Finding Bill

Finding Bill

Helping Bill out of a spot of trouble

-- Route 24 --

The northern route from Cerulean City,  Route 24 is packed with trainers and is the best way to reach Bill's House.

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- Area Pokemon -

(Key: Pokedex # - Name / Acquisition Method)

063 - Abra / Normal
069 - Bellsprout / Normal
010 - Caterpie / Normal
130 - Gyrados / Fishing (Super Rod)
116 - Horsea / Fishing (Good Rod)
014 - Kakuna / Normal
098 - Krabby / Fishing (Good/Super Rod)
129 - Magikarp / Fishing (Good Rod)
011 - Metapod / Normal
016 - Pidgey / Normal
079 - Slowpoke / Fishing (Good/Super Rod)
013 - Weedle / Normal

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The first trainer that you encounter on the bridge is Bug Catcher Cale, who has four Pokemon in his team.  He leads with a Level 10 Caterpie that is worth 112 XP, then a Level 10 Weedle worth 111 XP.  This is followed by a Level 10 Metapod worth 138 XP, and finally a Level 10 Kakuna worth 151 XP and $120.

The next trainer is Lass Ali, who has three Pokemon -- a Level 12 Pidgie worth 141 XP, a Level 12 Oddish worth 199 XP, and finally a Level 12 Bellsprout that is worth 216 XP and $192.

The third trainer is Youngster Timmy with a pair of Pokemon -- a Level 14 Sandshrew worth 280 XP, and a Level 14 Ekans worth 186 XP and $224.

Next is Lass Reli, who also has a pair of Pokemon in her team, a Level 16 Nidoran M worth 205 XP, and a Level 16 Nidoran F worth 198 XP and $205.

Camper Ethan is the final trainer actually on the bridge, and he sports a Level 18 Mankey as his sole Pokemon, which is worth 285 XP and $360.

When you step off of the bridge there is another bloke waiting for you -- but he is not a trainer!  In fact when you talk to him he tells you that your success in beating the phalanx of trainers on the bridge has actually won you a prize!  It seems you were participating in a contest and you did not know it.  Ah but it gets worse...  The prize is a Gold Nugget, which is nice, but the organization holding the contest is none other than Team Rocket!

It seems that they are using this contest as a way to test potential recruits -- of which we are not -- and they do not react well to our refusal to join!

The mild mannered prize agent morphs into a Team Rocket Grunt!  As the battle ensues he pulls out his Level 15 Ekans, which is worth 200 XP, followed by a Level 15 Zubat that is worth 172 XP and $480.

Something for you to consider as you run through the battles above if you decided not to complete the Gym Battle in the city first like I did -- our current Gym Badge allows us to control non-traded Pokemon up to Level 19 reliably, but the closer we get to Level 20 the less likely that they are to obey every command we issue!  In fact Level 18 is as close as I am comfortable getting with my team before the Gym Battle with Misty, and you may want to follow the same caution.

What that means is you are going to need to carefully manage your fighting so that none of your Pokemon get much higher than 18 before you take on Misty -- you can do it, but you need to be careful!  Of course if you battled Misty than this is not an issue for you!

Now that the Grunt is defeated head north on the road and you will see a treasure ball above you -- go to it and take it to obtain TM45, Attract, and then continue to the east!

-- Route 25 --

Bill's House and Lab

Located at the end of Route 24 - which connects Route 25 to Cerulean City -- Route 25 is notable for two features: it is the Route on which Bill's House is located, and it is also the Route that has the famous Cerulean Cape -- which is the historic Lover's Lane of Kanto.  More of the region's eligible girls have received their proposal of marriage here than at any other spot in the land!

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- Area Pokemon -

(Key: Pokedex # - Name / Acquisition Method)

063 - Abra / Normal
069 - Bellsprout / Normal
010 - Caterpie / Normal
014 - Kakuna / Normal
011 - Metapod / Normal
016 - Pidgey / Normal
013 - Weedle / Normal

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As you move along the road on Route 25 you will notice some tall grass above on the other side of the ledge, and ahead of you a sort of plant maze with trainers in it.  Excellent!  More bounty money and XP!  Fight your way through the trainers here, being sure to balance the XP out among your party members so as to advance then at a reasonably equal level.

When you reach the trainer above who is blocking access to the treasure ball inside the area with a tree blocking the regular entrance, be sure to draw him away from that fence as you engage him so that when the battle is completed you can grab the treasure ball inside, which contains TM43, Secret Power.

After that head to the nearby Sea Cottage and knock on the door.  If you check the mailbox you will confirm that this is indeed where Bill lives!  Yes, THE Bill.  The Bill everyone was talking about!

Inside you look for him, but Bill is nowhere to be seen... Or is he?!  Talking to the very strange looking Pokemon in the room reveals it to BE him!  One of his experiments has gone horribly wrong, and the famous Bill has been melded with a Pokemon!   He asks for your help -- and of course you help him!

Once Bill climbs into the Cell Separation chamber you activate the controls on the nearby PC, and Bill's body is passed through the digitizer and then carefully separated from the cells of the unfortunate Pokemon, and thankfully Bill steps out of the unit on the other side, once again fully human!

When he learns that you did not come to see his famous Pokemon Collection, Bill is understandably disappointed, but he still wants to give you a reward for helping him, and settles upon an S.S. Ticket he happened to have...  A ticket that will get you in to the Party of the Century on the cruise ship S.S. Anne in Vermillion City -- a party that is supposed to have some of the best trainers in the world attending!  How cool is that?  Very cool, I tell you!

We have accomplished what we set out to do, so now it is time to return to the City and visit the Pokecenter, where we will heal and save.  If you have not already done so, return to Routes 24 and 25 and capture the final odd Pokemon from those routes that are still outstanding on our list -- after which you should have at a *minimum* the following entries in your Pokedex and one of each of these Pokemon evolutionary lines in your Storage or Party:

• Your Starter (plus any evolved forms)
• No. 010 Caterpie
• No. 011 Metapod
• No. 012 Butterfree
• No. 013 Weedle
• No. 014 Kakuna
• No. 015 Beedrill
• No. 016 Pidgey
• No. 017 Pidgeotto
• No. 019 Rattata
• No. 021 Spearow
• No. 025 Pikachu
• No. 027 Sandshrew
• No. 029 Nidoran F
• No. 030 Nidorina
• No. 031 Nidoqueen
• No. 032 Nidoran M
• No. 035 Clefairy
• No. 039 Jiggleypuff
• No. 041 Zubat
• No. 046 Paras
• No. 056 Mankey
• No. 063 Abra
• No. 069 Bellsprout
• No. 074 Geodude

If you are missing any of these, you need to backtrack and grab it now, so that you have the maximum catch level for your dex.  That way you do not have to worry about doing make-ups later!