Quick Guide
- Set the clock in your room before leaving your house. Then visit your next-door neighbor.
- Head north to Route 101 to choose your starter Pokémon.
- Battle your rival on Route 103.
- Return to Professor Birch’s lab to receive the Pokédex and some Poké Balls.
- Make your way through Route 102 to reach Petalburg City.
- Visit Norman’s Gym and help Wally catch his first Pokémon.
Littleroot Town
After selecting your gender and naming your character in a cutscene with Professor Birch, you’ll find yourself at the back of a moving truck. You can now move and access the menu.
Upon exiting the truck and entering your new home in Littleroot Town, your mom will ask you to set the time on the clock in your room upstairs. Interact with the wall clock, and it will automatically sync with your 3DS’s time.
Once you’re done exploring your room, head downstairs to watch the TV with your Mom.
After a brief cutscene, you’ll need to go outside and visit Professor Birch’s house, which is located right next to yours. If you’re playing as a boy, it’s east of your house, and if you’re playing as a girl, it’s west of your house.
Inside, you’ll meet Professor Birch’s wife.
She’ll ask you to go upstairs to meet your rival, May (if you’re playing as a boy) or Brendan (if you’re playing as a girl). Your rival will leave to assist Professor Birch on Route 101.
Getting Your Starter Pokémon
Simply go north to reach Route 101.
As you enter the route, you’ll immediately see Professor Birch calling for help. He will ask you to check the bag in front of you.
Inside the bag, you’ll find three Poké Balls, each containing a starter Pokémon. Choose wisely, as these starters can’t be caught in the wild.
| Starters | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Treecko | Torchic | Mudkip |
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| Type | Grass | Fire | Water |
| Level | Lv. 5 | Lv. 5 | Lv. 5 |
| Moves |
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After choosing your starter, you’ll engage in a battle against the Poochyena chasing Professor Birch. You should easily win this battle simply by using either of your available attacking moves.
Following the battle, Professor Birch will take you to his lab. He will also inform you that your rival is on Route 103.
When you’re ready, return to Route 101 and head north towards Oldale Town.
Route 101
Since you currently lack Poké Balls, you won’t be able to catch any wild Pokémon until you obtain the Pokédex. However, you can still battle the Pokémon here to gain EXP for your starter to level up.
Wild Pokémon
| Route 101 (Tall Grass) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Zigzagoon | Wurmple | Poochyena |
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| Encounter Chance | 40% | 40% | 20% |
| Levels | Lv. 2 | Lv. 2 | Lv. 2 |
North Exit to Oldale Town
From Route 101 just head north and you’ll find the entrance to Oldale Town.
Oldale Town
Upon arriving in Oldale Town, a friendly Poké Mart clerk will approach you and introduce two essential buildings found in every Hoenn town or city:
- The Pokémon Center: Recognizable by its red roof, it’s where you can heal your Pokémon for free.
- The Poké Mart: Identified by its blue roof, it’s where you can purchase various types of Poké Balls and healing items.
Then, the clerk will give you 10 free Potions.
Note that you can’t proceed west from Oldale Town at the moment, as someone is sketching rare Pokémon footprints there.
Poké Mart
One of the few buildings in the town is the Poké Mart. But inside, the clerk will inform you that they’re currently out of Poké Balls. They’re only selling Potions for now. To purchase Poké Balls, return after obtaining the Pokédex.
Once you have the Pokédex, Oldale Town’s Poké Mart will sell the following items:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Poké Ball | 200 |
| Potion | 300 |
| Antidote | 100 |
Earning more badges will also update the inventory of every Poké Mart, so be sure to revisit them periodically.
Furthermore, some Poké Marts may have a second clerk who sells TMs and Poké Balls exclusive to that particular town or city.
North Exit to Route 103
Head north out of Oldale Town to reach Route 103, as this is where Professor Birch mentioned that your rival was headed.
Route 103 (West Side)
This route is divided into two sections by the sea. Currently you can only explore the west side.
Travel north around the ledges, and you’ll find your rival on the northernmost part of the route.
Wild Pokémon
| Route 103 (Tall Grass) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Poochyena | Zigzagoon | Wingull |
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| Encounter Chance | 40% | 40% | 20% |
| Levels | Lv. 2-3 | Lv. 2-3 | Lv. 2-3 |
Rival Battle 1
When you find your rival, they will challenge you to a battle.
