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Mew, the secret 151st Pokémon is so rare that you won't be able to find him in your game in any conventional manner. While you can still get credit for filling your Pokédex without him, he's a great Pokémon that you probably won't want to miss.

So how do you get him? Thousands of lucky trainers were given Mews by bringing their Game Boys and Pokémon Game Paks (of any version) to various Nintendo Power events, such as their various Mall Tours, where a Mew was traded to them for free. If you missed out on those events, you would be out of luck since Nintendo no longer gives first generation Mews away anymore. Codes for cheating devices such as Game Sharks were developed, but they exposed your game's save file to the risk of being corrupted or erased. These were you only options originally. That is… until now.

Clever unconventional players have discovered that it is possible to obtain the rarest Pokémon in Red/Blue/Yellow, Mew, without using a cheating device. Players have learned how to exploit a bug in the program that allows you to encounter any Pokémon that you would like, and you can use this method to obtain a Mew for yourself. It's not too difficult, but it's a good idea to save before you try this so that you can start over in case you make a mistake.

There are two primary ways to activate this glitch. No matter which method you choose, you must not defeat the Youngster with the Level 17 Slowpoke on Route #25 (marked #4 on the Route #25 map).

[edit] Method 1

The first method is at the earliest point in the game during which this glitch can be performed.

1. Fight your way through all of the challengers on Nugget Bridge.
2. Catch an Abra any way that you can, but never engage the Jr. Trainer who hides in the grass on the right of Route #24.
3. Place Abra in your party if it's not already.
4. Make your way towards that Jr. Trainer, marked #7 on the map. He's the one that says "I saw your feet from the grass" when he challenges you.
   • Save the game at this point.
5. Stand in front of the Jr. Trainer, just outside of his sight. Move down until he sees you. As soon as he does, immediately press .
6. Select your Abra and use Teleport. If you did it correctly, the trainer should have an exclamation point above his head as you Teleport.
7. For the time being, your menu will not work. This is normal. Proceed to Route #25.
8. Approach the Youngster (#4) on Route #25, but do not battle or talk to anyone else besides the one mountain man (#1). You must battle him from as far away as possible. It is impossible to avoid him, but it will still work if you then head to #4.
9. You must engage the Youngster in battle from far away. Do not walk towards him and talk to him or the game will freeze.
10. Battle the Youngster and defeat his Slowpoke.
11. Now walk back to Route #24. As soon as you reach the route, your Start menu will automatically appear.
12. Press to cancel the menu, and you will instantly be taken to a battle with a level 7 Mew.
13. Weaken the Mew enough to catch it, and it's yours.

[edit] Method 2

The second method can only be done later in the game because it requires that you obtain HM 02 which contains Fly, from Route #16.

1. Fight your way through all of the challengers on Nugget Bridge. You must be able to approach the Youngster on Route #25 without interruption.
2. Go to the Underground Tunnel entrance to the east of Saffron City. Make sure that you have a Pokémon with the Fly ability.
   • Save the game at this point.
3. Approach the Gambler (#8 on the map) from the north. Stand in front of him, just outside of his sight.
4. Move down until the Gambler sees you. As soon as he does, immediately press .
5. Select the Pokémon who knows Fly and head to Cerulean City. If you did it correctly, the trainer should have an exclamation point above his head as you Fly away.
6. For the time being, your menu will not work. This is normal. Proceed to Route #25.
7. Approach the Youngster (#4) on Route #25, but do not battle or talk to anyone else.
8. You must engage the Youngster in battle from far away. Do not walk towards him and talk to him or the game will freeze.
9. Battle the Youngster and defeat his Slowpoke.
10. Now fly to Lavender Town. Head west back to Route #8. As soon as you reach the route, your Start menu will automatically appear.
11. Press to cancel the menu, and you will instantly be taken to a battle with a level 7 Mew.
12. Weaken the Mew enough to catch it, and it's yours.

You can also do this glitch battling other trainers besides the Youngster. Each trainer results in different Pokémon, just like Mew, at level 7. You can get other rare Pokémon this way.

#151 Mew

Once thought to be a mere rumor in many parts of the world, Mew has only been seen in captivity a few times. This ultra-rare Psychic-type naturally learns Normal and Psychic-type attacks as it evolves, but it also possesses the ability to learn every single TM and HM ever created. Of course, such powers make this Pokémon extremely sought after by collectors. Mew may not be as powerful as his genetic heir, Mewtwo, but with strong stats in every category and the ability to learn any TM and HM, he's easily one of the best Pokémon in the game. He can even learn Transform, and with his high stats, do it better than Ditto!