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Did you see Ash’s adventures through the Orange Archipelago? Do you remember the Crystal Onix, the last battle against Drake, Ash surfing on Lapras, or Team Rocket’s Magikarp Submarine? If your answer is yes, and you enjoyed that season as much as I did, let me tell you, Pokémon Orange Islands is a perfect game for you.
But what makes Pokémon Orange Islands such a special game for those who loved seeing Ash in its travel through the Orange Islands? Well, the answer is pretty simple. Pokémon Orange Islands is the best depiction of the Pokémon anime series I’ve ever seen in a Pokémon game. It’s way better than Pokémon Ash Gray or any other title you can think of.
What Will you See in this Guide?
So, if you haven’t played this masterpiece of a hack ROM and need some reasons to do it, I’ll show you the best features this game has and, of course, a Walkthrough to beat this game, as you have a decent challenge ahead. Let’s go!
Story Synopsis
The story of this game has already been told, and most of you know it; Ash returns to his hometown, Pallet Town, after getting defeated in the Indigo League by his cheap copy, Ritchie. There, Professor Oak asks for a favor; he needs Ash to go to Valencia Island and meet with Professor Ivy, who will give him a strange Poké Ball, the widely known GS Ball, and take it back to Pallet Town.
As Ash travels to the Islands and gets the GS Ball, he decides to stay on the islands for a while and takes on the Islands Gym Challenge. The rest is predictable; Ash wins all the Gym Badges and then challenges the Orange Islands’ Champion, Drake, to a battle.
After winning, Ash becomes the Orange Islands Champion, not knowing that this would be his only noteworthy title until getting to Alola. Poor guy, though. And, of course, he gave the GS Ball to Professor Oak. At least he’s a responsible boy!
There are many more things to tell, like Ash’s encounters with Team Rocket or his encounters with special Pokémon. However, as this game is an adaptation to Ash’s adventures in the Orange Islands, you can get a small taste (in the shape of a resume of Ash’s adventures in the Orange Islands) of what will happen in this article!
Key Features
A Long Game In a Small Region
Despite only having 4 Gym Leaders to beat, Pokémon Orange Islands boasts a lot of content and places to explore. Picture this game like this: If it happened in the anime series, it has to be in the game. And talking about that…
It’s An Adaptation, Not a Replica
Because of the limitations of the GBA system, this game works more like an adaptation of the original season than a replica. So, for example, you won’t find the famous races that Ash had instead of the usual Gym Battles; the creator of this hackROM, Kalarie, explains it didn’t make sense to put a race in a Pokémon game, and he preferred to put classic Gym battles, which I think it’s a wonderful idea.
Only The Classic Pokémon
Besides some exceptions, like Tracey’s Marill, you won’t find any Gen II Pokémon in this game; instead, Kalarie decided to stick to the original 151 Pokémon, which will be in this game, waiting for you to catch them.
But hey, that’s not all, as some Pokémon received some shiny variations, like the Pink Pokémon from Pinkan Island or the world-famous Crystal Onix!
New-Era Mechanics Implemented in a Retro HackROM
Being a Retro-inspired Rom Hack doesn’t mean you can set aside those great mechanics that Gen IV has. So, of course, this game counts with the Special/Physical/Status split from Gen IV, making the game a wonderful thing to play!
Also, those Pokémon (like Hunter or Kadabra) that can only evolve by trading now can evolve at Level 40.
New Sprites
Of all the new and improved things this Rom Hack has, the most impressive ones are the new sprites. Alcanthite Team were in charge of design, a team made up of Alucus, Avara, Kyledove, and TaniJ, and they did a wonderful job with the overworld sprites; let me tell you, this Rom Hack doesn’t feel like an unofficial game at all! Just take a look at these models:
Walkthrough
This game’s battles aren’t hard, except for some crucial battles at the end. Nonetheless, the game can sometimes get confusing, as there will be some choke points where you’ll need help knowing where to go or who to talk with if you want to advance. That’s why I’m here to help! Let’s get started!
Introduction and Pallet Town
The first thing you’ll see is a small introduction with Professor Oak congratulating you for getting far into the Indigo League and then asking you to go to his Lab. Then, he’ll ask for your and your rival’s names. Of course, I named myself Ash, and I named my rival Gary; I wanted to live the complete experience; call me a freak if you want.
The game starts with you in your room; leave the place and go to Oak’s Lab. It is easy to find. Oak will receive you there, give you a Pikachu, and then let you get to his backyard, where all of Ash’s Pokémon are up for grabs.
You don’t need to pick all of Ash’s Pokémon; Nonetheless, I picked Charizard because I wanted to use it as my Fire-type Pokémon. I’ll use this moment to discuss what you’ll need on your team for this game!
Creating your Team
This is my team; it’s composed of Lapras (Water/Ice-type), Raichu (Electric-type), Vileplume (Grass/Poison-type), Nidoking (Ground/Poison-type), and Hypno (Psychic-type).
I didn’t build a weak team; it was wonderful to finish the game alongside these guys, but if I were to play this hack ROM again, I would make some small changes:
- The game is plagued with Water-types, so a Grass-type is a must. I picked Vileplume, but it didn’t give me the desired results, so instead, I would pick Ash’s Venusaur.
