Chapter 18: The Ruins of Alph, Route 32 and Union Cave

With the Sprout Tower ceremony over, Gold and Crystal turn up at the Ruins of Alph, where a researcher’s daughter has vanished. The ruins are also the key to the road south: a railway crew blocks Route 32 just south of Violet City, and it only leaves when the Molly story is over. Behind it lie Route 32, Union Cave and Route 33.

Main quest in this chapter: find Molly in the Ruins of Alph, bring her back, and walk south through Route 32 and Union Cave. On Route 33 a scene with Gold, Crystal, Silver and two Team Rocket Executives sends you on to Azalea Town.

Deadlines: the Route 32 Pokémon Center storm patients (Nurse Joy, the Cubone, the Bonsly and the Igglybuff) must be finished before you walk out of Union Cave onto Route 33. Bring Moomoo Milk and a Hard Stone with you.

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.

• Ruins of Alph — 5 spots
• Route 32 — 3 spots
• Union Cave — 3 spots
• Union Cave B1F — 2 spots

Browse all hidden items

Walkthrough

The Ruins of Alph. In the Research Center the assistant tells you that Molly, Prof. Hale’s six-year-old daughter, is missing. Ask both Gold (just north-west of the Research Center door) and Crystal (south of the small building in the middle of the ruins) about Molly and answer Yes each time: only then does Silver appear in the Kabuto chamber in the north-east. If the grass beside the chamber blocks you, it is solid scenery: walk around the large ruin to the south and approach the door from the east.

Battle Silver; the Unown then drop everyone into a dead end. Keep choosing until the new option “I don’t know either” appears, face Entei, touch the statue on the right and fight your way through the dream world: Molly’s clone, three Multi Battles with Silver, Gold and Crystal, and two Double Battles against Entei’s team on the stairs. Back at the Research Center you receive the Unown Report.

Also in the ruins: a girl who saw her own face on a statue (bring a Potion), an Infernape’s owner outside the Route 36 gatehouse, a tutor for Ancient Power (1 Rare Bone) and the four stone panels with their back walls.

Opens up:

• Ruins of Alph: blocked grass — how to reach Silver and the Kabuto chamber
• Ruins of Alph: the missing Molly (story chapter; how to move it along)
• Ruins of Alph: the four stone panels and the chamber walls (continues Cherrygrove City to Azalea Town's Ruins of Alph entries)
• Ruins of Alph: the girl who saw her own face (→ Rock Incense)
• Ruins of Alph: small extras

Technical source (script files and flags)

guide/08 q-0224, q-0225, q-0226, q-0227 and guide/13 q-0364 (script files 51 Alph Research Center chain, 39/41/43/45 chamber puzzles, 38 Research Center; 08-ruins-of-alph-silver.md has the grass detour). Gold and Crystal at the ruins appear after the Sprout Tower ceremony (file 18 @3835-@3865 flags 1839, 1909, 1827, 1849, 1851). The ‘Alph’ chapter ends at file 51 @4253 (SetFlag 1904) and @4269 (clears the Kabuto wall flag 539); file 51 @4308 sets var 0x40a7 = 2.

The Molly chapter ends. This closes for good: Goh’s challenge in Violet City (“Teach Goh a lesson”). The railway crew on Route 32 leaves, and the Kabuto wall closes again. If you took the Wooper’s Poké Ball by force in Cherrygrove City, a Quagsire ambushes you the next time you walk along the Route 32 riverbank (one battle, then 10 each of your Ultra Balls, Great Balls and Poké Balls are taken).

Opens up:

• Route 32: the Quagsire's revenge (only if you took the Wooper's Poké Ball by force)

Warning: doing this closes these for good. Finish them first.

• Violet City: teach Goh a lesson (before the Ruins of Alph chapter ends) Missable

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 232 (Route 32: the crew objects are hidden by flag 1904, set at file 51 @4253; the Quagsire coord script 23 at 468,387 triggers on var 0x40a7 = 2, set at file 51 @4308); guide/08 q-0211 (‘until the end of the Ruins of Alph story, which sends Goh away’), q-0223 (‘triggers after the Ruins of Alph chapter, when you bring Molly back to the Research Center’).

Route 32. South of the crew’s old spot the route is full of small jobs: a fire-breather who only battles Fire types (TM50 Overheat), a girl whose Mareep keeps running off (give her a Magnet), a man who asks whether people should eat Pokémon, and a storm-damaged Hoppip owner who wants her three Hoppip brought back (the Hurricane tutor). At the south end the Route 32 Pokémon Center is full of storm patients: talk to Nurse Joy first, give the Cubone Moomoo Milk and patch the Bonsly with a Hard Stone (a PP Max each), and fetch Joy for the injured Igglybuff outside (a Life Orb).

