What To Do in Kanto (Pokémon Crystal)

There’s much to do and see in the Kanto region, including new Pokémon Gyms, caves with rare Pokémon, and the strongest opponent in the game: Red.

Let’s take a look at all the quests and activities in Kanto.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

#1: Visit Celadon City’s Game Corner
#2: Fix the Kanto Power Plant
#3: Bill’s Grandfather’s Pokémon Hunt
#4: Obtain the Magnet Train Pass
#5: Remove the Snorlax Blocking Diglett’s Cave
#6: Explore Mt. Moon
#7: Obtain All Kanto Badges
#8: Defeat Red in Mt. Silver

#1: Visit Celadon City’s Game Corner

Something you can do right away after landing in central Kanto is heading to the Game Corner in Celadon City.

Game Corner in Celadon City (outside).

Head north from Vermilion City until you arrive at Saffron City. Go west from there, and you’ll reach Celadon City quickly.

Route from Vermilion City to Celadon City.

This Game Corner operates similarly to the Game Corner in Goldenrod City:

Buy Coins from the clerk at the Coin Counter (top left corner).
Use these Coins to play Card Flip or hit the Slot Machines to get more Coins.
Exchange your Coins for prizes like Pokémon and TMs at the Prize Corner (building next to the Game Corner).

Celadon City Game Corner (inside).

Note: You need the Coin Case from the Goldenrod Underground to hold your coins if you want to experience the Game Corner.

The Game Corner is a fantastic way to get powerful moves (Double Team, Psychic, Hyper Beam) and Pokémon (Pikachu, Porygon, Larvitar).

Tip: Check out our complete Game Corner Guide to discover all available prizes and how to get coins fast.

#2: Fix the Kanto Power Plant

Fixing the Kanto Power Plant should be your top priority if you wish to explore the Kanto region freely.

You’ll find the Power Plant by scouting east of Cerulean City (Route 9).

Leaving Celadon City toward Route 9.

Head all the way to the river on the east side of Route 9, and then use Surf to swim downstream into Route 10.

Surfing downstream into Route 10.

Eventually, you’ll reach the Power Plant.

Kanto Power Plant (outside).

Once you’ve entered the plant you can start the side-quest to get it back online. Here’s a quick overview of what to do:

Talk to the Plant Manager (near the machinery inside)
Head to Cerulean Gym
Use Surf in the first square pool
Press A while facing the pool’s top left corner from the bottom left corner to retrieve the missing Machine Part
Return the Machine Part to the Plant Manager

Fixing the Power Plant has several benefits:

You get TM07 Zap Cannon from the Plant Manager.
Makes it possible to interrupt Gym Leader Misty’s date in Route 25 (near the Sea Cottage) so you can face her in battle and get Cerulean City’s Gym Badge.
Power returns to the Magnet Train in Saffron City and the Radio Tower in Lavender Town.

#3: Bill’s Grandfather’s Pokémon Hunt

You’ll find Bill’s Grandfather in the beautiful Sea Cottage on Route 25, northeast of Cerulean City.

Bill’s Sea Cottage on Route 25.

Bill’s Grandpa is a massive Pokémon fan, and he wants you to bring him some rare Pokémon so he can see them firsthand.

In exchange, he’ll give you an Evolution Stone for each Pokémon you show him.

Regrettably, he’s not sure precisely what Pokémon he’s looking for. Instead he’ll give you a somewhat vague description.

Here’s what it all means:

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Bill’s Grandpa’s Pokémon Hunt
#	Description	Pokémon	Reward
1st	Has a long tongue.	Lickitung	Everstone
2nd	Has leaves growing on its head	Oddish	Leaf Stone
3rd	Shaped like a star and has a red sphere on its body. Nocturnal	Staryu	Water Stone
4th	Very loyal and has a strong roar.	Growlithe	Fire Stone
5th	Pre-evolution of a popular yellow Pokémon with red cheeks.	Pichu	Thunder Stone

#4: Obtain the Magnet Train Pass

The Magnet Train connects Saffron City in Kanto and Goldenrod City in Johto.

Magnet Train stations and route.

It’s the fastest and easiest way to travel between the regions, but it’s out of order the first time you visit Goldenrod and Saffron.

Fixing the Kanto Power Plant will return power to the Magnet Train. But you still need to find a Magnet Train Pass before they let you ride on it.

Here’s a quick TL;DR on what to do for your train pass:

Talk to the Copycat Girl on the second floor of her house in Saffron City to learn about her missing Clefairy Doll.
Head to the Pokémon Fan Club in Vermilion City.
Talk to the man next to the Clefairy Doll and get it back.
Take the PokéDoll back to the Copycat Girl.

You’ll get the Magnet Train Pass as a reward for your good deed.

#5: Remove the Snorlax Blocking Diglett’s Cave

The western side of the Kanto Region (comprising Pallet Town, Viridian City, Pewter City, and Cinnabar Island) is inaccessible when you first arrive.

Initially barred areas in Kanto.

To reach these places, you must remove the sleeping Snorlax that’s blocking the entrance to the Diglett Cave east of Vermilion City.

