PO001: File 1 - Red

Plot

Red watches a Pokemon battle between a Nidorino and Gengar, when his mother calls him saying Oak wants to see him. He runs out of his room but trips and falls down the steps. While walking there, he meets Blue and the two race to Professor Oak's lab. Professor Oak gives them a Pokedex and a choice between three Pokemon; Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle. Red chooses Charmander because his father started with one and because he named him "Red" because he wanted him to be a warm, red-hot, caring person. Oak expects Blue to do the same and choose Squirtle, but Blue says that that is a girly reason, but picks Squirtle anyway because of its type advantage to Charmander. Blue then runs out and swears to be the world's best Pokemon trainer, which confuses Red.

Later, Red and Charmander battle a Pidgey but it escapes. Pidgey is recorded into the Pokedex, but seeing as it wasn't captured, no information appears on it. Red and Charmander then battle and capture their first Pokemon, Rattata. They soon get Spearow, Caterpie and Pidgey. He battles a Trainer who has a Nidoran♀, a Pokemon he has never seen before. He tries to catch it but it fails, as he can't steal other people's Pokemon. The Trainer points Red to where he can find one and Red heads there. He finds Blue and battles him, which ends in Red's defeat. Afterwards an unknown man comes and tells Red to enter in Gym Battles to gain experience and become stronger. Red takes his six Pokemon and heals them at Viridian City and heads for Pewter City, where he finds out the man was the Gym Leader Brock. Red battles Brock's Geodude with Charmander, who he quickly finds out it is at a type disadvantage and recalls. Red sends out his newly captured Nidoran♂, who uses Double Kick to KO Geodude. Brock sends out Onix which uses Bide to defend itself against Nidoran's Double Kick and KOs him. Onix takes out Red's Spearow and Rattata easily. Red's Metapod (presumed to have evolved from Caterpie) uses String Shot before Onix takes it down.

Down to his last Pokemon, Red sends out Charmander. Both it and Onix are one shot away from fainting. Red orders Charmander to use Scratch and Brock orders Onix to Tackle. Charmander manages to move faster than Onix and take it down due to Metapod's earlier String Shot reducing Onix's Speed by just 1. Brock gives Red his first Gym Badge and the TM for Bide. Red then sets out to Mt. Moon to complete the Pokedex and continue his adventure.

Differences with Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen

• Blue isn't already at Oak's waiting for the Professor to come.
• Oak coming to get Red before he enters (when he enters in Yellow) Route 1 is cut.
• Oak doesn't battle and catch Pikachu.
• There's no battle in Oak's lab after Red and Blue get their Pokemon, although it does happen in Route 1. However, no further battles between the two take place until the Pokemon League.
• Blue lets Red select his Pokemon first, instead if Oak telling him to wait his turn as in the games.
• Red doesn't receive the parcel from the Pokemart to give to Professor Oak. Oak's also never shown giving them Poke Balls, though it can be assumed he did.
• Blue tells Red about Gym Badges in the game instead of Brock.
• In the games, Brock gives Red the TM Rock Smash instead of Bide.

Trivia

• The beginning of the episode features sound effects from the original Game Boy games, drawing from the opening animation from Pokémon Red and Green (with a Gengar battling a Nidorino).
• Oak seen with an Eevee in the beginning is referencing Pokemon Yellow where he offers you an Eevee instead of the original starters, although Green/Blue takes it before you can.
• Red and the young trainer capturing Nidorans before Route 3 is a reference to Yellow where you can capture them before Route 3, unlike in the other games.
• Oddly, when this episode was dubbed in English, the Japanese text in the Pokédex, in addition to Japanese text in other scenes went untranslated.

Gallery

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