Welcome to the world of Pokémon! Pallet Town is the humble beginning of your adventure. You will be welcomed by the famous Professor Oak and meet your very first Pokémon. After an introduction, you'll head off into your journey throughout the region of Kanto, in order to become the best Pokémon Trainer ever! Let the adventure begin!
Humble beginnings
You start in your bedroom. Withdraw the Potion from your computer just in case your rival puts up a good fight. Downstairs, if your Pokémon later get tired, Mom will heal 'em, for free. After exploring your house, step out to explore town.
Pallet Town is home to you and your mom, your rival and his sister Daisy, and the Pokémon Research Laboratory. Its head is the world renowned Professor Oak, known for his Pokémon studies, who also happens to be your rival's grandfather. But don't worry, he doesn't play favorites.
You may look inside Professor Oak's Laboratory, but he's away at first. He seems to have left town. In the moment that you set foot outside of town to search him, someone calls to you and warns you not to go. It's him, Professor Oak! After assembling together with your rival, Professor Oak offers you the choice of three Pokémon from which you will take your very first.
Choosing your Starter Pokémon
Different players have different opinions regarding the choice. The important part is that none of the options is a bad one or a worse one than the other. Your choice determines the choice of your rival, who chooses a contrasting Pokémon, as well as which Legendary Beast Pokémon is released at the end of the game.
You may choose one of the three Pokémon based on your taste, as they were designed precisely to cover different tastes that player's may have. Charmander may be considered more appropriate for advanced players given that it will struggle with the first two Gym leaders. However, all three Pokémon are perfectly viable for the entire game, so you are free to choose any one of them.
Meeting your obnoxious rival
With your first Pokémon in hand, you head for the exit, but your rival decides that he wants to test his mettle against you and challenges you to a duel which you cannot refuse.
It can be a bit of a tricky match, since your rival chooses the Pokémon that has an advantage over yours. Fortunately, your rival won't always make the best choices, giving you the upper hand. If, by chance, you start to run low on hit points, you may use that Potion withdrawn from the computer, given that this battle cannot be repeated, although not using healing items during battle is a way of playing adopted by many players who prefer a more wholesome challenge, as the game isn't too difficult, despite a close-call first encounter. Losing the match isn't too bad: all you miss out on is your rival's 
80 and a free level up. Once the battle is over, you're ready to leave town and travel along Route 1.
Your lifelong rival downplays you and carries a grudge against you, but his sister Daisy is nice and thinks you're OK. Stop by their home just North of the Laboratory and next to yours when you later return to Pallet Town in order to obtain a Town Map for the region from her.
Pokémon found
| FireRed and LeafGreen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon | Level | Rate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Surfing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Tentacool | 5-40 | 100% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FireRed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon | Level | Old Rod | Good Rod | Super Rod | |
|
Magikarp | 5-10 | 100% | - | - |
|
Krabby | 5-15 | - | 20% | - |
|
Horsea | 5-15 | - | 60% | - |
|
|
Magikarp | 5-15 | - | 20% | - |
|
Psyduck | 25-35 | - | - | 1% |
|
Shellder | 15-25 | - | - | 40% |
|
|
Krabby | 5-15 | - | - | 40% |
|
Seadra | 25-35 | - | - | 4% |
|
Gyarados | 15-25 | - | - | 15% |
| LeafGreen | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon | Level | Old Rod | Good Rod | Super Rod | |
|
|
Magikarp | 5-10 | 100% | - | - |
|
|
Krabby | 5-15 | - | 60% | - |
|
|
Horsea | 5-15 | - | 20% | - |
|
|
Magikarp | 5-15 | - | 20% | - |
|
Slowpoke | 25-35 | - | - | 1% |
|
|
Krabby | 5-25 | - | - | 40% |
|
Kingler | 25-35 | - | - | 4% |
|
Staryu | 15-25 | - | - | 40% |
|
|
Gyarados | 15-25 | - | - | 15% |
New Pokemon
Bulbasaur is a dual-type Grass and Poison Pokémon, effective against a variety of foes. It lacks an offensive movepool, and its STAB attacks don't do much to common Poison-type Pokémon, but it has a great support movepool, including Leech Seed and status-altering moves.
Pick Bulbasaur and your rival takes Charmander, effective against Grass types.
Charmander is a popular Fire-type Pokémon that shines on offense. It learns powerful Fire attacks and other useful moves. However, its defensive capabilities aren't as good as those of the other two starters.
Choose Charmander and your rival picks Squirtle, effective against Fire types.
Squirtle is a Water-type Pokémon, tough on defense, but with attacks of somewhat modest power. Its effective against Fire-type foes, as well as Rock and Ground types. It can learn the HM Surf, powerful and invaluable for going by waterways.
Take Squirtle and your rival gets Bulbasaur, effective against Water types.