A while ago, I've decided to finally start playing Pokemon Yellow. I've never owned any Gen 1 game on cartridge. However, I did manage to play them on emulators. I've played Pokemon Red in 2013, and now it's time for Pokemon Yellow!

Before playing, I did quite a bit of research, and found out about the Ditto glitch. I intend to use that glitch, as well as the Mew glitch, to capture all Pokemon not legally obtainable in Pokemon Yellow. To ensure success, I'll postpone fighting certain trainers until I get the Fly HM and a Pokemon that can use it.

I'll also implement Special caps.

• If any of my Pokemon gets their Special stat at a certain number, I can't use them again until I've got the Pokemon linked to that index number. For example: Gengar's index number is 14, so if any of my Pokemon gets a Special stat of 14, I must stop using them until I get a Gengar.
• If any of my Pokemon gets a higher Special stat without ever getting it at 14, I can keep using them until they reach the next Special cap.
• Major team members, like Pikachu, are exempt from this rule.

Furthermore, as always, I'll try to hit every opposing trainer's Pokemon super effectively if I can. If I can't, I'll either use Pikachu, or a Normal type Pokemon. Also, no items during battle, except at the Elite Four. And last but not least, I'll try to prevent any Pokemon in my team from overlevelling my Pikachu.

With those rules, I started my journey. I named my character Ash, after the main protagonist from the anime, and I named my rival Gary.

Of course, I started off in Pallet Town, with a Pikachu. Gary got an Eevee. He challenged me to a battle, and I won.

After defeating Gary, I went to Viridian City to pick up Oak's Parcel, which I had to deliver to Professor Oak. As I delivered his parcel, I got a Pokedex.

I found out that if I could defeat Gary on Route 22 without catching any Pokemon beforehand, Professor Oak would give me some Poke Balls for free. Therefore, I trained my Pikachu up to level 8, and then I challenged Gary. His Spearow was easy to defeat, but his Eevee gave me some trouble. Even so, my Pikachu pulled through.

With Gary defeated once more, I headed back to Oak's lab, and he gave me 5 Poke Balls. Additionally, there was a Poke Ball at Viridian Forest. With those Poke Balls, I could catch a Pidgey and a Rattata at Route 1. At Route 22, I could catch a Spearow, a Mankey, and both Nidorans. And finally, a Caterpie at Viridian Forest. I still had to buy some extra Poke Balls to catch them all.

With all those Pokemon caught, I trained them until level 8. My Caterpie evolved, but my Nidoran F got its Special to 14, so I had to box that one. After my training, I went through Viridian Forest, and only fought 1 Bug Catcher, who used a Paras. I let my Spearow take it on.

After getting through Viridian Forest, I reached Pewter City, which has the first Gym. Before taking it on, I trained my Pokemon to level 9. My Nidoran M got its Special to 14 too, so I let it accompany my Nidoran F in the box. My Mankey learned Low Kick. Of course, I trained my Pikachu further, allowing it to learn Thunder Wave and Quick Attack.

With that, I decided to challenge the Pewter Gym. Before I could face its Gym Leader, Brock, I had to take on a Jr. Trainer. He had a Diglett and a Sandshrew. I let my Pikachu take on the Diglett with Quick Attack. As for the Sandshrew, I let my Normal types deal with that one. It was more of a struggle than the Diglett, but ultimately, I won.

Before I take on Brock, here are the current statistics of my run:

Major team members:
Pikachu
Spearow
Mankey

Minor team members:
Metapod
Pidgey
Rattata
Nidoran F*
Nidoran M*

* - Special at 14

Great minds think alike! I restarted Red this week; with the upcoming closure of the eShop I figured why not go back to basics and complete a save file in Gen 1 :) Also, I saw that there was a glitch to get a Mew and make it transferable to the latest generation so I'll attempt that, too.

How did you come up with the special cap of 14? It seems quite low to me!

Well, there's also a glitch involving Ditto. To perform this glitch, you have to do the first part of the Mew glitch (flying away from a long-range trainer before they approach you), then encounter a wild Ditto, and then let it transform into one of your own Pokemon. Then, at the route from which you flew away, you can encounter a Pokemon, depending on the Special stat of the Pokemon that the wild Ditto transformed into.

If you let a wild Ditto transform into a Pokemon with a Special stat of 14, you'll encounter a Gengar, as its index number is 14. All Pokemon tied to lower index numbers can be obtained legitimately in Pokemon Yellow.

