The game opens with some character creation. Choose your character’s skin and hair color, then select a name for your character and your rival. The adventure begins in Pallet Town. Speak with your Rival at the stair case, read the email on your computer, and leave your home.
It’s best to save your game here if you wish to reset for a specific nature for your partner Pokemon. Continue the story by going north into Route 1. Professor Oak will speak with you as you step into the tall grass. A wild Pikachu or Eevee will pop out, depending on the game you own. Capture it by throwing a Poke Ball.
Return to Professor Oak’s lab to find this new Pokemon in a Poke Ball on the table. Interact with it to receive your Partner Pokemon! All Partner Pokemon will have maxed out individual values, but the nature is random. Also, you will start off with 50 Poke Balls in your Bag! Prof. Oak will then give you and your rival a Pokedex to register all Pokemon you’ve seen and captured. Exit out of the lab to meet up with your mother and obtain a Town Map.
The next step on this intro quest is to head to the Poke Mart in Viridian City – the next town to the north. There you will receive a Parcel that you must return to Professor Oak. Along the way you can capture some wild Pokemon on Route 1. It’s best to do so because capturing Pokemon is the best way to earn experience points in LGP and LGE. The wild Pokemon from Route 1 are listed in the table below.
| Pokemon | Type | Candy | Area | LGP | LGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pidgey | Normal/Flying | Quick | Land | X | X |
| Rattata | Normal | Quick | Land | X | X |
| Oddish | Grass/Poison | Smart | Land | X | |
| Bellsprout | Grass/Poison | Mighty | Land | X |
If you capturing more than six Pokemon, the rest will be sent to the Pokemon Box. Access the Pokemon Box from the party menu or the bag to switch up your team.
Rest at the Pokemon Center once your reach Viridian City. Nurse Joy will heal your entire team for free. Grab the Parcel at the Poke Mart and either head straight back to Professor Oak or explore a bit of Viridian City and the route to the west.
Back at the Lab, Professor Oak will give you some Razz Berries for delivering his Parcel. Use these to make wild Pokemon easier to capture. As you leave the lab, your Rival will challenge you to your very first Pokemon battle. His Pokemon will depend on the version you are playing.
| Eevee ♂ | Lv.6 | Type | Normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tackle | Growl | ||
| Normal | Physical | Normal | Status |
| Tail Whip | Quick Attack | ||
| Normal | Status | Normal | Physical |
| Pikachu ♂ | Lv.6 | Type | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|
| ThunderShock | Growl | ||
| Electric | Special | Normal | Status |
| Tail Whip | Quick Attack | ||
| Normal | Status | Normal | Physical |
Hopefully you captured some Pokemon before returning to Pallet Town to buff up your team. Even if you didn’t, just keep attacking and the battle should be over before you know it.
Exit the Pokemon Lab and return to Route 1 to the north. Your friend’s big sister will stop you just before leaving. She’ll give your partner Pokemon the Sportwear outfit. Your partner Pokemon will then try to play with you, adding a new option to the main menu. Play with your partner Pokemon throughout the game to increase their friendship and add a special attack when playing the Nintendo Switch on TV Mode.
That concludes the intro quest. Continue north to Route 1.