Phase 1 Hoenn route manual

Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Stone Badge Guide

Stone Badge

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire Stone Badge guide: Littleroot, starter choice, Route 102, Petalburg Woods, Rustboro City, and Roxanne counters.

Game Boy Advance Pokemon Ruby / Sapphire

Phase 1 Stone Badge Littleroot Town to Rustboro City Gym, starter choice, Route 102, Petalburg Woods, and Roxanne. 01 / 10

By Damodar Sharma Updated May 28, 2026 Walkthrough

Catch checklist

Obtainable Pokemon

New Pokemon you can realistically add during this phase of the original Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire route.

#0252 Treecko grass Ruby & Sapphire Route 101 Starter gift from Professor Birch

#0255 Torchic fire Ruby & Sapphire Route 101 Starter gift from Professor Birch

#0258 Mudkip water Ruby & Sapphire Route 101 Starter gift from Professor Birch

#0263 Zigzagoon normal Ruby & Sapphire Routes 101, 102, 103, 104, Petalburg Woods Grass encounter

#0265 Wurmple bug Ruby & Sapphire Routes 101, 102, 104, Petalburg Woods Grass encounter

#0261 Poochyena dark Ruby & Sapphire Routes 101, 102, 103 Grass encounter

#0278 Wingull waterflying Ruby & Sapphire Route 103 / Route 104 Grass encounter

#0276 Taillow normalflying Ruby & Sapphire Route 104 / Petalburg Woods Grass encounter

#0280 Ralts psychic Ruby & Sapphire Route 102 Rare grass encounter

#0283 Surskit bugwater Ruby & Sapphire Route 102 Rare grass encounter

#0273 Seedot grass Ruby only Route 102 Grass encounter

#0270 Lotad watergrass Sapphire only Route 102 Grass encounter

#0285 Shroomish grass Ruby & Sapphire Petalburg Woods Grass encounter

#0287 Slakoth normal Ruby & Sapphire Petalburg Woods Rare grass encounter

#0266 Silcoon bug Ruby & Sapphire Petalburg Woods Grass encounter

#0268 Cascoon bug Ruby & Sapphire Petalburg Woods Grass encounter

Littleroot Town to Rustboro City Gym. This phase covers your starter, the first rival battle, early catches, Petalburg Woods, the Devon researcher event, Rustboro prep, and Roxanne.

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire optimal walkthrough

Littleroot Town -> Rustboro City Gym (Roxanne).

Phase1 of 10 TargetLv 12-15 RewardStone Badge + TM39 Rock Tomb

Route Map

The first phase is short, but it decides your early tempo. Get a real Roxanne answer before Rustboro if you chose Torchic.

Start

Littleroot Town

Set clock, leave home

Route 101

Birch rescue

Choose starter

Town

Oldale Town

Free Mart Potion

Route 103

Rival test

Beat Brendan/May

Route 102

First catches

Ralts, Zigzagoon, version Grass

City

Petalburg City

Wally tutorial

Route 104

North approach

Petalburg Woods entry

Forest

Petalburg Woods

Devon researcher event

Gym 1

Rustboro City

Defeat Roxanne

Phase Sections

This phase now works like the newer walkthroughs: keep this page as the phase index, then open each section page for the deeper route, boss, item, encounter, and cleanup details.

Section 1 Starter Choice

Treecko is the cleanest first-badge starter. Absorb hits Roxanne's Geodude and Nosepass super effectively, and Treecko outspeeds most early-game threats.

Section 2 Littleroot Town

Set the clock in your bedroom, take the Potion from the PC if you want the extra safety, then head downstairs and leave town.

Section 3 Oldale Town And Route 103

Oldale Town is your first healing stop. Talk to the Poke Mart employee near the entrance for a free Potion, then continue north to Route 103.

Section 4 Route 102

Route 102 is the first real team-building route. Zigzagoon is the best practical catch because Pickup can generate extra items while it sits in the party, and it becomes an excellent HM helper later.

Section 5 Petalburg City

Norman introduces himself as your father and explains that you are not ready to battle him yet.

Section 6 Route 104 And Petalburg Woods

Route 104 has trainer battles and a few pickups before and after the forest. You will loop back later with Cut and Surf, so do not worry about every blocked item yet.

Section 7 Rustboro City

Rustboro has a Trainer's School, a Pokemon Center, a Mart, and the Cutter's House.

Section 8 Gym Strategy - Roxanne, The Rock Leader

Roxanne uses Geodude Lv. 14 and Nosepass Lv. 15. Her reward is the Stone Badge and TM39 Rock Tomb.

Section 9 Phase 1 Resources And Checklist

Team Recommendations Role Best picks before Roxanne Why it matters --- --- --- Main Roxanne answer Treecko, Mudkip, Combusken, Shroomish, Lotad Rock types fold to Grass, Water, or.

