Wild Pokémon: Difference between revisions

[[File:Wild Pokémon battle pt.png|thumb|right|220px|A wild {{p|Magneton}} appears to {{ga|Lucas}} in {{game|Platinum}}]]

'''Wild Pokémon''' (Japanese: '''{{tt|野生|やせい}}ポケモン''' ''wild Pokémon'') are any {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} that are not currently owned by a [[Pokémon Trainer]]. They are encountered in most parts of the Pokémon world, most commonly outside of cities and towns, often in [[tall grass]], in [[caves]], or on water. Typically, a Trainer will attempt to capture a wild Pokémon with a [[Poké Ball]] but it is also common for a trainer to [[Escape|run]] from a Pokémon they are not interested in. There are many instances of wild Pokémon being used for assistance without being caught, such as {{OBP|Pokémon Ranger|Ranger series}}s using them to perform a task by directing them with a [[Capture Styler]].

==In the games==

In the games, wild Pokémon will appear to the player in a variety of locations, most often by walking through tall grass, but also within caves, abandoned buildings, {{m|surf}}ing on water, [[fishing]], {{m|Rock Smash|smashing rocks}}, {{m|headbutt}}ing small trees, using {{m|Sweet Scent}}, or by slathering [[honey]] on certain trees. Depending on the location, the Pokémon may be different species, and are typically at higher [[level]]s in areas only accessible later in the game.

[[Image:Wild double battle.png|thumb|left|{{ga|Dawn}} and [[Cheryl]] encounter a wild {{p|Budew}} and {{p|Buneary}}]]

When encountered, a wild Pokémon's moveset will consist of the most recent four moves its species learns by level-up: that is to say, a level 8 {{p|Yanma}} will know {{m|Tackle}}, {{m|Foresight}}, and {{m|Quick Attack}} when encountered in the wild in {{game|Platinum}}, while one encountered at level 19 will have Quick Attack, {{m|Double Team}}, {{m|SonicBoom}}, and {{m|Detect}}. This is true for even evolved species, such as {{p|Raichu}}, which, if it were able to be encountered in the wild, would ''always'' know {{m|ThunderShock}}, {{m|Tail Whip}}, Quick Attack, and {{m|Thunderbolt}}.

There are several ways to alter the wild Pokémon encounter rate. One of these, introduced in Generation I, is the use of [[Repel]], which will avoid encounters with any Pokémon of a lower level than the [[party]]'s lead Pokémon. In [[Generation II]], Pokémon March and Pokémon Lullaby, played on the [[Pokégear]], will raise or lower the encounter rate respectively, while certain [[Ability|abilities]] and the White and Black [[Flute]]s do the same in [[Generation III]] and [[Generation IV]].

In some instances, two wild Pokémon will appear at once. In Generation IV, this occurs when the player travels in a specific region with another [[stat Trainers|Pokémon Trainer]]. They battle in the [[double battle]] method introduced in the third generation. In Generation V, there is the chance of two Pokémon appearing at once in some locations. In both instances, one of the Pokémon will have to be defeated before the other can be caught.

Typically, wild Pokémon are not a central feature of the {{pkmn|anime}}, which focuses mostly on the Pokémon belonging to {{Ash}} and {{ashfr|his friends}} and other trainers he encounters. Most of the Pokémon belonging to the group were shown in the wild at some point, but are usually captured at a later point in the same episode, most often at the end. Despite this, there have been several [[recurring wild Pokémon in the anime|recurring wild Pokémon]] who appear over a length of time and are not captured. Of all of these Pokémon, only [[Ash's Aipom|an Aipom]] that stole [[Ash's hat]] went on to be captured several episodes after it appeared.  

There are however numerous examples of wild Pokémon being featured in the anime in debut episodes that introduce their species, such as Clefairy in ''[[EP006| Clefairy and the Moon Stone]]'' and Sudowoodo in ''[[EP162 | Type Casting]]''.

In the [[EP001|first anime episode]], Ash's Pokédex states that wild Pokémon tend to be jealous of human-trained Pokémon, this being one of the reasons that the {{p|Spearow}} Ash hit with a rock attacked {{AP|Pikachu}} instead.

As Pokédexes prior to the arcs in [[Hoenn]] typically needed the Pokémon to be captured in order for data to be gained, capturing wild Pokémon has been a long-standing point for every [[Pokédex Holder]] save {{Adv|Gold}} and {{adv|Silver}} until the {{chap|Ruby & Sapphire}}. The first wild Pokémon to be captured was a wild {{p|Nidorino}} by {{adv|Red}}, and even legendary Pokémon were seen as soon as the first round, though the one in question (a {{p|Mew}} appearing near [[Pallet Town]]) was not captured. Pokémon that have been released, unlike in the games, do sometimes appear in the wild and can be re-caught or controlled by another Trainer, such as [[Emerald's Sceptile]] and {{adv|Mewtwo}}, and again unlike in the games, where identical Trainer ID means that high-level Pokémon can be controlled by its Trainer, several Pokémon such as [[Pika]] and [[Pearl (Adventures)#Zeruhiko|Zeruhiko]] were disobedient and likely to even attack its Trainer on a whim.