Pokemon Red Version (Part XIII)

Hello! It's 5am and I'm sick, and the clever bells aren't chiming. Let's just go to Viridian City.

That's right, no mucking about this time! We're just jumping right in.

Viridian City Gym Challenge

The trainers here use mostly Ground types, with a couple other Pokemon mixed in like Machop. You're probably safest with a Grass type out first since they are resistant to Fighting (for some reason) and strong against Ground. The leader uses Ground types exclusively though, so if you have a Blastoise or Venusaur (or any Pokemon that share their types) you are good to go. Ice attacks will also work well.

Head north to find this ensemble. I'll be taking on the  guy I'm standing next to in this picture, then the guy at the bottom, then the guy on the left, then going up to the top.



Cooltrainer♂ || ¥1365
Sandslash Lv.39 || Ground || 1362
Dugtrio Lv.39 || Ground || 1278



Blackbelt || ¥1000
Machop Lv.40 || Fighting || 753
Dugtrio Lv.40 || Ground || 1251



Tamer || ¥1720
Rhyhorn Lv.43 || Ground / Rock || 1243



Cooltrainer♂ || ¥1505
Rhyhorn Lv.43 || Ground / Rock || 1243

The item to the right is a Revive, by the way. Head left across the pathway and be approached by the blackbelt. (Note: He will block you off from the route above, but you can go around from the right. However if you leave the gym and come back, he will be standing blocking off the path from that direction and you will have to approach from below).



Blackbelt || ¥950
Machoke Lv.38 || Fighting || 1188
Machop Lv.38 || Fighting || 715
Machoke Lv.38 || Fighting || 1188

Head back to the entrance and see the two "move" tiles pointing left. Take the lower one, then turn back and challenge the trainer here if you want.



Tamer || ¥1560
Arbok Lv.39 || Poison || 1228
Tauros Lv.39 || Normal || 1762

Take the left move tile upward and challenge the blackbelt here if you want.



Blackbelt || ¥1075
Machoke Lv.43 || Fighting || 1344

Take the free ride down from the right here, then when you stop take the narrow corridor up to another trainer.



Cooltrainer♂ || ¥1365
Nidorino Lv.39 || Poison || 985
Nidoking Lv.39 || Poison / Ground || 1629

Head to the right side of the gym and make your way upward (either via the panel or just by walking over the "stop" tile beside it).  Let it scootch you left, then continue on your own to the final room.



Gym Leader Giovanni || ¥4950
Rhyhorn Lv.45 || Ground / Rock || 1300
Dugtrio Lv.42 || Ground || 1377
Nidoqueen Lv.44 || Poison / Ground || 1828
Nidoking Lv.45 || Poison / Ground || 1879
Rhydon Lv.50 || Ground / Rock || 2185

 

With this badge, all Pokemon will obey you regardless of level. You will also get TM27 Fissure. But most importantly, we can now take on the Pokemon League! How convenient that the route leading there is right outside the city. When you get out onto the road however, you will of course be stopped by a certain someone.



Rival || ¥3445
Pidgeot Lv.47 || Normal / Flying || 1731
Rhyhorn Lv.45 || Ground / Rock || 1300
Exeggcute Lv.45 || Grass / Psychic || 945
Gyarados Lv.47 || Water / Flying || 2154
Alakazam Lv.50 || Psychic || 1992
Charizard Lv.53 || Fire / Flying || 2373

Well. Off again, then.

Route 23

Spearow || Normal / Flying
Fearow || Normal / Flying
Ekans || Poison (Red version only)
Arbok || Poison (Red version only)
Sandshrew || Ground (Blue version only)
Sandslash || Ground (Blue version only)
Ditto || Normal

You will meet one of these guards who will make the same proclamation for each badge. Just nod and smile and carry one.

You will come across this small island in your travels with a hidden item. Don't worry about passing it by, it is literally stuck right in your path.

After you are checked for the Marsh Badge, head right and check for this. The Ultra Ball here is much easier to miss than the previous item.

After you are checked for the Volcano Badge, you can find this one last hidden item (for this area anyway) tucked away in a tiny patch of grass. Continuing forth you will find the last badge check and the entrance to Victory Road. Onward and forward!

Victory Road

Zubat || Poison / Flying
Golbat || Poison / Flying
Venomoth || Bug / Poison
Machop || Fighting
Machoke || Fighting
Geodude || Rock / Ground
Graveler || Rock / Ground
Onix || Rock / Ground

In here you will see a white rock. This can be pushed with Strength (which I mention because the only one we've seen up to this point was at the Warden's house a while ago). Push it down once, then all the way right. Here push it up as far as it will go, then right again to the wall, up twice, right, and down onto the round switch. This will remove the blockade from the raised rocky area to the north. Go left and up the steps.

