Elms Lab

Step into Elm's bright little lab

Elm's Lab is not grand, which is why it works. You walk in from New Bark Town and find a tidy research room with bookshelves, a healing machine, Elm's aide near the door, and three Poké Balls waiting near the desk. The whole Johto journey is sitting on that table.

Choose Cyndaquil, Totodile, or Chikorita. Each starter is level 5 and holds a Berry. Elm adds his number to your Pokégear and asks you to visit Mr. Pokémon's House beyond Route 29 and Cherrygrove City.

• Want to compare first? Open Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile.
• Use the lab's healing machine after you have a Pokémon.
• Read the travel-tip cards and shelves if you like a little pre-adventure texture.

Do not rush past the aide

Elm's aide helps you at the door, so do not rush past him. He gives you a Potion before your first trip to Route 29. Later, after you bring the Mystery Egg back to Elm, the aide gives you 5 Poké Balls so you can start catching Pokémon.

• Take the Potion before you leave for Mr. Pokémon's house.
• Bring the Mystery Egg back here before you expect to start catching properly.
• Leave again with Poké Balls once the lab has settled down.

Bring the strange Egg back

The return trip gives the lab its first real jolt. Elm's Pokémon has been stolen, the police officer wants to hear about the red-haired visitor outside the lab, and the Mystery Egg turns Elm's excitement into something bigger than a simple delivery. This is where the opening walk becomes a real journey.

• Tell the officer what you saw after the theft.
• Give the Mystery Egg to Elm.
• Talk to Elm afterward, then decide whether Mom should save money for you before you leave New Bark again.

Keep checking in

Elm's Lab keeps mattering because Elm keeps learning from what you find. He studies the Egg, calls when new things happen, and turns later milestones into rewards.

• After you reach Violet City, Elm's aide waits in the Pokémon Center with the Egg.
• Show Elm Togepi or Togetic to get an Everstone.
• After the Rising Badge, Elm gives you the Master Ball.
• After the Elite Four, Elm gives you the S.S. Ticket for the ship from Olivine City.

Notice the room changing around you

This room is busy even when the big rewards are done. The window, shelves, healing machine, aide, officer visit, and Elm's phone calls all make the lab feel like a place you return to rather than a door you pass through once.

• Use the healing machine before leaving for early routes.
• Come back when Elm calls instead of treating the lab as finished.
• When Elm has nothing new to give, he still feels like the professor watching your journey unfold from home.