Azalea Town:
Since Team Rocket is present in Azalea Town, visit Kurt's house and speak with him.
Items a vailable for purchase at the friendly shop
★Poké Ball
★Escape Rope
★Repel
★poison heal
★Paralyze Heal
★potion
★good potion
★Charcoal
★Flower Mail
Slowpoke Well
Here, Zubat and Slowpoke appear.
Players who chose Chikorita as their starter Pokémon may want to catch Zubat just in case.
Engage in battle with Team Rocket further in the town.
With a sufficiently high level, even Bayleef can defeat Team Rocket's Pokémon.
Azalea Town Continued:
After speaking with Kurt, you can craft a Kurt Ball.
Kurt Ball's History:
The Kurt Ball is a type of Poké Ball known for its appealing design, and it remains popular to this day.
At one point, there was a gap in the Kurt Ball's appearance spanning three generations.
However, it made a triumphant comeback in the fourth generation's HeartGold and SoulSilver.
In the fifth generation, the Kurt Ball once again ceased to be an item.
But finally, in the seventh generation, it resurfaced as an item once more.
Azalea Gym:
The Gym Leader of Azalea Gym, Bugsy, specializes in Bug-type Pokémon.
Particularly, Bugsy's trump card, Scyther, boasts a base stat total of 500, placing it alongside the final evolutions of starter Pokémon.
It's advisable to target Scyther's 4x weakness to Rock-type Pokémon and defeat it quickly.
Bugsy's Pokémon:
Metapod, Level 14
Kakuna, Level 14
Scyther, Level 16
VS. Bugsy Strategy:
Similar to the previous Gym Leader, this second Gym requires swiftly defeating the opponent.
Bugsy's Kakuna and Metapod will use "String Shot" to lower your Pokémon's speed. If you've chosen Chikorita as your starter Pokémon, it's advisable to defeat Kakuna and Metapod first.
After dealing with them, it's recommended to switch to Spearow or Geodude for the battle against Scyther.
Using "Rock Throw" with Onix or Geodude allows you to exploit Scyther's 4x weakness to Rock-type moves.
Azalea Town Continued:
After defeating the Gym Leader, on your way to Ilex Forest, you'll ha ve a battle with your rival.
Rival's Pokémon:
Gastly, Level 12
Zubat, Level 14
Starter Pokémon, Level 16
Strategy against the Rival:
The rival mainly uses Poison-type Pokémon, but even with the starter Pokémon, you can still win.
Unlike the previous battle, your rival now has moves that target the weaknesses of starters. Thus, type matchups become crucial in this battle, more so than in previous battles throughout the series.
Bring Pokémon of Ground, Rock, and Flying types to ha ve an advantage.
Ilex Forest
In Ilex Forest, encounters with wild Pokémon are frequent, so using Repel here will make your journey more comfortable.
Head to the right on the map to catch Farfetch'd. If you bring it back to its apprentice, you'll receive the Hidden Machine "Cut."
Teach "Cut" to Pokémon such as:
Rattata
Bellsprout
Sandshrew
Paras
Oddish
By going north to the gate, you can access Route 34.
Route 34 is abundant with Trainer battles, so be mindful of your Pokémon's HP depletion during these encounters.
There's a low probability of encountering Ditto on Route 34, so if you're lucky enough to encounter one, you'll want to catch it.
What's impressive about Ditto in Gold, Silver, and Crystal:
Route 34 features a daycare center where you can lea ve a male Pokémon and Ditto to produce eggs, even if Ditto's gender is male.
This is particularly useful for Pokémon like Eevee and starters, which are predominantly male, making it difficult to find a female counterpart.
Ditto's demand is high, especially for shiny variants, which are even luckier. Shiny Ditto and deposited Pokémon ha ve a 1 in 64 chance of producing a shiny Pokémon when they hatch.
Goldenrod City:
Upon arriving in Goldenrod City, your first priority should be obtaining a Bicycle from the Bike Shop.
For players who chose Totodile as their starter Pokémon:
Head to the Goldenrod Department Store and purchase the TM for "Ice Punch."
Due to the mechanics at the time, where all Ice-type moves were special, this move allows Totodile to exploit weaknesses against Grass and Dragon types, making it incredibly versatile.
Recommended move set for Totodile:
Water Gun
Ice Punch
Bite
Scary Face
Goldenrod Department Store:
At the Goldenrod Department Store, you can purchase items like Moomoo Milk on the top floor.
Since it restores 80 HP, it's wise to buy some along with some Lemonade for extra healing.
Following the Goldenrod Department Store, head to the Goldenrod Gym.
Goldenrod Gym:
The Gym in Goldenrod City is inhabited by a Normal-type Pokémon user.
