So you’ve conquered all eight Gyms in the Kanto region and defeated the Elite Four to become the Pokémon League Champion, huh? Well, that hardly means you’re finished with Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! Intrepid explorers will find that there’s still much to be done before your Pokémon adventure is truly complete, and this guide will help you plan what extra challenges you wish to tackle.

Legendary Pokémon Take Flight

To be fair, three of the four Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!—Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres—can be encountered before becoming the Pokémon League Champion. But you need to decide whether you want to attempt to catch them before or after taking on the Elite Four. Unlike most wild Pokémon encounters in these games, you will have to battle the Legendary Pokémon before attempting to catch them. Holding off on your attempts gives your Pokémon team time to level up more, potentially making the battles easier. On the other hand, if you do manage to catch them before arriving at the Indigo Plateau, you can bring them into your battles against the Elite Four.

Articuno can be found deep within the cave in the Seafoam Islands, which is located on Route 20 along the southern edge of the Kanto region. This Ice- and Flying-type Pokémon has a double weakness to Rock-type moves, but Fire-, Electric-, and Steel-type moves will prove useful as well.

Zapdos hangs out at the Power Plant, which can only be reached by using Sea Skim on Route 10 (in the northeast corner of the map) to reach the out-of-the-way facility. As an Electric- and Flying-type Pokémon, Zapdos is weak against Ice- and Rock-type moves. Ground-type Pokémon won’t take damage from the Legendary Pokémon’s Electric-type moves, but at the same time, remember that Zapdos isn’t affected by Ground-type moves.

You’ll need to go a bit out of your way to encounter both Articuno and Zapdos, but you’re likely to bump into Moltres as you navigate Victory Road on the way to the Indigo Plateau. Located just past Route 23 in the northwestern corner of the Kanto region, this cave houses this Fire- and Flying-type Legendary Pokémon. Your gut might tell you to bring Pokémon equipped with Water-type moves into this battle, but Rock-type moves will be the better bet, as Moltres has a double weakness to them.

Each of these battles has a five-minute time limit, so you’ll need to be efficient as you take on this Legendary trio. For those attempting to catch them before taking on the Elite Four, be aware that if you fail, you won’t be able to make a second attempt until after you enter the Hall of Fame. (It’s a good idea to save before starting the battle in case you do fail to catch it.) Whenever you decide to go for it, bring some Silver or Golden Razz Berries to make the Pokémon easier to catch, and stock up on Ultra Balls. You’ll likely need a lot of them, but at least these Legendary Pokémon won’t run away!

As a bonus, once you’ve caught each, you’ll have the opportunity to find more of them flying around the Kanto region after you’ve become the Pokémon League Champion. At that point in the game, you will be able to soar high in the sky and encounter flying Pokémon by taking Charizard, Aerodactyl, or Dragonite out of their Poké Ball. The Legendary Pokémon have a very small possibility of showing up in the wild there after you’ve built up a large Catch Combo. Check out our Catch Combo strategy article to learn more about this useful technique.

Catch Mewtwo

The lone Legendary Pokémon that you can’t encounter until after entering the Hall of Fame is, perhaps not surprisingly, the infamous Mewtwo. This Psychic-type Pokémon can be found in Cerulean Cave—you can find its entrance on the west side of Cerulean City. To reach the cave, you will need to use Sea Skim from Route 24. Before you enter the Hall of Fame, the entrance will be blocked by a Coach Trainer, but he will move out of the way once you’re the Champion. (You can also battle him to earn TM60 Megahorn, if you’d like.)

Inside Cerulean Cave, you’ll find plenty of valuable items, but the real goal here is Mewtwo itself. Dark-type Pokémon like Alolan Persian or Alolan Muk will be useful here since they’re immune to Mewtwo’s powerful Psychic-type attacks. And if they know any Dark-type attacks, they can take advantage of Mewtwo’s natural weakness. Bug- and Ghost-type moves will also give Mewtwo a hard time, so adjust your team accordingly. Be aware that Mewtwo will likely use Recover to refill its HP, but an HP-draining move like Toxic will go a long way in bringing Mewtwo down.

Once you’ve defeated Mewtwo in battle, it’s time to catch it! Now, you could spend a lot of time, Razz Berries, and Ultra Balls to add this Legendary Pokémon to your party, but this is a prime opportunity to use your Master Ball, if you still have it, which will catch any Pokémon without fail. As you might remember, you earned this valuable prize by defeating Giovanni in the Silph Co. building in Saffron City, and then chatting with the Silph Co. president after besting the Team Rocket Boss. If you no longer have it, you also have a slim chance of finding Master Balls as hidden items on the second floor of Cerulean Cave, so don’t forget to scout around as you explore.

Complete Your Pokédex

Now that you have those elusive Legendary Pokémon, it’s time to take a closer look at your Pokédex. You’ve undoubtedly caught plenty of Pokémon during your journey, but have you caught them all? That was Professor Oak’s hope when he gifted the device to you, after all. Doing so also nets you a very special item, so it’s worth the trouble. To officially complete the Pokédex, you need to catch the first 150 Pokémon in the game, from Bulbasaur to Mewtwo. Having Mew, Meltan, and Melmetal registered to the device will certainly give you bragging rights, but they don’t count toward the final tally.

