Pokémon Center

If you were looking for the retail store chain, see Pokémon Center (store).

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A rural Pokémon Center in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.

A Pokémon Center (Japanese: ポケモンセンター Pokémon Center) is a type of building that provides regulatory services for Pokémon Trainers. Pokémon Centers are found in most towns and cities of the Pokémon world; every major city or town holds a Pokémon Center. Some Pokémon Centers can be found outside of towns next to large forests or caves. Pokémon Centers are built where many Trainers gather and the area becomes popular. This is to accommodate those Trainers in need and serve as a resting spot. The most common service the Pokémon Center offers is healing Pokémon free of charge.

In the games, Pokémon Centers consist of a healing station run by a Pokémon Center Nurse, a trading connection club, a battling connection club (neither of which require wired connections as of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen), and various NPCs that vary upon location (in rural areas, no NPCs may be present). As of Generation V, salesmen from the Poké Mart and the deliveryman (in Generation V) or delivery girl (in Generation VI) appear when the Mystery Gift function is activated, due to its integration with the Pokémon Center. Mr. Medal also appears here in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 when awarding the player any Medals. The connection clubs are absent in Generation VI and are replaced with the Player Search System.

Fly brings the player to the Pokémon Center in the town or city chosen, and Teleport brings the player to the Pokémon Center they last visited (or to the Pokémon Center of the city or town they are currently in). Also, if defeated in battle, the player will appear at the Pokémon Center most recently visited (unless the player has not visited a Pokémon Center, in which case the player will appear outside his or her home).

In the games

Pokémon Centers are important buildings in the games and are found in most towns and cities, sometimes even on routes. Pokémon Centers are essential to Trainers as they provide many facilities and host most game mechanics. Non-player character Trainers and their own Pokémon are often found hanging around in Pokémon Centers, offering general advice and information on the events in the town or area it is situated in. Though the setup of the Pokémon Centers has varied slightly throughout each generation, all Pokémon Centers have the same core functions:

• A Pokémon Center Nurse heals all party Pokémon in a matter of seconds. This service heals all status conditions and recharges HP and PP of all party Pokémon, free of charge. The nurse is located at the main counter just as the player enters the Pokémon Center.
• Pokémon Centers also host the Cable Club and the Union Room, which facilitates multiplayer gameplay. Originally, linked players could only battle and trade with one another, but in later generations, players can mix records^RSEDPPtHGSS and play games^PtHGSS together.
• Trainers also have access to a PC so that they can change out their party. Players are able to deposit and withdraw Pokémon, along with ability to store and withdraw items and display their Hall of Fame details.

In the Generation I, II and III games, saving inside a Pokémon Center is required to facilitate linking with console games such as Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Colosseum.

Generation I

A Pokémon Center in the Generation I games.

In the Generation I games, a Pokémon Center consists of two counters on a single floor. The counter on the left has a Pokémon Center Nurse that will heal the player's Pokémon. The counter on the right contains the Cable Club, which allows players to link with each other. Talking to the women at the desk will allow the player to enter the Cable Club. Furthest to the right is the PC to deposit and withdraw Pokémon or items. The Generation I games also include two of the few examples of a Pokémon Center that isn't in a town: the Pokémon Centers in Route 4, outside Mt. Moon, and in Route 10, outside the entrance to the Rock Tunnel. Future generations employ rest houses that only offer healing services in similar areas.

Heal Your POKéMON!
POKéMON CENTER

Cable Club

Being the original link-up place, it is located at the far end of the Pokémon Center in Generation I Kanto. Players can link together to simply battle each other one-on-one and trade Pokémon with each other. Two players linked by a Game Boy Game Link Cable can enter the Cable Club. Pokémon Yellow features an extended version of the Cable Club with the option to choose special battle rules or cups.

Generation II

A regular Pokémon Center in the Generation II games.

In the Generation II games, to accommodate greater linking functionality, the Pokémon Centers of both Kanto and Johto expanded to two floors. On the first floor, there is the counter where a Pokémon Center Nurse heals the player's Pokémon, as well as a PC. On the second floor resides the Cable Club and Time Capsule.

