Battle Basics

Why battle? There are two basic reasons for a Pokemon to battle. One is for sport. You can battle another trainer in a friendly competition. Your Pokemon do the fighting, but you decide which Pokemon and which techniques, or attacks, to use. Battles for sport are important because your Pokemon gains valuable experience, learns new techniques, sharpens old techniques, and evolves to the next level much more quickly. Plus - it's fun! Pokemon like to play.

        The second good reason to battle is to capture wild Pokemon. Wild Pokemon have no training and no owners. They can usually be found in long grass, dungeons, or water (you'll need fishing rods to catch these) - and sometimes in amusement parks like the Safari Zone and the Coin Exchange. Battle is one of the main ways to collect a Pokemon. You can also buy them in some stores or trade for them with friends. Other trainers' Pokemon are off-limits, however. You can't capture their Pokemon even if you win a competition.

Choose the best Pokemon for the job. Each trainer can carry around a team of up to six Pokemon at a time. For each new situation you encounter, you will decide which six Pokemon it is most advantageous to carry with you. The rest are kept in a high-tech computer storage system. You can use as many of the six Pokemon you are carrying in a single battle as you want. Feel free to switch at any time - especially if the Pokemon who's fighting looks like it's taking a beating. If you win a battle, each Pokemon that fought gains experience.

          The longer you train, the more you'll learn about keeping a team with a variety of techniques and strengths. You'll also learn which Pokemon are best suited to which battles.

The Face-off. In the gym or on the road, other trainers are eager to show off their Pokemon techniques. If another trainer challenges you to a friendly competition, you must accept. It's rude to refuse.

Don't think you'll get off easy, either. Your team will have to face and hopefully defeat each and every Pokemon on the other trainer's team. You win when your Pokemon have defeated all of the other trainer's Pokemon. A Pokemon is defeated when it gets so weak that it faints.

        So what's in it for you? In addition to all the experience your Poke friends gain, you earn a cash prize for every competition you win. It's money you'll need to buy valuable supplies.

The Poke Ball. To capture a Pokemon, you'll need a Poke Ball. Poke Balls are what you carry your Pokemon around in while they are learning and training. Only one creature fits in each ball, so you'll just have to keep a good supply on hand. Most Pokemon will only leave their Poke Balls when you command them to. Some may complain about being in a Poke Ball, but only Ash's Pikachu will refuse to get in.

The Capture. Pokemon never die in battle. They just get very weak and may even faint! The goal is to get its energy down low enough to capture it - but not down so low that it faints. If it does, that Pokemon goes straight back to the wild.

Once the wild Pokemon is weak, it's Poke Ball time. Throw a ball at it. And remember, there are no guarantees. A weakened Pokemon may still break out of the ball. If it doesn't, it's yours to train and will - hopefully - be loyal to you.

        NOTE: Health and energy do not automatically return to the Pokemon just because you capture it. You'll have to take cafe of your Poke friend before it can fight for you.