Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
So now it's time to explore more of Cinnabar Island. Check out its reddish visage!
Uhhhh... but don't try to go for its Pokémon Gym immediately. Its door is locked. You need to find a Secret Key for that, but more on that later...
----
First off, this island has a Pokémon Lab. The most significant thing that goes on here is that there are Scientists trying to revive ancient Pokémon... Say... remember picking up a Fossil from Mt. Moon...?
Bring whatever Fossil you picked with the Super Nerd back then to one of the Scientists in Testing Room at the very end of this lab. Then let them do there work by making time past just by walking a few steps, then the Fossil will become a Pokémon.
I had picked up the Helix Fossil, so I ended up getting an Omanyte out of it. If you gave the Scientist the Dome Fossil, instead, he'll turn that into Kabuto.
----
There's also a THIRD ancient Pokémon to revive, and you won't have to miss this in any of your runs for this game. You have to go back to Pewter City, then use Cut somewhere east of the Pokémon Museum to reach behind the reception desk of the place.
One of the Scientists there will give away his Old Amber for free. Take it to the Cinnabar Lab and the Scientist there will revive it back to an Aerodactyl. However, I don't finish that until much later.
Other things about this Lab is that there are some more Trainers that wanna trade with you. A lady wants to trade you her Tangela for a Venonat from you. Meanwhile, a different Scientist wants to trade you a Seel for a Ponyta.
I do that latter trade later, because...
-----------
The last significant thing about Cinnabar Island is its Cinnabar Mansion. However, this is an old and abandoned mansion.
It's now crawling with Burglars that want to battle you, but moreso, it's one of the only manmade places to have Wild Pokémon encounters. In Red, this includes nothing but Fire- and Poison-types, such as Growlithe, Ponyta, Koffing & Grimer. You may even encounter Weezing & Muk!
Nonetheless, this is another dungeon. There are secret switches you need to press that will open some doors within the given floor, but close others. You gotta carefully navigate through this mansion so that you can eventually find the Secret Key for the Cinnabar Gym.
Lastly with this mansion, you'll find some journal entries scattered throughout the place. They document about the legendary Pokémon called Mew, as well as it "giving birth" so a different Pokémon called Mewtwo...
(Hooooo... It's too bad dialogue doesn't change if you actually have a Mew on you RIGHT NOW!)
----------
After getting the Secret Key, I return to the Lab to get my Aerodactyl, and trade a Ponyta I caught for an EXP-boosted Seel. I'm gonna need this pretty soon, probably even moreso than the Vaporeon I've carefully raised this whole time.
It's also "killing two birds with one stone" for me to teach this Seel both Surf & Strength.
So now it's time to explore more of Cinnabar Island. Check out its reddish visage!
Uhhhh... but don't try to go for its Pokémon Gym immediately. Its door is locked. You need to find a Secret Key for that, but more on that later...
----
First off, this island has a Pokémon Lab. The most significant thing that goes on here is that there are Scientists trying to revive ancient Pokémon... Say... remember picking up a Fossil from Mt. Moon...?
Bring whatever Fossil you picked with the Super Nerd back then to one of the Scientists in Testing Room at the very end of this lab. Then let them do there work by making time past just by walking a few steps, then the Fossil will become a Pokémon.
I had picked up the Helix Fossil, so I ended up getting an Omanyte out of it. If you gave the Scientist the Dome Fossil, instead, he'll turn that into Kabuto.
----
There's also a THIRD ancient Pokémon to revive, and you won't have to miss this in any of your runs for this game. You have to go back to Pewter City, then use Cut somewhere east of the Pokémon Museum to reach behind the reception desk of the place.
One of the Scientists there will give away his Old Amber for free. Take it to the Cinnabar Lab and the Scientist there will revive it back to an Aerodactyl. However, I don't finish that until much later.
Other things about this Lab is that there are some more Trainers that wanna trade with you. A lady wants to trade you her Tangela for a Venonat from you. Meanwhile, a different Scientist wants to trade you a Seel for a Ponyta.
I do that latter trade later, because...
-----------
The last significant thing about Cinnabar Island is its Cinnabar Mansion. However, this is an old and abandoned mansion.
It's now crawling with Burglars that want to battle you, but moreso, it's one of the only manmade places to have Wild Pokémon encounters. In Red, this includes nothing but Fire- and Poison-types, such as Growlithe, Ponyta, Koffing & Grimer. You may even encounter Weezing & Muk!
Nonetheless, this is another dungeon. There are secret switches you need to press that will open some doors within the given floor, but close others. You gotta carefully navigate through this mansion so that you can eventually find the Secret Key for the Cinnabar Gym.
Lastly with this mansion, you'll find some journal entries scattered throughout the place. They document about the legendary Pokémon called Mew, as well as it "giving birth" so a different Pokémon called Mewtwo...
(Hooooo... It's too bad dialogue doesn't change if you actually have a Mew on you RIGHT NOW!)
----------
After getting the Secret Key, I return to the Lab to get my Aerodactyl, and trade a Ponyta I caught for an EXP-boosted Seel. I'm gonna need this pretty soon, probably even moreso than the Vaporeon I've carefully raised this whole time.
It's also "killing two birds with one stone" for me to teach this Seel both Surf & Strength.
