Ruins of Alph

Ruins of Alph		アルフのいせき Ruins of Alph
"Wild Missingno. appeared!"

Location:

Southwest of Violet City

Region:

Johto

Generations:

II, IV

File:MapAlph.gif
Location of Ruins of Alph in Johto.

Pokémon world locations

File:Alph.png

Inside the cave

File:Ruins of Alph HGSS.png

In Generation IV

File:Ruins of Alph.PNG

Ruins of Alph from outside in Generation II

The Ruins of Alph (Japanese: アルフのいせき Ruins of Alph) are located in Johto, with entrances to the south and west of Violet City. The ruins are filled with Unown once slide puzzles have been activated. Their name may come from the first four letters of "alphabet", which the Unown inside can represent.

If a Trainer listens to the PokéGear radio while near or inside the ruins, they will hear strange noises generated by it on channel 13.5.

There are several scientists in the area listening and studying the ruins to discover more about them. They say it is more than it seems and that the puzzles in the caves must have something to do with the mystery of the past of the Ruins of Alph. In the area there are several small caves with puzzles; solving the puzzles cause Unown to appear in the main ruins. Pokémon Crystal later explains that these puzzles are signals that summon the Unown.

In Pokémon Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions, patterns appear on the walls of the puzzle chambers. When the patterns' directions are followed, doorways to hidden rooms appear, and the player can learn some of the history of the Unown. In the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal, a scientist theorizes that the sudden appearance of these patterns is related to the newly-built Pokémon Communication Center and the radio waves emanating from it.

There is a secret entrance to a small part of the Ruins of Alph in Union Cave near Violet City, which leads to a patch of grass full of Natu and Smeargle. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, if the player has Arceus in their party, the Shinto Ruins will be available and the player can choose a level 1 Dialga, Palkia or Giratina, with their respective orbs.

Hidden rooms

In Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, it is possible to access 4 hidden rooms from the puzzle chambers. The chambers will have items upon requirements the player has done.

First Chamber

In the northernmost chamber, the far wall reads escape upon inspection.
Using an Escape Rope there opens a secret room upon re-entering. Inside this room are four items, some of which vary from Generation to Generation:

Item		Location	Games Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod

Falling through to the floor below reveals the following message spelled out on the ground in Unown:
Our words shall remain here for the ages

Second Chamber

In the chamber to the south across a small lake and to the right, the far wall reads flash.
Getting a Pokémon to use the field move Flash will open the secret room containing the items:

Item		Location	Games Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod

The floor below reveals the message
Thus we shall erect a Pokémon statue outside

Third Chamber

The third chamber is accessed through Union Cave but requires a boulder to be moved. The far wall reads water this time.
The secret chamber will open if the player has a Water Stone in their inventory. The chamber holds:

Item		Location	Games Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod

The floor below reads
They possess great insight and refuse the outside world

Fourth Chamber

The final chamber is also accessed through Union Cave. It is the cave just left of the third chamber. The far wall reads Ho Oh.
If Ho-Oh is the first Pokémon in the player's party (in Generation IV having Ho-Oh anywhere in the player's party is good enough), the secret chamber opens containing the following items:

Item		Location	Games Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod Template:Itlistbod

The floor below reads
We humans must learn to walk in harmony with them. We depart for their sakes

Pokémon

Generation II

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Pokémon		Games			Location	Levels	Rate
Inside Ruins
	Unown	G	S	C	Walking	5	100%
Outside
All times
	Natu	G	S	C	Grass	18-24	90%
	Smeargle	G	S	C	Grass	20-22	10%
Day
	Smeargle	G	S	C	Grass	20-22	10%
Night
	Wooper	G	S	C	Grass	22	5%
	Quagsire	G	S	C	Grass	22	5%
Surfing and Fishing
	Poliwag	G	S	C	Old Rod	10	15%
	Magikarp	G	S	C	Old Rod	10	85%
	Poliwag	G	S	C	Good Rod	20	65%
	Magikarp	G	S	C	Good Rod	20	35%
	Poliwag	G	S	C	Super Rod	40	80%
	Magikarp	G	S	C	Super Rod	40	20%
	Wooper	G	S	C	Surf	15-19	60%
	Quagsire	G	S	C	Surf	15-24	40%
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

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Pokémon		Games		Location	Levels	Rate
Inside Ruins
	Unown	HG	SS	Walking	5	100%
Special Pokémon
	Linoone	HG	SS	Hoenn Sound	Unknown	Unknown
	Whismur	HG	SS	Hoenn Sound	Unknown	Unknown
	Buizel	HG	SS	Sinnoh Sound	Unknown	Unknown
	Bidoof	HG	SS	Sinnoh Sound	Unknown	Unknown
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.

In the anime

The Ruins of Alph appeared in Fossil Fools, in which Team Rocket tried to steal a group of Omanyte and Omastar living among the ruins. Unlike the games, no Unown were featured.