InGenerationsII andIV, this house is where theplayer 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 asSuper Potions.
The player's bedroom is a bit fancier thanRed's bedroom inRed, Blue, andYellow. In Generation II, unlike Red's room, it can also be customized to include severalPokémon dolls, as well as otherdecorations like beds, game systems, and carpets. TheTown 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'smail, and the mailbox in the beginning of the game contains a single letter composed byLyra/Ethan (if the player is a boy/girl, respectively), with the following text signed with said person's name and with aMarill icon in the blue stamp box:
ADVENTURE! EXCITED!
I love POKéMON!
Professor Elm's lab
Inside Professor Elm's laboratoryInside the upstairs living area of Professor Elm's laboratory
Inside is one aide of Professor Elm's, a couple of shelves full of books, a table with threePoké 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 aPokémon Center. Elm's Aide gives the player oneGSC/fiveHGSSPotions when leaving the lab for the first time.
At the beginning of the game, ared-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 rivalSilver.
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 ofJohto.
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.
The walking Pokémon stretches out its body and relaxes when in this town, causing it to become happy. It also feels nice and sleepy and may doze off.
Outdoors: The walking Pokémon feels a breeze and stares intently at the sky. It can be surprised by a flower petal or leaf on its face, and sometimes sneezes.
Player's house: Standing near the player's mom, the walking Pokémon greets her and shows concern for her.
Player's bedroom: The walking Pokémon sings happily.
Friend's bedroom: The walking Pokémon wants to play withMarill, even if Marill is not in the room.
Professor Elm's lab: The walking Pokémon fidgets in front of everyone and stares intently at the player's face.
New Bark Town reappeared inHatch Me If You Can, whereDelia andProfessor Oak boarded a ship and met up with Professor Elm at the town's port. Ash and his friends later returned to the town after Ash had earned all eight JohtoBadges, allowing him to register for theSilver Conference. Afterwards, they headed forMt. Silver to return the newly hatchedLarvitar to its home before the Silver Conference.
InPokémon Adventures, New Bark Town is shown to be notably bigger than in the games, including amenities such as a general hospital. It is the hometown ofGold.
Despite appearing to be farther away from theJohto-Kanto border on thePokégear's map, theplayer's house is 7 steps from the border withRoute 27, 10 steps closer than thePokémon Center atMt. Silver is toRoute 28, thus making it the closestFly destination to the border.
Out of all towns where the player starts, it is the only one to not have a connecting route to the north, but instead to the east and west.
It is also the only starting town that the player must pass through again after gaining their eighthBadge on the way to theIndigo Plateau.
InPokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, at some point during the player's journey, the first partner 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.
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, when selecting a first partner Pokémon to receive at Elm's lab, it is possible to see whether each Pokémon isshiny before committing to the decision. However, the shiny status (if any) is not retained for the Pokémon that is later stolen by the rival.[1]
In thedemo ofPocket Monsters 2 showed off atNintendo Space World in 1997, the initial town was not New Bark Town but rather a different town namedSilent Hill (サイレント ヒル), 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 theGame Boy to theGame Boy Color. Due to the first installment of theSilent 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 asWakaba Town (ワカバタウン).
New Bark Town is the only core series hometown to lack a resident exclaiming "Technology is incredible!" or a similar statement.
New Bark Town may correspond toShizuoka, the capital city of theShizuoka Prefecture. Notably, the nameSilent Hill that had appeared in the early demo in Nintendo Space World is a literal translation of "Shizuoka" (静岡).
Names
Language
Name
Origin
Japanese
ワカバタウンWakaba Town
From 若葉色wakaba-iro (lightchartreuse color of budding leaves)
English
New Bark Town
Fromnew andbark
German
Neuborkia
Fromneu (new),Borke (bark), and the placename suffix-ia
