Where To Get TM23 Iron Tail in Pokémon Crystal

TM23 Iron Tail
#	Location	Repeatable?
1	Olivine Gym. Rewarded by Gym Leader Jasmine after defeating her in battle.	No

TM23 Iron Tail can only be obtained as a reward after you defeat Olivine City’s Gym Leader Jasmine and her Steel-type Pokémon in battle.

However, Jasmine isn’t present at the Gym when you first get to Olivine City.

First you must talk to her atop the Olivine Lighthouse, then pick up a Secret Potion from Cianwood City and bring it back to her at the lighthouse.

Once that’s done, she’ll return to Olivine Gym so you can defeat her and get TM23.

Prerequisites

Jasmine is absent from Olivine Gym when you first arrive at Olivine City from Ecruteak.

Instead, she’s at the top of the Olivine Lighthouse – also known as the Glitter Lighthouse – tending to a sick Ampharos.

Jasmine and the sick Ampharos atop Olivine Lighthouse.

To heal it, you must:

Get HM03 Surf at Ecruteak Dance Theater and teach it to a Pokémon.
Beat Gym Leader Morty in Ecruteak Gym so you can use Surf outside of battle.
Talk to Jasmine atop Olivine Lighthouse to get the quest to retrieve the Secret Potion.
Get the Secret Potion from the Pharmacy at Cianwood City.
Bring the Secret Potion back to Jasmine in the Lighthouse.

Once you’ve healed the Ampharos, Jasmine will return to Olivine Gym, where you can challenge her to battle.

Getting TM23 Iron Tail (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Find Olivine Gym north of the Pokémon Center in Olivine City.

Route from Pokémon Center to Olivine Gym.

Step 2: Defeat Gym Leader Jasmine and receive TM23 Iron Tail.

There are no puzzles or trainers in Olivine Gym other than the Leader. You can just walk in and challenge Jasmine to a Pokémon battle.

Bird’s eye view of Olivine Gym.

Let’s take a look at her team:

Gym Leader Jasmine’s Team

SCROLL

Jasmine’s Team

Pokémon	Magnemite (Lv. 30)	Magnemite (Lv. 30)	Steelix (Lv. 35)
Type	Electric/Steel	Electric/Steel	Steel/Ground
Held Item	None	None	None
Moves	Thunderbolt Supersonic SonicBoom Thunder Wave	Thunderbolt Supersonic SonicBoom Thunder Wave	Iron Tail Rock Throw Sunny Day Screech

She’s a Steel-type specialist all the way through, so all of her Pokémon are Steel-types. Still, the secondary Electric and Ground types can play a big role.

Fighting and Fire-type moves are great against Steel-types, so they’ll be useful against all three enemy Pokémon.

Additionally, you might want:

Ground-type Pokémon: Same-type moves are super effective against Magnemite, and they’re immune to Thunderbolt.
Water-type Pokémon: Same-type moves are super effective against Steelix.

After you’ve melted down her Pokémon to make car parts, Gym Leader Jasmine will reward you with TM23 Iron Tail.

Receiving TM23 Iron Tail from Jasmine.

TM23 Iron Tail Details + Uses

Iron Tail Move Details
Type	Steel
Category	Physical
Power	100
Effect	30% chance of lowering the target’s Defense.
Accuracy	75%
PP	15 (max. 24)

Iron Tail is the most powerful Steel-type move in Pokémon Crystal.

Its effectiveness is dampened by the lackluster 75% Accuracy, but it more than makes up for this with the 30% chance of lowering your foe’s Defense every time you use it.

It’s super-effective against Rock and Ice-type Pokémon, but it’s also fantastic against bulky Pokémon with high Defense. You’ll want to bring this with you when facing:

Gym Leader Pryce and his Ice-type Pokémon in Mahogany Town.
Gym Leader Brock and his Rock-type Pokémon in Pewter City.
The Elite Four and their multiple tanky Pokémon.
Everything in the Ice Path.

Ideally, you’d teach this to a high-attack Steel-type Pokémon like Steelix. Alternatively, any Pokémon with high Attack will do.

Here are some ideas:

Pokémon	Type	Location
Steelix	Steel/Ground	Evolve Onix by trading while holding Metal Coat.
Tyranitar	Rock/Dark	Evolve Pupitar.
Feraligatr	Water	Evolve Croconaw.
Dragonite	Dragon/Flying	Evolve Dragonair.

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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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