Pallet Town

**Pallet Town** (Japanese: **マサラタウン** *Masara Town*) is located in western Kanto and serves as the hometown of Red, the protagonist of the Generation I games, as well as Blue and several other notable Pokémon Trainers who begin their Pokémon journeys in Kanto. Professor Oak's Laboratory is in Pallet Town, where the famous Pokémon Professorconducts his research.

The small town is accessible in two ways: from the north via Route 1 that leads directly to Viridian City, and from the south via Route 21, a water route, that leads to Cinnabar Island.

It is based on Machida, Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri's hometown; however, its location on the map better corresponds to somewhere in the Shizuoka Prefecture.

## Slogan

### Generations I and III

***Shades of your journey await!*** (Japanese: **マサラは　まっしろ　はじまりのいろ** *Masara is the color of pure-white beginnings.*)

### Generation II

***A Tranquil Setting of Peace and Purity***(Japanese: **マサラは　まっしろ　けがれなき　いろ** *Masara is colored with pure white.*)

### Generation IV

***A Pure White Beginning*** (Japanese: **まっしろ　はじまりの　いろ** *The color of pure-white beginnings.*)

## Places of interest

### Professor Oak's Lab

*Main article: Professor Oak's Laboratory*
Inside the lab in HeartGold and SoulSilver

In the southeast corner of town is Professor Oak's Lab. Here, Pokémon Trainers just beginning their quest are given the choice to receive either a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle from Professor Oak. On the occasion that Professor Oak is out of the previously listed Pokémon, he has been seen to hand out Pikachu and Eevee. This is also the location of Red's first battle, which was against his rival, Blue.

The lab is a small building near the player's house that has been slightly modified in every game. In Pokémon Red and Blue the sign says "*Here is the Institute of Dr. Okido.*" in Japanese, and "*Oak Pokémon Research Lab*" in the English language versions. Inside are three of Professor Oak's aides, two men and one woman, a couple of shelves full of books, a table with three Poké Balls, a computer, two blank Pokédexes, and two tips for the player. In Pokémon Yellow the lab is the same as Red and Blue, except there is only one Poké Ball on the table, and next to the table stands a trash can. In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, other than the significant graphical enhancements, the laboratory also has two plants in the entrance, a *mysterious machine*, books on the floor, two regular machines in the corner, and a window.

### Player's house

*Main article: Player's house → Kanto*
Inside Red's house in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

#### Generations I and III

In Generations I and III, this house is where the player lives before beginning their journey. The player's Mom lives here, and after the player has left town for the first time, going home and talking to her will fully rest/restore all of the player's Pokémon, just like a Pokémon Center. In Generation I, the player's bedroom has a PC, a bed, and a TV with an SNEShooked up to it. It serves no other purpose, although the PC can be used to access the player's item storage. In Generation III, the player house features an enhanced version of the bedroom from Generation I. The only difference is the SNES being replaced with an NES.

Before going down the stairs, there is a sign on the wall that reminds the player how to open the Bag. In Generation I, a movie is shown on the player's television involving four boys walking on railroad tracks, possibly a reference to the film Stand by Me; however, during Generation III, this will only appear if the player is a male. If the player is a female, the television will display a girl in pigtails walking down a yellow brick road, possibly a reference to the film The Wizard of Oz.

#### Generations II and IV

In Generations II and IV, Red's mother is alone in the house, telling the player how worried she is about Red, but also how proud she is of him. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the graphical features have also been updated to the Generation IV standard since Gold, Silver, and Crystal. On the ground floor, there is a table with a large mug of tea sitting on it, a bigger TV, bookshelves, and a kitchen area located on the north-western side of the room containing a refrigerator and a sink. On the upstairs floor is Red's bedroom, which contains a study desk with a laptop computer sitting on it, a Nintendo 64 or Wii, depending on the Generation, three bookshelves, and a single bed in the south-western corner. Examining the laptop shows that the items in the room are collecting dust, as if they haven't been used in a long time.

### Rival's house

In Generations I and III, after the Pokédex has been given to the player by Professor Oak, the rival's sister will give the player a Town Map. In Generations II and IV, the sister of the rivalwill help the player comb his/her Pokémon, causing its friendship to be raised. In Generation III Daisy will check the lead Pokémon's friendship and offer to groom a Pokémon in the player's party. She can only groom one Pokémon for every 512 steps the player takes. In Generation IV, she'll give the player Blue's Pokégear phone number so the player can call and arrange a rematch with him at the Fighting Dojo. Also returning from previous generations, Daisy will groom one of the player's Pokémon for free once daily between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. As in Generation II, it will raise a Pokémon's friendship greatly; however, it will also raise the Pokémon's Beauty stat. This is not displayed anywhere in-game, and the Pokémon must be seen from the point of view of Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum to notice. Despite this, Feebaswhose Beauty is maxed out this way can evolve into Milotic, unlike in FireRed and LeafGreen, where the Beauty stat did not exist in any shape or form. As a reference to Daisy's enjoyment of tea in Generation III, a large mug of tea sits on her table. In the first three generations, the rival's house has always been one story, but in Generation IV, the rival's house has a second story that mirrors the player's house, much like their Hoenn and Sinnoh counterparts.

