Ilex Forest

Ilex Forest ウバメの森 Ubame Forest "Wild Missingno. appeared!"
Map description:	A large forest full of trees that are used to make charcoal.
Location:	Between Azalea Town and Route 34
Region:	Johto
Generations:	II, IV
Location of Ilex Forest in Johto.
Pokémon world locations

Ilex Forest (Japanese: ウバメの森 Ubame Forest) is a dense forest located in southern Johto, directly west of Azalea Town. The forest's trees are so close together that all light is blocked out, and in Generation II, the forest seems to be in a perpetual night.

There is a shrine for the guardian of the forest, Celebi. In Pokémon Crystal, if Kurt has already examined the GS Ball, placing it in the shrine will cause a level 30 Celebi to face the player. Though the GS Ball was never distributed as an event item outside of Japan, the Virtual Console release of Crystal allows it to be obtained in all regions through normal gameplay. In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Shrine also may initiate a special event in which Celebi will take the player back in time and allow them to battle Giovanni.

Geography

Ilex Forest is a winding path through dense trees connecting Azalea Town and Route 34. There are many patches of long grass on the ground where low-leveled Pokémon can be found. Travelers can enter at either end with no trouble at all, but to pass through to the other side they must be able to use the move Cut outside of battle.

Cut

When the player enters the forest, the only way to proceed through the next section of the forest is to return a runaway Farfetch'd for the regional cutting master's son, thus receiving HM01 (Cut) as a reward, allowing the player to clear the path from a cuttable tree.

In Generation II, this is done by using the forest's layout to chase it back, using a looped path on the far eastern side, as well as a ledged area. In order to tactically return the runaway Farfetch'd to its owner, the player must corner it and lead it into the direction of the owner.

In Generation IV, there are two Farfetch'd and each needs to be approached while they are facing the other way. The player can do this by walking over sticks and, by doing so, causing them to rustle. This grabs the Farfetch'd's attention and, if no other sticks are rustled, may allow them to be approached from behind. Once the Farfetch'd are returned, the player will receive HM01 (Cut).

Headbutt

In the center of the forest is a man who, in Generation II, will hand out TM02 (Headbutt). Using Headbutt on one of the trees in the forest can sometimes yield a wild Pokémon, which Trainers may wish to capture.

In Generation IV, as Headbutt is no longer a TM, the man is instead a Move Tutor who will teach Headbutt for free an unlimited number of times. Now all trees in all locations can be Headbutted, but not all will yield a Pokémon.

Ilex Forest Shrine

Spiky-eared Pichu near the shrine

Main article: Ilex Forest shrine

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

The shrine is a small structure located in the Ilex Forest. It is used in obtaining two event-exclusive Pokémon. It can be found in the deepest part of Ilex Forest, situated right in the center of the forest itself.

Players of Japanese and Virtual Console versions of Pokémon Crystal can place the GS Ball on the shrine, to make a level 30 Celebi appear. The player then has the opportunity to capture the Psychic/Grass Pokémon. In the Virtual Console release, Celebi is guaranteed to have at least 5 perfect IVs.

Players of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are able to unlock a special Pichu here, Spiky-eared Pichu. This Pichu is unique from others as it has a different pattern on one of its ears. If the shrine is approached with a promotional event Celebi as the partner Pokémon, Celebi will take the player back in time—in which they witness the secret to Silver's past, and in which they battle his father, Giovanni the boss of Team Rocket, in Tohjo Falls, before he responds to the hijacked Goldenrod Radio Tower's broadcast pleading for his return.