- There are also loads of Poison-types (I’m talking about loads of Tentacools) hoping to make your game experience totally miserable. Hypno or any other Psychic-type is a must. You can find alternatives on any Ground-types; Nidoking was perfect for this job!
- It’s mandatory to have Lapras on your team, as it’ll be your Surf user, and it’s very cool to Surf on a Lapras, not going to lie. Don’t worry, though, as Lapras is perfect for this game! It’ll become a beast as soon as it learns Ice Beam!
- Lastly, I know it feels wrong, but please, evolve Pikachu as soon as possible! Raichu will be very helpful in this game! You’ll get your hands on a Thunder Stone in the Trovitopolis Department Store halfway through the game; it’s a great moment to evolve Pikachu into a devastating Raichu!
How to Get to the Orange Islands
Leave Oak’s Lab and talk with your mom; she’ll give you the Running Shoes, so walking as slow as a Shuckle won’t be an issue for the rest of the game.
You’ll have to get to the Blimp Yard, north of Pallet Town. Follow Route 1 until getting to the PokéMart, where Misty and Brock are hanging around. Talk with Misty; she’ll give you the Orange Pass needed to get on a blimp. Now, head north again.
Before leaving, remember to buy a couple of Potions and Antidotes, as getting poisoned is a common thing in these first Routes (Thank you, Ekans, I appreciate it).
As you get to the Blimp Yard, you can get abroad on a blimp, which will take you to Valencia Island in the blink of an eye. By the way, the blimp flying animation is top-tier; I loved it!
Valencia Island
Welcome to Valencia Island, the starting point of your adventure. You are looking for Professor Ivy’s Lab, so follow the path, and you’ll make it to the town. I always recommend talking with every NPC of the game, as sometimes, you can get rewarded with items or some advice. For example, a fisherman in the very north of the island will give you the Old Rod.
As you get to Ivy’s Lab, you’ll have to go through a small event, and then Professor Ivy will take you to her Lab to give you the GS Ball. After that, the rest of the game is simple; head to the Blimp Yard, get back to Kanto, and give the GS Ball to Oak. The End. Roll the credits!
Just kidding, the Blimp to Kanto is under maintenance work, so you can’t return to Kanto. To continue, you need to talk with the worker outside the Blimp Yard; he’ll tell you that you can explore other islands while you wait for the Blimp to leave.
Then, a pilot will give you a ride as it’s going to pass over Tangelo Island. How will you land on the island? By parachuting, of course!
Tangelo Island
You’ll land on Tangelo Island’s Pokémon Park. Conveniently enough, Misty will be there, claiming she also parachuted into Tangelo Island. Finally, post-parachuting clarity comes to Misty, who claims she doesn’t know where she is, so she runs away, scared. Does Misty forget she knows how to Surf with her Pokémon? Probably.
You only need to head south and make it out of the park. As you get to the town, you’ll have an event where you’ll battle against some trainers seemingly hurting a Lapras.
After defeating the trainers, a known face will appear, taking the Lapras to a safe place. You can meet him in the Pokémon Center; it’s none other than Tracey, the best Orange Islands character! He’ll ask you to take care of the Lapras, and as you talk with the Lapras…
Team Rocket
Prepare for trouble, and make it double, as Team Rocket is here, and you’ll have to battle with them! This is their team:
- Arbok
- Weezing
- Lickitung
- Victreebel
All of them are at Level 10.
Quick Note: You’ll have many battles against Jesse and James, and they won’t change their team. The best way to proceed in a battle against them is by using Ground-type moves against Arbok and Weezing, Fighting-type moves against Lickitung, and Fire or Ice-type moves against Victreebel.
Also, you can’t easily paralyze any of Team Rocket’s Pokémon, as they are equipped with a Cheri Berry, which heals paralysis. So try to take them down directly or make them waste their berry!
After winning, Lapras will want to join your team. You can’t refuse this offer, as Lapras is needed to continue with the adventure. Now, talk with Tracey, who will encourage you to give a shot to the Orange Islands Gym Challenge, and after a small event with Oak through the Pokémon’s Skype, you can leave. Head to Route B, at the north. Next destination: Mikan Island!
Mikan Island
There’s nothing to do on this island besides the Gym, which is currently run by Cissy, a Water-type trainer.
But before getting there, I recommend you do some level grinding, as Cissy’s Pokémon are up to Level 22. I know it feels sudden, but otherwise, this game would be shorter and more boring.
Battle against Cissy
After training your Pokémon, you can finally challenge Cissy. She’ll laugh at you for asking by a Water Gun competition, so after making a fool of yourself, Cissy will accept your challenge. This is her team:
- Seadra (Lvl. 20)
- Blastoise (Lvl. 22)
Seadra isn’t especially hard to defeat, as its strongest move is Surf, but Blastoise can be very problematic as it has Skull Bash, and it’ll spam Withdraw as soon as it hits the battleground. However, you can try to damage it as much as possible with Pikachu, and if Blastoise uses Skull Bash and defeats Pikachu, finish the job with Lapras’ Body Slam.
After winning, you’ll get rewarded with the Coral Eye Badge. The next Gym is at Navel Island, far from your current location; it’ll be a long trip! To get there, you’ll have to stop on several islands, starting with Mandarin Island North.
