| Encounters in the area | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tall Grass | ||||
| Pokémon | Types | Level | Rarity | |
 |
Pidgey | 3-4 | 40% | |
 |
Rattata | 3-4 | 30% | |
 |
Oddish | 3-4 | P: 30% | |
 |
Bellsprout | 3-4 | E: 30% | |
As you travel through Route 1, you’ll find wild Pokémon roaming around in the tall grass. Unlike the older Pokémon games, you can see Pokémon on the field and you have to run into them in order to start a battle with them. Additionally, you no longer fight to weaken wild Pokémon using your own Pokémon but instead simply toss Poké Balls at them as they move about. You start with 50 Poké Balls, which should be enough to catch plenty of Pokémon on Route 1 and the following areas.
This is a good opportunity to practice catching Pokémon since catching Pokémon is how you gain Experience Points (EXP) that can be used to level up your Pokémon. Don’t worry about catching Pokémon you already have, too, because you’ll still gain EXP and you may find that a new catch is better than an older one due to having better stats or being at a higher level.
Some Pokémon have different movement patterns while you’re trying to catch them. For instance, Pidgey may fly up periodically, which can throw off where you’re aiming. Most Pokémon can also taunt you, where they will unleash a cry and remove the catching ring temporarily — any attempts to catch a Pokémon while the catching ring is not shown will fail. Sometimes it may be worth waiting for a Pokémon to finish taunting before throwing Poké Balls, although keep in mind that waiting too long may result in the Pokémon running away from the battle.
Go ahead and head to the north. Keep in mind that you can jump down the ledges you see along the way, but can’t climb up them — they’re a one-way shortcut. The path along Route 1 is pretty straightforward, thankfully. It’s very tough to get lost.
As you reach the end of the route, your Pikachu or Eevee will direct its attention to a bush in the top-right corner. Whenever this happens, you should go over there and check it out. In this case, you’ll receive a Razz Berry for your troubles, which makes it easier to catch Pokémon. These items periodically respawn, too, and may be different each time they respawn.
Catching lots of Pokémon? Great! But remember that after you have six Pokémon in your party, all caught Pokémon will wind up in your Pokémon Box instead. You can access that from either the Bag or the Pokémon Menu. Inside of the Pokémon Box, you’ll find your party Pokémon marked with a number on them, and then any extra Pokémon stored inside. From there, you can add Pokémon to your party. You can also choose the Send to professor option to release the Pokémon and earn stat-boosting candy for it, which might be good if you end up catching a few too many Rattata.
At the far north end of Route 1 is the entrance to Viridian City.