Object Of The Game:

The main object of Pokémon is to locate, catch and train many Pokemon as you continue on your journey to become the world's greatest Pokemon trainer.
At the start of the game, you'll select one of 3 tamed Pokemon to help you being your journey to "catch 'em all."

PALLET TOWN

Your game begins in Pallet Town, where Prof. Oak will give you your first Pokemon. Go North into the tall grass, and someone will say "Don't go in there." That will be Prof. Oak, and he'll take you to his lab. At his lab, you'll get to select from one of three Pokemone to start your game with. You can pick either Charmander (a Fire Pokemon), Squirtle (a Water Pokemon), or Bulbasaur (a Grass Pokemon). No matter which Pokemon you select here, your rival Gary will pick the elementally superior.

Note: Water beats Fire. Grass beat Water. Fire beats Grass.

The choice is totally up to you here. However, Bulbasaur seems to win the most battles. After you pick your Pokemon, Gary will challenge you. He's not hard to beat, so just keep at him. This victory will cause your Pokemon to grow a level.



Once you are done with Gary, go North to Viridian City.



THE ROAD TO VIRIDIAN CITY

The first person you encounter along this road will give you a Potion. At this point in the game, you can't catch Pokemon, so just keep defeating the Rattatas and Pidgeys you encounter in order to gain Experience Points to help you level up. Don't worry if your Pokemon gets hurt, you can always take it back to your house and let your mom heal it for you.



VIRIDIAN CITY

As soon as you reach Viridian City, go to the Pokecenter to heal your Pokemon. Then go to the PokeMart and the clerk will give you a package to deliver to Prof. Oak. Return to Prof. Oak by jumping over the barriers. This saves time and helps you avoid battles.



Once you deliver the package to Prof. Oak, he will give you the PokeDex. At this point, Gary will go get a map from his sister. You can follow him and do the same. You don't have to fight Gary this time around, so get the map and return to Viridian City.



Go to the PokeMart and purchase some Pokeballs. You don't need other items like Potions at this point because you are pretty close to a PokeCenter. In this area, the only Pokemon you'll find are Rattatas and Pidgeys.



Note: If you want to gain more Experience Points, you can head West and battle Gary. In order to beat him though, make sure your Pokemon is at least at Level 12. If you continue West near this battle site, you can catch a male and/or female Nidoran. A Mr. Mime or two may be found here as well.



Go North to Viridian Forest. Now head North to Viridian Forest.



VIRIDIAN FOREST

The items you see to the right you can't get to just yet, so stop squirming. You will, however, be able to get them later in the game.



Viridian Forest contains 3 trainers who use bug Pokemon. So, if you selected Charmander as your starting Pokemon, defeating them should be no problem. If you picked Squirtle or Bulbasaur, you still should have no problem taking down these trainers, it just may require a little more effort than had you selected Charmander.



If you go West at the beginning of Viridian Forest, you will be able to pick up a Pokeball. If you go Northeast, you will fight a trainer (this one can't be avoided).



His Pokemon are:

Weedle (Level 6) (Note: Bulbasaur is immune to the poison in poison sting)

Caterpie (Level 6)



After you defeat this trainer, go North along the road (the next trainer you encounter is an optional battle). Continue North and you will find an Antidote. Eventually, as you follow this road, it will come to a split. Go South and you'll locate another item. In this area you should look for Pikachu. If you capture him here, he will be a lower level character and will be pretty weak. But the more he levels up, the more powerful he becomes (plus he's pretty effective against the trainer Misty).



Upon exiting Viridian Forest, continue on to Pewter City.



Pokemon To Catch In Viridian Forest: Weedle, Kakuna, Metapod, Caterpie, and Pikachu.



PEWTER CITY

You must fight Brock in Pewter City in order to proceed to Mt. Moon.



Brock's Pokémon:

Geodude (Level 12)

Onix (Level 14)

If you have a Squirtle or Bulbasaur, then Brock's Pokemon are easily dispatched. If you have Charmander, however, you're going to have a hard time. It may be helpful if you can evolve a Weedle or a Caterpie for this battle.



