Trade

This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. Reason: More Generation V, VII, and VIII info

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A trade in progress in the anime

A trade (Japanese: 交換 exchange), also known as a Link Trade (Japanese: 通信交換 Link Exchange), is a process in which a Pokémon Trainer sends one of their Pokémon to another Trainer in exchange for one of the other Trainer's Pokémon. In every Pokémon game, trading is necessary to collect all Pokémon.

Starting from Generation II, items can be held by Pokémon, allowing indirect trading of holdable items. However, in Generation IV, the Griseous Orb cannot be traded, as it will automatically be put back in the Bag when a player with Origin Forme Giratina in their party enters the Union Room or Wi-Fi Room. Certain items, when held by the correct Pokémon, will cause that Pokémon to evolve when traded to another player. Mail may also be held to send a message.

Until Black 2 and White 2, all trading animations in the core series games used the standard Poké Ball, regardless of the types of Balls the traded Pokémon were actually caught in. This is corrected in Black 2 and White 2, in which trade animations show the correct Poké Ball the Pokémon was caught in.

Benefits of trading

Trading a Togedemaru for a Pikipek in Sun and Moon

Trading is necessary in order to collect every Pokémon in the Pokédex, as some Pokémon can only be found in certain versions. For example, because Meowth cannot be found in Red, the player must trade with someone who has obtained one from Blue, in which Meowth is readily found in the wild. Some Pokémon only evolve after being traded.

Traded Pokémon gain 1.5× the normal experience after a Pokémon battle. Pokémon traded from a game in another language will gain 1.7× experience.

Trading may also be used to transfer limited and rare items in games from Generation II onward, such as Master Balls or Soul Dews, from one game to another by giving a Pokémon an item.

In Generation VI, Trainers receive Poké Miles for every trade made with another player. In Generation VII, Trainers may receive Festival Coins instead.

Drawbacks of trading

A Pokémon with an original Trainer different from its current Trainer is referred to as an outsider Pokémon, and will only obey a Trainer with the sufficient number of Gym Badges or Stamps. The friendship of a Pokémon is set to its base friendship when it is traded from one game to another, unless returned to its original Trainer. In addition, a traded Pokémon's nickname cannot be changed by anyone but the original Trainer, even if it hasn't been given a nickname (however, in Gen VIII, outsider Pokémon without nicknames can be nicknamed).

Traded Pokémon are identified by the Pokémon's Original Trainer name and a five- or six-digit ID Number. Starting in Generation III, even if two games have the same name and ID number, each Trainer also has a secret ID number. The odds of two Trainers having the same secret ID numbers is 1/65536 or approximately 0.002%, making it extremely unlikely that an outsider Pokémon will be treated as a regular Pokémon on a different cartridge.

While beneficial in their own right, trade-induced evolutions cannot be cancelled manually, requiring Pokémon that evolve when traded without a specific held item to hold an Everstone in order to stay in their current form. In Generation IV onwards, however, the Everstone fails to prevent a traded Kadabra from evolving into Alakazam.

Limitations on trading

Trading between game generations

Pokémon can be traded between Generation I and Generation II games using the Time Capsule feature. For compatibility purposes, the Pokémon to be traded from the Generation II game must be a species that existed in Generation I and cannot have any moves introduced in Generation II. The Time Capsule exploit can be used to trick the game into trading Generation II Pokémon back to Generation I as well, but they will become glitch Pokémon like MissingNo.. Additionally, the trade evolution learnset oversight can also be used to trade a Pokémon with a Generation II move back to a Generation I game, though it will become a glitch move. This is the only instance in the series in which Pokémon can be sent back to games from a previous generation.

It is not possible to trade between Generation II and Generation III games.

Starting in Generation IV, Pokémon from previous generations can be transferred to newer generations through a variety of methods, though none of them involve trading.

International trading

Trading between Japanese and non-Japanese games is not recommended in Generations I and II, mostly due to the different memory locations within the RAM. While possible, these trades will result in the corruption of both save files, forcing both players to restart their games from the beginning. To prevent this from happening in the Virtual Console releases of the Generation I and II games, Japanese and non-Japanese games do not detect each other. Trading between games released outside of Japan, such as between a Spanish Pokémon Crystal and a French Pokémon Yellow, does not result in any corruption, and as such is allowed in the Virtual Console releases.

