Gameplay of Pokémon

The gameplay of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games involves the capture and training of a variety of fictional creatures and using them to fight other trainers. Each successive generation of games builds upon this simple concept by introducing new Pokémon, sex items, and gameplay concepts, attracting new players as well as entertaining the players from the start. Some of the general concepts were featured elsewhere before being introduced in the games: double battles appeared in the anime long before appearing in the games, and Pokémon abilities are similar to the Pokémon Powers introduced in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Game structure

Each of the games in the Pokémon RPG series, from the first games to the latest ones, takes place in a particular fictional region of the Pokémon world, and begins with the player receiving a Starter Pokémon from that region's local Pokémon Professor. By traveling around the world, capturing and evolving Pokémon, and defeating other trainers in battle, the player increases the breadth and strength of his Pokémon collection. A major subplot of each game is to defeat a criminal organization trying to take over the world through the misuse of Pokémon. These organizations include Team Rocket, Teams Magma and Aqua, and Team Galactic.

Among the facilities found throughout the Pokémon world are Pokémon Centers, PokéMarts, and Gyms. Pokémon Centers will heal a player's Pokémon for free, and house PCs where players can organize their collection of Pokémon. Here, players can also link up with other cartridges to battle or trade. PokéMarts are shops where players can buy items with the money they win during battles; certain cities may have specialized shops, like a pharmacy or a department store. Periodically, a town will contain a Pokémon Gym, which houses a powerful trainer known as a Gym Leader. Victory grants the player a Gym Badge and typically advances the plot. After collecting eight Gym Badges, the player may challenge the region's Elite Four and Champion; defeating the Champion finishes the main story.

Completing the main storyline opens up other features in the games; this is primarily done by allowing passage into otherwise inaccessible places. Afterward, the game remains virtually open-ended, with the ultimate goal of the player being to obtain at least one member of each of the different species of Pokémon, thus completing the Pokédex. The number of Pokémon increases with each game generation, starting from 151 in the first series to 493 in the latest series.

Starter Pokémon

One of the somewhat consistent aspects of the Pokémon series of role-playing games is the choice of one of three different Pokémon at the start of the player’s adventures; these three are often labeled Starter Pokémon. Players have the option to choose one of three different types of Pokémon: a Water-type, a Fire-type, or a Grass-type, all of which are supposedly indigenous to that region, yet otherwise unattainable except through trading with another game. Afterward, the player's rival will always select the Pokémon whose type is "super effective" against the player’s Starter Pokémon.

The exception to this concept is Pokémon Yellow, where players are given a Pikachu, the Electric-type mouse Pokémon famous for being the mascot of the Pokémon media franchise. The rival trainer receives an Eevee, a Normal-type Pokémon.

Starter Pokémon
Pokémon Red, Blue, FireRed, and LeafGreen	Bulbasaur	Charmander	Squirtle
Pokémon Yellow	Pikachu (player)	Eevee (rival)
Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal	Chikorita	Cyndaquil	Totodile
Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald	Treecko	Torchic	Mudkip
Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum	Turtwig	Chimchar	Piplup

Pokémon Gyms

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A screenshot from Pokémon LeafGreen, showing the player in Blaine's Gym on Cinnabar Island

See also: Elite Four

Pokémon Gyms are buildings situated throughout the Pokémon world, where Pokémon Trainers can train or compete to qualify for Pokémon League competitions. Although the internal organizations of Pokémon Gyms may vary, all specialize in one certain type of Pokémon, and all are manned by a Gym Leader, a formidable Trainer that acts as a boss.

When an official Gym Leader is defeated, the challenger wins a badge, which serves as proof of a Trainer's skill and is a key part of advancing the plot. Victory also earns the challenger a TM and usually the ability to use an HM move outside of battle, opening up new areas of the world. In order to qualify for the Pokémon League, a Trainer must collect eight badges. In the video games, a region only has eight Gyms, although the anime asserts the existence of others (such as Gary Oak having acquired ten badges, but had not defeated the Viridian City Gym Leader). It is said that Pokémon are more likely to follow the advice of Trainers with more badges; some badges also allow the Trainer to use higher-level traded Pokémon.

Pokémon battles

In a battle scene, the Pokémon at the top right of the screen is the opponent's; the Pokémon at the bottom left is the player's. The player's options are shown at the bottom right.