I challenged Brock with my Mankey. He had a Geodude and an Onix. Both of his Pokemon went down with 2 Low Kicks, even though his Onix was faster than my Mankey.

As a reward, Brock gave me the Boulder Badge, as well as a TM containing Bide. I sold the TM, as I don't like Bide. After that, I trained my Pokemon up to level 10. My Metapod evolved into Butterfree and learned Confusion. I'm promoting it to major team member.

Next up, I went to Route 3. Here, I had to fight a Bug Catcher and a Youngster. After that, I had to fight either a Bug Catcher or a Lass to progress any further. I fought the Bug Catcher, as he was a short-range trainer. After that, there was one more Bug Catcher I couldn't avoid.

With those trainers defeated, I could reach the grass patches in Route 3. Here, I encountered a wild Sandshrew, which I caught. Then I trained my Pokemon up to level 11, before heading into Mt. Moon. My Pidgey got its Special stat at 14, so I boxed it.

Before Mt. Moon, there's a Poke Center with a Magikarp salesman. I could've bought a Magikarp, but I didn't, because in Fuchsia City, you can fish wild Magikarp with the Super Rod. I'm going to do that instead.

Anyways, I entered Mt. Moon. Here, I encountered wild Geodude, Zubat, Paras, and Clefairy. When I caught the last 2, their Special stats were already above 14. Therefore, I'm going to train them until the second Special cap, which is 21, which is Mew's index number.

After catching those Pokemon, I trained them until level 11, but my Zubat got its Special stat to 14.

With that, time to go through Mt. Moon. Most trainers here were optional. The only mandatory trainers here were Jessie and James from Team Rocket, as well as a Super Nerd guarding 2 fossils. There was one Bug Catcher who, despite being optional, I fought anyways, because he was a short-range trainer. I also picked up a few Moon Stones.

On to the Super Nerd. He started off with a Grimer, and I sent out my Butterfree. I let my Butterfree use Confusion, but then the Grimer used Disable. Fortunately, Confusion didn't get disabled, but instead String Shot did. Relieved, I let my Butterfree finish it off. Then, the Super Nerd sent out a Voltorb. None of my Pokemon had any Ground type moves, so I sent out my Geodude. The Voltorb went down with little trouble. Finally, the Super Nerd sent out a Koffing. A few Confusions from my Butterfree were enough to take it down.

I picked up the Helix Fossil, because I like Omanyte more than Kabuto. After that, I had to fight Jessie and James. They started off with an Ekans, which my Butterfree dealt with. Then they sent out Meowth, which my Mankey took care of. Finally, they sent out a Koffing, which got taken out by my Butterfree.

As Jessie and James blasted off, I exited Mt. Moon. Here, I found a Great Ball, as well as a TM containing Whirlwind. Also, I reached a point of no return, leading to Cerulean City. To continue my journey, I have to go north, to Route 24. Also, I have to fight Misty, the Gym Leader of Cerulean City. I'm going to Route 24 first.

Major team members:
Pikachu
Butterfree
Spearow
Mankey

Minor team members:
Pidgey*
Rattata
Sandshrew
Nidoran F*
Nidoran M*
Clefairy
Zubat*
Paras
Geodude

* - Special at 14

Before going to Route 24, I inspected the houses in Cerulean City. In one house, there was a girl who had a Bulbasaur. To obtain the Bulbasaur, I needed a happy Pikachu. To make Pikachu so happy, I had to give it a Potion 5 times while it was at full HP.

After obtaining the Bulbasaur, I trained my Pokemon up to level 12. My Sandshrew got its Special to 14, and my Clefairy got its Special to 21, so I boxed them. I trained the rest of my Pokemon to level 13, allowing my Bulbasaur to learn Vine Whip.

Feeling ready, I went to Route 24, only to encounter Gary again. He challenged me to a rematch. He started off with a Spearow again, which was no match for my Pikachu. Afterwards, he sent out a Sandshrew. I let my Bulbasaur use Leech Seed against it, and then a few Vine Whips. Then, Gary sent out a Rattata. I sent out my Mankey. Fortunately, my Mankey was strong enough to handle the Rattata. Finally, Gary sent out his Eevee, which my Mankey also took care of.

After defeating Gary, I was free to go to Route 24. This route had a bridge known as the Nugget Bridge. I had to fight all trainers on this bridge. The last trainer was a Team Rocket member, recruiting young people for Team Rocket. He offered me to join too, but I couldn't. Not that I wanted to, but still. When I defeated him, he gave me a Nugget.