Their team depends on the starter you chose. Despite having a starter that’s strong against yours, they lack a move that takes advantage of your starter’s weakness.
Using your starter’s Normal-type move instead of the one that matches your Pokémon’s type can make this battle easier. It also helps if you’ve leveled up a bit from defeating wild Pokémon.
If you picked Treecko:
| Your Rival | |
|---|---|
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| Pokémon | Torchic Lv.5 |
| Type | Fire |
| Ability | Blaze |
| Held Item | None |
If you picked Torchic:
| Your Rival | |
|---|---|
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| Pokémon | Mudkip Lv.5 |
| Type | Water |
| Ability | Torrent |
| Held Item | None |
If you picked Mudkip:
| Your Rival | |
|---|---|
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| Pokémon | Treecko Lv.5 |
| Type | Grass |
| Ability | Overgrow |
| Held Item | None |
Heading Back to Littleroot
After the battle, your rival heals your Pokémon and returns to the lab in Littleroot Town. Follow him by heading south, avoiding the tall grass by jumping down ledges until you reach Littleroot Town.
Back at the lab, Professor Birch provides you with a Pokédex, and your rival gives you 10 Poké Balls.
Your next destination is Route 102 as you head towards Petalburg City.
DexNav Upgrade
As you head north on Route 101, your rival will stop you and upgrade your PokéNav Plus with the DexNav.
The DexNav helps you find all available Pokémon in a specific area. When a Pokémon is found with the DexNav, it might even have rare moves or its hidden ability.
During the DexNav tutorial, a hidden Poochyena will appear in the tall grass. Capturing this particular Poochyena guarantees a rare Egg move in its moveset, which depends on the starter you chose:
- If you picked Treecko, it will have Thunder Fang
- If you picked Torchic, it will have Ice Fang
- If you picked Mudkip, it will have Fire Fang
West Exit to Route 102
Once you’re back in Oldale Town, the trainer who was sketching footprints should have stopped.
This means the west exit from Oldale should now be open, which leads directly to Route 102.
Route 102
On this route you’ll travel west toward Petalburg City.
This route is also home to a variety of Pokémon, including the earliest version-exclusive in the game.
Wild Pokémon
| Route 102 (Tall Grass) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Zigzagoon | Wurmple | Poochyena | Seedot | Lotad | Ralts | Surskit |
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| Encounter Chance | 40% | 40 | 40% | 15% (AS) | 15% (OR) | 4% | 1% |
| Levels | Lv. 2 | Lv. 2 | Lv. 2 | Lv. 2-3 | Lv. 2-3 | Lv. 3 | Lv. 3 |
Obtainable Items
| Item | Method | Exact Location |
|---|---|---|
| Oran Berry x2 | On a Berry Tree, north side of the route |  |
| Pecha Berry x2 | On a Berry Tree, north side of the route |  |
| Potion | Down a ledge, near the western exit |  |
West Exit to Petalburg City
To reach the route’s exit leading to Petalburg City, head west from Lass Tiana’s location after you’ve finished exploring the route.
Petalburg City
Upon arriving in Petalburg City, make your way northwest of the Pokémon Center to find the city’s Pokémon Gym. Here you’ll encounter your father, Gym Leader Norman.
Keep in mind that you won’t be able to challenge the Gym just yet; you’ll need to earn 4 Gym Badges first.
Instead, Norman will invite you inside the Gym after a conversation with another Gym challenger. During your interaction, a young boy named Wally will make a request.
Wally’s First Pokémon
Wally will ask Norman for a Pokémon, and Norman will lend him his Zigzagoon to help him get one. Norman will ask you to assist Wally in catching a Pokémon on Route 102.
After returning to the Gym, Wally will thank you and upgrade your PokéNav by adding the PlayNav function, which includes three features:
- Player Search System (PSS) – enables you to connect to the Internet and interact with your friends and other players.
- Pokémon-Amie – allows you to pet, feed, and play with Pokémon in your team.
- Super Training – allows you to EV Train your Pokémon
West Exit to Route 104
Norman suggests you go to Rustboro City and challenge the first Gym Leader, Roxanne.
To reach Rustboro City you must pass through Route 104 and Petalburg Woods. Begin your journey by leaving Petalburg City through its west exit to Route 104.
