Cinnabar Gym Battle

Cinnabar Gym Battle

Gym Leader Blaine 

This Gym has something of a gimmick to it -- there are a LOT of AGL's here, and each one has a machine beside them that asks a basic question that any Trainer should be able to answer -- get it right and the door ahead opens and you can walk right in -- get it wrong and you have to fight the AGL to proceed.

The thing is, we actually WANT to fight the AGL's here!  We want the XP they can give us!  So we are going to intentionally get these questions incorrect -- but for the sake of this guide I will also provide the correct answers, just in case you are in a hurry or have already covered the XP for this leg and have your team at or close to Level 50...  I took mine to Level 38 in preparation for this and that only required around 35 minutes using the VS. Seeker.

Now is also a good time to check over your kit, and top it off if anything is low.  We actually have to adjust the kit levels here, as it would be appropriate to set the Indigo Road levels now.  My kit is established (the main items anyway) at the following minimums:

-- Indigo Road Kit Levels --

-- 25 Fresh Water
-- 25 Soda Pop
-- 25 Lemnoade
-- 05 Hyper Potion
-- 15 Full Heal
-- 05 Revive
-- 05 Max Revive
-- 20 Antidote
-- 15 Burn Heal
-- 15 Ice Heal
-- 20 Paralyze Heal
-- 05 Escape Rope
-- 02 Poke Doll
-- 05 Max Repel
-- 05 Super Repel
-- 50 Ultra Ball

There are other elements in the kit -- but most of the rest are items whose numbers we have no influence over.  For example, I have the 1 Master Ball, which I am saving for a very worthy Pokemon, and 3 Ether, 2 Max Ether, and 3 Elixir -- which represents every one I was able to find in the game up until this point.  While I cannot control the numbers I have, I can hold on to the really important items, like the Ether and Elixers, so that they are available when I set out to fight the Elite Four.

The reason you want to be so well prepared -- I mean obviously the large numbers set as minimum levels for my kit are not realistic under usual circumstances since you are always close to a Poke Mart or the Department Store, being as they are only as far away as a Fly -- but when you set out to tackle the Elite Four it is an all-in-one-go battle session, which means you do not have the luxury of simply popping off to the Mart to replace kit between battles!  That is why my numbers are so high, as like the Boy Scouts, I choose to Be Prepared!

You will benefit by doing the same.

Right, so we have covered all of the preparation issues that really need to be covered -- later on in the walkthrough we will be covering Move Assessment and Augmentation, but that is not something we need to worry about right now...  So go do your final heal and save if you are satisfied with your base party levels and head for the Gym!
 
The Gym Greeter is waiting inside, and warns us that Blaine prefers Fire Type Pokemon, suggesting that a few Water Types on our Team would go a long way in the battles ahead.  He also suggests that we lay in a supply of Burn Heals, but we have that covered already!  A quick check of the sign below either statue reveals that Gary has proceeded us to this Gym.  Go figure...

There are a lot more here than we usually expect, and while this seems odd, it is bonus time for XP!  The Pokemon Levels we will face here run from the mid-30's to a spanning of the 40's so in a sense we are a little over-level for this Gym, but that is OK.  It sets us up nicely to be able to proceed almost directly to the next and last Gym!

As mentioned previously, there is a Pokemon Quiz Machine near each door -- not each trainer, since there are trainers you will fight that do not have a door assigned to them -- and if you get the question correct you proceed, otherwise you fight the AGL. 

As we want to fight the AGL's we intentionally get the questions wrong, but the CORRECT answers are included with each -- just do not use them unless you do not want to battle, right?  Remember, the general rule of thumb here is to change Pokemon whenever your current one gains a new level...

The Cinnabar Island Gym Leader

- The AGL's -

Q1. Caterpie evolved into Matapod? (YES)

Burglar Quinn has a Level 36 Growlithe worth 702 XP, a Level 36 Vulpix worth 486 XP, and a Level 36 Ninetails worth 1372 XP and $3168.

Super Nerd Erik has a pair of Level 36 Vulpix worth 486 XP each, and a Level 36 Ninetails worth 1372 XP and $864.

Q2. There are nine certified Pokemon League Badges? (NO)

Super Nerd Avery has a Level 34 Ponyta worth 1107 XP, a Level 34 Charmander worth 2 XP, a Level 34 Vulpix worth 459 XP, and a Level 34 Growlithe worth 663 XP and $816.

Q3. Poliwag evolves three times? (NO)

Burglar Ramon has a Level 41 Ponyta worth 1335 XP and $3608.

Q4. Are Electric moves effective against Ground-type Pokemon? (NO)

Super Nerd Derek has a Level 41 Rapidash worth 1686 XP and $984.

Q5. Pokemon of the same kind and level are not identical? (YES)

Burglar Dusty has a Level 37 Vulpix worth 499 XP, and a Level 37 Growlithe worth 721 XP and $3256.

Q6. TM28 contains TOMBSTONY? (NO)

Super Nerd Zac has a Level 37 Growlithe worth 721 XP, and a Level 37 Vulpix worth 499 XP and $888.

This is the final AGL, as once you defeat him (or correctly answer the question) the door will open on Blaine's Room.  Now BEFORE you take him on, there are a couple of things we should address...

You may as well head to the Pokecenter, heal and save, and return with your team full rested and restored prior to fighting Blaine...  In fact do that now.

Second -- after we defeat Blaine and exit the Gym, Bill will be waiting outside for us and will stop us to talk.  He wants us to go with him to a special destination.  IF you choose to go (and you should) bear in mind that this is an adventure in itself, and a rather lengthy one at that.  You will not be returning to Cinnabar (or the rest of the region) right away, so it is doubly important therefore that you fully restock your kit PRIOR to completing this Gym Battle!

Once you have fully restocked your kit and are ready to go, heal and save, then return to the Gym and proceed directly to Blain's Room and beat him.

-- Battling Blaine --

As was pointed out by the Gym Greeter, Blaine is partial to Fire Type Pokemon.  What the Gym Greeter did not tell you, however, is that all of the Fire Type Pokemon in his team know a deadly move called Fire Blast that has the chance, if it connects, to one-hit KO most of your team.  In fact if your team was lower in level getting one-hit would be almost a certainty.

One of the uses of your HM Mule is a tactic called buffering -- how it works is, when your team gets hurt bad or nearly wiped, instead of calling up one of your remaining core team members, you call up your mule, and then instead of attacking with him, you use a Max Revive on one of your KO'd core team members.  Basically you are sacrificing your mule to revive a fully-recovered fully-healed member of your core team, which most trainers consider to be a reasonable tactic.  You may not need to do this, but be aware of it in case you do...

Blaine opens the battle with his Level 42 Growlithe worth 819 XP, a Level 40 Ponyta worth 1302 XP, a Level 42 Rapidash worth 1728 XP, and a Level 47 Arcanine worth 2145 XP and $4700.

Blaine gives you the Valcano Badge that you earned, a badge that increases the Special Stats for your Pokemon.   He gifts you with TM38, Fire Blast, and that is that!  You have earned your 7th Badge, and have but one more to go!