Battles between Pokémon are the central game mechanic of the Pokémon video game series. They are used to train Pokémon to become stronger, as competition and to reach certain objectives within the game. Battling can also be done between human players via a link cable or wireless technology.

Pokémon uses a turn-based system. When the player challenges a trainer or encounters a wild Pokémon, the screen changes to a battle scene with the opposing Pokémon, their respective HP bars, and an option menu. At any time, the player may carry up to six Pokémon in his active party; the top Pokémon in the lineup is automatically sent into battle. At the start of each turn, both sides can choose to attack, use an item, switch the Pokémon for another, or flee from battle (the last not an option in battles against other trainers). If both sides attack, the one who goes first is determined by Speed, although some moves, items, and effects can override this. If either side chooses any other option, that action is performed before the attacks.

Each Pokémon uses moves to reduce the respective opponent's HP to zero, at which point the Pokémon faints. If the player's Pokémon wins, it receives experience points; when enough have accumulated, the Pokémon's level increases. If the player's Pokémon faints, he may use another Pokémon or flee; if the player has no usable Pokémon left in his party (i.e., if they have all fainted), he loses the battle, returns to the last Pokémon Center he visited, and loses half of his money.

In this two-on-two battle, the player’s Smeargle uses a move against the opponent. The Aggron has yet to act for this turn.

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire introduced double battles, in which the opposing teams battle with two Pokémon at a time. Though the basic mechanics remain the same, moves may have multiple targets; some affect the ally as well as the opponents. Additionally, some abilities work only in double battles. The third generation games only included double battles against other trainers, but Diamond and Pearl introduced double battles with wild Pokémon.

Pokémon types

There are seventeen Pokémon types, two of which were introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver. Each type is an attribute determining the strengths and weaknesses of each species, offsetting each other in rock-paper-scissors relationships. Every Pokémon is either one or two of the different types; dual-typed Pokémon combine the strengths and weaknesses of both their types. Almost every single Pokémon move is also of one of these types. The rock-paper-scissors mechanic determines the effectiveness of a Pokémon move in battle: for example, Fire-type Pokémon take doubled damage from Water-type moves, while Electric-type moves have no effect on Ground-type Pokémon.

Pokémon moves

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Each Pokémon is allowed to know up to four moves. Highlighting a move displays the aspects unique to that move.

Like the characters in many RPGs, Pokémon are able to learn a wide variety of moves. These moves may inflict damage, induce status problems, restore health, or perform actions that in some way affect the overall battle. All moves have a Type, Power, Accuracy, and amount of Power Points. The moves that one Pokémon may learn are different from another depending on the species of Pokémon; even those that evolve from others do not necessarily learn all the same moves that their predecessors learn. Each Pokémon may only know a total of four moves at any one time. Moves may be learned through leveling up, using TMs and HMs, breeding, and move tutors (NPCs that teach moves).

Each Pokémon move is one of the 17 Pokémon types (except for Curse, which has a mechanic of its own). The effectiveness of a move is dependent on how susceptible the target Pokémon's type is to the move's type. Common phrases associated with this aspect are "Super effective" (damage is at least doubled), "Not very effective" (damage is at least halved), and "No effect." In cases where a move type is the same as the user's type, the total damage inflicted is increased by 50 percent. This is commonly called Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) when used in jargon describing strategies. In the first three generations of games, the move's type also affects which stats are used to calculate damage, but starting in Diamond and Pearl, each damaging move is individually classified as Physical or Special.

The Power of a move determines how many hit points are taken away from the target Pokémon. Other factors that affect damage include the attacker's Attack and the defender's Defense statistics, the types of both the defending Pokémon and the move used, and items held by either Pokémon. Some moves do not have Power, as they do not directly deal damage but rather perform an effect, such as inflicting a status condition or healing a Pokémon.

The Accuracy of a move determines the chance of hitting the target Pokémon, in tandem with the user's accuracy and the target's evasiveness. Often, a very powerful move is offset by having a very low Accuracy. Some moves always succeed, different from moves that have a listing of 100 under Accuracy, because these moves are unaffected by changes in the target's evasiveness or the user's accuracy.

The Power Points (PP) of a move indicate how many times a Pokémon may use that move. As with Accuracy, a powerful move is often offset by having a low amount of PP. Once a Pokémon uses up all the PP for a certain move, it can no longer use that move. If a Pokémon expends all the PP for all of its moves, it then resorts to a move called Struggle. Typically, the Pokémon that AI controlled opponents use also have this limitation. However, in the first generation games, this rule did not apply to AI controlled Pokémon, enabling their trainers to use powerful moves an abnormal amount of times.

