FIGHT
The objective of engaging in a Pok�mon battle, of course, is to best the opponent in terms of offense and defense. Battle, however, is far more complicated than it appears, and it takes a very skilled trainer to take advantage of this sophistication. The main battle menu consists of four functions: Fight, PKMN, Item (or Pack or Bag), or Run. You may use only one of these functions on one turn.

 

The Fight function takes you to the list of your Pok�mon�s attacks. What the attacks may do depend entirely on the Pok�mon that uses the attack and against whom it is used. Some abilities that any of the combatants have may affect the efficacy or productivity of the attack in base form, while type advantages, weather conditions, or effects of attacks previously used have their share of influences. Click here to view the map of type advantages, or here to view the Pok�mon Usage window, which will give you instructions on how to teach moves.

PKMN
This function enables you to switch your Pok�mon. This can be done once per turn, meaning that the surrogate battler won�t get a chance to battle on the turn. Before you decide to switch out, use the Summary (or Stats) function to view what condition that your Pok�mon is in. If your Active Pok�mon is ailing from poison or a burn, it may be a good idea to withdraw it. However, since the new Pok�mon cannot attack on that turn, it will absorb any effects of attacks from the opponent immediately. Therefore, you may want to think twice before switching out for a Pok�mon with a low Speed rating.

 

  SUMMARY. Called �Stats� on older cartridges, this allows you to view the status of your Pok�mon, which must be taken into consideration before it is released into battle. On the Red, Blue, and Yellow cartridges, the stats screen is spread out on two screens: the first screen informs you of the Pok�mon�s health status, area stats, experience required to gain another level, and its biological types, while the second screen lists the Pok�mon�s attacks and their remaining Power Points. On the Gold, Silver, and Crystal cartridges, the screens are spread out onto three screens: the first explains its types, health status, and experience level; the second lists the attacks of that Pok�mon and their remaining Power Points and identifies the Pok�mon�s held item; the third screen explains area stats and capture information (the trainer that caught it and that trainer�s ID number). The Pok�mon Ruby and Sapphire summary is spread out over four screens: the first identifies the Pok�mon�s biological types, ability, and capture information (name of trainer that caught it, the ID number of that trainer, the gender of that trainer [the name of the trainer will be highlighted in blue if male and pink if female], the level the Pok�mon was at when caught, and the location at which it was caught); the second screen counts the ribbons that it received, identifies its held item, determines its experience level, and gives its area stats; the third screen lists the Pok�mon�s attacks with their types and battle effects, potencies, and hit rates; the fourth screen lists the attacks with their contest types, contest effects, appeal values, and jam penalties.

o        ATTACK. This area stat rates the potential of physical attacks used by that Pok�mon. Attacks of the Normal, Fighting, Ground, Flying, Poison, Bug, Rock, Ghost, and Steel types are considered physical. (Poison-type attacks are nonphysical on Red, Blue, and Yellow.)

o        DEFENSE. This area stat rates the Pok�mon�s vulnerability to physical attacks.

o        SPECIAL ATTACK. This area stat rates the potential of nonphysical attacks used by that Pok�mon. Attacks of the Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Ice, Psychic, Dragon, and Dark types are considered nonphysical. Special Attack and Special Defense are consolidated into �Special� in Red, Blue, and Yellow.

o        SPECIAL DEFENSE. This area stat rates the Pok�mon�s vulnerability to nonphysical attacks.

o        SPEED. Pok�mon are assigned an area stat of Speed to determine turn order. The Pok�mon with the highest Speed goes first, the one with the second highest rating goes afterward, and so on.

o        HP. The vitality of a Pok�mon is measured by Hit Points. When this measure falls to zero for any reason, the Pok�mon can�t fight until a Revive, Max Revive, Revival Herb, or Sacred Ash is administered, the Pok�mon is moved to Bill�s PC (except in Red, Blue, or Yellow) or Lanette�s PC, or the Pok�mon is healed at a Pok�mon Center or by anyone willing to rest them.

o        SLEEP. This status abnormality prevents the Pok�mon from attacking except with Snore or Sleep Talk. Administering an Awakening, Mint Berry, Lava Cookie, Full Heal, Chesto Berry, or Lum Berry or playing the Pok�Flute or Blue Flute will alleviate this condition.

o        PARALYSIS. This status abnormality may prevent a Pok�mon from attacking, and the affected Pok�mon�s Speed plummets. Administering a Paralyz Heal, PrzCureBerry, Lava Cookie, Full Heal, Cheri Berry, or Lum Berry, using Refresh, or being attacked with Smellingsalt will alleviate paralysis.

o        POISON. This status abnormality causes a Pok�mon to lose HP even outside of battle, and being attacked with Toxic or Poison Fang may cause poisoning that worsens with time. Administering an Antidote, PsnCureBerry, Lava Cookie, Full Heal, Pecha Berry, or Lum Berry or using Refresh will detoxify the Pok�mon.

o        BURN. This status abnormality causes a Pok�mon to lose HP in battle, and the affected Pok�mon�s Attack plummets. Administering a Burn Heal, Ice Berry, Lava Cookie, Full Heal, Rawst Berry, or Lum Berry or using Refresh will heal a burn.

