Chapter 14: Cerulean Cave and the Mt. Silver Lodge

Your first Hall of Fame entry ends the Kanto story. The way on is a chain of three scenes: a duel with Giovanni in Cerulean Cave, a long rest at the hot-spring lodge on Mt. Silver, and a visit to Prof. Oak, who sends you to New Bark Town with three Pokédexes. Only after that does the guard on Route 26 let you into Johto.

Main quest in this chapter: win the duel against Giovanni and Mewtwo in Cerulean Cave, go through the rehabilitation at the Mt. Silver lodge (talk to Sabrina, battle, soak in the hot spring, repeat), then go home to Pallet Town and thank Prof. Oak.

Do not confuse the conferences. The Indigo Conference ended with your Hall of Fame entry. The Silver Conference that people mention from now on is a separate event on top of Mt. Silver. It starts much later, after you have the Johto Badges, and it is what starts the League HQ investigations. You cannot take part in it yet.

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.

• Cerulean Cave — 3 spots
• Cerulean Cave 2F — 4 spots
• Cerulean Cave B1F — 3 spots
• Route 28 — 2 spots
• Mt. Silver, hot-spring mountainside — 3 spots (1 without screenshots)
• Mt. Silver — 1 spot

Browse all hidden items

Walkthrough

What the first Hall of Fame entry opens. The game counts as cleared. The Elite Four now offer repeatable Singles or Doubles practice battles, and in the Champion’s room the attendant can call Blue to battle (Yellow and Gold join the list later). The extras the guide calls “after your first Hall of Fame” open too, for example Sabrina’s and Blaine’s rematches. These are not post-game: post-game only starts with the final Hall of Fame entry at the very end of the story.

Opens up:

• The Hall of Fame: what your two entries unlock

Technical source (script files and flags)

guide/07 q-0197 (script file 822 first entry L20-L316, the game-clear flag 2404; practice menus in files 817-820 behind CheckFlag 2404; Champion’s room list file 821 L1331, L1860). The final entry (flag 2261) is the post-game boundary.

Cerulean Cave: Giovanni’s duel. Cerulean Cave lies behind the fence on the west side of Cerulean City. Misty and Brock are invited too: a mysterious letter from Nurse Joy asks you to the hidden arena at the bottom of the cave. Cross the cave (its Pokémon are very strong) and talk to Nurse Joy, who leads the guests to Giovanni.

Giovanni fights with his full Lv. 100 team. Losing does not white you out, and if you win, Mewtwo uses Recover and the same battle starts again: the duel only moves on when you lose. You wake up “at the bottom of the lake” and challenge Giovanni again in a Double Battle (a loss here does white you out, and you replay the whole scene). If you chose Charmander and still carry Mr. Fuji’s Mystery Stone, the stone turns into a Charizardite. After the win you free Mewtwo, Giovanni escapes and you wake up at home.

Opens up:

• Cerulean Cave: Giovanni's duel and the Charizardite
• Small extras

Technical source (script files and flags)

guide/07 q-0178 (script file 912: TrainerBattle 402 no-loss at L4818/L4922, win loops at L4855, double battle 402+402 at L2559 with WhiteOut L4849, Charizardite L5414-L5517; flag 1805 set at L3807 after the cave story). Invitation: Dragonite letter to Bill at the Cape picnic (file 216 @10948, sets flag 783 which removes the fence notice at the cave door, 216 @11134). Giovanni’s lines in 912 (@4231 ‘congratulations on becoming League Champion’, @4265 ‘back at the Viridian Gym’) place the duel after the Earth Badge and the Indigo Conference. UNVERIFIED: whether the duel can start earlier; the arena objects are visible from the start and no script in 912, 139 or 11 tests flag 2404 (see questions file). Agent 4 recheck (2026-10-13): files 912, 139, 11 and 216 never test flag 2404. The Cape picnic gate flags 1494, 1495 and 1504 are cleared by the Saffron Marsh Badge scene (file 826 @912-@920), and the picnic then runs the letter scene (file 216 @10948-@11134), so the invitation may become available right after the Marsh Badge, before the first Hall of Fame. The letter and Giovanni’s lines assume the Champion title. Still UNVERIFIED by play; the chapter keeps the guide’s order.

Mt. Silver: the rehabilitation. Back home, Prof. Oak says the Pokémon League will let you onto Mt. Silver to recover. At the reception gate on Route 26 (the building between Route 22 and the Indigo Plateau) the guard now sends you west to Route 28, through Mt. Silver Cave and out of its north-west corner, where the hot-spring lodge stands. Sabrina runs the treatment: talk to Sabrina, battle, soak in the hot spring, talk to Sabrina again. The opponents are Brock, then Misty, then Blue, then Sabrina herself, and in the same visit Yellow walks in and finishes the cure. Every battle that you lose whites you out; talk to Sabrina to retry the round. After Yellow, soak once more; Sabrina joins you in the spring, and you go home to Pallet Town.

