Ecruteak City is the sixth city that trainers will enter during the Johto journey. The city has 14 buildings (not including the buildings between the city and its neighboring routes) and a population in the mid-40s. A handful of the buildings in this town do not serve any purpose, but most of them have some level of importance. The city’s motto is “A Historical City where the Past meets the Present.”
The Pokecenter and Pokemart return again. This time, the Pokecenter will have the Time Capsule function unlocked. The trainer can speak to Bill in this Pokecenter and, after waiting for 24 hours of in game time, the Time Capsule will be usable. This device allows the trainer to trade Pokemon to and from the first generation Pokemon games, Red, Blue, and Yellow. The only conditions that must be met before trading are that the trainer must only have generation 1 Pokemon in their party, they must not be holding any items, and they must only know moves that were available in generation 1. The trainer can also not be holding any Eggs. Interestingly, even though held items were introduced in generation 2, some Pokemon brought over from generation 1 can be holding items. For instance, the legendary Pokemon will be holding Bright Powder, and any Kadabra caught in the wild in Pokemon Yellow will come with a Twisted Spoon attached to him (coincidently this is the only way to get these, and some other, items in the generation 2 games). The Pokemart does not have any items that were not available in Goldenrod City.
Right above the Pokecenter is the Kimono Dance Center. In here are five Kimono Girls, who also happen to be Pokemon trainers. Each of them uses a different evolution of Eevee, showcasing all the forms Eevee can take in this generation. After defeating all of them, they will reward the trainer with HM03, which contains Surf. Surf allows the trainer to use a Pokemon to cross bodies of water, but only after defeating the Ecruteak Gym. Surf is also a very good Water-type move during battle.
Directly north of the dance center is the Barrier Station that leads to Tin Tower. This area serves as a roadblock so the trainer cannot reach Tin Tower until after defeating the Ecruteak Gym.
On the west side of town is a small house. Inside, an old man describes an instance where a giant Pokemon, described as a dragon/bird hybrid, blocked out the sun when he was younger. The younger boy in the room wonders if such a Pokemon could exist, and if it does he says it must be extremely powerful.
To the southeast of this house is another house with a lone NPC inside. This NPC will give the trainer the Item Finder. This item, when used, will make a beeping sound when hidden items are on the screen.
In the northwest corner of the town are the burned remains of the Brass Tower. Inside are a variety of wild Pokemon and some random items. The tower has several holes that trainers can fall into to reach the basement floor. Different holes lead to different areas, and some of the items can only be reached by falling in certain holes. At the end of the path on the main floor is a hole that leads to the main area in the basement. Upon entering this area, the three Pokemon that are seen there will scatter. These Pokemon are the three legendary dogs. They are Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. After escaping from here, they roam the Johto region, and the trainer can randomly encounter them on any route. The route they are on changes each time the trainer changes locations, and the trainer cannot track them until they have been encountered in battle at least once. This is made worse by the fact that they run away on their first turn if they are encountered in the wild. It is highly recommended that trainers save the Master Ball for use on one of these three legendary Pokemon.
On the opposite side of town from the Burned Tower is the Tin Tower, which is the home of Ho-oh. The tower itself isn’t particularly special, just a maze of paths with many items lying around. The tower is 10 floors tall, including the summit. At the top of the tower is Ho-oh. In Pokemon Gold, he will be level 40, and in Pokemon Silver he will be level 70. He can be very difficult to capture, as he has access to Recover, which will heal a lot of the damage the trainer deals. It is highly recommended that the trainer carry a large number of Ultra Balls in order to capture him. Of course, the trainer should also save their game before initiating the battle with Ho-oh.
The final building in Ecruteak City is the gym. This gym is led by Morty, and he specializes in Ghost-type Pokemon. All the Pokemon that the trainers here have are Gastly, Haunter, or Gengar. This gym also has an invisible floor. If the trainer steps on the wrong spot, they will be returned to the entrance. The trick is that the trainers in the gym are looking at the path. All the tiles in front of each trainer are usable, and the tiles that are vertically beneath the tile in front of the next trainer are usable. So essentially the trainer needs to walk in front of a trainer, and then walk in the direction they are looking until they are on the tile before the one the next trainer is on. Then move up in front of that trainer. Then just rinse and repeat. As for Morty, he can be relatively difficult. His Pokemon are comprised of a Gastly, 2 Haunter, and a Gengar. Each one of them is capable of doing respectable damage, and as such should not be underestimated. Ground, Psychic and Dark-type attacks will work best against Morty.
Ecruteak City has 3 exits, one to the south, east, and west. The south exit leads back to Violet City and Goldenrod City. The east exit leads to Mahogany Town, but should be saved until later. The west exit leads to Olivine City, and is the path to take after defeating Morty.
Ecruteak City is a town that sticks to its ancient roots. One of the two legendary towers still stands tall, with its guardian standing watch at its summit. Despite the fact that the other tower has fallen, the citizens of Ecruteak have decided to preserve it in its destroyed state as a reminder of the past.
This article focuses primarily on the aspects of Ecruteak City in Pokemon Gold and Silver. To learn more about Ecruteak City, visit the following website:
Comments