Pokémon Egg
A Pokémon egg (Japanese: タマゴ egg) is an object from which all Pokémon are known to hatch. An egg's shell will usually have a pattern that reflects the appearance of the Pokémon developing inside, though in the games this is not the case (likely to save space on the game media).
Pokémon eggs are produced by breeding two Pokémon of a compatible egg group and opposite gender together, and will contain by default the lowest species in the evolutionary line of the mother. According to a girl in Solaceon Town, where one of many Pokémon Daycares are located, no one has ever seen a Pokémon lay an egg, and so it is not confirmed that this is how they appear. No alternate explanation for their creation is offered, however, and most assume that the details are not gone into to keep the games rated as they are.
Some Pokémon, known as baby Pokémon, are often only found by hatching them from an egg created by their evolved forms. Unlike other species which cannot breed, baby Pokémon evolve into species which can do so. A majority of legendary Pokémon cannot breed in captivity, and thus cannot produce eggs of themselves, however, a notable exception is made with Manaphy and Phione, which both produce Phione eggs if bred with Ditto.
In the games
Pokémon eggs have appeared in all games where Pokémon breeding has been available, as a major plot point in their introduction in Generation II. They have also appeared in several side games.
Mechanics
Despite time being an introduced concept in Generation II, the amount of time left until a Pokémon hatches from its egg is instead determined by the amount of steps taken by the player when it is in the party.
The internal coding for an egg in the games is very similar to that of a Pokémon-- being that they are stored in the same places that a Pokémon is, this is to be expected. A Pokémon egg will be created knowing what species it will hatch into, with this species determining the value for the amount of steps left until the Pokémon hatches. The value is then stored in the same space that the happiness value, also introduced in Generation II, is stored for normal Pokémon. Unlike normal Pokémon, whose happiness gains a point for every 256 steps the player takes, an egg's "happiness" value, the egg cycle number, decreases for every 256 steps.
The amount of egg cycles that an egg has left determines what is displayed on its status screen: When an egg has more than 10 egg cycles remaining, it will display "Wonder what's inside? It needs more time, though.". When the egg's cycles have dipped below that, but are still above 5, it will display "It moves around inside sometimes. It must be close to hatching.". When the egg has less than 5 cycles remaining, it will display "It's making sounds inside! It's going to hatch soon!".
Generation II
Generation II introduced the system of egg creation and hatching that would continue, much unaltered, to the present. The first Pokémon egg obtainable by the player in the series was a key item given by Mr. Pokémon in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. The Mystery Egg is to be delivered to Professor Elm in New Bark Town; he will then study it and have one of his aides return it to the player in the Violet City Pokémon Center.
Elm's studies show that when a Pokémon egg is carried with a Trainer with a party of lively Pokémon, it will eventually hatch. This is easily proven, as some time after the egg is given, if it is kept in the party, it will hatch-- into a Togepi.
Once the player reaches the Daycare on Route 34 is where the game mechanics of breeding are truly introduced. Though unrevealed in the games (and only ever truly shown by Pokémon Stadium 2), Pokémon belong to either one or two of fifteen egg groups, and those which share an egg group and are of opposite gender are capable of breeding. Pokémon without gender can be bred with a Ditto, as can any other Pokémon. Pokémon in the No eggs Group will not breed with any Pokémon, and will thus not produce any eggs.
Pokémon that hatch from an egg will come out at level 5, having whatever moves their species can learn by that level, any TM or HM moves they are compatible with that were known by their father, and any egg moves their father passed down.
Eggs available
Aside from eggs made by the player's Pokémon, the following eggs can be obtained in Generation II:
- Togepi: From Mr. Pokémon, initially classed as a key item. Received from Professor Elm's aide in Violet City. ()
- Odd Egg: From the Day-Care Man, will hatch into a Pichu, Cleffa, Igglybuff, Tyrogue, Smoochum, Elekid, or Magby that knows Dizzy Punch. Available by trading in the Egg Ticket from the Day-Care Man at the PCC in Goldenrod City in the Japanese version. This egg has a 50% chance of being Template:Shiny2. (Crystal only)
Generation III
Generation III retained much of the system introduced in Generation II, with only one major change. If specific Pokémon are holding specific items, the baby Pokémon that hatch from their eggs will be different, new baby Pokémon introduced in this generation. These special incenses are specific to Marill and Wobbuffet's evolutionary line, and when held by them, will cause the baby to be an Azurill or Wynaut instead. Presumably this is to keep breeding consistent: as the items did not exist in earlier generations, they could never be held, always resulting in the evolved form hatching.
