List of glitches in Generation III
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This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. Reason: How do battle-specific bugs work in Link Battles considering different language versions where the bugs are fixed? What about different games altogether (e.g.: RS-exclusive glitch in a Link Battle with FRLG)? |
This is a list of glitches that occur in the Generation III core series and spin-off Pokémon games.
Ruby and Sapphire
256× item selling price bug
When selling at least 256 of an item, even though the Poké Mart states the correct price, for every 256, because the number sold only takes the lower byte, the total price is actually counted as $0, and the player loses $2560 for every multiple of 256 (just like tossing them). For example, selling 999 Berries gives $2310 (0 for 768, +2310 for 231). This is normally only possible with Berries because they are the only items that the player can hold more than 99 of, although through cheating the bug can be performed with other items as well.
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Acro Bike instability
In the Japanese versions of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, if the player continuously performs bunny hops by holding the B button on tall grass for a long yet undetermined period of time, the game may freeze after a wild battle. If the freeze occurs in Mt. Pyre's summit, the clouds that are part of the map's weather remain animated.
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Other than freezes, the game may experience tile or graphics corruption as well as other random behavior.
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Berry glitch
- Main article: Berry glitch
This bug is exclusive to the earlier copies of the games as it was fixed in Japanese and European versions 1.1 and in English versions 1.2.
Dewford Gym statue error
The wall behind the statue to the right at the entrance of Dewford Gym behaves like a statue when approached and the A button is pressed ("DEWFORD POKéMON GYM, BRAWLY'S CERTIFIED TRAINERS:"). After Brawly is defeated, it will list the player as a certified Trainer.
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HP bar oversight
During a battle, if the player's Pokémon deals over 33 037 damage, the opposing Pokémon will faint without its HP bar being drained. If the damage dealt is exactly 33 037, the HP bar falls to 0 instantly without any delay.
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Landsurfing bug
In the Japanese versions of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, by using the Acro Bike to side-hop north or south onto a tile adjacent to a water tile and then pressing A at the exact right frame, the player can bring up the Surf dialogue box while facing a regular tile on land. Answering yes will cause the player to Surf onto that tile. The player can then Surf around on land. The game will still behave as if the player is walking normally otherwise.
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This bug can also be used to enter the Fortree Gym without the Devon Scope (the Gym is normally blocked off from the north by an invisible Kecleon), if it is performed on Route 119 and the player surfs north to Fortree City. While surfing in Fortree City, the player can jump off their Pokémon from the bridge south of Fortree Gym and access the Gym from there. In order to escape, a Pokémon with Teleport or Fly may be brought; however, the player must beat the Gym in order to use Fly. Presumably, the player can black out to escape from the Gym or the area surrounding it as well.
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Nightmare damage bug
If Nightmare is used on a sleeping Pokémon which is then awakened by Shed Skin, then the opposing Pokémon will still be harmed by Nightmare even though it is not asleep.
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Pay Day money error
The wrong amount of Pokémon Dollars received from Pay Day will be displayed if the Amulet Coin is held by a Pokémon, leaving the impression that it does not affect Pay Day. Yet, upon checking the Trainer Card, the player will discover that the amount was doubled accordingly.
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Roaming Pokémon encounter bug
Encountering and defeating Latios or Latias after losing a Trainer battle (without any other wild encounters in between) will cause the game to keep the data of the opponent's Pokémon List slots 2-6.[1] If these slots contain data that does not match a Bad Egg or a fainted Pokémon, it will be sent out after defeating Latias, as if it were a Trainer battle. The Trainer's name is shown as "PKMN TRAINER" (ポケモントレーナー) and their Pokémon can be caught and nicknamed.
The game considers this as a wild battle in roaming Pokémon mode.[1] As such, the Pokémon is able to flee if it's not trapped by Mean Look or Spider Web. The roaming Pokémon is considered defeated or caught after catching the Trainer's Pokémon or defeating them in battle. If the Pokémon flees or the player loses/decides to run away, the roaming Pokémon will not be recognized as defeated or caught and will keep roaming Hoenn even if it only has 0 HP left; under such circumstances, the bug will automatically load the Trainer's Pokémon and skip the roaming Pokémon.[1] Since the game behaves as if it were a wild Pokémon battle, it will not present the Trainer's sprite and/or their "victory" speech. Pokédex entry data is also added if the Pokémon is caught.[1]
Experience is gained from defeating the Trainer's Pokémon. If experience gains occur after defeating Latias, the game will keep playing Victory! (Wild Pokémon) while the Trainer sends out their Pokémon. The original IVs of the Trainer's Pokémon are retained so the Roaming Pokémon IV bug does not apply.[1]
The Trainer's Pokémon caught by the player may also become Bad Eggs, unless the Pokémon was obtained from a Trainer found in the Battle Tower. This is because the Pokémon of other Trainers do not have a Trainer ID number and Secret ID that match those of the player.[1]
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Sand Ornament collapse bug
In the Japanese versions of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, if the player places a Sand Ornament against the wall in a Secret Base and collapses it (with the A button), adds a one-tile or three-tile poster behind the ornament, then exits and returns to the Secret Base, the ornament will not appear to have crumbled and it will still have the poster behind it. Collapsing the Sand Ornament again will trigger a hole on its top area.
