Pallet Town

Wake up where Kanto begins

Pallet Town's sign says "shades of your journey await," and Yellow lets that promise breathe for a moment before the noise starts. Your house sits on the west side, your rival's house faces it from across the path, Oak's Lab waits below, and Route 1 is just far enough north to feel tempting.

Start upstairs. The TV is playing a movie about boys walking along railroad tracks, and the PC in your room has a Potion waiting. Take it before you leave; your first real battle comes sooner than the town's calm mood suggests.

• Withdraw the Potion from your bedroom PC.
• Talk to Mom downstairs. She sends you toward Professor Oak.
• After you have a Pokémon, Mom heals your whole party whenever you come home.

Let Pikachu find you

Try to leave through the north grass and Oak rushes after you. A wild level 5 Pikachu appears before you ever reach the open route. Oak catches it, brings you back into Oak's Lab, and tries to give you the usual quiet starter moment. Your rival ruins that by grabbing Eevee, so Pikachu becomes yours instead.

The lab fight happens right away. Your rival's Eevee is also level 5, and Pikachu's mood after the battle becomes part of the adventure: it refuses to stay in its Poké Ball and follows you outside.

• Battle your rival's level 5 Eevee in Oak's Lab.
• Talk to Pikachu whenever you want to check its mood.
• Visit the people and signs around town now that Pikachu is walking with you.

Carry Oak's Parcel home

The first walk out of town goes north through Route 1 to Viridian City. When you enter the Viridian Mart, the clerk recognizes you as the kid from Pallet and hands over Oak's Parcel. Bring it back to Oak's Lab before you drift too far into Kanto.

Oak thanks you, gives both you and your rival the Pokédex, and hands you 5 Poké Balls so catching can begin. Your rival runs off with one more boast, which is your invitation to cross the path and visit his house.

• Return Oak's Parcel before you settle into catching.
• Visit your rival's house after receiving the Pokédex.
• Daisy gives you the Town Map if your bag has room.

Read the hometown before it shrinks behind you

Take a full lap while Pallet still feels like the whole world. The girl outside talks about raising Pokémon, the fisher praises PC storage, and the signs mark your house, your rival's house, the lab, and the town's famous journey line. There are no wild encounters in town itself. The danger starts the moment you step north.

• Use home as your first free healing stop.
• Use Oak's Lab for Pikachu, the rival fight, Oak's Parcel, the Pokédex, and later progress checks.
• Use Blue's House for Daisy and the Town Map.

Return when the sea opens

Pallet is not only the beginning. Once water travel opens up, Route 21 turns the southern shore into a road toward Cinnabar. That makes Pallet a quiet late-game doorway back into the south coast.

• Come home for Mom's healing whenever the route back is convenient.
• Return later if you want the Route 21 sea road.
• Let Pikachu follow you back through town after the world has grown; Yellow makes the homecoming feel different.