Beat Brock to get the BOULDER BADGE. The Boulder Badge increases your Pokémon's power and enables FLASH. (Badge moves like FLASH, CUT, FLY, STRENGTH, and SURF can only be used when a Pokemon is equipped with the appropriate HM).



After the Brock battle, get some supplies like Potions, an Escape Rope, and don't forget to load up on Pokeballs if you are running low on them. Also, use this area to try and develop your weaker Pokemon by getting them to around Level 20.



Pokemon To Catch In Pewter City: Pidgey, Spearow, and Jiggypuff.



MT. MOON

In the grass, before Mt. Moon, you can catch a JigglyPuff. Mt. Moon itself is a big area containing many trainers and items you can pick up, this is also Team Rocket's first appearance in the game. But don't sweat them too much, Team Rocket is pretty easy to beat. After defeating them, you'll have to battle Super Nerd. Upon beating him, you'll get a choice of 2 different fossils as a reward. Which one you select now will determine a Pokemon you get later in the game.

Helix: Omanyte

Dome: Kabuto



As soon as you reach Cerulean City, store your fossil away on your PC, you don't need it until much later.



Pokemon To Catch In Pewter City: Clefairy, Zubat, Geodude, and Paras.



CERULEAN CITY

If you caught a Pikachu in Viridian Forest and you own a Squirtle, try to level them up here before you battle anyone. If you own a Bulbasaur, you're already in good shape. Also, if you need to, you can catch an Oddish or Bellsprout here to help you out in any battles.

The trainer near the gym is an optional battle. The only trainer you'll have to fight her is Misty.



If you chose Charmander as your starting Pokemon, Misty may be a little tough.

Misty's Pokemon:

Staryu (Level 18)

Starmie (Level 21)



Defeating Misty will score you the CASCADE BADGE, allowing all Pokemon up to level 30 to obey. The Cascade Badge also enables CUT.



On the Northwest side of Cerulean City, there is a house. There is a Rare Candy in the back yard that you can pick up. It's in the middle of a couple of rows. And don't worry about getting a bicycle now. They are far too expensive, and you'll get one for free very shortly.



THE ROAD TO BILL'S HOUSE/BILL'S HOUSE

Head North from Cerulean City and fight Gary. Then cross the bridge and fight all of the trainers located ther. Enter the grassy areas to the West and you can pick up a Bellsprout.



You can also catch an Abra here. To catch an Abra, don't try to fight it (it will quickly run away), just throw a Pokéball at it (this is not the easiest way to catch an Abra, but right now it's your only option). To get to Bill's House, go East. You'll encounter many Pokemon Trainers on this leg of the journey, so don't be surprised if you have to visit the Pokecenter in Cerulean once or twice.



When you arrive at Bill's House, you won't find Bill, but you will find a Pokemon. Talk to the Pokemon and do what he asks. Once you accomplish this mission, Bill will give you a ticket for the S.S.Anne.



Return to Cerulean City, and the cop that was once blocking your way will have moved, allowing you access to the house. Defeat the Team Rocket member in the back of the house to get TM #28 (Dig). Return to the house, and the guy who lives there will let you keep it. Now head South and you'll find a tunnel. In the tunnel, you can find a Full Restore. It's invisible, so look everywhere. Then follow the tunnel to Vermilion City.



On Your Way To The Tunnel You Can Catch: Mankey, Meowth



VERMILION CITY

Goals in Vermilion City:

1.Get the Old Rod from the Fishing Guru (next to the Pokécenter)

2.Beat Lt. Surge and get the THUNDER BADGE

3.Get the Bike Voucher from the Pokémon Fan Club President

4.Get on the S .S. Anne.



Lt. Surge is an Electric type Pokémon gym leader so use a Diglett that you caught in the cave to the East or a Geodude you picked up from Mt. Moon. They are almost totally immune to Electric attacks. In order to get to Lt. Surge to fight, you have to search the trash cans for a switch (it's random), and the a neighboring can for the second switch.