Opens up:

• Route 32: the Hoppip blown away by the storm (→ Hurricane tutor)
• Route 32: the fire-breather's Fire-only battle (→ TM50 Overheat)
• Route 32: give the Mareep girl a Magnet (→ Max Revive)
• Route 32: "Should people eat Pokémon?" (Leftovers or Sharp Beak)
• Route 32 Pokémon Center: the storm patients and the injured Igglybuff (missable; before Route 33) Missable

Technical source (script files and flags)

guide/08 q-0218, q-0219, q-0220, q-0221, q-0222 (script file 232 Route 32; the Pokemon Center patients are tracked by markers that the Route 33 scene resets, file 236 @6565 and @6584).

Union Cave. Union Cave 1F has Goh and a wild Cyndaquil on a ledge in the west, a boy with a Zubat in the east, and Hiker Jeb with his Tyranitar in the south-west. On B1F a weekday item seller, a psychic healer and the old woman who asks for $2,000 to lead you past the lava heat wait further in. (The Cyndaquil quest closes when you finish Bugsy’s hunt in Ilex Forest.)

Opens up:

• Union Cave 1F: Goh and the wild Cyndaquil (before you finish the Ilex Forest story) Missable
• Union Cave 1F: the Zubat boy's evolution question (one gift)
• Union Cave: small extras

Technical source (script files and flags)

guide/08 q-0230, q-0231, q-0233 (script files for Union Cave 1F/B1F; Cyndaquil objects removed by Koume’s scene in Ilex Forest, see Chapter 19). The Heatran event q-0232 needs the Magma Stone from the Silver Conference closing ceremony (handoff).

Route 33: Gold, Crystal, Silver and Team Rocket. As you step out of Union Cave Gold tells you about the lower level, Crystal arrives with new catches, and Silver is cornered by Proton and Archie. Gold chases Silver away; Silver says Team Rocket is planning something around Azalea Town. This closes for good: the Route 32 Pokémon Center storm event (any unfinished PP Max or the Life Orb is lost). A rain-team Ace Trainer waits a few steps south-west of the cave exit.

Opens up:

• Route 33: the rain-team Ace Trainer (→ 5 Dive Balls)

Warning: doing this closes these for good. Finish them first.

• Route 32 Pokémon Center: the storm patients and the injured Igglybuff (missable; before Route 33) Missable

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 236 (Route 33: coord script 3 on var 0x40ac = 3, scene @4808-@6565, SetVar 0x40ac = 4 @6565, SetVar 0x40a6 = 5 @6584 which resets the shared markers); guide/08 q-0222 (‘from your first visit until you walk out of Union Cave onto Route 33… all unfinished rewards are lost’), q-0234.

Quests in this chapter

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

Ruins of Alph: blocked grass — how to reach Silver and the Kabuto chamber

Ruins of Alph Main quest

A how-to for the grass that blocks the way to Silver; see the detour with pictures.

Can’t get past the grass to reach Silver? That green patch is solid scenery. Go south around the large ruin, then north along its eastern side and west toward the Kabuto chamber door. Follow the four-step route with screenshots.

If Silver isn’t inside, speak to the Research Center assistant and ask both Gold and Crystal about Molly, as described below.

Ruins of Alph: the missing Molly (story chapter; how to move it along)

Ruins of Alph Main quest

Starts once Gold and Crystal are at the ruins, after the Sprout Tower ceremony.

Where: Ruins of Alph Research Center, the Kabuto-puzzle chamber (north-east), and a dream world under the ruins.

Who gets it / when: after the Sprout Tower story (Gold and Crystal appear at the ruins then). It’s the main story, but a few steps are easy to miss:

