Permanently missable Pokémon Main article: Permanently missable Pokémon However, some games still may need to be restarted at least once to acquire all starters or other mutually exclusive Pokémon. Several pairs of games have enough Pokémon to complete their regional Pokédex (such as Pokémon Red and Green, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, etc.), except for some event-exclusive Pokémon. The player may also choose one of these Pokémon as a gift given by Professor Oak in HeartGold, SoulSilver, by Professor Sycamore in X and Y, and by Grand Oak in Pokémon HOME.
They include many trios of starter Pokémon, some Fossil Pokémon and in some cases Legendary Pokémon.įor instance, the player is able to choose between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle as their starter in Pokémon Red, Blue, FireRed and LeafGreen. In some cases, there are multiple Pokémon potentially available in a single game, but the player must choose one of them or otherwise can't get them all in a single game. Mutually exclusive Pokémon Main article: Mutually exclusive Pokémon Game-exclusive Pokémon usually complement each other in design, type, and location in the wild. Therefore, a player with Sapphire would not be able to obtain Mawile in-game and could trade with a player of Ruby to obtain one, and vice versa. For example, between Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Mawile appears only in Ruby, while Sableye appears only in Sapphire. Some Pokémon that are only found in one or two games within a particular set, to encourage trading between players. Version-exclusive Pokémon Main article: Game-exclusive Pokémon Some Pokémon may not be available in a certain game, but may be traded from another game, or transferred from an earlier generation.
Other methods to obtain Pokémon also exist, including breeding, in-game trades, receiving them as gift Pokémon, and events. There are various methods of evolution, including by reaching a certain level, using an evolution stone, or when the Pokémon is traded. In all games, some Pokémon may be caught and others are available via evolution.