Mopping-Up Exercise

Mopping-Up Exercise

Clearing the Path

There are a handful of tasks that we did not take care of earlier, so before we continue from here, head south and backtrack to Azalea Town real quick, and talk to the bloke in the Charcoal Kiln to get the Charcoal hold item, which you want to give to a Fire-Type to boost its move.

Visit Kurt to pick up Balls if he has any for you, and then return to Goldenrod and use the Gate House to the north, where you can talk to the guard there to learn that he has a letter that he needs delivered to Route 31. 

We need to visit that Route anyway as we have been getting calls from one of our friends there, so why not take it?  Be helping a bloke out won't we?  To do that we will need to make a slot in our party available, so if you want, head back to the Center and remove one of your Pokemon now.  He adds a Spearow with the letter to your party and you are ready to exit the gate house to the north!

-- Route 35 --

Route 35 Beasties List

-- Abra #089 (Any) Normal
-- Ditto #092 (Any) Normal
-- Drowzee #087 (Any) Normal
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Golduck #141 (Any) Surfing
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Night) Normal
-- Magikarp #076 (Any) Fishing
-- Nidoran-F  #095 (Any) Normal
-- Nidoran-M #098 (Any) Normal
-- Pidgey #010 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Poliwag #072 (Any) Fishing
-- Psyduck #140 (Any) Surfing
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Yanma #101 (Any) Normal
-- Yanma #101 (Any) Swarm

Route 35 is pretty typical of the Routes, just fight your way along it and take out the Trainers that you encounter.  There is a photographer on the path you can have take your picture -- why not?  At the top of the path you will reach a split where you can go north to the National Park, and east to continue along the Route.  For now hold off on visiting the National Park, continuing along the path to the east and you will see a tree that can be cut just past a Trainer.

Before you cut that tree, follow the tall grass south -- remember we have the opportunity here to pick up some Pokemon we do not have yet, so we may as well take advantage of that!  In an alcove to the west along the path is a treasure ball with a Paralyze Heal in it -- grab that and continue south, all the way to the bottom, where you can get a treasure ball with TM66, Payback in it.

Once you have captured what you want to and looted the treasure balls head back to the entrance to the National Park.

-- National Park --

National Park Beasties List

-- Caterpie #024 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Night) Normal
-- Metapod #025 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pidgey #010 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Sunkern #103 (Day) Normal

There are a few things that you will want to do here before moving on the Route 36, starting with the Bug Catcher Contests depending upon the day of the week you arrive.  If you arrive on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday you can sign up for the contests -- just talk to the guard by the right hand door inside to sign up.  The contest is simple enough -- just catch a Bug-Type and have it judged.

You are allowed to take one of your Pokemon in with you, you have 20 minutes and you receive 20 special balls.  You are allowed to keep the last Bug-Type that you collect, so you do not have to keep going after your first catch if you do not want to -- you can return to the entrance and tell the guard you want to stop rather then run out the entire 20 minutes.  If you do that, you just have to wait for the judging!  The thing about stopping early though is you are not likely to win...

The bigger and more leveled the Pokemon is the more points it is worth, so you are not going to win by catching a Caterpie.  You can only compete once per contest day, so make it count! 

Prior to getting the National Dex you can catch a Caterpie, Weedle, Metapod, Kakuna, Paras, Venonat, Butterfree, Beedrill, Scyther, or Pnisir.

Post National Dex you can catch:

-- Tuesdays: Caterpie, Weedle, Metapod, Kakuna, Paras, Venonat, Butterfree, Beedrill, Scyther, or Pinsir.

-- Thursday: Wurmple, Nincada, Silcoon, Volbeat, Kricketot, Kricketune, Dustox, Combee, Scyther, and Pinsir.

-- Saturday: Wurmple, Nincada, Cascoon, Illumise, Kricketot, Kricketune, Beautifly, Combee, Scyther, and Pinsir.

The prizes range from good to really good, so it is worth competing even if you do not take the top prize!

After the contest go into the Park and grab TM28, Dig, and the held item Soothe Bell before heading back to the entrance!

-- The Pokeathlon Dome --

To the left is the Pokeathlon Dome.  The guard at the center of the counter will point the way.  The first man on the left is a photographer who will take a picture of your team if you like, while the other two blokes are just talkers.  Exit through the left side door and you will be approached by an old gentleman named Magnus with a Poliwrath, who will judge your relationship with the Pokemon in the number one slot of your party -- if it is good enough he will tell you that you are ready to compete.

You are escorted to the Dome and Magnus fills you in, after which you can look around outside before you go in to the Dome to talk with other Trainers, use the Aprijuice stand to obtain the Key Item Apriblender, which adds the ability to blend your own Aprijuice using the Apricorn Box.

There are ten events inside, each of which can be entered by selecting it at the desk.  The ten events are:

-- Block Smash
-- Circle Push
-- Disc Catch
-- Goal Roll
-- Hurdle Dash
-- Lamp Jump
-- Pennant Capture
-- Relay Run
-- Ring Drop
-- Snow Throw

As you approach the registration desk, Whitney shows up, enthusiastic about the games.  When she sees the way that you are dressed she is a bit disappointed, and runs off to get you a proper shirt.  Now you are ready to explore the Dome, check out the observation areas, talk to people, and participate in events!   The points you win can be used to purchase special items in the Dome, including Rare Candy, the harder to get Apricorn, and MooMoo Milk.

-- Route 36 --

Route 36 Beasties List

-- Exeggcute #105 (Any) Headbutt
-- Growlithe #129 (Any) Normal
-- Hoothoot #015 (Any) Headbutt
-- Hoothoot #015 (Night) Normal
-- Nidoran-F  #095 (Any) Normal
-- Nidoran-M  #098 (Any) Normal
-- Pidgey #010 (Morn/Day) Normal
-- Pineco #093 (Any) Headbutt
-- Spinarak #032 (Any) Headbutt
-- Stantler #131 (Any) Normal

Head back on the path and cut the tree to access Route 36, then take the first right turn in the path and you will come to the tree that was blocking our path earlier, and that constitutes the last item in our Mopping up Exercise!  Using the SquirtBottle that we obtained from the Flower Shop we can get the "tree's" attention...  Yeah, not a tree at all!

After the fight head for the Center in Violet City to heal and save, then deliver that letter on Route 31!  The recipient is the bloke standing next to the apricot tree, and after you give him the mail he gives you TM44, Rest.