Pokémon Blue/Red Walkthrough
This is a walkthrough I wrote myself. If you want to use it, please send me an e-mail telling me what you're going to do. I only have one condition, and that's to give me credit somewhere on the page where you'll display my walkthrough. Anyway, onto it!
You'll begin in Pallet Town, on the top floor of your house. You don't have to, but I suggest withdrawing the only Potion in your computer, it may come in handy. Anyway, you can walk around town for a bit, but it won't do much good. However, when you try to leave town, Professor Oak confronts you and takes you back to his lab, where you can pick your starter Pokémon.
Charmander: A fire-type Pokémon. Only start with Charmander if you're an experienced player, because the first two Gyms are extremely strong against him.
Squirtle: A water-type Pokémon. The first Gym is weak against Water attacks, but the next 3 to follow are not, so it's best to choose Squirtle if you're an intermediate player. Also not too bad for beginners.
Bulbasaur: A grass-type Pokémon. Bulbasaur comes in handy for the first three Gyms, and is the best Pokémon for beginners to start with.
Once you've picked your Pokémon, your rival (I called him Gary) will choose his:
If you chose Charmander, he will choose Squirtle
If you chose Squirtle, he will choose Bulbasaur
If you chose Bulbasaur, he will choose Charmander
When you try to leave, Gary will challenge you to a fight. It shouldn't be too hard to beat him, because neither Pokémon know element-type attacks yet, but you may end up using that Potion you took out of storage. This is the only battle where losing won't affect your game, and the only one when your Pokémon are healed. Going north will bring you into Viridian City.
When you go into the Pokémart, the woman at the counter gives you a package to take to Professor Oak. When you get back, Oak gives both you and Gary a Pokédex. Ignore what Gary says, and go into his house to get a Town Map from his sister.
If you go west of Viridian City, you can catch Rattata, Nidoran Male, Female, Spearow and Mankey (red only), but if you go any father than the first field of grass you will fight Gary. Make sure your Pokémon are at least L.9 if you hope to beat him.
Go north to Viridian Forest. You can catch Caterpie, Metapod, Weedle, Kakuna, and the very rare Pikachu in this forest. Be sure to capture Pikachu, but especially if you have Charmander or Squirtle. There are three trainers here, two of which you can avoid, but since they are easy battles and are good to gain some experience I recommend that you fight them. This is also the best place in this part of the game to train, because Metapod and Kakuna can't hurt you, and Caterpie and Weedle only slightly so.
At the end of Viridian Forest is a building, then you're in Pewter City, where the first Gym Leader resides. Your Bulbasaur should know Vine Whip, your Squirtle should know Water Gun, or your Charmander should be evolved before you attempt this Gym. A backup Pokémon is advisable.
Gym Leader: Brock
For: Boulder Badge
He has: Geodude L.12, Onix L.14
This is a fairly easy battle, no matter which Pokémon you chose. After this fight, head east to Mt. Moon, making sure to stop at the Pokémart first, since there isn't another one until Cerulean City. You will fight many trainers along the way, but there is a Pokémon Center before you enter Mt. Moon. The only different Pokémon available is Jigglypuff.
When you go to Mt. Moon, you will find out that Team Rocket has overrun the place. Walk through and pick up the many items, including a Rare Candy and a Moon Stone, and fight the trainers along the way. Near the end of the tunnel, a man will have two fossils, and will give you one of your choice when you defeat him. When you go to Cinnibar Island and extract the Pokémon from the fossils, the Helix fossil will give you an Omanyte, and the Dome fossil will produce a Kabuto. I usually pick the Dome fossil, but either is a good choice.
Before you jump over the fences into Cerulean City, make sure you picked up the TM on the ground to the east of the cave exit. New Pokémon in the field leading to Cerulean City are Sandshrew (blue only) and Ekans (red only). Now you're in Cerulean City, and you can challenge Misty to a battle. If you have Bulbasaur, use him. If you have Charmander or Squirtle, use the Pikachu you caught back in Viridian Forest for the battle. By now your starter Pokémon should be evolved, and you should have one or two more leveled up for backup.
Gym Leader: Misty
For: Cascade Badge
She has: Staryu L.18, Starmie L.21
Once you have defeated Misty, Pokémon up to level 30 will obey you. Now if you think you have strong Pokémon, go north of town towards Nugget Bridge. Gary will challenge you to a battle. His strongest Pokémon is Pidgeotto L.18, and his Abra knows nothing but Teleport, so if your Pokémon has gotten damaged, heal it then. It should be a fairly quick, easy battle.
There are 5 trainers on Nugget Bridge, all of whom you have to defeat. This shouldn't be too hard. A member of Team Rocket will give you your Nugget, then will battle you because you refuse to join Team Rocket. When this is over, continue north and east towards Bill's house, battling trainers along the way. In the grass along the path, new Pokémon you can catch are Abra, Bellsprout (blue only), and Oddish (red only).
