Saffron City to Cinnabar Island

Where: Cynthia with her Gabite just inside the Saffron Gym entrance. Steven with his Metang in the Silph Co. lobby, a couple of steps north of the entrance.

Who gets it / when: both appear after the meeting with President Goodshow at Silph Co. Nothing hides them again, so they’re still there after the takeover.

How it works: each asks for a battle. Say Yes.

Trainer	Team	Reward
Cynthia (#265)	Gabite 35, Spiritomb 34, Scyther 34, Lucario 34, Milotic 33	Fire Stone
Steven (#264)	Metang 35, Lairon 34, Claydol 34, Armaldo 34, Cradily 34	Dawn Stone

Notes: one battle each. A loss whites you out and you can ask again. These aren’t the Fuchsia battles. Those two vanish at the takeover; these don’t.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script files 826 (script 7, L1080; flag 1625), 834 (script 17, L2178, L3824; flag 1624); both are hidden by flag 1089, cleared at the Goodshow meeting (file 795 L988). Positions: Cynthia ≈16,24 in the Gym; Steven ≈11,12 in the Silph Co. lobby.

Saffron City: the Copycat’s transformation show

Where: the pink house (the Copycat’s house) in the middle of Saffron, on the same row as the Poké Mart, about 20 steps west of it. Her two friends wait just outside it. A magician stands about a dozen steps east of the Poké Mart door.

Who gets it / when: any time Saffron’s townsfolk are out (before or after the Team Rocket takeover, not during it).

How it works:

Talk to one of the two friends outside first. They ask you to hurry her up. Until you do, the girl only says “please don’t bother us”.
Go upstairs in the house and talk to the girl with her Ditto. She wants a performing teacher.
Talk to the magician. He’ll teach her only for a Twisted Spoon. There’s one in an item ball in the Magnet Train station, a few steps right of the entrance; another comes from Route 13. Talk to him again with it and hand it over. He leaves for the house.
Talk to the girl again → Yes to watch her show. She transforms into you and battles: Copycat (Ditto 34, Pikachu 34, Venusaur 35, Charizard 36, Blastoise 36). Win or lose, the quest goes on. Losing doesn’t white you out.
She gives you an Expert Belt and goes outside to perform. Talk to her outside to watch her turn into Sabrina (flavour).
Talk to the magician (now upstairs in the house, next to where she stood). He returns your Twisted Spoon and adds a Silk Scarf. After that he’s the Extrasensory tutor (free).
Talk to her father (downstairs, at the back on the left). He gives you a Heart Scale (once). Reward: Expert Belt, Twisted Spoon back, Silk Scarf, Heart Scale, and access to the free Extrasensory tutor.

Notes: nothing is missable. If the takeover starts mid-quest, the steps wait until Saffron is freed.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script files 824 (scripts 4, 6, 27, 34; L2831, L3802, L4665, L6981), 837 (scripts 1, 4, 5; L391, L472, L528, L559, L1038, L1779), 831 (script 13, flag 1874); var 0x40c2 (1 → 5). Positions: house door ≈1297,218, friends ≈1296–1297,223, magician ≈1330,219; inside the house the girl ≈40,7, magician later ≈42,7, father ≈5,7; station item ball ≈20,18.

Saffron City: show the dog lover a Growlithe (unlocks Fire Punch)

Where: a girl on Saffron’s east side, about 10 steps north of the Route 8 gate.

How it works: she’s never seen a Growlithe. Say Yes and pick a Growlithe from your party. Anything else gets “That’s not a Growlithe…” and you can try again.

Reward: she then teaches Fire Punch, free and as often as you like (see the tutor list).

Notes: Arcanine doesn’t count; it must be a Growlithe.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 824 (script 18, L3045, flag 1474). Position ≈1333,230.

Saffron City: the Hunyuan Dojo (beat the disciples → Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan)

Where: the Hunyuan Dojo, the building just west of the Gym on Saffron’s north side. Ma Baoguo stands at the top of the hall, between two Poké Balls.

How it works:

When you walk in, a scene plays: Master Ma “wins” a sparring match against a young man’s Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan.
Talk to Ma Baoguo first. He tells you to beat his disciples. Until you’ve talked to him, the disciples won’t battle.
Beat the four disciples. Pokéfan Enzo (right side, lower) fights only after the other three.

Disciple	Where	Team
Battle Girl Tina	left side, upper	Lopunny 33, Meditite 34, Machoke 33
Karate King Lincoln	left side, lower	Blaziken 36, Primeape 33, Poliwrath 33
Ace Trainer Tim	right side, upper	Ambipom 34, Heracross 34, Hariyama 35
Pokéfan Enzo	right side, lower	Smeargle 34, Sableye 34, Ditto 34

Battle Ma Baoguo: one Machamp, Lv. 69. A loss against him or a disciple whites you out; try again. Reward: pick one of the two Poké Balls by the wall: Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan, Lv. 35. The other stays sealed. Afterwards talk to Ma again for lessons: “Teach me the Lightning Whip!” teaches Volt Switch and “Receive, Transform, Release!” teaches Counter, $10,000 each (only Pokémon on his list can learn them). After Saffron is freed his menu also offers “Teach me a little life experience!”: just a speech about Team Rocket, no reward.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 829 (scripts 1, 5, 11, 12, 14–18; flags 1652, 1664–1667, 1698, 1875/1876; lesson menu L1094 → L3025, the extra option at L3248 needs flag 1166 (Saffron freed), Volt Switch L3353, Counter L3522, speech L3691). Positions: Dojo door ≈1321,204; Ma ≈7,3; Tina ≈3,5, Lincoln ≈3,8, Tim ≈11,5, Enzo ≈11,8.

Saffron City (takeover): help Ma Baoguo fight off Team Rocket

Where: right outside the Hunyuan Dojo door while Team Rocket occupies Saffron. A Rocket Grunt is picking on Ma Baoguo.

How it works: talk to either of them and answer “Help Ma Baoguo fight off Team Rocket?” → Yes. Battle Rocket Grunt (Sandslash 63, Furret 64, Roselia 65). Losing whites you out; you can try again.