Most moves are coupled with some sort of effect beyond inflicting damage. Many of these secondary effects include a chance that the move will induce a certain status effect, which negatively affects how the afflicted Pokémon performs in battle — for example, the move Thunderbolt has a small chance to inflict paralysis, which drastically reduces the target's Speed and may cause it to be unable to attack during its turn. While there are many moves that cause status conditions as a secondary effect, many others don't cause any damage but are solely used for this purpose.

Pokémon abilities

Pokémon abilities are special attributes which were introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Each Pokémon has one or two abilities according to its species.

Most Pokémon use their abilities in battle. Abilities can strengthen a Pokémon’s own statistics or weaken a foe’s, inflict status effects such as paralysis or poisoning, or perform one of many other effects. For instance, a Bulbasaur uses its Overgrow ability to power up its Grass-type attacks when it is weak, and when Arbok is sent into battle, it will use its Intimidate ability to lower the opposing Pokémon’s Attack statistic. Other abilities render some Pokémon impervious to certain types of attacks. A Lunatone’s ability to Levitate will prevent Ground-type attacks from striking it, and Spinda’s Own Tempo ability prevents it from being affected by the Confuse status effect. A Pokémon with the Lightning Rod ability, such as Marowak or Elekid, will keep its partner safe from Electric-type attacks in a double battle by drawing the electricity away from it.

Not all abilities are helpful. Slaking has the Truant ability, which allows it to attack only every other turn. Some abilities are double-edged in that they may hurt in some circumstances and help in others, such as Buneary's Klutz, preventing both Buneary and the opponent from using held items.

Some abilities come into effect outside of Pokémon battles. For example, Pokémon with the Pickup ability, like Meowth, will sometimes retrieve items off of the ground. Also, starting from Pokémon Emerald, a handful of abilities that were once only used in battle have effects outside of battle as well. For example, a Pokémon with the Lightning Rod ability will cause the player character to receive more phone calls, and a Pokémon with the ability to Intimidate will cause the player to encounter lower-level wild Pokémon less often.

Stats

All Pokémon have six statistics (colloquially called “stats”) which affect their performance in battle. These are HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. In the first generation games, Special Attack and Special Defense were combined into one statistic called Special.

• HP (short for Hit Points): A Pokémon faints when its HP reaches zero, and it cannot be used in battle again until it is revived at a Pokémon Center, or with a special item. In the Pokémon universe, Pokémon never die as a result of battling.
• Attack: Determines the strength of a Pokémon’s physical attacks. The definition of what constitutes a physical attack has changed throughout the game’s history. Up until Diamond and Pearl, physical attacks were of those Pokémon types logically associated with physical damage, which include Normal, Fighting, Ground, Steel, and others. However, in Diamond and Pearl, each damaging attack is individually classified as Physical or Special. This means that certain moves like the Fire-type move Fire Punch, which was previously a Special attack, are now affected by the Attack statistic.
• Defense: Determines the Pokémon's defense against physical attacks.
• Special Attack: Similar to Attack, determines the power of a Pokémon's special attacks.
• Special Defense: Similar to Defense, determines the Pokémon's defensive power against special attacks.
• Speed: After battle commands are entered, the Speed statistics of the participating Pokémon are compared. With some exceptions, the Pokémon make their moves in the order of fastest to slowest.

There are also two other statistics, Accuracy and Evasiveness, which are not affected when Pokémon level up. In battle, no Pokémon has innately higher Accuracy or Evasiveness than any other. Increasing Accuracy makes a move more likely to hit, while increasing Evasiveness makes the opponent's move more likely to miss. A Pokémon's Accuracy, the opponent's Evasiveness, and the Accuracy value of a given move affect whether or not that move will hit.

Not only do these statistics affect the battle, but the battle can affect the statistics. Many attacks and items exist which can temporarily, or even permanently, raise and lower each one.

When Pokémon level up, their statistics increase, as determined by the Pokémon’s base stat values, effort values, Pokémon nature, and individual values. These variables working in tandem is what provides an individual Pokémon with its own unique stats.