1. Research Center: talk to the assistant by the entrance. Molly, Prof. Hale’s 6-year-old daughter, has vanished.
2. Ask Gold (a few steps north-west of the Research Center door) and Crystal (south of the small building in the middle of the ruins) about Molly. Answer Yes to “Ask … about Molly?” for both. Only then does Silver appear in the north-east (Kabuto) chamber.
3. Kabuto chamber: battle Silver. If the grass blocks your approach, follow the route with screenshots. The Unown drop everyone into a dead end (chamber layout: Ruins of Alph: the four stone panels and the chamber walls).
4. “Right, Idol?” Escape Rope, Dig and Fly all fail. Keep choosing until the new option “I don’t know either” appears, and pick it. Molly and Entei appear → battle Entei. Then touch the statue on the right (Yes).
5. Dream world: Molly’s clone battles you. Then help your three friends, each in a Multi Battle: Silver (north), Gold (middle), Crystal (south). The staircase to the sky stays shut (“Let’s wait until everyone’s here”) until all three are won.
6. Climb the steps: Entei attacks. Your party is fully healed once, then you fight two Double Battles in a row, both against Entei’s team, sent out two at a time. Molly agrees to leave.
7. Back at the Research Center you get the Unown Report.

Reward: Unown Report. The Route 32 railway crew (north-east of the route) leaves afterwards.

Notes: every battle here whites you out if you lose; you repeat it. If you lose the Unown Report, the assistant gives you another.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script files 38 (L493, L445), 37 (L963–L1127, flags 1980/1981 → clears 1913), 39 (script 6, Silver), 49 (script 6, L1002–L4345; the menu at L2989 adds option 47 only after a first wrong pick), 50 (scripts 1, 2, 6, 7, 19; coord at 15,49 → L3272), 51 (script 2 to L4324; var 0x40ab 2 → 7, flag 1904; Entei battles TrainerBattle 671 671 at L818 and L2623). Positions: Gold ≈438,280; Crystal ≈431,292.

Ruins of Alph: the four stone panels and the chamber walls (continues Cherrygrove City to Azalea Town’s Ruins of Alph entries)

Ruins of Alph Main quest

Where: the four small chambers of the Ruins of Alph. Each has a stone panel in the middle of the room and a carved back wall behind it.

Chamber	Panel	What opens the back wall
Kabuto chamber (north-east, the one with the researcher)	Kabuto	standing right in front of the wall, facing it, and using an Escape Rope from the Bag
Aerodactyl chamber (south-east)	Aerodactyl	standing right in front of the wall, facing it, and using Flash from the party menu
Omanyte chamber (south-west)	Omanyte	standing right in front of the wall, facing it, and using a Water Stone from the Bag
Ho-Oh chamber (north-west)	Ho-Oh	examining the wall with Ho-Oh in your party

How it works:

1. Panels: examine the panel and rotate and slide the pieces until the picture is complete. When it’s solved, the floor gives way and you drop into the Underground Hall. From then on, wild Unown appear in the Underground Hall. Nothing else is given.
2. Walls: examining a wall only shows a short line of Unown writing on a stone tablet. It gives no hint in words (tested in an emulator, all four chambers). Do what the table says and the wall crumbles. Tested in an emulator: the Escape Rope, Flash and the Water Stone each opened their wall when used while facing it, and you stay in the chamber (the Escape Rope doesn’t take you out). A Water Stone used two steps back from the wall did nothing.
3. Behind every wall is the same place: the hall of the dream world from the Molly chapter (Cherrygrove City to Azalea Town). This is the way back in for the post-game Entei rematch in Cherrygrove City to Azalea Town’s “Ruins of Alph: small extras”. Any of the four walls works, not just the Kabuto one. Whichever wall you came through, the hall’s exit door at the bottom always leads back to the Kabuto chamber.
4. Unown Report: the researcher at the Research Center never writes any notes in your Unown Report. He only ever says that the ruins are “about 1,500 years old” (see the known issue).

Reward: Unown in the ruins; access to the dream-world hall.

Notes: at the end of the Molly chapter the Kabuto wall closes again, so you have to reopen it. In the original game, each wall led to a small room with Unown writing. Those rooms are still in the game data, but nothing leads to them now. An earlier version of this guide said Island Forest on Six Island has no wild Pokémon until you’ve solved a panel; that’s not so (see the known issue).

Technical source (script files and flags)