Reward: none, just thanks. After the liberation a resident mentions that Ma “stood up to those thugs” (you hear this either way, whether or not you helped). Optional.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 824 (scripts 37, 38; L3430, L4262–L4466, L6942; flag 1760). The resident’s line is script 24 (L3237), which only checks that Saffron has been freed (flag 1166). Position ≈1321,205.

Rotom’s Room (Silph Co.): change Rotom’s form

Rotom’s Room

Where: Rotom’s Room, Silph Co.’s server room, reached by the Silph Co. elevator.

How it works: with a Rotom in your party, examine one of the five appliances (microwave oven, refrigerator, washing machine, electric fan, lawn mower) → Yes. Rotom takes that form and learns its signature move (Overheat, Blizzard, Hydro Pump, Air Slash, Leaf Storm). If it already knows four moves, it replaces one. To change it back, examine the appliance it left behind, or use the menu that appears when your Rotom is already in a form.

Notes: repeatable, free. During the takeover the room is guarded by four Grunts who battle you when you talk to them (Lv. 63–65), plus two Trainers who battle you on sight: Executive Lawrence (Lv. 73–74), right in front of the elevator door, and a Grunt in the south of the room. Lawrence is a real threat, so come prepared. A glowing floor panel in the south-east corner is your way on to the hostages’ floor (the employee’s Lapras).

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 835 (scripts 2–8, L617, L1352, L2632). Takeover objects (flag 1208): Lawrence trainer 500 at ≈7,4, Grunt trainer 501 at ≈10,11, talk-to Grunts (trainers 626–629, scripts 13–16 → L906/L953/L1000/L1047) at 3,7, 5,6, 9,6, 11,6; floor panel trigger at 13,11.

Saffron City: small extras

Choice items (after the Plain Badge): a merchant just north of the Route 6 gate (Saffron’s south exit) sells the Choice Scarf, Choice Specs and Choice Band for $50,000 each. Before the Plain Badge he has no stock.
Mr. Psychic’s house (south-east Saffron, west of the Route 8 gate): the psychic inside makes a Pokémon remember a move for one Heart Scale each time. For a repeatable supply, trade Big Pearls in Lavender Town.
Saffron Gym during the takeover: a Trainer sheltering just inside the Gym entrance offers a practice battle, repeatable.
Sabrina’s rematch (after your first Hall of Fame): she offers a battle, singles or doubles, Lv. 89–90, repeatable. It opens after your first Hall of Fame entry (the same unlock as Blaine’s rematch). After your final Hall of Fame entry (the one after you beat Giovanni at League HQ) she’s away from the Gym on Fridays (by the DS clock).

Technical source (script files and flags)

script files 824 (script 8, L2891: Choice merchant at ≈1300,249), 826 (script 11: takeover Trainer at ≈14,24; rematch L699, L722, L1544–L1587, flag 2404; the Friday absence, script 5 L699, checks flag 2261 and weekday 5), 830 (script 1: psychic at ≈8,5).

Route 19: the surfing Pikachu (Pidgeot lead → Surf for Pikachu)

Route 19

Where: Route 19, south of the Fuchsia gatehouse. A kid with a Pikachu stands on the beach about 15 steps south of the gatehouse exit. The “little beach at the south end” is far down the route, reached by Surf.

Who gets it / when: after the Soul Badge. Between the Rainbow Badge and the Soul Badge Route 19 is closed (“volcanic ash”), and the kid waits in the gatehouse.

How it works:

Talk to the kid on the north beach. He wants big waves so his Pikachu can learn to surf, and suggests a Pidgeot whipping up gales on the south beach. Talking to him arms the scene.
Surf to the little south beach with a Pidgeot as your first healthy party Pokémon. Stepping onto the right spot on that beach asks “Have Pidgeot whip up a gale over the sea?” Answer Yes.
The kid’s Pikachu rides the waves to you. He moves to the south beach for good. Reward: the kid (now standing on the south beach, a couple of steps from the spot) teaches Surf to Pikachu, free and as often as you like. Only Pikachu qualifies (not Raichu or Pichu).

Notes: the spot does nothing if Pidgeot isn’t in the lead, and nothing if you haven’t talked to the kid since the Soul Badge. Answer No and you can step on it again. A TM12 Taunt item ball lies on the same south beach, just below where the kid ends up.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 954 (scripts 4, 8; L354, L502, L1175; flags 1210, 1211; var 0x40ae), 955 (gatehouse); file 853 L3174 closes the route, file 806 L1977–L1993 reopens it. Positions: kid ≈1203,468; south beach ≈1208–1210,505; trigger tile ≈1208,506; kid afterwards ≈1210,505; TM12 ≈1210,507.

Route 21: break the wild Mr. Mime’s barrier (unlocks Iron Head)

Route 21

Where: the northern part of Route 21, the stretch south of Pallet Town, about a third of the way down: a Trainer and his Lairon standing next to a wild Mr. Mime.

How it works:

Talk to the Trainer. He orders his Lairon to Iron Head the Mr. Mime’s barrier, and fails.
Talk to the Mr. Mime and answer Yes to “Battle Mr. Mime?”: a wild Lv. 60 Mr. Mime. You can catch it. Knocking it out or running away also counts.
Talk to the Trainer again. Reward: he teaches Iron Head for 1 Nest Ball a time (details on the Move tutors page). Before you beat the Mr. Mime he only talks about the barrier.

Notes: losing the battle whites you out; Mr. Mime stays and you can try again. Once it’s caught, knocked out or fled from, it’s gone for good.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 957 (scripts 4–6; L583, L695, L551; flags 770, 771; only a loss, CheckBattleWon = 0, skips SetFlag 771); file 114 also sets 771 (@320, @646), but only in the Celebi time-travel version of the hermit scene (script 2, trainer 700), not in the ordinary TM52 battle (script 5, trainer 275). Positions: Trainer ≈1038,439, Lairon ≈1039,439, Mr. Mime ≈1040,439.