In international versions of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire as well as all versions of Pokémon Emerald, posters cannot be placed on a wall directly behind a Sand Ornament even if collapsed.
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Sootopolis rock wall oversight
In Sootopolis City, to the left of the staircase leading to the house of the old lady who talks about Mt. Pyre is a rock wall that the player can walk in. The player can only go one step in, however.
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Stuck audio freeze
In some copies of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, using Thunder or Thunderbolt may cause the game to freeze during the animation sequences of the moves. This can be remedied by turning off the battle effects in the options.
Toxic catch rate bug
If the wild Pokémon is badly poisoned, no status condition bonus is applied to the catch rate. This was fixed in FireRed and LeafGreen.
Trainer approach oversights
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This glitch is in need of research. Reason: Check all languages. You can discuss this on the talk page. |
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There are three NPCs who may move on top of an obstacle. This only occurs in the English versions as these Trainers have their visual range changed.
If the player stands in Route 118's Aroma Lady Rose, Route 121's Gentleman Walter, or Abandoned Ship's Tuber Charlie's line of sight while directly behind the ledge, fence, or wall, the Trainer will notice the player and walk over these obstacles and battle.
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Trick Mail bug
In the Japanese versions of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the move Trick can be used to switch Mail with the held item of the opposing Pokémon. This results in an item that has the Mail icon but acts like the item retrieved by Trick. If this bug is repeated six times, Mail can be given to the Pokémon without having to attach a message, and the player can just indefinitely withdraw the item from the Pokémon by giving it Mail then withdrawing it again. This can also corrupt tiles and their collision parameters based on the phrase of the buggy Mail when given to another Pokémon in the Pokémon List.
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Yellow Scarf bug
In Japanese Ruby/Sapphire, a Pokémon with at least 200 points in the Smartness condition will be able to receive both the Green Scarf and Yellow Scarf (normally for having at least 200 points in Toughness) even if the Pokémon's Tough condition isn't high enough. For a Pokémon with only 200 points in Smartness, speaking to the Slateport City Pokémon Fan Club Chairman once would give out the Green Scarf and speaking to him again would give out the Yellow Scarf.
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Emerald
Aqua Hideout Dive glitch
In the Japanese version of Pokémon Emerald, in the submarine room of Aqua Hideout there are water tiles that look like deep water on which the player can use Dive. While the player normally cannot use Dive on these tiles, they can if they save the game and resets while in this room. If they do use Dive, they will be warped to Petalburg City, walking out the door of the house next to the lake.
In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the player cannot access the Aqua or Magma Hideout after they gain the Mind Badge (which is required to use Dive outside of battle). In international versions of Emerald, the player cannot use Dive here even after saving and resetting.
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Battle Tower cloning glitch
- Main article: Cloning glitches#Generation III
Hidden Power disobedience glitch
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This glitch is in need of research. Reason: Does the move use the power and damage category of Hidden Power or the used move? Can Pokémon be immune to Stun Spore due to type effectiveness? You can discuss this on the talk page. |
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If the player commands a Pokémon to use Hidden Power, but it instead uses a different move due to disobedience, the used move uses the type of Hidden Power for that particular Pokémon rather than its usual type.
This glitch affects the type effectiveness of Thunder Wave and Glare; for example, if Thunder Wave becomes a Fighting-type move, Ground-type Pokémon can be affected by it but Ghost-type Pokémon cannot.
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Mirage Tower collision error
In Mirage Tower, there is no rock on the second floor near the ladder but the player cannot walk there.
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Mover Vigoroth cry oversight
In the Japanese version of Pokémon Emerald, although the mover Pokémon at the player's house in Littleroot Town during their early journey were changed from Machoke to Vigoroth by altering the sprites and text, the cry of Machoke was kept.
