After earning our Boulder Badge, we have nothing left to do in Pewter City, nor anywhere we've been previously (except Route 22, but that's not for a long time). So head out to the right, to Route 3. You'll find a Lass quickly to the right, but you can avoid her if you wish. She has two level 9 pidgeys that should fall easily to your Pikachu or any pokemon stronger than level 10. Then, heading up leads to a bug catcher that remembers you from the forest, he has three level 10s but won't be a bad problem. After him will be a youngster who likes clothing more than pokemon. Sadly, he's the best yet with a level 11 rattata and ekans.

Another Bug Catcher ahead appears to be passable, but if you try to sneak behind him another Lass will block your path, and she's much tougher than the last one. You can skip her by simply passing in front of the bug catcher, and it's recommended that you do. Either way, pass back in front of the bug catcher, who's more interested in battling than the last one. And he backs it up with four pokemon, though he still shouldn't be a big problem. Below him, you can jump off the cliff to face another Youngster that cares about nothing but shorts. He packs a punch with the strongest we've seen yet, a level 14 Spearow, so you may want to hold off on fighting him.

Further to the right, a bug catcher wants to test his new pokemon on you, so show him why you've beaten every bug catcher so far. Continue right and you'll see a jumpy lass standing at the edge of the grass. She's got a level 14 Jigglypuff that can incapacitate your team with it's sing, but you can easily pass behind her in the grass. After passing or defeating her, you can finally continue. There's a pokecenter to heal up, and a man reading the news says that Team Rocket is at Cerulean City. You can head up to the entrance to mount moon now, if you wish. Before you do, there's a few things to do around here, first.

First, there are some new pokemon around here to catch. In the grass behind either the jumpy lass or the trainer who was tired from the path through Mt. Moon, you can catch both a Sandshrew and, rarely, a Jigglypuff (red/blue only). After both of them, if you're really dedicated to the game, you can get an extremely powerful pokemon, Gyarados, very early. Remember the two trainers talking about a weak fish pokemon back in the pokemart? The man selling it is in the pokecenter just before Mt. Moon. You can buy it for $500, and train it fairly quickly using the previous skippable trainers.

You may have noticed any of the previous trainers annotated with a dagger (†) as skippable. If you skipped as many of them as possible, you can buy the magikarp, then bring it as your front-man to all of the battles. The combined experience from the eight trainers can bring it from level 5 to level 9, not to mention any wild battles you face along the way. And by bringing it through Mt. Moon, you can get very close to a Gyarados, and it's very possible to have it evolve at level 20 before the second gym. Either way, if you choose the more difficult route with Magikarp or not, continue into Mt. Moon when you're ready.

Finally, we've made it to Mt. Moon. Before we continue, it will probably be a good idea to buy more Pokeballs from Pewter City. If you've been following this guide, you've only got 5 or 6 left, and there are at least 5 more pokemon we'll want to catch before we make it to the next pokemart. From now on, you'll want to keep a handy helping of ten or more on hand at all times. This is also the first area that gives most players trouble, so stock up on Potions if you need to. If you've visited the museum in Pewter City, you'd know that both Moon Rocks and Clefairy are said to have originated from the moon, and fallen to Earth in this very location, we we'll keep our eyes peeled for them. Also of previous note is the man on the phone we overheard talking about Team Rocket at Mt. Moon as well as any of a few miscellaneous trainers talking about new pokemon in the area.

Once inside, head up and take an immediate left past the first outcropping. You'll immediately see an item on the ground, so pick it up to find TM12. It has Water Gun, which would be extremely useful in this area, except the only pokemon that you may have that can learn it is Squirtle, which naturally learns it at level 15. Tuck that away and head straight up to find a potion in the corner, then face the Bug Catcher nearby. He just has a Weedle and Kakuna, so deal with him easily.