Section Planner

Order	Section	What it covers
1	Starter Choice	Treecko is the cleanest first-badge starter. Absorb hits Roxanne’s Geodude and Nosepass super effectively, and Treecko outspeeds most early-game threats.
2	Littleroot Town	Set the clock in your bedroom, take the Potion from the PC if you want the extra safety, then head downstairs and leave town.
3	Oldale Town And Route 103	Oldale Town is your first healing stop. Talk to the Poke Mart employee near the entrance for a free Potion, then continue north to Route 103.
4	Route 102	Route 102 is the first real team-building route. Zigzagoon is the best practical catch because Pickup can generate extra items while it sits in the party, and it becomes an excellent HM helper later.
5	Petalburg City	Norman introduces himself as your father and explains that you are not ready to battle him yet.
6	Route 104 And Petalburg Woods	Route 104 has trainer battles and a few pickups before and after the forest. You will loop back later with Cut and Surf, so do not worry about every blocked item yet.
7	Rustboro City	Rustboro has a Trainer’s School, a Pokemon Center, a Mart, and the Cutter’s House.
8	Gym Strategy - Roxanne, The Rock Leader	Roxanne uses Geodude Lv. 14 and Nosepass Lv. 15. Her reward is the Stone Badge and TM39 Rock Tomb.
9	Phase 1 Resources And Checklist	Team Recommendations Role Best picks before Roxanne Why it matters --- --- --- Main Roxanne answer Treecko, Mudkip, Combusken, Shroomish, Lotad Rock types fold to Grass, Water, or.

Phase Checklist

Open each section page in order before treating this phase as complete.
Use the route map above as the high-level path, then use section pages for the deeper tables and boss notes.
Check the final resources and checklist section before advancing to the next phase.

Wild Pokemon

Starter Gifts - Route 101

Professor Birch gives you one starter at level 5. The other two are not obtainable in a normal Ruby/Sapphire save.

Pokemon	Versions	Method & Rate	Notes
Treecko Grass - Lv 5	Ruby & Sapphire	Starter gift Choose 1	Fastest clean answer into Roxanne.
Torchic Fire - Lv 5	Ruby & Sapphire	Starter gift Choose 1	Harder first badge unless you evolve before the Gym.
Mudkip Water - Lv 5	Ruby & Sapphire	Starter gift Choose 1	Safest full-game pick for Hoenn.

Wild Pokemon

Route 101

Pokemon	Versions	Method & Rate	Notes
Wurmple Bug - Lv 2-3	Ruby & Sapphire	Grass 45%	Early evolution line with version-independent availability.
Zigzagoon Normal - Lv 2-3	Ruby & Sapphire	Grass 45%	Pickup utility makes it one of the best early catches.
Poochyena Dark - Lv 2-3	Ruby & Sapphire	Grass 10%	Early Dark coverage, but its stats stay modest.

Wild Pokemon

Route 102

Pokemon	Versions	Method & Rate	Notes
Wurmple Bug - Lv 3-4	Ruby & Sapphire	Grass 30%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Zigzagoon Normal - Lv 3-4	Ruby & Sapphire	Grass 30%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Seedot Grass - Lv 3	Ruby only	Grass 20%	Ruby's early Grass version exclusive.
Lotad Water/Grass - Lv 3	Sapphire only	Grass 20%	Sapphire's early Water/Grass version exclusive.
Poochyena Dark - Lv 3-4	Ruby & Sapphire	Grass 15%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Ralts Psychic - Lv 4	Ruby & Sapphire	Grass 4%	Rare, fragile, and worth considering for Psychic utility.
Surskit Bug/Water - Lv 3	Ruby & Sapphire	Grass 1%	Extremely rare early Bug/Water encounter.

Wild Pokemon

Route 103

Pokemon	Versions	Method & Rate	Notes
Zigzagoon Normal - Lv 2-4	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 103 grass 60%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Poochyena Dark - Lv 2-4	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 103 grass 30%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Wingull Water/Flying - Lv 2-4	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 103 grass 10%	Useful Water/Flying option before Roxanne if you want coverage.

Wild Pokemon

Route 104

Pokemon	Versions	Method & Rate	Notes
Zigzagoon Normal - Lv 4-5	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 104 grass 50%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Wurmple Bug - Lv 4-5	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 104 grass 30%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Taillow Normal/Flying - Lv 4-5	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 104 grass 10%	Great long-term Normal/Flying attacker.
Wingull Water/Flying - Lv 4-5	Ruby & Sapphire	Route 104 grass 10%	Available in the listed area during this phase.

Wild Pokemon

Petalburg Woods

Pokemon	Versions	Method & Rate	Notes
Zigzagoon Normal - Lv 5-6	Ruby & Sapphire	Forest grass 30%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Wurmple Bug - Lv 5-6	Ruby & Sapphire	Forest grass 25%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Shroomish Grass - Lv 5-6	Ruby & Sapphire	Forest grass 15%	Excellent early Grass catch and future Fighting coverage.
Silcoon Bug - Lv 5	Ruby & Sapphire	Forest grass 10%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Cascoon Bug - Lv 5	Ruby & Sapphire	Forest grass 10%	Available in the listed area during this phase.
Slakoth Normal - Lv 5-6	Ruby & Sapphire	Forest grass 5%	Rare catch with huge later stats, but Truant matters.
Taillow Normal/Flying - Lv 5-6	Ruby & Sapphire	Forest grass 5%	Available in the listed area during this phase.