Celadon City is the seventh town that trainers visit during the Kanto journey. This city has 23 buildings, significantly more than previous towns. It also boasts a significantly larger population, most of which reside within the department store and the Game Corner. Of the 23 buildings, however, only 9 of them can be entered, and the rest are simply decoration. The town’s motto is “The City of Rainbow Dreams.”
The Pokecenter is back as usual, nothing new there. However, in lieu of a Pokemart, Celadon City has a unique building called the Celadon Department store. This building is on the left side of the city, and is the largest building in the city, so it’s hard to miss. Within this building, trainers can purchase a large number of items, ranging from the normal items in Pokemarts to in battle stat boosting items to TMs. Note that, despite the fact that this is the largest shop in the entire Kanto region, it does not have access to every item, such as Ultra Balls. On the top floor, trainers can find a vending machine for drinks. It is necessary for trainers to purchase one of these drinks. A drink must be given to one of the thirsty guards at the entrances to Saffron City in order to access the city. Also, a character on the top floor will exchange drinks for one of three TMs, one of which is the incredibly useful Ice Beam.
The building in the top middle of the city is the Celadon Condominiums. This building contains some interesting NPCs, including the “game designers” who created Pokemon. The main attraction here, however, is in the back entrance. If trainers go behind the Pokemon Center, they can find a back entrance to the condominiums. At the top floor of this area there is a Pokeball on a table. This contains an Eevee, and is the only Eevee available in Pokemon Red and Blue. A future article will discuss Eevee and its evolutions, but be sure to choose wisely between the three available in generation 1, as trainers can only get one. Another interesting character also resides in this room. He acts as a tutor of sorts for some of the more advanced concepts in the game, such as trades and battles with other real life trainers.
The next major attraction in this city is the Game Corner, which is in the center of town. This building is a casino of sorts. The building uses coins to operate the slot machines. In order to start gambling, the trainer must acquire a Coin Case from the first building that can be entered in the row of buildings directly beneath the Game Corner. That is the only major purpose that building serves. The Game Corner slot machines are a minigame where players attempt to gain more coins by spending the ones they own (just like in real world casinos). Coins can also be purchased at the counter in the top left corner of the room. There are also a lot of coins scattered around on the floor. The Game Corner also has a secret: it is a secret hideout of Team Rocket. At the top of the Game Corner, trainers will see a member of Team Rocket in front of a poster. Talking to him will start a battle. After beating him, trainers can examine the poster and reveal a switch. This switch opens a path to the right, which leads down into the hideout. Trainers will need to defeat Team Rocket here in order to progress in the game, as the Sylph Scope is found here. This item is obtained from Giovanni after defeating him at the end of the hideout. It allows the trainer to complete the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town.
The building beside the Game Corner is the exchange center for coins. Coins may be exchanged for Pokemon and TMs here. The three TMs, Dragon Rage, Hyper Beam, and Substitute, are only available here. The Pokemon differ between Pokemon Red and Blue, but the primary Pokemon to mention here is Porygon, which is only available from this exchange in the original games. Porygon is actually significantly cheaper in Pokemon Blue, while some of the other Pokemon are more expensive.
There are two buildings that can be entered in the southeast of town, beside the café where the Coin Case is. However, these buildings do not contain anything significant, just a few NPCs. The left building does have several NPCs that are affiliated with Team Rocket, and one gives a hint about the switch behind the poster mentioned above. One final note, aside from the Gym, is the patch of water in the center of town. Once the trainer is able to use Surf, he can cross this water and talk to the man in the center of town. He gives the trainer a TM for Softboiled, which heals the user. However, it is only teachable to Chansey and Mew, so its uses are limited.
The final major building, as usual, is the Pokemon Gym. This gym is located in the southwest corner of town, and requires a Pokemon that knows Cut to enter. This gym specializes in Grass type Pokemon, and is led by Erika. This is the gym where Charmander really starts to shine if he was selected at the beginning of the journey. The gym is very straightforward, with no real surprises present. It is also necessary to fight at least two of the trainers, as they are unavoidable on the way to the leader. Erika herself isn't particularly difficult if the trainer is prepared with a well-trained Fire or Flying type Pokemon. She has a Victreebel, a Tangela, and a Vileplume, who are all relatively high level. However, Fire and Flying types resist all of her dangerous attacks. The main thing to worry about in this gym is status effects, so bring along some Antidotes and Awakenings.
Celadon City is a thriving metropolis within a world of relatively normal towns. The department store gives trainers deals that are hard to pass up, and the Game Corner brings back repeat customers who have gambling problems (or who desperately want a Porygon). This city represents a very modern and consumerist society that is not present in most cities.
This article focuses primarily on the aspects of Celadon City in Pokemon Red and Blue. To learn more about Celadon City, visit the following website:
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