Their only weakness is Fighting-type moves, and their type-matching moves ha ve high power and additional effects.
VS. Whitney:
Whitney's Team:
Clefairy, Level 18
Miltank, Level 20
Strategy against Gym Leader Whitney:
In the battle against Whitney, there's no need to train Fighting-type Pokémon. Instead, weakening the opponent with status-changing moves is more effective.
Moves like "Mud-Slap" and "Curse" are particularly effective against Miltank.
Whitney's Miltank not only uses the healing item "MooMoo Milk" but also utilizes its high speed to inflict flinching with "Stomp" and employs moves like "Attract" and "Rollout."
As soon as Miltank is sent out, weaken it with moves like "Sand Attack," "Mud-Slap," and "Confuse Ray." Then, switch your Pokémon and bring in Gastly to use "Curse" and engage in a endurance strategy to win.
Goldenrod City Continued:
After defeating the Gym Leader, head out of the Gym and visit the house on the right, where you'll receive the SquirtBottle.
Using this on the strange tree nearby will trigger a battle with Sudowoodo. Therefore, it's advisable to stock up on Poké Balls here.
Route 35:
This route features numerous Trainer battles and is an excellent place to train your starter Pokémon.
Since you'll want to evolve your starter Pokémon into their final forms early on, make sure to earn plenty of experience points for them here.
Route 36:
Using the SquirtBottle on the odd tree to the right here will trigger an encounter with Sudowoodo.
Interestingly, there's a scene in Pokémon Emerald that replicates the encounter with Sudowoodo from Gold and Silver, so playing Emerald can enhance your enjoyment of Gold and Silver.
Is Sudowoodo strong?
Among Rock-type Pokémon, Sudowoodo boasts high Attack and Defense stats. In the early stages of the game, simply using "Rock Throw" can deal significant damage.
In the story, due to its 4x weakness to Water-type moves, it's easier to use Pokémon like Geodude, Gra veler, and Golem, which can nullify Electric-type moves.
Route 36 Continued:
After the battle with Sudowoodo, speak to the NPC to the east to receive the TM for "Rock Smash."
"Rock Smash" may ha ve low power, but it has a 50% chance of lowering the opponent's Defense by one stage. Additionally, it has 100% accuracy, making it a valuable Fighting-type move.
Teach "Rock Smash" to your Pokémon.
"Rock Smash" is an excellent support move. It's particularly useful for Pokémon with high HP or those proficient in status-changing moves, and it remains useful throughout the game.
Consider teaching "Rock Smash" to Pokémon like Gyarados to a void difficulties later in the story.
Route 37:
Proceeding north from Route 36 will lead you to Ecruteak City.
First, head to the "Burned Tower" to meet Entei, Suicune, and Raikou.
Before encountering Entei, Suicune, and Raikou, a report is necessary.
Entei, Suicune, and Raikou are level 40 Pokémon with very high base stats.
If you're aiming for a Shiny variant, be cautious as releasing them on the map here will prevent their Shiny variants from appearing again.
It's advisable to first register them in your Pokédex through Pokémon trading and then selectively pursue Shiny variants to finally encounter these legendary Pokémon.
VS. Rival: Battle at Burned Tower
Rival's Team:
Haunter Lv20
Zubat Lv20
Magnemite Lv18
Starter Lv22
Burned Tower
Inside the central hole of the map, you encounter the legendary beasts Entei, Suicune, and Raikou, roaming around as wandering legends.
Before falling into the hole, it's crucial to note that if you don't prepare a report beforehand, shiny versions won't appear again, and the individual values (IVs) will become fixed.
Ecruteak Gym
The Gym Leader of Ecruteak Gym, Morty, specializes in Ghost-type Pokémon.
While Morty's Pokémon boast high speed, their moves are physical, which might seem to lack firepower initially, but their status-affecting moves are potent.
You'll find it logical why Ghost-type moves are physical.
VS. Morty
Morty's Team:
Gastly Lv21
Haunter Lv21
Haunter Lv23
Gengar Lv25
Strategy against Morty:
The primary move Morty's Ghost-type Pokémon use, "Shadow Ball," is a physical move due to the mechanics of Gold, Silver, and Crystal.
It doesn't deal significant damage, but there's a risk of them using "Mimic" to copy your special moves.
Preventing them from using status-affecting moves is crucial.
Bring along an Umbreon.
You can meet Bill at the Pokémon Center in Ecruteak City.
After meeting Bill, you can receive an Eevee at Bill's house located to the left of the Pokémon Center in Goldenrod City.
Evolve Eevee into Umbreon at night before taking on the challenges ahead.