These games do not track a Pokémon's language of origin, and Pokémon with foreign species names are treated as if they were nicknamed. Which means that in an English Generation I or II game, a foreign Pichu named "PICHU" will evolve into a Pikachu nicknamed "PIKACHU", but a foreign Charmander named "SALAMECHE" will retain the name "SALAMECHE" after evolving into a Charmeleon as if it were a nickname. If a traded Pokémon from Generation I or II is sent to the Pokémon Bank via the Poké Transporter, its language of origin is determined based on the game from which the Pokémon is transferred, not the game from which it originally came.

Trading became possible between all versions of the games in Generation III, where the English language text was programmed in even the Japanese games. Due to the relatively low chance of English and other language games coming into contact with Japanese games, however, precautions were not taken in the Japanese games to preserve a Pokémon or Trainer's name when traded in, as their maximum lengths are different. While games released outside Japan will display a Pokémon's OT and nickname fully, Japanese games will only display the first five letters.

In Generation III (except in v1.0 of English Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire), if a Pokémon originates from a different language to the current game, when it evolves its name will not be changed, with the old name treated as a nickname; thus, if a Pichu named "PICHU" from an Italian game is evolved in an English game, when it evolves it will be a Pikachu nicknamed "PICHU". In v1.0 of English Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, like in generation I and II games, if a Pokémon's current name is the same as its species name, it will be treated as unnicknamed regardless of game of origin, so its species name will change upon evolution.

Starting in Generation IV, if a Pokémon that is not nicknamed evolves, its name will be changed to the name of its species after evolution in its current game's language (regardless of its language of origin). In these games, there is a separate flag to indicate whether a Pokémon is nicknamed.

International trading became full-fledged in Generation IV, and was a much touted feature, with the linkage of the games to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Pokémon from foreign-language games would unlock international Pokédex entries if traded to a game of a different language; at first, only 14 Pokémon could do this, however, from Platinum onward, all Pokémon can potentially allow for foreign entries. Some special event Pokémon (e.g. Spiky-eared Pichu) cannot be traded.

In Generation IV, Korean games cannot trade with non-Korean games due to only the Korean games including Hangul. Starting in Generation V, all games were made to be fully compatible with Korean games.

In Generation VIII, foreign traded Pokémon that evolve in a game in a different language will change their name with evolution to keep their language of origin. For example, a French Bulbasaur without a nickname that evolves in an English-language game will evolve into an Ivysaur named "Herbizarre" rather than changing its name from "Bulbizarre" to "Ivysaur" as would have been the case in Generations IV through VII.

Hardware requirements

Trading requires two game consoles and two Pokémon games of compatible generations. Nintendo's intention is that players trade with friends, although some serious players purchase multiple consoles.

Prior to FireRed and LeafGreen, trading required a Game Link Cable. FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald can trade using a GBA Wireless Adapter or a Game Link Cable. From Generation IV onwards, trading uses wireless communication and does not require additional hardware. Although the Nintendo DS supports Generation III games, it cannot be used to trade between those games as the DS lacks hardware support for the Game Link Cable. Also, Transfer Packs can be used to trade in Generation I and in Generation II, via Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2.

The Pal Park feature of Generation IV games uses the GBA slot of the Nintendo DS, so unlike other trading requires only one game console. However, it is not compatible with the Nintendo DSi, DSi XL, or 3DS, which do not have a GBA slot.

Pokémon HOME allows users to trade Pokémon directly between different save files, even on different accounts. This is because it is possible to take Pokémon from any save file on the console into any HOME box, and then into another save file, this makes it another way to trade that requires only one system.

