Pokemon: Frequently Asked Questions
This post is to replace the little list of frequently asked questions in the userinfo (which is going to be updated in a few days). Hopefully this'll be a bit more organized on a separate post than just on the userinfo.
Only comment to add more questions, comments are screened and will probably be deleted after the question has been added to the list.
LAST UPDATE: 6/19/08
===
This list is help you before you post a question that's already been asked. Even if you don't have a question, but want to add something that you see way too often, comment with the question (and answer if possible), and I'll add it to this list. ^^
GAME FAQ
Q1. What's a shiny Pokemon? Will it stay shiny when it evolves?
A1. A shiny Pokemon is, in the fourth generation of games, a Pokemon that is a different color than normal. There's a 1 in 8192 chance of encountering a shiny Pokemon in the wild, and that chance is more with the chaining method. And yes, your Pokemon will indeed stay shiny when it evolves.
Q2. What games go with what generation?
A2. Generation 1: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow (& Pokemon Stadium);; Generation 2: Gold, Silver, Crystal (& Pokemon Stadium 2);; Generation 3: Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, LeafGreen (& Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness), Emerald;; Generation 4: Diamond, Pearl (& Pokemon Battle Revolution).
Q3. I haven't completed Diamond or Pearl and received my National Pokédex, can I still get older generation Pokémon from trades?
A3. Yes you can, they will appear as ??? and not a number until you get the National Pokédex.
Q4. Can you trade eggs?
A4. Indeed you can! The Pokemon that hatches from the egg will get the OT of the person who hatched it, not the person you recieved it from.
Q5. Can I trade Pokémon from 1st/2nd Gen (Red/Blue/Green/Yellow/Silver/Crystal/Gold?) to 3rd/4th Gen (FireRed/LeafGreen/Sapphire/Ruby/Emerald/Diamond/Pearl)?
A5. Nope. You can send 3rd to 4th, and you can send 1st to 2nd, but not 1st/2nd to 3rd/4th.
Q6. Can Pokémon only eat so many Poffins?
A6. Yes, once you have fed a Pokémon too many Poffins you cannot feed them anymore.
Q7. But I didn't max out the stat I wanted to by Poffin feeding, why?
A7. You need to feed your Pokémon only the BEST Poffins you have made, practice makes perfect!
Q8. What's the difference between a hacked Pokemon and a legit Pokemon? What's a semi-legit Pokemon?
A8. If they're hacked *perfectly*, you most likely will not notice a difference. In any other case, hacked Pokemon could have extremely good IVs (very low chance of occurring randomly, though not impossible), maxed out contest stats, more ribbons than it should, or could show a caught location in an area where it doesn't exist (ex: Dialga or Palkia on route 202). [ prguitarman's guide to hacked shiny Pokemon] A semi-legit Pokemon's definition might differ from person to person, but most of the time it refers to hacking an item to take you to an event Pokemon, instead of hacking the event Pokemon itself.
Q9. Can I trade my Pokemon from Diamond/Pearl back to my 3rd gen game?
A9. No, once you've transferred them to D/P, you can never get them back on your old game.
Q10. I want to battle someone over Wifi, but my Pokemon are too low-leveled. Help?
A10. As long as you pick "Level 50" or "Level 100" as your rules (not Free Battle), your Pokemon will be leveled up or down to match 50 or 100. Your stats will change accordingly, which is why it's useful to determine IVs, etc. Your Pokemon will go back to their normal level after the battle.
Q11. If I breed a female Pokemon with Ditto, will it give the baby its Egg Moves?
A11. No, Egg Moves are only passed down through the male Pokemon, even when using Ditto.
Q12. Is there any easier way to find a Pokemon of a certain nature?
A12. If you are breeding a Pokemon while searching for a certain nature, there's the Everstone trick. You can attach an Everstone (pretty common in the Underground in D/P) to your female Pokemon or Ditto (NOT a male Pokemon), and the baby Pokemon have a 50% chance of inheriting the Everstone Pokemon's nature. If you're searching in the wild for a certain nature, having your first Pokemon with the ability Synchronize raises the chances of running into a wild Pokemon with the same nature of your Synchronize Pokemon.
Q13. Can I get the National Pokedex in Diamond/Pearl before beating the Elite Four?
