It’s hard to truly define what the most memorable aspect of the original Pokemon games is, mainly because there’s so much to choose from. With legendary Pokemon like Mew and Mewtwo, the iconic region of Kanto the explore, and the original 151 Pokemon to track down, you’re really spoiled for choice.
However, for me at least, the most iconic aspect of the original Kanto experience was always Team Rocket. A criminal organisation that has never quite been topped, despite many attempts by mainline Pokémon games that came after.
I wondered as a kid, what it would be like to give up this do-gooder charade and join forces with Team Rocket to take the Kanto criminal underbelly by storm. But, sadly, back then, there was no way to make that fantasy a reality.
But thanks to the amazing Pokémon Fire Red Team Rocket Edition ROM, you can play the bad guy, steal Pokémon from innocent trainers, and discover that Red from the original game wasn’t such a goodie-two-shoes after all.
If you’re in need of a guide through this new, not-so-law-abiding version of Kanto, then stick around, and I’ll show you how to make being bad feel really good.
Pokemon Fire Red Rocket Edition Key Features
If you’re still on the fence about diving into this Pokémon ROM, and you want answers on a postcard as to what this game has to offer. Then we have what you need below:
- The ability to steal Pokémon from trainers after winning battles
- An Alternate Kanto story focusing on Red, Professor Oak, Blaine, and more
- Siequests that run concurrently with the main narrative
- A built-in morality system that determines your ending
- Mechanics in line with Gen VI
- Quality of life features like the ability to use HMs much earlier
How To Download Pokemon Fire Red Team Rocket Edition
The Pokemon Fire Red Team Rocket Edition ROM hack is one that is built on a standard Fire Red base game, which means all that you need to do is patch a clean Squirrels ROM to play. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make that happen:
- Step One: Download an unaltered Pokémon Fire Red Squirrels file, which can be found here.
- Step Two: Download a Pokemon Fire Red Team Rocket Edition ROM file, which can be found here.
- Step Three: Use a ROM patcher to patch your Squirrels file. This patcher currently works fine.
- Step Four: Load up your preferred GBA Emulator and import the file.
- Step Five: Launch the game, and enjoy.
Pokémon Fire Red Team Rocket Edition Walkthrough
An immediate congratulations, as when you step into Pokemon Fire Red Team Rocket Edition, you’ll have completed your grunt training and will be initiated into the world of crime. Which comes with some immediate perks, including getting your hands on your first Pokemon.
The standard starter for this game is a Rattata. You have no choice in the matter, so no need to think about which starter to pick. Just grab your new rodent companion and get going on your first assignment, stealing your first Pokemon.
First, you’ll link up with your rival/pal, Ronnie, who will join you on your task and also give you the HM Fly, which you can use right away.
After this, your mission sees you head out into Celadon City in search of an easy mark, and you’ll find one in the form of a little kid circling the fountain.
She has a Lv . 3 Pidgey and a Lv . 3 Spearow, so you should be able to take her down no problem, and after the battle, you’ll be able to choose either of these Pokémon to steal.
After this, you can report back to base, where you’ll be sent on your first true mission under the Team Rocket Umbrella. You’re heading to Mt. Moon.
The Job At Mt. Moon
As you might remember from your time playing the original Pokémon Red, you head to and encounter Team Rocket, while also nabbing a fossil for yourself in the process.
Well, in this ROM, you’re on the other side of the conflict, and you’ll need to try and get those fossils for Team Rocket. Use your newly acquired Spearow or Pidgey to fly straight there.
From there, the goal is simple. Work through the cave, deal with trainers in your path and make it to the area where the fossils are being examined by the Super Nerd.
Along the way, I would urge players to find the Rare Candy, and Moon Stone in the area, as well as battle as many kid trainers as possible to fill out empty party slots.
Eventually, you’ll reach the area with the fossils and will be asked to stand guard, which is where things all go wrong.
You’ll come face-to-face with Red, the original game’s protagonist, and you’ll have your work cut out for you.
This is a battle that the player is not supposed to win, hence why he opens proceedings with a Lv . 25 Charmeleon. You might just be able to edge his first Pokémon if you’re very tactically dialed in, but it’s quicker and easier to just let him white-wash you.
But, if you really want to know what you’re up against, this is Red’s full team:
- Chameleon Lv.25
- Wartortle Lv.25
- Ivysaur Lv.25
- Pikachu Lv.25
Then, after the dust settles on the mad situation that has just occurred, you’ll be transported back to Rocket HQ in Celadon.
Cerulean City & Visiting Bill
After all of this, you’ll meet Giovanni for the first time and witness a heated exchange between Blaine and the Rocket crime boss. Then, you can be on your way to Cerulean City.
