Baby forms of Pokemon are hard to find around, but luckily trainers can still get them with patience and planning. Getting two Pokemon to spawn may seem like a puzzle, but in reality this game feature follows logical rules. Remember that Pokemon can only be played starting from the second generation of games, i.e. all versions except Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow and Green.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Understanding if Two Pokemon Can Reproduce
Step 1. Check the gender and information of the Pokemon
It may seem obvious to you, but to get an egg you need to pair a male and a female Pokemon. You can check the gender of a monster by selecting "Pokemon" from the game menu, then pressing the "A" button after moving the cursor to the Pokemon you are interested in. This will open a page that contains a lot of information about the monster, including gender and stats. Notions relevant to mating include:
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Sex:
the Pokemon you get will always be of the same species as the mother. Only monsters of the opposite sex can mate.
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Nature:
this feature affects the Pokemon's stats. One stat (speed, attack, etc.) will be red and grow faster, while another will be blue and grow slowly. Some of these traits are passed down to the son.
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Summary:
in this short paragraph you will find clues about the qualities that the newborn Pokemon will have. Each sentence corresponds to a hidden statistic of the child, known as Individual Value or "IV". The two parents pass on to their child 3 of their 12 total statistics.
Step 2. Pokemon of the same species can always mate
Pokemon with the same name are considered to be of the same species. For example, two Bulbasaur can always breed with each other. There are some exceptions to this rule: Baby Pokemon and Legendary Pokemon cannot have eggs. Below you will find other exceptions:
- All "baby" Pokemon.
- Nidorina and Nidoqueen.
- Pikachu Cosplay.
- Unown.
Step 3. Learn about the different egg groups
To mate, two Pokemon don't necessarily have to belong to the same species. There are some categories formed by similar Pokemon able to reproduce with each other, as long as they are of different sexes. These are complex groups, which often overlap and allow trainers to breed their Pokemon in many different ways. You can find the complete list of egg groups [www.serebii.net/pokemon_advance/egg-group.shtml here.]
- When you mate two Pokemon of different species, the child will always belong to the mother's species.
- Pokemon are divided into categories mainly according to their appearance: there is a "plants" group, a "flying" group that contains birds and a "humanoid" group to which all the Pokemon that walk on two legs belong.
- To be compatible, two Pokemon must belong to at least the same group.
Step 4. Be aware that Ditto can breed with almost any Pokemon
You can use the genderless, shape-shifting monster, Ditto, to get eggs from any Pokemon, regardless of its egg group, as long as it doesn't fall within the exceptions mentioned above, such as legendaries.
- Pokemon that have no gender, such as Magnemite or Golett, can only mate with Ditto.
- The egg produced by this mating will always contain a Pokemon of the species other than Ditto, be it the father or the mother.
- Using a Ditto is a great strategy for getting offspring from male Pokemon.
Part 2 of 3: Getting an Egg
Step 1. Reach the Pension
This is where you can drop your Pokemon to automatically level up. If you entrust two compatible Pokemon to the elderly couple, they will also have the privacy necessary to mate. Find the Boardinghouse in your version of the game and talk to the old lord to initiate the mating.
- In Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald, it is to the left of Ciclamipoli.
- In FireRed / LeafGreen it is found on Route 5.
- In Diamond / Pearl / Platinum, it is located in Phlemminia.
- In HeartGold / SoulSilver it is close to the Goldenrod City entrance.
- In Black / White it is found in Route 3.
- In X / Y it's in Route 7.
- In Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire it is found in the same spot as that of the Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald versions, but there is a second one in the Battle Resort.
Step 2. Leave two compatible Pokemon in the Pension
They will need to be male and female (or a Ditto and a Pokemon of any sex) and belong to the same group to be able to reproduce. After leaving the two Pokemon in the Guesthouse, talk to the staff to leave the building.
Step 3. Learn to evaluate the odds of getting an egg
Putting two compatible Pokemon in the Board does not guarantee you will get an egg. According to the Pokemon's Original Trainer (AO) (who caught or spawned it) and considering whether monsters belong to the same species, the percentage they produce an egg varies. The highest probability (70%) is obtained by leaving two Pokemon of the same species with different AOs in the Daycare.
- Pokemon from different trainers have a higher chance of producing an egg.
- Pokemon of the same species have a higher chance of producing an egg.
- You can attach the Ovamulet to one of the two Pokemon to increase the chances of getting an egg.
Step 4. Talk to the Pension staff to find out how high the percentage of the two Pokemon is to mate
Speaking with the owner after leaving your monsters in the care of the Pension, you will have the opportunity to evaluate your hopes of obtaining an egg:
- "The two seem to get along very well!" indicates high probability of eggs, around 70%.
- "The two seem to get along!" indicates a percentage of 50%.
- "The two don't seem to like each other!" suggests a rather low percentage, around 20%.
- "The two prefer to play with each other rather than each other!" it means you will never get an egg.
- In Generation II games (Gold / Silver / Crystal) you have to talk directly to Pokemon. "They love each other" (high probability), "They are friendly" (possible) or "They show interest" (unlikely). Any other sentence indicates that they will not mate.
Step 5. Go for a walk while mating
Pokemon need time to reproduce. In all versions after Generation II, the game randomly decides whether to spawn an egg after you've taken 256 steps, based on the percentages mentioned above. If you don't get the egg on the first try, you can keep walking for other possibilities. The best strategy is to walk back and forth in front of the Board, so you can check often if you have a new baby Pokemon to add to your team.