Sleeping Snorlax east of Vermilion City.

This cave connects Route 11 (near Vermilion) to Route 2 (near Viridian), and it’s the only way to get to western Kanto at first.

Digglet’s Cave connects Vermilion and Viridian.

Here’s how to deal with the Snorlax:

Fix the Kanto Power Plant
Head to the Radio Tower in Lavender Town to get the Radio EXPN. Card
Go back to the Snorlax and tune into the Pokéflute Channel (19.0) on the PokéGear’s Radio
Defeat or catch the Snorlax in battle

Now the way into Digglet’s Cave is open, allowing you passage into western Kanto. You should be able to reach Lavender Town from Vermilion City through Route 11, too.

#6: Explore Mt. Moon

The entrance to Mt. Moon is located east of Pewter City, on the far end of Route 3.

Left: Entering Route 3 from Pewter City. Right: Entering Mt. Moon.

You can come here right after accessing Western Kanto through Diglett’s Cave.

There are two main reasons to visit Mt. Moon:

To battle your Rival for the sixth time.
To witness the Dancing Clefairy on a Monday night (8PM-4AM) and obtain a Moon Stone.

Your rival will be waiting for you when you walk in through the Route 3 entrance.

After defeating him, head straight east and you’ll find a ladder leading up to Mt. Moon Square.

Going up to Mt. Moon Square from the Mt. Moon entrance.

There’s a shop selling souvenirs (including a PokéDoll) to the left as you reach the summit.

And then further to the left, you’ll find a flower field. This field is where you can spot some wild Clefairy and get a free Moon Stone each week.

Mt. Moon Square.

Every Monday, a group of Clefairy will gather here at night to dance between 8PM and 4AM.

Once the dance is over, they’ll leave behind a breakable rock. Use Rock Smash on the rock to get a Moon Stone.

Clefairy dance around a meteor.

Tip: The Moon Stone can be used to evolve Nidorino, Nidorina, Clefairy, and Jigglypuff.

#7: Obtain All Kanto Badges

Your main objective in Kanto is to obtain all available Gym Badges and become this region’s champion.

Challenging the Kanto Gyms in any order is possible, but not all are equally difficult.

Here’s our suggested order, from weakest to strongest:

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All Gyms in Kanto
#	Location	Leader	Type	Badge	Requirements
1	Fuchsia City	Janine	Poison	Soul Badge	None
2	Vermilion City	Lt. Surge	Electric	Thunder Badge	Cut or Surf
3	Saffron City	Sabrina	Psychic	Marsh Badge	None
4	Celadon City	Erika	Grass	Rainbow Badge	None
5	Cerulean City	Misty	Water	Cascade Badge	Fix Kanto Power Plant. Interrupt Misty’s date on Route 25.
6	Pewter City	Brock	Rock	Boulder Badge	Remove Snorlax from Digglet’s Cave entrance.
7	Seafoam Islands	Blaine	Fire	Volcano Badge	Remove Snorlax from Digglet’s Cave entrance. Surf
8	Viridian City	Blue	Varied	Earth Badge	Collect all other badges.

Once you have every Kanto badge, you can move onto the final Kanto activity.

#8: Defeat Red in Mt. Silver

Red is the protagonist of the first gen Pokémon games (Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow) and he’s the strongest character you’ll face in Crystal.

Once you’ve collected all Kanto Badges, talk to Prof. Oak in Pallet Town. He’ll open the way to Route 27 from the Pokémon League Reception Gate.

Heading toward Route 27 from the Pokémon League Reception Gate.

Then just head west through Route 28 to reach Mt. Silver.

Tip: You’ll need a Pokémon that can use Flash to light up your way through the cave.

Entering Mt. Silver from Route 27.

Red is waiting for you at the summit, which you can reach by constantly heading north from the cave’s entrance.

Facing Trainer Red at the Mt. Silver Summit.

He has the highest-level Pokémon team outside of the Battle Tower:

Champion Red / Pokémon Crystal — Moves in **bold** deal STAB damage.

Pikachu (Lv. 81) / Pokémon Crystal — Moves in **bold** deal STAB damage.

Champion Red’s Team

Pokémon	Pikachu (Lv. 81)	Espeon (Lv. 73)	Snorlax (Lv. 75)	Venusaur (Lv. 77)	Charizard (Lv. 77)	Blastoise (Lv. 77)
Type	Electric	Psychic	Normal	Grass / Poison	Fire / Flying	Water
Moves	Charm Quick Attack Thunderbolt Thunder	Mud-Slap Swift Reflect Psychic	Amnesia Snore Rest Body Slam	Sunny Day Giga Drain Synthesis SolarBeam	Flamethrower Wing Attack Slash Fire Spin	Rain Dance Blizzard Surf Whirlpool

Tip: Champion Red uses two Full Restores throughout the fight.

Once defeated, Red will disappear from this location. But if you want a rematch you must defeat the Elite Four again. This should summon Red back to his spot in Mt. Silver.

BACK TO THE MAIN GAME Pokémon Crystal Full Strategy Guide

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Nelson Chitty

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Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.

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