## Demographics

### Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow

Pallet Town's population is 8 (not including the player and the rival, who leave Pallet Town at the beginning of the game). This low number is likely due to its lack of amenities like a Gymor Pokémon Center and its isolation from the center of Kanto. This makes it the smallest town in both Kanto and the Pokémon world.

### Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal

Pallet Town's population remains 8, making it the smallest town in both Kanto and the Pokémon world.

### Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

As in the original games, Pallet Town's population is 8 (not including the player and the rival, who leave Pallet Town at the beginning of the game). This makes it the smallest town in both Kanto and the Pokémon world.

### Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

As in the original games, Pallet Town's population remains 8, making the smallest town in both Kanto and the Pokémon world.

## Differences among generations

### Generation I and III

Pallet Town is very consistent in the way of layout. The square-shaped town with three buildings remains the same between Generation I and III, only enhancing aesthetic features. Trees have become bigger, flowers are more visible, and most other sprites have been upgraded to Generation III standards. Most of the town's residents remain the same and will tell Trainers the same messages. However, there is a woman in front of the signpost on the southwestern field that will move out of a Trainer's way when interacted with. In the Generation I to III transition, the garden in front of Professor Oak's Lab is removed, while other houses in Pallet have mailboxes instead of signs.

Professor Oak's Lab has gone through some slight remodeling. In Generation I, inside are three of Professor Oak's aides, two men and one woman, a couple of shelves full of books, a table with three Poké Balls, a computer, two blank Pokédexes, and two tips for the player, while in Generation III, other than the significant graphical enhancements, the laboratory also has two plants in the entrance, a *mysterious machine*, books on the floor, two regular machines in the corner, and a window. Changes in Red and Blue's house also sufficed. In Generation III, the player's bedroom features an enhanced version of the bedroom from Generation I with the SNES being replaced with an NES.

### Generation II

During Generation II, Pallet Town had little change done to the layout. Despite the graphical updates, the town remained totally unchanged save for the movement of the tall grass in the north. Daisy, the sister of the rival, who is living in the rival's house, will comb the player's Pokémon, causing its friendship to be raised. Daisy will groom one of the player's Pokémon for free once daily between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. Red's mom also appears in Generation II, telling the player how worried she is about Red, but also how proud she is of him.

### Generation IV

During Generation IV, Pallet Town also had surprisingly little change down to the layout. Despite the graphical updates, the town remained totally unchanged. As in Generation II, Daisy, Blue's sister, will groom the player's Pokémon between 3 and 4 PM, and will give away his Pokégear number if she is shown a Pokémon that is already very friendly and has a high Beauty condition.

## Trainer Tips

### Generation III

**TRAINER TIPS**
Press START to open the MENU!

## In the spin-off games

### In Pokémon Pinball

In Pokémon Pinball, Pallet Town appears on the Red table. Catchable Pokémon include Bulbasaur, Charmander, Rattata, Pidgey, Nidoran♀, Nidoran♂, Poliwag, Tentacool and Tangela.

## In the anime

### In the main series

Overview of Pallet Town as seen in *Celebi: The Voice of the Forest*

Pallet Town is the hometown of Ash and his rival Gary. As in the games, Professor Oak's Laboratory is located in Pallet Town. Ash always returns here before visiting a new region. Pallet Town is depicted in the anime as having dirt trails and wide open grass fields. Pallet Town debuted in the first episode, *Pokémon - I Choose You!*, when Ash received his Pikachu. Since then, it has been seen in many episodes, mostly in the start and ending of a region adventure, but also in Pokémon Chronicles and in the movies.

Professor Oak's Laboratory stands out in Pallet Town for its wind turbine, the three windows of the inner balcony, and for the four windows of the second floor. Every time Ash captures a Pokémon when he has six already with him, the new Pokémon is automatically transported here. Ash also has a habit of leaving all of his Pokémon besides Pikachu here each time he leaves for a new region, starting with Hoenn. The lab is composed of two floors. Inside the entrance door is a hallway with several doors, and to the left is a chest of drawers and the stairway to the second floor. The Oak Corral is a natural environment for Pokémon development. It is divided into regions according to type; there are areas that are perfect for Rock-typePokémon, desert areas for Ground and Firetypes, grassy regions, and several lakes. Sometimes the Pokémon don't get along; for this reason, some Pokémon, such as Ash's Bulbasaur, act as mediators between quarreling Pokémon.

The Xanadu Nursery is another location close to Pallet Town. The nursery is a large greenhouse that is home to various flowers and plants. Among them is a flower that contains Stun Spore. Two of the nursery's employees are Florinda Showers and Potter. Along with Florinda's Gloom, they help to make sure the operations at Xanadu run smoothly. While training for the Pokémon League in *Make Room for Gloom*, Ash's momrequested that her son help her run some errands and visit the nursery. Ash and his friends took off, not wanting to help with Delia's plans. Eventually, they ended up at the very place she requested them to be at.

