Pokémon battle: Difference between revisions

Pokémon battles appear in most forms of Pokémon media, being the central gameplay aspect of the [[main series]] games, as well as being a constant focus of the {{pkmn|anime}}. Typically, a Pokémon battle will be a one-on-one fight between two Pokémon, however, variations on this model have been seen since early on in the series, with Pokémon battles featuring multiple Pokémon on each side later being implemented in the games as well.

[[File:Pokemon Battle Moves BW.png|thumb|The moves of a Pokémon displayed in the Fight menu]]

Selecting "Fight" will bring up another menu which allows the player to choose which of his or her Pokémon's current [[move]]s is to be used during the turn. Depending on its remaining [[Power points|PP]], a move may or may not be able to be selected; at least 1 PP is required to select the move.

As each Pokémon makes its move, a Pokémon may [[fainting|faint]] if its {{stat|HP}} reaches 0. If this occurs, another Pokémon must be switched in to replace it in battle for the battle to continue. This switch occurs before the turn ends in Generations {{Gen|I}}, {{Gen|II}}, and {{Gen|III}}, but after the end of the turn in [[Generation IV]], resulting in a slightly different strategy for Double Battles between Generation III and Generation IV.

[[File:Bag Menu BW.png|thumb|200px|right|Bag menu]]

{{main|Bag}}

If "Bag" is selected, it will bring up the contents of the player's bag on screen. In Generation I, this command is instead "Item", and in Generation II, it is "Pack". In Generations I, II, and III, the bag menu that is brought up is the same as that in the overworld, with all of a player's items able to be selected (though many cannot be used). Generation IV instead features a separate menu for in-battle use that categorizes the items that the player has depending on their use. If an item is selected to be used, this will take place before any Pokémon makes its move, and the player's Pokémon will not be able to make a move. The Bag selection is sometimes disabled, most notably in link battles and during [[Battle Frontier]] competitions.

[[File:Pokémon battle Pokémon.png|thumb|200px|right|Pokémon menu]]

{{main|Party}}

Selecting "Pokémon" will bring up a menu of the player's current [[party]] Pokémon, allowing them to be checked by the player or switched into battle, sending the player's active Pokémon back into its Poké Ball. As with the bag, the Pokémon menu screen is exactly the same as that in the overworld in Generations I, II, and III, with differences in usable commands, while different in Generation IV, featuring only battle-relevant data.

{{main|Escape}}

If "Run" is selected, the player will attempt to escape from the battle. Battles against NPC Trainers cannot be run from except in a [[Battle Frontier]] facility, while battles against other players can be run from at any time, resulting in a loss (if only one player runs) or a draw (if both players run). This option, like Fight, also depends on the {{stat|Speed}} of the Pokémon in battle, with a calculation made based on the two resulting in either the player escaping a wild battle (if the player's Pokémon's Speed is high enough) or being stuck in battle and losing a turn. Trapping moves can prevent escape attempts from being made, as can the player's own Pokémon if it has previously used {{m|Ingrain}}.

In [[Pokémon Colosseum]] and [[Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness]], this option is replaced by a "Call" option, which allows the player to return a [[Shadow Pokémon]] from [[Hyper Mode]] and [[Reverse Mode]] or wake it up from sleep. It can also be used to simply pass a turn, and in XD, will raise the {{stat|Accuracy}} of a non-Shadow Pokémon who is not asleep by one level.

[[File:Tepig Snivy battle.png|thumb|250px|right|A battle between [[Ash's Tepig]] and a {{AP|Snivy}} about to begin]]

In the anime, the progression of battle is slightly different. An expansion on the games' concept, the anime's battles are more free-flowing than those in the games, with opposing Trainers being able to block and evade moves in different and more creative ways than the games allow for, invent their own moves as combinations of other moves, and so on. Several concepts that later became standard in the games were developed in the anime, such as the {{a|Lightningrod}} Ability and Double Battles.