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.

Your room.

After Professor Oak leaves you in your room, you take control of a boy (or a girl in Crystal). Explore the room if you want; there is only a PC. Now go downstairs to talk to his mother.

Starting Pokémon

Gold	Silver	Crystal
Chikorita Chikorita Totodile

Set up your PokéGear

Obtaining 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 multi-functional device that initially acts as a phone. With it, you can call important people like your mother or your neighbor, Professor 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 any time you'd like. As you progress, you can gain Cards that expand the PokéGear's abilities. Now you are ready to face the challenges of the Pokémon world! Leave home to meet his new city: New Bark Town!

Exploring the town

New Bark Town

The town is small, with only four buildings. The house in the southeast is the home of Professor Elm along with his wife and son. If you talk to the woman in the southwest house, she will tell you that Pikachu is an evolved Pokémon. While this wasn't true in the first generation games, there is now a new Pokémon that evolves into Pikachu. If you try to leave town, a woman appears and does not let you leave. You need to have a Pokémon before leaving. The building in the northwest is the laboratory of Professor Elm.

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  The House of Professor Elm.

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  The woman's house.

Visit Professor Elm

Choosing The First Pokémon

Professor Elm, busy with his studies, wants you to find an old colleague of his. He asks you to visit Mr. Pokémon in Route 30 to pick up an interesting item. It's a tough journey, but Professor Elm will provide you with a Pokémon of your 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. Also note that each one will be holding a Berry.

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. When you hatch the egg, you will get an Everstone. 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. As you leave, you will be given a Potion to use whenever your Pokémon gets into trouble.

#152 Chikorita

Like Bulbasaur before it, Chikorita is a Grass-type that is strong against Rock, Ground, and Water-types, and is weak against Fire, Bug, Poison, and Flying types. Chikorita learns the powerful Razor Leaf attack at level 8, learns Reflect at level 12 which is very useful combined with its high defense. It also learns Poison Powder and synthesis that will be useful. Body Slam and Solar Beam are learned at high levels. As there are not many early Grass-types to catch its actually a good option to pick but is generally considered the worst starting choice. It can be taught HMs Cut and Flash and also Strength once it evolves making it a very good utility Pokémon as there are very few that can learn all 3 of these HM moves!

#155 Cyndaquil

Cyndaquil isCharmander's successor who is also a Fire-type, and it is strong when fighting against Ice, Grass, or Bug-types and is weak when fighting against Water, Rock, or Ground types. While Chikorita excels in Defense, Cyndaquil is the quickest and has the best Special Attack score. It's Fire moves are a little weak in the early game, though, so it's hard to take advantage of its strengths at the beginning of the game. Cyndaquil learns Ember at level 12, and only learns another fire-type move at level 27. Even with a minimal moveset, Cyndaquil is still a good Pokémon and the most recommended starter. His weakness of water-type moves can be negated when Cyndaquil reaches its final form, if you teach it Thunder Punch.

#158 Totodile

Totodile is a Water-type like Squirtle, and it is strong against Fire, Ground, and Rock-types. It is weak when it faces Grass or Electric-type Pokémon and sometimes other Water-types. Totodile learns a variety of strong attacks, but only a few Water ones. That's just as well, since its Attack is higher than its Special Attack. Totodile is probably the strongest starter, but Water-type Pokémon are much more common than Grass or Fire Pokémon. With its great attack power, you will have an easy time training it on Route 29. Totodile only learns two water-type attacks: Water Gun at level 13, and Hydro Pump at level 58 after Totodile reaches its final form. After learning, Bite should be kept forever, or replaced with Headbutt. Other recommended TM's would be Earthquake and Ice Punch/ Blizzard, to combat weaknesses against Electric and Grass types. Totodile learns Rage at level 7 which is the main reason it is used by speedrunners, because it helps them through the first 3 gyms without grinding.