Your mom will be outside of your house and will have received a call from Professor Juniper essentially telling you that you'll be able to pick up your first Pokemon from her assistant, Bianca, so she goes inside to let you know. Walk on over to her and she'll ask you a few questions about how to use the menu; just answer yes to each one and move along out the door.
Go on and head north and you'll be stopped by Hugh and his little sister. They'll say that they saw Bianca up by the lookout in the north end of town. Hugh will follow behind you afterwards, so just go take him north, behind the houses and the Pokemon Center until you see stairs leading up. Take those stairs up towards Bianca, although Hugh will decide to stay back to let you talk to her first.
Go ahead and talk to Bianca and she'll introduce herself, asking if you're (your name). Well, quite obviously you are, so answer yes. She seems to have taken Cheren's glasses from the previous game and has also changed her attire a bit. Anyway, she'll then ask if you'd like to take a Pokedex, so just answer yes.
After answering yes, you'll be given a brief moment to, say, save your game before you choose your starting Pokemon. Do that if you want or if you are going for a specific nature. Whenever you're ready, talk to her again and she'll give you the option of picking one of three starter Pokemon: Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott.
Snivy
Ah, yes, Snivy, the wily little Grass-type snake Pokemon. It was the most difficult starter Pokemon to use in the original Black and White due to its rather low attacking stats and lack of good moves learned prior to Leaf Blade at level 32 (as Servine). In Black 2 and White 2, though, it only gets worse, as the first several Gyms in the game give Snivy and its evolutions a lot of difficulty
Since the second Gym is a Poison-type Gym, the third is a Bug-type Gym, and the fourth is one that uses a Flying-type Pokemon, Snivy struggles early on. It also struggles with every Gym except for the first (Normal), fifth (Ground), and eighth (Water). There's also an abundance of Poison- and Bug-type Pokemon out to get Snivy thanks to all of the Team Plasma members around. If you do go with a Snivy, you want to make sure you have a Fire-, Ground- and/or Psychic-type Pokemon to help counter a lot of the Grass-, Steel-, and Poison-type Pokemon you run into.
It does have much higher defensive stats than the other two starters, though, and if you invest the time in giving it Coil, you'll be satisfied with the results. It's also very fast, allowing it to set up moves before most foes have a chance to strike. This can work great if you're planning on setting up with things like Coil or some of its other moves, like Reflect or Light Screen. You can use that Speed and its defenses to your advantage, although its lack of attacking stats off the bat make it a poor choice to just strike a score a knockout before the foe attacks. It's possible, but it just lacks the offensive oomph of the other starters.
The main moves you'll want to consider for Snivy and its family are Vine Whip (Snivy, L7, only early on), Growth (Snivy, L13), Leaf Tornado (Snivy, L16), Leech Seed (Servine, L20), Leaf Blade (Servine, L32; replace Vine Whip/Leaf Tornado for sure), Coil (Serperior, L38; replace Growth for sure), and Giga Drain (Serperior, L44). While Leaf Storm is a strong attack, it doesn't get it until level 62 as a Serperior, and lowering its Special Attack two stages hurts (although it can just swipe with Leaf Blade afterwards). Leaf Blade is definitely its most reliable attack. It's a real shame it takes such a long time to get it, because Snivy and Servine's other moves leave a lot to be desired.
Since the Snivy family learns only Grass- or Normal-type attacking moves, you're going to need to depend on TM or Move Tutor moves to give it any hope for diversity. Unfortunately, it doesn't learn too many auxiliary moves to attack with. Early on, it misses out on any worthwhile TM; don't even consider Cut (HM), because it's horrible and is even worse than Tackle. Around the middle of the game, it gets access to Light Screen and Reflect by buying the TMs for those moves in Nimbasa City. You don't necessarily need to have both equipped at a time, but you can cycle between them thanks to TMs being unlimited use, or use them both if you're unsure. This gives your whole team a 50% bonus to their Defense or Special Defense, depending on which move you use, and since Servine or Serperior are pretty fast, they'll be able to set up these defensive screens before the foe can strike. Combo that with Leech Seed and Moomoo Milks or other healing items for a tank, set up some defenses before using Coil, or just set them up and then strike. Toxic is another move that can work well with that strategy if you have patience. Unfortunately, shy of Aerial Ace and Dragon Tail (neither of which I recommend), you're really not going to have any viable attacking options of different types.