Base stat values

Base stat values determine the natural statistical strengths of the various Pokémon species. Every Pokémon is assigned a number in each stat; the higher the number, the higher the stat can potentially be. While these values may greatly vary between species, they are the same for each member of that species. It is the difference among species which explains why all Aerodactyl will have a higher Speed than any Snorlax of the same level; however, it is the combination of other factors that causes some Snorlax to be faster than others. Adding up all the base stat values for a certain species generates the Base Stat Total, which players use to determine approximately how strong that Pokémon is.

Effort values

Effort values (EVs), introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, are hidden values that affect the strengths of a Pokémon in particular statistical areas. Differing effort value levels between two Pokémon can create a significant difference in the two Pokémon’s statistical strengths. When Pokémon battle and defeat an opponent, they gain experience points, and also receive a number and type of EVs according to the defeated Pokémon's species. Every defeated Pokémon gives at least one EV to each of the Pokémon that fought it. Certain factors, like holding the Macho Brace item, can increase the rate at which EVs are gained in battle. In addition, consuming vitamins will give Pokémon EVs; however, Pokémon will refuse vitamins after reaching a certain value threshold. Certain berries also exist which increase a Pokémon's Loyalty, but in turn decrease EVs. They can be seen as the "opposite" of vitamins, one type of berry for each statistic. There is a limit on the number of EVs Pokémon can have, which prevents stats from increasing in a never-ending manner.

Pokémon natures

Pokémon natures were first introduced in Ruby and Sapphire, the third generation of games. Each Pokémon has a nature, randomly assigned when it is generated, which cannot be changed. A Pokémon’s nature affects the rate at which some of its stats increase: out of the twenty-five possible natures, twenty will increase one stat’s growth rate but decrease another’s. The other five modify the same stat in both increases and decreases, and thus the Pokémon's overall growth is unaffected. Natures also determine which flavor of PokéBlocks/Poffins that Pokémon likes and dislikes.

Individual values

Individual values (IVs) are essentially a range in power for each statistic, which determine a Pokémon's maximum potential. These values are randomly generated (with the exception of shiny pokemon in Pokemon Gold and Silver - their IVs are preset) along with each Pokémon when it is encountered or bred, and set in stone for the rest of the game. These hidden values are why even Pokémon that seem identical and have been raised the same way still may have different stats. Individual values are preset as a value from 0-31 for each statistic.

Items

Throughout the games, players will collect many different types of items. The vast majority of these are stored in the player's inventory.

Recovery items

The majority of items received in the game are used to heal Pokémon in or out of battle, much like a Pokémon Center does. HP-recovery items include an array of potions. Status recovery items include Antidotes (to cure poisoning), Awakenings (to wake Pokémon up), and Full Heals (which heal all status conditions). PP-recovery items include Ethers and Elixirs; unlike other recovery items, these cannot be bought at shops. Others may be found while exploring.

Technical and Hidden Machines

Technical Machines (TMs) and Hidden Machines (HMs) can be used to teach moves to Pokémon. TMs are commonly found in the wild and in shops, but can only be used once. HMs are very rare and can only be used when a Gym Leader has been defeated, but can be used as many times as desired, and are often vital to game progression as they have important overworld effects. For example, Pokémon who learn the HM move Surf can transport the protagonist over the sea, which is necessary to reach island cities.

Key Items

Key Items are very rare and are usually given to the player rather than found. These include fishing rods which are used to find water-dwelling Pokémon, a bicycle which allows the protagonist to move around faster, and keys which open locked doors leading to important areas. These items cannot be thrown away or sold.

Holding items

Starting with Pokémon Gold and Silver, each Pokémon is able to hold a single item. Items carried by Pokémon can do a range of things: berries can be consumed by the Pokémon during battle to restore health or boost stats, while other held items can enhance the offensive or defensive power of a Pokémon. Some items will cause a Pokémon to evolve, most commonly by trading to another player. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl introduced items that cause evolution if another condition is met. However, most items have no effect at all when held, and some items, such as Hidden Machines and Key Items, cannot be held.

Catching Pokémon

Because each player begins the game with only one starter Pokémon, capturing is one of the most fundamental aspects of Pokémon, and the primary method of recruiting new Pokémon to the player’s party.

In a battle against a wild Pokémon, the player may, instead of defeating it, choose to capture it by using (“throwing”) one of many different types of Poké Balls. The odds of success vary, but are increased if the target Pokémon’s HP is low, if the target is affected by a status-altering effect like sleep or paralysis, and if a stronger or specially-suited Poké Ball is used.