script files 39 (Kabuto: AlphPuzzle 0, flag 2423; wall script 3 sets 539; script 4 researcher), 41 (Aerodactyl: AlphPuzzle 1, flag 2424; script 3 field-move message bank 209#28, sets 541), 43 (Omanyte: AlphPuzzle 2, flag 2425; script 3 sets 543), 45 (Ho-Oh: AlphPuzzle 3, flag 2426; script 2 PlayerHasSpecies 250, sets 545), chamber events (panel at 6,6; wall warp (6,2) → map 324 warp 0 in all four; map 324 door (6,17) → map 312), file 38 (Research Center, L804–L2321: notes need var 0x40EC ≥ 1, which nothing reachable raises, D-1427), Island Forest encounter gate (ov2 0x02248420, D-1430), file 51 L4269 (clears 539, at the end of the Molly chapter after the Unown Report). Walls: object 0 at 6,2, script 2 OpenAlphHiddenRoom (emulator, CN all four chambers and EN Kabuto/Aerodactyl, 2026-10-06, work/build/harness/guide-review-20261006/ch13/walls_: an Unown-letter tablet, no a027 string read; the riddle lines 72#2, 73#0, 75#0, 76#0 are never shown, see D-0955). Wall items/move (emulator, CN and EN, 2026-10-06, work/build/harness/guide-review-20261006/pass2-C/walls_{rope,flash,stone,stone_away}_: standing at 6,3 facing the wall, Escape Rope (item 78) from the Bag sets 539, Flash from the party menu sets 541, Water Stone (item 84) from the Bag sets 543, the player stays on the map; Water Stone at 6,5 leaves 543 clear).

Ruins of Alph: the girl who saw her own face (→ Rock Incense)

Ruins of Alph Side quest

Bring a Potion.

Where: Ruins of Alph, outside, west side: a few steps north-west of the small building in the middle of the ruins.

How it works:

1. Talk to her: she scraped her knee. “Do you have a Potion I could borrow?” → Yes with a Potion in your Bag. She takes it, thanks you, and asks you to find out why her face appeared on a statue underground. (No: “You don’t…?”. Yes without a Potion: “Liar. You don’t even have a Potion.” Either way, talk to her again when you have one.)
2. Go to the Underground Hall (enter the small building in the middle of the ruins and go down). Examine the fourth statue from the left in the top row: “{your name}’s face slowly appeared on the statue! Touch it?” → Yes → wild Bronzor, Lv. 25 (beat it, catch it or run away). Before step 1 the statue is just “a replica of an ancient Pokémon.”
3. Go back and tell her.

Reward: Rock Incense (one time). The quest costs one Potion.

Notes: losing to Bronzor whites you out and you can try again. Tested in an emulator (Chinese ROM and English build): without a Potion she calls you a liar; with one, the Potion is taken, the statue starts the Bronzor battle (running away also counts), and she then gives the Rock Incense.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 37 (script 19, L616–L690: var 0x4079 0–2 → L1271 request, Yes → L1859 HasItem 17 → L3312 TakeItem 17, sets 0x4079 = 3 at @3364; 3 → L1308; 4 → L1319, Rock Incense (item 315), sets 5), file 42 (script 12, L236 needs 0x4079 = 3; L273–L382: WildBattle 436 Lv. 25, sets 0x4079 = 4 unless you lose). Before Johto only Kanto story scenes write 0x4079, all with 0–2 (file 739 @965, file 212 @3120, file 115 @5535); the other writes of 3 (file 840 @3184/@3314) are in Elm’s lab script 15, which never runs. Girl: object 1, no hide flag. Emulator (one-off run, work/build/harness/guide-review-20261006/ch08/, both ROMs; 0x4079 = 2 at the start): no Potion → 70#50, #52; with Potions → #50, #53, #54, one Potion taken, 0x4079 = 3; statue → wild Bronzor, fled, 0x4079 = 4; girl → #55–#57, Rock Incense, 0x4079 = 5. Positions: girl ≈425,279; statue 15,6 in the Underground Hall.

Ruins of Alph: small extras

Ruins of Alph Side quest

Mixed entry: Infernape's owner, the Ancient Power tutor, Prof. Hale's legend hints (after the Mahogany Rocket story) and two post-game Entei and Sinjoh notes.