I sold the Nugget and bought a few Poke Balls. Then I went back to Route 24. There was a guy who had a Charmander, but because he couldn't take care of it, he gave it to me. Aside from that, Route 24 had some new Pokemon for me to catch: Oddish, Venonat, and Bellsprout.

After obtaining those Pokemon, I went to Route 25. Here, I had to choose between 2 paths: one with just a Hiker, and one with a Hiker and a Youngster. I took the first path. Then, I saw a Youngster with a Slowpoke. I'm obviously not fighting him yet. I did, lowever, had to fight a few Lasses and another Hiker. Then, I reached Bill's house. When I entered his house, Bill told me that he accidentally turned himself into a Pokemon, and my Pikachu was curious. Either way, I had to help Bill turn back into a human. As a reward, he gave me an S.S. Ticket.

Done at Routes 24 and 25 for now, I went back to Cerulean City. Now, I can either challenge the Cerulean Gym, or head to Route 5. If I go to Route 5, I have to fight a Team Rocket member with a Machop and a Drowzee. I'm going to train my Pokemon first. Also, I'm considering omitting Zubat from the Special cap rule, since it has Leech Life. Either that, or I could use my Pikachu or a Normal type Pokemon against the Drowzee.

For now, here are my current statistics:

Major team members:
Pikachu
Bulbasaur
Charmander
Butterfree
Spearow
Mankey

Minor team members:
Pidgey*
Rattata
Sandshrew*
Nidoran F*
Nidoran M*
Clefairy**
Zubat*
Oddish
Paras
Venonat
Bellsprout
Geodude

* - Special at 14
** - Special at 21

I've decided to make an exception for Zubat regarding the Special cap rule. I've trained it along with the rest of my Pokemon. But as my Rattata and Geodude reached level 14, their Special stat reached 14 as well. I boxed them and trained the rest of my Pokemon up to level 15.

Time to fight the Rocket grunt. He started off with a Machop. I let my Spearow fight it. Although the Machop was strong, my Spearow managed to knock it out. Then the Rocket grunt sent out a Drowzee. I sent out my Zubat. The Drowzee had Confusion, Hypnosis, and Disable. My Zubat had Leech Life and Supersonic. I had to rely on luck for this battle. Many attempts later, I came out on top. The Rocket grunt gave me a TM containing Dig.

Then, I decided to take on the Cerulean Gym. I let my Pikachu take care of the trainers before challenging Misty, the Gym Leader. She started off with a Staryu, which did quite some damage to my Pikachu with Water Gun. Still, a few Thundershocks were enough to defeat it. Misty's second Pokemon was a Starmie. I decided to be cautious and let my Pikachu use Thunder Wave. Misty, on the other hand, foolishly used an X Defend. After the Starmie got paralyzed, it didn't get a chance to harm my Pikachu, as it missed an attack twice and got fully paralyzed once. With that, I defeated Misty. She gave me the Cascade Badge and a TM containing Bubblebeam.

I bought some extra Poke Balls, and then I went to Route 5. Here, I caught an Abra and a Jigglypuff. The Abra had a Special stat of 21, so I'm boxing it for the time being. As for the Jigglypuff, I trained it until level 12, and then its Special stat got to 14.

South of Route 5 was Saffron City. Unfortunately, the guards wouldn't let me through, so I had to go through the Underground Path, taking me to Route 6. This route had a few trainers blocking the way to Vermilion City, so I had to fight them.

Having reached Vermilion City, I encountered Officer Jenny, who had a Squirtle. However, she wouldn't give me the Squirtle yet. I need the Thunder Badge for that. Therefore, I headed east, to Route 11. Here, I caught a Drowzee. Route 11 also had the Diglett's Cave. Of course, I caught a Diglett here. The Diglett I caught knew Dig, a useful move for obvious reasons. I'm making it a major team member.

Next up, I'll enter the S.S. Anne. But first, my current statistics:

Major team members:
Pikachu
Bulbasaur
Charmander
Butterfree
Spearow
Diglett
Mankey

Minor team members:
Pidgey*
Rattata*
Sandshrew*
Nidoran F*
Nidoran M*
Clefairy**
Jigglypuff*
Zubat
Oddish
Paras
Venonat
Abra**
Bellsprout
Geodude*
Drowzee

* - Special at 14
** - Special at 21

Before boardig the S.S. Anne, I trained my Pokemon up to level 17. My Bulbasaur and Charmander evolved, my Drowzee learned Confusion, and my Zubat's Special stat reached 21.

