Introduction

This guide is a lookup for the named legendary and special Pokémon encounters listed below and implemented in Polished Crystal. It covers where each encounter starts, the items or story milestones you need, the encounter level when it is documented, and whether the Pokémon is roaming, static, or event-based. The guide includes special forms alongside traditional legendaries, so check the encounter type before travelling.

Quick lookup

For a fast route, start with the encounter you need: roaming Raikou and Entei, Suicune, Celebi, Ho-Oh, Lugia, or Mewtwo. Each section gives the required prerequisite, destination, level, and what happens if the encounter is missed. The Locations database has map pages for the destinations.

Legendary and special Pokémon index

This index is a route map, not a replacement for the encounter requirements in each section. Use the linked section before travelling because prerequisites, encounter types, and levels differ. Respawn and failed-encounter behavior is encounter-specific; do not apply one section's outcome to the rest of the list.

Before you travel

• Check the encounter's section for its prerequisite item and story milestone.
• Save in front of a static encounter; roaming encounters require a different approach because their route changes as you move between maps.
• Bring a way to weaken and inflict status on the Pokémon, plus enough Poké Balls for the encounter.
• If you knock out an encounter, read that section's respawn note instead of assuming every encounter returns the same way.

Who This Guide Is For

Use this guide when you are:

• Completing your Pokédex
• Looking up a prerequisite, location, or encounter level
• Planning how to reach a legendary or special Pokémon encounter in Polished Crystal

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Legendary Dogs

The three legendary dogs can be encountered in Polished Crystal, but each has a different encounter method.

Release the hounds

1. Progress through the story until you can access Burned Tower in Ecruteak City
2. Navigate to Burned Tower B1F
3. Walk to the northern part of the basement (coordinates 10, 6)
4. A cutscene will trigger where all three dogs awaken ^[14]
5. After the cutscene:
   • Raikou begins roaming Johto routes
   • Entei begins roaming Johto routes
   • Suicune flees to begin its storyline

Important Notes:

• This event is required to encounter any of the legendary dogs
• The cutscene triggers automatically when you reach the correct position
• Raikou and Entei become roaming Pokémon immediately
• Suicune has a special storyline before you can battle it

Raikou & Entei (Roaming)

After the Burned Tower event, Raikou and Entei begin roaming around Johto routes.

How Roaming Works:

• Both Raikou and Entei appear at Level 40 ^[15]
• Raikou starts on Route 42 after being released
• Entei starts on Route 37 after being released
• Every time you move between routes, both dogs randomly jump to a different route that is adjacent to their current route
• Eusine will show you Raikou and Entei's Pokédex entries when you speak to him in Celadon City, so you can better hunt for them if you haven't seen them yet
• You have approximately a 29.3% chance to encounter it when triggering a wild encounter in a route a roamer is on
• It can roam on Routes: 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 ^[16]
• Cannot appear on water routes (Routes 40 and 41)

If you are having trouble chasing them around the map, try walking between two regions that border each other (e.g., Route 32 and Route 33) to trigger them moving to another route. Rinse and repeat until you find them.

Suicune (Static Encounter)

Unlike Raikou and Entei, Suicune has a special storyline with multiple appearances before you can battle it.

Suicune's Journey:

1. Cianwood City - After releasing the beasts, when you arrive in Cianwood City go to the north, you'll see Suicune briefly appear and disappear. Eusine will challenge you to a battle. ^[17]
2. Route 42 - Suicune makes another brief appearance (this is set as a map scene after Cianwood)
3. Tin Tower 1F - After getting the Clear Bell you can enter Tin Tower. On the first floor, a cutscene will trigger:
   • If you haven't caught Raikou, it will appear and flee
   • If you haven't caught Entei, it will appear and flee
   • Suicune will approach and you can battle it at Level 40 ^[18]

Important Notes:

• You must progress through Suicune's storyline (Cianwood → Route 42 → get Clear Bell → Tin Tower) to battle it
• Uncaught, knocked-out roamers will now respawn at a higher level when you beat the Champion
• Although Suicune is initially stationary at Tin Tower, it'll respawn as a roamer in the same way if you KO it
• Use Repels with a Pokémon at a higher level than wilds and lower than roamers to guarantee an encounter with the roamer
• Soundproof Wigglytuff with Mean Look (Soundproof unavailable on Faithful) will be the best at preventing roamers from escaping or Roaring, while also dealing damage to them and putting them to sleep.
• Releasing a caught roamer now makes it respawnable, which is practically a re-roll. It's particularly useful to Shiny hunters

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Spiky-eared Pichu

The Spiky-eared Pichu is a special variant of Pichu that you can obtain after beating the Elite Four.

