Upon starting a new game, you'll be prompted to choose your gender and name your character. This choice is purely cosmetic and does not affect gameplay or stats. You'll also be asked to name your rival, Hugh, which can be customized to your preference. After these initial choices, you'll meet Professor Juniper and receive your first Pokémon.
Choosing Your Starter Pokémon:
You have three options for your starter Pokémon, each representing a different type:
- Snivy (Grass-type): A fast and elegant Pokémon, specializing in Special Attack. Its evolutions, Servine and Serperior, maintain this speed and can be excellent sweepers.
- Tepig (Fire-type): A robust Pokémon with good Attack and Special Attack. Its evolutions, Pignite and Emboar, gain the Fighting-type, making them powerful mixed attackers with many coverage.
- Oshawott (Water-type): A balanced Pokémon with decent Attack and Special Attack. Its evolutions, Dewott and Samurott, are versatile and can learn several moves, making them adaptable to different team compositions.
Consider your preferred playstyle and the types of Pokémon you enjoy using. While your starter is important, the Unova region offers a vast array of Pokémon to catch, so don't feel pressured by this initial choice. All three starters are viable for completing the main story.