In the Japanese versions and Korean versions of Pokémon Gold and Silver, the sign of Johto's Pokémon Centers have a Poké Ball logo and the letters PC while Kanto's use the same sign as that of the Generation I games. In the localizations, the Generation I sign was used for both regions.

Heal Your POKéMON!
POKéMON CENTER

Cable Club

Located upstairs in Pokémon Centers throughout Johto and Kanto, this Cable Club consists of three rooms. The Cable Club Trade Center facilitates trading, the Cable Club Colosseum allows battling, and the Cable Club Time Capsule provides a way to trade Pokémon with the Generation I games. Because there were no female protagonists prior to Kris's introduction in Pokémon Crystal, a player who has chosen Kris is temporarily swapped into the male player sprite before linking with a Generation I game or with Pokémon Gold and Silver; however, this is still the case for two Pokémon Crystal games linked with each other, despite tue sprite data for the female choice being present.

Two players can enter the Cable Club with a Game Boy or Game Boy Color Game Link Cable.

PokéCom Center

Main article: Pokémon Communication Center

Exclusively in the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal, the Pokémon Communication Center, or PokéCom Center, replaces the regular Pokémon Center in Goldenrod City, and takes use of the Pokémon Mobile System GB. It is in essence a prototype for the Global Terminal, justifying the placement of one in the city on Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.

For Mobile Tips!
POKéCOM CENTER

Generation III

A Pokémon Center in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.

A Pokémon Center in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

Pokémon Centers in the Generation III games keep the two-floor setup, similar to the regular Pokémon Centers in the Generation II games. The only difference is that the stairs to the second floor are larger and more noticeable, taking the shape of an escalator.

In Orre, there are only three official Pokémon Centers. They are located in Phenac City, Agate Village, and Gateon Port. The Agate Village and Gateon Port Centers do not have facilities for linking with the Generation III Game Boy Advance games and all have unique appearances, however. Self-service healing machines, identical to ones staffed by a nurse in a Pokémon Center, appear scattered throughout Orre, generally next to a PC.

Ruby and Sapphire

"Rejuvenate your tired partners!"
POKéMON CENTER

FireRed and LeafGreen

Heal Your POKéMON!
POKéMON CENTER

Emerald

"Rejuvenate your tired partners!"
POKéMON CENTER

Cable Club

Similar to the Cable Club of the Generation II games, Pokémon Centers in Generation III Kanto and Hoenn have a Cable Club Colosseum and a Cable Club Trade Center. Now four players can link with a Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable to battle in a Double Battle. A new feature was added to the Cable Club called the Cable Club Record Corner, which allows two to four Trainers to mix records. Mixed Trainer data shows up on television shows on TVs found all across Hoenn. Secret bases are also copied over in the process.

Wireless Club

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and Pokémon Emerald, the second floor of Pokémon Centers house a Wireless Club. The Wireless Club meets in the Union Room, where up to 40 Trainers may (in groups of five) talk and battle, as well as trade via a trading board. The Cable Club's room has the standard Trade Center and Colosseum (as well as the Record Corner in Emerald).

Generation IV

A Pokémon Center in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.

A Pokémon Center in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.

In the Generation IV games, Pokémon Centers introduce a basement floor, which takes use of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Opposite the ground floor's escalator, another escalator downstairs to the basement appears. While the second floor retains the same features from the Generation III games, supporting up to four players using the native wireless connection of the Nintendo DS, the basement floor is where players can link up with others around the world using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The ground floor, as always, is where a player can heal their Pokémon and use a PC. As of Pokémon Platinum, players can also challenge other Trainers inside specific Pokémon Centers also in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver in Olivine City.

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Pokémon Center's design receives a major overhaul. The second floor became a mezzanine, located above and directly behind the main desk, and two staircases were added on each side of the desk for access to it. The PC was moved to the corner of the desk. All functions remain the same. The player's walking Pokémon will return to its Poké Ball while being healed. If the first Pokémon in the player's party fainted prior to healing, it will return to being the walking Pokémon as soon as it has been revived.

Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum ONLY

Heal Your Pokémon!
Pokémon Center

Wireless Club

Both Sinnoh and Generation IV Johto feature a wireless club just like Hoenn and Generation III Kanto, where players in a Union Room can battle, trade, mix records and, in Pokémon Platinum and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, spin Eggs. However, the Pokémon Centers in these regions also have a basement, where the Wi-Fi Club is located, allowing players to connect to each other if they are registered on each other's Pal Pad. Here they can battle and trade, and they can talk to each other through the built-in microphone of the Nintendo DS, instead of using the easy chat system as in the Generation III games; however, the easy chat system is also supported.

