Now that the commotion of Leon returning has died down, you’ll be able to explore the town a bit more freely. However, you should still try to make your way to the Research Lab as soon as possible, since it’s your next destination.
Leon is waiting over by the Pokémon Research Lab and, although he left his Charizard near the entrance of the town, it heads over towards you after you talk to Leon, funnily enough.
Inside you’ll see an enormous amount of books. There’s also a playful little Yamper that greets you. A woman, Sonia, also comes down the stairs and seems to know Leon. Leon will head out after a bit more dialogue and then Sonia will upgrade your Rotom Phone so it can use the Pokédex. Wonderful!
Sonia will then tell you to head over to a house on Route 2 where her gram, Professor Magnolia, lives to let her know you received the Pokédex.
After leaving the Pokémon Research Lab, a man will approach you and notice your Pokédex. He’ll give you a Potion and explain that you can use that to heal your Pokémon’s HP — hit points.
Before leaving the general area of the Lab, head over to the right and wrap around the trees to find a fairly-hidden Rare Candy, a very useful item that raises the level of the Pokémon you use it on by 1, permanently. It’s a good idea to save these for later in the game when it takes more EXP to level up, since it’s pretty easy to level up early on.
As you approach the northern part of town, you’ll run into Hop again. He’ll tell you about Pokémon Centers and point the one in town out to you. They’ll always look like that, with a pinkish Poké Ball symbol and a neon pink frame around the roof.
Once you’re inside, Hop will ask you if it’s your first time in a Pokémon Center. If you’re unfamiliar with the functions of a Pokémon Center, say yes, and he’ll explain them to you, otherwise he won’t waste your time if you say no.
| Shop Items | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Poké Ball |  200 |
 |
Potion | 200 |
 |
Antidote | 200 |
 |
Burn Heal | 200 |
 |
Ice Heal | 200 |
 |
Awakening | 200 |
 |
Paralyze Heal | 200 |
 |
Revive | 2000 |
Some things have changed in the Pokémon Center compared to older games, though. For one, you still heal your Pokémon by talking to the nurse in the center, and you can still buy items in the Poké Mart on the right. However, there’s a new person on the left that can help you change the nickname of your Pokémon (Name Rater), delete moves known by the Pokémon (Move Deleter), and even help your Pokémon remember forgotten moves (Move Relearner) — free of charge! This is a brilliant addition, so if you think you’ve messed up and forgotten a move you wish you hadn’t, you can just visit him to remember it.
There’s also the Rotom Information terminal — Rotomi — in the room, which allows you to access your Pokémon Boxes to store Pokémon. Once you have a full team of six Pokémon, that’s where your excess Pokémon will wind up.
One thing to note about the Poké Mart is that you are not currently able to buy Poké Balls. You’ll be able to buy them after visiting Route 2. It’s also a good idea to buy Poké Balls in increments of 10 at a time (10, 20, 30, etc.), as you’ll receive 1 free Premier Ball for every 10 Poké Balls you buy in a single transaction, and Premier Balls function just like regular Poké Balls — they just look a bit fancier!
Outside of the Pokémon Center is a woman who wants to read your month’s horoscope. Input the number for your birth month and then your birth date. Presumably this is for celebrating your birthday later on.
The first shop to the left sells berries that can be held by Pokémon and are usually eaten when necessary.
| Shop Items | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Oran Berry | 80 |
 |
Cheri Berry | 80 |
 |
Pecha Berry | 80 |
The Oran Berry can be held by a Pokémon and then, during battle when its HP falls below 50%, it will eat the Oran Berry and heal 10 HP. The Cheri Berry can be held and is consumed when the Pokémon becomes paralyzed, curing paralysis, while the Pecha Berry works similarly except for poison. You can also use these items from your bag to heal HP or cure status directly, so it’s really not necessary to spend 200 on Antidotes or Paralyze Heals when 80 for the corresponding berries works just as well.
Further to the left is the clothing boutique, but there’s also a Poké Doll to the left of it. It allows you to escape from any wild Pokémon battle, just in case things get a bit dicey. The boutique itself has a wide variety of clothing items you can buy and equip on your character. You can change into any clothes you’ve bought by using the dressing room, or you can also buy clothes and put them on immediately.
Anyway, keep going to the north until you run into Hop again. He’ll ask if you want to try out the Gym Challenge. Hop will say he wants to get the Professor’s endorsement to start the Gym Challenge and will want you to take it on as well. He’ll then head off towards Route 2.On your way out of town, pay careful attention to the rock near the steps leading down to Route 2. There’s a sparkling light there! Press A and you’ll pick it up, just like the item balls from earlier. This one is a Revive, a valuable item that normally costs 2000 and can be used to revive a fainted Pokémon with 50% of its max HP remaining. Try to save these for tough Gym Leader fights and heal at the Pokémon Center whenever you get a chance instead, because otherwise it is quite costly.