How to Obtain Spiky-eared Pichu

1. Beat the Elite Four - Complete the main story
2. Head to Goldenrod Pokémon Center
3. Use the Wonder Trade system with Teala, the trade attendant ^[5]
4. You'll receive a special Spiky-eared Pichu at Level 30
5. After receiving the Pichu, Teala will give you the GS Ball as a key item ^[25]

Important Notes:

• This is a one-time event that happens after beating the Elite Four
• The Spiky-eared Pichu cannot be traded away via Wonder Trade (it's blocked by the system)
• The Pichu comes in an Ultra Ball and is always female
• The GS Ball is required to encounter Celebi

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Celebi

Celebi can be encountered at the Ilex Forest shrine through a special time-travel event.

How to Obtain the GS Ball

1. Beat the Elite Four - Complete the main story
2. Use Wonder Trade at Goldenrod Pokécom Center - After beating the Elite Four, use Wonder Trade to receive a special Spiky-eared Pichu ^[2]
3. Teala will give you the GS Ball as a key item after the trade ^[25]

How to Encounter Celebi

1. Give the GS Ball to Kurt at Azalea Town - he'll examine it for one day, after which speaking with him triggers the "Forest is Restless" event ^[26]
2. Head to Ilex Forest
3. Navigate to the forest shrine (the small shrine structure in the forest)
4. Interact with the shrine
5. After a cutscene, Celebi will appear for battle at Level 30 ^[3]

Important Notes:

• Celebi is a one-time encounter only - the GS Ball is consumed when you use it
• Save before the battle! If you defeat or run from Celebi without catching it, you cannot retry until you beat the Champion again
• After catching Celebi, you can trigger a special time-travel storyline involving Giovanni by returning to the shrine with Celebi in your party ^[3]

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Galarian Legendary Birds

The Galarian forms of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres can be encountered at Cherrygrove Bay using special lures obtained from Rocket Hideout B4F in Celadon City.

How to Obtain the Lures

1. Progress through the plot until you can access Rocket Hideout B4F (which is in the Celadon Game Corner)
2. Battle three Team Leaders to obtain the lures: ^[1]
   • Spark → gives Malign Lure (for Galarian Zapdos)
   • Candela → gives Harsh Lure (for Galarian Moltres)
   • Blanche → gives Potent Lure (for Galarian Articuno)

How to Encounter the Birds

1. Go to Cherrygrove Bay (accessible from Cherrygrove City via Surf)
2. Navigate to the "Great Tree" in the bay (coordinates 11, 12 on the map)
3. Interact with the tree and select Yes to use a lure
4. Choose which lure to use:
   • Potent Lure → Galarian Articuno (Level 65)
   • Malign Lure → Galarian Zapdos (Level 65)
   • Harsh Lure → Galarian Moltres (Level 65)
5. The battle will begin immediately after using the lure

Important Notes:

• Each bird is a one-time encounter after using the corresponding lure
• If you defeat a bird without catching it, you can reset the encounter by using the lure menu system again ^[21]
• All three birds are at Level 65

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Kanto Legendary Birds

The original forms of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres can be found in their classic locations from the Kanto region.

Important Notes:

• If you defeat them without catching them, you will need to defeat the Champion again to respawn them or revert to an old save

Articuno

1. Navigate to Seafoam Islands (between Cinnabar Island and Fuchsia City)
2. Work your way down to Seafoam Islands B4F - the deepest floor
3. Articuno will be standing at coordinates (22, 13) ^[11]
4. Interact with it to trigger the battle at Level 65

Zapdos

1. Navigate to Route 10 (between Lavender Town and the Power Plant)
2. Zapdos will be standing on the roof of Rock Tunnel - you'll need Flash to navigate through the tunnel to the top floor
3. Interact with it to trigger the battle at Level 65

Moltres

1. Navigate to Cinnabar Volcano (accessible from Cinnabar Island)
2. Work your way down to Cinnabar Volcano B2F
3. Moltres will be standing at coordinates (18, 22) ^[13]
4. Interact with it to trigger the battle at Level 65

Special Event: Lawrence

After catching all three Kanto legendary birds (Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres), a special event will trigger with a character named Lawrence when you catch the third bird.

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Ho-Oh

Ho-Oh can be encountered at the Tin Tower Roof after obtaining the Rainbow Wing.