Wi-Fi Plaza

The Wi-Fi Plaza is an enhancement to the Wi-Fi Club in Pokémon Platinum and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver and is located on the basement floor. Players from around the world can enter a plaza to make Poffins and play minigames together via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The player can walk around the plaza and communicate with other players there. A leap in multiplayer gameplay is introduced, allowing up to twenty players to enter the Wi-Fi Plaza at a time. The player may only spend a certain amount of time at the Wi-Fi Plaza each day.

Generation V

A Pokémon Center in Pokémon Black and White

In the Generation V games, the Poké Mart has been merged with the Pokémon Center. This is similar to how the Pokémon League lobbies of previous generations contain both a Poké Mart and a Pokémon Center. The PCs in this generation have a help function, which describes a wide variety of game-related topics.

As with Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the second floor is a mezzanine above and directly behind the main desk. All multiplayer features found on the second floor of Pokémon Centers in the Generation IV games, including the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection features present in the basements, can be found here by talking to the attendant to the left and on the center, respectively. The attendant to the right allows players to access the Global Trade Station (GTS), as well as all the features from the Global Terminal expansion of it, such as playback of recorded videos. The Global Battle Union (GBU) can also be accessed here, allowing players to battle random players via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The Geonet can also be found on the second floor, allowing players to register their real-world location, as in the Generation IV games. All Pokémon Centers except the one in the Pokémon League have a second floor.

Generation VI

In Generation VI, the wireless and online features previously accessible in Pokémon Centers are now handled by the Player Search System. As a result, the Centers are much smaller, as there is no need for additional floors anymore. The Pokémon Centers now consist of the traditional counter to heal the player's Pokémon, and two small rooms to the sides. The room located on the right of the counter houses the Poké Mart again, which is accessed by talking to an attendant. In certain towns, a second attendant who sells TMs, special types of Poké Balls, or other items is also present. The room to the left of the counter is a dressing room that allows the player to change their clothes and register their favorite outfits.

Layout

Exterior

• 

  RG

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  JpB

• 

  RB

• 

  JpY

• 

  Y

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  JpGS (Kanto – GB)

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  GS (Kanto – GB)

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  JpGSC (Kanto – GBC)

• 

  GSC (Kanto – GBC)

• 

  JpGS (Cherrygrove – GB)

• 

  GS (Cherrygrove – GB)

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  JpGS (Violet, Ecruteak – GB)

• 

  GS (Violet, Ecruteak – GB)

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  JpGS (Azalea, Mahogany, Blackthorn – GB)

• 

  GS (Azalea, Mahogany, Blackthorn – GB)

• 

  JpGS (Goldenrod – GB)

• 

  GS (Goldenrod – GB)

• 

  JpGS (Olivine, Cianwood – GB)

• 

  GS (Olivine, Cianwood – GB)

• 

  JpGSC (Cherrygrove – GBC)

• 

  GSC (Cherrygrove – GBC)

• 

  JpGSC (Violet – GBC)

• 

  GSC (Violet – GBC)

• 

  JpGSC (Azalea – GBC)

• 

  GSC (Azalea – GBC)

• 

  JpGS (Goldenrod – GBC)

• 

  GSC (Goldenrod – GBC)

• 

  JpC (Pokémon Communication Center)

• 

  JpGSC (Ecruteak – GBC)

• 

  GSC (Ecruteak – GBC)

• 

  JpGSC (Olivine – GBC)

• 

  GSC (Olivine – GBC)

• 

  JpGSC (Cianwood – GBC)

• 

  GSC (Cianwood – GBC)

• 

  JpGSC (Mahogany – GBC)

• 

  GSC (Mahogany – GBC)

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  JpGSC (Blackthorn – GBC)

• 

  GSC (Blackthorn – GBC)

• 

  RSE

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  FRLG

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  DPPt

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  HGSS

• 

  HGSS (Violet, Ecruteak)

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  BW B2W2

• 

  B2W2 (Victory Road)

In the anime

A Pokémon Center as it appears in the anime.