When you fight all the trainers along the path, you can enter Bill's house. Help him when he wants you to, then exit the house and come back in. Bill will give you a ticket to the S. S. Anne, and you can look up rare Pokémon on his PC. Keep this ticket, you will need it.
If you go southwards, you will notice that the policewoman has moved from in front of the door of the house. Go through the door, and a Team Rocket member will fight you. When you recover the TM Dig, the people in the house don't need it anymore, so it's yours to keep.
Going further south will reveal many fences to jump over. In these grasses you can now catch Meowth (blue only). The building at the very bottom is a daycare where you can leave one of your Pokémon to be trained by the owner. If you go down further, to the right is a little building. In this place leads an underground path to Vermillion City. Be sure your Pokémon are healed, because you will be forced to fight at least two trainers before you can enter Vermillion City.
The S. S. Anne will be docked in the harbour, and now that you have a ticket you can go inside. There are many trainers and many items in this ship, and if I was you, I would fight everyone I could and take every item. Eventually you will encounter Gary again. This should also be a fairly quick fight, easier than on Nugget Bridge, because your Pokémon will have gained more experience. They should all be somewhere in the range of high 20s for levels.
When you defeat Gary and enter the room he blocked, you will find a seasick old captain. Rub his back to make him feel better, and he will give you HM01, Cut. Teach this to one of your Grass Pokémon. Now you can cut down the bush in front of Lt. Surge's Gym and enter the Gym.
Gym Leader: Lt. Surge
For: Thunder Badge
He has: Voltorb L.21, Pikachu L.18, Raichu L.24
This should be pretty easy, especially if you chose Charmander or Bulbasaur, who both have the edge over Electric type Pokémon. Catching a Diglett, Sandshrew or Geodude and evolving it is also a good way to win.
Go into Diglett's Cave and travel through it, and you will find 2 houses. Go into one of them and you will be able to get the Flash HM from Professor Oak's Aid. Teach it to a Normal, Electric or Psychic type.
Go back to Vermillion City through the cave, then up to Cerulean City. There is a path east of the city that you could never enter before. Cut down the bush and go through it, fighting some trainers along the way. When you reach the end of the path, there will be a Pokémon Center, and the entrance to Rock Tunnel.
Going through Rock Tunnel is more difficult than Mt. Moon was, and a lot more confusing. You can catch an Onix in this cave, but it will be hard because Onix is not easy to capture. You can try to use the Great Ball you found on the S. S. Anne, but it didn't work for me, even when I got Onix to critical condition.
When you finally find your way through the cave, you will come out in Lavendar Town. By now your starter Pokémon will probably be at its last evolution. If you go into the tower, you can fight Gary on the second floor. Watch out, his Kadabra is becoming very powerful, and so is his Pidgeotto.
After defeating Gary, you will make your way to the second last floor, but you cannot fight the Pokémon blocking your way into the cave. This is fine for now. Exit the tower and make your way west, where there will be another underground tunnel to Celadon City.
Riding your bike through the tunnel is the quickest way through. When you exit the tunnel, go west into Celadon City. In the southern part you will see a bush. Cut it down and go west and north, and you will be able to enter Erika's Gym.
Gym Leader: Erika
For: Rainbow Badge
She has: Victreebel L.29, Tangela L.24, Vileplume L.29
If you picked Charmander (who should now be Charizard), this is finally the place where he will be a huge help to you. If you picked Bulbasaur or Squirtle, try using Vulpix or Growlithe, which you could have caught earlier, or even evolve that Eevee to Flareon (that's usually what I do without Charizard). Not only will evolving Eevee help you later, it will give you a powerful Fire Pokémon that can be used later.
If you go west of town and Cut down the bush, you will come upon a girl who begs you not to tell her secret. As payment for your service, she will give you the Fly HM. Teach it to a Flying type, it will prove very useful in the times to come.
Now go to the middle of town to the Game Corner. If you want to try your luck at the slots, going around and pressing the A button will reveal coins in time. Before you can pick up the coins, you need to go to the restaurant and talk to the guy who has a Coin Case. Use it to store coins in. To get on with your game, talk to the Team Rocket guy standing in front of a poster. You will battle him, and then he will leave, letting you press the secret switch behind the poster.
Make your way through the floors, eventually defeating the guy with the Lift Key, and pick it up. Use the elevator to get to the floor where first two Team Rocket members, and then Giovanni, are waiting to challenge you.