Pomeg glitch
- Main article: Pomeg glitch
Sootopolis Gym wall oversight
In Sootopolis Gym, the player can walk one step into the wall to the right-down of the stairs, causing them to stop working until they step back onto the floor.
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Trainer's School window tile quirks
When a Pokémon is present in slots 4-6 of Box 8 (or Box 7's slots 26-28 in Japanese Emerald) of the Pokémon Storage System, black pixels with a certain form are written on the sides of the windows of Rustboro City's Pokémon Trainer's School, based on the particular Pokémon.
Slot 4 controls a small portion of tiles near the top of the window, while slot 5 controls a large portion of tiles around the middle, with slot 6 controlling a small portion of tiles near the bottom.
When Pokémon fill all the affected the slots, curtain-like graphics typically appear, but one can manipulate this bug (i.e. by having slot 4 and slot 6 occupied but not slot 5) to make the pixels not resemble curtains as much.
Specifically, with memory-address location randomization disabled, the tiles depend on the data from addresses $0202DAE4-$0202DB43. Each byte can control 1-2 pairs of pixels for the left and east-most sides.
The bug occurs because data for tiles with IDs greater than 790 is overwritten with Pokémon data and the pixels on the window depend on the data of tiles 791-793.[2]
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Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
Dive glitch
- Main article: Dive glitch
Poké Mart clerk oversight
The Poké Mart clerk at Oldale Town normally gives the player a Potion, but if the player has a full Bag when this happens, the Potion won't be handed out. If the player enters Route 103 and then immediately returns to Oldale Town, the worker will be near the Poké Mart but will behave as if he was at the original position. Talking to the worker again will lead the player into a tree; however, the player can get out, because they are only one tile into the trees.
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Pokéblock throw bug
- Main article: Hoenn Safari Zone#Pokéblock throw bug
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Route 134 current interruption error
On Route 134, if the player surfs on the current near Swimmer Laurel or Swimmer Jack and is spotted by them, when the battle is over, the player will remain stationary, despite being in the middle of the current.
Route 134 current tile error
In the bottom-right corner of the island to the southeast of Route 134, there is a current that does not behave as a water tile. The player cannot Surf on it but can walk on it. Walking on it will simply push the player back onto the island to the left.
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Wally defeating Ralts oversight
In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, it is possible for the capture tutorial where Wally catches a Ralts to end with Ralts fainting. This can only happen if Zigzagoon is generated with 11 Attack, and the wild Ralts has a Nature that lowers Defense, an IV of 3 or less in HP, and 5 or less in Defense. With all this, Zigzagoon can do a maximum of 10 damage with its first Tackle, and after Growl is used on it, 7 with its second. This makes for a total of 17 damage, just enough to knock out Ralts. However, the game continues on as if it had been caught. The probability of this occurring is (182/800)*(4/25)*(4/32)*(6/32)*(5/16)*(7/16), about 1 in 8574 or about 0.01%.
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FireRed and LeafGreen
Nugget Bridge script oversight
If the player loses to the Team Rocket Grunt at the end of Nugget Bridge, the player has a chance to battle him again, unlike in the Generation I games. Each time he is rebattled, he will give the player a Nugget, so one can purposely lose to obtain Nuggets repeatedly. This is caused by an unset flag before the battle begins, making the script endlessly repeat itself.
This bug only works in the Japanese and English versions as it was fixed in the European localizations.
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Opening sequence oversight
In English versions 1.0, the word "PRESENTS" is not shown in the Game Freak logo part of the opening sequence despite the graphics data being present in the ROM. This was fixed in English versions 1.1.
Pokédex category oversight
In the English version 1.0 release, if a Pokémon category has two words, the Pokédex will mistakenly only display the first word. For example, while Beedrill's category is "Poison Bee Pokémon", it is listed in-game as "Poison Pokémon". Internal data lists categories as in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, so the game likely reads the space in the category name as a terminator. This was corrected in version 1.1 of the English versions, which is the one distributed in the Player's Choice release.
Music effects oversight
While the Poké Flute melody or Jigglypuff's song is playing, if the Help System screen is opened and closed, the music will be muted for a specified amount of time, counting from the moment the Help System was accessed. The whole time is calculated by the pattern:
a-b+c,
where:
- a — duration of the soundtrack as if it were played without accessing the Help system,
- b — time of the soundtrack before the Help System was accessed,
- c — time the Help System was accessed.