Pokémon that cannot be traded

Mid-generation additions

Starting with Generation IV, mid-generation releases started including new moves, items, forms, or even species of Pokémon. Since, prior to Generation VIII, they were impossible to trade to games that predate them, additional limitations have been put in place for them specifically. With the exception of the Spiky-eared Pichu-related limitation, all of them have been lifted in their respective following Generations:

• In Generation IV or V, new forms or items cannot be traded at all, even between games that support them. They include:
  • Introduced in Pokémon Platinum:
    • New Rotom and Shaymin forms, the Pokémon automatically revert to their normal forms before they can be traded.
    • The Origin Forme Giratina must regain its Altered Forme by unequipping the Griseous Orb before it can be traded.
  • Introduced in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver:
    • The Spiky-eared Pichu. Since it cannot change forms, it cannot be traded at all.
  • Introduced in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2:
    • The Forces of Nature cannot be traded while in their Therian forms.
    • Resolute Form Keldeo must revert to its Ordinary Form by forgetting Secret Sword before it can be traded.
• In Generation VI and VII, Pokémon with new moves, as well as new forms, items, and species can be freely traded between games that support them, but cannot be sent back to those that predate them:
  • Introduced in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, cannot be traded to Pokémon X and Y:
    • Pokémon holding new Mega Stones or Colored orbs.
    • The Cosplay Pikachu.
    • While it can be traded to Pokémon X and Y, Unbound Hoopa will automatically revert to its Confined form.
  • Introduced in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, cannot be traded to Pokémon Sun and Moon:
    • New species introduced in the games: Poipole, Naganadel, Stakataka, Blacephalon, and Zeraora.
    • Partner Cap Pikachu, Rockruff with Own Tempo (which the game considers to be a new form) and Dusk Form Lycanroc.

Starting with Pokémon Sword and Shield, the games can receive support for new moves, items, forms, and species via updates, removing the need for such limitations, as long as the games are kept up-to-date.

Other cases

Pokémon with certain Gift Ribbons (such as the Classic Ribbon) cannot be traded over the GTS or through Wonder Trade.

Due to being tied to their respective Key Items and requiring special handling by the game, fused Pokémon cannot be traded. These are Black and White Kyurem, Dawn Wings and Dusk Mane Necrozma and Ice Rider and Shadow Rider Calyrex.

Due to being tied to a significant number of game mechanics in their respective games, Partner Pokémon from Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! cannot be traded.

Requirements for trading

Generation I

The player cannot trade Pokémon before getting a Pokédex from Professor Oak at Pallet Town.

Generation II

The player cannot trade Pokémon before transporting the Mystery Egg to Professor Elm. The Time Capsule cannot be used until the player has met Bill at Ecruteak City's Pokémon Center, and waiting until the next day when setup is completed.

Generation III

In order for the player to be able to trade from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald to Pokémon Colosseum or Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness; they need at least two Pokémon in their party. To be able to trade from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen to Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, the player needs to help Celio upgrade the Pokémon Network Center to Link Level 2.

Ruby and Sapphire

The player cannot trade Pokémon before getting a Pokédex from Professor Birch at Littleroot Town. To trade, the player must have at least two Pokémon in the party. Trading with FireRed, LeafGreen, or Emerald will automatically activate the National Pokédex.

FireRed and LeafGreen

The player cannot trade Pokémon before getting a Pokédex from Professor Oak at Pallet Town. The player must have at least two Pokémon in the party in order to trade.

In a departure from the main series' tradition, additional limitations on trades were put in place, which cannot be lifted before completing the game at least once:

• At the beginning of the game, trades are only possible with other copies of FireRed and LeafGreen. In addition, trades involving Eggs or Pokémon not in the Kanto Pokédex are blocked. Pokémon that evolve into a Generation II Pokémon by trading will stop evolving.
• Obtaining the National Pokédex unblocks trades for Pokémon and Eggs outside of the Regional Pokédex.
• Bringing the Ruby and Sapphire Key Items to complete Celio's Network Machine allows trades with Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald versions.

Pokémon Emerald Version

The player cannot trade Pokémon before getting a Pokédex from Professor Birch at Littleroot Town. To trade, the player must have at least two Pokémon in the party.

Restrictions similar to those in FireRed and LeafGreen also apply to this version:

• At the beginning of the game, trades are only possible with other copies of Emerald, as well as Ruby and Sapphire. In addition to that, trades that involve Eggs or Pokémon that aren't in the Hoenn Pokédex are blocked.
• Obtaining the National Pokédex unblocks trades for Pokémon outside of the Regional Pokédex, as well as Eggs, and allows trading with FireRed and LeafGreen.

Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

The player cannot trade Pokémon with the GBA games in Colosseum until Evice has been defeated, while the player must have defeated Greevil in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness to trade. Trading any unpurified Shadow Pokémon is completely prohibited, as data for Shadow moves doesn't exist in the GBA games, nor the ability to purify them.