All other mechanics present in Generation II are present in Generation III, including the system for hatching the eggs. Egg groups now have more members, but the groups themselves number the same as in Generation II, and no Pokémon have changed groups.
In Pokémon Emerald, several more mechanics were added. A Pokémon's nature could be influenced through its mother holding an Everstone while in the Day-Care, while Pokémon with Magma Armor or Flame Body would quicken the hatching process if in the party with eggs.
Eggs available
Aside from eggs made by the player's Pokémon, the following eggs can be obtained in Generation III:
- Wynaut: From an old couple in Lavaridge Town. ()
- Togepi: From an old man in the Water Labyrinth. (Template:Gameabbrev)
Generation IV
Generation IV expanded on the mechanics found in Emerald, making them standard to the series, as well as added more baby Pokémon only obtainable through incense breeding. In addition to this, Pokémon eggs were altered to hatching at level 1, for better consistency with the games' early routes. This would have been possible in Generation III as well, but was not in Generation II due to a glitch in the programming that caused level 1 "Medium Slow" Pokémon to jump to level 100 instantly when leveled up.
A change in mechanics from Generation III causes the eggs to hatch slightly earlier, with the egg cycle number going down after 255, rather than 256, steps.
Eggs available
Aside from eggs made by the player's Pokémon, the following eggs can be obtained in Generation IV:
- Happiny: From a hiker Hearthome City. (Template:Gameabbrev)
- Riolu: From Riley on Iron Island. ()
- Togepi: From Cynthia in Eterna City. (Template:Gameabbrev)
- Manaphy: From Pokémon Ranger or Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. ()
- Togepi: From Mr. Pokémon, initially classed as a key item, the Mystery egg. Received from Professor Elm's aide in Violet City. (Template:Gameabbrev)
Side games
Pokémon Snap
The first eggs to appear in the games were, in actuality, slightly before Generation II, with eggs of the Kanto legendary birds appearing in Pokémon Snap. These eggs could be hatched by interaction with the player through various means:
- Articuno: This egg is in the Cave area. It is silver and has a crystalline form. It hatches with the aid of two dancing Jynx.
- Zapdos: This egg is in the Tunnel area. It is yellow with a jagged electric pattern on it. It hatches with the aid of a Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
- Moltres: This egg is in the Volcano area. It is white with a red flame design on it. It hatches when a Pester Ball or apple knocks it into the lava.
In the anime
The anime was where Pokémon eggs made their debut, with Ash's find of an egg in Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon predating Pokémon Snap by nearly a year. The egg was kept safe by Brock, but unlike later episodes, was not kept in its own case.
Later eggs have all been shown to be kept in a case, which includes a Poké Ball for the baby to be put into on hatching. Aside from Togepi's egg, as well, which hatched not unlike an egg in the real world, later eggs are shown to flash white before hatching, then to glow white and transform into the Pokémon they contain. In this manner, some fans say that the eggs "evolve" into the Pokémon.
Pokémon hatched from eggs
- Misty's Togepi
- This egg was white with blue and red triangular spots. It was found by Ash deep in Grandpa Canyon in Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon. It was taken care of by Brock and, for a short period, by Meowth. It hatched into a Togepi in Who Gets to Keep Togepi?. Since Misty was the first person it saw, the baby Pokémon thought she was its mother, and thus became hers.
- Ash's Phanpy
- This egg was light blue with no designs. It was given to Ash as a prize for winning a race in Extreme Pokémon!. He took care of it himself, and it hatched into a Phanpy in Hatching a Plan!.
- Ash's Larvitar
- This egg was jade green with no designs. It was given to Ash in Lapras of Luxury. It hatched into a Larvitar in Hatch Me If You Can!.
- Misty's Azurill
- This egg was never seen. It was the offspring of Tracey's Marill, and then Tracey gave it to Misty as mentioned in The Scheme Team!, when Azurill itself first appeared.
