Pokéathlon
Pokéthlon (Japanese: ポケスロン Pokéthlon) is a type of competition involving Pokémon racing and similar athletic competitions, in the manner of Olympic track and field competitions. It was introduced in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. The Pokéthlon Dome, where the competitions are held, is north of Goldenrod City, next to National Park.
The Pokéthlon is handled similarly to Pokémon Contests and Super Contests in the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions, as a sidequest to complete while the player challenges the gyms and the Pokémon League. Like in Contests, four competitors participate at once; however, each uses a team of three Pokémon instead of only one. The Pokémon that take part are known as "Pokéthletes".
Like the five stats introduced for Contests, five additional stats were added for the Pokéthlon: Speed, Power, Technique, Stamina, and Jump. Like the Contest conditions and battle stats, a Pokémon's performance stats are affected by its nature (more directly so, like the battle stats, than the condition) and by special foodstuffs used to boost them.
By winning events in the Pokéthlon, the participating Pokémon will earn medals for their species. Their Trainers will earn points for the competition based on how well the team did, and a win will earn their Trainer an additional 100 points (300 points in the second round), all which can be spent on prizes at the Salon Shop in the Pokéthlon Dome.
Events
Dash Hurdle
Dash Hurdle (Japanese:ダッシュハードル Dash Hurdle) pits the twelve competing Pokéthletes against one another in a race down a track, with hurdles standing every so often for the Pokémon to jump over. Tapping the Pokémon on the touchscreen will cause it to jump, with Pokémon tapped just before jumping a hurdle gaining a speed boost. The final score is based on a combination of the finish time of all three Pokémon on an individual team.
The Dash Hurdle appears as the first course in the Speed competition and as the final course in the Jump competition.
| Performance | Effect |
|---|---|
| Speed | Movement speed |
| Jump | Length of jump |
| Technique | Acceleration rate |
Ring-Out Fight
Ring-Out Fight (Japanese:リングアウトファイト Ring-Out Fight) is somewhat based on sumo, however, it is between four Pokéthletes, rather than two. Pokémon compete by tackling each other, trying to knock opponents out of the ring. Jumping tackles are also allowed. A Pokémon ousted from the ring will be replaced by their teammate.
This is the first event in the Stamina competition, the only competition it is a part of.
| Performance | Effect |
|---|---|
| Speed | Movement speed |
| Power | Tackle power |
| Stamina | Endurance to attacks |
| Jump | Jumping distance, press power |
Shooting Snow
Shooting Snow (Japanese:シューティングスノー Shooting Snow) is an all-out snowball fight between the four teams of Pokémon, with each throwing snowballs at any of the members of the other three teams in order to knock them out for points. Being hit by a snowball causes a Pokémon to be stunned for a short while. Snowballs are made by the Pokémon by tapping them on the touchscreen, and thrown by flicking the stylus in the direction of the target.
This event is the first in the Technique competition, the only competition it is part of.
| Performance | Effect |
|---|---|
| Power | Ability to KO opponent |
| Stamina | Ability to withstand being KO'd |
| Technique | Accuracy of throw |
Bound Field
Bound Field (Japanese:バウンドフィールド Bound Field) is a game similar to pachinko, only using the Pokéthletes themselves, rather than balls. The player must drag the Pokémon down to the bottom of the screen with the stylus, then release to catapult it high into the air, where lamps shine. For each lamp a Pokémon touches, points are gained, with more points gained from lamps that are touched in a row before the Pokémon lands again. The danger comes in this event not from opponents, but from the player's own Pokémon, which can hit each other and knock each other out.
This is the first event in the Jump competition, which it is exclusive to.
| Performance | Effect |
|---|---|
| Jump | Height of jump |
| Power | Teammate collision bounce-length |
| Stamina | Speed of recovery after KO |
| Technique | Accuracy of jump |
Change Relay
Change Relay (Japanese:チェンジリレー Change Relay) has Pokéthletes race each other around a circular track, trying to complete as many laps as they can in 90 seconds. Pokémon are controlled by flicking them along with the stylus. Colliding with another Pokémon will stun both for a short while, longer if the Pokémon is fatigued already, depending on the Power and Stamina of each. Pokéthletes will be slowed down when traveling over rocks, and cannot pass through the large obstacles on the course. When fatigued, a Pokémon will need to switch out to the next Pokémon to continue.
