Rematch

Revision as of 15:46, 17 March 2013 by Mikuri (talk | contribs)

A rematch or re-battle is the second or subsequent battle against a Trainer or Pokémon.

In the main series games, it is mandatory for the player to defeat certain Trainers to advance within the game. Technically, if the player is defeated, they are given the chance to battle this opponent again until defeated (except in exceptional circumstances), it is still considered a rematch.

Most of the time, however, if a Trainer is defeated, that Trainer will not be available for a rematch until certain conditions have been met. When Trainers usually agree to rematch, their Pokémon will have become stronger (level up or evolution), or they would already have acquired more Pokémon (sometimes from another region, once the player has obtained the National Pokédex).

Types of rematch

Elite Four and Champion

In the early Generation I games, only the Elite Four and Champion/Rival were able to be re-battled. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen introduced the concept of having the Elite Four and Champion's rematch teams at higher levels, with different Pokémon and more competitive movesets.

Rival

Since Generation I, the player's Rival plays a key role within the game, occasionally giving hints, helping out or even challenging the player to a rematch. With the exception of Brendan and May in Generation III, the player's rival can be repeatedly rematched after defeating the Elite Four of that region.

The following table shows where and when the player's Rival can be challenged for subsequent rematches:

Region Rival Time and Location for (the most recent) rematch
Kanto Blue
(Champion)
Any time Indigo Plateau, after defeating Elite Four
Johto Silver Monday and Wednesdays only Indigo Plateau, right before entering the first room
Hoenn Wally Any time Victory Road, Hoenn
Sinnoh Barry Saturdays and Sundays only Fight Area (Diamond and Pearl only)
Survival Area (Platinum only)
Unova CherenBW Any time Victory Road, Unova
BiancaBW Saturdays and Sundays only Nuvema Town, Professor Juniper's Lab
HughB2W2 Any time Driftveil City

Regular Trainers

From Generation II onwards, rematches were extended to regular Trainers found along normal routes and caves. Appearing in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the Pokégear allowed the player to exchange telephone numbers with specific Trainers, allowing them to contact the player for a rematch. In Generation III, the PokéNav's Trainer's Eyes or Match Call found in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald has similar functions as the Pokégear, keeping track of Trainers who want to re-battle the player. However, the only way to rematch with these Trainers was to wait until they were ready, which meant that the player could not control who and when they wanted to battle.

File:Vsseeker1.gif
Red uses the Vs. Seeker on Route 25. Five Trainers wish to have a rematch.

The introduction of the Vs. Seeker in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen allowed the player to conveniently locate and identify Trainers within an outside area who were ready for a rematch, giving more control over who and where the player wanted to battle. The Vs. Seeker is charged by taking 100 steps, thus reducing the timespan a player has to wait between each rematch (as opposed to waiting for a call).

Additionally, in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and Pokémon Platinum certain Trainers can be challenged daily at Seven Stars Restaurant. In Pokémon Platinum, players may also fight the maids in the 5-Maid Knockout Exact-Turn Attack Challenge in Pokémon Mansion. Besides that, in Pokémon Platinum, several Trainers appear in Pokémon Centers of different cities who can be battled every day. Their particular location changes daily.

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the upgrades for the teams of the Trainers that can be re-battled are fought in three different rematch phases. The requirement for going to the next phase is to face each rematch phase, as well as getting past a certain point in the game. While the first phase is accomplished from the first rematch, the second phase's requirement is that the player must defeat the Elite Four, and the final phase's requirement is for the player to have all sixteen Badges. For example, Youngster Joey's Rattata becomes a Raticate for the first rematch, and its level increases further during each rematch phase.

In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Pokémon Breeders will challenge the player to a battle upon sight as long as the player has left the area since their last battle. This occurs regardless of whether they have been battled prior and without the need for the player to use special items.

Gym Leaders

Gym Leader rematches were first introduced in Generation III in Pokémon Emerald. However in Generation IV, Gym Leaders were not available for rematches in Diamond and Pearl.

Pokémon Emerald

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.

In Pokémon Emerald, the Gym Leaders can be rematched through a Double Battle via the PokéNav's Match Call. The player must have defeated the Elite Four.

