Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Player Beat the Game Without Ever Throwing a Poke Ball

Following Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen‘s recent re-release, a player has beaten the Elite Four without ever throwing a Poke Ball. Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have gone through a resurgence over the last few weeks, thanks to the Nintendo Switch port for the franchise’s 30th anniversary. This re-release was met with positive reception from fans, who were excited to once again experience the Kanto region.

In FireRed and LeafGreen, there are few items more crucial than the Poke Ball and all its upgraded versions, allowing players to catch new Pokemon they find. The iconic Poke Balls are crucial to progressing in any player’s journey, and a playthrough without using any is difficult to complete. Despite this, one dedicated player went against the odds and proved it was possible.

The Unwritten Rules of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Explained

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen have a lot of secrets to discover and easy-to-miss facts, but fans can rely on unspoken rules that apply to most runs.

Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Player Completes a No Poke Ball Run

In the same vein as a singular Caterpie defeating the Elite Four, a dedicated Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen player claims to have beaten the Elite Four without ever throwing a Poke Ball. On the Pokemon FireRed subreddit, a user posted an image of the Hall of Fame screen (obtained after beating the Elite Four) with the caption “Not a single Poke Ball was thrown.” The Pokemon team they used consisted of creatures that you don’t catch in the wild. Their Venusaur was given to them by Professor Oak, while Aerodactyl comes from a fossil. Hitmonlee was taken from the dojo, whereas Jolteon is earned (as an Eevee) in Celadon City. Players can get a free Lapras in Saffron City, and Mr. Mime was most likely obtained by getting an Abra at the Game Corner and trading for it.

Challenge runs such as these play a huge role in maintaining the longevity of Pokemon entries, with the community taking to social media to post various crazy ideas they have for a new playthrough. One of Pokemon‘s most popular challenge runs is a Nuzlocke, involving players permanently releasing any Pokemon that faint to create difficulty and a unique playthrough. The idea is to create an emotional connection between the player and their Pokemon to leave a higher-stakes story, with nicknames for each companion often being mandatory. These artificial restrictions leave many Pokemon games extremely difficult to Nuzlocke, and will certainly create plenty more hours of fun in almost all of the series’ titles.

Aside from these aforementioned runs, there are many Pokemon challenges that can provide extra difficulty. These can include limiting the player’s team to a singular color, certain animals, version-exclusive Pokemon, or many other ideas the community has thought up. Whether for social media entertainment, or simply to experience a different journey in Pokemon games, these unique challenges are there to move the metaphorical goal posts.

GameRant Quiz

Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)Permadeath (5s)

As long as the talented players in the Pokemon community continue to think up non-traditional ways of experiencing the games, the franchise will continue to thrive. Beating Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen without throwing a Poke Ball is certainly an achievement, with these types of challenges bringing a breath of fresh air into the series’ older entries. With the Generation 10 Pokemon games on the way, the franchise doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, and there are likely many more challenge runs to come from the talented community.