Continue straight and you'll find a sign that warns you of Zubat's Leech Life, and standing next to it is a Lass. She wields the prize of this place, a Clefairy, and it can do some good damage with it's sing-pound combo, so take it out quick. Head up and to the right when you can, and go down the ladder. In the first level basement, there's nothing but ladders and wild pokemon, so head down and to the left to reach basement level two. Head straight up and you'll be ambushed by the first member of Team Rocket. He has a Geodude, Rattata, and Zubat, but you can deal with those easily with fighting type moves for the first two and a thundershock for the last one.

Now that we're on the bottom floor, keep a look out for Clefairy and Paras, since they're both much more common down here. Head to the right of the rocket grunt and you'll find an HP Up on a small raised section. There's nothing else here, so head back up the ladders to the first floor. To the right and follow the wall down, you'll find another Bug Catcher, this one with two Caterpies and a Metapod. Defeat him, then head down to the left to find your first Super Nerd. He has two new Pokemon, Magnemite and Voltorb. They're both electric, so stay away from using water pokemon. Grass is good against them, as well as another electric pokemon. The other option is using Geodude or Sandshrew, as ground and rock do well against electric. After dealing with him, pick up the potion at the left.

Head back to the right. You probably noticed as you passed the second Bug Catcher some items to the right, and we'll pick those up now. The first one is almost at the bottom, and you'll find your first Rare Candy. This special treat will instantly level up any pokemon you give it to. It's best to use these immediately after a level up, so you don't waste any experience from between levels. Though it's also recommended not to give too many to any one pokemon, since they also lose you any EV stat bonuses. Further above, pick up an Escape Rope. If you're in a pinch and need to get out back to the pokecenter near the entrance quick, you can use it. Further up, take a left near the top to find the second Lass, who has an Oddish and Bellsprout, both level 11. Stay away from water types and you'll handle her easily.

Continue left, and turn down when you can. You'll shortly find a second ladder, so climb down, and again continue until the next ladder. Take a couple steps to the right and another Rocket Grunt will challenge you. He reveals a little more about Team Rocket's plans before challenging you with a Zubat and an Ekans. Watch out for Zubat's supersonic and you'll defeat him easily enough, then claim the TM01 on the platform above. Check the boulder to the right for a hidden Ether. After all of that, we can head back up to the first floor.

Back up top, head a little down, and to the left you'll be spotted by a youngster. He challenges you with two Rattatas and a Zubat, though at level 10 none of them should give you real trouble. Deal with him, then head up and left in the next area. You'll see a hiker standing in front of the last ladder, and he'll fight with two Geodudes and an Onix. Defeat him with fighting or water moves. Before heading down the ladders, go to the top-left corner and you'll find a Moon Stone. With all items collected and enemies defeated, you're ready to head down the last ladder.

Down and to the right, head down the ladder at the other end. To the right and down the stairs, there's another Rocket Grunt for you to face. He's got a Rattata and Zubat, each level 13, so shouldn't be a problem if he doesn't confuse you with supersonic. After defeating him, head up the stairs at the right. Continue around the side, down, all the way to the left, and then up. If you're playing Red or Blue, you'll face your final Rocket Battle here. He has a level 16 Raticate which can really tear up your team with it's Hyper Fang, so watch out.

• Red/Blue: Team Rocket

Rocket

• • •

480

Raticate Lv. 16

• Hyper Fang
• Tackle
• Quick Attack
• Tail Whip

Rattata Lv. 13

• Tackle
• Quick Attack
• Tail Whip

Zubat Lv. 13

• Screech
• Supersonic
• Leech Life

Continue up and you'll see another trainer standing in front of two fossils. Before you face him, go down the slim path to the right. You'll reach a dead end, but investigate the wall and you'll find a hidden Moon Stone. After collecting the hidden stone, head up to face the Super Nerd. He demands you stop because the fossils are his, and battles you to keep them both. He has a Grimer, Voltorb, and Koffing, all level 12. He'll be a decent fight, so make sure to use a few potions if you need before facing him. His Grimer packs a punch with disable and pound. Voltorb isn't too bad as screech doesn't pair well with electric attacks, and Koffing is very limited.

