their stats or turn them into Shinies, but doing this will invalidate both your Pokemon AND your cartridge/card for use in Tourney Play! When you sign up for a Tournament at official Pokemon events, your cartridge or card is validated using a special console by the officials, and all of the Pokemon in it are evaluated and checked for tampering.
If you are found to have tampered with any of the Pokemon or even to have an altered Pokemon that you obtained legitimately from the Global Trade Station, your card will be flagged as permanently invalid for Tourney Play! Altering Pokemon, even when it is done nearly perfectly, is simply not worth that penalty, so when it comes to Shiny and Legendary Pokemon, you are better off restricting your acquisition only to trades with people that you can absolutely trust, finding them in the wild, or breeding them yourself!
-- Generation I & II Shiners --
Shiny Pokemon were first introduced in the Second Generation of games, and though the color differences can range from very slight for some Pokemon to very pronounced and obvious for others, the factor that determines whether or not it is a Shiny also differs between Generation II games and the later Generations.
There were no Shiny Pokemon per se in the First Generation, but the method that was used to determine the Shiny status for the first two Generations involved it having capped Speed, Defense, or Special Individual Value Points (IV's), and because of this a Shiny could be traded backwards to a Generation I game and then traded forward to a Generation II game while still retaining its Shiny status. This was often done in order to permit the Pokemon to learn Generation I TM's, assuming that the Pokemon was a member of the Dex of the First Generation.
The odds of encountering a Shiny in Generation II were approximately 1 in 8,192 (which are very long odds indeed!). That being so, it should be noted that Shiny status is a trait, so if a trainer breeds Shiny Pokemon together the odds jump to an astounding 1 in 64 chance, which is almost a sure thing compared to the odds of encountering them in the wild!
-- Generation III and Newer Shinies --
Unlike the first two Generations, the method for determining whether or not a Pokemon is Shiny in the later Generations uses a different system. Since there is no possibility of trading between Second Gen and later games, the Dev's were able to devise a more random and reliable system for Shiny flags that utilizes your Trainer ID Number (a five-digit number assigned to each trainer as they begin their journey into the world of Pokemon), and the Secret ID Number (a second five-digit number that while invisible to the player exists to guarantee that even if two trainers somehow share the exact same name, ID number, and gender, the games will still recognize their Pokemon as being from different trainers). This second number is hidden and cannot be viewed by the player.
The odds of encountering a Shiny Pokemon are 1 in 8,192 but they can be encountered in any location where you can catch Pokemon as well as from eggs that you have hatched, whether you bred them or not. Unlike the Second Generation games, using Shiny Pokemon to breed does NOT increase the odds of obtaining an egg that contains a Shiny Pokemon in the 3rd and later Generations!
While the IV's and stats for Shinies were slightly better in the 2nd Generation games, this is not the case in the 3rd and later Generations, as the Shiny Pokemon in these games always have the same basic chance and spread as regular Pokemon.
-- Generation IV Exceptions --
The 4th Generation Games (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver) have specific exceptions in them that none of the previous generations contain, and these give a significant advantage to trainers who are seeking to capture or breed Shiny Pokemon! There are two exceptions, and these consist of:
Exception 1: The Masuda Method
Named after Game Freak Director Junichi Masuda, was revealed by Masuda in his regular Pokemon column, and further refined by the folks at the Fan Site "Smogon" (http://www.smogon.com/) and is defined as:
When an egg is bred from Pokemon that are obtained from games that are of different languages from each other (for example an English male from the US version of Pearl and a Japanese female from the Japanese version of Pearl) the resulting egg is four-times more likely to result in a Shiny than otherwise.
The Pokemon can be obtained either through capture, breeding, or trade via GTS, Wi-Fi, or game-to-game, but this does not work if both of the Pokemon are from the same foreign language, even if the game that they are playing in is different from their language. Foreign-language Pokemon that are obtained via in-game trading with NPC's (such as Surge's Pikachu or Meister's Magikarp) also will NOT have this exception because while their language is different, they originated in an English (or whatever your game language version is) game.
The mechanics of this exception are intentional, and were created by Masuda, and the basic function is thus: when a pair of Pokemon are presented to the Daycare Center and the game detects that one of them originated in a game from a language different than that of the game, the odds of their egg resulting in a Shiny are altered from 1 in 8,192 to 1 in 2,048 (which equals a four-times greater chance). This may not seem like a major difference but in the world of statistics it is considerable.
This advantage does come at a cost, however. When breeding with two foreign Pokemon, the 50% chance of passing on one of the parents nature using an Everstone is removed.
Exception 2: Chaining
The chaining method requires you to maintain unbroken chains of detection using the Poke Radar. As you battle the Pokemon and your chain increases the chances of encountering a Shiny Pokemon also increases. As you work through the chains if the grass glows instead of shaking you have encountered a Shiny Pokemon!
To facilitate this method you will want to use as many Repel Potions as necessary in order to maintain the Repel Status throughout the chaining session, to avoid a random encounter that would, in effect, break the chain.
-- The Shiny Attraction --
Despite the fact that Shiny Pokemon are only special because of their appearance, and do not have better stats or special abilities other than what any Pokemon of that type might have, they are still a very sought and desired commodity in the world of Pokemon trainers! On private trade boards you will often see trainers who are willing to trade legendary Pokemon for bog-standard common types as long as they are Shiny, and there is even a subset of trainers who actively compete in Tourneys whose special interest is fielding teams that consist entirely of Shiny Pokemon!
Whether this notion appeals to you or simply represents a curiosity, if you ever do encounter a Shiny Pokemon you should make every effort to catch it, because it could easily be worth one or more of the Pokemon you may still need to complete your Dex, and would make that process much easier through trading it! Be aware though -- in the 12 years that I have been playing, covering every single game in all of the generations, I have only encountered seven Shiny Pokemon in wild encounters and eggs, and of those, I was only able to capture four, and that is considered to be a very good result.
Appendix 16
It may seem odd but this is a very necessary part to this walkthrough – it is a very large and complex game and it required help from several quarters, and it is only right that said help as well as the necessary references be acknowledged!
First I want to thank XBox Live, without which I never would have been able to hatch all those eggs in one go or complete the many leveling sessions that were required in order to maintain team viability. Literally dozens of hours was spent in these repetitive and often boring tasks, and were it not for Live I may well have gone bonkers in the process.
Specifically I want to credit the movies Hot Tub Time Machine, Kick Ass, and Green Zone for getting me through the first set of eggs, and leveling my teams.
Pokemonn Event ID and Trainer Names data partially obtained from the following sources:
• Bulbapedia (http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net)
• Serebii (http://www.serebii.net)
• My Carts and Cards
Swarm, Radio, and Special Event details were obtained with the assistance of:
• Akito Mori (Game Freak background)
• AutumnBF (Special Event Wi-Fi and WFC)
• GSGlenn (Swarm and Radio)
• Shigeki Morimoto (Special and Daily Events)
• Swash01 (Swarm, special event, and other game-specific data)
Questions for the FAQ Section (credit given to the person asking the question on the Forum)
• Harvestmooncutie – Rock Climb
• PokeJan – Silph Elevator
• Professor Oak – Trades
Attributions
Pokemon®, Nintendo and associated logos are trademarks of Nintendo. Copyright, trademarks and other rights in the material from Pokemon® and other services of Nintendo are owned by Nintendo and used in this document pursuant to Fair-Use Guidelines.
Minesweeper is a variant of the computer game Minesweeper, created by Robert Donner and Curt Johnson of Microsoft, and is Copyright Microsoft Corporation.
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