The best way to go is from Celadon and through the checkpoint, where you can give the guard $200 as a bribe to let you through. Then, you can head through Saffron City, up route five, and you’ll come to the Pokemon Daycare Center.
Drop in here before hitting Cerulean, as this is a secret Rocket base, and you need to pick up a Parcel from Archer. After this, head upward to Cerulean.
Your goal here is to head along the Nugget Bridge and defeat the trainers as you go, much to the distaste of the Team Rocket colleague at the other end. You may need to do a little grinding, but there’s nothing here that will be much of a challenge.
Then, all that’s left to do is meet up with Bill, ask him to agree to help Giovanni, and because you’re willing to keep him in the loop on Silph Co, he’ll agree.
Then you need to fly back to Celadon to let Giovanni know that everything with Bill has been resolved.
However, note that there is an optional fight against Blue that players can take on if they head back via Cerulean City. His team is as follows:
- Pidgey Lv13
- Rattata Lv14
- Abra Lv.15
- Wartortle Lv.16
Wartortle can be a bit of an issue in this fight, especially if you haven’t been level-grinding, so try to have a grass or electric Pokémon to counter. Provided you have one in your party, this will serve as a nice source of EXP.
The SS Anne
After heading back to base, hearing about Lance’s new reign of terror, and getting briefed on your next mission, you’ll be off to board the SS Anne. Grab the drugs for Lt. Surge before you leave, and then make your way through the Underground Path toward Vermilion City.
Once there, head to Lt. Surge’s gym and Ronnie will come to help you cut down the nearby tree to give you access. From there, talk to Surge, give him his Steroids, and he’ll happily smuggle you aboard the SS Anne.
You can then walk aboard, and you can explore to your hearts content, plundering every room of the ship of its goodies. But, you won’t be able to access the captain’s quarters until you witness the cut scene with Lance and Steven on the ship’s deck, so do that before making your way up there.
Once in his quarters, you’ll then have to fight him as he’s not about to let you steal from his ship. Here is a breakdown of the team you’ll be facing:
- Tentacool lv23
- Scyther Lv20
- Krabby Lv23
The key here is to have a solid electric type that can handle both Tentacool and Krabby. Then, if you also have a fire-type to hand, or a flying type, you can make short work of the Scyther as well.
After this battle, head back to Celadon City once again to debrief and see what’s next. Spoilers, it’s spooky Lavender Town up next.
Lavender Town
After dealing with the aftermath at base caused by Red, and being handed the Silph Scope by Giovanni, you can now head to the Pokémon Tower to talk to Mr Fuji.
When you get there you’ll be met by Blue, who considers battling you, but instead decides against leaving you to deal with the slew of Channeller trainers on the way up.
Eventually, you’ll come to the stairs leading to the top of the tower and will be faced with a Marowak. It’s a good idea to try and catch this Pokémon, as a Lv . 30 Pokémon will pretty much slot into any team you are rocking right now. But failing that, you could steal Mr Fuji’s.
After this encounter, it’s on to Mr Fuji, who isn’t about to become a Team Rocket puppet without a struggle. This is the team that he will use:
- Marowak Lv.28
- Pikachu Lv.30
- Lickitung Lv.30
- Ditto Lv.29
Your newly acquired Marowak is a great option to deal with his Pikachu. Whereas a good electric-type Pokémon should be able to make short work of the rest, especially if they out-speed the helpless little Ditto.
Once again, after the chat with Archer and Fuji, you can then head back to Giovanni to get set up with your next mission.
Pallet Town
Your next task is to head to a familair little place called Pallet Town, where you’ll be told to hunt down Red’s mentor, Professor Oak.
The best route to take is a quick flight to Mt Moon, and then you can work your way back through Pewter City, Viridian Forest, and then Viridian City.
You won’t find Oak in Pallet Town, but you will find Agatha of the Elite Four and Daisy, Blue’s sister. In true bumbling oaf fashion, Ronnie airs the plan to Daisy, and this leads to an encounter. This is the team that she is running:
- Chansey Lv.30
- Ponyta Lv.32
- Raichu Lv.32
- Nidorina Lv.33
You actually need to have quite a bit of type coverage for this fight, and this may prove to be the first real test for some.
A fighting-type is essential to get rid of the spongy Chansey as fast as possible, and will also be good to take out the Nidorina. Then you can use a ground Pokémon for Raichu, and a water-type for Ponyta.
As usual, this wraps up the mission and you can return to base once again.
Cinnabar Island
With Professor Oak in hiding, your next mark is Blaine, and that means you’ll need to get a water-pokemon in your party, because you’ll need to surf all the way to Cinnabar Island.
You’ll be gifted the HM soon after your conversation with Giovanni, and you can then head back to Pallet Town, where you can make the quick swim out to Cinnabar. However, you will be free to explore all bodies of water across the map if you wish.
