Pokémon Gold Version/Plot/Post Game

After the credits roll, the player ends up back in New Bark Town in their room; however, Professor Elm calls, requesting a favor. After visiting his lab, he gives the player an S.S. Ticket that allows access to the S.S. Aqua, a ship that travels to and from Kanto, the region that Elm wishes for them to explore. On the first entry into the S.S. Aqua, a man will bump into the player, and will ask them for help as he has lost his granddaughter on the ship. After locating her in the captain's cabin and reuniting her with his grandfather, the ship will arrive in Vermilion City, where the player will take their true first steps in Kanto.

At this point, the player is given free rein to travel throughout the (scaled-down) Kanto region, and collect the eight Badges from Generation I's Gym Leaders. The player can accomplish this in any order; however, certain events must be completed before some Leaders can be challenged. For example, a Team Rocket grunt has stolen a Machine Part from the Kanto Power Plant and hidden it inside Cerulean City's Gym; the grunt must be fought and the Machine Part restored to the Power Plant before Misty can be found at Cerulean Cape and persuaded to return to the Gym. Giovanni, the previous Leader of Viridian City, has now left, and former Indigo  is now its Leader; however, Blue is at the site of Cinnabar Island, musing over its destruction by the local volcano's eruption. When found there, Blue will return to Viridian Gym to be battled. Blaine was the Leader of Cinnabar Gym; when the town was destroyed, he took refuge in one of the Seafoam Islands and can be fought there.

When the player has earned all eight Kanto Badges (and, therefore, all sixteen Badges in the game), Oak allows them to venture to and, past it, Silver Cave, a location where only the greatest of Trainers can venture. Silver Cave is a grand set of open tunnels and passages which are riddled with powerful Pokémon, but the player continues to travel through to the end of the cave, where, now a Pokémon Master, stands alone to be fought. When Red is defeated, the credits roll again and, afterward, the player is deposited at Route 28's Pokémon Center, outside of Silver Cave.