• Infernape’s owner (just south-west of the Route 36 gatehouse door, at the north edge of the ruins): “Wanna see?” → Yes → pick a Single or Double Battle. The first win gets a Power Bracer. You can battle again, with no further reward.
• Ancient Power tutor (south-east corner, a man with a Yanmega): teaches Ancient Power for 1 Rare Bone each time (93 species; see the tutor table).
• Prof. Hale’s legend hints (Research Center): once Prof. Hale is rescued from the Team Rocket HQ (Mahogany) and back with Molly, talk to him. His menu gives hints on the legendary birds, the beasts, the Regis (“take a Wailord and a Relicanth to Rock Tunnel”), the lake trio (Lake of Rage, the storm pauses on Wednesdays), Mewtwo, Mew, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Groudon (Mt. Moon’s lava pool), Kyogre (Seafoam), Rayquaza (Sky Pillar Peak, Jade Orb), Dialga (Ice Path), Palkia (Mt. Mortar), Giratina, Regigigas, Arceus (Azure Flute), Shaymin and Celebi (Ilex Forest), Deoxys (Six Island), Jirachi, Heatran (Union Cave’s lava pool, “a seething-hot stone”), Darkrai and Cresselia (Route 39), Manaphy and Phione (Alto Mare). After the final Hall of Fame he takes Molly to Ecruteak’s Burned Tower (the Research Center tells you where he is). This guide only lists the hints; follow each one in its own chapter.
• Entei in the dream world (post-game, Lv. 90, one chance): after you’ve met Prof. Hale and Molly at the Burned Tower, Entei waits again in the dead-end chamber where you fought it during the story, on the west side of the room. “Battle Entei?” → Yes → wild Entei, Lv. 90. Beat it, catch it or run away, and it disappears for good. Tested in an emulator (Lv. 90; gone after running away). How to get back in: the back wall of the Kabuto chamber → the hall → touch the statue → walk west to the foot of the steps, which takes you to Entei’s room (from the map data; this route wasn’t walked in game).
• Return to the temple of Arceus (post-game): after the final Hall of Fame, if you hold the Azure Flute, stand in the middle of that same dream hall and play it to warp to the temple (Sinjoh Ruins). In practice you probably can’t get the flute back after the story (Ritual Shrine: borrowing the Azure Flute). The story visit is in Ruins of Alph: Giovanni catches Arceus.

Technical source (script files and flags)

Infernape’s owner: file 37 L1185–L3299, flag 2114 (≈425,266). Ancient Power tutor ≈446,317. Prof. Hale: file 38 script 8 and the menus from L529. Entei: file 51 script 8, L2706, flag 2318 cleared by file 23 L6941; Entei stands at ≈18,33 in the Northwest Entrance Second room; route through files 39, 49 script 7, 50 script 3. Azure Flute: file 49 script 9, flag 2261 (final Hall of Fame entry).

Route 32: the Quagsire’s revenge (only if you took the Wooper’s Poké Ball by force)

Route 32 Side quest

Only if you took the Wooper's Poké Ball by force in Cherrygrove City. Do first: Cherrygrove City: the Wooper and the lost Poké Ball (→ Focus Band).

Continues Cherrygrove City: the Wooper and the lost Poké Ball.

Where: Route 32, the riverbank just east of the Hoppip owner, where a local woman stands.

Who gets it / when: only if you took the ball back by force in Cherrygrove. It triggers after the Ruins of Alph chapter (when you bring Molly back to the Research Center).

How it works:

1. Walk along that stretch of bank: a Quagsire lunges at you → wild Quagsire, Lv. 50 (beat or catch it; losing whites you out and the ambush repeats).
2. The woman asks what you did. “I didn’t do anything…” or “I grabbed their Poké Ball”. The answer only changes her comment.
3. Either way the Quagsire got its revenge: 10 Ultra Balls, 10 Great Balls and 10 Poké Balls are removed from your Bag.

Reward: none. It’s the price of the Focus Band.

Notes: each type is removed only if you have at least 10 of it; with 9 or fewer of a type, none of that type is taken. Bank or spend your Balls first if you want to keep them. It happens once.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 232 (coord trigger script 23, fires while var 0x40a7 = 2; L11838–L13681: WildBattle 195 Lv. 50, TakeItem 2/3/4 ×10, then var 0x40a7 = 1), file 51 L4297–L4308 (sets 0x40a7 = 2 if flag 1974 is set). TakeItem with fewer than requested removes nothing (Bag_TakeItem 0x02076AA4 returns 0 when the slot quantity is too low). Trigger strip ≈468–470,387; woman ≈470,385.

Route 32: the Hoppip blown away by the storm (→ Hurricane tutor)

Route 32 Side quest

The tree Hoppip needs a big Flying type as your lead (Pidgeot, Noctowl, ...).

Getting there (applies to every Route 32 entry below): a railway crew stands across the only path south from Violet City, near the north end of Route 32. They stay until the end of the Ruins of Alph chapter (the missing Molly, below). Everything south of them waits until then: the fire-breather, the Friday sibling, the Quick Powder, the Mareep girl, the Hoppip owner, the “eat Pokémon” man, the Pokémon Center and Union Cave. Only the fossil seller at the very north end is reachable earlier. (Whether you can reach them earlier from the south, via Azalea and Union Cave, is not confirmed.)