Mt. Silver itself stays closed beyond the lodge: the mountain path is shut by order of President Goodshow until you hold the Rising Badge.

Opens up:

• Mt. Silver lodge: the rehabilitation (how to move it along)
• League gate, Mt. Silver, Route 29 and Cherrygrove: small extras

Technical source (script files and flags)

guide/07 q-0179 (script files 846 lodge, 844 hot spring; var 0x4110 1 to 6, flag 609 go soak; end @3126-@3242 warps to Pallet Town and sets flag 1501). Gate: file 213 coord script 3 (var 0x4110 = 0): with flag 1805 set the guard says ‘You’re here to recover from your injuries… the cabin at the foot of the mountain’ and sets 0x4110 = 1 (@750-@868); without it ‘No one may pass without the Pokemon League’s permission’ (@905). File 105 (cave entrance guard): flag 1501 clear = welcome to the lodge, flag 1501 set and no Rising Badge (CheckBadge 15) = ‘closed by order of President Goodshow’. The Silver Conference proper starts only at var 0x40A2 = 8 (file 31 script 10 @2845, after Blackthorn), so the Giovanni scene on the mountain (file 844 coord at 23,139 on var 0x40A2 = 8) does not play now.

Home and Prof. Oak. You wake up in your house in Pallet Town. Your mother tells you to thank Prof. Oak before you go. In Oak’s lab President Goodshow is waiting: while you were fighting Giovanni, Team Rocket in Johto attacked several cities, and the League wants you to follow them there. Oak gives you three Pokédexes for Prof. Elm in New Bark Town. Walk to the Indigo Plateau gate and follow Route 26 south: the Johto border guard now lets you pass.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 842 (end of the rehab, Mom’s lines @5951-@6049, sets flag 596 clear and var 0x4119 = 0 which arms Oak’s lab scene), file 738 script 13 (flag 1501 branch L2258 to L3149-L3617: Goodshow, Team Rocket moved to Johto, three Pokedexes, SetVar 0x408b = 2 @3591). Route 26 guard: file 218 coord script 5 (var 0x408b = 1: ‘Up ahead is the Johto region… not where you need to be going right now’).

Quests in this chapter

Open the ones you want; tick Done to hide them. Filters at the top apply to this whole page.

The Hall of Fame: what your two entries unlock

Main quest

First entry (end of the Kanto League):

• During the title run itself, each Elite Four member and Blue let you choose Singles or Doubles.
• It marks the game as cleared. That opens the extras earlier pages describe as “after your first Hall of Fame”, e.g. Sabrina’s and Blaine’s rematches. These are not post-game: the guide uses “post-game” only for things after the final entry.
• From then on the Elite Four offer a repeatable Singles or Doubles practice battle in their rooms (Lv. 91–95). Between rooms the attendant offers “Heal Pokémon / Go to the next room”.
• The Champion’s room attendant offers “Heal my Pokémon”, “Call a Trainer here to battle” (Singles or Doubles, repeatable; losing whites you out). Right after your first Hall of Fame only Blue can be called. Once Prof. Oak has sent you to Johto with Prof. Elm’s Pokédexes, Yellow joins the list; with the Rising Badge, Gold too. Yellow always battles you in a Double Battle, even if you pick Singles and “Enter the Hall of Fame”.

Final entry (after beating Giovanni at League HQ): this is what the guide means by “post-game” or “after the final Hall of Fame” (Yellow’s dates, Zapdos, Moltres, Rayquaza, Deoxys…). It also:

• opens the Zapdos (Power Plant) and Moltres (Cinnabar) encounters. Later Hall of Fame entries don’t reset them: once you catch them, knock them out or run, they’re gone for good;
• puts the Elite Four and the room attendants back in place (they’re gone during the final chapter), so the practice battles and the Champion’s room service work again;
• puts Gold back in New Bark Town (repeatable Singles/Doubles battle, Lv. 96–97; losing whites you out) and Crystal in Cherrygrove City;
• leads to Lance’s visit to your home in Pallet Town, where he hands over the legendary items seized from Team Rocket.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 822 (first entry L20–L316, no explicit SetFlag 2404: the game sets it when you enter the Hall of Fame; the final-chapter path is L870 (var 0x409e = 18); final entry L2450–L2582 sets 2261 and clears 1517, 1786 (Zapdos), 302, 1607, 2089, 517, 1005, 499, 1964 …), file 196 (Zapdos: before 2261 the object starts a Rocket battle, after it L1693 WildBattle 145 and L1717 sets 1786 for good), files 817–820 (practice menus at L747 behind CheckFlag 2404 at L155; trainers 702–705), 821 (L1331 attendant, L1860 CheckBadge 15 → Blue/Yellow/Gold at L2567, else var 0x408b ≠ 1 → Blue/Yellow at L2667, else Blue only; 0x408b = 1 from Route 1 (168 @576) until Oak’s Pokédex errand (738 @3591 sets 2); Yellow’s Singles still runs TrainerBattle 951 951 at L3742), 839 (L1357, L2263 Gold). First entry = flag 2404, final entry = flag 2261.