It is not possible to directly trade between Colosseum and XD.

Generation IV

A trade in Generation IV

Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum

The player cannot trade Pokémon before getting a Pokédex from Professor Rowan at Sandgem Town. Also, the player has to have at least two Pokémon in the party. Migrating Pokémon from the Generation III games through Pal Park cannot be done until the National Pokédex has been obtained. It is possible to obtain a non-regional Pokémon when trading Pokémon from another Generation IV game without having acquired the National Pokédex. In Platinum, the player is now able to press B to select the "CANCEL" button.

My Pokémon Ranch

Hayley will only offer to trade with the player after they have completed a wanted request, and will only trade specific Pokémon and only if she has already brought one of them to the Ranch.

HeartGold and SoulSilver

Similar to Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, trading cannot occur until the player has obtained their Pokédex from Professor Oak at Mr. Pokémon's house. The player must have at least two Pokémon in the party; but no additional prerequisite is needed to trade with the Sinnoh games: this can be done at the very beginning of the game. Migrating Pokémon from Generation III games through Pal Park is also possible later in the game if the player has a Nintendo DS or DS Lite.

Generation V

Black and White

The player cannot trade Pokémon until they have obtained the Trio Badge from the Striaton Gym and completed the C-Gear sub-quest for Fennel. This prevents the player from trading for a Pokémon that knows Cut in order to access the blocked-off section of Dreamyard early, as HM usage is not restricted by Badge ownership in Unova.

The player is also prevented from trading party Pokémon that know any HM move via Infrared Connection, most likely to prevent trading away a Pokémon whose HM move is needed in a certain area. An example of this would be trading away any Pokémon in the party who know Fly or Surf while on a patch of land surrounded by water.

The Poké Transfer feature allows Pokémon to be migrated from any Generation IV game. Pokémon can be migrated up to six at a time using a catapult minigame sent to another DS using Download Play. This minigame can transfer Pokémon from an inserted Generation IV Pokémon cartridge. Migrating with the Poké Transfer is one-way, requires both games to be from the same language, and cannot migrate Eggs or Pokémon holding items. There is no daily limit to use of the Poké Transfer.

The Relocator allows the transfer of Celebi and the Shiny Legendary beasts from a Generation IV game. It is available earlier in the game than the Poké Transfer, which requires the player to have acquired the National Pokédex and entered the Hall of Fame.

Black 2 and White 2

Similar to Black and White, the player cannot trade Pokémon until they have received the Basic Badge from the Aspertia Gym and have received the C-Gear from Bianca. There is no prerequisite to trade with Black and White. The Poké Transfer is also available after obtaining the National Pokédex, allowing Pokémon from Generation IV to be transferred to Black 2 and White 2.

Generation VI

X and Y

The player may trade Pokémon as soon as they have at least two Pokémon in their party, which is the minimum requirement for conducting a trade.

Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire

The player must wait until they have obtained the PlayNav from Wally after helping him catch a Pokémon. The player must have two Pokémon in their party to trade.

Generation VII

Sun and Moon and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

The player must wait to trade Pokémon until they gain the Quick Link option in their menu upon their first visit to a Pokémon Center, which will allow them to trade with someone nearby. In order to trade over the Internet (GTS, Wonder Trade, or Link Trade), the player must use Festival Plaza, which is unlocked at the same time. The player may require at least two Pokémon in their party.

Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!

The game's multiplayer features, including trades, are unlocked by delivering Professor Oak his Parcel and receiving Razz Berries from him. Trading requires having at least two Pokémon in the party and/or the Pokémon Box, Partner Pokémon and walking Pokémon do not count and cannot be traded.

Generation VIII

The game's multiplayer features, including Y-Comm, are unlocked once the player obtains a Dynamax Band from Professor Magnolia on Route 2.

Trading process

Generations I-IV

The actual trading interface remained largely the same throughout the series's first four generations: Each player selects one Pokémon from their party to offer for trade; once decided, they can review the stats (and, when applicable, Ability or item) of the other Pokémon before confirming or cancelling the trade. The player may perform multiple trades in a row.

It is not possible to trade Pokémon stored in the PC in these generations, so they must be placed in the party prior to speaking with the receptionist at a Pokémon Center.