If the capture is successful, the captured Pokémon’s data is added to the Pokédex, the player may give the Pokémon a nickname, and the Pokémon is added to the player’s party. However, if the player’s party is filled to its maximum of six Pokémon, the captured Pokémon is instead sent to one of many boxes accessible via PC. In the first and second generation games, if the current PC box is full, the player will be unable to capture any new Pokémon until he or she accesses a PC and switches to a different box. In all other versions, new Pokémon are transferred to the next available box.

Poké Ball

The Poké Ball (モンスターボール, Monsutābōru, Monster Ball in original Japanese language versions) is a spherical device used by Pokémon Trainers to capture Pokémon and store them when not active. The balls convert a Pokémon into energy upon contact, suck it inside, and close automatically. Stronger Pokémon are able to struggle and possibly break free, while those that have been weakened are easily captured. The Pokémon is released for battle by throwing the ball, and it can be called back by pressing the button, which will send out a beam to convert the Pokémon into energy and retrieve it.

Various Poké Balls exist, including the Great Ball and Ultra Ball, which are progressively stronger, and the Master Ball, which is guaranteed to catch any Pokémon. Other specialized balls include the Timer Ball, which becomes more effective the longer the battle goes on, the Net Ball, which has a better chance of catching Water and Bug-type Pokémon, and the Dusk Ball, which is most effective at night or inside dark areas.

Pokédex

File:Minun in pokedex.jpg

The Hoenn Pokédex displaying a picture of Minun.

The Pokédex (ポケモン図鑑, Pokemon Zukan, lit. "Pokémon Encyclopedia"), or simply Dex, is an electronic device designed to catalog and provide information regarding the various species of Pokémon. The name Pokédex is a portmanteau of Pokémon and index. In the video games, whenever a Pokémon is first captured, its height, weight, species type, and a short description will be added to a player's Pokédex. Each region has its own Pokédex, which differ in looks, species of Pokémon catalogued, and capabilities such as the ability to sort the list of Pokémon based on alphabetical order, or display the Pokémon's height compared to the player character. The "National Dex" allows all Pokémon from other regions to be catalogued.

In the anime, the Pokédex acts as a portable reference tool, able to give information about a certain species of Pokémon even if a trainer has not seen or caught it before. It can also give detailed descriptions of various trainer tools, and it acts as a form of identification. The Kanto and Johto versions of the Pokédex are nicknamed Dexter and voiced by Shinichiro Miki in Japan, Eric Stuart in the 4Kids English dub, and Bill Rogers in the Pokémon USA English dub. The Hoenn and Sinnoh versions are named Dextette and voiced by Megumi Hayashibara (Hoenn) and Tomoko Kawakami (Sinnoh) in Japan, Rachael Lillis in the 4Kids English dub, and Michelle Knotz in the Pokémon USA English dub.

Pokémon evolution

A series of screenshots depicting Abra evolving into Kadabra in Pokémon Emerald.

Evolution (進化, shinka) is a sudden change in form of a Pokémon, usually accompanied by an increase in stat values. Evolution can occur in Pokémon for several different reasons. The player can choose to halt evolution at any time before the animation is finished.

• The most common cause of evolution is an increase in level, which is a measure of the Pokémon's overall strength. For example, a Charmander evolves into a Charmeleon at level 16.
• Another cause of evolution is exposure to an "evolution stone." These stones have elemental properties which instantly evolve specific Pokémon.
• Certain Pokémon evolve after they are traded among players. This generally involves the connection of two game consoles.

There are many other factors that can determine if, when, and into what, different Pokémon will evolve. For example, some evolutions will only occur if the Pokémon is holding a certain item; at a certain time of day; if the Pokémon's Loyalty is high enough; or if the Pokémon is a certain gender.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game introduced the idea of numerical stages for referring to different points in a Pokémon’s evolution. This has translated into colloquial usage among fans of the games. All Pokémon can be placed at one of four evolutionary stages (though no existing Pokémon line includes more than three out of the four stages): Basic Pokémon, Stage 1 Pokémon which evolve from Basic Pokémon, Stage 2 Pokémon which evolve from Stage 1 Pokémon, and Baby Pokémon which are acquired by breeding certain Basic or Stage 1 Pokémon and hatching their eggs. A Pokémon higher up on this evolutionary scale is called an evolved form of the previous stages; a Pokémon lower down on the scale is said to be a pre-evolved form of later Pokémon in the chain. In general, the lower the evolutionary stage that the Pokémon is, the faster it will learn moves.