Cinnabar Island: finding the hidden Gym (the riddle restaurant)

Where: Cinnabar Island. There’s no Gym building: the “restaurant that won’t serve out-of-town visitors” is the Gym in disguise. Its door is on the east side of the island, a few steps north-east of the old man with the Fire-type quiz. (The side door on the west, just north of the Pokémon Center, leads into a separate room of the same building, the fossil scientist’s, not the restaurant.)

Who gets it / when: on your first visit (story; you need it for the Volcano Badge).

Cinnabar at a glance: the Pokémon Center is in the south-west corner. The lab is in the north, with the lava edge to its east. The restaurant is on the east side, and the fossil scientist’s door is on the west side, north of the Pokémon Center.

How it works:

In the restaurant, Blue is arguing with the staff. Talk to the waiter. He says the owner went out to play riddles with the little girl from the lab.
Go outside to the lab door in the north of the island. A man is telling riddles to a girl, Amber, just in front of it. Talk to him: watch the scene, and he heads back to the restaurant.
Back in the restaurant, talk to Blue, who is standing in front of the owner at the back of the room. The owner asks three riddles. Any answer works: if you guess wrong, Blue or Green/Red supplies the right one (bathtub, a toupee, the Cinnabar Gym).
The owner is Blaine. His assistant opens the secret door in the back wall to the Cinnabar Gym. Reward: access to the Gym. Blaine gives the Volcano Badge and TM38 Fire Blast, and registers his number.

Notes: a man outside the restaurant, a few steps west of its door, also spots that Blaine owns it. The Gym’s sparring partner (Sp. Atk EVs for a Chesto Berry) works like the others (Gym sparring partners).

Technical source (script files and flags)

script files 905 (scripts 1, 3; L1264–L3716; flags 1213, 1214, 1216, 1217, 1222), 812 (script 1, flag 1213), 15 (L1303–L1695). File 806 L1999–L2011 sets the starting flags. The riddles start from Blue (object 13, script 1, at ≈38,4); the owner at ≈38,3 has no talk script. Positions: restaurant door ≈1048,499 (leads to the restaurant entrance at 37,10); side door ≈1029,493 (leads to the fossil room entrance at 4,8, warp data of zones 57/412); waiter ≈39,3 or ≈41,5 depending on the scene; lab door ≈1037,484; man outside ≈1043,497; secret door ≈39,3.

Cinnabar Island: the Detrick lab lockdown (door puzzle) and Mewtwo

Where: the lab in the north of the island.

Who gets it / when: after the Volcano Badge. Before that the guard at the door turns you away.

How it works:

Walk up to the lab door and talk to the guard. A researcher runs out: “the monster in the lab has gone berserk” and Dr. Fuji has sealed the lab with emergency lockdown doors. The guard leaves and the lab is open.
Inside, the lockdown doors (red shutters) open from computers. A manual on the wall (upper floor, a few steps south-west of the east shutter) warns that some computers control one door and some control two, and each use toggles the doors (opens a shut one, shuts an open one):

Computer	Doors it toggles
1F, top-right corner	the shutter on the west side of 1F
Upper floor, just north of the stairs	the east shutter
Upper floor, 8 steps east of that one	the west shutter
East side, past the east shutter	the west shutter and the back-room shutter (the last one on the west side)
Behind the west shutter	the east shutter and the inner west shutter (between the west shutter and the back-room shutter)

The route that works (it needs the 1F shutter, the west shutter, the inner west shutter and the back-room shutter open at the same time):

On 1F, use the computer in the top-right corner. Go through the shutter it opens and up the stairs.
Upstairs, use the computer just north of the stairs. It opens the east shutter.
Go through the east shutter to the computer on the east side. It opens the west shutter and the back-room shutter.
Go back north, then through the west shutter to the computer behind it. It opens the inner west shutter (and shuts the east one again, which you no longer need).
Go south through the inner west shutter and the back-room shutter.

Team Rocket Grunts guard the floors. 3. Walking into the back room (at the far south-west end) starts the scene. Green/Red and Blaine join you, and Dr. Fuji’s four “enhanced” Pokémon fail to stop Mewtwo. You learn what happened to Amber. Mewtwo kills Dr. Fuji and flies off. No battle. Items in the lab: Old Amber (far south-east corner), Gracidea (on the far west side, near the inner west shutter), Steel Armor (south-east, a few steps east of the desk with the R&D logs).

Notes: the R&D logs on the desk in the south-east part of the lab are four pages; say Yes to keep reading. If you’ve reached the matching step of the Mew hunt (you’ve freed the Five Island disciple; see Five Island: the Island Pilgrimage leg), reading all four makes Mew appear and flee, which moves that chain on. After the scene Blaine’s staff mourn Amber and Blaine swears revenge on Team Rocket.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script files 812 (script 8, L3032–L5081; flags 1215, 1223), 852 (scripts 3–9, 12; L541–L2902 doors, flags 315 and 317–320; L717–L2634 Mewtwo, flag 316; L2935–L3108 Mew, needs var 0x409c = 10), 15 L1669 (Gym sets 1223). Computers and the doors they toggle (lab map zone 71): 15,3 → 1F door ≈3,11 (flag 315); 5,36 → east door ≈26,55 (317); 13,36 → west door ≈4,55 (318); 29,66 → ≈4,55 and ≈4,73 (318, 320); 10,59 → ≈26,55 and ≈7,64 (317, 319). Manual ≈23,60; stairs arrive at 5,38; back-room trigger ≈4,90; R&D log ≈25,87; Old Amber ≈29,94, Gracidea ≈2,67, Steel Armor ≈30,86. Route: a collision search over all 32 door combinations reaches ≈4,90 only with ≈3,11, ≈4,55, ≈7,64 and ≈4,73 open.

Cinnabar Island: the Fire-type quiz (unlocks Heat Wave)

Where: an old man in the middle of the east side of the island, a few steps south-west of the restaurant door.

How it works: answer Yes to “do you like Fire-type Pokémon?”, then four questions:

#	Question	Answer	Position
1	How many Fire-type Pokémon are native to Kanto?	12	1st
2	How many types is Fire super effective against?	4	2nd
3	How many types does Fire resist?	6	4th
4	How many weaknesses does Fire have?	3	1st

Reward: from then on he teaches Heat Wave for 1 Level Ball a time.