When you defeat Giovanni, he will drop the Silph Scope and leave. Take the Silph Scope, and then head back for Lavendar Town. When you enter the Tower again, go up to the top floor again where the Pokémon blocked your way. The Silph Scope will reveal its identity as the Marowak that was killed in the tower! Don't try to catch it, just defeat it.
Fighting a few trainers on the floor above will lead you to Mr. Fuji. He will thank you for attempting to rescue him, and when he takes you back to his house, talk to him again to recieve the Pokéflute.
Wake up a Snorlax either below Lavendar Town on the path along the water or before the bike route from Celadon, and fight it. Try to capture it, but if you need a more advanced Ball, you can wake the other one up when it's possible to use the Infinite Items code. If you don't catch it, defeat it or run away, and it will move from your path.
Ride along your route on your bike (which is what you should probly use if you're along the water path) and fight a ton of trainers along your chosen path. If you took the water path, you will come upon a house where you will recieve a Super Rod, the best rod there is. Keep it, you'll need it.
When you finally reach Fuscia City, you may still need to train up a few more levels in order to battle Koga, the Gym Leader of this city.
Gym Leader: Koga
For: Soul Badge
He has: Koffing L.37, Muk L.39, Koffing L.37, Weezing L.43
For a quick, easy battle, use your Charizard, Pikachu/Raichu, Gastly/Haunter, or Kadabra/Alakazam. Don't even attempt it with Venusaur, you will surely lose. Anything else will work fine as long as it's a few levels above. Bring along a lot of Antidotes and Potions for this one.
Go to Safari Zone to the very north of town. Pay money and get Safari Balls, but don't catch Pokémon. Hurry as quickly as you can to the very end of the route, where you will recieve your Surf HM. Also at the end of the trail is a set of Gold Teeth. Be sure to pick those up.
Give the Gold Teeth to the Warden in the house east of the Gym, and he will give you Strength for your trouble. Teach both Strength and Surf to a Pokémon, you will need it for later.
Now Fly to Celadon City. On the very top floor of the Pokémart, the floor you can't reach by elevator, buy two drinks out of a vending machine. Give one to the little girl who says she's thirsty, and she will reward you with a TM. Now go to one of the entrances to Saffron City and give the drink to one of the guards. You will now be allowed in Saffron City.
If you try to go into the actual Gym of the town, you won't be allowed to. However, you can enter the gym to the left, the Fighting gym. When you defeat the head trainer of the Gym, he will allow you to take either a Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan. I myself prefer Hitmonchan, but they're both excellent additions to your collection.
Now go to the Silph Co. building. The guy will be asleep and so you can enter. The maze is difficult, but you will eventually find your way through it. There is somewhere to heal your Pokémon somewhere in the building. When you do find the right way through the building, you will again fight Gary, whose Pokémon will be very strong.
Going up more will show you Giovanni and the head of Silph Co. Giovanni will challenge you to another match with his rock/ground type Pokémon. When you defeat him, the head of Silph Co. will be so happy that he will give you a Master Ball. Either clone it with the Infinite Items code or save it for Mewtwo, the hardest Pokémon of all to catch.
*A guy along the way will also give you a Lapras!
When you exit Silph Co., Sabrina's gym will be open. Find your way through the warps to fight her Psychic Pokémon.
Gym Leader: Sabrina
For: Marsh Badge
She has: Kadabra L.38, Mr. Mime L.37, Venomoth L.38, Alakazam L.43
She is possibly the hardest Gym Leader you'll have to face. Either use Charizard or Blastoise, who are surprisingly good against Psychic types and now have powerful moves, or use a Ghost type. Anything else and you're toast, especially on that Alakazam.
When you have defeated her, Fly back to Pallet Town. Go to the river that leads south and Surf down it. You may end up fighting a few trainers along your trail. Cinnibar Island resides further south.
You cannot enter the Fire Gym yet, because it needs a key. To get the key, go into the abandoned building to the west of the Gym and find your way to the basement. Once there, flipping some secret switches will let you get the key (which is in a Pokéball somewhere to the northwest of the place) and find a quick exit out of there.
Now that you have the key, you can enter the Fire Gym. Unlike any other Gym before or after, this one has quizzes. Get the question right and the gate will open automatically, but get it wrong and you'll have to fight a trainer. The questions are fairly simple, nothing to worry about. Now it's time to fight Blaine.
Gym Leader: Blaine
For: Volcano Badge
He has: Growlithe L.42, Ponyta L.40, Rapidash L.47, Arcanine L.47
If you chose Squirtle at the beginning of the game, your Blastoise will be all you'll need to defeat Blaine's Fire Pokémon. Otherwise, use something you fished up with that Rod, Vaporeon, or a Rock type like Onix. All but the Arcanine should be extremely easy.