Mandarin Island North
Unfortunately, there’s a problem going on in this place, as Pokémon don’t want to obey their trainers. The police officers are trying to investigate the issue, including Officer Jenny, my childhood crush, but as always, the 10-year-old kid is in charge of saving the day.
So, there’s an abandoned Power Plant on the north of the island, and there’s a Rocket Grunt guarding the place. I’m quite sure you know where this is going. After beating him, you can explore the place.
Rocket Hideout
The hideout is plagued with battles, so this is a great opportunity to put your team on point for the challenges ahead. The objective is to get to the last floor to find the Lift Key that will activate an elevator on the first floor.
Second Battle against Team Rocket and Butch & Cassidy
Jesse and James are waiting for you halfway through the hideout. This time, their team will be at Level 15. After beating them:
- Head to the last floor.
- Take the Lift Key (at the place shown in the following picture).
- Get to the elevator on the first floor. You have to go to Floor B1F.
As you get to Floor B1F, you’ll have to defeat some more Grunts, and then, you’ll see more familiar faces; they are Butch and Cassidy, the “perfect” Team Rocket Members! I hate these guys! They are using a poor Drowzee to hypnotize the Pokémon on this island, and you have to battle against them.
Butch:
- Mankey and Cloyster (Lvl. 20)
Cassidy:
Tentacool and Raticate (Lvl. 20)
The only Pokémon to be aware of is Cassidy’s Raticate with its Hyper Fang. Other than that, these battles are very easy. Lastly, you’ll have to battle against Drowzee. You can catch it; the Hypno on my team is exactly this Drowzee!
This Team Rocket is more a pest than a problem, and as you defeat Butch and Cassidy, they will leave the place. Officer Jenny will thank you, and you can continue with your adventure.
The Climb Kit
But before leaving, get to the building shown in the following picture.
There, you’ll find a hiker that will give you the Climb Kit needed to advance to the following island. In fact, this is the only part I don’t like about this game, as I spent a lot of time looking for a way to advance, and I found it the next day when I decided to explore Mandarin North again. At least this problem isn’t constant in this game, but it can ruin your gameplay experience.
The next destination is Sunburst Island, at the east.
Sunburst Island
Here you’ll find some interesting things, such as the Name Rater, who will allow you to put a nickname on your Pokémon, or a girl who will give you the TM31, Brick Break, a Fighting-type move. Charizard can learn it, and I recommend having it on any of your Pokémon!
You’ll also have the Crystal Cave event with the Crystal Onix here, which you can only catch once you finish the game. I know, it’s very sad. After helping Mateo, he’ll give you the TM39, Rock Tomb, and if you surf into the lake, you’ll find a shortcut where you’ll find the TM28, Dig. I recommend you teach Dig to Pikachu!
It’s time to leave. Now, head south of the island and start surfing from there. Midway through Route E, turn east, and follow the water path.
Surprise at Route E; Third Battle Against Team Rocket
Shortly before getting to your next destination, you’ll be intercepted by a giant Magikarp… Well, it’s not a Magikarp; it’s the Magiship! Prepare for trouble, and make it double because you’ll be having your third battle against Team Rocket! They want to steal Pikachu, and, as usual, you’ll have to send them to a blast-off.
This time, their team will be at Level 20, but this battle will be a walk in the park with Pikachu and its brand-new Dig tactic!
After the battle, you’ll be close to Pinkan Island. But first, you’ll see a wall of whirlpools. Don’t worry; you can cross through them if you push yourself through the same place shown in the following picture. Then, you’ll have to use the Climb Kit I talked about earlier to get on land.
Pinkan Island
After arriving, you’ll have a small event with Tracey and a pink Rhyhorn, who isn’t very happy with you. You can catch this bad boy, but if you are short on Poké Balls, it’s better to keep them, as there will be a better Pokémon for your team.
After the event, you can explore the island; every Pokémon here is pink, including an angry Nidoking, who only wanted to eat something; that’s why it was chasing Jesse and James! After that, you’ll have to battle against it. I caught it, though; it’s the same one I have on my team!
Battle Against Gary
There’s not much to do left on the island, so you can leave. The way out is at the east of the island. As you get there, another known character will meet you; it’s none other than Gary! I didn’t expect him here, so he took me by surprise.
That’s what I just said; please, Gary, don’t be silly. You’ll have to battle against him, though; this will be his team:
- Eevee (Lvl. 22)
- Blastoise (Lvl. 25)
- Arcanine (Lvl. 22)
- Golem (Lvl. 25)
- Nidoqueen (Lvl. 22)
- Nidoking (Lvl. 22)
This battle can be difficult, so here are some tips for you:
- Eevee will start spamming Double Team as if its life depends on it, so landing a hit can be difficult. Then, it’ll attack you with Take Down. If you can’t take it down, let Take Down take it down by you. What a tongue twister!
- Blastoise has Withdraw and Hydro Pump, but it’s not a threat if you have a Grass-type Pokémon in your party.
- Arcanine, Golem, and both Nidoqueen and Nidoking will be easy to defeat with Lapras; a single Surf will be enough.