How to Get the Rainbow Wing

1. Beat the Elite Four and complete the main story
2. Progress through the legendary beasts storyline at Tin Tower 1F (see Suicune section above)
3. After the Suicune encounter completes, the three sages will remain in Tin Tower 1F
4. Capture all three legendary dogs and defeat the first round of the Elite 4. Talk to the central sage who will give you the Rainbow Wing ^[19]
5. The stairway to the upper floors will open with an earthquake effect

How to Encounter Ho-Oh

1. With the Rainbow Wing in your Key Items, enter Tin Tower
2. Navigate through all 10 floors of Tin Tower to reach the roof
3. On Tin Tower Roof, Ho-Oh will be standing at coordinates (7, 3) ^[22]
4. Interact with it to trigger the battle at Level 75

Important Notes:

• If you defeat Ho-oh without catching it, you will need to defeat the Champion again to respawn it or revert to an old save
• You must have the Rainbow Wing to make Ho-oh accessible

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Lugia

Lugia can be encountered at Whirl Island Lugia Chamber after obtaining the Silver Wing.

How to Get the Silver Wing

1. Catch all three Kanto legendary birds: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres (see Kanto Legendary Birds section above)
2. When you catch the third bird, a special event will trigger
3. Lawrence will appear and challenge you to a battle. He will wait to battle you at Shamouti Shrine Ruins (accessible from Noisy Forest in the Orange Archipelago)
4. After defeating Lawrence, he will give you the Silver Wing ^[23]
5. Lawrence will then disappear

How to Encounter Lugia

1. With the Silver Wing in your Key Items, navigate to the Whirl Islands (Routes 40 and 41 between Olivine City and Cianwood City)
2. Enter the North-East Whirl Island entrance and work your way down through the caves
3. You'll need Surf, Strength, Flash and Whirlpool to navigate
4. Make your way to Whirl Island B2F and find the entrance to the Lugia Chamber
5. In the Whirl Island Lugia Chamber, Lugia will be standing at coordinates (9, 5) ^[24]
6. Interact with it to trigger the battle at Level 75

Important Notes:

• If you defeat Lugia without catching it, you will need to defeat the Champion again to respawn it or revert to an old save
• You must have the Silver Wing to make Lugia appear

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Mew

Mew can be found wandering in Faraway Jungle, a special location accessible via the Seagallop Ferry.

How to Get to Faraway Island

1. Navigate to Pokémon Mansion B1F (on Cinnabar Island)
2. Find the Old Sea Map item ball at coordinates (4, 23) ^[7]
3. With the Old Sea Map in your Key Items, head to Vermilion City
4. Go to the Seagallop Ferry gate and talk to the sailor
5. Choose to use the Old Sea Map when prompted
6. The ferry will take you to Faraway Island ^[8]

How to Encounter Mew

1. Once on Faraway Island, enter the Faraway Jungle area
2. Mew will be wandering around in the jungle ^[4]
3. Approach Mew to trigger the battle at Level 30

Important Notes:

• If you defeat Mew without catching it, you will need to defeat the Champion again to respawn it or revert to an old save

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Mewtwo

Mewtwo can be encountered and caught at Cerulean Cave B1F at Level 80. ^[9]

How to Catch Mewtwo

Location: Cerulean Cave B1F

Level: 80

1. Navigate to Cerulean Cave (accessible from Cerulean City)
2. Go down to B1F
3. Mewtwo will be standing at coordinates (7, 13)
4. Interact with it to battle

Important Notes:

• If you defeat Mewtwo without catching it, you will need to defeat the Champion again to respawn it or revert to an old save

Armored Mewtwo Form

After catching Mewtwo at Cerulean Cave, you can transform it into its Armored form using the Armor Suit item.

How to get the Armor Suit:

1. Catch Celebi at Ilex Forest (see Celebi section above)
2. Return to the Ilex Forest shrine with Celebi in your party
3. This triggers a time-travel event where you're transported to the past and battle Giovanni at Cinnabar Lab
4. After completing the event, you return to present-day Ilex Forest
5. Lyra will appear and give you the Armor Suit ^[10]

How to use it:

• Give the Armor Suit to Mewtwo to hold
• While holding it, Mewtwo will appear in its Armored form in battle, gaining a Steel typing and having its stats redistributed to be slightly more defensive
• Remove the item to revert to regular form

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Bloodmoon Ursaluna

Bloodmoon Ursaluna is a special form of Ursaluna that can be encountered at Murky Swamp.

How to Encounter Bloodmoon Ursaluna

1. Navigate to Murky Swamp - accessible from:
   • Union Cave B1F South (warp at coordinates 5, 33)
   • Stormy Beach (northern entrance)
2. Bloodmoon Ursaluna will be standing at coordinates (6, 2) ^[27]
3. Interact with it to trigger the battle
   • Level 30 if you haven't beaten the Elite Four
   • Level 60 if you have beaten the Elite Four

Important Notes:

• Bloodmoon Ursaluna cannot be shiny (the battle type prevents it)
• This is a unique form that cannot be obtained through evolution
• If you defeat Bloodmoon Ursaluna without catching it, you will need to defeat the Champion again to respawn it or revert to an old save

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Hisuian Typhlosion

Hisuian Typhlosion is a regional form of Typhlosion with an additional Ghost typing. It can be encountered at Violet Outskirts.