Although Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! are identical in most ways, they do have one important difference beyond which Pokémon you have as your partner—there are certain Pokémon that will only appear in the wild in one version. To obtain these version exclusives, you will have to do some trading. Below are the Pokémon that are only found in each game. Make sure to catch extras of your version exclusives to trade with your friends!

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!—Sandshrew, Sandslash, Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Mankey, Primeape, Growlithe, Arcanine, Grimer, Muk, Scyther, Alolan Sandshrew, Alolan Sandslash, Alolan Grimer, and Alolan Muk

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!—Ekans, Arbok, Vulpix, Ninetales, Meowth, Persian, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Victreebel, Koffing, Weezing, Pinsir, Alolan Vulpix, Alolan Ninetales, Alolan Meowth, Alolan Persian

Speaking of trading, there are a few Pokémon that will only evolve into their final Evolutions after they’ve been traded—namely, Kadabra, Machoke, Graveler, and Haunter. Get together with a friend to trade these Pokémon with each other. You can even trade them back if you want to keep the same Pokémon you’ve raised in your party.

There are also Pokémon that will only evolve when exposed to special Evolution items. Some of these items can be found hidden throughout the Kanto region, but most are also sold at the Celadon Department Store in Celadon City. The exception is the Moon Stone, which is not available for purchase. You can find them as hidden items in the deepest level of Mt. Moon.

Please note that both Pikachu and Eevee require Evolution items to evolve, but you’ll need to catch wild versions of both Pokémon to evolve them—your partner Pokémon cannot and does not want to evolve. Here are the Evolution items that you can acquire and the Pokémon they can be used on:

Fire Stone	Vulpix, Growlithe, Eevee
Thunder Stone	Pikachu, Eevee
Water Stone	Poliwhirl, Shellder, Staryu, Eevee
Leaf Stone	Gloom, Weepinbell, Exeggcute
Ice Stone	Alolan Sandshrew, Alolan Vulpix
Moon Stone	Nidorina, Nidorino, Clefairy, Jigglypuff

There are also Pokémon that simply don’t show up in the wild very often. To catch some of these elusive Pokémon, you’ll need to head off the beaten track or spend some time building up large Catch Combos to lure them out of hiding.

For example, spend some time on Routes 14 and 15, and you could eventually run into hard-to-find Pokémon like Scyther, Pinsir, and Tauros. Kangaskhan likes to hang out in the Rock Tunnel, while Lickitung can be spotted in Cerulean Cave. Head over to Route 10 for a chance to encounter Dratini, and take a swim to the Seafoam Islands to track down Slowpoke. Just remember that the encounter rate for some Pokémon is very low. As you explore, you may need to hang out in certain areas for a while, and use some Lures, before these rare Pokémon decide to show themselves.

Perhaps you’d prefer the challenge of completing your Pokédex by catching all your Pokémon in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! But remember that you can link these Nintendo Switch games to Pokémon GO, allowing you to transfer Pokémon originally discovered in the Kanto region from the mobile game into these titles, and these Pokémon will count toward completing your Pokédex. Our article about transferring Pokémon from Pokémon GO will get you started if you decide to go that route.

And what about that special item we mentioned for filling out your Pokédex? Stop by the Celadon Condominiums in Celadon City, where you’ll find the GAME FREAK Development Office in a bit of fourth-wall-breaking fun. (GAME FREAK developed these games, of course.) Chat with the game director inside the office, and you’ll receive a diploma and the Shiny Charm that makes it easier to find Shiny Pokémon in the wild!

Gym Leader Rematches

After becoming the Pokémon League Champion, you’ll have the option to challenge all eight Gym Leaders and the Elite Four. (Although you can have a rematch against the Gym Leaders only once per day.) This is a great way to earn a some more spending money and gain some Exp. Points for your Pokémon. You’ll find that the Gym Leaders will enter battle with stronger and more  Pokémon than they originally used, so don’t hold back!

When you reenter the Gyms, you will occasionally have to redo some of the challenges that make getting to the Gym Leaders a bit tricky. The Gyms in Celadon City, Saffron City, and Viridian City each have mazes that must be navigated before reaching the Gym Leader. Luckily, the layouts of these mazes don’t change, so if you paid attention when traversing them the first time, they shouldn’t pose much of a problem when you return.

You’ll notice that Blue has replaced Giovanni as the Gym Leader of Viridian City, and his Pokémon team does not have a lot of shared weaknesses. Three of his six Pokémon are vulnerable to Electric-type attacks, though. Just watch out for his Charizard, which will Mega Evolve into Mega Charizard Y during battle.

If you’re wondering what to do with all that extra money you’ve been raking in from these battles, scroll down to see some suggestions on where to spend your hard-earned cash.