Items

Item		Location	Games
	Revive	Southeast corner of the forest	G  S  C  HG  SS
	HM01 (Cut)	Gift from the charcoal maker after the player has returned his Farfetch'd	G  S  C  HG  SS
	Full Heal	East of the sign near the pond (hidden)	G  S
	Full Heal	West of the sign near the pond (hidden)	C
	TM02 (Headbutt)	Given by a man near the lake	G  S  C
	Antidote	By the southwest corner of the pond (hidden)	HG  SS
	Antidote	East of the pond	C
	X Attack	At the end of the small path east of the Trainer Tips sign (obscured by trees)	C  HG  SS
	Super Potion	In the left-side empty path North of the Move Tutor (hidden)	G  S  HG  SS
	Ether	Northeast area of the forest (hidden)	G  S
	Ether	Northeast area of the forest	C  HG  SS
	TinyMushroom ×3	At the top-right flower patch, where most of the sticks are (hidden) West of the easternmost flower patches on the one-way path to the Move Tutor (hidden) Southeast of the second northernmost isolated tree (hidden)	HG  SS
	Antidote	On the peninsula, between the pond and the trees (obscured by trees)	HG  SS
	Repel	On the first flower patch east of the pond (hidden)	HG  SS
	Full Heal	Northwest of the second northernmost isolated tree (hidden)	HG  SS
	Ether	West of the northernmost isolated tree (hidden)	HG  SS
	Big Mushroom	At the empty patch west of the pond (requires Surf) (hidden)	HG  SS
	Zap Plate	Held by Spiky-eared Pichu	HG  SS

Pokémon

Generation II

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Caterpie	G		S		C		Grass	5-6	50%	60%	0%
Caterpie	G		S		C		Grass	5	30%	30%	0%
Metapod	G		S		C		Grass	6	30%	0%	0%
Metapod	G		S		C		Grass	5-6	0%	30%	0%
Metapod	G		S		C		Grass	7	20%	20%	0%
Weedle	G		S		C		Grass	5-6	50%	60%	0%
Weedle	G		S		C		Grass	5	30%	30%	0%
Kakuna	G		S		C		Grass	6	30%	0%	0%
Kakuna	G		S		C		Grass	5-6	0%	30%	0%
Kakuna	G		S		C		Grass	7	10%	10%	0%
Pidgey	G		S		C		Grass	7	5%	5%	0%
Zubat	G		S		C		Grass	5	5%	5%	0%
Zubat	G		S		C		Grass	5-6	0%	0%	25%
Oddish	G		S		C		Grass	5-6	0%	0%	60%
Oddish	G		S		C		Grass	5-7	0%	0%	50%
Paras	G		S		C		Grass	5-6	15%	0%	15%
Paras	G		S		C		Grass	6	0%	5%	0%
Paras	G		S		C		Grass	6	5%
Venonat	G		S		C		Grass	5	0%	0%	30%
Psyduck	G		S		C		Grass	7	0%	0%	10%
Hoothoot	G		S		C		Grass	7	0%	0%	5%
Surfing
Psyduck	G		S		C		Surfing	10-19	90%
Golduck	G		S		C		Surfing	15-19	10%
Fishing
Poliwag	G		S		C		Fishing Old Rod	10	15%
Magikarp	G		S		C		Fishing Old Rod	10	85%
Poliwag	G		S		C		Fishing Good Rod	20	65%
Magikarp	G		S		C		Fishing Good Rod	20	35%
Poliwag	G		S		C		Fishing Super Rod	40	80%
Magikarp	G		S		C		Fishing Super Rod	40	20%
Headbutt tree (Moderate chances of battle)
Caterpie	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	65%
Metapod	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	15%
Butterfree	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	5%
Weedle	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	65%
Kakuna	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	15%
Beedrill	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	5%
Exeggcute	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	15%
Hoothoot	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	50%
Noctowl	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	10%
Pineco	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	30%
Headbutt tree (Low chances of battle)
Caterpie	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	50%
Caterpie	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	15%
Metapod	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	5%
Butterfree	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	5%
Weedle	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	50%
Weedle	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	15%
Kakuna	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	5%
Beedrill	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	5%
Exeggcute	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	15%
Hoothoot	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	60%
Pineco	G		S		C		Headbutt	10	30%
Special Pokémon
Celebi	G		S		C		GS	30	One
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Generation IV