A13. Yes! All you need to do is to see the Pokemon, so you could trade or train to get the missing Pokemon in your Pokedex. However, you can't see the opposite legendary (Dialga in Pearl, Palkia in Diamond) unless you beat the E4, so you'd need to trade that one over.
Q14. How do I change the little sprite that represents me on Wifi/wireless connections?
A14. There is a person in the Pokemon Center of Oreburgh City that you can talk to to change your sprite. You only get four choices - based on your Trainer ID and the gender of your character.
Q15. How can I delete HM moves on my Pokemon?
A15. You're not able to migrate Pokemon to Diamond/Pearl that know HMs. In FireRed/LeafGreen, the move deleter (the only way to get rid of HMs) is in Fushia City, near the Gym. In Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, the move deleter is in Lilycove City, near the Dept. Store. And in Diamond/Pearl, the move deleter is in Canalave City, near the bridge.
=====
ANIME FAQ
Q1. Who is Ash's father? [contributed by
blackjackrocket]
A1. No one knows, probably not even the writers. Giovanni, and even the Ho-oh in the first episode, are often speculated by fans, but there is no real father revealed ever in the anime.
Q2. What are the main character's Japanese names?
A2.
Ash - Satoshi
Misty - Kasumi
Brock - Takeshi
Tracey - Kenji
May - Haruka
Max - Masato
Dawn - Hikari
Paul - Shinji
Gary - Shigeru
Q3. Where can I find a list of episodes? Where can I find the difference between English and Japanese episodes?
A3. Both Serebii.net and Bulbapedia have lists. Serebii - list [episode guides] & list [episode pictures]. Bulbapedia - [Indigo, Orange, Johto] [Advanced Generation] [Diamond & Pearl]. Dogasu's Backpack has awesome guides between the English and Japanese episodes.
=====
OTHER/MERCHANDISE FAQ
Q1. What are the "zukan figures" I keep hearing about?
A1. They're figures found through gashapon machines that are 1/40 the Pokemon's actual size. For more in-depth information, visit the awesome Zukan Ranger website!
Q2. I live in the United States. Where's a good place to buy official Pokemon merchandise?
A2. Unfortunately, the Pokemon Center's website has shut down, but you can get the American-made goods at places like Target and Toys'R'Us. For other merchandise, there's
heerosferret's Sunyshore site, and you may find something you like being sold at the
pkmncollectors community.
Only comment to add more questions, comments are screened and will probably be deleted after the question has been added to the list.
LAST UPDATE: 6/19/08
===
This list is help you before you post a question that's already been asked. Even if you don't have a question, but want to add something that you see way too often, comment with the question (and answer if possible), and I'll add it to this list. ^^
GAME FAQ
Q1. What's a shiny Pokemon? Will it stay shiny when it evolves?
A1. A shiny Pokemon is, in the fourth generation of games, a Pokemon that is a different color than normal. There's a 1 in 8192 chance of encountering a shiny Pokemon in the wild, and that chance is more with the chaining method. And yes, your Pokemon will indeed stay shiny when it evolves.
Q2. What games go with what generation?
A2. Generation 1: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow (& Pokemon Stadium);; Generation 2: Gold, Silver, Crystal (& Pokemon Stadium 2);; Generation 3: Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, LeafGreen (& Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness), Emerald;; Generation 4: Diamond, Pearl (& Pokemon Battle Revolution).
Q3. I haven't completed Diamond or Pearl and received my National Pokédex, can I still get older generation Pokémon from trades?
A3. Yes you can, they will appear as ??? and not a number until you get the National Pokédex.
Q4. Can you trade eggs?
A4. Indeed you can! The Pokemon that hatches from the egg will get the OT of the person who hatched it, not the person you recieved it from.
Q5. Can I trade Pokémon from 1st/2nd Gen (Red/Blue/Green/Yellow/Silver/Crystal/Gold?) to 3rd/4th Gen (FireRed/LeafGreen/Sapphire/Ruby/Emerald/Diamond/Pearl)?
A5. Nope. You can send 3rd to 4th, and you can send 1st to 2nd, but not 1st/2nd to 3rd/4th.
Q6. Can Pokémon only eat so many Poffins?
A6. Yes, once you have fed a Pokémon too many Poffins you cannot feed them anymore.
Q7. But I didn't max out the stat I wanted to by Poffin feeding, why?
A7. You need to feed your Pokémon only the BEST Poffins you have made, practice makes perfect!