Cerulean Cave: Giovanni’s duel and the Charizardite

Cerulean Cave Main quest

Giovanni's team is Lv. 100.

Where: Cerulean Cave, the hidden hall deep inside, after Nurse Joy’s invitation letter.

Who gets it / when: after your first Hall of Fame (Giovanni congratulates you on becoming Champion). This is a story scene for every player. Only the Charizardite is restricted: it only happens if you chose Charmander in Oak’s lab and still carry Mr. Fuji’s Mystery Stone (Lavender Town: Mr. Fuji’s gifts; don’t sell it to the Four Island buyer).

How it works:

1. Giovanni battles you with his full Lv. 100 team (Mewtwo, Tyranitar, Nidoking, Rhydon, Nidoqueen, Aerodactyl). Losing doesn’t white you out. If you win, Mewtwo uses Recover and the same battle starts again, as often as you keep winning. The duel only moves on once you lose.
2. You wake up “at the bottom of the lake”. With Charmander and the Mystery Stone, the stone reacts: it becomes a Charizardite. Without either, the scene just continues.
3. Rematch: a Double Battle against Giovanni’s team, sent out two at a time; he opens with Mewtwo and Tyranitar (tested in an emulator). A loss here whites you out. Giovanni stays, but to retry you have to talk to him again and replay the whole scene: the duel, the collapse and the lake.
4. After the win you free Mewtwo and Giovanni escapes. You wake up at home, and Prof. Oak sends you to Mt. Silver (the rehabilitation below). Reward: Charizardite (Charmander starters with the Mystery Stone only).

Notes: the Dragon Shrine in Johto’s Dragon’s Den can also turn the Mystery Stone into a Charizardite. It works for any starter; only this cave scene checks for Charmander.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 912 (L4818/L4922 TrainerBattle 402 no-loss; a win jumps to L4855, Recover, and repeats the battle; a loss goes on at L4953; L5414 CheckFlag 1287, L5425 HasItem 504, L5497–L5517 gives item 325; L2559 double battle 402+402 (same id twice = a Double Battle against one trainer, one copy of the team; trainer 402 opens with Mewtwo and Tyranitar), a loss → L4849 WhiteOut; the rematch trigger at 45,5 can only be reached from the lake-bottom scene), file 112 L1201 (Dragon’s Den, no starter check). Emulator (emu_harness.py guide0107 --case giovanni): TrainerBattle 402 402 0 0 is a double battle, send-out cries 150 then 248, one team (150, 248, 34, 112, 31, 142) in RAM.

Mt. Silver lodge: the rehabilitation (how to move it along)

Mt. Silver Main quest

You need to have won the Cerulean Cave duel: the guard at the Route 26 gate only offers the lodge after it. Do first: Cerulean Cave: Giovanni's duel and the Charizardite.

Where: the hot-spring lodge on Mt. Silver and the hot spring just outside it. From the Mt. Silver Cave entrance, go west, then north (as the guard there tells you) to the exit in the cave’s north-west corner. Outside, the lodge door is about 30 steps north; the hot spring is about ten steps west of the lodge door.

Who gets it / when: story, right after the Cerulean Cave duel. You can’t go to Johto until it’s done.

How it works: Sabrina runs a loop. Each round is talk to Sabrina → battle → examine the hot spring → you rest a while → talk to Sabrina again.

1. Talk to Sabrina. She tells you to try the hot spring first. Examine the spring (the game puts your walking Pokémon away first). This first soak moves the story on.
2. Round 1: Brock, then soak. Round 2: Misty, then soak. Round 3: Blue, then soak. Round 4: Sabrina herself, and in the same visit Yellow walks in and battles you straight away (no soak in between); she finishes the cure.
3. After each battle, Sabrina says “go soak in the hot spring”. Until you do, she just repeats that line. Soaking puts you back in the lodge, having rested “a while longer”, for the next round.
4. After Yellow, soak once more. Sabrina joins you in the spring, then you go home to Pallet Town.

Every loss whites you out. Talk to Sabrina to retry the round; losing to Yellow means redoing Sabrina’s battle too. Reward: the story continues (next: deliver the Pokédex to Prof. Elm in New Bark Town).