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Caterpie	HG			SS			Grass	5-6	50%	60%	0%
Metapod	HG			SS			Grass	5-6	30%	30%	0%
Weedle	HG			SS			Grass	5-6	50%	60%	0%
Kakuna	HG			SS			Grass	5-6	30%	30%	0%
Zubat	HG			SS			Grass	5-6	5%	5%	25%
Oddish	HG			SS			Grass	5-6	0%	0%	60%
Paras	HG			SS			Grass	5-6	15%	5%	15%
Headbutt
Caterpie	HG			SS			Headbutt	3-5	30%
Metapod	HG			SS			Headbutt	3-5	10%
Weedle	HG			SS			Headbutt	3-5	30%
Kakuna	HG			SS			Headbutt	3-5	10%
Hoothoot	HG			SS			Headbutt	3-5	60%
Special Tree
Butterfree	HG			SS			Headbutt	6-8	10%
Beedrill	HG			SS			Headbutt	6-8	10%
Hoothoot	HG			SS			Headbutt	6-8	50%
Noctowl	HG			SS			Headbutt	6-8	10%
Pineco	HG			SS			Headbutt	6-8	30%
Surfing
Psyduck	HG			SS			Surfing	5-20	90%
Golduck	HG			SS			Surfing	10-20	10%
Fishing
Poliwag	HG			SS			Fishing Old Rod	10	5%
Magikarp	HG			SS			Fishing Old Rod	10	95%
Poliwag	HG			SS			Fishing Good Rod	20	40%
Magikarp	HG			SS			Fishing Good Rod	20	60%
Poliwag	HG			SS			Fishing Super Rod	40	93%
Magikarp	HG			SS			Fishing Super Rod	40	7%
Special Pokémon
Spiky-eared Pichu	HG			SS			Event Pikachu-colored Pichu	30	One
Numel	HG			SS			Hoenn Sound	6	20%
Spoink	HG			SS			Hoenn Sound	5-6	20%
Budew	HG			SS			Sinnoh Sound	5-6	20%
Carnivine	HG			SS			Sinnoh Sound	6	20%
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.

Trainers

Generation II

Trainer	Pokémon
Bug Catcher WayneC ケンイチ Kenichi Reward: $160	Ledyba♂ Lv.8 No item
	Paras♂ Lv.10 No item
Trainers with a telephone symbol by their names will give their Pokégear number to the player, and may call or be called for a rematch with higher-level Pokémon.

Preview

• 

  Morning (Zubat)

• 

  Day (Paras)

• 

  Evening (Paras)

• 

  Night (Oddish)

Layout

Generation II Generation IV

Trainer Tips

Generation II

ILEX FOREST is so overgrown with trees that you can't see the sky. Please watch out for items that may have been dropped.

Generation IV

Trainer Tips
Ilex Forest is so overgrown with trees that you can't see the sky. Please watch out for items that may have been dropped.

In the anime

Ilex Forest in the anime

Ilex Forest has only officially appeared in one episode, A Farfetch'd Tale, as Ash and his friends traveled from Azalea Town to Goldenrod City. It remains unclear if the episodes from Tricks of the Trade to The Fortune Hunters take place within Ilex Forest.

In A Farfetch'd Tale, the group met a young charcoal-making apprentice named Sylvester and his disobedient Farfetch'd, who continued to run away from him. Ash and his friends helped Sylvester track Farfetch'd down, only to realize it had been kidnapped by Team Rocket. Sylvester and Farfetch'd went on to join forces to defeat the trio, and Sylvester then taught Farfetch'd how to use Cut.

Brock was familiar with Ilex Forest's world-famous charcoal, and uses it for his cooking. After helping Sylvester, Brock received some charcoal from Sylvester's father*, local charcoal maker Yosaku.

People are shown to be living in Ilex Forest, and Nurse Joy operates a Pokémon Center to cater for the many Trainers that use it as a thoroughfare.

