Pokémon Red and Blue/Saffron City

Now that you have five Badges, it’s time to go explore Saffron City, that big city in the middle of the region that you couldn’t get into. Go to the Celadon City Department Store and buy a drink item from the vending machines on the roof (any one will do). Then go into one of the guard posts at the edge of the city. Give the drink to the guard, and you are granted free access to the city. (You only have to do this once, and then all four of the gates will be available to you.)

Team Rocket is back, and they are occupying the city! Team Rocket grunts are blocking the entrance to the Gym and one of the houses in the northwest corner of the city. Oddly, this city has two Gyms, and only the one of the right is blockaded. Consider entering the one to the left.

Fighting Dojo

Here, you must defeat five enemy Trainers. All five of them use only Normal-type and Fighting-type attacks, which means that a single Ghost-type Pokémon can defeat every Pokémon in this Gym without sustaining a hit itself. Once the battles are complete, you will be offered a choice of two Poké Balls. One contains Hitmonchan, the other Hitmonlee.

Other things in town

The other house you can enter at this point in time is one on the southeast corner of town. Talk to the man inside and you will receive TM 29.

Silph Co. Building

This eleven-floor skyscraper is one of the most confusing areas in the game. Inside you will find squares with diamonds on them; these are warp pads. Step on a warp pad and you will be transferred to the other warp pad of that pair, somewhere else in the building. Warp pads are two-way.

Take note that on the ninth floor you will find a place to heal your Pokémon, although you need to get the Card Key before you can use it.

Getting the Card Key

The first floor is eerily quiet. In the northeast corner is an elevator and some stairs. The elevator can take you to any floor of the building on command. The President of Silph company is being harassed by Team Rocket, and is on the eleventh floor. However, if you go straight up to eleven, you’ll find one enemy Trainer and a dead end. Getting to the President’s office is going to be tricky.

Take the elevator to the fifth floor. There’s a Rocket grunt to the very east and a Scientist at the west, near a locked door. Ignore the two warp pads you see. You need only take one warp pad to get the Card Key. At the south end of the hallway, past two locked doors, is a path to the east. Unfortunately, the Rocket grunt here is standing in your way and will not move. Your only choice is to step on the warp pad here.

You will end up on the ninth floor. However, we don’t need to stay here. Step right back on the warp pad to be returned to the fifth floor. You can now proceed east. You will find the Card Key sitting on the floor here. With this item, you can open all the locked doors in the building. This long narrow corridor dead-ends in the body of a Rocket grunt. If he moved north to fight you when approached earlier, you can exit that way; otherwise, return to the ninth floor.

At this point, you have two choices. You can run Team Rocket out as quickly as possible; for that, skip to the Saving the President section below. Otherwise, you can clear out every floor of the building methodically. Note that we will not be using any warp pads while we do this.

Second floor

South of the stairs are a Rocket grunt. Go west and you’ll reach a big open room; there is another Rocket standing between the two tables. To the east of him is a Scientist; past him is a warp pad. To the west of the two big tables are two locked doors; the top one contains a warp pad and TM 36; the bottom one contains a warp pad and a Scientist.

Third floor

There are four warp pads in this symmetrical area, one in each of the four corners. The only interesting things on this floor are in the middle. You’ll fight a Rocket, then encounter a locked door on the left. (To the right is a dead end with a warp pad.) Past that door you’ll find a second door. Past that you will be in a room with a warp pad, a Scientist to fight, and a Hyper Potion on the ground.

Fourth floor

To the south of the stairs/elevator is a large room containing a Rocket. Follow the path to the left and you’ll find another Rocket in the middle of the room. The room to the right contains a locked door; behind it you will find a Scientist. Behind the locked door on the left you will find a room filled with boxes; you will find a Full Heal, a Max Revive, and an Escape Rope sitting on the floor. (The only thing of interest in the far side of the room is a person, but they’re not a Trainer.)

Fifth floor

You’ve already been on this floor, but now you can get through the locked doors you saw earlier. Inside the big central room is a locked door, but there is nothing of interest behind it. In the room on the top-left you will find a Protein; at the far some boxes in the bottom-left room is TM 09. You will find a Rocket at the very top-right corner of the level (although you may have already battled him), a Scientist in the middle room near the locked door, a Scientist near the first locked door, and a Rocket blocking your way to where the Card Key was; you’ve already battled him.

Sixth floor

There are a number of people on this floor, but only three of them want to battle you. You will find a Rocket guarding the entrance to the central room, which itself contains no Trainers. You’ll find another Rocket guarding the other entrance, and a Scientist on the left near a locker door. Behind this door you will find an HP Up and an X Accuracy.

Seventh floor

You’ll find your first Rocket in the hallway near the stairs. In the locked room behind him you will find TM 03; the room beyond that contains a Rocket and a warp pad. There is a Rocket standing near the counter in the room to the left; there is nothing of interest behind the locked door he is guarding. If you follow the hallway all the way to the end, you will find a Scientist who wants to fight and a Calcium in the corner.