Serperior gets a whole ton of Move Tutor moves, but not all of them really help it out. Seed Bomb is the only one it can learn in Driftveil City, and it costs 6 Red Shards. Not worth it, especially since Leaf Blade is superior in every way. The Move Tutor in Lentimas Town is much more generous to Serperior, though. Iron Tail can be taught for 6 Blue Shards, although it is inaccurate and only really helps if you are planning on fighting Ice-type Pokemon, since Serperior loves playing with Rock-types. Aqua Tail is a much nicer option, costing 8 Blue Shards and giving Serperior coverage against Fire-type Pokemon; however, since Grass-type attacks are also effective against Rock- and Ground-types like Aqua Tail is, it's not all that necessary. Dragon Pulse, though, for 10 Blue Shards gives Serperior a very helpful attack that isn't resisted by anything except for Steel-type Pokemon, plus it gives Serperior a fighting chance against Dragon-type Pokemon. I definitely recommend the investment into Dragon Pulse, especially since it will be better than having a Normal-type attack backing it up.
Tepig
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The fire piggy was a fairly decent starter Pokemon in the original Black and White versions, but it's had its flame doused a little bit in Black 2 and White 2, especially since there are plenty of other Fire- and other Fighting-type Pokemon available now. However, it does have an advantage against the first three Gyms, so that should give you plenty of time to decide on your team.
It focuses on having bulky offense and HP stats once it's fully evolved into Emboar. That gives it a fair amount of longevity in battle. It's rather slow, though, and has somewhat lacking defenses (its HP makes up for it, though).
Early on, it picks up Ember (Tepig, L7) and Flame Charge (Tepig, L15) for Fire-type attacking moves. Upon evolving to Pignite at level 17, it learns Arm Thrust (Pignite, L17), which will be the only Fighting-type attack it has accessible for awhile. It is unpredictable, hitting between 2 and 5 times, so you can't rely on it in battle. That's one of the main problems; you're stuck with it until it evolves into Emboar at level 36. Pignite also learns Rollout (Pignite, L23) and Heat Crash (Pignite, L31) as far as useful moves go, with Heat Crash becoming extremely powerful after evolution due to Emboar's weight. Emboar gets Flamethrower at level 43, Head Smash at level 50, and then Flare Blitz at level 62, all of which are alright, although the latter two are rather risky. Since Brick Break is not as easily available in this game, you need to invest a Heart Scale in the Pokemon World Tournament area after evolving into Emboar so it can learn Hammer Arm, a powerful Fighting-type attack only available at level 1 as an Emboar, so you need to have the move relearner teach it.
TMs really help Tepig gain some more diversity, although you won't have access to the better ones until later in the game. Early on, you will want to consider Rock Smash and Rock Tomb, although the flimsy Arm Thrust is still generally a better option than Rock Smash, despite it hitting for an uncertain number of times. Brick Break is, unfortunately, available only by spending a fair amount of BP, and Low Sweep isn't available until after beating the game, so you don't have many good Fighting-type TM options for it. Towards the middle of the game, Rock Slide and Bulldoze (it doesn't learn Dig) are fair options, while the Water-type Scald, the Electric-type Wild Charge, and the fiery Fire Blast can also be considered later on, though you're generally better off with Flamethrower over Fire Blast due to the extra PP.
TMs really help Tepig gain some more diversity, although you won't have access to the better ones until later in the game. Early on, you will want to consider Rock Smash and Rock Tomb, although the flimsy Arm Thrust is still generally a better option than Rock Smash, despite it hitting for an uncertain number of times. Brick Break is, unfortunately, available only by spending a fair amount of BP, and Low Sweep isn't available until after beating the game, so you don't have many good Fighting-type TM options for it. Towards the middle of the game, Rock Slide and Bulldoze (it doesn't learn Dig) are fair options, while the Water-type Scald, the Electric-type Wild Charge, and the fiery Fire Blast can also be considered later on, though you're generally better off with Flamethrower over Fire Blast due to the extra PP.
