How to battle Professor Oak in Pokemon Red and Blue

If you’ve ever played the first generation Pokemon games before then you’re familiar with Professor Oak, the kindly and renowned Pokemon scientist who gifts players with their very first starter Pokemon (I chose Bulbasaur. I’m a rebel I know) as well as a PokeDex — an electronic, Pokemon-cataloguing encyclopedia. Professor Oak serves as the player’s sagacious mentor throughout the first generation Pokemon games, a knowledgeable figure to whom you can turn for advice or to check in with as you discover new Pokemon for the very first time.

But did you know you can actually battle Professor Oak in Pokemon Red and Blue? That’s because unused trainer data for Professor Oak exists in the first generation Pokemon games containing five Pokemon so formidable that they put both Blue (Professor Oak’s grandson and the player’s rival) and the Elite Four to shame. Professor Oak’s team in Pokemon Red and Blue consists of a level 66 Tauros, a level 67 Exeggutor, a level 68 Arcanine, a level 70 Gyarados and one of the three starting Kanto Pokemon at level 69.

There’s a distinct possibility that Professor Oak was meant to be added as a late-game opponent for players to face off against after defeating the Elite Four and Blue, but for whatever reason he didn’t make it int the final cut of the game — but here’s how you can take advantage of glitches in the game to battle Professor Oak in Pokemon Red and Blue.

How to battle Professor Oak in Pokemon Red and Blue/YouTube

How to battle Professor Oak in Pokemon Red and Blue

The trick to engaging in battle with Professor Oak in Pokemon Red and Blue is by taking advantage of the Ditto glitch.

You’ll need some opportune timing, a fully healed Pokemon party, a Pokemon that knows Fly, a Pokemon with a 226 Special stat and a Pokemon that knows Growl.

1. First, start off in Lavender Town and make your way to Route 8 until you see another trainer. Keep out of the trainer’s line of sight and instead head to the tile directly beneath the entrance to the underground path. (If you don’t want to select the trainer on Route 8, you have to pick a trainer that walks up to you after spotting you with an exclamation point over their head.)

2. Next, press down and Start at the same time and go into the trainer’s line of sight. Quickly use the Pokemon that knows Fly and fly to Cerulean City. When the trainer spots you an exclamation point will appear over his head, but if you time it correctly you’ll still use Fly anyways instead of fighting him. (You do this so that the game thinks you’re still in combat when you’re actually not.)

3. Go to Route 24, traverse the Nugget Bridge and take a left where a Youngster is waiting in the grass. Battle him and defeat him.

4. Now fly to Fuschia City, making sure you have the Pokemon with the 226 Special stat in your party. Make your way to Route 15 and find a wild Ditto in the grass there. Let the Ditto use Transform on your Pokemon with the 226 Special stat.

5. Now switch to your Pokemon with the move Growl. The Pokemon on Professor Oak’s team vary according to how many times you use the move Growl on the transformed Ditto. If you use Growl 4 times, Oak will have a Blastoise. If you Growl 5 times, he will have a Venusaur. If you Growl 6 times he will have a Charizard.) Once you’ve used Growl the necessary amount of times, you can actually flee the battle.

6. When you’re finished Growling at Ditto and have fled the fight, head back to Lavender Town so you can fight against the professor you previously thought didn’t have a combative bone in their body. Head to the PC there and assemble the team you want to do battle with but be careful not to heal them or save the game, as this could potentially reset the glitch.

7. Leave the Pokemon Center and head towards the exit of Lavender Town on the left side. If you’ve executed the glitch successfully then your menu should pop up unprompted.

8. Battle Professor Oak in Pokemon Red and Blue and be the envy of all your peers (if this was thirty years ago).

If you’re still having difficulty, you can refer to this video below:

What did you think of this guide on how to battle Professor Oak in Pokemon Red and Blue? Were you able to beat Professor Oak on you first try? Let us know in the comments.