"Pokemon Blue," along with "Pokemon Red," were released in 1998 for the Game Boy and are the first two games in the "Pokemon" series. Players catch Pokemon and battle them against one another. By gaining experience through winning, Pokemon raise in levels and, at specific levels, can evolve into new and stronger forms.
Gain Experience
Experience is needed for a Pokemon to gain a new level; with each new level, the Pokemon's statistics, such as attack and defense, are increased. Experience is gained after a battle is successfully won. Battles can take place against other wild Pokemon or against Pokemon trainers. Generally, higher amounts of experience are earned against Pokemon trainers than wild Pokemon. While experience amounts vary, you earn more experience for defeating higher level Pokemon. Above your Pokemon's health is his experience bar; once the bar is full, the Pokemon gains a level. You can also check your Pokemon's experience level at any time in the "PKMN" menu.
Rare Candies
Gaining experience is not the only way to raise a Pokemon's level. By using a Rare Candy, you can instantly raise any Pokemon's level by one. However, once the Rare Candy is used, it is removed from your inventory. Rare Candies are often found in caves and on the various routes in the game. Once found, giving one to your Pokemon gives them the remaining amount of experience necessary to gain a level. For this reason, do not give a Rare Candy to a Pokemon who is about to gain a level; instead give it to a Pokemon who has just recently gained a level. This maximizes the effectiveness of the Rare Candy.
Evolving Your Pokemon
When your Pokemon has met the required level to evolve, it evolves at the end of a Pokemon battle where it has been victorious. The level each Pokemon evolves at varies based on the Pokemon. For example, Bulbasaur evolves into Ivysaur at level 16, while Sandshrew evolves into Sandslash at level 22. In addition, some Pokemon have two evolutions - while Bulbasaur evolves into Ivysaur at level 16, Ivysaur then evolves into Venusaur at level 32. Pokemon can evolve at any level from 7 to 55. Evolving by leveling is the most common form of evolution seen in "Pokemon Blue."
Canceling Evolution
It is possible to cancel an evolution once it has begun, forcing the Pokemon to stay in its previous form. This is useful as Pokemon who have evolved learn moves at a slower rate compared to the pre-evolved form. Once the evolution has started, press the "B" button on your Game Boy to cancel it. However, upon gaining another level, the Pokemon attempts to evolve again, so be prepared to cancel the evolution if you are not ready for him to evolve. Once the Pokemon has evolved, it is impossible to change him back to his previous form.