If you haven’t skipped any battle of the game, your Pokémon should be at ~Level 28, making this battle pretty easy overall. After winning, you can finally leave this island. Next destination: Fukuhara Island.
Fukuhara Island
Welcome to Fukuhara Island! At first sight, there are no signs of human beings in this place, but if you get further into the island, You’ll find some archeologists, and you’ll have to battle with them. But don’t worry; Water-type moves can do the job.
It looks like there’s archeological research going on here. The girl you see in the following picture is Nurse Joy, who is passionate about fossils! Good to know. You’ll offer some help, and Joy will accept, so now, you can explore the Bay Cave! To help you with the task, she’ll give you the Pickaxe, which is necessary to break the rocks you can usually break with the HM06, Rock Smash.
The Bay Cave is pretty small and easy to get deep on. Your mission is to find the breakable rocks of the place and break them until finding something, so that’s what you must do! Pretty easy! Nonetheless, if you want to skip some time, the fossil is exactly in this place:
Bring the Dome Fossil to Archeologist Joy, who will ask you to take it to the Museum of Moro Island. You’ll be there soon, and I’ll remind you of the fossil when we get there. Then, you can finally leave the island.
Route G and a Battle Against Misty
There’s a small island on this route. Here, you’ll find Misty doing something totally irresponsible and dangerous such as stepping on the border of a cliff.
After this event, Misty will want to battle against you. This is her team:
- Goldeen (Lvl. 22)
- Psyduck (Lvl. 22)
- Horsea (Lvl. 22)
- Staryu (Lvl. 22)
- Starmie (Lvl. 25)
Even though you haven’t healed your Pokémon, this battle shouldn’t be much of a problem with a proper Grass-type Pokémon and Pikachu. Her Pokémon are at the same level as the wild ones around the place. Misty doesn’t even train her Pokémon properly. How did she manage to be a Gym Leader? Truly disappointing.
It’s time to get to Kinnow Island; this is the last stop before getting to Navel Island!
Kinnow Island
I love this place, it’s chilling, and there’s not much to do here!
The best thing you can do here is attending to the Pokémon Showboat, which isn’t more than the typical SS Anne-kinda event that is a must in every Pokémon game. In addition, there’s an event in the theater of the place, which at the end, you’ll get rewarded with the TM24, Thunderbolt, a great move for Pikachu!
A juggler also tells you off for entering rooms without knocking on the door. Finally, someone addressed this neverending topic. Thank you, unknown juggler!
Route H
There’s an event here with a Nurse Joy, who loves to help hurt Pokémon. So if you help rescue a giant Magikarp who got stranded, she’ll give you the Scuba Gear, which will let you explore the depths of the sea.
Navel Island
Finally, welcome to Navel Island! The Gym Challenge ahead is very tough, as you have to climb Navel Mountain (Like Ash did in the anime) and then challenge Danny, Navel Island’s Gym Leader, to a battle. So, let’s head to Navel Mountain.
Navel Mountain
You can’t use the Cable Car if you want to claim the badge, so you’ll have to climb the mountain. As you get on it, you’ll see Tracey and Misty sitting on a bench. Are they dating? I don’t think so; probably, they just don’t want to climb the mountain with you. The mountain is easy to climb, as there are no detours; you only need to follow the path.
Battle Against Danny
Danny is at the peak of the mountain, and sadly, there’s no Ice Shed race with the Team Rocket disturbing you (They haven’t appeared for a while, I think the Pink Nidoking ate them). Instead, it’s time to battle against Danny. This is his team:
- Geodude (Lvl. 30)
- Scyther (Lvl. 32)
- Electrode (Lvl. 30)
- Nidoqueen (Lvl. 35)
- Machoke (Lvl. 32)
This was a great battle; I enjoyed it because it was quite difficult.
- Geodude and Electrode are easy to defeat; Geodude will fall with a single Grass-type move, and Electrode will do the same with any Ground-type move. That’s why teaching Dig to Pikachu is very important!
- Scyther was slightly harder to defeat, as it has Swords Dance and Aerial Ace, which is lethal. Nonetheless, Charizard helped me do the job with its Ember. In fact, my Charizard handled a Critical hit from Scyther, hanging on the battlefield with only 4 HP!
- Nidoqueen is the biggest issue of the battle. Lapras’ Surf hurts it greatly, but it has Superpower, which can obliterate Lapras with no problems. So, the secondary option to defeat it can be a Psychic-type Pokémon, like the Drowzee from the Rocket Hideout or Exeggutor.
- Lastly, Machoke isn’t a big deal. If you have a Flying-type Pokémon, it’ll be easy to defeat. If not, any neutral option can be a good one. Just don’t let Lapras against it.
After winning, Danny will give you the Sea Ruby Badge. The third Gym is at Trovita Island, which isn’t far from your current location, but you’ll still have to go through some islands first.
Grapefruit Islands
Welcome to Grapefruit Islands, which isn’t more than just a collection of small islands with grapefruit gardens. The only remarkable thing here is the tall grass patches on some islands where you’ll find Pokémon like Kakuna, Metapod, or Mankey.
There’s also a small event with an intruder, which is eating all the grapefruits of the place. This intruder isn’t more than a Snorlax, and you can catch it! It’s an excellent Pokémon and can be a great option if you don’t want to use Nidoking.
