Phenomenon

Phenomena are a mechanic in the Generation V core series games. Phenomena are a mean of encountering wild Pokémon and, in some cases, items. There are four types of phenomena: rustling grass, dust clouds, flying Pokémon's shadows, and rippling water. Some Pokémon can only be obtained via this method. Phenomena will only appear after the player has the first Badge.

A phenomenon can be randomly triggered whenever the player takes a step in an area. Only one may be active at a time. An active phenomenon will generally continue to exist if the player moves away from it so long as they stay in the same overall location or room. A phenomenon will vanish after it is encountered or if the player picks up a visible item, encounters a wild Pokémon, interacts with an NPC, or exits the area or room entirely; it will also vanish if an NPC steps on it. Using a Repel does not prevent wild Pokémon from being encountered in a phenomenon. An active phenomenon is not saved when the game is saved.

Different phenomena are distinguished in-game by audio and visual effects; in most cases, they are named for the visual effect shown on-screen when each phenomenon occurs. The audio of a phenomenon reflects the distance between it and the player: if the player is close, the sound will be louder, and if the player is farther away (such as if the phenomenon is off-screen), the sound will be fainter but will also never stop.

Rustling grass

Rustling grass outside Pinwheel Forest

Rustling grass is a phenomenon that only occurs in tall grass. Rustling grass allows the encounter of a wild Pokémon. Audino can be found in any patch of rustling grass. Various other Pokémon, such as the elemental monkeys in Pinwheel Forest and Lostlorn Forest, evolved forms of Pokémon found in non-rustling grass, or Pokémon that would otherwise be only available in the opposite version can be found in rustling grass, but are less common than Audino. Rustling grass does not occur in dark grass, but it does in long grass.

Pokémon Black and White

Possible encounters
	ButterfreeW	Route 12		BeedrillB	Route 12
	Clefable	Giant Chasm (crater forest)		Ninetales	Abundant Shrine
	Wigglytuff	Route 14		Crobat	Route 13, Giant Chasm (entrance)
	Sunflora	Route 12		Tyranitar	Route 15
	Metagross	Giant Chasm (crater forest)		Vespiquen	Route 12
	MismagiusW	Abundant Shrine		HonchkrowB	Abundant Shrine
	Tangrowth	Route 13, Giant Chasm (entrance)		Gliscor	Routes 11, 15
	Mamoswine	Giant Chasm (crater forest)		Stoutland	Route 10, Cold Storage, P2 Laboratory
	Pansage	Lostlorn Forest, Pinwheel Forest (inside)		Pansear	Lostlorn Forest, Pinwheel Forest (inside)
	Panpour	Lostlorn Forest, Pinwheel Forest (inside)		Musharna	Dreamyard
	Unfezant	Routes 6, 7, 12, Dragonspiral Tower, Lostlorn Forest		Unfezant	Routes 6, 7, 12, Dragonspiral Tower, Lostlorn Forest
	Audino	Routes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18, Cold Storage, P2 Laboratory, Dreamyard, Pinwheel Forest, Lostlorn Forest, Dragonspiral Tower, Village Bridge, Giant Chasm and Abundant Shrine		Leavanny	Route 6, Lostlorn Forest
	SawkW	Routes 10, 15, 18, Pinwheel Forest (outside)		ThrohB	Routes 10, 15, 18, Pinwheel Forest (outside)
	LilligantW	Abundant Shrine, Lostlorn Forest, Pinwheel Forest (inside)		WhimsicottB	Abundant Shrine, Lostlorn Forest, Pinwheel Forest (inside)
	ReuniclusW	Route 9		GothitelleB	Route 9
	Cinccino	Routes 5, 9, 16, Cold Storage		Emolga	Routes 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, Abundant Shrine, Dragonspiral Tower, Giant Chasm (entrance), Lostlorn Forest, Village Bridge

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2

Possible encounters
	Clefable	Giant Chasm		Ninetales	Abundant Shrine
	Wigglytuff	Routes 1, 2, Dreamyard		Crobat	Dreamyard
	Azumarill	Routes 6, 11, 22, Abundant Shrine, Village Bridge		Dunsparce	Routes 1, 2, 6, 12, 18, 20, Dreamyard, Floccesy Ranch, Nature Preserve, Victory Road (grove, cave entrance), Village Bridge
	Tyranitar	Route 15		Shiftry	Nature Preserve
	Slaking	Pinwheel Forest (inside)		DelcattyW2	Castelia City
	Castform	Route 6		Metagross	Giant Chasm (crater forest)
	Roserade	Route 12, Lostlorn Forest, Victory Road (grove)		Vespiquen	Route 12, Lostlorn Forest
	LopunnyB2	Castelia City		Magnezone	P2 Laboratory
	Lickilicky	Route 2		Tangrowth	Route 13, Giant Chasm (entrance)
	Yanmega	Route 3, Pinwheel Forest (outside)		Gliscor	Routes 11, 15, 23
	Mamoswine	Giant Chasm (crater forest)		Patrat	Route 19
	Stoutland	Routes 1, 2, 3, P2 Laboratory		Pansage	Lostlorn Forest, Pinwheel Forest (inside)
	Pansear	Lostlorn Forest, Pinwheel Forest (inside)		Panpour	Lostlorn Forest, Pinwheel Forest (inside)
	Musharna	Dreamyard		Unfezant	Routes 3, 6, 7, 12, Dragonspiral Tower, Victory Road (cave entrance)
	Unfezant	Routes 3, 6, 7, 12, Dragonspiral Tower, Victory Road (cave entrance)		Audino	Routes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, Abundant Shrine, Castelia City, Dragonspiral Tower, Dreamyard, Floccesy Ranch, Giant Chasm, Lostlorn Forest, P2 Laboratory, Pinwheel Forest, Reversal Mountain, Victory Road, Nature Preserve, Village Bridge, Virbank Complex
	Seismitoad	Pinwheel Forest (outside)		ThrohB2	Routes 15, 18, 23, Pinwheel Forest (outside)
	SawkW2	Routes 15, 18, 23, Pinwheel Forest (outside)		Leavanny	Routes 6, 12, Lostlorn Forest
	Scolipede	Pinwheel Forest (inside)		WhimsicottB2	Abundant Shrine, Castelia City, Lostlorn Forest, Pinwheel Forest (inside), Victory Road (grove)
	LilligantW2	Abundant Shrine, Castelia City, Lostlorn Forest, Pinwheel Forest (inside), Victory Road (grove)		Cinccino	Routes 5, 9, 16
	GothitelleB2	Route 9		ReuniclusW2	Route 9
	Vanilluxe	Dragonspiral Tower, Giant Chasm (entrance)		Emolga	Routes 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, Abundant Shrine, Dragonspiral Tower, Lostlorn Forest, Village Bridge
	Klinklang	P2 Laboratory