Fly back to Pewter City and Cut down the bush that leads to the other entrance of the museum. There you will recieve Old Amber, which can be made into an Aerodactyl. Once you have it, go back to Cinnibar. There is a small lab on the southwest part of the island where you can get the man in the last room to take your Old Amber, and your Fossil if you have it, and make it into a Pokémon. Helix will make Omanyte, Dome will make Kabuto.
There are also several trainers in the lab that will want to trade Pokémon with you. All of the Pokémon you would recieve are fairly easy to catch, so don't bother.
Now Fly back to Viridian City. You will notice that when you try to enter the Gym again, it's open! There is a very simple way to reach the mystery Gym Leader. Go up the moving floors, the one at the top (NOT the right), and just continue through there. You should have to fight, at most, two trainers. Then you will come upon the Gym Leader, who is none other than...
Gym Leader: Giovanni!!
For: Earth Badge
He has: Rhyhorn L.45, Dugtrio L.42, Nidoqueen L.44, Nidoking L.45, Rhydon L.50
This is the last badge you need to recieve to enter the Pokémon League. Now any level Pokémon will listen to you and you can train your Pokémon to any level you want. (If you want to cheat and get all your Pokémon up to L.100 quickly, see my codes section.)
Going west of Viridian City along the route you were once on before, you will again meet up with Gary. He will challenge you to a battle as practice for the Pokémon League. All of his Pokémon are extremely challenging, but you should still be able to beat them.
Make sure you have your Pokémon with Surf and Strength with you. Go into the building, and you will start your walk through the place. You will be questioned for all your badges along the way, and by the time the eighth one has been seen, you will be at the entrance to Victory Road.
The walk through Victory Road is complicated, scattered with trainers, items and boulders that need to be moved, but it is fairly simple to go through. If you go to the right place, you can catch Moltres, a legendary bird! If you want the TM with Sky Attack, this is where it's hidden.
When you exit the long tunnel, you will be in a place with a Pokémart and a Pokémon Center. Heal and switch your Pokémon, if need be, and make sure you have enough items. Save your game right now, because if you're not ready there's no turning back!
Elite 4: Member 1
Name: Lorelei
Type: Water/Ice
Pokémon: Dewgong L.54, Cloyster L.53, Slowbro L.54, Jynx L.56, Lapras L.56
If you have an electric Pokémon such as Raichu, Jolteon or Zapdos, it would be the best Pokémon to use in this match.
Elite 4: Member 2
Name: Bruno
Type: Rock/Fighting
Pokémon: Onix L.53, Hitmonchan L.55, Hitmonlee L.55, Onix L.56, Machamp L.58
A Water type will crush the two Onix that Bruno has in almost no time. A Psychic type on Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee and Machamp would be the best Pokémon to use.
Elite 4: Member 3
Name: Agatha
Type: Ghost/Poison
Pokémon: Gengar L.56, Golbat L.56, Haunter L.55, Arbok L.58, Gengar L.60
The best Pokémon to use for this match is a Dragon, if you have one. An electric attack against Arbok may be a good bet. If you have no Dragons to fight against the Ghost Pokémon, try a Fire, Water or Electric attack.
Elite 4: Member 4
Name: Lance
Type: Dragon
Pokémon: Gyarados L.58, Dragonair L.56, Dragonair L.56, Aerodactyl L.60, Dragonite L.62
The hardest Elite 4 member to beat. If you have an Ice Pokémon like Articuno or Jynx, use it. Otherwise, try a Ghost attack, or a very strong Water or Electric attack (don't try an Electric attack on Aerodactyl, though).
Once you beat him, you may think you've won the game, but there's always something else! Gary has already beaten the Elite 4, and now if you want the title of Pokémon Master, you have to fight him.
Trainer: Gary
For: Pokémon Master Title
Pokémon: Pidgeot L.61, Alakazam L.59, Rhydon L.61
The next three Pokémon depend on what starter he picked.
Bulbasaur: Gyarados L.61, Arcanine L.63, Venusaur L.65
Squirtle: Arcanine L.61, Exeggutor L.63, Blastoise L.65
Charmander: Exeggutor L.61, Gyarados L.63, Charizard L.65
After you defeat Gary, Professor Oak will come out and congratulate you. He will take you to the Hall of Fame, where your Pokémon will be recorded. You have beaten the game!
The credits will roll, but don't turn the game off!
When you start the game again you will be back in Pallet, but with all your new settings. Fly to Cerulean City and Surf down the river on the side of Nugget Bridge. You can now enter the cave to capture Mewtwo.
The cave is long and complicated, but when you find your way through, you will come upon Mewtwo. Use your Master Ball to catch Mewtwo. You don't even need to fight it, just throw the ball and it's yours!
After that there isn't much to do except collect the Pokémon you're missing. If you feel like you're done, you can start your game over, and have all the fun of becoming a master once again!
