Pokemon Crystal walkthrough section

Pokemon Crystal Phase 2: Phase 2 Resources And Checklist

Hive Badge

Team Recommendations Phase 2 is where your team takes shape. A strong balanced core leaving Ilex: Starter (lead): Still your main engine; evolves around now.

Game Boy Color Pokemon Crystal

Phase 2 Hive Badge Bugsy ace Route 32, Ruins of Alph, Union Cave, Slowpoke Well, Ilex Forest, Cut, and Bugsy. 02 / 12

Scyther

By Damodar Sharma Updated June 2, 2026 Walkthrough

Phase 2 section 9 of 9

Team Recommendations Phase 2 is where your team takes shape. A strong balanced core leaving Ilex: Starter (lead): Still your main engine; evolves around now.

GuidePokemon Crystal PhasePhase 2 Section9/9

Phase 2 Resources And Checklist

Team Recommendations

Phase 2 is where your team takes shape. A strong balanced core leaving Ilex:

Starter (lead): Still your main engine; evolves around now.

Geodude (Union Cave): Rock answer to Bugsy and future Flying/Fire/Ice leaders; → Golem by trade (Graveler trades back) or stays a strong Graveler.

Heracross (Ilex HeadbuttNormal): ★ Elite physical attacker — Fighting/Bug coverage hits Normal, Rock, Dark, Steel hard.

Flying body (Spearow/Pidgey): Super-effective vs Bugsy, plus your future FlyFlying HM user.

Flex (Slowpoke or Bellsprout): Slowpoke for bulk + SurfWater later; Bellsprout/Hoppip as a cheap Cut slave so no attacker wastes a slot.

Heads up: With Mareep gone, don't plan around an early Ampharos. If you want Electric coverage before Kanto, your realistic option is to trade one in; otherwise lean on Rock/Ground (Geodude) and Water for the types Electric would have answered.

Must-Grab Items

Item	Location	Why
Old Rod	Fishing Guru, Route 32	First water catches (Magikarp → Gyarados).
Miracle Seed	Route 32	Grass-damage hold item (Bellsprout/Bayleef).
Charcoal	Charcoal Kiln, Azalea	Fire-damage hold item — strong on Cyndaquil line.
Apricorn balls	Kurt, Azalea (overnight)	Fast Ball especially — ideal for the roaming beasts in Phase 4+.
HM01 Cut	Farfetch'd man, Ilex Forest	Mandatory to cross Ilex and reach Goldenrod.
TM02 HeadbuttNormal	Ilex Forest	Tree encounters (Heracross) + a usable Normal move.
TM49 Fury CutterBug	Bugsy (gym reward)	Ramps if it keeps hitting.

Time / Day Window

Window	What it gates
Overnight wait	Kurt's Apricorn balls are ready the next day — drop Apricorns, sleep, collect.
Friday (later)	Lv 20 Lapras in Union Cave B2F — needs SurfWater, so it's a Phase 6 return, not now.
Night	Wooper and Gastly on Route 32 are night-only catches.

The Bug-Catching Contest (National Park) isn't open yet — that unlocks once you're past Goldenrod in Phase 3.

Legendary Note

No beast encounters yet — Raikou, Entei, and Suicune don't stir until the Burned Tower in Phase 4. The one legendary touchpoint this phase is the Ilex Forest shrine: that's the site of the Celebi / GS Ball event. You can't trigger it now (it needs the GS Ball and 16 badges), and availability depends on your platform — see the Legendary Reference for the full Celebi rundown.

HM Update

Unlocked this phase: HM01 Cut (Ilex Forest). It's mandatory — you cut through Ilex to reach Route 34 and Goldenrod. Coverage so far: FlashNormal (Phase 1) + Cut. Slave plan: put Cut on a Bellsprout, Hoppip, or Oddish so your starter and Heracross keep all four attack slots. TM02 HeadbuttNormal (not an HM) is the field tool for tree encounters. SurfWater, Strength, FlyFlying, WhirlpoolWater, and WaterfallWater are still to come.

Phase 2 Checklist

Grabbed the Old Rod from the Route 32 Fishing Guru.
Caught a Geodude or Onix in Union Cave for the Scyther answer.
Cleared the Slowpoke Well Rocket raid; caught a Slowpoke.
Started Apricorn balls with Kurt (collect a Fast Ball next day for the beasts).
Beat Bugsy → Hive Badge + TM49 Fury CutterBug.
Won the Ilex-gate rival battle.
Got HM01 Cut and TM02 HeadbuttNormal; landed a Heracross off a tree.
Cut through Ilex Forest toward Goldenrod.

Dex quick links