Where: Route 32. The Hoppip owner stands on the west bank about halfway down, south of the Mareep girl. The three lost Hoppip:

• one up a tree in the north half of the route, on the west side (a sign there says “There’s a Hoppip up there…”);
• one a little further south, just south-east of the Mareep girl;
• one cornered by a Staravia a few steps north of the Pokémon Center door.

Who gets it / when: once the railway crew has gone (see above). The Hoppip only react after you’ve talked to the owner.

How it works:

1. Talk to the owner: a storm blew her Hoppip away. She asks you to bring them all back.
2. Tree Hoppip (north): examine the spot below it. Your lead Pokémon (the first one that isn’t fainted) must be a big Flying-type: Charizard, Pidgeot, Fearow, Scyther, Aerodactyl, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Dragonite, Noctowl, Xatu, Skarmory, Mantine, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Swellow, Pelipper, Altaria, Tropius, Salamence, Rayquaza, Staraptor, Vespiquen, Honchkrow, Togekiss, Yanmega or Gliscor. With any other lead: “It’ll take a bigger Flying-type Pokémon to bring it down.”
3. Second Hoppip (south-east of the Mareep girl): talk to it → “Take it back to its owner?” → Yes.
4. Cornered Hoppip: talk to the Staravia → “Drive it away?” → Yes → wild Staravia, Lv. 30 (you can beat it or catch it). Then you take that Hoppip back.
5. After each rescue you’re taken straight back to the owner. Once all three are back, she offers to teach Hurricane.

Reward: the Hurricane tutor. It’s free and you can come back any time. 41 species can learn it (full list in the tutor table).

Notes: you can rescue them in any order. If you say No to any prompt, just ask again.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 232 (scripts 14, 17, 18, 19; L11147–L12469, L12531–L13969; flags 304 = asked, 600 / 609 = rescued, 612 = the second Hoppip still missing, set at game start by file 149). Railway crew: flag 1904 (≈475–477,305), set at the end of the Molly chapter (file 51 L4253). Positions: owner ≈459,383; tree Hoppip ≈460–462,338; second Hoppip ≈461,368; Staravia and Hoppip ≈470–471,409.

Route 32: the fire-breather’s Fire-only battle (→ TM50 Overheat)

Route 32 Side quest

Your whole party must be Fire types. The fire-breather's team is Lv. 62-65.

Where: Route 32, north part, east side, just south of where the railway crew stood.

Who gets it / when: once the railway crew has gone (see the Hoppip entry).

How it works: he asks for a battle using only Fire-type Pokémon. Say Yes. Your whole party must be Fire-types. If you carry a non-Fire Pokémon (fainted ones count too; Eggs are ignored), he refuses: “You can’t use any Pokémon that aren’t Fire types!” Then you battle him: Charizard Lv. 62, Typhlosion 63, Blaziken 64, Infernape 65.

What the game actually checks is a fixed list of non-Fire species. It covers every non-Fire species up to Sinnoh except Carnivine and Magnezone, and no species after Sinnoh, so those get through too.

Reward: TM50 Overheat (one time).

Notes: losing whites you out, and you can try again.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 232 (script 13, L2393 species check → L12247, TrainerBattle 672, flag 787; hack finding D-1426). Position ≈471,311.

Route 32: give the Mareep girl a Magnet (→ Max Revive)

Route 32 Side quest

Needs a Magnet.

Where: Route 32, west bank, north of the Hoppip owner: a girl with her Mareep.

Who gets it / when: once the railway crew has gone (see the Hoppip entry).

How it works: her Mareep (a gift from Crystal) keeps running off. If you have a Magnet, the game asks “Give her the Magnet from your Bag?” → Yes.

Reward: Max Revive (one time). The Magnet is taken.

Notes: Magnets come from Vermilion City, the S.S. Anne and Route 37 (gifts) or the Goldenrod shop.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 232 (script 16, L11205, L12471; flag 384). Position ≈453,363.

Route 32: “Should people eat Pokémon?” (Leftovers or Sharp Beak)

Route 32 Side quest

Where: Route 32, a few steps west of the Pokémon Center door.

Who gets it / when: once the railway crew has gone (see the Hoppip entry).

How it works: he asks “Do you think people should eat Pokémon?”

