Roaming Pokémon are a type of legendary Pokémon that, instead of remaining in one place as a special event, run around the region they appear in, seemingly at random. Roaming Pokémon have appeared in every main series game since Generation II.
In addition to their changing of routes (something that happens every time the player passes through a route boundary), they will also, on every turn of battle, attempt to flee. The only way to prevent this is to either use a trapping move such as Mean Look or have the Pokémon sent out have a trapping ability such as Shadow Tag or Arena Trap. If they try to flee and fail, they attack on the same turn.
In Generations II and III, a Trainer can use his or her Pokédex to check the ever-changing location of their target after they have seen the target. However, in Generation IV, the Pokétch's Marking Map application and the Pokégear's map card serve this purpose, relieving the player from having to change through a multitude of screens, as was the case in past generations.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
Generation III
Hoenn
The Eon Pokémon can be caught in Hoenn after defeating the Elite Four for the first time. Only one will roam Hoenn (the other can be obtained on Southern Island with the Eon Ticket), depending on version, or in Emerald, depending on the color of Pokémon the player tells his or her mother. In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the roaming Pokémon will have low IVs due to the Roaming IV glitch.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
Johto and Kanto
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Raikou and Entei will roam Johto after meeting them in the Burned Tower, and after leaving the Vermilion City Pokémon Fan Club house with Copycat's doll, Latios or Latias will roam Kanto.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
Generation V
Unova
In Pokémon Black and White, after obtaining the Legend Badge, when entering the gate leading to Route 10, the woman behind the desk will alert the player about the big storm on Route 7. TornadusWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc. or ThundurusWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc. will make the weather more extreme in Route 7 when entering the route. Heading towards the second house on the route will cause an old lady to come out and pull the player in. She will then recite the story of either TornadusWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc. or ThundurusWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.. Upon exiting the house, the player will be approached by the respective Pokémon, which will then fly off and will roam around Unova until being caught or defeated. Wherever these Pokémon appear will be subject to weather identified as "stormy" by the bulletin boards in gates. Only these two Pokémon can cause stormy weather, so they can easily be tracked down using the bulletin boards.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