Notes: a wrong answer ends the quiz (“Nope. Think about it some more.”). Talk to him again to restart from question 1; there’s no penalty.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 812 (script 19, L3741–L4118; flag 1627; tutor L3572). Position ≈1044,501.

Cinnabar Island: the Egg in the lava (Treecko Egg; missable)

Cinnabar Island Missable

Where: a man at the lava’s edge in the north-east of the island, east of the lab, with an Egg lying right beside him.

Who gets it / when: before the League HQ investigation sends you to the Power Plant (round 1, after the Silver Conference; Power Plant: Zapdos and the ecologist). That scene removes the man and the Egg for good.

How it works:

He plans to throw the Egg into the crater to lure out Moltres and sell it. “Stop him from throwing the Egg into the lava?”
- Yes: you battle Roughneck Matsui (Electivire, Medicham and Staraptor, all Lv. 58). Win or lose, it goes on (losing doesn’t white you out).
- No: he throws it anyway.
Either way Moltres appears, shields the Egg with its flames and drives the man off. Moltres flies away; you can’t battle it here.
Pick up the Egg (answer Yes; you need a free party slot). Reward: a Treecko Egg.

Notes: the Egg lies in a nook you can only reach from where the man stands, so you can’t take it before the scene. Once Moltres chases him off, step into his spot and pick up the Egg. A Pokémon Center visitor later calls Moltres “a vicious bird that attacks people”.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 812 (scripts 20, 21; L4126, L4440, L7443–L7692, L4580; flags 1224, 1757); file 196 L1642–L1650 (Power Plant, sets 1757 and 1224). Positions: man ≈1048,489, Egg ≈1049,489. The Egg’s own script has no scene check, but its other neighbours (1049,488, 1050,489, 1049,490) are blocked, and the man (flag 1757) is only removed at the end of the scene (L7674).

Cinnabar Island: small extras

S.S. Anne painter (with a Smeargle, south-west of the lab door): thanks you for saving the S.S. Anne and gives 5 King’s Rocks (once). He’s only there if the ship didn’t sink (S.S. Anne: defuse the bomb).
Sailor Leroy (just south-west of the Pokémon Center door): can’t find the Cinnabar Gym and challenges you instead. Kingler, Drapion and Kecleon, all Lv. 58. Win for a Flame Plate (once).
The graffiti couple (a few steps north-east of the Pokémon Center door): they want to carve their names into the rock. “Stop them from scribbling all over the scenic spot?” Yes → Double Battle, Camper Rusty and Youngster Bowie (Hypno 57, Lucario 58 / Sceptile 58, Skarmory 57), no item. No → they carve it, and that choice sticks. Losing the battle also lets them carve their names, for good.
Pokémon Center: a man inside (he grumbles that hardly anyone earns the Volcano Badge) gives TM50 Overheat if you show him a Volcano Badge (once).
Fossil restoring: a scientist in the room behind the side door on the west of the island (just north of the Pokémon Center) restores Old Amber and the Helix, Dome, Root, Claw, Armor and Skull Fossils. He’s straight ahead at the back of the room. He needs time: come back later. The Pokémon arrives at Lv. 20.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script files 812 (scripts 12–14; L3242–L3548; flags 1584, 1742, 1747, 1748; the graffiti flag 1742 is set before the battle, @3390, and a loss whites you out, hack finding D-1420), 813 (script 6, flag 1586), 905 (script 14). Positions: painter ≈1032,489; Leroy ≈1028,508; couple ≈1034,502; Pokémon Center man ≈10,7; fossil scientist ≈4,4 (side door ≈1029,493).

Seafoam Islands: the ice walls, Articuno and the researcher (TM14 Blizzard)

Seafoam Islands

Where: the deepest chamber of the Seafoam Islands (reached from B4F). A researcher stands just inside the entrance. Further north, three ice blocks close the passage, and Articuno sits a few steps behind them.

Who gets it / when: any time you can reach the bottom of the Seafoam Islands.

How it works:

The ice: “Ordinary means won’t move it.” Talk to the ice with a Magcargo or a Moltres as your first healthy party Pokémon and it melts away for good. Nothing else works.
Before the final Hall of Fame (the one after you beat Giovanni at League HQ, not your first entry; see The Hall of Fame: what your two entries unlock): talk to Articuno. You fight a Lv. 90 Articuno in a battle where no Balls can be thrown (Timid, Snow Warning, Sheer Cold / Blizzard / Freeze-Dry / Air Slash). Losing whites you out.
Win and it asks “Catch it?”. Say Yes and the researcher runs up and begs you to spare Articuno, because catching it could wake Kyogre. “Stop trying to catch Articuno?” No only makes him plead again; Yes gets you TM14 Blizzard. After that Articuno just sits there until the final Hall of Fame. Answering No to “Catch it?” does nothing and you can fight it again.
After the final Hall of Fame: talk to Articuno → “Catch Articuno?” → a wild Lv. 90 Articuno you can catch. Once it’s caught or knocked out it’s gone. Reward: TM14 Blizzard (the only one in the game) before the final Hall of Fame; Articuno after it. The researcher also teaches Ice Shard for free: to players who spared Articuno, and to everyone after the League HQ investigation’s Team Rocket scene here (next entry).

Notes: TM14 is missable. Get it before the Team Rocket scene in the Seafoam Islands during the League HQ investigation (next entry). That scene removes Articuno; it only comes back after Lance’s visit to your home, and by then only the catch battle is left, so TM14 can no longer be obtained. Until that scene, Articuno is there for everyone. (The Route 3 painter’s Ralts scene would also remove it, but nothing in the game triggers that scene; see Known issues.)

