Biggest time save in nearly a decade discovered in FireRed speedrunning

The Switch releases of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen have drawn fresh attention to the originals, and a prominent speedrunner says that influx produced "the biggest time save in nearly a decade of Pokémon speedrunning." Gunnermaniac, the Elite 4 Round 2 speedrunning record holder, explains the find in a new YouTube video and credits the remakes' popularity for bringing it to light.

The trick itself is surprisingly simple — essentially hiding behind the L button — and Gunnermaniac singles out its discoverer: "This trick should honestly be called Clemi's skip... Clemi's skip has completely insane implications for the FireRed Round 2 speedrun."

After booting up Pokémon LeafGreen to test the skip, Gunnermaniac said he was astounded that it had remained undiscovered, noting how thoroughly speedrunners scrutinize these games. The Switch re-releases also patched an old glitch that could make certain legendary Pokémon disappear from a save.

pokémon firered, leafgreen, speedrunning, gunnermaniac, clemi's skip, l button, round 2, elite 4, switch releases, legendary pokémon