You’ll probably notice the sealed-off room in the top-left corner of the floor. You’ll visit this room on the way to defeat Team Rocket’s leader.

Eighth floor

You’ll find a Rocket right by the elevator. Follow the path to the left and you’ll find another Rocket standing at a fork in the road. Right is a dead end, so go left, then cut upwards past a warp pad. At the end of this path you will find a Scientist and a warp pad. There is only a warp pad behind this locked door. (As a side note, the warp pads outside and inside this locked room transfer to each other. Not terribly useful.)

Ninth floor

As mentioned above, you will find in the bottom-left corner of the area a woman standing near five beds; if you talk to her, your Pokémon will be healed as if you went to a Pokémon Center. There is a Rocket at the bottom of the center hallway next to the locked door, a Scientist in the room to the bottom-right (which can be accessed both through the locked doors and by following the path around the side), and another Rocket guarding the path to a warp pad behind a locked door near the healing lady.

Tenth floor

You’re getting to the very top of the tower. On this floor, much smaller than the ones below, you will find a Scientist loitering near the stairs. South of him is a room containing a warp pad and a locked door; all you will find behind it is two more warp pads. Follow the hallway to the left instead, into the room with all the boxes. You’ll have to fight a Rocket to get in, but if you follow the path, you will find a Carbos, a Rare Candy, and TM 26.

Eleventh floor

You’ve finally reached the top of the tower! Unfortunately, while the CEO of Silph Company awaits rescue in the center room, you cannot get in there. You’ll have to use warp pads to rescue the CEO. There are no Trainers to battle here.

Saving the President

Be sure to heal up before you start out, because you’ll have to face not one but two bosses. You will use warp pads to accomplish this task.

Go to the ninth floor, where the healing lady is. There is a door just north of her with a Rocket in it; you will need to step on the warp pad past him. You will appear on the seventh floor — and your Rival is there, itching for a fight!

Boss — Rival (•2600 reward)

Level 37 Pidgeot
Level 38 Exeggcute
Level 35 Gyarados
Level 35 Alakazam
Level 40 Charizard, Blastoise, or Venusaur (depending on which starter you chose at the beginning of the game)

There is another person in the room here. Be sure to talk to this person because they will give you a Lapras if you have an open spot in your party! (Don’t worry if you can’t get the Pokémon now. You can return to receive it shortly.) Step on the warp pad beyond her.

You will end up on the eleventh floor, in a different area than what can be accessed via the elevator. One final Rocket defends the President’s office, behind a locked door.

Giovanni returns! After you gave him a good trouncing in Celadon City, Giovanni has launched a new plan, which you are currently in the process of ruining. Don’t show him any mercy.

Boss — Giovanni (•4059 reward)

Level 37 Nidorino
Level 35 Kangaskhan
Leve 37 Rhyhorn
Level 41 Nidoqueen

After you send Giovanni packing for a second time, he and all the Rocket grunts will disappear from the building forever. Talk to the man sitting on the couch; he is the President of Silph Company. He is eternally grateful you terminated the “discussions” he was having with Team Rocket. As thanks, he will give you the most valuable item in all of Pokémon: the Master Ball. No matter what Pokémon you throw at it, the Master Ball will catch it without issue. You only get one of these, ever!

Near the door you’ll find a computer on a desk; this works just like the computer in a Pokémon Center. Put the Master Ball in item storage; you’ll want to save it for Mewtwo at the very end of the game. If you couldn’t pick up Lapras because you had six Pokémon with you, you can deposit one here and double back.

The Saffron City Gym

Now that Team Rocket has been driven out of Saffron City, there is nothing stopping you from getting your fifth Gym Badge. Sabrina’s Gym is a maze of warp pads. There are seven enemy Trainers here, but you’ll have to get lost in the maze in order to defeat them all.

To get to Sabrina from the entrance, take the one warp pad at the entrance, then take the top-left warp pad in the room you find yourself in; take the top-right warp pad in this room; then take the bottom-left warp pad, and you will reach Sabrina.

Boss — Sabrina (•4257 reward)

Level 38 Kadabra
Level 37 Mr. Mime
Level 38 Venomoth
Level 43 Alakazam

After you defeat Sabrina, you will earn yourself the Marsh Badge. Now that you have this Badge, Pokémon you trade into the game up to level 70 will obey your commands. You will also receive TM 46.

The Mimic Girl

There is one last thing to do after you have driven Team Rocket out. In the northwest corner of town, a Rocket grunt was blocking a house. Now that you can enter the house, do so, and you will find an annoying person called the Mimic Girl. To speak rationally with her, you must give her a Poké Doll (you can buy one at the Celadon City Department Store). If you do this, she will give you TM 31. You can also find a Nugget hidden on the table near her computer.