How to Encounter Hisuian Typhlosion

1. Get the SilphScope2 from Mr Fuji in Lavender Town (accessible after defeating the Elite Four)
2. Navigate to Violet Outskirts, accessible by Surf from Violet City or Route 42
3. Enter the house there, where its ghost will be haunting an object in the house. Search all the objects to find it and start the battle! (Level 60)

Important Notes:

• You can encounter Hisuian Typhlosion early, as soon as you can use Surf in the overworld. However, without the SilphScope2 you cannot reveal its ghost, and you are forced to run from the battle
• This is a unique form that cannot be obtained through evolution

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Tips for Catching Legendaries

• Save before every encounter - A save gives you a reliable fallback if the battle goes badly. The relevant encounter section explains any documented respawn behavior.
• Bring enough PokéBalls! - Choose the ball and quantity that fit your preparation; this guide does not assume one ball is best for every encounter.
• Use status conditions and lower HP carefully - Sleep or paralysis and a controlled HP reduction can make a catch easier. False Swipe is useful when available, but do not risk fainting the encounter.

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[1] Team Leaders and Lures

• Rocket Hideout B4F — maps/RocketHideoutB4F.asm

[2] Wonder Trade and Spiky-eared Pichu

• Wonder Trade System — engine/events/wonder_trade.asm
• Goldenrod Pokécom Center — maps/GoldenrodPokecomCenter1F.asm

[3] Celebi Encounter

• Ilex Forest — maps/IlexForest.asm

[4] Mew Encounter

• Faraway Jungle — maps/FarawayJungle.asm

[5] Spiky-eared Pichu Details

• Wonder Trade Implementation — engine/events/wonder_trade.asm

[6] Mewtwo at Cinnabar Lab

• Cinnabar Lab — maps/CinnabarLab.asm

[7] Old Sea Map Location

• Pokémon Mansion B1F — maps/PokemonMansionB1F.asm

[8] Seagallop Ferry to Faraway Island

• Seagallop Ferry Vermilion Gate — maps/SeagallopFerryVermilionGate.asm

[9] Mewtwo at Cerulean Cave

• Cerulean Cave B1F — maps/CeruleanCaveB1F.asm

[10] Armor Suit from Lyra

• Ilex Forest - Lyra gives Armor Suit — maps/IlexForest.asm
• Armor Suit Item Data — data/items/descriptions.asm

[11] Articuno Encounter

• Seafoam Islands B4F — maps/SeafoamIslandsB4F.asm

[12] Zapdos Encounter

• Route 10 North — maps/Route10North.asm

[13] Moltres Encounter

• Cinnabar Volcano B2F — maps/CinnabarVolcanoB2F.asm

[14] Releasing the Beasts

• Burned Tower B1F — maps/BurnedTowerB1F.asm

[15] Legendary Beasts Levels and Initialization

• Wild Mons - InitRoamMons — engine/overworld/wildmons.asm

[16] Roaming Routes

• Roam Mon Maps — data/wild/roammon_maps.asm

[17] Suicune at Cianwood City

• Cianwood City — maps/CianwoodCity.asm

[18] Suicune at Tin Tower

• Tin Tower 1F — maps/TinTower1F.asm

[19] Rainbow Wing from Sage

• Tin Tower 1F - Sage gives Rainbow Wing — maps/TinTower1F.asm

[20] Clear Bell from Radio Tower Director

• Radio Tower 5F — maps/RadioTower5F.asm

[21] Galarian Birds Lure Reset Mechanic

• Specials - Lure System — engine/events/specials.asm

[22] Ho-Oh Encounter

• Tin Tower Roof — maps/TinTowerRoof.asm

[23] Silver Wing from Lawrence

• Shamouti Shrine Ruins — maps/ShamoutiShrineRuins.asm

[24] Lugia Encounter

• Whirl Island Lugia Chamber — maps/WhirlIslandLugiaChamber.asm

[25] GS Ball from Wonder Trade

• Goldenrod Pokécom Center 1F — maps/GoldenrodPokecomCenter1F.asm

[26] Kurt and GS Ball

• Kurt's House — maps/KurtsHouse.asm

[27] Bloodmoon Ursaluna Encounter

• Murky Swamp — maps/MurkySwamp.asm