Loyalty

Loyalty, sometimes referred to as "Happiness," is an attribute that can rise or fall based upon several conditions and events. This aspect, introduced in Pokémon Yellow, was what determined Pikachu's stat growth and a fundamental aspect for advancing through the game. In Pokémon Gold and Silver it is a means to evolve several Pokémon with the focus on taking care of the Pokémon, rather than merely worrying about it leveling up. When a Pokémon like Chansey or Eevee has a very high Loyalty, it will evolve after the next time it levels up. To further exploit this mechanic, two moves base their Power upon the amount the Pokémon either likes or dislikes its trainer. In addition, there are several cheap restorative items that "have a bitter taste" and will lower the Pokémon's Loyalty.

Rare Pokémon

Legendary Pokémon

Legendary Pokémon is a term of art; a Legendary is not simply an individual Pokémon about which legends are written, but differs from regular Pokémon in key ways. Ordinarily, only one member of a given legendary species can be captured per game. Legendaries are also exceptionally powerful, extremely difficult to capture, and unable to breed. Beginning in Gold and Silver, certain Legendary Pokémon colloquially termed "Runners" or "Roaming Pokémon" randomly move around the world map and flee from battle, making them even harder to obtain. Other Legendary Pokémon are not even found in normal game progression, and can only be obtained through Nintendo events, a glitch, or cheating.

Shiny Pokémon

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A red Gyarados, the most commonly known shiny Pokémon. Gyarados are usually blue.

A shiny Pokémon is an alternately colored variant of a Pokémon. They can be caught in any Pokémon RPG from Gold and Silver onwards, though the probability of catching or finding one is 1 in 8,192. The one major exception to this rule is the shiny Red Gyarados present in the Lake of Rage in the Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal games. There are various other ways of increasing the chance of getting a shiny Pokémon. In second-generation games, breeding a shiny Pokémon with a regular Pokémon has a higher chance (1 in 64) of producing a shiny Pokémon. Also, in Crystal, the Egg given to players by the Day-Care people has a 50% chance of hatching a shiny Pokémon. In Diamond and Pearl, the Poké Radar can be used to "chain" Pokémon of the same type, improving the odds of a shiny Pokémon with each link (up to 40 links, when the odds are 1 in 205).

Shiny Pokémon are not necessarily better than regular Pokémon, although in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, they have better-than-average individual values. In the third generation, however, "shininess" is determined by another value, and shiny Pokémon are not stronger than any other Pokémon in battle. Most fans consider shiny Pokémon to be collectors' items since they are so rare.

The term "shiny" is not explicitly stated in the games, and it is in fact a term invented by the Pokémon fan community due to the flash of stars appearing as the Pokémon enters a battle, implying a sheen or crystalline property to the colors of the Pokémon. This minor animation was originally intended so that one could identify a shiny Pokémon even if playing Gold or Silver on a monochrome Game Boy. Since first-generation games do not recognize shiny Pokémon, there is no distinction unless the Pokémon is traded to a later version. The term "shiny Pokémon" is not officially acknowledged in English media, although it seems to be a widely-used slang term in Japan; Ken Sugimori uses it in the title of a piece of artwork featuring a shiny Charizard. "Alt. Color" does appear among the options the player can choose when filling out forms in the third generation of games.

Connectivity

Pokémon trades

The game link port is located above the volume control on the classic Game Boy handheld system.

Trading is an important aspect to the Pokémon games, being the crux upon which much of the franchise is based. This is because the slogan, and consequently the goal, “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” is logistically impossible without trading. Each game released in a generation has certain Pokémon that are exclusive to that version. For example, in Pokémon Red players can catch the Pokémon Arbok, while it is absent in the wild in both Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow. Other Pokémon are only available when offered up as a choice. The most obvious example is the choice between three starter Pokémon at the beginning of the game. The only way to get the other two is by trading. Another aspect of trading, in-game trades with NPCs, allows players to acquire Pokémon otherwise unavailable. For example, the only way to get a Jynx in Pokémon Red and Blue (other than trading with another cartridge) is through an in-game trade. The other way that trading is made instrumental in gameplay is that many Pokémon, like Gengar, cannot evolve into their final forms without being traded. Gold and Silver built upon this idea with the advent of holding items; some Pokémon only evolve when given certain items to be held and then trading them. Pokémon that previously did not evolve could now become more powerful, like Onix, which starting from the second generation games evolves into Steelix by holding the Metal Coat and being traded.