Lt. Surge's Pokémon:

Voltorb (Level 21)

Pikachu (Level 18)

Raichu (Level 24)

Beating Surge gets you the THUNDER BADGE which speeds up your Pokémon a bit and lets you use FLY.



Use the Bike Voucher to get a Bicycle. The bike is key, because it can speed up your travels quite a bit. Get the Bicycle with the Bike Voucher and use that, the Bike speeds up your journey A LOT. Also, in one of the houses in this area is someone willing to trade a Spearow for a Farfetche'd.



S.S. ANNE

There are many decent trainers to battle on the S.S. Anne. Also, find the Captain, because he will give you the CUT HM. You can find a Great Ball in the kitchen, in one of the trash cans. Make sure you search all the rooms on the ship, because you can load up on goodies here. After exiting the S.S. Anne, head straight for Diglett's Cave.



DIGLETT'S CAVE

There isn't much to do in this cave, except catch a Diglett. So ride your bike to get through quickly. Once you get through to the other side of the cave, you'll see a house. This house contains the FLASH HM. You can also pick up those items you saw earlier in the game but couldn't get to (as long as you equip a Pokemon with CUT and use it. If you go back, and East, through the mini-maze, you can trade an Abra for a Mr. Mime.



Mini-Maze

Stay on the middle track and go North. If you're on a track that had a man near a sign at the very beginning, you're on the wrong track, slick. The correct track goes left and has 2 different men in 2 different locations. Continue Northeast, and if you're headed in the correct direction, you'll run into Jr. Tainer. Fight her and continue East.



Pokemon You Can Catch At The Mini-Maze: Sandshrew, Spearow, and Drowzee.



ROCK TUNNEL

Before entering the Rock Tunnel, look for a river near a field. Jump the small barricade and head South to the Pokecenter and heal up your Pokemon at the PokeCenter.



Go North and catch yourself a Voltorb. Equip it with flash and proceed to the cave. Navigation through this cave should be fairly straight forward.


At The Rock Tunnel Stage You Can Catch: Zubat and Geodude (if you don't have them) or Onix and Machop.



LAVENDER TOWN

Exiting the cave will leave you just North of Lavender Town. You don't have to fight the trainers here, so you can go directly to the Pokecenter to heal your Pokemon. Then, proceed West through the tunnel (you'll have to fight at least 1 other trainer here). This tunnel will dump you out at Celadon City.

You Can Catch The Following Pokemon Here (to the left before Celadon City): Vulpix.



CELADON CITY

Goals in Celadon:

1.Defeat Erika and get the RAINBOW BADGE

2.Get the Silph Scope

3.Catch Eevee

4.Get the Coin Box for the Game Corner

5.Get Fresh Water from the Mart (machine on top floor) and give it to the road guard to open the passage.



Erika isn't too hard to beat. Match the levels of her Pokemon while using a Fire or Air (Bird) Pokemon should do the trick. However, to get to Erika, you have to get through at least 3 trainers. Also, make sure one of your Pokemon is equipped with CUT. The easiest way to get to Erika is to go to the right, while staying as far left as possible.

Erika's Pokémon:

Victreebel (Level 29)

Tangela (Level 24)

Vineplume (Level 29)

Defeating Erika will score you the RAINBOW BADGE; it makes Pokémon up to Level 50 obey, and you can also use STRENGTH.



Now go to the Game Corner and fight the person guarding the poster and then press the switch behind it. Go in the door and down the flight of stairs. You'll be greeted with a series of puzzles to solve and members of Team Rocket to fight. One person at the bottom will drop the LIFE KEY. Take the Lift Key with you to the bottom floor, fight 2 more Rockets and Giovanni.

Giovanni's Pokemon:

Rhyhorn (Level 24)

Onix (Level 25)

Kangaskhan (Level 29)

After beating Giovanni, he'll drop the Silph Scope. The Silph Scope allows you to see/battle the ghosts in Poketower. Now return to Lavender Town.