- May's Eevee
- This egg was brown with a cream-colored zigzag stripe around its middle. It was given to May by a day-care worker in May's Egg-Cellent Adventure. She took care of it herself, and it hatched into an Eevee in Time-Warp Heals All Wounds.
- Manaphy
- This egg was translucent blue with a red, yolk-like sphere and a ring of yellow dots inside of it. It was primary to the plot of Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea. During the movie, while everyone was trying to protect the egg, the center began to glow. When May caught it after being tossed into the air it began to hatch into a Manaphy.
- Brock's Happiny
- This egg was light pink with a white stripe around the center and a red top. It was won by Brock in a Cosplay Convention in All Dressed up with Somewhere to Go. He took care of it himself, and it hatched into a Happiny with the help of Nurse Joy in One Big Happiny Family!.
- Dawn's Cyndaquil
- Dawn's egg obtained in An Egg Scramble! hatched into a baby Cyndaquil later in the episode. The egg was mostly green, with a cream colored bottom and three red spots near the bottom.
Other Pokémon eggs in the anime
- Extreme Pokémon!: An entire breeding house full of Eggs appeared in this episode.
- A Mudkip Mission: This episode showed a home where baby Mudkip were bred, and even showed one hatching and spraying May in the face. These eggs were small and blue with orange spots.
- May's Egg-Cellent Adventure: An entire breeding house full of eggs appeared in this episode. Primarily, it featured an Egg of a Vulpix which was about to hatch, which was two shades of red with a design of curls separating the top from the bottom, reflecting the design of Vulpix's tails. Many other eggs appeared in the breeding house. Based on the design, some of the other eggs were identified as Cleffa, Igglybuff, Spinarak, Ledyba, Magby, Wooper, Makuhita, Pichu, Teddiursa, Sentret, Skitty, Chinchou, Smoochum, Aipom, Drowzee and Sandshrew. A few of the designs were more difficult to distinguish than others.
- The Psyduck Stops Here!: Psyduck eggs were seen in this episode and were the reason why the Psyduck were blocking the road. These eggs were yellow with patterns that looked like Psyduck feet.
Trivia
- Max is the only main protagonist of the anime to have not received at least one Pokémon egg.
- No Pokémon that was hatched from an egg in the anime has evolved twice, either because their evolutionary line prohibits it (Phanpy and Eevee), their evolutionary line went no further than one evolution at the time of their release (Togepi), or simply because, as of this point, the Pokémon who can go on to evolve twice have not even undergone one evolutionary event yet (Larvitar, Azurill, Happiny, Cyndaquil).
- Aside from Manaphy, which is legendary, no anime Pokémon that has been hatched from an egg is a Pokémon that is unable to evolve.
- In the anime, each egg owned by a main character and shown onscreen has been stolen from the rightful owner prior to its hatching. The usual perpetrator is Team Rocket, but there have been others.
- Misty's Togepi egg was stolen by Team Rocket, though it wasn't hers at the time.
- Ash's Phanpy egg was also stolen by Team Rocket.
- Ash's Larvitar egg was stolen by three poachers prior to Ash obtaining it.
- May's Eevee egg was first taken by accident by a disoriented Elekid. It was then found by Team Rocket and they planned to not return it to May. However, James willingly gives it to her in exchange for his Mime Jr. which she had found.
- Manaphy's egg was taken by The Phantom, then stolen (rescued) by Jack Walker. Then Team Rocket takes it from him briefly before Phantom attempts to get it back.
- Brock's Happiny egg was stolen by Team Rocket. However, this was before it was given to him personally.
- Dawn's Cyndaquil egg was taken by Team Rocket and hatched when she got it back.
- All anime Pokémon that hatched from eggs are in some way related to a Generation II Pokémon except for Manaphy: Togepi, Phanpy, Larvitar, and Cyndaquil were released in Generation II, Azurill and Happiny are baby forms of an evolutionary line whose final member was introduced in Generation II, and two of Eevee's current seven evolutions were introduced in Generation II.
- In the episode Address Unown, it was revealed that Pokémon are able to see the world outside of their eggs.
- Pokémon have been seen interacting from inside their eggs: Manaphy had used Heart Swap on Team Rocket before it even hatched (it was also implied that it was the one who gave May the dream involving the Sea Temple).
- Through a glitch in Pokémon Emerald, eggs can actually battle in-game.