Change Relay is the third and final course of the Speed competition and the second course of the Stamina competition.
| Performance | Effect |
|---|---|
| Speed | Movement speed |
| Technique | Acceleration of dash |
| Power | Ability to lower opponents' Stamina |
| Stamina | Running endurance |
Break Block
Break Block (Japanese:ブレイクブロック Break Block) sets four Pokéthletes, one from each team, against a stack of ten cement blocks. The Pokémon must demonstrate its might by breaking through each of them, at which point ten more will be available to break. The blocks can be broken by tapping them on the touchscreen, with the cracks in each being a weak point. After a certain amount have been broken, depending on the Stamina and Power of the Pokéthlete, they will become fatigued and will need to switch out with the next team member.
Break Block is the first course in the Power competition and the third in the Stamina competition.
| Performance | Effect |
|---|---|
| Technique | Critical-hit ratio |
| Power | Ability to smash blocks |
| Stamina | Endurance |
Push Circle
Push Circle (Japanese:プッシュサークル Push Circle) features all twelve Pokéthletes on the field at once. They must each attempt to stay inside of the circles projected onto the field, all while keeping others out. With each round, the time allotted to the Pokéthletes for this gets shorter and shorter, while the point values on the circles get higher and the diameters get smaller.
This is the second course of the Power competition, the only competition in which it appears.
| Performance | Effect |
|---|---|
| Speed | Movement speed |
| Power | Power behind push |
| Stamina | Endurance when pushing opponents |
Catch Saucer
Catch Saucer (Japanese:キャッチソーサー Catch Saucer) features the twelve Pokéthletes lined up on a small pier in the middle of the water, where they must catch discs that are thrown through the air at them. Depending on where the Pokémon is in relation to the disc launcher, they will gain more points for catching the disc, with further back, riskier jumps gaining the most. Pokémon can fall off of the pier, however, but will return to the field of play shortly.
This is the second event in the Jump competition, the only competition it appears in.
| Performance | Effect |
|---|---|
| Speed | Movement speed |
| Jump | Height, duration of jump |
| Power | Ability to push opponents around |
Steal Flag
Steal Flag (Japanese:スティールフラッグ Steal Flag) brings the Pokéthletes into a sandbox-like area, where small pennant flags appear every so often. One Pokémon at a time must roam the field, collecting the various flags in the sand, but only nine can be held at one time. After collecting flags, the Pokémon must return to the start area to tag off the next Pokémon and deposit their flags, which will not count towards the score unless this is done. Pokémon move when flicked with the stylus.
This event appears as the second event in the Speed competition and as the third event in the Technique competition.
| Performance | Effect |
|---|---|
| Speed | Movement speed |
| Technique | Turning difficulty |
| Power | Ability to KO opponents |
| Stamina | Ability to withstand being KO'd |
Smash Goal
Smash Goal (Japanese:スマッシュゴール Smash Goal) is in essence a four-way soccer match with three Pokémon on each team. Pokéthletes score a goal for their team by being the last one to hit it before it enters the goal of an opponent team. One point is added for each goal scored with a white ball, while two points are added for a goal scored with a golden ball. Each goal scored against a team's goal will reduce their score by one (unless it is 0, where there will be no change). A single ball appears in the early stages of the match, while a second will appear halfway through. Pokémon with low Stamina are prone to fatigue in this game.
This is the third event in the Power competition and the second event in the Technique competition.
| Performance | Effect |
|---|---|
| Speed | Movement speed |
| Technique | Shot range, dribbling ability |
| Power | Shot power |
| Stamina | Resistance to fatigue |
In the anime
In DP160, the Pokéthlon was held in Tsubaki Town. Ash joined the competition using his Monferno and Pikachu for Catch Saucer and Dash Hurdle, respectively. However, he lost to Yūta and his Snorlax in Dash Hurdle. Other events of the Pokéthlon were also shown in the episode via a poster.
Trivia
- Since Diglett and Dugtrio have a maximum jump stat of one, they are incapable of jumping; on Bound Field they can't move at all, on Catch Saucer they can only move around, and on Dash Hurdle they dig under the hurdles. This makes earning a Jump medal for these two species more of a challenge than other species.