Defeat him and you'll get to pick your choice of the Dome or Helix fossil. For this guide, we'll pick the Dome Fossil. Head to the left, and you'll see the ladder leading to the exit below. If you're on yellow, you'll face the final battle here, so make sure to heal up before heading down. They'll stop you, demanding the fossil, and give a shortened version of their infamous Rocket rhyme, then attack you before you can do anything else.

• Yellow: Team Rocket

Jessie and James

• • •

420

Ekans Lv. 14

• Poison Sting
• Leer
• Wrap

Meowth Lv. 14

• Bite
• Scratch
• Growl

Koffing Lv. 14

• Smog
• Tackle

After defeating Jessie and James, if you're playing Yellow, you should be just about done here. Make sure you've collected all of the items, most notably the two moon stones, and battled all of the trainers you'll like. After leaving, the rockets will abandon Mt. Moon so you can't catch any battles you missed with them. Also, make sure you have caught all of the new pokemon around: Zubat and Geodude are very common and common, respectively, on all floors, but are most common on the first floor and basement 1. Clefairy and Paras are both easiest to catch on the bottom floor, though still fairly rare. We'll want two Clefairys before leaving, since we can trade one later for a rare pokemon. After you've settled everything in Mt. Moon, head for the exit towards Celadon City.

There isn't much to do here. If you didn't get the five free Pokeballs from Oak earlier, there's a hidden Great Ball on the highest platform at the left, right in the middle. Make sure to find the item on the right side; it's TM04: Whirlwind. After picking up both, make sure you've got everything you need from everywhere Mt. Moon and back, as we can't come back for a long time, and jump down the ledge at the far right. In Red and Blue, there's Ekans and Sandshrew you can catch for the first time, respectively, in the grass here. Otherwise, we have nothing else to do here, so head off into Cerulean City.

In the new town, the first thing you'll probably want to do is head to the Pokecenter to heal up. Once you get there, you may notice by talking to the people around that someone named Bill is the topic of choice. We'll find out who Bill is a little later, but for now there's some stuff for us to do here in Cerulean. You can head to the pokemart next, if you need more pokeballs or potions. They also sell two new items, Repel, which keeps wild pokemon away, and Awakening, which counters sleep. A girl in the mart will also explain Rare Candy. The building next door sells bikes, but for 1,000,000. Head into the house just to the left of the Pokecenter. Inside, you'll see an Oddish and Sandshrew around a table, and a Bulbasaur in the back by a girl. She takes care of injured pokemon, and is looking for a new home for her Bulbasaur. If you have Pikachu with you, and it likes you, she'll believe you're a good trainer and let you take it.

Head left and up the small step, into the next house. The man here can tell you all the secrets of the eight badges, and he's a good resource if you're ever unsure of the benefits of your badges. Head out his backdoor to get to a small fenced-in area. Search around, and you can find a hidden Rare Candy in the center, closer to the right side. Head back through the man's house. You can't see through the door, but it's directly behind the door in front. If you go to the right, an Officer Jenny will be blocking the door to the last house, with the explaination that Team Rocket broke into the place. You can take on the Gym now, if you want, though there's quite a few things we can do first.

While still in Cerulean, we should probably take note of our inventories. If you check your item bag, you should have between fifteen and twenty items (depending on your item usage, purchases, and findings). We can only hold twenty items at a time, so to avoid any complications we should dump any items we don't plan to use immediately in the PC. You'll probably want to throw your TMs, Moon Stones, and your fossil in there. You can also sell any items you don't want. If you prefer to train the hard way, the Rare Candys sell for 2400 each.