You won’t find Blaine in his Gym, so naturally, that means heading to the Pokémon Mansion. The puzzle works exactly the same as the vanilla game, so work through the mansion as normal and eventually you’ll encounter Blaine.
Which naturally leads to a battle against his collection of fire-types. Here are the hot-heads that make up his party:
- Growlithe Lv.34
- Ponyta Lv.34
- Rapidash Lv.36
- Arcanine Lv.36
Unlike some fights to this point, Blaine isn’t a nuanced fight. If you bring along a couple of water types that are appropriately leveled, you should blitz his team with little issue. Starmie is an excellent option that can be acquired along the stretch from Pallet Town to Cinnabar if you need a strong water type.
With another mission successfully done, it’s back to Celadon for another rendezvous with Giovanni.
Silph Co.
Next up, you’ll be sent to Saffron City to ransack Silph Co. in search of the elusive Master Ball, and to get yourself up to the Eleventh Floor, you’ll need to beat Scientists and nab keycards to scale the building.
There are five Scientists in total that you will need to find and defeat, none are particularly challenging and they are all pretty easy to find as they are all dressed in lab coats.
Beating all of these guys will mean that the Rocket Goons blocking the teleporter on 3F will have cleared, and you’ll be free to use this to get further up the building.
Once up there, you’ll find that Bill is one step ahead, and plans to take the Master Ball for himself, which means a battle against the ultimate Pokemon collector is on the cards. Here is his team:
- Porygon Lv.42
- Lapras Lv.43
- Dragonair Lv.45
- Kangaskan Lv.44
- Pinsir Lv.44
It’s basically Safari Zone central for this fight, with just a sprinkling of Porygon for good measure. Porygon goes down easily, but you’ll want to have a strong electric-type for Lapras, an ice-type Pokemon, or at least a Pokemon with ice-type moves for Dragonair, a fighting type for Kangaskan, and a fire-type to deal with Pinsir.
After this fight, let Giovanni take over, head outside, and meet the little mute kid, Red. Then, after he’s headed inside, you can head to Cinnabar Island.
Making A Master Ball
After an unlikely phone call with Bill, you’ll want to head to Cinnabar Island, where you’ll meet with Blaine, Bill, and Mr Fuji, who will tell you the components needed to make a Master Ball, since Red went and took the other one.
First, head to Viridian Forest, where you will need to retrieve the Apricorn planted deep in the forest. Which, incidentally, is where you meet Silver of Gen II fame.
Then, after gathering this item, you’ll want to head back to Silph Co, where Red’s dastardly deeds are clear to see. He’ll have embarrassed Giovanni and made off with the Master Ball. But, you have a job to do, so head through Silph to the second floor in search of the components you need. You’ll need to fend off a thief who wants to steal the goods for themselves.
Then, you’ll want to head back to Cinnabar again, where you’ll be told that a Master Ball alone will not be enough to capture Mewtwo. First, you’ll need to battle and beat the psychic Pokémon to earn their respect.
Cerulean Cave
Head back to Cerulean and across Nugget Bridge before hooking a left and surfing to the entrance to Cerulean Cave. As usual, a guard is standing at the door and usually doesn’t move unless you have beaten the Elite Four. But you’re Team Rocket, and brute force solves all problems. Here is what you’re up against:
- Pinsir Lv.36
- Arbok Lv.37
- Parasect Lv.39
- Arcanine Lv.39
A combo of fire and water types will get you through this encounter, along with a ground type to handle Arbok, then you simply need to work through the cave to reach Mewtwo.
This leads to a fight with a Lv.70 powerhouse, but seeing as you have an entire party, you should be more than able to brute force your way through this fight. But it can also be helpful to have a few revives on hand in case things go wrong.
After this fight, Mewtwo reveals Shigeki to be the old man in Viridian City best known for tutorializing catching Pokémon. So that’s your next stop.
Finding MissingNo
Contrary to popular belief, the Pokémon known as The Catastrophe is not Mewtwo, but in fact, the glitch Pokémon known as MissingNo.
When you visit the old man in Viridian, he reveals that this Pokémon is hidden within the fabric of Cinnabar Island, and upon arriving there, you’ll come to find that the place looks so whack that you’d almost believe your ROM has softlocked.
Don’t panic, though. Simply surf to the dark patch on the east side of the island, and there, you will find MissingNo. You can catch this Pokémon without a Master Ball if you prefer, but the Master Ball guarantees that you can add this one to your collection.
Cinnabar goes back to its normal state, and soon after, Blue reveals the location of Professor Oak’s secret lab, which means you need to book it up to Pallet Town.