Gallery

Pokémon Center	Ilex Forest shrine	Charcoal kiln house

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Gold, Silver & Crystal arc

The Ilex Forest first featured in You Ain't Nothin' But A Houndour, where a tree-cutter was doing his shift for the day. When Gold arrived at the forest, he saw the tree-cutter and his Farfetch'd unconscious. A mysterious voice then told Gold to stay away, before revealing itself as the Masked Man. Gold engaged in battle with the Masked Man, and was about to be defeated when the Masked Man saw that the shrine of the forest started to glow. However, the glow then faded due to Gold's intervention, and the Masked Man departed.

The Ilex Forest became the setting of the climax of this chapter, when Lugia and Ho-Oh were passed to Will and Karen, who were told to guard the shrine. Green came to the forest looking for the shrine, and overcame her ornithophobia by sending out the Legendary birds to battle Lugia and Ho-Oh. She was joined by Silver, who had followed her to the forest and was initially held captive by Will, before climbing onto Lugia to battle him. The Masked Man was on his way back to the forest having obtained the GS Ball recipe from Kurt at the Indigo Plateau, but Gold chased him and finally defeated him in battle, forcing him to reveal his identity. Using the timely intervention of Pika, Chuchu, and their egg, Pryce completed the GS Ball and started to travel in time. Gold eventually used the newly-hatched Pichu to enter the time void, while it was still open, to chase after Pryce.

Meanwhile, Red and Blue arrived at the forest from underground and joined the battle on Green's side. They witnessed countless Pokémon, sent from the Pokémon Storage System gathering to connect with Lugia and Ho-Oh, freeing them from the Masked Man's control. Yellow arrived, having been chased all the way to the forest, followed by Crystal who teleported to the forest using the Legendary beasts. Gold (who had been trapped in time), as well as Silver and Crystal, eventually entered the shrine, into the crack in time with the Legendary beasts to follow Pryce. At the end of the battle, Will and Karen accepted an offer to work alongside Koga and Bruno.

HeartGold & SoulSilver arc

The Ilex Forest also played an important role in the plot of this chapter. Celebi helped Pryce out of the crack in time after he foresaw the destruction of the future caused by Arceus's creations. At the same time, Giovanni was at the forest looking for a cure for his illness. He saw Pryce and attacked him for what he did to Silver, but Lance intervened and convinced the two to work alongside him. Before heading to the Sinjoh Ruins, Giovanni stationed the Team Rocket Elite Trio to guard the forest while Celebi gathered the cure.

Trivia

• Ilex Forest is the only forest where wild Pokémon can be encountered but there is no tall grass.
• In the Generation II games, the Pokégear's map made it appear that a route existed between Azalea Town and Ilex Forest, even though this is not the case. This was corrected for the map in Generation IV.

Name origin

"Ubame" comes from ウバメガシ ubamegashi, Ubame oak (Quercus phillyraeoides), a species of tree used to make binchōtan charcoal.

"Ilex" is the genus of holly. Considering its Japanese name, it may also be derived from Quercus ilex, the holm oak or holly oak, another tree commonly used in charcoal manufacture.

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 桐樹林 Tùhng Syuhlàhm 桐森林 Tùhng Sāmlàhm * Mandarin 桐樹林 / 桐树林 Tóng Shùlín * 梧桐大森林 Wútóng Dàsēnlín * French Canada Bois aux Chênes Europe Bois aux Chênes German Steineichenwald Italian Bosco di Lecci Korean 너도밤나무숲 Neodobam Namu Sup Polish Las Ilex Brazilian Portuguese Floresta de Ilex (Adventures volume 9-present) Floresta Ilex (Adventures volume 8) Spanish Latin America Bosque Ilex Spain Encinar Vietnamese Rừng Ubame