- You can use the bicycle to make the steps in less time.
- If one of the Pokemon on your team knows the Flame Body or Magma Shield abilities, the time it takes for the egg to hatch will be halved.
- In Generation II games, with each step there is a chance (usually less than 2%) that you will get an egg.
Step 6. Enter the Boardinghouse to check if you have obtained an egg
To accept the newcomer, you need an empty space on your team, so don't bring 6 Pokemon with you. The owner will change his attitude if he has an egg to deliver to you:
- In Gold / Silver / Crystal, it will appear in the front yard.
- In Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald, it will be released outdoors, near the enclosure.
- In Diamond / Pearl / Platinum, it will face the street.
- In HeartGold and SoulSilver, he will face right or left (not down) and call the player with the Pokegear.
- In Black / White it will call you.
- In X / Y it will face the street.
- In Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire he will turn around.
Step 7. Wait for the egg to hatch
Eggs take between 2,000 and 10,000 steps to hatch, so continue your adventures and wait for the moment to hatch. To check which stage of maturation the egg is at, open your team menu and check the egg information:
- The first stage is "What will be born? It will take some time".
- The second stage is "Every now and then it moves. It will hatch soon."
- The third stage is "Noises are heard. It is about to hatch!".
- Upon reaching the fourth stage, the egg will hatch. As you walk, a text box will appear that says "Oh!" and the egg will hatch into an evolution-like screen.
Part 3 of 3: Get the Best Eggs
Step 1. Be aware that some Pokemon need to hold incense to produce their baby version eggs
Some monsters give birth to second-stage evolutions of the mother's species if one of the parents does not have a specific incense with them:
- Snorlax must have Aroma Swell to give birth to a Munchlax.
- Wobbuffet must hold Distraroma to get Wynaut.
- Roselia and Roserade must have Rosaroma to have a Budew egg.
- Marill and Azumarill must hold Marearoma to give birth to Azurill.
- Chimecho must have Puraroma to give birth to Chingling.
- Mr. Mime must have Bizzoaroma to give birth to Mime Jr.
- Chansey and Blissey must have Fortunaroma to get Happiny.
- Mantine must hold Ondaroma to give birth to Mantyke.
Step 2. Consider that the child will automatically learn the moves that both parents know
This only happens if the Pokemon would still learn this move thanks to the level up. For example, if you mate a male and female Aggron who know Ferrocoda, their child will already know Ferrocoda at birth. This is a great strategy for passing on moves to newborn Pokemon, in order to make them stronger from the very first levels.
Step 3. Pass TM from father to son
A TM is an item that teaches a Pokemon a move, but can only be used once. However, if a paired Pokemon were able to use a TM, it would learn the move automatically at birth from its father. For example, you may have taught Pit to your male Charmeleon and no longer have TM Pit. If you pair Charmeleon with a female Pokemon that can learn Pit, the newborn monster will know that move from birth.
- This is a great way to "reuse" the best MT you have already used.
- Since the sixth generation, unfortunately, some exceptions to this rule have been inserted.
Step 4. Consider that some "egg moves" can be passed down by the mother from the sixth generation onwards
This new feature makes it easier for you to pass some powerful moves to a newborn Pokemon, who wouldn't normally be able to learn them. For example, if you had a female Dragonite who knows Outrage mate with a Charizard, the Pokemon you would get would know that move.
- Pokemon that have no gender cannot inherit egg moves.
- You can find here the complete list of all the egg moves available in the game.
Step 5. Try pairing a series of Pokemon to transfer a move from one to the other
For example, Eevee can only learn the Wish move if it is passed down from her parents. However, this Pokemon cannot directly mate with any species capable of learning Desire; it is necessary to take an extra step. It is possible to mate a male Togekiss that knows Desiderio with a female Pikachu, then have the newly obtained male Pikachu (with Desiderio) mate with a female Eevee and that's it; you will have a level 1 Eevee with Wish.
This is a time-consuming process, but it's the only way to get the "perfect" moveset for your Pokemon
Step 6. Get to know the concept of IV inheritance
IVs, or Individual Values, are hidden numbers, from 0 to 31, which determine each Pokemon's stats. They are the genetic codes of the Pokemon world. A higher value determines the maximum of your monsters' stats. When the Pokemon reproduce, the parents pass on three of their IVs to the newborn, while the others are chosen at random. To get an idea of the parents' IVs, read their "Nature". When it comes to speed, the Pokemon has a high Speed IV, while if it speaks of curiosity, Special Attack will have a high IV value. Unfortunately this is not an exact science, because the real IVs are hidden from the players.
- The "Common Destitution" item, when attached to a Pokemon, allows parents to transfer five of their IVs instead of just three.
- Assigning an item of the "Vigor" category to parents, such as the band or anklet, forces them to pass on the VI associated with it. Therefore, if a Pokemon kept the Vigorpeso (which increases the HP), it would pass on its own IV of Health Points to the child.
- Experienced players can consult a site that allows you to predict the IVs to make an estimate of the secret values of their Pokemon, in order to evaluate which is the best mating strategy.
Warnings
- Remember that Legendary Pokemon cannot reproduce (except Manaphy).
- Check the Pension often to not have to pay too much! If the Pokemon have not leveled up you will have to pay 100 Pokedollars. Remember to take the parents off the Pension when they are mated.