Bug: It is essential that you do not surf over to Pallet Town, you must fly. This is because the game is known to softlock by not allowing you access to Oak’s Lab.
Oak’s Secret Lab
After arriving in Pallet Town, you’ll want to head to Oak’s Lab, head into your items bag, and use the Crowbar given to you by Giovanni. Then, head inside, and you’ll immediately be reprimanded by three of Oak’s aides. Each with a team of Pokémon to beat.
Aide #1
- Kadabra Lv.38
- Magneton Lv.38
- Hypno lv.39
- Electrode Lv.40
Aide #2
- Porygon Lv.40
- Magneton Lv.39
- Muk Lv.39
- Kadabra Lv.40
Aide #3
- Muk Lv.39
- Porygon Lv.41
- Magneton Lv.41
- Weezing Lv.39
These battles can all be dealt with relatively easily if you have a solid ground-type and ghost-type combo in your party, which leaves you free to head into the secret part of Oak’s lab, and this will allow you to uncover some truly brilliant narrative twists. No spoilers here, just the tidbit that, after you’re done, you need to head to Giovanni at Viridian Gym.
Heading To Indigo Plateau
As it turns out, Red has already defeated Giovanni, and he’s decided that Team Rocket is no longer his baby, it’s yours. He grants you the role of Team Rocket boss, and asks that you beat the Elite Four as an act of revenge in his name.
Which sets you on your path through Victory Road, which is pretty much the same as the base game, more or less. So, make your way through at your own leisure, grinding as many levels as you can to prepare yourself for what’s up ahead.
However, before all that, Lance pops up just as you make your way west of Viridian, dethroned as Pokémon Champion, and looking to settle a score. Here is his team:
- Gyarados Lv.48
- Aerodactyl Lv.49
- Dragonair Lv.51
- Kingdra Lv.48
- Dragonite Lv.48
He’s the original Dragon guy, and that’s precisely what you get here. So, if you have an ice-type or water type with ice coverage, they are key to winning this fight.
However, you’ll also need a strong electric type to handle the more aquatic dragons on his team. Then your Ice/water type can handle Aerodactyl as well.
Then, after beating all the badge checkers along the way, and making your way through to the Elite Four, the final gauntlet is all that stands in your way.
The Elite Four Challenge
In a freak turn of events, you’ll find that the path to the champion’s room is one with no resistance at all, as all the Elite four will either be absent or defeated before you arrived. Meaning you can waltz right up there.
When you arrive, Red will have already defeated Blue, leading to them running off into the Hall of Fame room before they could be outed as frauds. Standing guard is Agatha and her ghosts, but with the Silph Scope, you foil her plans, and this leads to your first battle:
- Gengar Lv.49
- Crobat Lv.50
- Arbok Lv.52
- Misdreavus Lv.52
- Gengar Lv.49
A good Psychic type is a massive boon in this fight, and thankfully, you have one in the form of MissingNo. Make use of their Psychic attack, and this should be enough to handle Agatha’s team in their entirety. However, a ghost-type of your own with superior speed can be a fitting backup.
After this Fight, you can use the Crowbar on the Hall of Fame door and head inside, where you will be able to finally get your rematch with Red, and this is the team you will face:
- Charizard Lv.53
- Snorlax Lv.49
- Lapras Lv.51
- Pikachu Lv.54
- Dragonite Lv.53
- Alakazam Lv.53
MissingNo is a great option in this fight as the Super Glitch and Confuse Ray combo is pretty much effective against all Pokemon listed. However, you’ll want some decent type coverage here.
Anything that’s a hard-hitter can take down Snorlax, but a fighting type is ideal. For Lapras, an electric Pokémon will do the trick. For Charizard and Dragonite, I would go for a water-type with ice-type moves. Pikachu is easily handed with a ground-type, and then you can use a Dark Pokemon to finish off their Alakazam.
You might be on your last legs at this point, but don’t worry, as you’ll get healed before the final battle against Oak, and good thing, too. As this fight is the toughest you’ll have faced:
- Tauros Lv.54
- Jolteon Lv.54
- Gyarados Lv.57
- Venusaur Lv.57
- Exeggutor Lv.55
- Arcanine Lv.54
Assuming you’re running the same team as before against Red, MissingNo and their Confuse Ray and Super Glitch combo can get around a lot of the type mismatches.
However, your ground type will handle Jolteon, your fighting type will handle Tauros, your electric type will deal with Gyarados, and your water pokemon will handle Arcanine, and then your water type with ice moves may be enough to get through Venusaur and Exeggutor, provided they are leveled up enough to one-shot them.
And, with that, you roll credits on one of the most unique, ambitious, and fun Fire Red ROM hacks out there, and you get to see how much of a bad man you were when your bounty is read aloud for the court. Do let us know what you racked up in the comments.