Take on the Master Trainers

Once you’ve entered the Hall of Fame, you will start to notice new Trainers throughout the Kanto region. These are Master Trainers, dedicated Trainers that have devoted their lives to training a particular species of Pokémon. Master Trainers can be found anywhere, so you’ll want to retrace your steps through every route, tunnel, and building to find them all.

Most Master Trainers will challenge you to a one-on-one battle. The rest want you to impress them with your training skills by showing them their favorite Pokémon with an exceptionally high CP. You’ll want to raise these Pokémon to Lv. 100 and feed them ample Candy to get their stats high enough to win these Master Trainers’ favor.

If you do go up against Master Trainers, the fight can be very difficult. The catch is that you can only use their Pokémon of choice during the battle, and no items! Most of their Pokémon will be between Lv. 65 and Lv. 80, so make sure your Pokémon are at least comparable. If you need to build up your team, head to Cerulean Cave and build up a large Catch Combo by catching multiple Chansey. It provides a ton of Exp. Points when caught, so it’s a great way to level up your Pokémon. Be sure to boost your Pokémon’s stats by feeding them Candy, as well—your opponents have done the same.

Since both the Pokémon in a Master Trainer battle will usually be the same type (but not always, since you can use an Alolan regional variant against its Kantonian counterpart), keep in mind that attacks that match your Pokémon’s type often won’t be terribly effective during the battle. Prepare a variety of moves to catch your opponent off guard, and remember that HP-draining moves like Toxic and defensive moves Protect and Substitute can be useful in turning the tide. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box during these Master Trainer battles, as your usual strategies may not work in these extra-challenging matches.

If you defeat a Master Trainer, you will earn a special title that denotes your skill in using that Pokémon. Head to the GAME FREAK Development Office in Celadon City, where you can choose which title you want to be displayed to your opponent when you connect with them for a Link Battle. If you manage to earn the titles for the first 150 Pokémon in the Pokédex (good luck!), you will get the elusive and prestigious Grand Master title!

Extra Matches

In addition to the Gym Leaders and Master Trainers, there are a few other battles that you’ll be able to partake in after defeating the Elite Four. Team Rocket’s Archer lurks about the Team Rocket Hideout in Celadon City waiting for a rematch, and the nefarious Jessie and James can be found on Route 17. Time to send them blasting off again! Likewise, the artistic Mina is chilling out in Vermilion City, and you can battle her once a day to earn a valuable Bottle Cap.

For an even greater challenge, you can take on noted Pokémon Trainers Green and Red. Green can initially be found in Cerulean Cave after you’ve caught Mewtwo. She’s waiting in the spot where you battled the Legendary Pokémon. Her team is Lv. 66 to Lv. 68, so come prepared. Like Blue’s team, Green’s Pokémon don’t have many shared weaknesses, but two of her six Pokémon (Ninetales and Gengar) are vulnerable to Ground-type moves. She also has a Blastoise that will Mega Evolve during battle, so bring along a Pokémon with Grass- or Electric-type moves to counter it.

Defeat her, and she will gift you Mewtwo’s Mega Stones, which you’ll need to Mega Evolve the mighty Psychic-type Pokémon. If you challenge the Elite Four again and reenter the Hall of Fame, Green will show up for a rematch, this time near the fountain in Cerulean City.

Red will arrive on the scene once you’ve bested six Master Trainers. Meet that milestone, and he’ll be waiting for you on the Indigo Plateau. His six Pokémon are all Lv. 85 and have a wide variety of types, so coming up with a team to effectively battle him will be a challenge. Bring along some Pokémon with Fighting-, Ground-, Flying-, Psychic-, and Rock-type moves—that will give you at least some advantages during the battle.

Expect Red’s Venusaur to Mega Evolve during battle, so having your own Pokémon that can Mega Evolve to counter it would not be a bad idea. If you can topple Red’s team, your Pokémon won’t earn any Exp. Points, but you will claim the Battle Master title—a good way to impress rival Trainers in Link Battles.

Go on a Shopping Spree

After facing all those Trainers, you probably have some extra cash burning a hole in your pocket. You’ll certainly spend some of it on Potions and Ultra Balls, but why not take this opportunity to pick up a few things that you might not have been able to afford at the start of your journey?

The Celadon Department Store in Celadon City is a great place to drop a little coin. Inside, you’ll find vendors selling powerful TMs and the previously mentioned Evolution items. There are also stands where you can purchase a wide variety of accessories to make your partner Pokémon look its finest. Hats, bows, glasses, and more are all available to deck out your Pikachu or Eevee in the latest fashion. Want to prove you’re a real big spender? Deck out your partner in the glamourous Crown—it’ll only cost you a whopping 999,999 in cash.

Be sure to swing by the Pokémon League to talk to the Mega Stone Seller as well. He’s got a good selection of Mega Stones that you’ll need to help select Pokémon reach their full potential in battle.

Parting Words

As you can see, even if you’ve completed the main story of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, there’s still a ton of fun to be had in the Kanto region. Good luck accomplishing all your goals in the game, and make sure to check out other video game and Pokémon TCG tips at Pokemon.co.uk/Strategy.