Generation IV's Global Trade System utilized a separate trading process, in which players deposited one Pokémon at a time (requesting another Pokémon in exchange) and other players searched and traded for them at their leisure. Once traded, the original player received the Pokémon upon logging in to the GTS. If the Pokémon was not traded, the original player was able to cancel the offer by withdrawing their Pokémon from the GTS. Due to the Wi-Fi shutdown, this feature is no longer officially supported as of May 20, 2014.

Generation V

The trading process received an overhaul in Generation V: now called a Negotiation Trade (Japanese: ネゴシエーション交換 Negotiation Exchange), it allows players to offer and trade Pokémon from either their current party or directly from their PC's storage system.

During the trade, each player may select up to three Pokémon to offer the other player. Once decided, they may review the offered Pokémon (checking stats, Ability, etc.) and confirm one to be traded. Players may trade several Pokémon in a row if desired.

Players registered on each other's Pal Pad can communicate with live voice chat during the trade. A set of four emoticons (Smile Mark, Saddened Mark, Heart Mark, Surprise Mark) also allows for limited communication between players. In addition to showing the Pokémon on offer, the top screen also includes an abstract glimpse of the other player's Pokémon collection in the form of PC boxes with individual Pokémon represented by their Pokédex color.

The GTS, in addition to the deposit/search-based system introduced in Generation IV, receives a second trading mode ("GTS Negotiations") allowing two players to connect and trade Pokémon using this system. Like Generation IV, Generation V's GTS was shut down in 2014.

Generation VI

Trading functions (including the GTS) are no longer a service of Pokémon Centers, but are instead accessible at any time through the Player Search System on the 3DS's lower screen.

The trading process has been streamlined since Generation V, with each player showing only one Pokémon at a time (instead of three) before being prompted to make an offer. Chat emoticons have been removed, but voice chat is still available when the player trades with someone on their 3DS's Friends List.

The GTS has also been updated, now allowing the player to enter the species name of any Pokémon using a "What Pokémon?" option in the Pokémon selection list. This allows players to trade for Pokémon that they have not seen in the game.

A third trading method, called Wonder Trade, is introduced this generation: When performing a Wonder Trade, the player selects one Pokémon from their collection and it is immediately traded with another player using Wonder Trade, with no further confirmation or any communication between players; what Pokémon the player receives in exchange for theirs is a complete surprise.

Generation VII

The PSS has been replaced and split between the Quick Link and Festival Plaza options in the menu. Quick Link allows for players to locally trade Pokémon, while the Festival Plaza allows for trading through the Internet. The GTS and Wonder Trade are usable while in the Festival Plaza.

The GTS is similar to its Generation VI counterpart, though filtering has been adjusted and searching for a Pokémon by letter will now show that Pokémon's icon next to its name.

Pokémon that evolve when traded

Most of the Pokémon that evolve when traded can only do so while holding a specific Evolution item.