Pokémon Centers in the anime are headed by a Nurse Joy. The healing process takes place in real time, unlike in the games, so Ash and his friends often have to wait until their Pokémon are fully healed. All Pokémon Centers are connected and, in times of crisis, all Pokémon can be transferred from one to another, as seen in Pokémon Emergency!. Pokémon Centers are considered an important service, as shown in Celebi and Joy where, in the past, the town residents built a Pokémon Center as a community project.

Pokémon Centers are designed for Trainers so they can rest between activities. Trainers use Pokémon Centers as gathering places, so they can share information about Pokémon. They also have access to video phones, PCs with trading functions and most offer free food and lodging. As a Pokémon journey can take a long time, Pokémon Centers can be used as mailing destinations. A Trainer can arrange for their loved ones to send them packages, typically to the next Pokémon Center they're traveling to. Inside a typical Pokémon Center, one can find a front desk, a lobby (sometimes with vending machines), a Poké Ball room, an Emergency Room with plenty of beds for injured Pokémon, a recovery room, a waiting room, rooms for lodging, and a cafeteria. A lobby may also have a large widescreen TV or several smaller TVs so Trainers can watch typically Pokémon-oriented shows, such as Sinnoh Now, Pokémon Contest broadcasts, and major competitions like the Pokémon Leagues of each region and the Grand Festival. A typical sleeping room has a desk and chair and two sets of bunk beds to maximize space, and girls do not have to sleep in separate rooms from boys. At least one Pokémon Center was shown in Uncrushing Defeat! to have a small library with a PC (presumably connected to some network akin to the Internet), as an information room. It is unknown how these activities performed by a Pokémon Center are financed. On the outside, they come in all shapes and sizes, but usually have a rather large P somewhere.

As shown in The Ghost of Maiden's Peak, Pokémon Centers have a curfew for their residing trainers. At 11:00 PM a metal screen is lowered down in front of the Pokémon Center's doorway, preventing trainers from entering or leaving the Pokémon Center after curfew.

In the TCG

The following is a list of cards named Pokémon Center.

Pokémon Center 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	#
Pokémon Center	T	Base Set		85/102	Expansion Pack
					Nivi City Gym
					Yamabuki City Gym
		Base Set 2		114/130
		Wizards Black Star Promos		40
Pokémon Center	St	Next Destinies		90/99	Hail Blizzard		051/052
					BW-P Promotional cards		190/BW-P

Trivia

• For Dawn of a New Era!, Professor Oak's lecture is about Pokémon Centers. He writes this Pokémon senryū about it: ジョーイさん　あいたくなったら　ポケモンセンター "When I want to meet Nurse Joy, Pokémon Center."
• For Saving Darmanitan From the Bell!, Professor Oak's Live Caster is also about Pokémon Centers. He writes this Pokémon senryū about it: ジョーイさん　ポケモンセンター　やすみなし "Nurse Joy, Pokémon Center, without a break."
• The Pokémon Center's game background music has remained essentially the same throughout the franchise. It is notably different at nighttime in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. A remix has also been used in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• In the Generation IV games, if the "walk through walls" cheat is used to go past the desk, and the cash register-like object is interacted with, the dialogue will be the same one used when interacting with the shelves in a Poké Mart.
• In the Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, a healing machine can be obtained in the Underground to be placed in the Secret Base. However, it cannot heal Pokémon.
• In the original design document for Capsule Monsters, Trainers restored their monsters health by staying at inns and hotels, which provided healing devices in rooms.

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 小精靈中心 Síujīnglīng Jūngsām Mandarin 神奇寶貝中心 / 神奇宝贝中心 Shénqí-bǎobèi Zhōngxīn* 宝可梦中心 Bǎokěmèng Zhōngxīn* Danish Pokémon-center Finnish Pokémon-sentteri* Pokémon-keskus* French Centre Pokémon German Pokémon-Center Indonesian Pusat Pokémon Italian Centro Pokémon Korean 포켓몬센터 Pokémon Center Polish Centrum Pokémon Portuguese Centro Pokémon Romanian Centru Pokémon Spanish Centro Pokémon

References

This article is part of Project Locations, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world.