I Caught ’em All in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen

I have been playing Pokemon games since the days of Pokemon Red and Blue, but it wasn’t until Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen were ported to Nintendo Switch that I decided to finally catch ’em all. More specifically, I set out to catch all the Generation 1 Pokemon in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, so the OG 151.

The first step of my journey was buying Pokemon FireRed on my wife’s Switch and trading over the starters to my Pokemon LeafGreen game. Then I set out to defeat all the Kanto region gym leaders, conquer the Elite Four, and ultimately become the Pokemon Champion. After making it to the endgame and having the ability to fly around Kanto as needed, I started to fill out my Pokedex, in order, and catch whatever Pokemon I missed on my journey. To get the FireRed exclusives, I traded with my friend.

In total, this journey took about 40ish hours, which wasn’t nearly as long as I thought it would take. Others that want to catch ’em all in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen can expect a similar commitment, but there are definitely ways to speed up the process and make things a little easier.

Exp Share and Trading Are Big Time Savers

While modern Pokemon games oftentimes have a form of Exp Share from the jump, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen make you earn it. For a good portion of the game, one of the best ways to level weaker Pokemon is to have them as your starter in battles, then immediately swap them out with a different Pokemon so they at least get a portion of the XP. The actual Exp Share item is significantly more efficient because the Pokemon holding it gets more XP and you don’t have to waste time by swapping out Pokemon.

Getting Exp Share means catching at least 50 different Pokemon, and then heading to the Route 15 gatehouse east of Fuschia City and talking to Professor Oak’s aide. Give the Exp Share to whatever Pokemon you are trying to level up and evolve, and you will make your life a lot easier.

It’s also worth pointing out that traded Pokemon level up way faster in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. If possible, try to trade Pokemon that you need to level up and evolve so that you can save time on battles.

Ditto is a Must-Have for Breeding

There are certain Pokemon in Pokemon FireRed and Leafgreen that you will want to breed if you hope to catch ’em all. The most efficient way to do this is with a Ditto, which you can catch in various places, including Route 15, Cinnbar Island’s Pokemon Mansion, and Cerulean Cave.

Having a Ditto is just one part of the equation. You also need the Pokemon that you need to breed. In Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, breeding is a good way to get more Eevees, since you only get one in the game without breeding. Then you can use Evolution Stones on them to get Flareon, Vaporeon, and Jolteon. Since you only get one Hitmonchan or Hitmonlee in the games, you will also want to breed them with a Ditto to get a Tyrogue, and then evolve that Tyrogue into whichever Fighting-type you didn’t pick.

In any case, when you have a Ditto and the Pokemon you want to breed, the next step is to go to the Sevii Islands, which are the post-game islands accessible after defeating the Elite Four and becoming the Pokemon Champion. The specific island with the breeder is Four Island. You will want to leave your Pokemon there as soon as possible because making an egg takes a certain number of steps as does actually hatching the egg in question.

Save Your Money and Skip the Safari Zone Grind

The Safari Zone is one of the most frustrating places in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. There are rare, highly elusive Pokemon that you can only catch there, and there isn’t much you can do to actually increase your odds. In the Safari Zone, you can’t weaken Pokemon you are trying to catch in battle. You can throw rocks at them at the risk of making them flee, or you can leave bait to keep them in place, but that makes them extremely more difficult to catch.

The best strategy in the Safari Zone is simply chucking balls at whatever Pokemon you encounter and praying that they are caught. While there are some Pokemon that are 100% exclusive to the Safari Zone, there are some that you can simply buy from the Game Corner in Celdaon City, like Dratini, Pinsir, and Scyther, depending on which version of the game you have. The downside is that getting these Pokemon is an expensive proposition, so you will want to make sure you don’t spend too much money before you have the chance to buy them.

Luckily, there are various ways to up your money in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. There’s the infamous Nugget Glitch that is tedious but guarantees a ton of cash, and then there’s getting the Amulet Coin and rematching high-level trainers in the post-game to get money that way. Regardless, for your sanity, it’s best to buy some of the Safari Zone Pokemon instead of wasting time trying to catch them.

Timer Balls Can Help You Catch the Legendaries

You will also need a lot of money in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen if you want to catch the legendaries like Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, and Mewtwo. The Master Ball is handy, but you may want to save it for a shiny or if you decide to go after one of the legendary dogs that spawn in the endgame.

Otherwise, the best way to catch legendaries in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen is to buy a bunch of Ultra Balls, and a bunch of Timer Balls. You can buy Timer Balls from the merchant on Two Island. With the right tools in tow, you need to make your way to one of the legendaries you are trying to catch, SAVE THE GAME, and then begin your attempt to catch them. Whittle down their health to the red and then put them to sleep or paralyze them. After that, throw 30 Ultra Balls and hope one of them sticks. When the Ultra Balls fail, switch to Timer Balls and you will have much greater odds of catching a legendary.

You Can’t Actually Catch ’em All

While I “caught ’em all,” the sad reality is you can’t catch all 151 original Pokemon in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. The mythical Pokemon Mew is unobtainable in the games. The only way to get Mew to your Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen saves is by catching it in Pokemon Emerald via a special event and trading it over.

via The Pokemon Company

At the time of this writing, Nintendo has not announced any plans to release Pokemon Emerald on Nintendo Switch, but there are leaks that suggest that the GBA-era games will make their way over at some point. Until then, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen players can prepare by catching all the Pokemon that are obtainable in the games.

Systems

Released

September 7, 2004

ESRB

Everyone 10+ / Mild Fantasy Violence, Simulated Gambling

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

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