PC

If you were looking for the character controlled by the player, see player character.

If you were looking for the building in-game, see Pokémon Center.

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

If you were looking for the expansion of the TCG, see Primal Clash (TCG).

Red using a PC

A PC (Japanese: パソコン personal computer) is a technology used in all of the core series Pokémon games. They are found in every Pokémon Center, as well as in any main character's bedroom, in all Secret Bases in the form of a laptop, and sometimes in other buildings as well. Their primary purpose is for storing Pokémon and items.

In the games

This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Trainer PR Videos and Photo Spot photos needed

In the core series

Pokémon Storage System

The main interface of Bill's PC in HeartGold and SoulSilver

Main article: Pokémon Storage System

Every Pokémon Trainer is allowed to access a Pokémon Storage System set up by either Bill in Johto and Kanto, Lanette in Hoenn, Bebe in Sinnoh, Amanita in Unova, Cassius in Kalos, or Molayne in Alola.

Until the player meets the regional PC developer, the Pokémon Storage System option will appear as "Someone's PC", while afterwards, it will appear as the developer's PC ("Bill's PC" and so on). The player can withdraw or deposit Pokémon in a number of Boxes, allowing them to own more Pokémon than just the six permitted in their party. When a Pokémon is caught but the player's party is full, the Pokémon will be sent directly to the last Box that was accessed on the PC; from Generation III onward, if this Box is full, the Pokémon will be placed in the next free Box; in Generations I and II, the Pokémon cannot be caught in the first place.

In Generation VII, the player has the option to switch out a Pokémon from the party and send to the PC when a new Pokémon is obtained.

Pokédex evaluation

In almost all Pokémon games, the player can use a PC to have the Pokémon Professor of that game check the progress of the player's Pokédex. In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, the professor that checks the progress of the Pokédex changes from Professor Rowan to Professor Oak upon obtaining the National Pokédex. However, in HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Pokégear serves this purpose instead. In Pokémon Sun and Moon, the Rotom Pokédex evaluates itself.

Item Storage System

In Generations I, II, and III, due to the more limited space of the Bag when compared to Generation IV onwards, the player can use their own PC for accessing the Item Storage System (Japanese: どうぐのあずかりシステム tool storage system). The system is much simpler than the Pokémon Storage System as it does not have multiple Boxes for organizing items. Also, unlike the Pokémon Storage System, when an item is found but the Bag is full in the core series games, it will not automatically be sent to this part of the PC, and instead it cannot be picked up; this also does occur in Pokémon Colosseum and XD.

Mail that is taken from a Pokémon will also be stored in the PC in the mailbox, preserving the message.

The amount of items that can be deposited is limited though. In Generations I, II, and III, a player is only able to store 50 types of items in the PC.

In Generations I and III, the player starts the game with a Potion in their PC.

In Generation IV, the Item Storage System is no longer necessary since the Bag has nearly unlimited space for all items. Instead, the player's PC manages only Mail, Seals, and photos^HGSS.

In Generation V, with the omission of Seals and photos from the games, the PC's only function is to store Mail.

In Generation VI, with the removal of Mail, the item storage system is removed from the PC.

Hall of Fame

Main article: Hall of Fame

This function only becomes accessible after defeating the Elite Four. It shows up to 25 records of past victories over the Elite Four. This feature was removed in Pokémon Sun and Moon.

Decorations

In bedrooms and Secret Bases, the PC allows the player to manage decorations in that room.

Saving

In Pokémon Colosseum, PCs also function as save points. This feature was removed in Pokémon XD, which retains the "save anywhere" feature of the core series games.

Networking

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, it is shown that PCs require special systems to connect between two distant locations, as shown when Celio and Bill had to work together on the Network Machine to allow PCs in the Sevii Islands to be able to connect to mainland Kanto's computer network, and later to be able to connect with Lanette in Hoenn, unlocking the ability to trade Pokémon with Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, as well as Colosseum and XD in Orre.

Glitches

There are several glitches associated with PCs in the Pokémon games.

In the Generation I games, there is an invisible PC in the hotel in Celadon City, which appears very similar to a Pokémon Center. The invisible PC is located where the PC would be in a Pokémon Center.
In the Generation I games, seeing certain glitch Pokémon such as MissingNo. will corrupt the player's Hall of Fame records.
Many cloning glitches are related to the PC.

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Trading Card Game series

The computer is available in various places, including the Mason Laboratory, the Pokémon Dome and all Clubs in Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR!.

In Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR!, the Minicom is a related device, accessible from the menu.

