Pokémon Red and Blue: Route 4

This small hint of Route 4 features a Pokémon Center for you to heal up in.

Talk to the portly man inside the Center for a unique opportunity. He is willing to sell you a Magikarp for P500.

Magikarp and Gyarados - Recommended
Magikarp sucks. It's stats are poor, with the exception of its 90 base Speed. It might be worth your money to get it this early, because for a while it only knows the move Splash, which does absolutely nothing. Magikarp is a pure Water-type. You get it at level 5 and it is not until level 15 that it learns Tackle, which it does not have the Attack stat to get much use out of.
However, if you raise your Magikarp all the way to level 20, it evolves into the almighty Gyarados, a fearsome (not-actually-a-)dragon with an Attack stat to match and great Special too. With this great power comes the responsibility of having a Flying subtype, which brings a 4x weakness to Electricity to the table; however, Gyarados can make good use of everything from Blizzard to Thunderbolt to Hydro Pump to Hyper Beam. It even learns the latter two by level up!

Competitively, it is checked by it's Electric weakness, but in single player, a Gyarados is a scarcely stoppable destructive force that will make your game much easier.

After you've made your decision, exit the center and enter Mt. Moon.

Enter Mt. Moon

Pokémon Red and Blue: Route 3

Due to the amount of trainers on this route, they have been numbered for easy reference.

Trainer 1 is a Lass who uses two Pidgey at level 9.

Trainer 2 is a Bug Catcher who uses a Caterpie, a Weedle and another Caterpie, at level 10.

Trainer 3 is a Youngster, who uses a Rattata and an Ekans. Ekans knows a move called Wrap. Wrap exhibits another broken feature of this game. Wrap lasts for two to five turns and prevents you from attacking therebetween. This is called a trapping move. If one Pokémon is faster than the Pokémon it is facing and uses a 100% accurate trapping move. The enemy Pokémon will not be able to attack until the Pokémon runs out of PP for the move. Your Pokémon are probably faster than Ekans, though, so this is little to worry about.

Trainer 4 is a Bug Catcher, who uses a Weedle, Kakuna, Caterpie and Metapod, at level 9.

Trainer 5 is a Youngster who uses a single Spearow at level 14. This is a job for Pikachu's advantageous Electric moves, or for Pidgey or Squirtle's bulk.

Trainer 6 is a Lass, who uses a Rattata and a Nidoran♂, at level 10.

Trainer 7 is a Bug Catcher, who uses a Caterpie and a Metapod, at level 11.

Trainer 8 is a Lass, who uses a single Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff knows a move called Sing. This move, while inaccurate, can put you to sleep for one to seven turns. Jigglypuff's Pound attack probably isn't powerful enough to take you out in your sleep, but beware.

There is one new Pokémon to catch on this route.

	Pidgey	Normal/Flying	L6-8	45%
	Spearow	Normal/Flying	L5-8	45%
	Jigglypuff	Normal	L3-7	10%

Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff - Acceptable

Jigglypuff has crap defenses, but a pile of HP. It's HP is the sixth highest of all Pokémon in the game, as an unevolved Pokémon. It is a pure Normal-type, and it's movepool encompasses the versatility that comes from being a Normal-type.

It evolves into Wigglytuff with the use of an item called a Moon Stone, which will be available very soon. Wigglytuff's HP is the third highest of all Pokémon in the game.

Competitive experts recommend another Normal-type better, but Wigglytuff is a little more resilient, and can reciprocate its opponent's attacks with Counter. In a single player game, it makes a good shield for beginning players to have.

That's all there is to do on this route, so when you're done, head north onto Route 4.

Advance to Route 4

Pokémon Red and Blue: Pewter City Gym

Welcome to the first of the eight gyms of the Indigo League, Pewter City Gym.

You can avoid the gym trainer by walking on either side of him; however, experience is always valuable to collect. He is a Jr. Trainer♂ who uses a Diglett and a Sandshrew at level 11. They are impervious to Pikachu's Electric attacks and their Normal-type attacks can do a lot of damage.

After defeating the gym trainer, step forward and face Brock.

Leader Brock		Pewter City Gym		2 Pokémon		P1386
		Geodude		Rock/Ground		L12
Tackle	Normal	Defense Curl	Normal
		Onix		Rock/Ground		L14
Tackle	Normal	Screech	Normal	Bide	Normal	Bind	Normal

If you have access to Bulbasaur's Vine Whip, Squirtle's Bubble or Butterfree's Confusion, then this is an easy battle. Even so, beware of Onix's Bide, which will deal double the damage it received over two turns. This can take out one of your Pokémon if you're not paying attention.

If you don't have any of these moves, then spam your most powerful attack and heal when you are low on health.

Upon defeat, Brock will award you with the BoulderBadge. He will also give you TM34, which contains Bide. Don't be hasty about using this on one of your Pokémon, because you only get one TM34 in the entire game.

When you're done celebrating, exit the gym and head east onto Route 3.

Advance to Route 3

Pokémon Red and Blue: Pewter City

There is little to do in Pewter City beside healing up at the Pokémon Center. The Poké Mart does contain one new item.