 
Battleground (from left): Maylene, Volkner, the player, the Café owner

Pokémon Platinum

Main article: Battleground

In Pokémon Platinum, the Gym Leaders of Sinnoh, together with the player's previous Tag Battle partners, can be found in the Battleground. Up to four of these Trainers appear each day and they can be battled only once a day. Resetting before entering the Battleground would change the Trainers who are inside.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

 
The Fighting Dojo with all the Gym Leaders
Main article: Fighting Dojo

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Gym Leaders of Kanto and Johto would be found in the Fighting Dojo. However, unlike Platinum, the Leaders will not arrive at the Dojo until they have been called on for a rematch.

To re-battle a Gym Leader, the player has to first obtain the Gym Leader's number. Following that, the player can call the Gym Leader at any time, but he or she will only accept a rematch when their schedule is free.

When a Gym Leader has accepted a rematch, he or she will stay in the Fighting Dojo until he or she is defeated. There is no limit to the number of times a Gym Leader can be rematched.

Note that the phone numbers for most of the Leaders can be obtained after defeating the Elite Four. However, rematches with the Gym Leaders cannot be scheduled until after the Earth Badge has been obtained (i.e. Blue has been defeated).

Gym Leader phone listing

Each Leader's telephone number must be obtained from them personally when he or she is out of their Gym (except Chuck and Blue, which have to be obtained from their wife and sister respectively). By speaking with them at the appropriate time and place, players can obtain their phone numbers.

The following table shows how each Leader's number can be obtained:

Johto Gym Leaders
Leader Day Time Location Pre-requisites (post-Hall of Fame)
Falkner Monday Any time Celadon Department Store, 4F Must have beaten Janine
Bugsy Thursday Any time Viridian Forest None
Whitney Any day 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM Goldenrod Department Store, 6F None
Morty Monday or Tuesday Any time Bellchime Trail None
Chuck Any day Any time From Chuck's wife at Cianwood City None
Jasmine Any day 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Olivine Café None
Pryce Any day 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM By the Lake of Rage None
Clair Any day 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM Inside Dragon's Den Must have defeated her and Lance in a Tag Battle
Kanto Gym Leaders
Leader Day Time Location Pre-requisites (post-Hall of Fame)
Obtain 16 Badges? Additional requirements
Brock Any day 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM Inside Diglett's Cave Yes None
Misty Any day 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM Route 25 Yes Will not appear if Suicune is present
Lt. Surge Any day 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM Outside Power Plant Yes Appears after Zapdos is captured and the player is walking with a Pikachu
Erika Saturday or Sunday 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Celadon City fountain Yes None
Sabrina Friday Any time Olivine Harbor No Defeat Sabrina, must have S.S. Ticket
Janine Any day 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM Pokémon League Reception Gate No Defeat Janine
Blaine Tuesday Any time Cinnabar Island Yes None
Blue Any day Any time From Daisy Oak at Pallet Town Yes After having at least seven massages and showing Daisy a Pokémon with full happiness
Gym Leader rematch schedule

The following table shows when the Gym Leaders are free to accept a rematch.

As midnight to 3:59 AM is considered to be "night" by the game, any Leader who can be battled at night can be battled from midnight to 3:59 AM or from 8:00 PM to 11:59 PM.

Gym Leaders' Schedule
Day Morning
(4:00 - 9:59am)
Afternoon
(10:00am - 7:59pm)
Night
(12:00 - 3:59am)
(8:00 - 11:59pm)
Sunday
 
Erika
 
Sabrina
 
Blue
Monday
 
Pryce
 
Janine
Tuesday
 
Blaine
 
Morty
Wednesday
 
Misty
 
Jasmine
 
Chuck
Thursday
 
Bugsy
Friday
 
Lt. Surge
 
Clair
Saturday
 
Falkner
 
Whitney
 
Brock

Legendary and special encounter Pokémon

In all games, being defeated by a legendary Pokémon does not cause it to disappear. In all games in which roaming Pokémon exist, fleeing from them does not cause them to vanish; the game simply behaves the same as if they were the ones to flee.

In Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald, if the player flees from a stationary legendary Pokémon it will reappear upon leaving and re-entering the room, unlike the previous games where a stationary legendary Pokémon could only be encountered once. The game informs the player that "The <Pokémon> flew away!"

In Pokémon Platinum, if the player defeats or flees from a stationary legendary Pokémon, it reappears after the player enters the Hall of Fame again. If the player defeats a roaming Pokémon, the player must re-trigger the event which caused it to start roaming; for example, the player must talk to Professor Oak to cause a legendary bird to resume roaming. If the player flees from or defeats Origin Forme Giratina in the Distortion World, it will reappear in Turnback Cave in its Altered Forme, where it behaves in the same way as all other stationary legendary Pokémon.