Now, head south until getting to Moro Island.
Moro Island
First things first, remember to deliver the Dome Fossil to the Moro Museum. You should also explore the place; maybe you can learn a thing or two. By the way, you’ll get the revived Pokémon, which is a Kabuto, after beating the game.
And that’s all you have to do here. Then, head west to get to Golden Island.
Golden Island
Golden Island’s habitants give their lives for Meowth, which they name the Meowth of bounty. Or these guys like cats to the point where I don’t think it’s healthy, or they pray for Meowth because of the money. I hope it’s the second one. Please, I need it to be the second one.
The crowd is praying for a Meowth, but this one doesn’t know Pay Day to give them money. Instead, this one knows how to chit-chat. It’s Team Rocket’s Meowth if you haven’t realized it yet, and you arrived just in time to see how this guy scammed an entire town. That’s a lesson for you kids; plan your scams with anticipation!
There’s nothing else to do here. So let’s move on; this place is giving me chills. The next destination is Murcott Island.
Murcott Island
You’ll find a man who will give you the TM40, which contains Aerial Ace, in a house next to the Murcott Meadows entrance. This great move will help you deal with the Fighting-type Pokémon!
Murcott Meadows
There’s not much to do here, but I recommend exploring the place as it’s filled with objects and some interesting Pokémon, like Butterfly and Venomoth. For example, I found the TM06, Toxic, in the very east of the place.
After exploring, you’ll have to head south, as you are only one step away from Trovita Island.
Mandarin Island South
I automatically fell in love with this place only because there’s a man in a building at the northernmost part of the island who gives you the HM02, Fly. So now, you can return to any place you have visited! Thank you, man!
Battle Against Prima
This battle is optional, but I’ll add it to this guide as it’s one of the hardest battles of the game. If you beat FireRed or LeafGreen, you know Prima, one of the Elite Four members of Kanto’s Pokémon League. Prima lives on this island, in a big house south of the place.
I don’t recommend battling against her yet, as her Pokémon are at Level 50, and I’m pretty sure your Pokémon are at least at Level 35. Instead, you can either wait to battle against her shortly before challenging Drake or after completing the game; this is up to you.
Let’s see Prima’s team:
- Dewgong (Lvl. 50) (Blizzard, Safeguard)
- Cloyster (Lvl. 50) (Ice Beam)
- Lapras (Lvl. 50) (Safeguard, Hydro Pump, Body Slam)
- Jynx (Lvl. 50) (Blizzard)
- Slowbro (Lvl. 50) (Disable, Surf)
So let’s take a closer look at Prima’s team.
- Prima will start with Dewgong. The first thing it’ll do is set a Safeguard, preventing Prima’s Pokémon from getting a status condition. You can’t sleep, poison, or paralyze them until the Safeguard ends. Dewgong can be defeated with a couple of Thunderbolts from Pikachu/Raichu, and if you need other options, strong Steel and Rock-type moves can be a good choice. The same goes for Cloyster.
- Lapras will also set Safeguards, and its Body Slam is a thing to be aware of. Otherwise, Grass and Electric-type moves can seriously hurt it, but remember that it’s a Lapras, a bulky Pokémon with great Defenses, so it’s preferable to attack it through a Special move.
- Jynx and Slowbro can be defeated with Bug, Dark, or Ghost-type moves.
- Slowbro can use Disable in the first turn, and if it disables your strongest move, you can switch your Pokémon out of the field can remove the effect.
Second Battle Against Gary
Gary will appear at the entrance of Route M, claiming he’s the best trainer in the world. But, of course, that’s a lie; let’s see his team:
- Eevee (Lvl. 30)
- Golem (Lvl. 32)
- Nidoqueen (Lvl. 32)
- Nidoking (Lvl. 32)
- Arcanine (Lvl. 32)
- Blastoise (Lvl. 32)
Gary doesn’t change his team, so you already know his team’s flaws; All of his Pokémon except for Blastoise and Eevee are weak against Water-type moves, while Blastoise can easily be defeated with Pikachu’s Thunderbolt.
Route M
If you keep track to the north, you’ll get to Yambera (Yes, it’s not a town, it’s not a city, it’s only Yambera. Thanks for the anxiety), which is a small village. You’ll be going through Route M, which is great, as you’ll find Growlithe and Vulpix here!
Midway through the route, Team Rocket will come to annoy you again, this time in their Meowth-hot air Balloon. I love it!
You know the drill against them; Arbok, Weezing, Victreebel, and Lickitung, all at Level 30 and equipped with a Cheri Berry.
Yambera
This place is more of a transient village, as there’s not much to do here. However, there’s a quest where you have to look for some Nidoran that belongs to two trainers who like each other but don’t want to admit it. If you want to play cupid with them, the Nidoran-Lovebirds are hidden in some bushes next to Yambera Lake.
After reuniting both Pokémon and Trainers, you’ll receive the Poison Barb, a great item to put on a Nidoking!
Route N
Route N is desertic and has some interesting Pokémon. You can find Magnemite, Marowak, Rhyhorn, Charmander, and Kangaskhan in this place. Kangaskhan is a beast of a Pokémon; if you still have a spot left in your party, this Pokémon can be perfect.
