Mastering the Chase: A Comprehensive Guide to Catching the Legendary Dogs in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

The roaming Legendary Pokémon, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune (referred to as the Legendary Dogs, though Suicune is a feline), are among the most challenging and sought-after encounters in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. Unlike static Legendary encounters, these roam the Kanto region, appearing in different locations each time you enter a new area. This guide will provide you with detailed steps, strategies, and tips to help you track down and successfully capture these elusive beasts. Understanding the mechanics and preparing adequately are key to success. Let’s dive in!

Understanding the Roaming Mechanics

Before we begin, it’s crucial to grasp how the Legendary Dogs operate in FireRed and LeafGreen:

• Post-Elite Four: The Legendary Dogs only become available after you defeat the Elite Four and become the Pokémon League Champion.
• Choice of Starter: The specific Legendary Dog that will roam is determined by the starter Pokémon you chose at the beginning of the game.
• Bulbasaur: Entei (Fire-type) will roam.
• Charmander: Suicune (Water-type) will roam.
• Squirtle: Raikou (Electric-type) will roam.
• Random Encounters: Once activated, they will roam the different routes of Kanto. Their exact location changes whenever you move to a new area (entering a building, changing routes, etc.). This means that their location is pseudo-random.
• The Pokédex: The Pokédex entry of the roaming Legendary will display its current location. This is invaluable for tracking them down.
• Escape: The roaming Legendaries have the ability to flee from battle. They also have the special quirk of running away on the very first turn if you do anything besides attack, meaning you cannot use moves like Mean Look, or items to slow them down. When they flee, their HP and status remain the same. This means you don’t have to reset the battle after they run.
• Level: The roaming Legendary Dogs appear at level 50.

Preparation is Key

Before you start your hunt, proper preparation is crucial. Here’s what you need:

• Master Ball: The most straightforward approach is to use your Master Ball. This guarantees a capture without any struggle. This is by far the easiest way to catch a legendary dog, although it’s not as challenging, and you might want to use it later on other difficult legendaries.
• False Swipe: A Pokémon that has learned the move False Swipe is extremely valuable. This move always leaves the opponent with 1 HP, preventing you from accidentally knocking them out. A great Pokémon for this is Scyther, which you can easily catch in the Safari Zone.
• High-Speed Pokémon: A Pokémon that can outspeed the Legendary Dogs is useful. Pokémon with higher base speed stats like Jolteon, Crobat, or even a strong Pidgeot can prevent them from fleeing before you can act, or at least use False Swipe.
• Status Inducing Moves: Moves like paralysis or sleep are invaluable. Having at least one Pokemon with a move that can inflict such a status will make it significantly easier to catch the Pokemon. These states don’t go away when the Pokemon runs.
• Powerful Attacks: You’ll want strong attacks that can chip away at the Legendary’s HP before using False Swipe if you don’t opt to use the Master Ball. This is less critical, but being able to attack with super effective moves is useful.
• Plenty of Poké Balls: Stock up on Ultra Balls, Great Balls, and even normal Poké Balls. Having a large amount of balls will prevent you from going back to the Pokemart frequently.
• Repels: Max Repels or Super Repels are vital to avoid countless wild Pokémon encounters. These will greatly speed up the process of finding the legendary dogs.
• Patience: This hunt can be frustrating and time-consuming. Be prepared for a long grind.

Step-by-Step Guide to Catching the Legendary Dogs

Now, let’s get into the specific steps for locating and capturing your chosen Legendary Dog:

1. Defeat the Elite Four: This is the first and most important step. You must beat the Elite Four and the Champion before any of the Legendary Dogs start roaming.
2. Activate the Roaming Legendary: After becoming Champion, head back to Pallet Town. Professor Oak will stop you, and will talk about reports about a specific Pokemon roaming the Kanto Region.
3. Check the Pokédex: Open your Pokédex and locate your chosen Legendary Dog. The Pokédex entry will show the last route where the Pokémon was spotted.
4. Prepare your Team: Make sure you have the Pokémon and items from the preparation section, such as a Pokémon that knows False Swipe, and a Pokémon that knows status inducing moves.
5. Use Repels: Activate a Repel and head to the route mentioned in the Pokédex. This will help avoid unnecessary wild Pokemon encounters, and save you time.
6. Move Between Areas: If the Legendary Dog is not in the area, go to a nearby location by entering a building, moving to the adjacent route, or entering a cave. Then check the Pokedex to see if the Pokemon is now in the same location as you. Do this until the Legendary is on the same route you are on.
7. Engage the Legendary: If you are in the same route as the Pokemon, continue moving between different spots within the route until the Pokemon appears in a battle. The chance of encountering the Pokemon in that specific route will vary, so be patient, it might take a while.
8. Battle Strategy (Master Ball): If you are using the Master Ball, simply attack once and use the Master Ball. This will guarantee your capture.
9. Battle Strategy (False Swipe): If you are opting to use False Swipe, use the move once to bring the legendary dog to 1 hp. Then, try to inflict a status condition to prevent the Pokemon from fleeing (such as paralysis or sleep). If you have done this, start throwing Pokeballs until the Pokemon is caught.
10. Don’t Give Up: It’s likely that the Legendary Dog will flee multiple times. Keep trying, and eventually you’ll be able to catch it. Remember the HP and status damage persist across fleeing attempts.
11. Save Your Game: If you manage to get it down to low health and you inflict a status, save your game. This will prevent you from having to go through the whole ordeal again in the event you accidentally knock the Pokemon out, or in the event the game is suddenly shut off.

Tips and Tricks

Here are some additional tips to make the hunt easier:

• Cycle Between Two Areas: Find two relatively close routes. This will make it much faster to cycle the spawns of the legendary dogs.
• Use a Pokémon with the Ability Synchronize If you can catch a Pokémon with the Synchronize ability (such as an Abra), and have it in the first slot of your party, the legendary dog will be more likely to have the same nature as that Pokemon.
• Pay attention to Level If you want to avoid any encounters with wild Pokemon on the routes, consider using a Pokemon that is a higher level than the pokemon in the region. Then, apply a repel, and no Pokemon from those routes will appear.
• Patience is Paramount: This is the most important tip. The hunt for the Legendary Dogs is a test of patience. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find them quickly.
• Consider Using a Cheat: If you are playing on an emulator, consider using a cheat code to ensure the Legendary is in the same spot you are at all times. Although this makes the chase much less challenging, it saves time.

Specific Legendary Dog Strategies

Each Legendary Dog has its own strengths and weaknesses, which you might want to consider during battle:

• Raikou (Electric): Vulnerable to Ground-type moves. Consider using a Pokémon like Dugtrio, who is also fast.
• Entei (Fire): Weak to Water, Rock, and Ground-type attacks. A Pokémon like Gyarados will make quick work of Entei.
• Suicune (Water): Susceptible to Electric and Grass-type moves. An Electric type like Jolteon would be useful.

Final Thoughts

Catching the roaming Legendary Dogs in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen is a challenging but rewarding experience. By understanding the mechanics, preparing your team, and using the strategies outlined in this guide, you’ll be one step closer to completing your Pokédex and becoming a true Pokémon master! Remember to be patient, persevere, and enjoy the journey. Happy hunting!