15 – Union Cave (First Visit)

Once inside, follow the path to the left. Take a moment to head all the way to left to get the item ball which has a X-Attack inside. After that, you have a choice to explore the cave or just head through, by heading up or down respectively.

Going Up:
A shot ways up you encounter a trainer, Firebreather Ray. He has a Vulpix, lvl. 9. It has Ember, Roar and Tail Whip. Roar is of some concern as it forces your Pokemon off the battlefield and it is replaced by another on your team at random. Ray only has the one Pokemon, so after him, head up a little, then to the left and down the stairs to reach the next part of the Cave. For now, head to the left to reach the item ball at the end of this short path, which has TM 39, Rock Tomb, inside. Head back to the right then upwards. You will find another item ball which has a X Defend in it. That is all you can get for now, as you need Surf, and later Strength to get to everything else inside. Time to head back up and head downwards

Going Down:
As the path winds around the large boulder, you see Hiker Daniel, who you can challenge standing on the other side, looking across the cave. He only has an Onix, lvl. 11. It knows Rock Throw, Screech, Bind and Harden. It is likely to play defensive a bit, hardening, followed by using Screech then Rock Throw. After Daniel, head to the right and down a bit to encounter Hiker Russel. He opens with a Geodude, lvl. 4. Most of your team is likely much higher than this, so its Tackle, Defense Curl and Mud Sport will do very little against you. After that, he sends out either Geodude lvl. 6, which is much the same as the one at lvl. 4 or Geodude lvl. 8. The one at lvl. 8 has Rock Polish added to its arsenal, which can boost its Speed, but that is it, giving it a better place in terms of priority. After Russel, just follow the path a moments as it goes right then downwards. Just follow it down until you reach a wall and an item ball, which contains a Great Ball. You will encounter Firebreather Bill along the way. He has Koffing, lvl. 6. It has Tackle, Poison Gas and Smog. Smog is an attack that has a chance to poison your Pokemon, so hopefully you have an antidote or two on hand, just in case. It is also a moderately tough Pokemon, so expect it to take a hit or two more than you would otherwise suspect. After that Koffing, he has another one, lvl. 6. Just rinse and repeat.

After this, head to the left to continue onwards.  Take a moment though to walk down the narrow and winding path above the water in this area to find another item ball, this one has a Potion inside it. After that, head downwards again. You will encounter another trainer, Poke Maniac Larry. He will challenge you, opening up with Slowpoke lvl. 11. It knows Water Gun, Growl, Tackle and Yawn. Yawn is an interesting attack, as it will make the Pokemon fall asleep a turn later. It is also very likely to use Yawn, then attack with Water Gun. After Larry, head downwards and to the right, headed toward the exit. Take a moment to grab the item ball near the exit though, as it has an Awakening inside it. Head on out of the Union Cave onto Route 33.




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