Ash has left for another region on an airplane in both *In The Shadow of Zekrom!* and *The Dream Continues!* shortly after visiting Pallet Town; however, whether an airport is actually located in the town itself or not is unknown.

### In Pokémon Origins

Pallet Town in Pokémon Origins

Pallet Town made a couple of appearances in Pokémon Origins, being the hometown of Redand Blue. It made its first appearance in *File 1: Red*, where both Red and Blue were seen receiving a Pokédex each from Professor Oak, after which they got to choose their starter Pokémon. Red chose Charmander, while Blue chose Squirtle to counter Red's choice. Afterwards, both Red and Blue departed Pallet Town and started gathering information on their Pokédexes.

Pallet Town's next major appearance was in *File 4: Charizard*, where Red returned to Professor Oak's Laboratory to tell him how he had completed his Pokédex, only to find out that Blue had been injured during a battle against an unknown Pokémon at Cerulean Cave, during which his own Pokédex had also gotten destroyed. Red soon understood that the mysterious Pokémon was in fact Mewtwo, a genetically enhanced version of a rare Pokémon called Mew. In order to add Mewtwo's data to the Pokédex, Red headed to Cerulean Cave, where he battled and, with extreme effort, successfully caught Mewtwo. During a small party held by Professor Oak to celebrate the completion of the Pokédex, Red realized that since Mewtwo was created from Mew, he still had to go find and catch Mew in order to make the Pokédex truly complete.

### In *I Choose You!*

Pallet Town in *I Choose You!*

Pallet Town appears at the beginning of *I Choose You!* as the hometown of Ash Ketchum.

### In the Ash and Pikachu manga

Pallet Town appeared in *Do Your Best Bulbasaur!!* and *Off To The Battle Frontier!!*.

### In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

Pallet Town in The Electric Tale of Pikachu

As in the anime, Ash's hometown is Pallet Town in the The Electric Tale of Pikachumanga series. Professor Oak does not appear to live in Pallet Town full-time, as he is seen doing a field study of Clefairy in *Clefairy Tale*. It is, however, the hometown of Ash and Gary, as well as the current residence of Delia Ketchum and May Oak.

According to Gary, Pikachu are commonly found around Pallet Town.

### In the movie adaptations

Pallet Town in *I Choose You!*

Pallet Town appeared in *Pocket Monsters the Movie: I Choose You!*.

### In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Pallet Town in Pokémon Adventures

In the *Red, Green & Blue* chapter, Pallet Town is visited in the rounds *A Glimpse of the Glow*, *Bulbasaur, Come Home!* and *The Secret of Kangaskhan* for being the hometown of the main characters Red, Blue, and Green, as well as the place where Professor Oak's Laboratoryis located. It is also where Red caught a Nidorino when most of the children tried to catch it but didn't weaken him. The town also has a forest where Red and Blue see a Mewwhilst Team Rocket Grunts try to capture it. Later, in *Kalling Kadabra*, the entire townspeople are kidnapped and held hostage in the Silph Co. headquarters in Saffron City. Near the end of the series, it is revealed that Green was also born in Pallet Town.

In the *Yellow* chapter, Red saved a postman from his rampaging Ponyta. The postman had arrived at Pallet Town to deliver a letter to Red. Once it was clear that Red had disappeared after accepting the challenge written in the letter, Yellow came to Pallet Town and assumed guardianship of the Pikachu that ran back to Professor Oak's lab. Green had also found a new house in Pallet Town, and used it to monitor Yellow's progress.

In the *FireRed & LeafGreen* chapter, Red and Blue are attacked by a Deoxys here.

### In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga

Pallet Town in Pokémon Pocket Monsters

Pallet Town is the hometown of Red and his rival, Green. Professor Oak also resides in Pallet Town, offering the two boys their choice of starter Pokémon, though Red chooses a Clefairy that he met on the way to the laboratory instead.

### In the Pokémon Zensho manga

Pallet Town in Pokémon Zensho

Pallet Town appeared in PZ01. Satoshireceived his Charmander there at Professor Oak's laboratory.

## Trivia

* In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Pallet Town is famous for being the hometown of many great Trainers, including Professor Oak.
* In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Red's bedroom features an area rug around his bed that is red in color. Blue's bedroom features a similar area rug, which is instead green in color. This is a reference to Blue's Japanese name, Green.
* In each generation, Pallet Town's theme music has been extended by 10 seconds, from 75 seconds in the Generation I games to 105 seconds in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
* In all Western Generation I games, when Professor Oak gives the player 5 Poké Balls, his dialogue contains some errors that do not exist in the original Japanese versions:
	+ In Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, part of the text overlaps the previous line as opposed to inserting a new line and scrolling the text box accordingly.
		- In English Yellow only, this was fixed. However, a word is now misspelled.
		- Specifically in the Italian versions, another error was made; one of the words is rendered on top of the text-box's right border instead of appearing in a new line.