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 195 (scripts 2, 3, 10; L2007–L2128 ice, flag 1500; L2289–L2996 researcher, flag 1483; L2672 wild Articuno, flag 1368; tutor L2453–L2921; the no-Ball/catch split checks flag 2261 at L297, set only by the final Hall of Fame, file 822 @2458, not by the first entry, flag 2404). The Team Rocket scene hides Articuno (HidePerson, flag 1368, @957; permanent, see the engine note in the errata); only Lance’s visit clears 1368 (file 842 L2177, needs 2261). File 175 L1145 (Route 3 Ralts scene, script 16) also sets 1368 but is never triggered (hack finding D-1423); file 115 L5744 is the early Viridian Forest Eevee rescue (hack finding D-1422 for the missable TM14). Positions: researcher ≈33,54; ice ≈32–34,38; Articuno ≈33,33.

Seafoam Islands: Team Rocket and Kyogre (League HQ investigation), and catching Kyogre

Seafoam Islands

Where: the same deep chamber. A Blue Orb pedestal lies at the far north end, past Articuno’s spot.

Who gets it / when: during the League HQ investigation (round 2, the Cerulean Gym lead), after the Silver Conference. After the Cerulean Gym scene where Archie steals Misty’s Blue Orb and sends it to the Seafoam Islands, Misty goes ahead. The researcher then says a group rushed down to catch Articuno and Kyogre.

How it works:

Walk a couple of steps past the researcher into the chamber. Misty joins you for a Multi Battle against two Grunts (Lv. 63–65).
Lawrence has Moltres melt the ice. Articuno is taken. Second Multi Battle with Misty against Executive Lawrence (Moltres 90, Zapdos 90, Pidgeot 88, Aerodactyl 88, Staraptor 88, Noctowl 87) and a Grunt (Raichu 65, Claydol 64, Murkrow 63). Losing whites you out; the scene replays.
Archie summons Kyogre with the Blue Orb and escapes with it. You can’t stop him. If this was your last lead, you’re told to report to League HQ; otherwise “check somewhere else”.
Catching Kyogre (after the final Hall of Fame): Lance brings the seized legendary items to your home in Pallet Town, including the Blue Orb. Take it to the pedestal at the north end of the chamber and answer Yes to “Use the Blue Orb to summon Kyogre?” → a wild Lv. 95 Kyogre. Notes: Kyogre is one attempt: catch it or knock it out and it’s gone for good. Losing whites you out and you can retry. The ice walls melted during the scene come back afterwards; melt them yourself (previous entry) to reach Articuno and the pedestal. Articuno doesn’t come back after this scene until Lance’s visit.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 195 (script 12, step trigger at 34,52, flag 1133, var 0x408c = 15; script 14 L2410–L2889, flag 2288); files 758 L6356–L6372 (Cerulean Gym starts it), 842 L1916 (Lance gives the Blue Orb). Second Multi Battle Grunt is trainer 417. Pedestal ≈33,20.

Cinnabar Island: Lawrence and Moltres (League HQ investigation), and catching Moltres

Where: the lava’s edge in the north-east of the island, east of the lab (the row of “The lava’s right up ahead” signs).

How it works:

After the final Hall of Fame (the one after you beat Giovanni at League HQ): go to where the Egg man stood and read the lava’s edge in front of you (north): “Moltres is staring at you. Try to catch Moltres?” → a wild Lv. 90 Moltres. Catch it, knock it out or run away, and it’s gone for good. Later Hall of Fame entries don’t bring it back.
League HQ investigation (round 1, after the Power Plant scene): walking up towards the lava (about four steps south of the lava’s edge) triggers Lawrence burning a Paras to lure Moltres. You battle Executive Lawrence (Skarmory 87, Aerodactyl 88, Salamence 87, Sirfetch’d 88, Noivern 87, Braviary 88). Losing whites you out and the scene replays. After the battle his Grunts catch Moltres and escape; the investigation then points you to Rock Tunnel or League HQ.

Notes: the investigation scene checks only its own progress, so catching the lava Moltres doesn’t block it. In normal play the order can’t be reversed anyway: the lava Moltres needs the final Hall of Fame, which comes after the investigation.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 812 (script 6, L2999, L4731, L7711, L7890, flag 1517; L889 checks flag 2261; script 23 L2045–L2868, flag 1125; the trigger fires at var 0x4078 = 4 and never checks flag 1517; the var is set to 5 only after a win, @4698); file 822 L2474 clears 1517 once, in the final Hall of Fame block that also sets 2261 (L2450–L2582), and no later entry touches it; file 196 L1654 clears 1125. Positions: lava edge signs ≈1046–1049,488 (Moltres at ≈1048,488); chain trigger ≈1048,493.

Cinnabar Gym: Blaine rematch (after your first Hall of Fame)

After your first Hall of Fame entry, talk to Blaine in the Gym for a rematch: choose a single or a double battle (a double needs two Pokémon). Repeatable. On Thursdays after your final Hall of Fame entry (the one after you beat Giovanni at League HQ), he’s outside instead, a few steps east of the Pokémon Center door, offering a souvenir photo.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script files 15 (L873, L1140–L1811, L808; flag 2404; the Thursday swap needs flag 2261, script 10 → L808), 812 (script 22, L4708, gated by flag 2261 at L2920). Photo spot ≈1035,505.

Route 42 gatehouse (Ecruteak side): the tourist crowd

Route 42

Where: the gatehouse between Ecruteak City and Route 42.

Who gets it / when: Johto. A crowd of tourists heading for the red Gyarados blocks the way east.

How it works: the crowd doesn’t move until you’ve finished the Team Rocket Executives battle with Gold on Route 47 (Route 47: Will, Karen and the Raikou device). After that the tourists are gone and the path is open.

Notes: the guard only says “you can’t get through for a while”. Nothing you do in Ecruteak opens the gate.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 253 (objects 1–4 hidden by flag 2116), file 260 L4455 (Route 47 sets 2116).

Two Island: the old captain’s Water-type quiz (→ Piplup)

Two Island

Where: the old sea captain with an Empoleon, standing by a sign just north of the Two Island market.

Who gets it / when: you need the Mineral Badge. Without it he only talks about retiring.

How it works: say yes, then answer five questions. A wrong answer doesn’t stop the quiz: he asks all five, and if any was wrong he says “Have a good think and come back” at the end. Retry as often as you like.

