Time Capsule

Revision as of 23:41, 6 November 2012 by SatoMew2 (talk | contribs)
This article is about the trading method in Generation II. For the Pokémon fought in a Pokéstar Studios movie, see Time Machine.

050Diglett.png This article is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Influence on Red's dialogue should be checked on non-English versions (in particular, the Japanese versions); Japanese TCG card number

The Time Capsule (Japanese: タイムカプセル Time Capsule) is a mechanic in Gold, Silver, and Crystal that allows players to trade Pokémon back in time to Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow. A permanent fixture in every Pokémon Center, the Time Capsule is the only facility which allows direct inter-generational trades.

Ken Sugimori artwork of the Time Capsule from Gold and Silver

The Time Capsule was also featured as a Trainer Card in the TCG.

In the games

The Time Capsule is located on the second floor of each Pokémon Center. However, it will be under repair and unavailable until the player has met Bill in Ecruteak City. Even then, the player has to wait for another 24 hours in the game's internal clock before being able to use the Time Capsule.

After this point, it is possible to trade with the main series Generation I games; however, there are still some restrictions:

When linked up to a Generation I game, the trade will happen as it did in Generation I, and the Generation II game will act as if it is a Generation I game.

Limitations and their consequences

Because of the restriction that moves introduced in Generation II cannot be traded back to Generation I, a Move Deleter in Blackthorn City will delete moves that are incompatible with earlier games. While trades with previous generations were not supported in any games after Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the concept of a Move Deleter was retained as part of gameplay.

Glitches

The Time Capsule's limitation that prevents Generation II Pokémon from entering can be bypassed with the Johto guard glitch, though Generation II Pokémon brought in this way must still only know Generation I moves. When traded to a Generation I game, they will become glitch Pokémon. The four Pokémon that evolve by trade in Generation I—Haunter, Kadabra, Machoke, and Graveler—, if traded from a Generation I game to a Generation II game at the correct level, will learn a Generation II move after evolving, but can be traded back to Generation I immediately after. This gives access to glitch moves in the Generation I game.

In future generations

Direct trades between generations would not be possible in any games starting with Ruby and Sapphire in Generation III, although it is possible to migrate Pokémon forward a generation through use of Pal Park (from Generation III to Generation IV) and the Poké Transfer (from Generation IV to Generation V). Pokémon can no longer be "sent back in time", i.e., they can no longer be directly traded back to a previous generation game.

The Time Machine is not present in the Generation IV remakes of Gold and Silver, HeartGold and SoulSilver.

In the TCG

This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring the Time Capsule in the TCG.

Time Capsule
Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.
Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Time Capsule T Neo Genesis   090/111 Gold, Silver, to a New World...   —/096
 


Trivia

  • In Generation II, when the player goes to battle Red on Mt. Silver, his dialogue may be slightly modified depending on whether or not the Time Capsule has been used. If it has not, there will be only one ellipsis. However, if it has been used, four will be present.

Names

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Missing names in other languages


Language Title
  Japanese タイムカプセル
  French Bloc temporel
  German Zeitkapsel
  Italian Tempocapsula

See also


Inter-generational transfer
Gen I Time CapsulePoké TransporterBank
Gen II
Gen III Dual-slot modePal Park
Gen IV Dual-slot modePal ParkPoké TransferRelocator
Gen V Poké TransferRelocatorPoké TransporterBank
Gen VI Poké TransporterBank
Gen VII Poké TransporterBankGO ParkHOME
Gen VIII BankHOMEGO Transporter
Gen IX


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