Pokémon Gold and Silver/New Bark Town

'Your hometown of New Bark Town may be small, but it's packed with places, people and items that are extremely important to you. Your adventure begins with an errand that your neighbor, Professor Elm, asks you to run for him. He gives you a wonderful gift for helping him!'

Set up your PokéGear
When you head downstairs, Mom will present you with a PokéGear, the very first item you receive which your mother says is back from the repair shop. The PokéGear is a multifunctional device that initially acts as a phone. With it, you can call important people like your mother or your neighbor, Poressor Elm. Your mother will explain how to use the device, and she'll also help you set the day of the week. After she's done helping you, your mother will send you to Professor Elm's lab, but not before giving you her phone number, so you can call her anytime you'd like. As you progress, you can gain Cards that the expand the PokéGear's abilities.

Visit Professor Elm
Professor Elm, busy with his studies, wants you to find an old colleague of his. He asks you to visit Mr. Pokémon in Cherrygrove City to pick up an interesting item. It's a tough journey, but Professor Elm will provide you with a Pokémon of you choice (see the profiles below) for protection. He offers you one of his Pokémon—Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile—to keep you company on your journey. These three starters can be found nowhere else in the game.

The Professor will call you several times during your adventure, and each time he will have a gift for you. The lab assistants will give you your first five Poké Balls after you return from the errand. After you win your eighth badge in Johto, Professor Elm will call you back to the Lab and give you the Master Ball. Once you have defeated the Elite Four, Professor Elm will give you the S.S. Ticket so you can continue on to Kanto.

When your Pokémon gets wounded, you can heal it here in Professor Elm's lab. And make sure to grab a Potion from his aide as you leave!

Good ol' Mom
While you're on your journey, your mom will help you save your money if you want her to. You can't lose money that your mom keeps for you, and you can ask her for the saved money when you run low. Your mom loves to shop, and she will call you when she's purchased something new. Sometimes she buys helpful items, like Potion or Repel, and sometimes she just buys decorations for your room.

Your mom likes buying fun Pokémon stuff for your room like Charmander and Snorlax dolls, and you can use them to decorate. When you're in your room, choose Decoration from your PC's menu to arrange the objects.