If you take the east set of steps down from the platform you will encounter another boulder with two items behind it. No matter what you do, you will have to block one of them off to get the other. The boulder will reset if you go outside and come back in. When you do you will see that the boulder we moved to the swtich is back in its original position as well, but the blockade remains removed so it isn't as big of a hassle as it might have been. The top item is TM43 Sky Attack, and on the left is a Rare Candy.

Head back up onto the platform and go left for a trainer.



Cooltrainer♀ || ¥1540
Persian Lv.44 || Normal || 1395
Ninetales Lv.44 || Fire || 1677

Go down these steps and then north for another challenger.



Cooltrainer♂ || ¥1470
Ivysaur Lv.42 || Grass / Poison || 1269
Wortortle Lv.42 || Water || 1287
Charmeleon Lv.42 || Fire || 1278
Charizard Lv.42 || Fire / Flying || 1881

On the next floor of the cave, head south for another boulder and switch. It's simple enough; push it left once, down twice, and straight left onto the switch. This removes the blockade above, so head up the steps and right to face another trainer.



Blackbelt || ¥1075
Machoke Lv.43 || Fighting || 1344
Machop Lv.43 || Fighting || 810
Machoke Lv.43 || Fighting || 1344

Take the steps down and backtrack left a little bit to get TM05 Mega Kick.  There's nothing we can do with the switch here for the moment, so head right for a trainer and then north for another.



Juggler || ¥1435
Drowzee Lv.41 || Psychic || 895
Hypno Lv.41 || Psychic || 1449
Kadabra Lv.41 || Psychic || 1273
Kadabra Lv.41 || Psychic || 1273



Tamer || ¥1760
Persian Lv.44 || Normal || 1395
Golduck Lv.44 || Water || 1639

Right next to that guy is a Full Heal, then to the northeast is another trainer.



Juggler || ¥1680
Mr.Mime Lv.48 || Psychic || 1398

Next to this guy is TM17 Submission. Head back down to where we got the Full Heal and take the ladder on the right. To start with, challenge the trainer in the northeast.



Cooltrainer♂ || ¥1505
Exeggutor Lv.43 || Grass / Psychic || 1953
Cloyster Lv.43 || Water / Ice || 1870
Arcanine Lv.43 || Fire || 1962

Get the Max Revive sitting next to this guy, then go left to find a female trainer up on a platform.



Cooltrainer♀ || ¥1505
Parasect Lv.43 || Bug / Grass || 1179
Dewgong Lv.43 || Water / Ice || 1621
Chansey Lv.43 || Normal || 2349

Leave the boulder in its place for now and go up and all the way left. In between the rocky platform and an alcove with a switch is an item ball containing  TM47 Explosion. Go into the alcove and down the ladder.

This is the legendary Fire / Flying Pokemon Moltres. You can try to take it on right now, or you can wait until you've made it through Victory Road and come back. I recommend the latter - we've still got several trainers to go through, and you don't want to waste your Pokemons' health. For now get the Guard Spec. above, and challenge the trainer to the left.



Pokemaniac || ¥2000
Charmeleon Lv.40 || Fire || 1216
Lapras Lv.40 || Water / Ice || 1876
Lickitung Lv.40 || Normal || 1087

With one more trainer out of the way, head back up to the upper floor and over to that boulder I suggested you leave alone.  Push it up twice, left to the wall, down once, left four times, down three times, and right once. Now go aaaaaaall the way back again, up onto the platform and left past the trainer, and down into the lower area. Fight the male and female trainer here.



Cooltrainer♂ || ¥1505
Kingler Lv.43 || Water || 1897
Tentacruel Lv.43 || Water / Poison || 1888
Blastoise Lv.43 || Water || 1935



Cooltrainer♀ || ¥1505
Bellsprout Lv.43 || Grass / Poison || 774
Weepinbell Lv.43 || Grass / Poison || 1390
Victreebel Lv.43 || Grass / Poison || 1759

Go east from here and find a boulder sitting right next to a hole. Push it in and then jump in behind it. Just keep pushing it left and it will go directly onto the switch. Backtrack right and go up the newly accessible ladder.

Simply head down the opposite ladder in the next small chamber, and then grab this hidden item before making your way out the exit to the right. There you have it! We've reached the Indigo Plateau!

