Pokémon Gold and Silver/Violet City

'Violet City is the first city you'll visit that has a Gym in it. You don't want to rely on just one Pokémon for a Gym Leader battle, so you'd better catch and raise some wild Pokémon to fill our your party (especially if you picked Chikorita as your starter). You won't be able to reach the items above the city until you have Surf.'

Trade your Bellsprout for an Onix
You can catch an Onix later, but you'll never get as much use out of one as you will now versus Falkner and his Junior Trainers. Visit the house southwest of the Pokémon Center with an extra Bellsprout in order to trade it for an Onix. As a traded Pokémon, your Onix will go up levels more quickly than a wild one, but you're stuck with the goofy name. Like all trades with computer characters, its starting level will be the same as that of the Pokémon you traded for it.

Back to Pokémon School
If you talk to the man standing between the Gym and the Mart, and answer "No" to the question he asks you, he will lead you down to his Pokémon Academy to study up on Pokémon types and conditions. In this schoolhouse, he teaches his students some basic Pokémon battling and raising lessons. You can also learn a lot from the writing on the blackboard and the other students. Study hard!

Poké Mart
There are a lot of new items for sale, but nothing you really need (X Items are rarely worth it). The last item is mail for writing short messages.

Sprout Tower
If your Pokémon are too weak for the Gym, build up some EXP at the Sprout Tower first. Sprout Tower is a good place to train your Pokémon and yourself. If your Pokémon are over Level 10, the battles against the Grass-types won't be very difficult. If your Pokémon aren't at Level 10, it might be a little harder—unless you started with Cyndaquil.

Catch a Growlithe
Instead of going to Route 32 by the passageway under the Pokémart, take a detour and go around through the Ruins of Alph. On the way you'll see a little patch of tall grass which is part of Route 36-37. Here you can catch a Growlithe prematurely and train it in Sprout Tower. Very helpful for the Azlea Gym if you didn't chose Cyndaquil as a starter.

Gym Battle 1: Falkner [[File:Pokemon Portrait Falkner.png]]


It's your first Gym battle, so be careful. There are two Gym Members and one Gym Leader for you to fight, but you don't have to fight them without a break. If your Pokémon get too weak, take them to the Pokémon Center and heal them between battles, so they're able to continue.

Since there hasn't been a chance to get any Electric Pokémon yet, your best bet here is Rock, by far. It has protection from both Flying and Normal attacks, and if you have Rock Throw (Geodude gets it at level 11), it'll wipe out any of Falkner's Flyers.

But you still need to look out for Pidgy's Mud-Slap; it does damage and lowers Accuracy, and the penalties add up quickly. Swap in a strong Pokémon that can finish this Flyer quickly, but watch out for its Gust.

When you beat Falkner, he will award you the Zephyr Badge and TM 31, Mud-Slap. Mud Slap is a move that performs offense and defense; it attacks the foe and lowers the foe's accuracy. Remember, you can use a TM only once.

An urgent call from Professor Elm
After you beat the Violet City Gym Leader, you'll get a surprise phone call from Professor Elm. He'll direct you to speak with his aide at the Violet City Pokémon Center, who will give you the Mystery Egg that you delivered to Elm earlier. It needs to be near active Pokémon to hatch. Keep this egg in your party as you continue your quest, and after an hour or so of traveling, it will hatch. That miraculous event is covered on Route #34. {| border="0"
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Items

 * PP UP (Surf on lake behind Gym)
 * Rare Candy (Surf on lake behind Pokémon School)
 * Hyper Potion (Use Cut and Itemfinder in the dead end path to the right of Earl's Academy)
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