How do I get Celebi in Pokémon Crystal?

On the 3DS Virtual Console: enter the Hall of Fame, get the GS Ball at the Goldenrod Pokémon Center, give it to Kurt, collect it the next day and place it in the Ilex Forest shrine.

How do I get the GS Ball in Crystal Virtual Console?

Enter the Hall of Fame, then walk into the Goldenrod Pokémon Center through its front door. The receptionist gives it to you at the door.

Where is the Ilex Forest shrine?

In a small clearing in the middle of Ilex Forest, between Azalea Town and Route 34. Face it from the tile below.

Can you get Celebi in Gold and Silver?

Not in the game itself — there is no GS Ball. Trade one over from Crystal.

Can you get the GS Ball on an original Crystal cartridge?

Only in Japan, through the Mobile Adapter GB service that closed in Dec 2002. Outside Japan the cartridge never switches the event on.

Kurt still has my GS Ball — what now?

He keeps it until the next day. Wait past midnight on the game clock, then talk to him again.

Can Celebi be shiny in Crystal?

Yes. It is not shiny-locked; save before the shrine and reset for 1 in 8,192.

How to Get Celebi in Crystal: GS Ball & Ilex Forest

Get Celebi in Pokémon Crystal: the GS Ball, Kurt in Azalea Town, and the level 30 Ilex Forest shrine. Gold and Silver have none; trade it over.

Celebi is in Crystal only: after the Hall of Fame, the Goldenrod Pokémon Center gives you the GS Ball, Kurt in Azalea Town keeps it for a day, and the Ilex Forest shrine then calls Celebi for one level 30 battle. Gold Silver have no Celebi encounter at all.

How to Get Celebi in Crystal: GS Ball & Ilex Forest — Pokémon Gold, Silver & Crystal guide card

Published 24 Oct 2026

Can you get Celebi in your game?
Games	Release	Celebi	How
Crystal	Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console	Yes	GS Ball after the Hall of Fame
	Japanese Game Boy Color cartridge	Ended in Dec 2002	GS Ball over the Mobile Adapter GB
	Game Boy Color cartridge outside Japan	No	The event is in the game but never switches on
Gold Silver	Any	No	Trade one over from Crystal

How to get the GS Ball and Celebi in Crystal

You need Crystal on the 3DS Virtual Console. The 3DS eShop stopped selling it on 27 Mar 2023, so only a copy bought before then works; it can still be re-downloaded. The event runs once per save, in this order, and each step only starts once the step before it is done.

1. Enter the Hall of Fame

Beat the Elite Four and Lance. In the 3DS Virtual Console Crystal, saving your team to the Hall of Fame is what switches the GS Ball event on — the first time and any later time alike.

2. Get the GS Ball at the Goldenrod Pokémon Center

Fly to Goldenrod City and walk in through the Pokémon Center’s front door. The Trade Corner receptionist comes down the stairs to meet you at the door and hands you the GS Ball.

The Goldenrod Pokémon Center front door in Goldenrod City in Crystal, circled — The Goldenrod Pokémon Center door; the GS Ball is handed over on the doormat inside. Map view of our own Johto game-data render.

3. Give the GS Ball to Kurt in Azalea Town

Talk to Kurt in his house in Azalea Town. If he is still making an Apricorn Ball for you, he hands that over first — talk to him again. Then he takes the GS Ball to look at it.

Kurt’s house in Azalea Town in Crystal, its door circled — Kurt’s house in the north-west of Azalea Town, next to the Ilex Forest gate. Map view of our own Johto game-data render.

4. Come back the next day for the GS Ball

The same day Kurt only says he is still checking it. After midnight on the game clock, talk to him again: the GS Ball starts to shake and he runs outside. Step out of the door and he gives it back — Ilex Forest is restless.

Warning — Save before you use the shrine: You get one battle. The GS Ball is gone once you place it, and Celebi does not come back if it faints or you run.

5. Place the GS Ball in the Ilex Forest shrine

Walk into Ilex Forest from Azalea Town. The shrine stands in a small clearing in the middle of the forest. Face it from the tile below and press A: say yes to placing the GS Ball, and Celebi appears for a level 30 battle.

The player at the Celebi shrine in Ilex Forest in Pokémon Crystal — The Ilex Forest shrine — stand here and press A with the GS Ball in your Bag to call Celebi. Select the image to open Ilex Forest. In-game screenshot, Pokémon Crystal (Game Boy Color). © Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK.

How to catch Celebi at the shrine

Celebi is an ordinary wild battle: it never runs, and its catch rate is 45 — far easier than the legendary beasts. Lower its HP and put it to sleep or paralyse it, then throw Ultra Balls. Catch it and Kurt walks up to see it.

It is not shiny-locked. Shiny odds are the normal 1 in 8,192, so to hunt one, save in front of the shrine and reset until it appears shiny.

For a colour-matching catch, Celebi’s matching balls in Crystal:

Celebi Normal: Poké Ball — Shiny: Poké Ball

Celebi in Gold and Silver: trade it from Crystal

Gold Silver have the Ilex Forest shrine, but it is only a sign — no GS Ball exists in those games. Catch Celebi in Crystal and trade it over; the three games trade freely with each other.

Move your Crystal Celebi to later games

Only a Celebi from the 3DS Virtual Console can leave Generation 2: Poké Transporter sends Box 1 into Pokémon Bank, and Bank passes it on to Sun, Moon and Pokémon HOME. See Before Pokémon Bank shuts down and the Pokémon transfer chart.

Celebi in Gold, Silver and Crystal: FAQ

How do I get Celebi in Pokémon Crystal?: On the 3DS Virtual Console: enter the Hall of Fame, get the GS Ball at the Goldenrod Pokémon Center, give it to Kurt, collect it the next day and place it in the Ilex Forest shrine.
How do I get the GS Ball in Crystal Virtual Console?: Enter the Hall of Fame, then walk into the Goldenrod Pokémon Center through its front door. The receptionist gives it to you at the door.
Where is the Ilex Forest shrine?: In a small clearing in the middle of Ilex Forest, between Azalea Town and Route 34. Face it from the tile below.
What level is Celebi in Crystal?: Level 30.
Can you get Celebi in Gold and Silver?: Not in the game itself — there is no GS Ball. Trade one over from Crystal.
Can you get the GS Ball on an original Crystal cartridge?: Only in Japan, through the Mobile Adapter GB service that closed in Dec 2002. Outside Japan the cartridge never switches the event on.
Kurt still has my GS Ball — what now?: He keeps it until the next day. Wait past midnight on the game clock, then talk to him again.
Can Celebi be shiny in Crystal?: Yes. It is not shiny-locked; save before the shrine and reset for 1 in 8,192.

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