Don't worry about the whole battling thing. It's just what they like to do, and it's kind of fun, honestly, since they grow from it and enjoy themselves when they're challenged and everything.

You'll really like getting to Goldenrod City, if you're staying in Johto and not Kanto. It's huge. And it has a ton of people! But there's so much to do, and the buildings go all the way up to the sky...