Aquacorde Town is certainly bigger than Vaniville. This beautiful riverside town contains some shops and facilities not present in Vaniville. Most importantly, it is where you can get your first ever Pokémon!
Pick your starter
Immediately upon arriving at Aquacorde, you will be invited over to a table by the two neighbors from before. They will introduce you to two more friends. Tierno is the cheerful boy who is fond of dancing while Trevor is a more reserved kid who aspires to travel across Kalos. Tierno will suggest giving each other nicknames to make the whole group closer. You can choose from a bunch of premade ones or make one yourself. Tierno and Trevor will present you with three Pokémon. You can only pick one, and you can't find these Pokémon anywhere else in the entire region, so choose wisely!
| #650 Chespin | Chespin is a Grass-type, which only gives it an advantage in the first few gyms while having more trouble in later gyms, especially once it gains the Fighting typing after evolving into Chesnaught. Chespin and its evolutions are physically-oriented Pokémon with an emphasis on defense, although their attacks are also quite powerful. Spiky Shield is a move exclusive to Chesnaught, learned around level 70, that not only blocks most attacks, but also damages the attacker if they make contact. |
|---|---|
| #653 Fennekin | The Fire-type Fennekin would be the best choice for clearing gyms, being able to do double damage on most of the Pokémon you will face in the first gym while either resisting or doing neutral damage to the later gyms, which by then it would have evolved into Delphox, which has an additional Psychic type. The Fennekin evolution line are more focused on special moves, with a high Special Attack and Special Defense. It's final evolution, Delphox is also the only Pokémon that learns Mystical Fire, a powerful Fire-type attack that lowers the opponent's Special Attack stat. |
| #656 Froakie | Froakie starts out as a Water-type, but it also gains a Dark-type for its final evolution, Greninja. Its typing gives it a few weaknesses against the gyms in the latter half of the game, though Water/Dark type does grant an immunity to Psychic-type attacks. Greninja in particular is notable for being the only Pokémon that learns Mat Block, a move similar to Protect that only works on the first turn its out, and Water Shuriken, which is a multi-hit Water-type move. Unlike traditional Water-type starters, Froakie and its evolutions have great stats for Speed and both of its Attack stats, but poor defenses, making them lean towards a glass cannon playstyle. |
After picking your starter, Shauna will pick the one with a type weakness to you, such as Chespin if you picked Fennekin, while Calum/Serena will get the remaining Pokémon. Trevor will give you a gift from Professor Sycamore, the Pokédex! It is a device that records the Pokémon you've encountered and caught, and one of your objectives is to fill it up. Tierno will give you the Prof's Letter, which is addressed to your mom. If you wish to begin your adventure, you must give it to your mother first, so let's make a quick trip back to Vaniville!
As you try to leave, Shauna will challenge you to your first Pokémon battle!
- Shauna (If you picked Chespin):
- Froakie (Lv. 5)
500
- Shauna (If you picked Fennekin):
- Chespin (Lv. 5)
- 500
- Shauna (If you picked Froakie):
- Fennekin (Lv. 5)
- 500
Your first battle is going to be breeze, even when compared to the first battles in previous Pokémon games. Your starter Pokémon comes with a move that is the same type as your Pokémon, Vine Whip for Chespin, Ember for Fennekin and Bubble for Froakie. Shauna's Pokémon will always be weak to these attacks, so keep throwing out these elemental attacks until you defeat her. Shauna will heal your Pokémon after the battle, and you can continue back to Vaniville Town.
Town facilities
There are a couple areas of interest to go to while you're in Aquacorde. There is a salesman wandering around the fountain who will give you a Potion when you talk to him. It heals 20 HP when used on your Pokémon, in or out of battle. It is quite helpful when you're far from any towns or if your Pokémon's health drops dangerously low during a battle. Conveniently, there is a potion shop nearby that only sells Potions for 
300.
In the building next to the Pokémon shop, the woman at the counter will completely heal your Pokémon for free. It is more economical to rest your Pokémon here than to buy tons of Potions, but less convenient. You will be making frequent visits back here until you manage to make it to Santalune City, which is two routes away.
Opposite of these two facilities is a store that only sells Poké Balls for 200. Poké Balls are needed to catch new Pokémon, so you should buy more if you plan on catching them on the next few routes. If you buy 10 or more Poké Balls at once, you get a Premier Ball as a bonus. This item functions exactly like the Poké Ball, so the differences are merely aesthetic.
Finally, there is a Photo Spot near the river. You can take a photo of yourself as a souvenir, which will actually be stored in the Nintendo 3DS Camera app on your system!
What's next?
Now that you've seen every part of Aquacorde Town, it is time to venture into Route 2!