Chapter 2: Mt. Moon
You have the Boulder Badge and Rock Smash. The next stop is Mt. Moon, but a roadblock of “construction” guards sits at the north end of the first cave, and it only opens once Blue, Misty, Steven and Cynthia are all waiting there and you hold the Boulder Badge.
Main quest in this chapter: meet Misty on Route 3, bring Steven and Cynthia into the cave, then talk to the guard. The fight that follows (four Multi Battles) leads to Mt. Moon Square and the way on to Cerulean City.
Closes in this chapter: Bruno at the Pewter Pokémon Center.
Hidden items along the way
Optional stops in this chapter’s locations. Some spots may need a return visit; check the location notes for access limitations.
Open a location for item names, directions and available screenshots.
Walkthrough
Section titled “Walkthrough”Pewter City, before you leave. The Gym’s sparring partner now takes a Pecha Berry to train your Defense. If you haven’t yet, beat Steven at the Museum of Science (he must be in your pocket for the roadblock) and Blue on the path to the Gym.
Technical source (script files and flags)
guide/02-pewter-to-vermilion.md q-0043 (script 750 L907, needs Boulder Badge), q-0029 table (companion flags 1310 Blue, 1372 Misty, 1358 Steven, 1371 Cynthia; Steven at the Pewter Museum, file 753 script 21 L4045)
Route 3. Walking east you pass a Bug Catcher (a Scyther chase for Charmander starters, a battle for everyone else) and an old painter who is ill and wants Fresh Water for a Big Root and his late wife’s Ralts. You can’t buy Fresh Water yet; it goes on sale in Mt. Moon Square once the roadblock story is over.
Technical source (script files and flags)
script file 175 (scripts 30, 31 Bug Catcher; script 9 painter); file 6 (shop needs flag 1994, see q-0031); order along the road from the NPC coordinates (Kenji 1117,104; painter 1130,124; Misty trigger 1149,119-123; Pokémon Center door 1167,106)
Misty’s Gyarados. Walk past the Trainer further east and Misty’s runaway Gyarados charges you. Win or lose, the story goes on. Misty apologises and asks “Comfort Misty?”: answer Yes. Answering No closes her romance route. Either answer puts her in Mt. Moon as your second companion.
Technical source (script files and flags)
script file 175 (script 17 coord trigger at x1149 z119-123 var 0x4086 = 0, L3346-L4102; ‘No’ sets flag 2142; both clear Misty’s hide flag 1372)
Mt. Moon, first cave. Talk to Cynthia at the first fork (any answer to her left-or-right question works). Take the east passage down to the inner cave for Steven (talk to him again after beating him at the Museum) and for the Super Nerd who sells fossils. Nurse Joy heals you inside the cave.
Technical source (script files and flags)
script files 7 (Cynthia script L4234 clears 1371), 133 (Steven L1554 clears 1358; fossil seller scripts 7-8), q-0029 table
The roadblock. With Blue, Misty, Steven and Cynthia all standing by the guards and the Boulder Badge in your case, talk to the guard. Green (Red for a girl) exposes them as Team Rocket and you fight four Multi Battles, one beside each companion. This leads to the Mt. Moon Square scene (Mew), and Bruno leaves the Pewter Pokémon Center. The Underground Path doorways on Route 5, 6, 7 and 8 also open now.
Technical source (script files and flags)
script file 7 (script 15 L1815/L2575: guard checks flags 1310, 1372, 1358, 1371 and the Boulder Badge), file 9 (script 20 @5498 sets Bruno’s hide flag 1311; @5598 sets 1226, which hides the Underground Path doorway blockers; see guide q-0034). Bruno: file 751 script 8.
Out of Mt. Moon. A small cave entrance between Mt. Moon and Mt. Moon Square leads, on Monday nights (20:00 to 23:59) and early Tuesday mornings (00:00 to 03:59) by the DS clock, to a copy of the Square where six Clefairy dance around a rock and leave a Moon Stone. Route 4 leads to Cerulean City. The Fresh Water shop in Mt. Moon Square is open now, so the painter on Route 3 can be helped if you want his Ralts.