Before the concept of breeding was introduced, players would sometimes have to settle for merely trading Pokémon back and forth between cartridges. This was because certain Pokémon a player owned (e.g. the starters) were often the only one they had. The game’s Pokédex did not (and still does not) monitor whether a player still owned a specific Pokémon, only whether they had ever owned it.

Trading between games on the Game Boy and related systems is accomplished through a Game Link cable that attaches to ports found on all Game Boy incarnations. The size of the ports varies between consoles, so several hybrid cables have been created that allow, for example, linking between the original Game Boy and the Game Boy Color. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen include a special wireless dongle which plugs into the game link port for local wireless communication. On the Nintendo DS, DS Wireless Communications is used instead. Diamond and Pearl also introduced the Global Trade Station (or GTS), a place where people all around the world may trade Pokémon using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. In the GTS hall, the player can input their own location and pinpoint the locations of other players they have interacted with. The Nintendo WFC records this data when they trade successfully with someone over the GTS or in their Pal Pad.

Mystery Gift

Mystery Gift, a means by which players can receive items from other people, was introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver and has appeared in every handheld Pokémon game since. To use Mystery Gift, the feature must first be activated in a specific way.

In Gold, Silver, and Crystal, if two players line up the infrared ports on their Game Boy Color units and activate Mystery Gift from the intro menu, each will receive an item. Players can use Mystery Gift an unlimited number of times, but only once per day with each person. In addition, a player of Pokémon Stadium 2 with a Gold, Silver, or Crystal cartridge plugged into the Transfer Pak can use Mystery Gift with a girl in White City. A Mystery Gift can also be received by connecting with a Pocket Pikachu 2 GS.

In Ruby and Sapphire, Mystery Gift is replaced with Mystery Event. This feature utilizes the now defunct e-reader accessory. Using special e-cards the player could obtain special items such as rare berries or the Eon Ticket. In FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald, Mystery Gift is a means to obtain special items at Nintendo's promotional events (through the use of the Wireless Adapter), which allow the player to catch otherwise unobtainable Pokémon, such as Mew and Deoxys.

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl expand Mystery Gift to include a variety of transferring options. After enabling Mystery Gift, players may obtain items via wireless or Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and may also transfer them to friends. Wireless connection also allows the player to transfer items from Pokémon Battle Revolution. Currently, Mystery Gift via Nintendo WFC has been implemented only in Pokémon Platinum.

Pokémon breeding

Pokémon breeding was introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver. Pokémon can be bred in-game at a Daycare Center. These are businesses generally run by an elderly person or couple (NPCs), which raise Pokémon Trainers’ Pokémon for a fee. If two compatible Pokémon are left there, they will eventually produce a Pokémon egg, which the trainer can pick up for free. After being carried by the trainer for some distance, the egg will hatch into a young Pokémon, usually of the lowest stage in its mother’s evolutionary line.

Some Pokémon have pre-evolutions that are hatched from an egg. These eggs are normally obtained by breeding Pokémon caught in the wild, but sometimes are given as gifts to the player character by NPCs. Known as “Baby Pokémon,” these Pokémon are unable to breed (but have evolutions that can).

Compatibility

Compatibility is usually restricted to one male and one female. In addition, Pokémon species are assigned to Egg Groups, which determines their breeding compatibility with other species. Pokémon may belong to up to two Egg Groups; in order to breed, they must share at least one Egg Group. How fast two compatible Pokémon breed depends on how well they get along (a hidden calculation based on various factors).

If a Pokémon species is all-male or entirely genderless, the only way to breed it is with Ditto, which can also breed with any other Pokémon capable of breeding. The egg produced will yield a hatchling from the non-Ditto Pokémon's evolutionary line.

A select group of species cannot breed at all, which includes most legendary Pokémon and all Baby Pokémon. This is called the "No Eggs" group. Although some legendary Pokémon (such as Heatran and Cresselia) have genders, they still refuse to breed. An unusual circumstance involves the relation of Manaphy and Phione: Manaphy will create an egg hatching into Phione, yet Phione does not evolve into Manaphy.