LAVENDER TOWN 2

Go to The Tower and fight the ghosts. Don't worry about working the Silph Scope, it functions automatically. When you get to the floor that's 2nd from the top, you'll fight Marowak. It's an FMV, so there's nothing you can do about the battle. And you can't catch her either. Make sure you have Water type Pokemon, and you'll have no problems. After defeating all the Team Rockets on the top floor, an old man will give you the POKEFLUTE which enables you to awaken sleeping Pokemon like Snorlax (South). Make sure you save your game before taking on a Snorlax, because there are only 2 in the game, and if you fail to capture them, you are out of luck.



Pokemon You Can Catch In The Tower: Gastly, Haunter, and Cubone.



SAFFRON CITY

After you have beaten the ghosts of The Tower, it's off to Saffron City to take on Sabrina. However, first you must save the town from the troublesome Team Rocket. The guard in front of the Silph Co. building should be asleep by now, so you should be able to enter. Inside is a maze, loaded with opponents to battle (yes, you have to fight the scientists too). Finding the KEY CARD here will allow you access to all locked areas.. Now you must find the portal to Gary, battle him, and defeat him. After you beat Gary, a nearby observer will give you Lapras. Now go back through the portal and defeat Giovanni once again. Giovanni uses Ground Pokemon, so Water and Grass Pokemon (like Bulbasaur or Squirtle) are especially effective. After freeing the Silph Co. from the evil clutches of Team Rocket, the President of the company will give you the MASTER BALL.

Note: Save this Master Ball by saving it on your PC. It will be VERY important later in the game.



With Team Rocket out of the way, it's on to battle Sabrina. She prefers Psychic Pokemon, but she shouldn't be too difficult to tackle as long as your Pokemon are Level 30 or above. To avoid fighting the other trainers to get to Sabrina, use the opposite portal.

Sabrina's Pokemon:

Kadabra (Level 38)

Mr. Mime (Level 37)

Venomoth (Level 37)

Alakazam (Level 43)

Defeating Sabrina gets you the MARSH BADGE which will make every Pokémon up to Level 70 will obey you.



Next door to Sabrina's Gym is the Fighting Dojo. This Gym contains trainers who utilize fighting Pokemon only. Defeating all the trainers will get you your choice of Hitmonlee (kicking-style) or Hitmonchan (punching-style).



Return to Route 12 to Fuchsia City to where you saw Snorlax (South of Lavender Town).



Pokemon You Can Catch On The Route To Fuchsia City: Ditto, Venonat, Bellsprout and Weepinbell, Pidgey and Pidgeotto.



FUCHSIA CITY

Upon arriving in Fuchsia City, go beat Koga, leader of the Poison Gym Leader. Since he's the leader of the POISON Gym, make sure you have a lot of antidotes. If you picked Bulbasaur this will be an easy task since Bulbasaur is almost completely immune to poison. If you selected for Charmander or Squirtle, try a Victreebell or Vileplume depending. There are invisible walls you must navigate to get to Koga, so most likely you'll have to battle at least 3 trainers to get to him.



Try this route:

Go above the Pokémon statue and slowly walk to the right. Stay close to the right wall and walk up. You'll have to fight Juggler. Beat him and move on to the top wall and go left. There will be another trainer here you have to fight. Now slowly walk to the right and then move down to get to Koga. His Pokémon are around Level 35-40. Defeating him scores you the SOUL BADGE, which will increase the Defense of your Pokémon and will allow you to use SURF.



Now move on to the Safari Zone.



THE SAFARI ZONE

There are many Pokemon that can only be caught in the Safari Zone, but before you get into that, you should find the GOLD TEETH and SURF HM. As soon as you enter the Safari Zone, get on your bike and go East. Ride to the hill and ride up on it and then go West and ride off the hill. Then turn Northeast for a bit and then go West until you get to the wall. Go Northwest, over another hill, and you will come to 3 mini-lakes. Travel Northeast around the lakes until you see a sign that says: "Trainer Tips: The secret house is still ahead!"



From the sign, go South and you'll find an item that looks like a Pokeball. This is the GOLD TEETH. Take the Teeth and go Northwest until you see a house. Enter the house and a man will give you SURF HM. By now time should have run out, so go outside of the Safari Zone to the Warden's House and give him the Teeth. In return, you'll receive the STRENGTH HM. On the other side of the room you will find a Rare Candy.