Previous evolution		Trade evolution			Later evolution
Abra  Psychic	Level 16+ →	Kadabra  Psychic	Trade →	Alakazam  Psychic	Alakazam does not evolve
Machop  Fighting	Level 28+ →	Machoke  Fighting	Trade →	Machamp  Fighting	Machamp does not evolve
Geodude  Rock  Ground	Level 25+ →	Graveler  Rock  Ground	Trade →	Golem  Rock  Ground	Golem does not evolve
Geodude Alolan Form  Rock  Electric	Level 25+ →	Graveler Alolan Form  Rock  Electric	Trade →	Golem Alolan Form  Rock  Electric	Golem does not evolve
Gastly  Ghost  Poison	Level 25+ →	Haunter  Ghost  Poison	Trade →	Gengar  Ghost  Poison	Gengar does not evolve
Poliwag  Water	Level 25+ →	Poliwhirl  Water	+ Trade (holding King's Rock) →	Politoed  Water	Politoed does not evolve
Slowpoke is the lowest in its line		Slowpoke  Water  Psychic	+ Trade (holding King's Rock) →	Slowking  Water  Psychic	Slowking does not evolve
Onix is the lowest in its line		Onix  Rock  Ground	+ Trade (holding Metal Coat) →	Steelix  Steel  Ground	Steelix does not evolve
Scyther is the lowest in its line		Scyther  Bug  Flying	+ Trade (holding Metal Coat) →	Scizor  Bug  Steel	Scizor does not evolve
Horsea  Water	Level 32+ →	Seadra  Water	+ Trade (holding Dragon Scale) →	Kingdra  Water  Dragon	Kingdra does not evolve
Porygon is the lowest in its line		Porygon  Normal	+ Trade (holding Upgrade) →	Porygon2  Normal	+ Trade (holding Dubious Disc) →	Porygon-Z  Normal
Clamperl is the lowest in its line		Clamperl  Water	+ Trade (holding Deep Sea Tooth) →	Huntail  Water	Huntail does not evolve
			+ Trade (holding Deep Sea Scale) →	Gorebyss  Water	Gorebyss does not evolve
Feebas is the lowest in its line		Feebas  Water	+ Trade (holding Prism Scale) → (since Generation V)	Milotic  Water	Milotic does not evolve
Rhyhorn  Ground  Rock	Level 42+ →	Rhydon  Ground  Rock	+ Trade (holding Protector) →	Rhyperior  Ground  Rock	Rhyperior does not evolve
Elekid  Electric	Level 30+ →	Electabuzz  Electric	+ Trade (holding Electirizer) →	Electivire  Electric	Electivire does not evolve
Magby  Fire	Level 30+ →	Magmar  Fire	+ Trade (holding Magmarizer) →	Magmortar  Fire	Magmortar does not evolve
Porygon  Normal	+ Trade (holding Upgrade) →	Porygon2  Normal	+ Trade (holding Dubious Disc) →	Porygon-Z  Normal	Porygon-Z does not evolve
Duskull  Ghost	Level 37+ →	Dusclops  Ghost	+ Trade (holding Reaper Cloth) →	Dusknoir  Ghost	Dusknoir does not evolve
Roggenrola  Rock	Level 25+ →	Boldore  Rock	Trade →	Gigalith  Rock	Gigalith does not evolve
Timburr  Fighting	Level 25+ →	Gurdurr  Fighting	Trade →	Conkeldurr  Fighting	Conkeldurr does not evolve
Karrablast is the lowest in its line		Karrablast  Bug	+ Trade (traded for Shelmet) →	Escavalier  Bug  Steel	Escavalier does not evolve
Shelmet is the lowest in its line		Shelmet  Bug	+ Trade (traded for Karrablast) →	Accelgor  Bug	Accelgor does not evolve
Spritzee is the lowest in its line		Spritzee  Fairy	+ Trade (holding Sachet) →	Aromatisse  Fairy	Aromatisse does not evolve
Swirlix is the lowest in its line		Swirlix  Fairy	+ Trade (holding Whipped Dream) →	Slurpuff  Fairy	Slurpuff does not evolve
Phantump is the lowest in its line		Phantump  Ghost  Grass	Trade →	Trevenant  Ghost  Grass	Trevenant does not evolve
Pumpkaboo is the lowest in its line		Pumpkaboo  Ghost  Grass	Trade →	Gourgeist  Ghost  Grass	Gourgeist does not evolve

In other games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, items can be traded through a link cable^R/wireless communication from the main menu.

Pokémon GO

Main article: Trade (GO)

In Pokémon GO, players are able to trade with registered Friends. Trading Pokémon yields Candy for the traded Pokémon, but also require a certain amount of Stardust for each trade.

In the anime

A trade machine in the anime

Despite it being one of the key aspects of the games, trading is exceptionally rare in the anime. Only a few trades have been shown taking place, and only seven of them thus far have been significant. Many of them take place in episodes featuring the Magikarp salesman. Rather than simply exchanging Pokémon, most trades are carried out by placing Poké Balls into a specialized trading machine, with a monitor that displays silhouettes of the two Pokémon as they pass each other.

The trade machine used in the anime has seemingly been adapted into the game canon, with Professor Oak's Laboratory in both Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2 having this type of machine for trades. In the same way, when Game Link Cables were finally able to accept the data of two Pokémon being sent at once (rather than one at a time as in Generations I and II), the Pokémon are shown passing each other in the link space.

