LITTLEROOT TOWN

    You pick your gender and name, and you are then in something that appears to be a moving truck.  After a while, you hear noises and light comes in.  Go toward the light and you will hop onto the ground.  Your house is on the left if you're a boy, and the right if you're a girl.  You go inside and see Machokes.  Your mom tells you to go upstairs and set your clock.  You really don't have to have it set to the right time unless you need it to check on, which will be difficult to do whenever you need it until later, but it doesn't matter.  Your mom comes up and tells you to check your desk to see if everything's there, (like you'd know!) but just take a little present(a potion) out of your PC.  Go downstairs and your mom will tell you to come quick because Petalburg Gym is on the air and your father is the Gym leader there.  You apparently missed him, but hey?  Who could care less?  He isn't very good looking either, especially when in battle(you know how they show the trainers in the field and then in battle?  That's what I mean.)  Your Mom tells you to introduce yourself to Prof. Birch, who lives next door.  He isn't there, but your rival/Prof. Birch's son is there.  If you are a boy, your rival will be May, a girl.  If you're a girl, you're rival is Brendan, a boy.  After a short talk they will leave to "help their dad"(it's in quotations because they're not by Prof. Birch when you first see him) and if you try to go north now, the small guy will not block you but tell you that someone's crying for help up on Route 101.  

                                                ROUTE 101    

Go up to find...Prof. Birch being chased by the very first new Pokémon you'll ever see in this game: Poochyena! (Go to the New Pokémon section for details) Pick a Pokémon out of his bag, but CHOOSE WISELY!  This is going to be your starter Pokémon, so if you want Treecko, don't choose Mudkip for the battle.  The starter choice really depends on the version.  If you have Ruby, the easy starter is Mudkip.  If you have Sapphire, Treecko is the easy starter(hint hint: Team Magma is in Ruby and Team Aqua is in Sapphire.  Hmm, sounds like fire and water to me).  If you want a challenge in Ruby, get Treecko as I did.  If you want a challenge in Sapphire, get Torchic as my friend did(actually, Torchic is challenging to win with either way.  Fire Attack + Fire Pokémon=Weak Attack.  Water attack + Fire Pokémon=Dead Fire Pokémon).  

                                    LITTLEROOT TOWN

After you defeat the level 2 Poochyena, you will go back to Prof. Birch's lab.  He gives you Treecko/Mudkip/Torchic, and tells you to go to Route 103 to meet May/Brendan again.(From now on, I'll call them you're rival.  It's easier).  

                                    ROUTE 101-OLDALE TOWN

Train a little bit on route 101 and then go to Oldale town and  talk to the lady standing next to the house in the southeast, who gives you a potion.  After training up to about  either 7or 8, go north onto route 103 to cream your rival.


             ROUTE 103/OLDALE TOWN/ROUTE 101/LITTLEROOT TOWN 

Walk up and talk to your rival.  They will challenge you to a battle with the starter that is the same type as your weakness.  But don't worry-it only knows Normal moves. (Later on, you will fight your rival again, but you will have access to other Pokémon.)  After kicking butt, go back to Oldale town, and go to route 101 and Littleroot after that.  Head over to Prof. Birch's lab and he will give you a Pokédex and your rival (who is actually nice to you in this game) gives you 5 Pokéballs.  Talk to your mom, who is standing in front of your house.  She gives you the running shoes, which are a slow version of the bike.  Don't worry, though.  You do get a bike later on.

                                ROUTE 101/OLDALE TOWN/ROUTE 102 

    Go to Oldale again and then go west, where the boy has left.  You will fight trainers for the first time, and you can find berries for the first time and another free potion!  

          PETALBURG CITY/ROUTE 104/PETALBURG FOREST/RUSTBORO
This is the location of the first gym you see, but it's the location of the 5th gym badge.  You're dad is the Gym leader here (thank god they actually explain where the dad is!) and if you talk to him he'll say lots of unimportant stuff and then Wally comes in.  He wants a Pokémon, so your dad gives him a Zigzagoon and a Pokéball to catch a Pokémon.  He goes out with you and runs into a Ralts.  He weakens him and catches him.  He thanks your dad and leaves to go to Verdanturf, which is far off.  Your dad says that he wants you to get 4 badges before you fight him.  If you go to the next house over from Petalburg Gym, you'll reach a house that you'll want to remember to go to after your dad, Norman, because you get Surf there, and without Surf, there's not much to do after Norman.  Now you should go west out of town, and see a cabin with a motorboat by the dock.  Mr. Briney lives there with his Wingull, Peeko.  He gives you a lift on his motorboat, but you have to find him first, and hey, he's not doing it for free.  Go to Petalburg Woods, which is very easy to go through except for the fact that there are many trainers.  About in the middle, you run into a Devon researcher, who is suddenly attacked by a Team M/A Grunt, (from now on, Team Magma and Aqua will be represented by Team M/A) who is trying to get some Devon Goods.  Once you defeat him, he will give in and leave.  The Devon researcher will give you a Great Ball!  Leave the forest and fight as many trainers as you wish, but go to the flower shop!  Some customers give you berries, one gives you a Wailmer Pail in order to water the berries that you plant, and one gives you a white herb, which increases any lowered stat.  Your first 2 VS 2 battle is right here so put the Pokemon you want to use in the big, separate box to the left, and the top one on the right side.  Keep going north till you reach Rustboro, in which you fight your first Gym leader, Roxanne.  She has Rock Pokemon, and it would be real helpful if you had a Treecko, Mudkip, Lotad, Shroomish, or all of the above.  Before you fight her, though, go to Devon.  Someone is making a machine that brings fossils back to life, and it's working!  Unfortunately, the only 2 fossils are in the Desert, and until you get the Go-Goggles in Lavaridge, you can't withstand the sandstorm.  Besides, you can only pick up one, for the other sinks in the sand.  Fight Roxanne now, and once she is defeated, she gives you TM39, Rock Tomb.  If you want to, teach it to one of your Pokemon.  Now go to the house west of the PokeCenter and get Cut, which you can now use.  The Devon researcher is now at the top of town.  Talk to him and help him by going to Rusturf Tunnel and defeating Team M/A.  Mr. Briney will be so happy that you saved Peeko, he gives you a ride at his cabin.  But you have to go there yourself.  He doesn't take you there unfortunately.  After you get the letter from Devon, go back to Mr. Briney's cabin. 

                     PETALBURG CITY/DEWFORD TOWN/GRANITE CAVE         
             Once you reach the Cabin, go inside and try to talk to Mr. Briney.  He gives you a lift to Dewford, which will allow you to deliver the Letter!