Fourth Battle Against Team Rocket
You’ll find a small event with Team Rocket, which means you’ll have another battle. They have the same team as always, but all their Pokémon are at Level 32.
Trovitopolis
Welcome to Trovitopolis! It’s such a big city, so there’s much to dig into here. Of course, the most important point about this place is the Department Store, which is the obligatory Mall every Pokémon game must have. I was looking for a Thunder Stone to evolve Pikachu into Raichu, and I found it on the fourth floor! You can also find the rest of the elemental stones here!
A researcher in the Pokémon Center will gift you a Porygon. Here’s the only place where you can find it. And at the end of the city, you’ll find a house where two mediums will give you some gifts. You’ll receive the TM04, Calm Mind, and the Twisted Spoon, which enhances the power of Psychic-type moves.
Lastly, there’s a small event with Trovitopolis’ Mayor and the Trovitopolis sewers. It turns out that the Trovitopolis Mayor prohibited people from getting near the sewers. Nonetheless, the Policeman who guards it is fast asleep, and as you love breaking the rules as much as I do, let’s explore the place!
Trovitopolis Sewers
I’m pretty sure the place doesn’t smell good, but at least you’ll find unique Pokémon such as Grimer and Koffing. There’s a back room on the first floor of the place, which is at the back. If you advance without taking any staircase, you’ll get there. In this back room, you’ll find a Bulbasaur. If you give it a deeper inspection, you’ll realize it is the Mayor’s Bulbasaur, so you have to take it back to the surface!
Before taking the Bulbasaur to its owner, you can explore the rooms with staircases. For example, I found the TM36, Sludge Bomb, in exactly the place shown in the following picture.
This poor Bulbasaur wasn’t lost; as it seems, Bulbasaur was left by the Mayor on the place when he was a child, and that’s why he prohibited trespassing in the sewers.
Officer Jenny appears, rewards you with the TM22, Solar Beam, and then you can move to Trovita Island to claim your third badge.
Trovita Island
Of course, before getting into the Gym, heal your Pokémon and explore the place for a while. A man in a house will give you the Super Rod. And on the other house of the place, you’ll find the Move Tutor, who will teach your Pokémon any move that it could have learned on a previous level in exchange for a Heart Scale.
After exploring, you can now challenge Ruby.
Battle Against Ruby
As you first talk with him, he’ll ask you to go outside, as you’ll battle in a cooler place than in a building. Then, you will get to a high cliff that’s only accessible through a hot air balloon! This is really cool!
Enough chit-chat. Time for the battle. This is Rudy’s team:
- Electabuzz (Lvl. 40)
- Exeggutor (Lvl. 40)
- Starmie (Lvl. 40)
This one is probably the most accessible Gym Battle. If you come prepared, as I did, this will be a walk in the park, but if you don’t, here are some tips to get these three Pokémon down:
- Electabuzz is weak to Ground-types. Raichu’s Dig is a great option to avoid getting hit by an effective move. Be aware of Electabuzz’s Static, as it can paralyze your Pokémon. Electabuzz has Brick Break; don’t let your Dark or Ice-type Pokémon hit the battleground.
- You can defeat Exeggutor with Lapras’ Ice Beam or any strong Fire-type move (weak Embers will not work here, though). It isn’t as bulky as it seems at first sight.
- Starmie has Psychic, so don’t use any Poison-type against it. Go for a Thunderbolt with Pikachu or a Grass-type move. Any Dark-type move will work too.
As you win, Rudy will give you the TM29, Psychic, and Spike Shell Badge. Now we can explore the north part of the Orange Archipelago; it’s considerably shorter than what we know, but it’s full of dangers!
Do you remember Route F? some whirlpools were blocking the path to the northern islands of the Orange Archipelago. Well, Before leaving, go to talk with the older woman of the island, who will give you the Whirlpuller, which will let you cross the Whirlpools that block your way to Fairchild Island, your next destination.
Fairchild Island
This place comes with a warning, as there are some wild, fully evolved Pokémon here. Nonetheless, I only found Pidgeot and Rhydon here. Oh, and the Team Rocket is running away again; this is hilarious because there’s a sign in the same place that warns inexperienced trainers about the dangers you’ll find in this place.
Route Q, Fifth Battle Against Team Rocket
And here’s Team Rocket. Time to fight them again; kicking them out of sight is getting repetitive. This time all of them are at Level 35. Also, Arbok has Dig, be careful.
Midway through Route Q, you’ll find yourself with a bifurcation. You can go to Shamouti Island if you head west and to Cleopatra Island if you go to the east. There’s nothing else after Shamouti Island, so it’s more of a touristic place, while Cleopatra Island is the way to go if you want to continue with the adventure.
Shamouti Island is a traditional place that runs a yearly Legend Festival, letting you catch Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. However, it’s only unlocked after completing the game.
Cleopatra Island
This one is another short island, Like Fairchild Island. This one doesn’t have any Pokémon that you haven’t seen already; let’s move on. If you continue to the east and head north, you’ll get to Ascorbia Island.
