Pokémon breeding: Difference between revisions

"Time" is actually determined by Egg cycle completion, which is determined by in-game steps or biking. An Egg cycle is a counted number of steps that activates breeding-related programs in the game. One Egg cycle lasts 256 steps in [[Generation]]s {{gen|II}} and {{gen|III}}, 255 steps in [[Generation IV]], and 257 steps in later generations. When the game reaches the end of an Egg cycle, it does a few things: the step counter for the cycle is reset to zero, the game randomly decides if an Egg is to be found at the Day Care (if compatible Pokémon are present in the Day Care at the time), and all (or only a few) Eggs currently in the {{player}}'s [[party]] have their Egg cycle count reduced by one. If the Egg cycle count for an Egg reaches zero after being reduced (in Generation II and from [[Generation V]] onward) or is zero when it would be reduced (in Generations III and IV), the Egg will begin to hatch. Prior to Generation V, if an Egg hatches, the game will not subtract an Egg cycle count from the rest of the Eggs after it in the party, ensuring that no two Eggs can hatch at the same time. From Generation V onward, if more than one Egg reaches zero at the same time, the first Egg hatches immediately while the rest hatch in order each time the player takes another step. In {{g|Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl}}, each time the player is brought back to the overworld after hatching an Egg, the text box with the "Oh?" message will immediately appear which means that the rest of the Eggs hatch in order back to back. In {{g|Scarlet and Violet}}, the rest of the Eggs hatch in order each time the player completes 1 extra Egg cycle.