In the house next to the Warden is the Fishing Guru. Talk to him and he will give you the GOOD ROD. If you go into his backyard, you can fish for some Pokemon there.

Now feel free to go back into the Safari Zone and catch as many Pokemon as you can.

When you're finished, head West to the Cycle Road and take that back up to Celadon City. Before you take on Snorlax, save your game (in case you lose him, you can restart from that save point and try it again). When you are done with Snorlax, use a Pokemon with CUT and cut the nearest bush. Continue around the back, and a woman there will give you the FLY HM. Before you leave Celadon, check out the grassy area just before the Cycling Road and catch a Bird-type Pokemon (if you don't already have one). Equip one of your Bird-type Pokemon with FLY. Now equip one of your Water Pokemon with SURF. Now FLY to Pewter City. Head North to the Museum. CUT the bush in front of it and go in the back and talk to the guy near the item on the pedestal. After he gives you the item, head off to Cinnabar Island.

CINNABAR ISLAND

First, FLY to Pallet Town. Now save your game and head South. When you get to the water, use SURF and continue south. While in the water, you can catch a Tentacool and maybe another Pokemon or two. You'll eventually reach Cinnabar Island. As soon as you do, get the Fossil you got earlier and take it to the Research Center. The 3rd door leads to a room, give the researcher in the room the Fossil. This will get you a new Pokemon. Repeat this process with the Amber, and you will also get Aerodactyl.

Now take this chance to go the Pokecenter and heal your Pokemon. Then go to the Pokemart and load up on Burn Heals. Then save your game again.

Now access the burned-out building. Head North and examine the statue. You'll find a switch, press it and go upstairs. Repeat this procedure on this floor. (If you read the notes, it tells the story of Mew and Mewtwo.) On the 3rd floor throw the statue switch and go South. Avoid the Scientist if you can. You'll come to two exits, take the bigger one to the left. This will drop you to a previously inaccessible area on the 1st floor. Beating the Scientist here will get you the SECRET KEY. After you get the Key, exit the building (use an Escape Rope if you have one). It's now time to fight Blaine, the Fire Gym Leader.

Blaine's Pokemon:

Growlithe (Level 42)

Rapidash (Level 42)

Ponyta (Level 40)

Arcanine (Level 47)



If you have Squirtle or Charmander, this battle will be easy. Use a strong or semi-strong Water Pokémon and a semi-strong Fire Pokémon to absorb the damage. To get to Blaine, you'll have to fight every other trainer in the Gym. Once you beat Blaine, though, you get the VOLCANO BADGE, which increases Pokemon Abilities. From here, it's off to the Seafoam Islands.



Pokemon You Can Catch In The Mansion: Koffing, Weezing, Grimer, Muk, Vulpix, Magmar, and Ponyta.



SEAFOAM ISLANDS

Before venturing off to the Seafoam Islands, go to the Pokecenter and heal your Pokémon. Then access the PC and set your Pokemon up like this: a Fire Pokémon (Ponyta or Charmander are recommended), an Electric Pokémon (a decent level Pikachu or Raichu is recommended), a Pokémon with STRENGTH enabled, a Pokémon with SURF enabled, and your starting Pokémon. (If you don't have Charmander, try bringing a high-level Butterfree or Grass Pokemon with Sleep Powder). Then go to the Pokemart and load up on the following supplies: Ice Heals, the highest Potion you can get, a couple escape ropes (optional), and a lot of Ultra balls. Now, SURF East until you get to the Seafoam Islands.