That's because the sounds in the game fall into four groups: BGM, BGS, ME and SE. Accessing the Help System stops all the sounds that fall into the ME group. This doesn't occur in any of the Japanese versions of the game, or if the button mode is set to L+A.
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Roaming Roar bug
If a roaming Pokémon uses Roar to flee from battle, it will no longer appear in the wild. This means that the player will not be able to catch it in that save file. This can be avoided if the roaming Pokémon is affected by Block, Mean Look, Spider Web or Taunt, or the player's active Pokémon has Suction Cups.
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Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, and LeafGreen
Roaming Pokémon IV bug
In the Generation III games, the data for a Pokémon's IVs are stored in a 32-bit integer. For roaming Pokémon, these IVs are stored in a unique place in memory and retrieved whenever the roaming Pokémon is encountered in the wild, so that its IVs remain constant between encounters. However, a glitch causes only the last 8 bits to be transferred from this place[3][4] instead of all 32. Due to this, while the HP IV is unaffected, the Pokémon can only have a maximum Attack IV of 7, and the other four IVs will always be 0. Their Hidden Power type will always be Fighting with a power of 30 or 31.
This glitch was fixed in Pokémon Emerald.
In all core series games
Evolution move-learning script bug
If the player presses both A and B buttons during the same frame on the "Delete a move to make room for {move}?" message screen after their Pokémon evolves, the "Stop learning {move}?" message screen is loaded as a full black screen, making it invisible. The game behaves normally otherwise but the graphics are only properly reloaded after the player presses the A button.
In the Western localizations of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the red focus rectangle can be seen on the black screen. This does not occur in the Japanese versions or in any release of Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald since a black focus arrow is used instead.
This behavior is not seen in non-evolution scenarios because the games use other procedures for the move-learning sequence.[5]
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Focus Punch recall bug
By selecting Focus Punch in a Double Battle on the first Pokémon, pressing the B button, then recalling the first Pokémon, the first Pokémon will tighten its focus in preparation for Focus Punch, then be recalled. This is due to the priority of Focus Punch getting prepared being higher than the priority for the recall.
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Sticky Hold graphics bug
When Thief or Covet are used to knock out a Pokémon holding an item that also has the Sticky Hold Ability, the sprite of the defeated Pokémon becomes stuck and gets translucent until another screen is loaded. Switching to the Bag screen or the Pokémon List will cause it to disappear.
On a battle against a full party, defeating the next Pokémon will cause that Pokémon's sprite to vanish normally, but the stuck sprite will remain. If the second Pokémon is defeated without leaving the battle screen, a third Pokémon will come out, but the second Pokémon's sprite will be flushed out normally. The stuck sprite of the first Pokémon will remain and get recolored to match. This is because the game stores color palettes separately to the sprites themselves.
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Status condition delayed cure glitch
If a Pokémon with a status condition that has an Ability that cures that status condition (e.g. a paralyzed Pokémon with Limber) is sent into battle as one of the lead Pokémon or to replace a fainted Pokémon, or gains that Ability due to Trace, it will not be cured of its status condition until after a Pokémon takes its turn (uses a move, switches out, etc.). However, it will be immediately cured of the status condition if it is switched in to replace a switched out Pokémon (including if switched in via Baton Pass).
Likewise, if a Pokémon with Trace is confused due to obtaining it from Baton Pass, if it gains Own Tempo via Trace it will not be cured of confusion until after a Pokémon takes its turn (uses a move, switches out, etc.).
Stuck audio bug
If Thunder or Thunderbolt are used during battle with the effects enabled, the sound of the moves may get stuck until the game is rebooted. This is related to the stuck audio freeze glitch.
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Vital Throw details error
The details on the description for the move Vital Throw show it as having 100% accuracy, despite the move hitting the opposing Pokémon regardless of accuracy and evasion.
Colosseum
Perish Song experience bugs
Involving status ailments
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This glitch is in need of research. Reason: Do volatile status ailments like confusion, Leech Seed, and Curse cause this too? You can discuss this on the talk page. |
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When the last opposing Pokémon is defeated by a burn or poison while the player's Pokémon are under the effect of Perish Song, the player's Pokémon will gain experience immediately after the Pokémon faints, then once again each time one of the player's Pokémon's perish count drops. This allows Pokémon to gain the experience for defeating the Pokémon up to three times.