At the S.S. Anne, I searched for every item I could find, and every trainer I could fight. Gary was also on the S.S. Anne, and he wanted a rematch with me. With Pikachu, Ivysaur, and Mankey on my team, I was able to defeat Gary.

After defeating him, I met the captain. He was sick, so he was standing near a trash can the whole time. I had to rub his back. This made him feel better. He rewarded me with the Cut HM. I taught Cut to my Oddish.

With Cut obtained, I was able to challenge the Vermilion Gym. I don't like its puzzle. Actually, it's not even a puzzle, it's more of a guessing game. Either way, my Diglett defeated all of its trainers, after which I could challenge Lt. Surge. Surge only had a Raichu. As I let my Diglett use Dig, Surge used an X Speed on his Raichu. This proved to be in vain, as my Diglett was able to knock out the Raichu in a single hit. Lt. Surge rewarded me with the Thunder Badge and a TM containing Thunderbolt.

Before leaving Vermilion City, I picked up the Squirtle from Officer Jenny. I also entered the Pokemon Fan Club and got a Bike Voucher. Then I went through the Diglett's Cave, reached Route 2, and picked up the Flash HM, a Moon Stone, and an HP Up. I also met a guy who wanted to trade a Mr. Mime for a Clefairy. I'll come back for him later.

For now, I returned to Cerulean City and exchanged my Bike Voucher for a Bicycle. Next up, I have to go to Route 9. But first, I'm gonna train my Squirtle to catch up to the rest of my Pokemon.

Major team members:
Pikachu
Ivysaur
Charmeleon
Squirtle
Butterfree
Spearow
Diglett
Mankey

Minor team members:
Pidgey*
Rattata*
Sandshrew*
Nidoran F*
Nidoran M*
Clefairy**
Jigglypuff*
Zubat**
Oddish
Paras
Venonat
Abra**
Bellsprout
Geodude*
Drowzee

* - Special at 14
** - Special at 21

I trained my Squirtle up to level 16, causing it to evolve into Wartortle. With that, time to head to Route 9.

Route 9 had some trainers I had to fight. One of them was a Lass standing near a ledge I had to jump off of. Another was a Bug Catcher at the middle of the route. There was also a Bug Catcher blocking the way back to Cerulean City whom I could've avoided fighting by bringing my Abra with me, but I chose to fight him anyway.

At the other end of Route 9 was Route 10. Here, I caught a Magnemite and a Machop. The Magnemite had a Special stat of 44, which is Hitmonchan's index number. Therefore, I'm boxing it for now.

At Route 10, there was a dark cave known as the Rock Tunnel. The Flash HM was required to light this cave up. I taught it to my Abra. I didn't fight all trainers in the Rock Tunnel, but I did catch an Onix.

After getting through the Rock Tunnel, I reached Lavender Town. I headed west, to Route 8. West of this route was Saffron City, but I still couldn't enter, so I had to go through another Underground Path. There's a Gambler close to the Underground Path, whom I need for the Mew and Ditto glitches, so I'm not fighting him for the time being.

As I went through the Underground Path, I reached Route 7. West of Route 7 was Celadon City, which had a lot of things to do, like a Department Store, a Game Corner, and a Gym. West of Celadon City was Route 16. At Route 16, there was a house which could only be reached if I had a Pokemon with Cut. In this house, there lived a girl who gave me the Fly HM. Also, I caught a Doduo at Route 16.

Now having all the tools needed to perform the Mew glitch, there was one more thing left to do. I bought a Fresh Water at the Department Store in Celadon City. I gave that to the guard at Route 7, allowing me to reach Saffron City.

Now, let the glitching begin!

Major team members:
Pikachu
Ivysaur
Charmeleon
Wartortle
Butterfree
Spearow
Diglett
Mankey
Doduo

Minor team members:
Pidgey*
Rattata*
Sandshrew*
Nidoran F*
Nidoran M*
Clefairy**
Jigglypuff*
Zubat**
Oddish
Paras
Venonat
Abra**
Machop
Bellsprout
Geodude*
Magnemite***
Onix
Drowzee

* - Special at 14
** - Special at 21
*** - Special at 44