Ascorbia Island
Welcome to Ascorbia Island, one of the biggest Islands of the Orange Archipelago. As soon as you arrive, you’ll find some problems, as the Team Wartortle, the firefighters of the place, got kidnapped by two guys dressed in black. I think you know who they are. Their leader and trainer, Aidan, will ask you for help; you have to head to the Ascorbia Forest.
Ascorbia Forest
The forest is plagued by Pokémon like Bellsprout, Tangela, or Paras and Parasect. I found the TM19, Giga Drain, at the north of the forest. This one is the best Grass-type drain move! Deep in the forest, you’ll find Aidan and a warehouse with a big red R on the door. Aidan will help you break into the place, so it’s time for another Rocket dungeon!
Rocket Warehouse; Sixth Battle Against Team Rocket
Of course, Jessie and James will be here, and they will offer you another battle. These three are now getting on my nerves; now I know what Ash feels when he sees them. They have the same team as always but at Level 40. Then, you’ll find the Wartortles and the real masterminds behind the Wartortle heist: Butch and Cassidy. Time to fight against them. First up is Cassidy; this is her team:
- Raticate (Lvl. 40)
- Tentacruel (Lvl. 40)
And then against Butch. This is his team:
- Cloyster (Lvl. 40)
- Primeape (Lvl. 40)
These two battles should be simple at this point. Remember that Raticate is weak to Fighting-type moves, Tentacruel is weak against Ground-types, Cloyster can’t stand a chance against Grass-types, and Primeape can’t resist Flying-type moves.
After winning, Aidan will help you free Team Wartortle, and you can continue your travel. If you visit Aidan in his house, he’ll gift you the TM35, Flamethrower.
Your next destination should be Butwal Island, on the west. It’s pretty near Ascorbia; you can literally see it as soon as you put a foot on Route S.
Butwal Island
I don’t know why, but people don’t let you take a rest. Now, a guy named Gulzar, who claims to be the best Grass-type trainer of the Orange Islands, wants to challenge you to a battle. He only owns a Gloom (Lvl. 40), so I love his enthusiasm, but it’s hard to consider you the best Grass-type trainer with a team like that.
Then, you can move to the small village. There, Gulzar is waiting for you; if you talk with him, he’ll give you the HM01, Cut. Unfortunately, there’s not much to do with Cut in the whole game, so it feels more like having memorabilia at this point.
At least there’s a useful Hiker in the house at south who teaches Rock Slide to one of your Pokémon. Pretty useful against Flying and Ice-types!
That’s all Butwal Island has to offer. Let’s move on.
Kumquat Island
Finally, you arrived at your last destination before the Pokémon League; Kumquat Island. Of course, the first thing you should do is explore the whole place and talk with everybody. The Gym is in the giant building, which also works as the majestic Kumquat Hotel, but Luana, the Gym Leader, isn’t there yet; first, you must look for her.
Tracey and Misty are on the beach, having some fun in the sun, and when you find them, an unknown lady will come to you, looking for his son, Travis. This lady is Luana, and she will invite you to her Gym in the Kumquat Hotel!
Battle against Luana
The battle against Luana is a Double Battle; therefore, you must have at least two Pokémon. You’ll need something strong against Ground-types, hence why a guy in the hotel lobby will give you the TM23, Iron Tail, which is effective against Ground-types. Pikachu can learn it!
Before starting, I suggest putting your Bug, Dark or Ghost-type user in the first slot of your party and Lapras in your second slot. Well, are you ready? This is Luana’s team:
- Alakazam (Lvl. 46)
- Marowak (Lvl. 46)
Bug, Dark, and Ghost-types are effective against Psychic-types; therefore, they can seriously hurt Alakazam. On the other hand, Marowak, as it’s a Ground-type, can’t resist Water-type moves. A couple of Ice Beams should be enough to take Marowak down.
I had the luck of having such a strong Pokémon as it is Nidoking, which swept Alakazam in a single turn with a Megahorn, and then Lapras put Marowak to sleep with its Ice Beam. As you win, Luana will give you the Jade Star Badge and the TM26, Earthquake.
You are only one step away from completing the game. Your last stop will be on Pummelo Island. To get there, you’ll have to head west. But first, you’ll have to go through some small filling islands.
Rind and Salveyo Island
Rind Island
Here, you’ll meet Quincy T. Quackenpoker, a Magikarp watcher. I’m not quite sure if this can be either the best or the worst job on earth. Nonetheless, if you join him in his investigation, you’ll see how some Magikarps evolve into Gyarados! Also, as a gift, he’ll give you a Dragon Fang, which boosts the damage of Dragon-type moves.
Salveyo Island
On this island, you’ll find a cabin where trainers can rest. If you get there, guess who is there; Tracey and Misty. They are moving fast on their relationship, nice!
Well, not so fast, as Tracey got paralyzed because his head got stuck in a Vileplume’s head. So now, you’ll have to look for a special weed named Salveyo Weed to cure your friend.
Finding the weed isn’t hard either, as a Poliwag will give it to you. In short words, this place is highly avoidable.