Dust cloud

A dust cloud in Chargestone Cave

Dust clouds are a phenomenon that only occur in caves. They may reveal held items, Evolution stones, or wild Drilbur, Excadrill, Onix^B2W2, and Steelix^B2W2.

All items may be found in any location, but the Pokémon are only found in certain locations.

Pokémon Black, White, Black 2 and White 2

In Black and White, the chance of finding a Pokémon in a dust cloud is 40%. The chance of finding a gem is roughly 50%, while the chance of finding a stone is roughly 10%.

Pokémon

Pokémon		Locations
		All Generation V games	Black White	Black 2 White 2
	Onix			Relic Passage Twist Mountain Victory Road Clay Tunnel Underground Ruins
	Steelix			Twist Mountain Clay Tunnel Underground Ruins
	Drilbur	Chargestone Cave Mistralton Cave	Wellspring Cave	Relic Passage
	Excadrill	Giant Chasm	Challenger's Cave Victory Road	Reversal Mountain Wellspring Cave Twist Mountain Victory Road Clay Tunnel Underground Ruins Seaside Cave

Items

All other locations

	Fire Gem		Steel Gem
	Water Gem		Normal Gem
	Electric Gem		Everstone
	Grass Gem		Sun Stone
	Ice Gem		Moon Stone
	Fighting Gem		Fire Stone
	Poison Gem		Water Stone
	Ground Gem		Thunderstone
	Flying Gem		Leaf Stone
	Psychic Gem		Shiny Stone
	Bug Gem		Dusk Stone
	Rock Gem		Dawn Stone
	Ghost Gem		Hard Stone
	Dragon Gem		Oval Stone
	Dark Gem

B2W2:
Relic Passage, Reversal Mountain

	Red Shard		Blue Shard
	Yellow Shard		Green Shard

Flying Pokémon's shadow

A shadow on the Driftveil Drawbridge

Flying Pokémon's shadows are a phenomenon that only occur on the Driftveil Drawbridge and Marvelous Bridge. They may reveal wings or wild Ducklett (on the Driftveil Drawbridge) and Swanna (on the Marvelous Bridge).

Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, and White 2

The chance of encountering a Ducklett or Swanna in a shadow is 20%, while the chance of finding a wing is 80%. If a wing is found, there is a 10% chance it will be a Pretty Wing.

Possible encounters
	Ducklett		Swanna
	Health Wing		Muscle Wing
	Resist Wing		Genius Wing
	Clever Wing		Swift Wing
	Pretty Wing

Rippling water

Rippling water on Route 11

Rippling water is a phenomenon that only occurs on water tiles. Rippling water allows the encounter of a wild Pokémon when Surfed on or fished in. While Basculin's Red-Striped form is found in Black and Black 2 and its Blue-Striped form found in White and White 2 under normal circumstances, the opposite form can be found in rippling water.

Pokémon Black and White

Possible encounters (Surfing) Slowpoke Slowbro Seel Dewgong Staryu Starmie Lapras Slowking Corsola Mantine Wailmer Wailord Sealeo Walrein Buizel Floatzel BasculinW BasculinB Jellicent Jellicent Alomomola Seismitoad Stunfisk

Possible encounters (Fishing) Poliwhirl Poliwrath Shellder Cloyster Kingler Seadra Goldeen Seaking Dratini Dragonair Dragonite Chinchou Lanturn Politoed Qwilfish Octillery Kingdra Carvanha Sharpedo Barboach Whiscash Feebas Milotic HuntailB GorebyssW Relicanth Luvdisc Lumineon BasculinW BasculinB Stunfisk

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2

Possible encounters (Surfing) Seel Dewgong Grimer Muk Staryu Starmie Lapras Marill Azumarill Corsola Mantine Wailmer Wailord Corphish Crawdaunt Sealeo Walrein Buizel Floatzel Palpitoad Seismitoad BasculinW2 BasculinB2 Jellicent Jellicent Alomomola Stunfisk

Possible encounters (Fishing) Poliwhirl Poliwrath Grimer Muk Shellder Cloyster Krabby Kingler Horsea Seadra Goldeen Seaking Magikarp Gyarados Dratini Dragonair Dragonite Chinchou Lanturn Politoed Qwilfish Remoraid Octillery Kingdra Carvanha Sharpedo Barboach Whiscash Feebas Milotic HuntailB2 GorebyssW2 Relicanth Luvdisc Lumineon BasculinW2 BasculinB2 Stunfisk

Related articles

• Ambush encounter

In other languages

Language Title German Phänomene Italian Fenomeno

This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.