#	Question	Answer
1	How many Water-type Pokémon are native to Hoenn?	29
2	Which has the fewest weaknesses?	Quagsire
3	Which can’t get a Speed boost from rain?	Marill
4	Which Water type has the highest base HP?	Gastrodon
5	Which takes the most damage from Kingler’s Crabhammer?	Armaldo holding a Passho Berry

Reward: he offers his Empoleon’s newly hatched Piplup (Lv. 5). You need a free party slot. If you say no, he asks again next time.

Notes: one Piplup per save.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 734 (script 1, L905–L2484; flags 1119, 1646; answers are judged only after question 5, L2092–L2484). Position ≈113,123.

Two Island: a partner for Granny Mae’s trial

Two Island

Where: a Trainer from Johto standing a few steps south of the north-east Islander’s House door, north of the market.

Who gets it / when: only while Granny Mae’s Two Island trial is waiting for a team (the Islander’s House step, Two Island: Granny Mae’s ultimate-move trial).

How it works: talk to him and choose to invite him. He refuses because he has lost all confidence. Blue then arrives (“Viridian Gym was closed…”) and teams up with you. The trial can go ahead.

Notes: if you’re stuck at “this trial needs a team”, this is the person to talk to.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 734 (script 3, L1508/L2497–L2962; var 0x40b0 = 2, flag 1105), file 782 (sets 0x40b0). Position ≈118,112 (house door ≈116,107).

Two Island: small extras

Two Island

Barter stall (in the market, the stall keeper with a Spinda), repeatable: 2 Revival Herbs → Sacred Ash, 2 Hyper Potions → Max Elixir, 2 Moon Stones → Shed Shell, 2 Premier Balls → Cherish Ball.
Four Island treasure seller (south end of the market, with a Trapinch): Rare Bone $6,000, and Shiny Stone, Dusk Stone and Hard Stone at $2,000 each. You can buy them again.
S.S. Anne passenger (a few steps north-east of the west Islander’s House door): if you saved the S.S. Anne (S.S. Anne: defuse the bomb), she gives you 2 Heart Scales, once.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 734 (scripts 5, 6, 8). Positions: barter stall ≈105,135; treasure seller ≈119,141; passenger ≈103,111 (house door ≈99,113).

Three Island: the Alto Mare Bikers (save the Meowth?)

Three Island

Where: Three Island. Two bikers block the north entrance. More bikers stand outside the gang’s house (the Islander’s House on the north side, a biker guarding its door), and one biker is picking on a stray Meowth a few steps north-west of them.

Who gets it / when: once someone on One Island has asked you to deal with the bikers and you’ve agreed (One Island’s houses, Sevii Islands and Indigo Plateau). Before that the guards just turn you away.

How it works:

Talk to the entrance guards: double battle (Bikers Ivan and Warren, Lv. 62–64). They run to tell their Boss.
Pick one of two ways to bring out the Boss:
- The house bikers: double battle → the Boss wakes up → another double battle → the Boss himself (Black Belt Doyle, Breloom Lv. 72 lead).
- The Meowth: the prompt is “Save this Meowth?”. Say Yes and beat the cat catcher. The Boss comes out and orders his men to grab the Meowth.
On the Meowth route, if you’ve already met Jessie, James and their Meowth (Route 39 in Johto), a talking Meowth leaps in to protect the stray, “Meowzie”, and Jessie & James join the fight. Then you’re asked “Help Team Rocket?”:
- Yes: you battle the Boss (Black Belt Doyle) yourself, then Team Rocket finish the gang. Losing whites you out.
- No: you only watch; Team Rocket beat the bikers by themselves. Either way, Meowth then duels Meowzie’s Persian “big brother” for her and wins. Meowzie turns him down anyway (“a Meowth that talks like a human is just too creepy!”), and Team Rocket leave. If you haven’t met them, the Boss sends two more rounds at you: a Double Battle against two bikers, then a Double Battle against the Boss (Black Belt Doyle) and Biker Rita.
The bikers retreat to their Chief at the Shipyard Ruins (continued in Shipyard Ruins: the bikers’ Chief).

Reward: no item for the fight itself. The story ends at the Shipyard Ruins: winning the gauntlet there earns a Protector (missable: before you clear the Dragon’s Den); taking the Chief’s bribe costs you a $400,000 fine later.

Notes: saying “No” to “Save this Meowth?” does nothing; you can talk to him again. The “Help Team Rocket?” choice only decides whether you fight the Boss.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 735 (scripts 5–8, 12, 13; L2992–L7248; flags 2013, 2014, 2018, 2021, 1109; var 0x4097 checks 6/7; “Help Team Rocket?” at @1992: choice 1 (No) jumps to L5268, Yes falls through to TrainerBattle 654 at @2068; no-Rocket route doubles 650+651, then 654+653 at @5056), files 249 L5025 (clears 1109), 889/894 (set 2021 when you agree to help), 879 (Shipyard Ruins). Entrance guards are trainers 648/649. Positions: guards ≈178,99–100; house bikers ≈173–174,111; house door ≈180,108; cat catcher ≈172,107; rebuild man ≈175,109. Rebuild man: hide flag 2020, cleared only by the Shipyard Ruins gauntlet win (file 879 L2428) and set again by the Dragon’s Den clear (file 112 L4867); Protector (item 321) at file 735 L7006.

Three Island → Six Island: the lost daughter (Three Island’s pilgrimage trial)

Three Island Six Island

Where: a tourist father on Three Island’s south side, a few steps south-east of the Shipyard Ruins entrance. His 5-year-old daughter is in the Island Forest on Six Island.

Who gets it / when: the Three Island chief sets this as your Island Pilgrimage trial: help the tourists (Three Island: the engineer’s trial).

How it works:

Talk to the father. His daughter has a ponytail and a pink top.
In the Island Forest, she’s in the north-west part, about 15 steps north of the west entrance, with a Hypno. As you walk up to her (the scene starts a few steps east of her), the Hypno hypnotises her and attacks you: a wild Hypno, Lv. 30. It’s an ordinary wild battle: you can catch it, and catching it or running away counts the same as a win. Only a loss whites you out.
You take her back to Three Island automatically. Reward: the father gives you a Red Flute. Report back to the Three Island chief to pass the trial.