You should have a hearty collection of Pokemon Now. You should have more than 15, so contact Professor Oak via PC and he'll tell you that you can claim a reward, HM Flash, from his aide. If you've been training a Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander, they should be close to leveling up, if they haven't already, at level 16. Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ will evolve into Nidorano and Nidorina, respectively, at level 16 also. Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto at 18. If you like to torture yourself, both Rattata and *gulp* Magikarp evolve at level 20. If you check the pokemon you've caught, you should have electric, rock, ground, flying, poison, normal, fighting, bug, and whichever your starter type; the pokemon you chose on Red or Blue, or Bulbasaur on Yellow Version. You're starting to build a strong potential team, so it may be a good idea to pick out some pokemon from the boxes. If you plan to use Bulbasaur, it's a good idea to train it on route 4 first, since it's only level 10. When you're all set, got the team you want, you should head north towards Route 24.

As soon as you step onto Route 24, your rival shows his face. He brags about his new, powerful pokemon before kindly asking what you have to bring to the table. This time, he's not lying. He's got two level fifteens, a seventeen, and an eighteen. Make sure your team is trained decently or you'll have a tough time on him. If you're playing yellow, your new Bulbasaur gains Vine Whip at level 13 and evolves into Ivysaur at level 16, and it can come in handy.

In Red and Blue, he'll open with Pidgeotto, and once again his bird will easily fall to your Pikachu. It has no new attacks so the only thing to look out for is the Sand Attack it likes to use. Second, he now has an Abra. This thing will be a monster later in the game, but right now all it knows is teleport which doesn't work in a trainer battle, so use the opportunity to give some good experience to your lowest level pokemon. Next, he pulls out Rattata. It deals major damage with it's Hyper Fang, so knocking it out quick with fighting moves by either Mankey or one of the Nidorans. Finally, he has the pokemon that's strong against your starter. If he uses Charmander, Geodude can work well, and Gyarados will be the best if you're patient enough to train it to level 20. Pikachu will demolish Squirtle, so we'll have no problem there. The toughest one would be if he has Bulbasaur, though it should fall to an equally leveled normal type.

• Red/Blue: Rival Battle

Blue

• •

595

Pidgeotto Lv. 18

• Gust
• Sand Attack
• Quick Attack

Abra Lv. 15

• Teleport

Rattata Lv. 15

• Tackle
• Tail Whip
• Quick Attack
• Hyper Fang

If you picked Bulbasaur:

Charmander Lv. 17

• Scratch
• Growl
• Ember
• Leer

If you picked Charmander:

Squirtle Lv. 17

• Tackle
• Tail Whip
• Bubble
• Water Gun

If you picked Squirtle:

Bulbasaur Lv. 17

• Tackle
• Growl
• Leech Seed
• Vine Whip

If you're playing on yellow, his line-up is a little different. He'll open with Spearow which now knows Fury Attack. Lead with Pikachu and take it out quickly before it can do much damage. Second, he nas a new sandshrew, but it's only thing to look out for is Sand-Attack messing up your accuracy. He doesn't do much damage with Scratch, so using a Nidoran with high defense or Bulbasaur using Leech Seed and Vine Whip will let you outlast the accuracy damages. Rattata comes next, and like in Red and Blue it can tear you up with Hyper Fang. A Nidoran with Double Kick or Mankey with Low Kick will take it out fast. Finally, he has his trusty Eevee. It, too, is normal, and although it's a higher level it's not as tough as Rattata, so you can take it out the same way.

• Yellow: Rival Battle

Blue

• •

595

Spearow Lv. 18

• Peck
• Growl
• Leer
• Fury Attack

Sandshrew Lv. 15

• Scratch
• Sand-Attack

Rattata Lv. 15

• Tackle
• Tail Whip
• Quick Attack
• Hyper Fang

Eevee Lv. 17

• Tackle
• Tail Whip
• Sand-Attack

For the rest of Route 24, we don't really have much to do. There's six battles, one after the other (you can run back to the pokecenter if you need to), two items, and a few new pokemon to catch. We'll start by heading straight up, and walk infront of the first trainer on Nugget Bridge. He explains that you must face and defeat five trainers to pass the bridge, but success will earn you a rare and valuable Nugget. He then challenges you with a Caterpie and a Weedle. If you have Spearow, Peck will be perfect. Charmander can kill them easily enough. Whatever you use, you can still defeat him as easily as any other Bug Catcher. The next is a lass, with a Pidgey and Nidoran♀, two more you know well how to defeat. Pikachu can kill Pidgey in one shot, and Nidoran shouldn't stand tough to any of your pokemon.

