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Location of New Bark Town in Johto.
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New Bark Town (Japanese: ワカバタウンWakaba Town) is located in southeastern Johto and is the hometown of the main character in the Generation II games and their remakes. It is home to the lab of Professor Elm, who possesses the starting Pokémon for Johto:Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile.
In GenerationsII and IV, this house is where the player lives before beginning their journey. Theplayer's mother lives here, and after the player has left town for the first time, she will save money if the player wishes and occasionally buys decorations for the bedroom, or items such as Super Potions.
The player's bedroom is a bit fancier than Red's bedroom in Red, Blue, and Yellow. In Generation II, unlike Red's room, it can also be customized to include several Pokémon dolls, as well as beds,game systems, and carpets. The Town Map hanging on the wall can also be replaced with one of several posters of different Pokémon. However, in Generation IV, this feature is not included.
The player starts the game in their bedroom, in front of their PC and radio. The PC in the top-left corner of the room in Generation II has a few important purposes, but unlike in the Generation I bedroom's computer, it does not contain an item. In Generation IV, the PC is restricted to viewing the player's mail, and the mailbox in the beginning of the game contains a single letter composed by Lyra/Ethan (if the player is a boy/girl, respectively), with the following text signed with said person's name and with a Marill icon in the blue stamp box:
ADVENTURE!
EXCITED!
I love POKéMON!
Professor Elm's lab[]
[5][6]Inside Professor Elm's laboratory[7][8]Inside the upstairs living area of Professor Elm's laboratory
Professor Elm's laboratory lies right next to the western entrance into New Bark Town. Professor Elm works at his laboratory with his aide, usually doing experiments concerning Pokémon Eggs and breeding. In II, the lab is a small building near the player's house that has been slightly modified in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. Here, Pokémon Trainers just beginning their quest are given the choice to receive either a Chikorita, a Cyndaquil, or a Totodile fromProfessor Elm.
Inside is one aide of Professor Elm's, a couple of shelves full of books, a table with three Poké Balls (a capsule inPokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver), a computer, and a few tips for the player. There is also a machine here that has the ability to fully rest/restore all of the player's Pokémon, just like a Pokémon Center. In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Elm's Aide gives the player five Potions when leaving the lab for the first time.
At the beginning of the game, a red-haired young man can be seen looking through the window into the lab. If spoken to, he will kick people out of his way, and then continue to spy upon the lab.
New Bark Town has a population of 10, excluding the player character's rival Silver.
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver[]
New Bark Town's population is 11, assuming Silver is not from the town. This makes it the least populated town in Johto. However, it is the first starting Town to break the tradition by being over 10. This low number is likely due to its lack of amenities like a Gym or Pokémon Center, and its isolation from the rest of Johto.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
New Bark Town is shown to be quite a bit larger in the Pokémon Adventuresmanga, including amenities such as a general hospital. It is the home town of Gold.
The name of this town started the running theme in which the player's starting town is named after a plant.
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, at some point during the player's journey, the starter Pokémon in Elm's lab that wasn't chosen by the player or stolen by the rival disappears without explanation, although it is hinted to have been given to someone else.
This is one of the many towns whose Generation IV slogan does not match its Generation II one, likely due to the length. Its Generation II slogan is "The Town Where Winds of a New Beginning Blow"
In the beta version of Pokémon Gold and Silver showed off at Nintendo Space World in 1997, the initial town was not New Bark Town but rather a different town named サイレントヒルズ Silent Hills, which may have actually been a prototype design of New Bark Town. The town had a drastically different design, but may have been overhauled during the transition from the Game Boy to the Game Boy Color. Due to the first installment of the Silent Hill horror game series being released about eight months prior to the actual Japanese release of Gold and Silver, in early 1999, it may have possibly led to the rename as ワカバタウン Wakaba Town.
New Bark Town, along with Ever Grande City in Hoenn, are the only cities in Pokémon games to have three separate words in their name.
Name origin[]
Language
Name
Origin
Japanese
ワカバタウン Wakaba Town
From 若葉 wakaba, "new leaves" or "fresh verdure."
English
New Bark Town
Literally, "new bark".
French
Bourg Geon
From bourgeon, bud. Also, Geon is similar to jeune, young.