Answer	Gift
Yes	Leftovers
No	Sharp Beak

Reward: one item only: Leftovers for Yes, Sharp Beak for No.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 232 (script 22, L11784; flag 1849). Flag 1849 is also set by file 854 (Violet City, Crystal’s battle, L2109) and cleared by file 18 (Sprout Tower 3F, L3853). He stands south of the railway crew (flag 1904, cleared only at the end of the Molly chapter, which needs the ceremony), and Crystal’s Violet battle is hidden by flag 739 after the ceremony, so both items can’t be had. Position ≈460,416.

Route 32 Pokémon Center: the storm patients and the injured Igglybuff (missable; before Route 33)

Route 32 Side quest Missable

Needs Moomoo Milk and a Hard Stone (they are not taken). Finish before you leave Union Cave.

Where: the Route 32 Pokémon Center (at the south end of the route, just north of Union Cave) and, outside, a Trainer kneeling by an injured Igglybuff, a short walk north-west of the Pokémon Center door.

Who gets it / when: from your first visit until you walk out of Union Cave onto Route 33 and see the Gold / Crystal / Silver scene (after Sprout Tower). That scene ends the storm event for good: the patients leave and all unfinished rewards are lost.

How it works:

1. Talk to Nurse Joy (standing in front of the counter, among the patients). She’s overwhelmed by storm patients. You must talk to her before the patients will accept items.
2. Cubone (west side of the room): its skull is cracked. If you carry Moomoo Milk, give it some → its owner gives you a PP Max. Crystal then heals the Tyrogue.
3. Bonsly (bottom-right, just right of the entrance): it has a crack in its body. If you carry a Hard Stone, use it to patch Bonsly → its owner gives you a PP Max. Gold then fixes the Burmy.
4. Igglybuff (outside): its Trainer asks you to fetch Nurse Joy. Tell Joy about it (talk to her). When both Cubone and Bonsly are treated, she treats the last patients and then comes out with you. She heals Igglybuff with Sacred Ash, and the grateful Trainer gives you a Life Orb.

Reward: 2 × PP Max, Life Orb.

Notes:

• The Moomoo Milk and the Hard Stone are only checked, never taken. Moomoo Milk before you get here: an old man on Route 8, a few steps south-east of the door of the Saffron City gatehouse, sells it for $2,500 at any time, and Fern’s Chatot quest on Two Island gives 2 (Two Island: Fern’s “sick” Chatot). MooMoo Farm’s stall stays closed until much later. Hard Stone is sold in Pewter City and Union Cave, or comes from Pewter’s Sitrus Berry quest.
• If you haven’t finished by the Route 33 scene, the Igglybuff Trainer later thanks Nurse Joy instead of you. There’s no Life Orb.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 233 (Joy script 2, L1028–L1998; Cubone L1278/L2006/L2555; Bonsly L1322/L2160/L2855; auto-trip L3344; flags 1982–1984, var 0x40a6: 2 = told by the Trainer, 3 = Joy told, 4 = done), file 232 (script 21, Igglybuff Trainer), file 188 (Route 8, script 13: Moomoo Milk $2,500, object 17 at ≈1360,243, no hide flag), file 236 (Route 33 L6541–L6584: sets flag 117 to hide the patients, clears 1982–1984, sets var 0x40a6 = 5 unless it’s 4). Positions: Pokémon Center door ≈468,418; Igglybuff Trainer ≈459,401; inside, Cubone ≈4,15, Bonsly ≈10,19.

Union Cave 1F: Goh and the wild Cyndaquil (before you finish the Ilex Forest story)

Union Cave Side quest Missable

Closes when you finish the Ilex Forest bug hunt (Chapter 19). Goh's team is Lv. 84-85.

Where: Union Cave 1F, west side. Goh (“One-Ball Man”, with a Manectric) stands next to a woman who asks about “the old rhyme about Union Cave”. About ten steps south of them, a Cyndaquil sits on a ledge; examine the spot just east of it (beside an item ball).

Who gets it / when: anyone passing through Union Cave. It closes for good when you finish the Ilex Forest bug-catching story: that scene removes Goh and the Cyndaquil.

How it works:

1. Examine the spot → “There’s a Cyndaquil up there. Lure it down and catch it?” → Yes. Goh rushes in and claims he saw it first.
2. Pick an answer:

Answer	What happens
“I saw it first!”	Battle Goh (Manectric Lv. 84, Slowbro 85, Dugtrio 84, Scizor 85, Slaking 84, Tangrowth 85). Win: Goh leaves. Examine the spot again → Yes → wild Cyndaquil, Lv. 10. Whether you catch it or knock it out, it’s gone. Lose: you don’t black out. Goh chases the Cyndaquil, gets himself trapped behind a boulder, and you get the rock choice below.
“You can have it”	Goh chases the Cyndaquil, it tricks him, and he’s trapped behind a boulder. “Help Goh move the rock?”