Next, you face a Youngster with a Rattata, an Ekans, and a Zubat. Rattata is nothing special. Watch out for Ekans's poison sting and Zubat's Supersonic and you'll be fine. A combination of a fighting type and Pikachu will deal with this team easily enough. Fourth is another Lass. This one, too, has both Pidgey and Nidoran♀, the only difference is that this team is level 16 and the first one was level 14, but can be defeated using the same methods. Finally, you'll face a Jr. Trainer♂ as the fifth and final trainer on Nugget Bridge. He has the strongest Pokemon we've seen yet, a level 18 Mankey. If you have a Spearow of flying type move on Pidgey, you can easily defeat him. Otherwise, deal with it the slow and painful way, but it shouldn't give you too much trouble.

After defeating all five trainers on Nugget Bridge, it's time to claim your prize. Step off the bridge, and the man immediately on the other side congratulates you an hands you a Nugget. Then, remarking on your skills, he invites you to join Team Rocket. After turning him down (you automatically refuse; sorry, can't join Team Rocket) he demands you join Team Rocket. When you refuse, he'll challenge you to show you that Team Rocket's stronger than you. But they're not; he only has the generic Team Rocket pokemon, a level 15 Ekans and Zubat, so show him who really is the best just like you've done to every Rocket member you've ever came across. Even after you mop the floor with him, he'll admit defeat but he'll still try to tempt you to the side of Team Rocket.

After dealing with him, you can head to the left to find the last trainer on Route 24 standing in the grass. He has a Rattata and Ekans, but should give you no trouble at all. You can also stick to the far left to enter the grass without him seeing and challenging you. Fight him or not, you should enter the grass because there's a few new Pokemon to catch here. In Red, you'll have Oddish, and in Blue you'll find Bellsprout, as well as Abra being here in both games. Yellow has both Oddish and Bellsprout, but no Abra. It does have, however, Venonat appearing here for the first time. Catch what you want, or everything new if you want to Catch 'em All. Head up to the small platform above and pick up the TM45. On Yellow, there's a disappointed trainer who's given up on his Charmander. If you promise to take care of it, he'll let you have it! The Grass Pokemon in the nearby grass are a good source to train it! After you've gotten everything you need from Route 24, head to the right and to Route 25.

You'll see some grass on the top of Route 25; it has the same Pokemon, but they just appear at different rates. Nothing new or special here. The first trainer is a Hiker standing at the edge of the grass. He has two level fifteens: a Machop and a Geodude. A strong Water, Grass, or fighting type should make this one a cinch. He'll blame his loss on a Zubat. Step into the small space above him and you can find an Elixer on the wall. (If the Hiker is blocking the way, you can leave and come back and he'll have moved.) To the right, a Youngster uses a Rattata and Spearow, but shouldn't be a big problem.

The Hiker below sports a strong level 17 Onix, claiming he's necessary before finding Bill. The Onix has very high defense, but it's only notable move is the Screech-Bind combo. It doesn't have the Bide that Brock's Onix had, so eliminate it with Water, Grass, or Fighting before it can become a problem. To the right, a Youngster has a level 17 Slowpoke. It's very strong. You can skip him, but an equally leveled Pikachu can defeat it with Electric attacks. Below, a Lass has both Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀, but neither of them should pose you much of a problem.

Head to the right and challenge a Hiker. He has three Geodudes and a Machop, so unless you have a strong water and/or grass Pokemon, you may be in for a tough battle, so consider using a few potions if necessary. The Jr. Trainer♂ next, we assume, is dating the Lass you just fought. Approach him from as far down as possible. He just has a Rattata and an Ekans, so take him out like you would any other. Sneak into the grove behind him to claim TM19: Seismic Toss (if you can't get to it now, you'll have to come back after getting the third badge).