Q8. What's the difference between a hacked Pokemon and a legit Pokemon? What's a semi-legit Pokemon?
A8. If they're hacked *perfectly*, you most likely will not notice a difference. In any other case, hacked Pokemon could have extremely good IVs (very low chance of occurring randomly, though not impossible), maxed out contest stats, more ribbons than it should, or could show a caught location in an area where it doesn't exist (ex: Dialga or Palkia on route 202). [ prguitarman's guide to hacked shiny Pokemon] A semi-legit Pokemon's definition might differ from person to person, but most of the time it refers to hacking an item to take you to an event Pokemon, instead of hacking the event Pokemon itself.
Q9. Can I trade my Pokemon from Diamond/Pearl back to my 3rd gen game?
A9. No, once you've transferred them to D/P, you can never get them back on your old game.
Q10. I want to battle someone over Wifi, but my Pokemon are too low-leveled. Help?
A10. As long as you pick "Level 50" or "Level 100" as your rules (not Free Battle), your Pokemon will be leveled up or down to match 50 or 100. Your stats will change accordingly, which is why it's useful to determine IVs, etc. Your Pokemon will go back to their normal level after the battle.
Q11. If I breed a female Pokemon with Ditto, will it give the baby its Egg Moves?
A11. No, Egg Moves are only passed down through the male Pokemon, even when using Ditto.
Q12. Is there any easier way to find a Pokemon of a certain nature?
A12. If you are breeding a Pokemon while searching for a certain nature, there's the Everstone trick. You can attach an Everstone (pretty common in the Underground in D/P) to your female Pokemon or Ditto (NOT a male Pokemon), and the baby Pokemon have a 50% chance of inheriting the Everstone Pokemon's nature. If you're searching in the wild for a certain nature, having your first Pokemon with the ability Synchronize raises the chances of running into a wild Pokemon with the same nature of your Synchronize Pokemon.
Q13. Can I get the National Pokedex in Diamond/Pearl before beating the Elite Four?
A13. Yes! All you need to do is to see the Pokemon, so you could trade or train to get the missing Pokemon in your Pokedex. However, you can't see the opposite legendary (Dialga in Pearl, Palkia in Diamond) unless you beat the E4, so you'd need to trade that one over.
Q14. How do I change the little sprite that represents me on Wifi/wireless connections?
A14. There is a person in the Pokemon Center of Oreburgh City that you can talk to to change your sprite. You only get four choices - based on your Trainer ID and the gender of your character.
Q15. How can I delete HM moves on my Pokemon?
A15. You're not able to migrate Pokemon to Diamond/Pearl that know HMs. In FireRed/LeafGreen, the move deleter (the only way to get rid of HMs) is in Fushia City, near the Gym. In Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, the move deleter is in Lilycove City, near the Dept. Store. And in Diamond/Pearl, the move deleter is in Canalave City, near the bridge.
=====
ANIME FAQ
Q1. Who is Ash's father? [contributed by
blackjackrocket]
A1. No one knows, probably not even the writers. Giovanni, and even the Ho-oh in the first episode, are often speculated by fans, but there is no real father revealed ever in the anime.
Q2. What are the main character's Japanese names?
A2.
Ash - Satoshi
Misty - Kasumi
Brock - Takeshi
Tracey - Kenji
May - Haruka
Max - Masato
Dawn - Hikari
Paul - Shinji
Gary - Shigeru
Q3. Where can I find a list of episodes? Where can I find the difference between English and Japanese episodes?
A3. Both Serebii.net and Bulbapedia have lists. Serebii - list [episode guides] & list [episode pictures]. Bulbapedia - [Indigo, Orange, Johto] [Advanced Generation] [Diamond & Pearl]. Dogasu's Backpack has awesome guides between the English and Japanese episodes.
=====
OTHER/MERCHANDISE FAQ
Q1. What are the "zukan figures" I keep hearing about?
A1. They're figures found through gashapon machines that are 1/40 the Pokemon's actual size. For more in-depth information, visit the awesome Zukan Ranger website!
Q2. I live in the United States. Where's a good place to buy official Pokemon merchandise?
A2. Unfortunately, the Pokemon Center's website has shut down, but you can get the American-made goods at places like Target and Toys'R'Us. For other merchandise, there's
heerosferret's Sunyshore site, and you may find something you like being sold at the
pkmncollectors community.