Technical source (script files and flags)
guide/02 q-0026 (‘Getting Fresh Water’), q-0031 (shop sells Fresh Water from the roadblock until Asher’s gang moves in after the Cascade Badge)
Quests in this chapter
Section titled “Quests in this chapter”Open the ones you want; tick Done to hide them. Filters at the top apply to this whole page.
Gym sparring partners: EV training for a Berry
Section titled “Gym sparring partners: EV training for a Berry”Pewter's sparring partner opens now. Cerulean's opens with the Cascade Badge and Vermilion's with the Thunder Badge.
Where: a sparring partner in each Gym. In this page:
| Gym | Fee | EVs trained |
|---|---|---|
| Pewter | 1 Pecha Berry | Defense |
| Cerulean | 1 Aspear Berry | Sp. Def |
| Vermilion | 1 Cheri Berry | Speed |
Who gets it / when: each one opens once you have that Gym’s Badge (Boulder, Cascade, Thunder). The Cerulean partner is away while the Gym has no Leader (from your talk with Blue at the Viridian Gym until Misty wins her Gym Leader assessment). He also refuses to train you for a while during the League HQ investigation, after Team Rocket’s raid on the Cerulean Gym (“We couldn’t stop Team Rocket”).
How it works: pay the Berry and battle a low-level team that gives those EVs. You can repeat it as often as you like. Losing whites you out.
Technical source (script files and flags)
files 750 (script 7, L907), 758 (script 11, L4217, L4228, L6966; needs flag 1133, set at new game, cleared when Misty leaves for Seafoam at L6368, and CheckBadge 1; partner object hidden by flag 1003, a stand-in object by 1132; 2241 only switches to the Champion greeting), 776 (script 28, CheckBadge 2, L993/L1384).
Route 3: the Scyther chase (Charmander starters) / Bug Catcher Kenji (others)
Section titled “Route 3: the Scyther chase (Charmander starters) / Bug Catcher Kenji (others)”Where: a Bug Catcher about 50 steps west of the Route 3 Pokémon Center door, a few steps east of a man who talks about Dusk Balls. The ledge is about 10 steps west and 7 steps south of him.
Charmander starters: he says he chased a Scyther here from Viridian Forest but can’t beat it. The Scyther then appears on the ledge. Check it: “The Scyther is looking down haughtily. Challenge it?” → Yes starts a wild battle against Scyther, Lv. 15. If you lose, you white out and can retry. Winning, catching or running away removes it (running away tested in an emulator).
Other starters: he already owns Scyther. Answer Yes to battle him (Scyther Lv. 11, Pinsir Lv. 10). This is a one-time battle with no item.
Technical source (script files and flags)
file 175 (scripts 30, 31; L3512, L3608). Talking to him clears flag 2268 to show the ledge Scyther; CheckBattleWon counts a flee as a win, so fleeing sets 2268 too. Emulator (CN and EN): Lv. 15, fled, flag 2268 set, gone after reloading the map. Bug Catcher ≈1117,104, ledge ≈1107,111, Pokémon Center door 1167,106.
Route 3: the old painter’s Ralts (Fresh Water errand; before the Cascade Badge)
Section titled “Route 3: the old painter’s Ralts (Fresh Water errand; before the Cascade Badge)”Needs Fresh Water, sold in Mt. Moon Square after the roadblock story. The painter dies when you win the Cascade Badge.
Where: an old man with a Ralts, southwest of the Route 3 Pokémon Center: about 37 steps west and 18 steps south of its door, a few steps south of an item ball.
How it works:
- He’s ill and moved here for the Mt. Moon spring water. Talk to him with Fresh Water in your Bag. He drinks it (1 Fresh Water used) and gives you a Big Root.
- Talk again. He asks you to take his late wife’s Ralts on your journey. Answer Yes with a free party slot.
Reward: Big Root, then Ralts, Lv. 15. Answering No or having a full party lets you ask again.
Getting Fresh Water: the Mt. Moon Square shop sells it for $600, but only after the Mt. Moon roadblock story. The shop stops selling it while Asher’s gang holds the spring (see the Mt. Moon Square entry). So in practice you buy it between the roadblock and your Cascade Badge.