To the right, near the top, a youngster challenges you with an Ekans and Sandshrew. The sandshrew may draw the fight out with Sand-Attack, but neither should give you much trouble. Deal with him, and head to the right to face another Lass. She picks pokemon for cuteness over practicality, so her Oddish-Pidgey-Oddish team can't stack up. Deal with them however you choose and she'll fall easily. After you're done with her, investigate the fence directly to her right to find an Ether! Then, head off to the right to, finally, see Bill!

• Sea Cottage

Insert the Sea Cottage, and you'll see a pokemon standing alone. Pikachu will rush over to it, confused. The computer only displays that the teleporter above has been activated, but if you try to talk to the Pokemon, it will talk back! Apparently, Bill had a teleporter experment go awry, and he has been combined with a pokemon. He'll ask you to run the computer so he can get back to normal. He'll walk into the right portion, and you need to approach the computer to activate it. There's nothing complicated to do, if you use the computer it'll work automatically.

Bill will come out the other side of the teleporter. The pokemon he was combined with is nowhere to be seen. He'll thank you for saving him, and ask how he can repay you. When you refuse his offer to see his rare pokemon collection (again, automatically), he'll offer you a ticket to the luxary cruise liner for trainers, the S.S. Anne. There's nothing else to collect here, so leave the Sea Cottage, take the bottom path to shortcut it back to Cerulean City. Next stop, Misty!

Back in town, you can head to the Pokecenter to heal up. Take it to the Pokemart and you can sell your Nugget for 5000, and stock up on Pokeballs and Potions if you need. Change your pokemon in on Bill's PC and deposit unneeded items in your PC. When you're ready, head to the Gym.

Inside, you can check the plaque to see that, once again, Blue has beaten you to this gym. Talk to your manager and he'll recommend using Electric or Grass type pokemon. You should have a pikachu, and you may even have a Bulbasaur, though it should have evolved into Ivysaur by now. You should use one of those to power through this gym. The first you fight is a swimmer. He plays a Horsea and a Shellder, though neither of them have any remarkable attacks. You should get no trouble from them apart from trying to use Charmeleon. Continuing towards Misty, you'll face a Jr. Trainer♀. She has a touch level 19 Goldeen which can mess you up with Supersonic and Peck, which is super effective against grass types.

After you've dealt with her two underlings, you're ready to take on Misty. She, like Brock before her, uses only two pokemon. However, there's two main differences. She's the first trainer to use stat-boosting items on her Pokemon, namely using an X Defend on Staryu and Starmie. And her pokemon are about twice as powerful. She uses a Staryu, level 18, and a Starmie, level 21. If you have grass or electric, this batt'll be a cinch, but if not, it may be a trial. The defensive items she gives them makes them last longer than one would hope, and their quick attacks can really shovel the damage. Focus on weaknesses and use a potion if you need to and you'll be fine. Her pokemon have strong defense, but Staryu is a joke and Starmie's only good move is Bubblebeam, so you shouldn't have any problems if you've trained your pokemon well.

• Gym Leader Battle

Misty

• • • •

2079

StaryuLv. 18

• Tackle
• Water Gun

StaryuLv. 21

• Tackle
• Water Gun
• Harden
• Bubblebeam

Misty will view her loss with disbelief, but will eventually accept the fact that you're the better trainer. She gives up the Cascade Badge, and explains it's benefits. With it, any pokemon up to level 30 will obey, and you can also use the HM Cut anywhere. Next, she, like Brock, hands over her favorite TM. She chooses to give you TM11, which is Bubblebeam. If you have a Wartortle or Gyarados you can teach it to them, though both learn much better moves. With the battle complete and all prizes won, you can check the plaques near the door to see your name, and talk to your manager to be congratulated. Next stop, Vermillion City.