The little water otter was one of the best starter Pokemon (in my opinion) in the original Black and White, so how does it stack up in the second version? Well, quite simply, it's alright. There are several more Water-type Pokemon available in the game, but, to Oshawott's advantage, the good ones aren't available until much later in the game. It has major problems only against the fourth Gym, but it faces some resistance issues from three more: the third, seventh, and eighth. That's not too bad, though.
Oshawott's family focuses on attacking stats primarily (with a slight preference towards Special Attack), although is also quite rounded in all of its stats, allowing it to do pretty much whatever you need it to. It isn't overly fast, but it should be able to get the job done. It also has the fewest weaknesses of any of the starting Pokemon, being weak only to Electric- and Grass-type attacks.
For worthwhile moves, it gets Water Gun (Oshawott, L7), but most importantly it gets Razor Shell right as it evolves, at level 17. It's a 75-power Physical-based Water-type attack with a high chance of a critical hit and will be your main Water-type attack for awhile, although Dewott gets Water Pulse at level 25 which isn't too shabby either (mostly because it's Special-based and can confuse). Revenge (Dewott, L28) is alright. Slash (L36, Samurott) isn't that great, nor is Aqua Tail (Samurott, L45), but they're viable options. Swords Dance at level 57 is particularly viable towards the end of the game if you want a more Physical-oriented Samurott.
As far as TMs and HMs go, early on you're going to want to consider Rock Smash, as it can't learn too many other TMs. Dig is helpful for it when you get it. Surf is absolutely a great attack for it and is a staple in its movepool. Some other good mid-game moves also include X-Scissor, Blizzard, and even just Return. Towards the end of the game, you can consider Scald over Surf if you like the chance of burning (personally I'd stick to Surf), plus you can go with the reliable Ice Beam, which should definitely replace Blizzard. While it learns the powerful Hydro Cannon by a Move Tutor in the Pokemon World Tournament after getting your 5th Badge, it is not recommended, as using Surf twice in a row will do more damage; the only Move Tutor move worth considering is Superpower for 10 Blue Shards when you get to Lentimas Town, since it lacks some of the main drawbacks of Revenge (acting last and hitting for low damage if they don't attack you), and the lowering of its Attack stat isn't too bad since it also has a lot of Special-based attacks to strike with.
After choosing which Pokemon you want, you'll be able to give it a nickname, should you so desire. Bianca will also give you the Pokedex after you've decided whether or not to nickname your Pokemon.
Once you've gotten that, head on south and Hugh will show up and talk for a bit. He seems like quite a tough guy. As you walk away, though, you'll have to fight Hugh! He'll use the Pokemon he hatched from an egg against you.
Boss Fight
| ||||
 | Hugh (if you picked Snivy) | $500 | ||
 | Tepig  | | Lv. 5 | |
| (if you picked Tepig) | ||||
 | Oshawott | | Lv. 5 | |
| (if you picked Oshawott) | ||||
 | Snivy | | Lv. 5 | |
There's very little strategy to this battle. No matter which Pokemon either of you have, it only has Tackle and a Defense-lowering attack, so the fight will be over in three turns, barring a critical hit. If you win, you'll gain $500 and enough EXP to gain a level up to level 6, but if you lose, it's not the end of the world at all and nothing bad happens, other than you missing out on the money. Don't feel bad if you do lose, though.
After you beat him, he'll run off, and then Bianca will give you a tour of the Pokemon Center. You'll get your Pokemon healed up and everything. She'll then show you the PC. Woohoo, that's great. Hopefully you are familiar with the navigation of the box system. It pretty much the same as in the original Black and White.
Finally, she'll show you the Poke Mart inside of the Pokemon Center. She'll even give you an astonishing 10 Poke Balls to get you started. Nice!
When you leave the Pokemon Center, your mom and Hugh's sister will show up. She'll give you a pair of Running Shoes, which let you run by holding down B. Hugh's sister also gives you the Town Map, which you can use to look at the map of Unova. You're given an extra one to deliver to Hugh, too.
Anyway, whenever you're done, head on north and onto Route 19! As you head through the gate, though, the attendant there will give you a free Potion. Try to save this if you can and just return to the Pokemon Center if you need healing, but it's good to have this in case of emergencies.
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