Notes: the girl and her Hypno only appear after you’ve spoken to the father.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 735 (script 17, L7060–L7082; var 0x40b3 = 3, flag 2190), file 55 (script 16, step trigger at 42,36; Hypno WildBattle Lv. 30 at @953, only a loss branches away; sets 0x40b3 = 4), file 782 L6007–L6046 (the chief). Positions: father ≈174,144 (Shipyard Ruins door ≈169,140); girl ≈35,35.

Island Forest (Six Island): before the Lucky Meowth God

Island Forest

The Island Forest changes for good only if you let Jessie, James and Meowth stay on Six Island and then walk into the forest (Six Island: Deoxys and the Lucky Meowth God). Do these first: after that, the people below stay where they are, but they switch to other lines and their quests can no longer be done. A Spoils you haven’t returned stays in your Bag. The statue attendant moves next to the statue and stops charging.

The forest has two entrances from Six Island: a wide one on the west side and one on the east side.

The toll thug (Roughneck George, in the north-east with his Ursaring and Zangoose) demands $3,000 to let you through. Choose “Pay and go through”, or “Force your way through” and beat him (Ursaring, Zangoose, Tauros, Drapion, all Lv. 63). Paying only gets you through that once; after a win, the path is free from then on.
The stolen doll: Hiker Brown (about 9 steps east of the west entrance) wants a battle (Golem 62, Donphan 63, Vigoroth 64, Honchkrow 65). Win to get the Spoils (a key item). Give it to the crying girl about 9 steps south of the west entrance (“Give it back”): TM20 Safeguard.
The wishing pond (a girl in the middle of the forest, about 10 steps east of a Trainer with a Flygon): give her an Amulet Coin. She throws it in and asks for your wish:

Wish	Effect
I want to get rich overnight	flavour only
I want to be more attractive	clears every romance “not this partner” mark (Green/Red, Misty, Yellow, Cynthia, Blue and others), so partners you had closed off can be won back. It does nothing if you’ve already made the Dream World choice.
I want to get stronger	flavour only
I don’t really have a wish	flavour only

The lucky statue (an attendant with a Shiftry in the south-east of the forest): $500 to view it (flavour). When the Lucky Meowth God arrives he moves beside the statue and stops charging.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 55 (scripts 3, 6, 8, 11, 14; L1488–L3094; flags 2191–2194, 2300; romance flags 2141–2145, 2153–2157; the quest lines check flag 2180, cleared by file 55 @1295 together with SetFlag 2182), file 249 L4198 (sets 2180), file 898 (Dream World sets 2300). George, Brown, the crying girl and the pond girl have no hide flag; only the attendant at ≈86,70 is hidden (flag 2182); a second copy beside the statue (flag 2180) appears instead (L2043). Paying George sets no flag (L1488); a win sets 2191. Positions: George ≈75,37; Brown ≈42,50; crying girl ≈34,60; pond girl ≈64,46; attendant ≈86,70; west entrance ≈33,50–52, east entrance ≈90,58.

Island Cave (Four Island): Crystal Onix and Granny Lisa

Island Cave

Where: the Stone Workshop on Four Island (the craftsman, Islander’s House) and a hidden part of the Island Cave, reached through the passage in its north-west corner.

Who gets it / when: any time after you reach Four Island. Talk to the craftsman first; until then the scene in the cave doesn’t start.

How it works:

Talk to the stone craftsman in the Stone Workshop. He’s hunting for the legendary Crystal Onix.
In the Island Cave, go to the north-west corner. A man stands beside a passage there (“There’s nothing in the cave up ahead”). Go through it: you come out in a small area, and the old woman is about ten steps west of where you arrive. Walk up to her. She is patching a wounded Onix with Dawn Stones and attacks you as a “crooked merchant”: Medium Lisa (Ledian 62, Misdreavus 63, Roselia 64, Seadra 65).
She explains that craftsmen cut crystal from its body twenty years ago, and begs you not to tell anyone. Answer:

Choice	What happens
Yes (keep the secret)	she gives you a Star Piece. Talk to her again: she entrusts Onix to you and leaves. Then talk to the Onix: wild Crystal Onix, Lv. 40.
No	she throws you out. Talk to the craftsman in the Stone Workshop: he hurries off to the cave. Talk to him in the hidden area where you met her: he finds only chips and gives you a Shiny Stone. No Onix.

Reward: the chance to catch Crystal Onix (Onix, form 1) on the secret route, or a Shiny Stone on the other.

Notes: one chance. The Onix disappears as soon as the battle starts, so if you knock it out, run or white out, it’s gone. Save first and bring Poké Balls. The choice can’t be undone.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 24 (scripts 1–5; L1116–L1803; var 0x409a 7→8/9→10→11; flags 2912, 2913; WildBattle 2143 = Onix form 1 at Lv. 40), file 737 (script 1 L178/L1463: the craftsman sets 0x409a = 7 and 10; nothing checks pilgrimage progress). The secret prompt is a Yes/No at file 24 @1355 (Yes → L1742). Positions: passage ≈4,12 (man ≈5,12) warps to ≈59,112; Lisa’s trigger ≈49,109; Onix ≈50,104.

Island Cave: small extras

Island Cave

Breeder Holly, just south-east of the Sky Pillar Peak exit. Before you join the Island Pilgrimage on Seven Island, and again after you complete it, she heals your party for free. During the pilgrimage she offers a battle and fully heals you if you win; after the Team Rocket scene at Sky Pillar Peak (until the pilgrimage is over) she only says that Team Rocket wrecked the pilgrimage (no battle, no heal).
Ruin Maniac Jules (he dug up stones and his Pokémon evolved), Hiker Everest (“You came to climb too, right?”) and the other Island Cave climbers: optional battles, no reward.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 24 (scripts 7, 9, 12, 14). Holly (≈18,105, Sky Pillar Peak door ≈16,101): script 7 heals for free if flag 1529 is set (flag 1529 = no pilgrimage in progress: set by the forced S.S. Anne Grunt battle, file 162 @2362, cleared on joining at Seven Island, file 870 @1431, set again on completing it, file 870 @2494; files 231 and 249 also set it); with 1529 clear she offers trainer 849 and heals after a win (L1816–L1898) while var 0x409e < 3, and says only line 33 once 0x409e ≥ 3 (set at Sky Pillar Peak, file 914 @1322). Jules is trainer 850 at ≈44,29; Everest is trainer 852 at ≈28,44.

