Trade

Trading Confirmation Screen In Diamond and Pearl

A trade is a process in which a Pokémon trainer sends one of his or her Pokémon to another trainer in exchange for one of the other trainer's Pokémon.

A trainer can trade with any person, him or herself or with trainers in the games. All a trainer needs to trade is two compatible game cartridges, two of the system it is on (Game Boys/Game Boy Colors for Generations I and II, Game Boy Advances for Generation III and DSes for Generation IV), a link cable for connecting the two systems (or a GBA Wireless Adaptor for trades between FireRed, LeafGreen and Emerald) and at least one Pokémon. In Generation IV, Pokémon can also be traded via the Global Trade Station in Jubilife City.

Trading is important to getting all the Pokémon in the Pokédex, since there are some Pokémon that are not available in each version and some Pokémon that only evolve after being traded.

Trading also gives Pokémon an advantage in growth. A traded Pokémon gains boosted experience after a Pokémon battle, which allows a traded Pokémon to level up faster. Pokémon traded from outside of one's own country will gain even more experience.

Pokémon which evolve when traded

Many of these Pokémon also require an item to be held by them at the time of trading for their evolution to take place.

• Poliwhirl → Politoed (if King's Rock is held)
• Kadabra → Alakazam
• Machoke → Machamp
• Graveler → Golem
• Slowpoke → Slowking (if King's Rock is held)
• Haunter → Gengar
• Onix → Steelix (if Metal Coat is held)
• Rhydon → Rhyperior (if Protector is held)
• Seadra → Kingdra (if Dragon Scale is held)
• Scyther → Scizor (if Metal Coat is held)
• Electabuzz → Electivire (if Electirizer is held)
• Magmar → Magmortar (if Magmarizer is held)
• Porygon → Porygon2 (if Up-Grade is held)
• Porygon2 → Porygon-Z (if Dubious Disc is held)
• Dusclops → Dusknoir (if Reaper Cloth is held)
• Clamperl → Huntail (if DeepSeaTooth is held)
• Clamperl → Gorebyss (if DeepSeaScale is held)

See also

List of in-game trades

Trades in other canon

In the anime

Despite it being one of the key aspects of the games, trading is unusually rare in the anime. Only a few trades have taken place, and only two of them thus far have been truly significant. Fans have often speculated about the reason for this.

• In Battle Aboard the St. Anne, Ash traded his Butterfree for a Gentleman's Raticate. He wasn't happy with the trade, however, so he traded it back by the end of the episode.
• In Tricks of the Trade, Jessie unintentionally traded her Lickitung for Benny's Wobbuffet.
• In Here's Lookin' at You, Elekid, James is forced by Jessie to trade his Victreebel for the Magikarp Salesman's Weepinbell (which later evolved into another Victreebel, and would end up being kicked away by Jessie anyway).
• In Throwing the Track Switch, Ash traded his Aipom for Dawn's Buizel.