3. The rock choice (after “You can have it”):
   • Yes: you push the rock, and Goh catches the Cyndaquil. No Cyndaquil for you.
   • No: Goh stays trapped. Examine the ledge again → wild Cyndaquil, Lv. 10 is yours to catch. Later, walking past the boulder (a few steps south-east of the ledge) brings Goh back: if you already took the Cyndaquil he battles you and leaves. If not, you’re asked “Let Goh go catch Cyndaquil?”: Yes means he takes it, No means you battle him.

Reward: a Lv. 10 Cyndaquil (your only reward; Goh gives nothing).

Notes: the best route is “You can have it” → No (you don’t have to beat a Lv. 84–85 team). If you lose to Goh in the “I saw it first!” branch, the rock prompt can loop back to the start of the scene (see Known issues), so save first.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 56 (Union Cave 1F): scripts 2 and 6, L1587–L3588, L4012; flags 1980/1981, var 0x40a8. File 92 (Ilex Forest) L10451–L10455 closes it (sets 1980, 1981). Positions: Cyndaquil ≈5,58, examine spot ≈6,58; Goh ≈7,48; boulder tile ≈10,62.

Union Cave 1F: the Zubat boy’s evolution question (one gift)

Union Cave Side quest

Where: Union Cave 1F, east side: a boy with his Zubat, south-east of where you come in from Route 32.

Who gets it / when: any time.

How it works: he asks how Zubat evolves into Crobat.

Answer	What happens
“Level up, then Dusk Stone”	Wrong, but if you carry a Dusk Stone he asks for it. Give it → Moon Stone.
“Level up, then friendship”	Right. If you carry a Soothe Bell he asks for it. Give it → Sun Stone.
“I don’t know either”	Nothing.

Reward: a Moon Stone (for a Dusk Stone) or a Sun Stone (for a Soothe Bell). Only one trade ever: either one ends the quest.

Notes: you can answer again until you have the right item. Refusing the hand-over costs nothing.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 56, script 3, L2396–L2458, L3827–L4702 (flags 641, 642). Position ≈41,56.

Union Cave: small extras

Union Cave Side quest

The B1F passage to the Ruins of Alph chambers stays blocked by a guard until Prof. Hale is back (after the Mahogany Rocket story). Hiker Jeb's team is Lv. 82-83.

• Hiker Jeb, “King of Exploration” (1F, south-west part, with a Tyranitar): optional battle, Singles or Doubles (Tyranitar Lv. 82, Garchomp 83, Forretress 82, Marowak 83, Probopass 82, Aggron 83). First win: Power Anklet. He can be rematched.
• Weekday item seller (B1F, northern part): sells one item, which changes with the day of the week, one per talk; talk again to buy more. Mon Dawn Stone $3,000 · Tue Fluffy Tail $1,000 · Wed Protector $5,000 · Thu Twisted Spoon $1,000 · Fri Hard Stone $1,000 · Sat Focus Sash $100 · Sun Old Amber $8,000.
• Psychic healer (B1F, deep in the south, with a Chingling): heals your party for $500.
• The way from B1F into the Ruins of Alph chambers (at the north end of B1F) is blocked by a guard until Professor Hale is back. The guard leaves after the Team Rocket HQ story in Mahogany.

Technical source (script files and flags)

file 56 script 7 / L3250–L4735; file 57 scripts 2, 3, 6. Jeb: flag 738, ≈15,79. Seller ≈11,42 (script 2: GetWeekday @70 picks the item; buy paths set no flag, so there is no daily cap); healer ≈8,177; guard ≈22,11 (flag 485, set by file 90).

Route 33: the rain-team Ace Trainer (→ 5 Dive Balls)

Route 33 Side quest

The rain team is Lv. 82-83.

Where: Route 33, the Ace Trainer with a Blastoise, a few steps south-west of the Union Cave exit.

Who gets it / when: any time.

How it works: he explains local weather and offers a battle: Singles, Doubles (you need at least two Pokémon) or Not now. His rain team: Politoed Lv. 82, Blastoise 83, Tentacruel 82, Ludicolo 83, Wailord 83, Pelipper 82.

Reward: first win → 5 Dive Balls. Repeatable battle, no further reward.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 236 (Route 33), script 4, L6594–L6848; flag 1273. Position ≈458,467.