Pummelo Island
Finally, it’s time to finish this Gym Challenge. Misty and Tracey will appear as you arrive, and Misty will challenge you to a battle. If you accept, this will be her team:
- Goldeen (Lvl. 40)
- Psyduck (Lvl. 40)
- Horsea (Lvl. 40)
- Starmie (Lvl. 40)
- Poliwag (Lvl. 40) (with Swagger, be careful)
- Staryu (Lvl. 40)
Misty is very easy to defeat with Raichu and any Grass-type Pokémon!
There are some trainers in the first house you’ll see as soon as you arrive on the island that can teach your Pokémon moves like Double-Edge, Crunch, Dragon Dance, Substitute, and Seismic Toss. Of all these moves, the ones I like the most are Dragon Dance and Crunch, which is a Dark-type move.
That’s all in the town; time to go to the Palace of Victory. The thing is that, as soon as you put some steps on the stairway to the place, Gary will appear, challenging you to a battle. This will be his team:
- Eevee (Lvl. 45)
- Nidoking (Lvl. 45)
- Golem (Lvl. 45)
- Nidoqueen (Lvl. 45)
- Blastoise (Lvl. 45)
- Arcanine (Lvl. 45)
Again, Gary’s team is very weak.
- You can defeat most of its team with Lapras and its Surf. Nidoking, Golem, Nidoqueen, and Arcanine don’t have chances against Lapras.
- Eevee is a tricky Pokémon; it’ll use Double Team in the first turn. Nonetheless, it’s still an Eevee, so a single Fighting-type move will be enough to take it down. Lastly, Blastoise can be easily defeated with Raichu and its Thunderbolt. Gary, let me tell you, your team is totally unbalanced.
Gary leaves, defeated, and you can continue. However, before even getting to the Stadium, you need to talk with Drake, who is contemplating his achievements in the Palace of Victory. Don’t worry; your name will be there in a while. After talking with Drake, you can now head to the Stadium. It’s big and stunning; I love it!
Battle against Drake
And this is it. There’s no Elite Four; it’s only you against Drake. This is his team:
- Ditto (Lvl. 50)
- Electabuzz (Lvl. 50)
- Onix (Lvl. 50)
- Gengar (Lvl. 50) (Confuse Ray and Shadow Ball)
- Venusaur (Lvl. 50) (Solar Beam)
- Dragonite (Lvl. 52) (Dragon Dance)
This battle was very epic. Epic enough that I recorded and uploaded it to YouTube. You can see it here!
Let’s see what you can do:
- Drake will start with Ditto, so before starting the battle, you can put a Pokémon you know you can defeat easily in the first slot of your party. For example, I put Charizard on my first slot, so Ditto cloned into it. Then, I switched to Nidoking, which has Rock Slide. Easy job!
- Defeating Electabuzz is simple; go ahead with your Ground-type user. This Electabuzz only has Electric-type moves, so it’s easy to defeat. Nonetheless, it can paralyze your Pokémon with its ability, Static.
- Onix can’t stand any Special Water or Grass-type move. I went for Vileplume with Giga Drain as Giga Drain is a Special move, hence why I defeated Onix on a single turn.
- This Gengar singlehandedly defeated me the first time I battled against Drake because I had bad luck with its Confuse Ray. There’s no simple way to prevent your Pokémon from getting confused, and even if you try to heal them, Gengar will just use Confuse Ray again. This time, it’s you against luck! Psychic and Ground-type moves can deal a lot of damage to Gengar.
- You can defeat Venusaur the same way you defeated Gengar; through Psychic-type moves. It’ll set the sunlight to use Solar Beam, so you can use its tactic to your advantage by using a Fire-type Pokémon against it!
- Lastly, Dragonite. I expected much more from it, but Lapras, with a single Ice Beam, was able to defeat it. If you don’t have the chance to use Ice Beam, you can rely on trying to hit it with Raichu’s Electric-type moves.
FAQs
Question: Which are the Best Pokémon to Beat Pokémon Orange Islands?
Answer: My favorites are Lapras and Nidoking. Using Lapras is mandatory as it’ll be your transportation during the game, so training it is easy. On the other hand, Nidoking is obtainable in the early stages of the game, and it’s a versatile Pokémon that can learn Fighting, Water, Electric, Ground, Rock, Poison, Bug, and even Ghost-type moves!
Question: Which is the Hardest Battle of Pokémon Orange Islands?
Answer: In my opinion, Danny offers the hardest battle of the game. However, it isn’t an unfair one; the difficulty of this battle comes from Danny’s team’s great balance. Another battle that deserves mention is the one against Drake, as its Gengar is a headache.
Question: Is Pokémon Orange Islands a Hard Game?
Answer: No, it isn’t; I think this hackROM is focused more on the story and the visuals than on the difficulty, which is great, as its objective is to create a faithful representation of Ash’s adventures in the Orange Islands but in a videogame.
Conclusion
And this is it! The thousands of Tentacools you defeated, the hundreds of Water-type trainers with Seels and Goldeens you had to face, all of that was worth it because of this moment; now, you can enjoy seeing your name in the Orange Islands’ Hall of Fame. Congratulations! Hey, and don’t forget to give the GS Ball to Professor Oak!
As I said at the start of the article, this is one of the best anime-based hackROMs I’ve ever played, and I’m sure I’ll play it again as soon as I want to have a refreshing adventure. Lastly, I want to thank Kalarie for creating such a masterpiece! Wonderful job!
