New Bark Town, a small windswept village in eastern Johto. This is where it all begins: a clock to set, a PokéGear given by your mother and, in the lab next door, three Pokémon waiting for a Trainer.
- Objective
- Choose your first Pokémon and head to Mr. Pokémon’s house
- Rewards
- Starter Pokémon (holding a Berry), PokéGear, Potion
- Recommended level
- 5
🕰️A clock, a day, a PokéGear
Before you even take your first step, the game asks you the time. This is no detail: Gold, Silver and Crystal are the first Pokémon games to follow a real-time clock. Morning (4 AM to 10 AM), day (10 AM to 6 PM) and night (6 PM to 4 AM) do not bring out the same Pokémon, and some events only happen on a specific day of the week.
Go downstairs: your mother asks you what day it is, then hands you the PokéGear, the device that works as a watch, a phone and, later, a map and a radio.
🧪Professor Elm’s lab
Professor Elm studies Pokémon breeding. He has received a message from his friend Mr. Pokémon, who claims to have made a great discovery, and he has no time to go there himself. He entrusts you with a Pokémon for the road: the choice is yours.
ChikoritaNo. 5GrassGrass. Sturdy and defensive, but the start of the adventure is hostile to it: Falkner uses Flying Pokémon and Bugsy uses Bug types. It evolves into Bayleef at level 16, then Meganium at level 32.
CyndaquilNo. 5FireFire. The most comfortable choice for the story: it dominates Bugsy, Jasmine and Pryce. It evolves early into Quilava (level 14), but waits until level 36 to become Typhlosion.
TotodileNo. 5WaterWater. Powerful and sturdy, it learns Rage very early and becomes Croconaw at level 18, then Feraligatr as early as level 30, sooner than the other two.
The professor gives you his number and, as you leave, his aide hands you a Potion. Your Pokémon already holds a Berry, which will restore some HP at the right moment.
New Bark Town
🎒Items
- 🍓BerryHeld by the Pokémon received as a starter.
- 🧪PotionGiven by Professor Elm's aide when leaving town after receiving the starter Pokémon.
- ⚪Poké BallGiven by Professor Elm's aide after talking to Professor Elm and the Officer about Silver.
- 🎁EverstoneGiven by Professor Elm if you show him the Togepi hatched from the Mystery Egg.
- ⚪Master BallGiven by Professor Elm after obtaining all eight Johto Badges.
- 🧪S.S. TicketGiven by Professor Elm after beating the Johto League.
🌿Route 29
Leave the village to the west. Route 29 is short, with no Trainers, and it is the right place for your first catches. By day, Pidgey and Sentret are everywhere; at night, they give way to Hoothoot, the owl that keeps Johto’s internal clock, and to Rattata.
Route 29
🗺️Map
🌿Wild Pokémon
🎒Items
- 🧪PotionNortheast of the route
- 🍓BerryNorth of the west entrance (one per day)
In the middle of the route, a gate opens to the north onto Route 46. Its ledges keep you from climbing back up: you will return later through Dark Cave. Keep going west, Cherrygrove City is only a few steps away.