You are going to face at least one Level 50 Pokemon, so be ready. Save your game and go inside, get on your Bike and ride downstairs until you reach the water. Once you reach the water, SURF. You should be swept to another screen. At this screen, go East and you should see a blank space (only a 1 block area), search it and you should find an item. After that, go North and climb onto land. Now get on your Bike and head West (do NOT go up the stairs). You will see a new set of stairs, go up those. (DO NOT SURF HERE! You'll be swept away.). Now head Southeast and Push the upper left boulder North 2 spaces. Push the opposite boulder into the hole (but don't fall in). Push the last boulder in the hole opposite to the one you just were using. Once you've completed that, jump in this hole, and SURF North until you reach an island with a Pokémon standing there (Articuno-Level 50). At this point save your game, and then fight him, using your Fire Pokemon to weaken him. Use Sleep Powder or any a related Sleep move to put him to sleep. Now, keep throwing Ultra Balls at him until you capture him. This may take quite a few Ultra Balls, but keep trying. If you miss catching Articuno, just restart from your save point and battle him all over again, because this will be your ONLY chance to catch him. After catching Articuno, use your Escape Rope (if you have one) and then you're off to Viridian City. Just to be on the safe side, save your game again.



Pokemon You Can Catch Here: Seel, Dewgong, Slowpoke, Slowbro, Psyduck, Golduck, Horsea, Seadra, Krabby, Kingler, Zubat, Golbat, Shellder, Staryu.



VIRIDIAN CITY 2

FLY to Viridian City from Cinnabar Island and go to the Gym. Using Bulbasaur or Squirtle, you should have an easy time winning all battles here. If you have Charmander, substitute in a high-level Bird-type (a Level 50 Fearow is recommended) or a high-level Water or Grass Pokemon. Also, a high-level Dugtrio is very effective against Poison-type Pokemon.

This Gym Leader's Pokemon:

Dugtrio (Level 42)

Rhydon (Level 50)

Nidoking (Level 45)

Nidoqueen (Level 43)

Rhyhorn (Level 45)



Defeating this Gym Leader will get you the EARTH BADGE which makes all Pokémon obey. Now that you have all 8 badges, it's time to go to the Pokémon League and face the Elite 4.



POKEMON LEAGUE/VICTORY ROAD

On your way to the Pokemon League, make sure you have Pokemon with STRENGTH and SURF. Also, bring the following items: Ultra Balls, Max Potions, Escape Ropes (optional), and some Full Heals. Along Victory Road, you'll have to fight Gary again. He's kind of tricky to beat here, but just keep fighting him, you'll eventually defeat him. You can also find Moltres along Victory Road.



Tips For Traveling Along Victory Road:

1. Anywhere you see a Boulder that looks like you can push it somewhere, do it.

2. Avoid the other trainers here where possible.

3. Run from most Pokemon battles. I know it's lame to run, but opponents here are too strong and numerous.



You'll eventually come to Indigo Plateau, which means it's time for the Elite Four.



THE ELITE FOUR

Here's how to prepare for your battle with the Elite Four: get as many Full Restores as you can, bring a Pokeflute, and take only your strongest Pokemon (Level 60 or above is recommended).



Battle 1: Lorili:

Her Pokemon: Dewgong, Cloyster, Slowbro, Jynx, and Lapras.

Try using a strong Electric type against the first three, then switch to a Fire typ for the last 2.



Battle 2: Bruno:

His Pokemon: Onix, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Onix, and Machamp.
Try Water and/or Grass type against Bruno.



Battle 3: Agatha:

Her Pokemon: Gengar, Golbat, Haunter, Arbok, and Gengar.

Try putting them to Sleep first, then attacking.



Battle 4: Lance

His Pokémon: Gyarados, Dragonair, Dragonair, Aerodactyl, and Dragonite.

Use a strong Electric type against Gyarados, then switch to an Ice type for the rest.



Now, you'd think it'd be over, right. You faced the Elite Four and won all four battles, but this game has a surprise. You now have to fight Gary one final time.



Battle With Gary:

Usually he battles in this order: Pidgeot, Alakazam, and Rhydon. After that it will vary depending on which Pokemon you chose to start with:



Squirtle: Gyarados, Arcanine, and Venesaur

Bulbasaur: Exeggutor, Gyarados, and Charizard

Charmander: Arcanine, Exeggutor, and Blastoise



After beating Gary, that's it. You are a POKEMASTER. Congratulations.