Five Island: the Island Pilgrimage leg (Five Island trials)

Where: Five Island (the monks’ island). The trials run in a fixed order along the island.

Who gets it / when: during the Island Pilgrimage, after the Seven Island start.

How it works:

Monk at the south entrance: say you’re here for the pilgrimage and beat Sage Huijin (Sunflora Lv. 62 lead).
Monk on the east path (about 20 steps south of the Elder’s hut): he wants proof of your catching skill: “a round Pokémon that is red and green”. Catch a Cherubi in Five Island’s grass and show it to him (party select). Any other Pokémon is refused; retry freely.
Snowy mountain. The monk at the foot of the mountain tells you it’s closed. Choose to push on anyway and beat Sage Huiming. Then the next monk further up stops you; beat Sage Huiwu (Bronzong Lv. 62 lead).
The freezing disciple at the top, with his Snover: talk to him (“Why are you here?”). He’s cold and hungry, and surprised anyone came up, since the Elder forbade it.
Go to the Elder in the monks’ hut (north-east of the island) and pass his quiz and battle first (Five Island: the Elder’s quiz and battle). Then talk to him again and pick “The man on the snowy mountain?”. He explains that five years ago, while he was away, the disciple trusted strangers and let Team Rocket take Mew, and that he sent him up the mountain as punishment. He agrees to forgive the disciple. Climb back up and tell him “The Elder says you can come down”. He leaves with his Snover. Reward: beating the Elder passes the Five Island trial. Freeing the disciple is optional for the pilgrimage; it opens the Mew hunt (Mew: the long hunt).

Notes: a loss in any trial battle whites you out. Just try again.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 58 (scripts 22–30, L2816–L3257, L3343–L5399, L6480–L7798; var 0x409c 4→3→5→6→7→8, 9→10), file 737 L4442–L4517 (Elder sets 0x409c = 9; “Five years ago” and the Mew story are the Elder’s lines 443#65/66, not the disciple’s). Positions: south-entrance monk ≈94,84; east-path monk ≈122,62; snowy-mountain monks ≈94,48 and ≈82,57; disciple ≈79,47; Elder’s hut door ≈118,42.

Five Island: the four-leaf clover (speak up for him)

Where: a clover hunter by a tree on the east side of the island (south-west of the east-path monk), and a Trainer with a sick Pokémon, about 12 steps east of the south-entrance monk.

Who gets it / when: while the sick Trainer is there. If you’ve already met the examiner of the Viridian Gym Virtue trial (he asks you to help someone in Viridian City), the sick Trainer is gone and the hunter only says “a four-leaf clover should be growing somewhere around here!”. To start it then, go into the house by the One Island ferry (south-west of Five Island). If a sick Trainer is standing in front of the old monk with a Xatu at the back on the left, talk to the monk: the sick Trainer asks him about the four-leaf clover, and after that the scene by the tree can play.

How it works: talk to the hunter. He finds a four-leaf clover and wants $2,000,000 for it; the other man only has $300,000.

“Speak up for him?” → Yes. The hunter tells you to pay the other $1,700,000 yourself or leave.
“What will you do?” → “You’re selling it today”: you invoke your Champion powers. Beat Guitarist Zenith (Dugtrio 62, Raticate 63, Swellow 64, Luxray 65) and he sells it for $300,000.
Answering No to “Speak up for him?”, or choosing “Forget it”, ends the scene: the sick man goes off to search elsewhere. Reward: none for you; the sick Pokémon gets its medicine.

Notes: one chance: the scene doesn’t repeat. If there’s no sick Trainer in the ferry house either, the clover scene can’t be started for now. That visitor comes and goes with some Johto story scenes.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 58 (scripts 14, 15; L2075–L4431, L5768–L7750; flags 1228, 1973). The scene needs flag 1228 clear (also the sick Trainer’s hide flag; with 1228 set the hunter says line 70 while 1604 is clear, line 69 once it’s set); the Viridian Gym Virtue examiner sets it (file 741 @1226). The monk scene (file 737 script 9 → L1756, runs while flag 1604 is clear) clears 1228 at @3408 and sets 1604. Caveat: 1604 is also set in the National Park (file 25 @2668) and Goldenrod (file 903 @3184); if it’s already set, that scene can’t play; 1604 is cleared again by file 246 @331 (Route 37) and file 883 @649 (Goldenrod). The ferry-house sick visitor (file 737 object 16) is hidden while 1604 is set. Positions: hunter ≈115,70; sick Trainer ≈106,81; ferry house door ≈74,72; monk ≈2,36 in the Islander’s House map.

Five Island: the monk’s hungry Snorlax (→ Yellow Flute)

Where: a monk with a Snorlax blocking a path in the north of the island, between the snowy mountain and the Elder’s hut.

How it works: you need 5 Lava Cookies, 5 Rare Candies and 5 Old Gateaux at once. Answer “I have those snacks”. He takes all 15, Snorlax goes back into its Poké Ball, and the path opens.

Reward: Yellow Flute.

Notes: you need at least one of each for the option to appear, and all five of each for it to work. The monk sweeping leaves just south-west of the Elder’s hut door gives 3 Lava Cookies + 3 Old Gateaux when you beat him (“the strongest Trainer on Five Island”; his team is Lv. 88–89). That’s a start; the Rare Candies you must bring yourself.

Technical source (script files and flags)

script file 58 (scripts 18, 19; L2422–L2814, L4737; flags 2173, 2174). Positions: Snorlax monk ≈104,53; sweeping monk ≈115,45.

Five Island: water for Croagunk (→ PP Max)