Missable: when you win the Cascade Badge (Misty hands you TM03 right after), the painter passes away. If you haven’t taken Ralts by then, it stays behind with a letter. Read it and say Yes to “Take Ralts with you?” to fight a wild Lv. 15 Ralts. Catch it: knocking it out or running away also removes it for good. Losing whites you out and you can retry. The Big Root is gone once he has died.
Technical source (script files and flags)
file 175 (script 9, L2396, L2409, L4238; letter L2278); file 758 L3883 sets 1390 (the painter’s death); file 6 (shop, needs flag 1994). Fresh Water is not a Route 3 field item (work/docs/items.md lists Route 3 only as where it’s needed; the item ball near the painter is TM27, item 354). Position 1130,124; Pokémon Center door 1167,106; item ball 1132,120.
Route 3: Misty’s Gyarados, “Comfort Misty?” (romance choice)
Section titled “Route 3: Misty’s Gyarados, “Comfort Misty?” (romance choice)”Where: it starts on your way east along Route 3, when you walk past the Trainer standing about 18 steps west and 13 steps south of the Route 3 Pokémon Center door (anywhere in the column running from him to 4 steps south of him).
How it works: Misty’s runaway Gyarados charges you. You battle it (a Lv. 65 Gyarados). The story goes on the same way whether you win or lose, and losing doesn’t white you out. Then Misty apologises and asks “Comfort Misty?”.
Warning: answering No closes Misty’s romance route (see below).
- Yes: you encourage her and have a battle with her (Starmie Lv. 12, Goldeen Lv. 11, Horsea Lv. 10, Psyduck Lv. 5). Then she goes home.
- No: she goes home without a battle, and this closes Misty’s romance route (her confession in the Cerulean Gym, in the final chapter, checks it). Only the Island Forest wish on Six Island, made before the Dream World, reopens it (the romance route’s central entry).
Notes: either answer puts Misty in Mt. Moon for the roadblock scene.
Technical source (script files and flags)
file 175 (script 17, L3346, L4102); file 758 L7072 (confession check); file 55 L3039 (Six Island wish clears 2142). “No” sets flag 2142; both answers clear flag 1372 (Misty in Mt. Moon). Step trigger at x 1149, z 119–123 (var 0x4086 = 0); Trainer object at 1149,119.
Mt. Moon: the fossil seller
Section titled “Mt. Moon: the fossil seller”Where: a Super Nerd digging by a fossil in Mt. Moon’s inner cave, about 15 steps east and 4 steps north of the exit to Route 4 (and about 17 steps south and 13 steps west of Steven’s spot from the previous entry).
How it works: checking the fossil makes him battle you (Super Nerd Zack: Magnemite Lv. 16, Voltorb Lv. 17, Nosepass Lv. 18). Losing whites you out; check the fossil again to retry. After you win, talk to him: he sells Helix Fossil or Dome Fossil for $5,000 each, as often as you like.
Technical source (script files and flags)
file 133 (scripts 7, 8; L2149, L2216). Fossil ≈28,70, Route 4 exit 13,74.
Mt. Moon: what opens the fake guards’ roadblock
Section titled “Mt. Moon: what opens the fake guards’ roadblock”Where: the “construction” guards blocking the way at the north end of Mt. Moon’s first cave, about 37 steps north and 11 steps west of the Route 3 entrance.
Why players get stuck: the guard won’t start the scene until all four companions are waiting in the cave and you have the Boulder Badge. Until then he only repeats “The road ahead is under construction!”.
| Companion | What puts them there |
|---|---|
| Blue | your rival battle in Pewter City, on the path between the Pokémon Center and the Gym (story; it starts on your way to the Gym) |
| Misty | the Route 3 Gyarados scene (previous entry; either answer) |
| Steven | beat Steven at the Pewter Museum (Beldum Lv. 12, Baltoy Lv. 11, Aron Lv. 12). Answer Yes when he offers, then talk to him again inside Mt. Moon: take the passage on the east side of the first cave down to the inner cave, where he stands about 7 steps east of where you arrive, next to an archaeologist. No just ends the talk (“That’s a real shame”) and you can ask again. |
| Cynthia | talk to her at the first fork in Mt. Moon, about 11 steps north of the Route 3 entrance, and answer her “left or right?” question. Any answer works. |
Once all four are there, they wait just south of the guards. Then talk to the guard. Green (Red for female players) exposes them as Team Rocket, and you fight four Multi Battles, one beside each companion. That leads on to the Mt. Moon Square Mew scene.