Johto
Settlements New Bark Town • Cherrygrove City • Violet City • Azalea Town • Goldenrod City • Ecruteak City Olivine City • Cianwood City • Mahogany Town • Blackthorn City • Safari Zone Gate • Frontier Access Routes 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 • 45 • 46 • 47 • 48 Landmarks Dark Cave • Sprout Tower • Ruins of Alph • Union Cave • Slowpoke Well • Ilex Forest • Radio Tower • Global Terminal Goldenrod Tunnel • National Park • Pokéathlon Dome • Bell Tower • Bellchime Trail • Burned Tower • Moomoo Farm • Olivine Lighthouse Battle Tower (Crystal • HGSS)/Frontier • Cliff Edge Gate • Cliff Cave • Embedded Tower • Safari Zone • Whirl Islands Mt. Mortar • Lake of Rage • Team Rocket HQ • Ice Path • Dragon's Den • S.S. Aqua • Mt. Silver (Cave) Access to Sinjoh Ruins • Kanto

Game locations of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon

Kanto Seafoam Islands • Power Plant • Victory Road • Cerulean Cave Route 10 • Route 25 • Pewter City • Roaming Pokémon Sevii Islands Mt. Ember • Navel Rock • Birth Island Johto Ilex Forest • Bell Tower • Whirl Islands • Mt. Silver Cave Burned Tower • Embedded Tower • Roaming Pokémon Hoenn Desert Ruins • Island Cave • Ancient Tomb • Cave of Origin • Marine Cave Terra Cave • Sky Pillar • Southern Island • Sea Mauville • Scorched Slab Pathless Plain • Nameless Cavern • Fabled Cave • Gnarled Den Trackless Forest • Crescent Isle • Sky • Roaming Pokémon Sinnoh Acuity Cavern • Valor Cavern • Spear Pillar • Turnback Cave Rock Peak Ruins • Iceberg Ruins • Iron Ruins • Snowpoint Temple Stark Mountain • Newmoon Island • Flower Paradise • Hall of Origin Ramanas Park • Floaroma Town • Roaming Pokémon Unova Guidance Chamber • Trial Chamber • Rumination Field • N's Castle • Abundant Shrine Giant Chasm • Dragonspiral Tower • Liberty Garden • Route 11 • Route 13 • Route 22 Route 23 • Celestial Tower • Nacrene City • Underground Ruins • Twist Mountain Dreamyard • Marvelous Bridge • Reversal Mountain • Coastal Biome • Roaming Pokémon Kalos Sea Spirit's Den • Team Flare Secret HQ • Terminus Cave Unknown Dungeon • Roaming Pokémon Alola Route 16 • Altar of the Sunne • Altar of the Moone • Mount Lanakila • Mahalo Trail Ruins of Conflict • Ruins of Life • Ruins of Abundance • Ruins of Hope Aether Paradise • Ancient Poni Path • Lake of the Sunne • Lake of the Moone Ten Carat Hill • Resolution Cave Galar Tower summit • Battle Tower • Master Dojo • Crown Shrine • Max Lair Rock Peak Ruins • Iceberg Ruins • Iron Ruins • Split-Decision Ruins • Giant's Bed Frigid Sea • Lakeside Cave • Ballimere Lake • Freezington • Roaming Pokémon Hisui Seaside Hollow • Temple of Sinnoh • Acuity Cavern • Valor Cavern • Verity Cavern Lava Dome Sanctum • Moonview Arena • Snowpoint Temple • Turnback Cave • Bonechill Wastes Cobalt Coastlands • Ramanas Island • Scarlet Bog • Coronet Highlands • Floaro Gardens Paldea Grasswither Shrine • Icerend Shrine • Groundblight Shrine • Firescourge Shrine Poco Path • Area Zero • Area Zero Underdepths • Glaseado Mountain South Province (Area One) • Asado Desert • West Province (Area One) • East Province (Area Three) Casseroya Lake • North Paldean Sea • South Province (Area Four) • North Province (Area Two) Alfornada Cavern • Great Crater of Paldea • Tagtree Thicket • East Province (Area One) South Province (Area Five) • Dalizapa Passage • Pokémon League • Socarrat Trail Kitakami Paradise Barrens • Wistful Fields • Oni Mountain • Dreaded Den • Loyalty Plaza Other Faraway Island • Distortion World • Sinjoh Ruins • Ultra Space Wilds

This article is part of Project Locations, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world.