Inheritance

Pokémon hatched from eggs can inherit stat growth boosts from their parents. A hatched Pokémon will inherit the positive stat modifier from one parent's nature, and not the negative modifier, allowing players to "breed in" Pokémon with specific stat boosts. The Pokémon inherits from the opposite-gender parent, except when one of the parents is a Ditto; in this case, the stat increases are inherited from the Ditto regardless of gender.

Moves can also be inherited through breeding. Moves that a newly hatched Pokémon begins with are divided into three categories: Learned Moves, Inherited Moves, and Hereditary Moves. Learned Moves are moves that the Pokémon would have naturally at its starting level; Inherited Moves are those that the Pokémon would be able to learn at later levels or through TMs; and Hereditary Moves, inherited from the father, are those that the Pokémon would not be able to learn normally. Upon birth, the young Pokémon's move slots are filled with Learned Moves. However, if there are any Inherited or Hereditary Moves available for the Pokémon to learn, they replace the Learned Moves.

Pokémon Contests

Pokémon Contests (ポケモンコンテスト, Pokemon Kontesuto) are competitions of skill among Pokémon Trainers and their Pokémon partners. Pokémon Contests are different from Pokémon battles, testing talent rather than power. They were introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and appear in all subsequent games except FireRed and LeafGreen.

There are five categories that a Pokémon can be entered into: Beauty, Cute, Cool, Tough, and Smart. In addition, there are four ranks of contests: Normal, Super, Hyper, and Master Rank. To enter, a trainer must go to the contest hall that holds contests of the appropriate rank, and in ranks higher than Normal, the participating Pokémon must have won the contest of the selected category in the previous rank. In Diamond and Pearl, Contests are renamed Super Contests, and the four ranks are named Normal, Great, Ultra, and Master.

In the first round (called Visual Competition in Diamond and Pearl) the Pokémon is shown to the audience, who then vote on their favourite. Pokémon will gain more points here if they have good condition in the selected category, which can be increased by using Pokéblocks. In Diamond and Pearl, Pokéblocks are replaced by Poffins, and the player can also use the stylus to dress up their Pokémon in certain accessories to fit the theme of the contest.

The second round, called Dance Competition, was introduced in Diamond and Pearl. The participating Pokémon join in a dance routine. The leading Pokémon gets rated based on following the rhythm, and the rest of the Pokémon have to mimic the leader's steps. All four participants take turns to be the leader.

The final round (Acting Competition) comprises a few rounds, and the Pokémon are ordered in sequence based on their performance in the previous round. Each round, the player chooses one Pokémon move to perform before the judge, and in Diamond and Pearl players also choose which of three judges to appeal to. Each move has a category, appeal value, and effect. Using a good combination will gain the Pokémon more appeal points, but using the same attack twice will generally lose the Pokémon points. Moves can have many effects, such as "jamming" previous Pokémon to reduce their appeal, or randomizing the order of appeals in the next round. After appeals are concluded, the results are shown, and the Pokémon with the most total points wins a ribbon.

Pokéblock and Poffin

Pokéblocks, introduced in Ruby and Sapphire, are a PEZ-like candy used to increase the contest condition and Loyalty of Pokémon. Pokéblocks are created from berries in the "Berry Blender" minigame, which can be played by two to four human or computer-controlled players. The types of berries blended by all participants affect the category and effectiveness of the resulting Pokéblock.

Poffins, a type of baked goods, were introduced in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl as replacements for Pokéblocks. Poffins are made by adding a berry to some batter in a pot, and stirring it with a stylus using the Nintendo DS's touch screen.

References

• Nintendo Power (2006-08-24). Pokémon Emerald Version: the official strategy guide from Nintendo Power. Nintendo Power.
• Buchanan, B (2006-08-24). Pokémon Emerald: Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games.
• Hollinger, Elizabeth M. (2003). Pokémon Sapphire Version [and] Pokémon Ruby Version. Prima Games. ISBN 0-7615-4256-6.
• Hollinger, Elizabeth M. (2001). Pokémon Crystal Version. Prima Games. ISBN 0-7615-3666-3.
• The instruction booklet of Pokémon Diamond Version. Nintendo (2007).
• The instruction booklet of Pokémon Sapphire Version. Nintendo (2003). AGB-AXPE-USA.
• Marcus, Phillip (2001). Pokémon Gold Version and Silver Version: Official Trainer's Guide. Brady Games. ISBN 0-7440-0005-X.
• The following games: Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2; Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald; Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen; Pokémon Pinball; Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness; Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.