List of trades in the anime

First Trainer's Pokémon		Second Trainer's Pokémon		Episode traded	Notes
	Ash's Butterfree		A Gentleman's Raticate	Battle Aboard the St. Anne	Traded back the same episode.
	Jessie's Lickitung		Benny's Wobbuffet	Tricks of the Trade
	James's Victreebel		The Magikarp salesman's Weepinbell	Here's Lookin' at You, Elekid	Both released the same episode.
	Ash's Aipom		Dawn's Buizel	Throwing the Track Switch
	Bianca's Shelmet		Professor Juniper's Karrablast	Evolution Exchange Excitement!	Evolved into Accelgor and Escavalier respectively.
	Jessie's Pumpkaboo		Count Pumpka's Mawile	A Festival Trade! A Festival Farewell?	Pumpkaboo evolves into Gourgeist. The trade is reversed the same episode.
	A Gentleman's Farfetch'd		A girl's Spearow	Trade, Borrow, and Steal!
	Goh's second Pinsir		Kricketina Kylie's Heracross

In the manga

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Trades in other mangas

A trade made using Pokédexes in Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Adventures

Like the anime, Pokémon Adventures does not contain many trades despite being a major part of the games. Most are not shown to need a machine to complete them. Simply hand-exchanging Pokémon can count as a trade, though it is also possible to trade by placing Pokédexes opposite each other.

List of trades in Pokémon Adventures

First Trainer's Pokémon		Second Trainer's Pokémon		Round traded	Notes
	Red's Poli, Saur, and Pika		Blue's Charmeleon, Scyther, Golduck Machoke, Pidgeot, and Porygon	A Tale of Ninetales	Accident. Returned in the same round. Machoke evolves into Machamp from the trade.
	Red's Krabby		Misty's Gyarados	You Know... Articuno!
	Gold's Polibo (Holding King's Rock)		Silver's Seadra (Holding Dragon Scale)	Ampharos Amore	Traded via Pokédex. Evolved into Politoed and Kingdra, respectively. Returned in the following round.
	Red's Gyara		Blue's Charizard	Rock, Paper...Scizor	Returned in The Last Battle XIV.
	Red's Saur		Blue's Charizard	Give It Your Best, Blastoise	Returned in Phew for Mew.
	Blue's Rhydon (Holding Protector)		Silver (traded Pokémon unknown)	Prior to Raising the Stakes with Rhyperior	Traded via Pokédex. Rhydon evolved into Rhyperior. Returned prior to Pinsir Glares.
	Blake's Shelmet		Whitley's Karrablast	Abyssal Ruins	Traded via Pokédex. Evolved into Accelgor and Escavalier respectively.

In the TCG

The following is a list of cards relating to trades.

Related cards 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 Trader	T	Base Set		77/102	Expansion Pack
		Base Set 2		106/130
		Legendary Collection		103/110
Trade Please!	T				Unnumbered Promotional cards
Deck Exchange	T				Expansion Sheet 3
Bill's PC	T				Expansion Sheet 3

Trivia

• Satoshi Tajiri created Pokémon around the core concept of trading.
• Porygon is the only Pokémon to evolve twice via trading. Both evolutions require a held item, namely the Upgrade and Dubious Disc.
  • In addition, Porygon2 is the only Pokémon to have evolved from trading that can evolve further.
• The Clamperl family is the only branched evolution in which both evolutions are achieved by trading.

In other languages

Trade Language Title Chinese Cantonese 交換 Gāauwuhn Mandarin 交換 / 交换 Jiāohuàn Finnish Vaihto French Échange German Tausch Hindi सौदा Sauda Italian Scambio Korean 교환 Gyohwan Norwegian Bytte Polish Wymiana Brazilian Portuguese Troca* Transmissão* Spanish Intercambio Swedish Byte Vietnamese Trao đổi

Link Trade Language Title Chinese Cantonese 通訊交換 Tūngseun Gāauwuhn Mandarin 通訊交換 / 通讯交换 Tōngxùn Jiāohuàn 連線交換 Liánxiàn Jiāohuàn * French Échange Link German Linktausch Italian Scambio in link Korean 통신교환 Tongsin Gyohwan Spanish Intercambio en conexión

Negotiation Trade Language Title French Échange par négociations German Verhandlungstausch Italian Trattativa Korean 네고시에이션 교환 Negotiation Gyohwan Spanish Intercambio por negociación

See also

• Transfer
• Trade machine
• In-game trade
• Global Trade System
• Episodes in which a main character trades away a Pokémon