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Involving weather
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This glitch is in need of research. Reason: Does Hail trigger this too? Is the Exp. Share required? Does the opposing Pokémon need to be immune to weather damage? What happens if both of the Player's Pokémon would hit zero? You can discuss this on the talk page. |
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If the last opposing Pokémon is defeated with Perish Song while Sandstorm is active, the opposing Pokémon that fainted was immune to Sandstorm, and at least one if the player's Pokémon is about to also reach zero, then the battle will continue on with the player's Pokémon also fainting. Those Pokémon that were out with that Pokémon and any Pokémon holding an Exp. Share will gain experience as if it was an opposing Pokémon before the battle concludes.
Poké Ball amount bug
By selecting a Poké Ball during the turn of the player's first Pokémon, changing the location of the selected Poké Ball with another Poké Ball type in the Bag with the Y button on the second Pokémon's turn, then throwing the Poké Ball, the Poké Ball pocket will still display the same amount of Poké Balls, as if the Poké Ball just thrown had not been used.
Sometimes, using a Master Ball will freeze the game and bring the "An error occurred" message the Nintendo GameCube gives when it fails to properly read a game.
Additionally, if the second Pokémon is using a multiple-turn move that was selected on a previous turn, the attack prevents the bug from working, which causes the thrown Snag Ball to be used.
This glitch was fixed in the sequel; Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness.
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Battle Item glitch
By using an ineffective item, such as a Potion on a Pokémon with full health, the player can use a battle item on that Pokémon instead of the Pokémon whose turn it is.
Shiny Shadow Pokémon bug
Like in the core series games, in Pokémon Colosseum there is a 1/8192 chance of a Shadow Pokémon being Shiny, but it will most likely lose its Shiny status when captured by the player; conversely, there is a 1/8192 chance that a Shadow Pokémon may spontaneously become Shiny when captured by the player.
This bug occurs because when the player captures a Shadow Pokémon, their Trainer ID number overwrites the original Trainer's ID number, unlike with traded Pokémon; because the Trainer ID number is a factor in Shiny calculation, this may cause the Pokémon to acquire (or lose) their Shiny status. This is similar to the oddity of a hatched Egg changing from normal to Shiny (or vice-versa) if it was traded to another player before hatching.
In Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, the game calculates a personality value for a Shadow Pokémon, checks it against the player's and opponent's ID numbers, and if either one would result in a Shiny Pokémon, it generates a new personality value for that Pokémon (repeating if necessary). As a direct result, Shadow Pokémon in XD can never be Shiny (though other Pokémon, such as those appearing in Poké Spots or Battle CDs, can be).
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Snag recall bug
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This glitch is in need of research. Reason: Is it fixed in XD? You can discuss this on the talk page. |
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If the player snags a Shadow Pokémon on the same turn that the AI opponent recalls its other Pokémon (e.g.: to avoid Yawn's effect), and the opponent only has two non-Shadow Pokémon left, they will not send out a Pokémon in the place of the snagged one.
Snagem Hideout office bug
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This glitch is in need of research. Reason: Exists in XD You can discuss this on the talk page. |
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In Pokémon Colosseum, the corner of the wall directly in front of the stairs in Gonzap's office within Snagem Hideout is buggy. While walking upwards into this corner of the wall, the player will hit the corner, continue to walk, and cause the screen to start to shake. This can be used to automatically purify all Shadow Pokémon in the player's party or the Day Care while the GameCube controller's Control Stick is held in the same direction.
XD
Shadow Voltorb Catch Bug
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This glitch is in need of research. Reason: Any known workarounds or fixes? You can discuss this on the talk page. |
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If the player fails to capture the Shadow Voltorb when defeating Miror B at the Cave Poké Spot, none of the Miror B rematches will ever provide another opportunity to capture the Shadow Voltorb again. This means the player will only ever be able to capture 81 of the 83 total Shadow Pokémon in the game, and will not be able to capture the Voltorb or Dragonite without completely restarting the game.
Colosseum and XD
Agate Village cliff bug
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This glitch is in need of research. Reason: XD variant details You can discuss this on the talk page. |
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In Pokémon Colosseum, the cliffs in Agate Village directly to the left and right of the hill at the entrance are buggy. While walking downwards on these small cliffs, there are two specific points where the player will hit the edge, continue to walk, and cause the screen to start to shake. This can be used to automatically purify all Shadow Pokémon in the player's party or the Day Care while the GameCube controller's Control Stick is held in the same direction.
This bug can also be done in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness under different conditions.
References
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This glitch Pokémon article is part of Project GlitchDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on glitches in the Pokémon games. |