This was extended to all stationary Pokémon (red Gyarados, Sudowoodo and Snorlax) in HeartGold and SoulSilver. If Suicune is defeated or fled from, Eusine will comment on this fact, and it will instead reappear at the Burned Tower, where it behaves in the same way as all other stationary legendary Pokémon. If Ho-OhHG or LugiaSS is defeated or fled from during the storyline, the Kimono Girls will comment on this fact then leave, but the two still behave like all stationary Pokémon.

In Pokémon Black and White, ReshiramB or ZekromW must be caught; defeating, fleeing or losing to the Pokémon does not cause it to disappear, and the story cannot be progressed until it is caught; instead, the player is warped back to the Pokémon League Pokémon Center to try again. However, if the player has a full party and PC, it is possible to progress without catching it. If this situation occurs, it will instead appear at Dragonspiral Tower after defeating Team Plasma, where it behaves in the same way as all other stationary legendary Pokémon. However, it will still not give any experience points even in that situation.

In side games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, legendary Pokémon that have been battled must be fought again in order to be recruited. However, this is only true if the said legendary Pokémon is involved in the storyline.

Pokémon Ranger

In the Pokémon Ranger series, the Drowsy Guy will allow the player to re-do a memorable capture. In Pokémon Ranger, he allows the player to re-capture the legendary beasts, while in the sequel, he allows the player to re-capture Darkrai. In Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, Nema allows the player to re-battle several Boss Pokémon on a model of Dolce Island via the use of her "Many Times Any Time Capture Machine"

In the anime

With the exception of the Orange League and the Unova League, Ash has had to rematch at least two Gym Leaders or Frontier Brains in each leg of his journey. However, only once has he had a rematch with a Gym Leader he has beaten that isn't in his circle of friends.

Original series

Opponent First match Result Follow-up match Result
 
Brock
 
Showdown in Pewter City
Forfeit  
Showdown in Pewter City
Ash forfeits again,
but Brock rewards his Badge in
recognition of Ash's compassion.
 
Lt. Surge
 
Electric Shock Showdown
Loss  
Electric Shock Showdown
Victory
 
Sabrina
 
Abra and the Psychic Showdown
Forfeit  
Haunter versus Kadabra
Ash forfeits again, but with Haunter's help,
he manages to break Sabrina out of her trance.
Ash receives Badge as a token of gratitude.
 
Blaine
 
Riddle Me This
Forfeit  
Volcanic Panic
Victory
 
Whitney
 
A Goldenrod Opportunity
Loss  
A Dairy Tale Ending
Victory
 
Clair
 
Fangs for Nothin'
Interrupted by
Team Rocket
 
Better Eight Than Never
Victory

Advanced Generation series

Opponent First match Result Follow-up match Result
 
Norman
 
There's No Place Like Hoenn
Unofficial one-on-one battle
Ash loses
 
Balance of Power
Official match
Ash wins
 
Brawly
 
Brave the Wave
Loss  
Just One of the Geysers
Victory
 
Wattson
 
Watt's with Wattson?
Ash wins with an
overcharged
Pikachu.
Wattson insists Ash keeps the Badge.
 
Manectric Charge
Unofficial rematch
Ash loses
 
Anabel
 
Talking a Good Game!
Loss  
Second Time's the Charm!
Victory
 
Brandon
 
Battling the Enemy Within!
Ash is possessed, and
the match is declared unofficial.
 
Overjoyed!
First official match
Ash loses
 
Pace - The Final Frontier!
Second official match
Ash wins

Diamond & Pearl series

Opponent First match Result Follow-up match Result
 
Roark
 
A Gruff Act to Follow!
Loss  
O'er the Rampardos We Watched!
Victory
 
Gardenia
 
The Grass-Type Is Always Greener!
Unofficial battle
Ash loses
 
The Grass Menagerie!
Victory
 
Fantina
 
Playing the Leveling Field!
Unofficial battle
Forfeit
 
Shield with a Twist!
Victory

Best Wishes series

Opponent First match Result Follow-up match Result
 
Lenora
 
The Battle According to Lenora!
Loss  
Rematch at the Nacrene Gym!
Victory


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