Indigo Plateau Challenge

Round One: Lorelai

Your first opponent withing the Elite Four is Lorelai, who uses Ice-type Pokemon. Although Fire might seem like the obvious choice, most of her Pokemon are part Water type as well, meaning Electric is much more useful. Rock types attacks are also super-effective, but since most have a 4x weakness to water (from being rock/ground types) that isn't such a good idea either. Fighting types however, will work effectively on many of her Pokemon, just not Jynx or Slowbro.

Elite Four Lorelai || ¥5544
Dewgong Lv.54 || Water / Ice || 2035 exp

Cloyster Lv.53 || Water / Ice || 2305 exp

 Slowbro Lv.54 || Water / Psychic || 1897 exp

 Jynx Lv.56 || Ice / Psychic || 1644 exp

Lapras Lv.56 || Water / Ice || 2628 exp

Round Two: Bruno

Bruno is the Elite Four's Fighting-type master, though he has two Onix on his team as well. Psychic types will work well if they are fast like Alakazam, because most of them don't have the defense to withstand counter-attacks. Poison types are resistant to Fighting but not super-effective, and Flying types are at both an advantage and disadvantage. Any with moves worth using are part Normal type, meaning they get no resistance to retaliation.

Elite Four Bruno || ¥5742

 Onix Lv.53 || Rock / Ground || 1225 exp

 Hitmonchan Lv.55 || Fighting || 1650 exp

 Hitmonlee Lv.55 || Fighting || 1638 exp

 Onix Lv.56 || Rock / Ground || 1296 exp

 Machamp Lv.58 || Fighting || 2398

Round Three: Agatha

Agatha is supposed to be a Ghost-type user, but since her choices are extremely limited in the field she has to use other Poison-types like Arbok. Psychic is a good choice here once again, or you could also use Ground. Her Golbat will be the only to give a Ground-type trouble, but if it is also Rock type it should still be able to handle it. If you don't have a Rock/Ground mix or a Psychic type, Ice or Electric will also do a good job.

Elite Four Agatha || ¥5940

 Gengar Lv.56 || Ghost / Poison || 2280 exp

 Golbat Lv.56 || Poison / Flying || 2052 exp 

 Haunter Lv.55 || Ghost / Poison || 1485 exp

 Arbok Lv.58 || Poison || 1827 exp

 Gengar Lv.60 || Ghost / Poison || 2442 exp

Round Four: Lance

Lance is the final Elite Four member and a tough opponent who focuses on Dragon Pokemon. This type is only weak to its own kind (which the only move for is Dragon Rage, which does fixed damage) and Ice. However since the only true Dragon types in the game are Dragonite and its pre-evolutions, he's stuck other Pokemon like Aerodactyl and Gyarados on his team. Aerodactyl will still go down to a decent Ice attack, but Gyarados' partial Water typing will make it resistant - its only weakness is Electricity, but it gets 4x the damage from it.

Elite Four Lance || ¥6138

 Gyarados Lv.58 || Water / Flying || 2659 exp

 Dragonair Lv.56 || Dragon || 1728 exp

 Dragonair Lv.56 || Dragon || 1728 exp

 Aerodactyl Lv.60 || Rock / Flying || 2596 exp

 Dragonite Lv.62 || Dragon / Flying || 2895 exp

Round Five: Champion

It isn't enough to beat the Elite Four themselves, in order to become the new Champion you must defeat the old Champion. It is a tough battle as your opponent doesn't focus on just one type like all the battles before, but it's nothing you haven't seen before. Have an Electric or Ice type Pokemon out in the first slot of your party to get off on the right foot, and then just make the necessary swaps as you go along. It may be tough if you are at lower levels, but overall if you've kept up with your battles you should be in good condition.

Elite Four Champion || ¥6435

 Pidgeot Lv.61 || Normal / Flying || 2247 exp

 Alakazam Lv.59 || Psychic || 2350 exp

 Rhydon Lv.61 || Ground / Rock || 2665 exp

 Exeggutor Lv.61 || Grass / Psychic || 2770 exp

 Gyarados Lv.63 || Water / Flying || 2889 exp

 Charizard Lv.65 || Fire / Flying || 2910 exp

Extras?

Moar extras?

My Champions

Murphy, Lv.48

Annie, Lv.48

Geraldine, Lv.49

Sidnets, Lv.49

Mark, Lv.49

Items Obtained

Revive

TM27 Fissure

Max Ether

Ultra Ball

Full Restore

TM43 Sky Attack

Rare Candy

TM05 Mega Kick

Full Heal

TM17 Submission

Max Revive

TM47 Explosion

Guard Spec.

Full Restore

Pokedex

Seen: 139

Own: 96

Congratulations! You are now officially the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world! At least, the world of that particular game's save file. That's close enough for me.