TCG	GB2	English	Japanese	Notes
✔	✔	Card album	カードアルバム	A list of booster packs and their respective cards owned by the player.
	✔	Deck diagnosis	デッキしんだん	Advice by Dr. Mason and the number of cards of each type in a deck.
✔		Read mail	メエルをよむ	In the first game, a list of mail received by Dr. Mason.
✔	✔	Glossary	A glossary explaining various terms about the Trading Card Game.
✔	✔	Print	プリントアウト	Use the Game Boy Printer to print decks and cards.
✔	✔	Shut down	スイッチをきる	Close the PC.

Card album

The card album displays a list of the available booster packs. If the player does not have a certain card, it is not shown. If the player does not have any cards from a booster pack, the booster pack itself is not shown.

Each booster pack screen contains a list of cards owned by the player, the number of cards owned and the maximum number of cards available. For instance, if the player has 45 cards from Evolution (whose maximum number is 50 cards), the number displayed would be "45/50".

However, the Phantom Cards only count if the player has them; otherwise they are ignored.

In Pokémon Trading Card Game, the maximum number initially displayed for Promotional Card is 18 cards. If the player has both Phantom Cards, then the game shows the true maximum value of 20 cards. Likewise, if the player has only one Phantom Card, the maximum value appears as 19 cards.
In Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR!, the maximum number initially displayed for Promotion Card is 45 cards. If the player has all four Phantom Cards, then the game shows the true maximum value of 49 cards. Likewise, the maximum value appears between 45 and 49 depending on the number of Phantom Cards owned by the player.

Read mail

In the first game, contains e-mails received from Dr. Mason. It is accesible from the PC.

In the second game, it is unavailable on the PC and replaced by the "See mailbox" option in the Minicom.

Print

The "print" option in both games allows the player to use the Game Boy Printer to print out copies of a single card, a list depicting one of their custom deck configurations, and a list of every card they own in the game. There is a "Print quality" configuration that may be set from 1 (light) to 5 (dark).

Deck diagnosis

The deck diagnosis displays a list of various advice given by Dr. Mason. The player may use the "deck check" (Japanese: デッキチェック) option to see the number of cards of each type in a deck: Energy cards, Basic Pokémon cards, Stage 1 Pokémon cards, Stage 2 Pokémon cards, and Trainer cards.

There is no official English name for "deck diagnosis" or "deck check"; these terms are fan translations from the Japanese game.

In the anime

A PC in the original series

In the anime, the PC is not frequently used by Trainers as it is by players in the games, since most characters are shown to leave their Pokémon with a person they trust rather than using the Pokémon Storage System. Ash, for instance, tends to keep his Pokémon at Professor Oak's Laboratory, and May has left some of her Pokémon under the care of her mother, Caroline, at the Petalburg Gym.

PCs available for Trainers to use during the Lily of the Valley Conference

PCs are sometimes used for communication rather than by calling on a videophone. For example, in Beauty and the Breeder, Brock is shown using an email account on the PC to keep in contact with Suzie; in Charizard's Burning Ambitions, Brock asks Liza for her email address; and in Hi Ho Silver Wind, May mentions to her mother that she keeps in touch with her friends by e-mail, in addition to phone calls and letters.

In The Ultimate Test, the people taking the Pokémon League Admissions Exam had to answer true-or-false questions on a computer as a way to test their knowledge on Pokémon. In The Ties That Bind, Ash was shown using a PC to look up Gary's profile. In Rhapsody in Drew, James used his laptop to look up information on Robert and his Pokémon.

PCs were used more often in the Diamond & Pearl series. In A Stand-Up Sit-Down!, Zoey used her laptop to access the official Pokémon Contest website and show Dawn a video of a Double Performance delivered by Top Coordinator Marina. In Uncrushing Defeat!, Ash used the PC of a library inside the Lake Acuity Pokémon Center to search information on the Legendary Pokémon Uxie.

PCs were also used by Paul in Casting a Paul on Barry! to get information on Barry's Pokémon and vice-versa. It was also used by Ash in the same episode to look up info on Conway and Conway then used it to study Tobias. In addition, Nurse Joy and many officials for the Pokémon League are often shown using PCs.

In the anime, the PCs appear to run operating systems that are visually similar to Mac OS.

In the TCG

Computer Search

Main article: Computer Search (Base Set 71)

Computer Search, a card that features a PC, was introduced as a Trainer card in the Pokémon Trading Card Game during the English Original Series (the Japanese Original Era) in the Base Set expansion, and was later reprinted in English in the Base Set 2 expansion. The card was later reprinted as an Ace Spec Item card during the English Black & White Series (the Japanese BW Era) in the Boundaries Crossed expansion.

It also appeared in the video game Pokémon Trading Card Game as part of the Colosseum expansion, and the video game Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR! as part of the Island of Fossil expansion.

It allows the player to discard two cards in order to add any one card from their deck to their hand.

Gallery

This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Missing images of PCs from Colo, XD, SM,, TCG 1 and TCG 2