Notes: every soak fully heals your party. You can soak as often as you like; only the first soak after each battle moves the story on.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script files 846 (lodge; L1579–L3288, var 0x4110 1→6, flag 609 “go soak”; trainers 994 Brock, 995 Misty, 261 Blue, 996 Sabrina, then 161 Yellow at L3024 in the same visit; L2648 WhiteOut), 844 (hot spring bg 39/40,25, lodge door ≈49,22; L1727–L3250; “a while longer” is message 539#13), 105 (cave entrance guard, flag 1501).

League gate, Mt. Silver, Route 29 and Cherrygrove: small extras

Mt. Silver Route 29 Cherrygrove City Side quest

A mixed entry. The Mt. Silver photographers can be visited from the lodge trip on; Tuscany on Route 29 (Tuesdays) and Crystal's Poké Ball sale in Cherrygrove belong to the next chapters; Koga's photo in the League reception gate only exists after the final Hall of Fame entry.

• League reception gate (Route 26), Koga’s photo: after the final Hall of Fame, Koga trains in the gate from 18:00 to 20:59 (DS clock) and offers a souvenir photo. He stands on the east (Route 22) side of the gate, near the Route 22 exit. (Tested in an emulator: there at 18:00 and 20:00, gone at 17:00 and 21:00.)
• Mt. Silver photographers: photo spots at the foot of Mt. Silver (Wednesdays and Fridays) and in Mt. Silver Cave 1F (Thursdays). The one at the foot of the mountain isn’t there while the Silver Conference crowd is gathered outside the Pokémon Center.
• Route 29, Tuscany (Tuesdays): the weekday sister gives a Scope Lens. Her ribbon gift for meeting all seven siblings ends normally from rc8; on rc7 and earlier its message stayed stuck on screen until you walked away or pressed X (known issue).
• Cherrygrove City, Crystal’s sale: 10 Poké Balls for $800 during her tour; if you can’t pay she gives you one free.

Technical source (script files and flags)

Koga: file 213 script 16 (photo) and L523 (map load: needs flag 2261, visible when the hour is 18, 19 or 20, otherwise hide flag 624 is set; object at ≈17,10 next to the Route 22 door ≈21,8; emulator emu_harness.py guide0107 --case koga: object 12 present at 18:00 and 20:00 at 17,10, talk → 354#12, absent at 17:00 and 21:00). Photographers: file 945 L864 (weekday 3 or 5) and script 2 (if flag 1339 is clear, i.e. from the League HQ scene until the end of the Silver Conference, the photographer stays hidden), file 105 L244 (weekday 4). Tuscany: file 225 script 4; freeze is decision D-1331. Crystal’s sale: file 847 L7064, L7956.

See Known issues for suspected hack bugs in this area.

Small extras

Side quest

A mixed entry. The Splash Plate item ball on Cerulean Cave B1F is available with the duel; the Tohjo Falls Dawn Stone is Chapter 15, and the Olivine Lighthouse photographer and the Ice Path holes belong to Chapters 23 and 27.

• Olivine Lighthouse 5F: a photographer stands in the south-west corner on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He takes a photo of you for your photo album. He’s away from the end of Jasmine’s Gym battle until you start the Amphy medicine errand. Tested in an emulator: there on a Wednesday and a Saturday, gone on a Thursday and during that gap.
• Olivine Lighthouse 4F: the gap in the east wall, a few steps east of the stairs that come up from 3F on the east side, drops you onto the outside ledge.
• Ice Path B1F: the four holes in the middle of the floor, between the stairs, drop you to B3F.
• Tohjo Falls: an item ball a few steps west of the entrance to the hidden room holds a Dawn Stone.
• Cerulean Cave B1F: an item ball in the south-east corner, about 20 steps south of the east-side passage, holds a Splash Plate.

Technical source (script files and flags)

Lighthouse 5F: script file 65 (CameronPhoto; on-load script 2: flag 477 clear → hidden, else weekday 3 or 6 clears his hide flag 638), photographer ≈2,14. Flag 477 is set at new game (file 149 @82) and on Route 39 (file 249 @4122), cleared at the end of Jasmine’s Gym battle (file 909 @16062) and during the Lighthouse scene (file 66 @1175/@1396), set again at @1848 and when the medicine errand starts (@2515). Emulator (CN, 2026-10-06, work/build/harness/guide-review-20261006/ch13/photo_cn: flag 638 after entering 5F; Wed/Sat with 477 set → shown, Thu → hidden, Wed with 477 clear → hidden). Lighthouse 4F: file 64 (coord script 1 at ≈16,9, the opening in the east wall; Warp to map 221) → file 63; 3F stairs at ≈10,7. The Trainer at ≈15,8 (object 1) has hide flag 477, so he isn’t always there. Ice Path B1F: file 100, holes at ≈11,10, 10,18, 18,7, 19,19. Tohjo Falls: file 113, ball at ≈23,12. Cerulean Cave B1F: file 11, ball at ≈57,39.

See Known issues for suspected hack bugs in this area.