• Poké Balls - P200, it's always a good idea to stock up on these.
• Antidotes - P150
• Awakenings - P250, these will heal the Sleep status ailment. It would not be a bad idea to pick up one or two.
• Burn Heals - P250
• Parlyz Heals - P200
• Potions - P300
• Escape Ropes - P550, these items can be used outside of battle and will return you to the doorstep of the last Pokémon Center you used. Their best use is when you are deep in a cave with low health. Note that they are frequently found inside such caves for free.

If you want to brush up on your history, head into the Pewter Museum of Science, to the north; however, this is not required for anything and costs P50.

When you're finished exploring. Enter the gym.

Enter Pewter City Gym

Pokémon Red and Blue: Route 2 II

The Pokémon here are the same as those in the southwest section of Route 2.

Catch Pokémon if you like, then head north into Pewter City.

Advance to Pewter City

Pokémon Red and Blue: Viridian Forest

Welcome to Viridian Forest, technically the first dungeon of the game. To avoid confusion, the items of this area are lettered, and the trainers are numbered. You enter the forest from the south. If you examine the bottom left side of the tree marked A, you will find a free Antidote. You may encounter these wild Pokémon as you enter the grass on your way to point B.

	Caterpie	Bug	L3	L3-5	5%	45%
	Metapod	Bug	L4	L4-6	5%	40%
	Weedle	Bug/Poison	L3-5	L3	45%	5%
	Kakuna	Bug/Poison	L4-6	L4	40%	5%
	Pikachu	Electric	L3-5		5%

Caterpie, Metapod and Butterfree - Not Recommended

Caterpie is a pure Bug-type. It specializes in HP and Speed; however all of its stats are poor. It experiences a jump in Defense when it evolves into Metapod at the extremely convenient level of 7. Its specialization shifts to the Special stat when it evolves into Butterfree starting at level 10; however, with this comes a 4x weakness to Rock-type moves.

Butterfree is not a good Pokémon. The only advantage it has in this game is that it learns a couple Psychic moves by leveling up. However, its stats are poor and its Bug and Flying-type moves are worse.

The only reason to catch a Caterpie is because it is by far the easiest way to score three points in the Pokédex. Please note: If you catch a Metapod, the only move it will know is Harden, which raises its Defense. In order for it to be able to fend for itself, you must catch a Caterpie, which will know Tackle.

Butterfree is a waste of your one Psychic TM, and almost all enemy Pokémon can take it out in one or two hits. The only advantage to having one is that it learns the dismally inaccurate sleeping move Sleep Powder, and the similar paralysis move Stun Spore.

Weedle, Kakuna and Beedrill - Not Recommended

Weedle is very similar to Caterpie. Its double-edged advantage is that it carries a Poison subtype, which does not change. This gives it a weakness to the almighty Psychic type, but an advantage against the very common Bug and Grass-types. It evolves into the defensive Kakuna at level 7, and into the physical Beedrill at level 10.

Beedrill isn't a good Pokémon either, but it gains Twineedle, the only decent Bug-type move in the game, at the early level of 20.

Like Caterpie, Weedle is an easy three points in the Pokédex, but a Kakuna caught as such will only know Harden.

Beedrill is an acceptable finisher alongside a good team of five, but if you don't care about the Pokédex, don't go for it.

Pikachu and Raichu - Recommended

Say hello to the mascot of the Pokémon series. Pikachu's base Speed is 90, which is good for an unevolved Pokémon. When it evolves into Raichu with the use of a ThunderStone (mid-game) its evolved stats aren't great. Its Speed stat increases to 100 and its Attack and Special become 90. It learns the powerful Thunder by level up, and gains the practical Thunderbolt by TM.
If you're lucky enough to have a Nintendo 64, a copy of Pokémon Stadium and a Super Game Boy, a play-through of Stadium will allow you to trade a Pikachu into your game that knows the essential move Surf. This will allow Pikachu to defeat Rock and Ground-types which otherwise wall it.

Competitively, Raichu's only saving grace is Surf, but in a single player adventure, Pikachu is a great Pokémon to have.

After making the long trek to point B, you are rewarded with a Poké Ball. Collecting this earlier would prevent you from being able to get the five free Poké Balls from Professor Oak.

Trainer 1 can be avoided by sneaking through the grass in front of him, but he's good for some experience. He is a Bug Catcher who uses a Weedle and a Caterpie, both at level 6. If you've done the recommended training, this should be an easy fight, but beware! Weedle's Poison Sting may poison you. In this case, either use the Antidote you found in the tree or make your way back the Pokémon Center quickly, as the poisoned Pokémon's HP will deplete every few steps.

Trainer 2 is a Bug Catcher who uses a Weedle, a Kakuna, then another Weedle, at level 7. Poison is likely here, but an Antidote can be found, conveniently, at point C.

Follow the winding trail to point D for a free Potion.

Position yourself so that you and trainer 3 are looking at the same spot. Examine it to find yet another free Potion. Trainer 3 is the only Bug Catcher you are required to battle. He uses a single level 9 Weedle.

Head north and exit the forest onto the northwest section of Route 2.

Advance to Route 2