Notes: Nurse Joy inside the cave heals you before and after. Steven is also in the Cerulean Bike Shop until you beat Misty: talking to him starts a battle straight away (Metang Lv. 20, Aron Lv. 15, Baltoy Lv. 16, Anorith Lv. 17). It’s a one-time battle with no item, and losing whites you out.
Technical source (script files and flags)
file 7 (script 15, L1815, L2575; the guard checks companion flags 1310 Blue, 1372 Misty, 1358 Steven, 1371 Cynthia, then the Boulder Badge), file 748 L4450 (Blue, step trigger 1045,96–98), file 753 (script 21, L4045 clears 1312), file 133 (script 4, L1554 clears 1358), file 7 L4234 (Cynthia clears 1371), file 175 L3490 (Misty), file 764 (bike-shop Steven, trainer 210, L224; hidden by flag 1026, set at the Cascade Badge 758 L3879). Bank 47 #89/#90 (Green/Red). Guards ≈13–14,19 (Mt. Moon first cave, entrance 25,56); Cynthia ≈24,45; Steven in the inner cave (“Mt. Moon, east building”) ≈41,53, next to the warp at 34,53 that connects to the first cave’s east warp at 40,22.
Mt. Moon Square: the Clefairy dance (Monday nights)
Section titled “Mt. Moon Square: the Clefairy dance (Monday nights)”Mondays 20:00-23:59 or Tuesdays 00:00-03:59 by the DS clock. Pick up the Moon Stone before you leave the Square.
Where: the small cave entrance between Mt. Moon and Mt. Moon Square.
Who gets it / when: every week, on Monday from 8:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. or Tuesday from midnight to 3:59 a.m., by the DS clock.
How it works:
- At that time, the doorway from the entrance into the Square takes you to a copy of the Square where six Clefairy dance around a rock. The game picks the doorway’s destination when you enter the entrance cave, so if 8 p.m. passes while you’re standing in it, go out and back in.
- Walk in and head west, past the “Closed” sign. The scene plays when you reach the far west side of the area, about ten steps west and a few steps south of that sign.
- When the dance ends, a Moon Stone appears where they danced, a few steps north-east of where you stand. Pick it up before you leave: if you go out and come back, the stone is gone and the doorway leads to the normal Square for the rest of that day.
Reward: Moon Stone.
Notes: once you’ve seen the dance, the doorway leads to the normal Square again until the day changes. The dance and a new Moon Stone come back every Monday night. Because the day changes at midnight, the dance can also play once more between midnight and 3:59 a.m. on Tuesday, even if you saw it on Monday evening (tested in an emulator: with the dance marked as seen at 10 p.m. on Monday the doorway leads to the normal Square, and once the clock passes midnight it leads to the dance again). The rest of the time the Square is the normal map with Asher’s gang (Pewter City to Vermilion City). This is the original game’s event, kept by the hack.
Technical source (script files and flags)
script file 8 (map 448; GetWeekday = 1 with time period 3, or = 2 with period 4, moves the Square warps to map 513 unless flag 2741 is set), file 10 (map 513; script 1 sets flag 664 on every entry and hides the Clefairy outside those times, script 3 dance triggered at ≈8,16, L309 clears flag 664 to show the Moon Stone ball at ≈11,12, L775 sets 2741; script 4 gives item 81). Time periods: arm9 hour table 0x020F2A94 (period 3 = 20:00–23:59, 4 = 00:00–03:59). Flag 2741 is a daily flag: arm9 0x0203FBAC clears flags 2720–2911 on each new day.
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