Pokémon Red and Blue/Route 5-6

New Pokémon Available

Red	Blue	Yellow
Mankey	Meowth	Jigglypuff Abra

After your visit with Bill, return to Cerulean City and go to the house in the northeast corner. Walk through the backyard to find a path leading to Route 5. The road that goes through Saffron City is closed, but you can take the detour along the Underground Path. Stop off at the Pokémon Daycare before you head underground.

File:Pokemon RBY Route05.png

Route #5

Route #5 & #6 encounters

Pidgey	35%	35%	45%
Pidgeotto	N/A	N/A	5%
Rattata	N/A	N/A	25%
Jigglypuff	N/A	N/A	10%
Oddish	40%	N/A	N/A
Meowth	N/A	25%	N/A
Mankey	25%	N/A	N/A
Abra	N/A	N/A	15%
Bellsprout	N/A	40%	N/A

The blocked path

The best way to use the Pokémon Daycare

After you hand over one of your Pokémon to the Pokémon Daycare, it will get one experience point for every step you take as continue on your long adventure. Check in one of your Pokémon that you would like to have gain experience this way, rather than by using it in battles. The weak Magikarp might be a great candidate, since it becomes a ferocious Gyarados at level 20. Abra would be another good choice, since it becomes much more powerful after level 16, when it evolves to Kadabra. Even if you're gone such a long time that the Pokémon level passes up its evolution level, the Pokémon will wait for you to return and tell it whether to evolve. And it will have learned any new moves that its level would have allowed.

You'll need to jump down the ledges from Cerulean City if you want to get to the Day Care Center, where you can drop off Pokémon to be leveled up while you walk (they gain EXP at the rate of 1 point for each step you take). Unfortunately, the head of the Center makes all the decisions, so if your Pokémon is full on skills, he may delete a skill you like or abandon the new one altogether, so be cautious. But if you bought that Magikarp, dump it here and return later for a Gyarados. You will be charged 100 for each level gained, though.

The gate to Saffron City is closed, so you'll have to take the underground tunnel. Access the tunnel through the building along the right side of the route. Press the A button rapidly as you walk to pick up some randomly-placed items (nothing too exciting; X Special and Full Restore). At the Route 5 entrance, a woman will offer to trade you a male Nidoran for a female in Blue or Red, or a Cubone for a Machoke in Yellow. Not a great deal in Blue, in which female Nidorans are more common anyway, but Red players should take this opportunity for a rare Pokémon. Also, since Machoke evolves through trade, trading away your Cubone is the only way to get Machamp without a game link cable. You may not have the Pokémon that she wants, but not to worry. No matter how long it takes you to find the proper Pokémon, she will wait patiently.

There are lots of powerful trainers on the other side, but you can avoid almost all of them.

File:Pokemon RBY Route06.png

Route #6

1	Bug Catcher	160
	Weedle	LV16
	Caterpie	LV16
	Weedle	LV16
2	Jr. Trainer♂	400
	Squirtle	LV20
	Weepinbell	LV16
3	Jr. Trainer♀	160
	Rattata	LV16
	Pikachu	LV16
	Cubone	LV20
4	Bug Catcher	200
	Butterfree	LV20
5	Jr. Trainer♀	320
	Pidgey	LV16
	Pidgey	LV16
	Pidgey	LV16
6	Jr. Trainer♂	380
	Spearow	LV16
	Raticate	LV16

Route #6 Fishing
(Super Rod)

Shellder	50%	50%	N/A
Krabby	50%	50%	N/A
Goldeen	N/A	N/A	100%

On to Vermillion City

#52 Meowth

Meowths are similar to (but not quite as good as) Rattatas: speedy with lots of Normal-type attacking moves. But there's one twist: at level 17, Meowth learns Pay Day, a solid attack that pays you back money equal to double Meowth's level each time it's used. If you find yourself frequently short on cash, it could come in handy. Meowth's evolved form Persian is a common competitive choice, so you may want to raise one. It has little use in-game, however.

The Underground Path runs south, tunneling beneath Saffron City and emerging at the northern end of Route #6. Since the entrance on this side of Saffron City is also blocked by another thirsty guard, you should now head south to Vermilion City. The path is packed with wild Pokémon and trainers, all ready to challenge your Pokémon to a good battle.