o        HOARFROST. This status abnormality completely immobilizes a Pok�mon. Administering an Ice Heal, Burnt Berry, Lava Cookie, Aspear Berry, or Lum Berry, using a physical attack, Sunny Day, Flame Wheel, Heat Wave, Fire Blast, or Overheat or being attacked with a Fire-type move will defrost a Pok�mon. A Pok�mon cannot be frozen in sunlight, so sending out a Groudon will defrost any Pok�mon.

o        CONFUSION. This status abnormality may cause a Pok�mon to attack itself instead of executing a desired move. This can be alleviated with Bitter Berry, Yellow Flute, or Persim Berry or simply switching out.

o        INFATUATION. This status abnormality, induced by Attract or effect of the ability Cute Charm, may cause a Pok�mon to not attack. This is remediable with a Mental Herb or Red Flute or switching either combatant out.

o        PKRS. If on Ruby or Sapphire this icon appears below the Pok�mon�s level and ball, the Pok�mon has contracted the Pok�rus virus. This can also happen on Gold, Silver, or Crystal, but it won�t be readily denoted. This affliction multiplies experience gained from battle by 1.5, but it eventually resolves itself. If a black dot appears between the level and ball in a Pok�mon�s summary, the Pok�mon is immune to Pok�rus.

o        PP. Power Points are then number of times that a certain move can be used, depending on its potential. If the move�s Power Points run out (from overuse or subjection to Spite or Grudge), the move becomes inoperable until an Ether, Max Ether, Elixir, Max Elixir, Mysteryberry, or Leppa Berry is administered, the Pok�mon is moved to Bill�s PC (except in Red, Blue, or Yellow) or Lanette�s PC, or the Pok�mon is healed at a Pok�mon Center or by anyone willing to rest them. Administering PP Up will cause a move�s Power Point maximum to increase by 20 percent. Once the base maximum is increased by 60 percent, it cannot be increased further. If all of the moves� Power Points are gone, the Pok�mon will be forced to use Struggle, which has no type and deals recoil equal to ten percent of the damage done to the foe.

o        EXPERIENCE. If the foe has fainted, Pok�mon that participated in battle, except those that fainted, as well as those holding Exp Shares are doled an amount of experience points summing up to a predetermined total, divided equally. If a Pok�mon holding an Exp Share battled, that Pok�mon receives an additional share of experience. If in Red, Blue, or Yellow you carry an Exp All, each Pok�mon will receive an additional share equal to one third of the sum. Pok�mon that you did not capture will receive 50 percent more experience in all cases. Most Pok�mon require one million points to reach level 100, while starter Pok�mon require Pok�mon require 1,059,860 and legendary Pok�mon (as well as Salamence and Exeggutor) require 1,250,000 points.

o        SHINY POK�MON. Any Pok�mon that is discolored is called a �shiny Pok�mon� and will be denoted by three stars next to the level in Gold, Silver, and Crystal summaries or the Pok�dex number being highlighted in gold in Ruby or Sapphire summaries. Obtaining this sort of Pok�mon in the wild is difficult, and only certain games will give you this opportunity. When sent into battle, a series of sprites will be emitted from the figure.

  SWITCH. This is called �Shift� on Ruby and Sapphire. This function will cause the active Pok�mon to be withdrawn for the Pok�mon you selected. The new Pok�mon will take all effects of the foe�s attack. However, if you defeated the foe or your Active Pok�mon fainted, you may be prompted to switch Pok�mon; if the Battle Style setting in the Options menu is set to �Set� or you have no other healthy Pok�mon, no prompt will be made. If you have no Pok�mon left and your Active Pok�mon fainted, you will be transported to the Pok�mon Center that your Pok�mon were last healed at and you will lose half of your money rounded down to the nearest dollar unless you engaged in a Secret Base or link battle. If this happens in the Battle Tower or you shut off the game there without saving, your victory streak is broken.

ITEM
This is �Pack� in Gold, Silver, and Crystal and �Bag� in Ruby and Sapphire. Unless engaged in a Battle Tower or link battle, you may opt to administer items to your Pok�mon. You may use one item on a turn, and your turn is over once you do this. You cannot attach items, administer Pok�Blocks, or teach Technical Machines in battle, and some items can only be used in Wild Pok�mon battles.

In Red, Blue, and Yellow, all items are consolidated into one pocket, and you can carry up to twenty at a time. In Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the Pack is broken down into four pockets: the first for general items and berries, twenty of which you can carry at once; the second for balls; the third for key items, or those that cannot be discarded or sold; the fourth for Technical Machines. In Ruby and Sapphire, the Bag is divided into five areas by adding the Pack�s pockets and a pocket exclusively for Berries.

In a Wild Pok�mon battle, throwing a ball and successfully capturing a Pok�mon denies your Pok�mon any experience. You cannot capture an opponent�s Pok�mon.

In the National Park in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, �Park Ball� will replace this option. You cannot administer items to your Pok�mon in the National Park. In the Safari Zone in Red, Blue, and Yellow, this option, as well as Fight and PKMN, will be replaced by �Ball,� �Rock,� and �Bait.� The Ball function launches a Safari Ball, the Bait function sends out food for the Pok�mon to distract it, and the Rock function launches a pebble at the Pok�mon to anger it, making it apt to flee, but making it easier to capture. In the Ruby and Sapphire Safari Zone, these options will be �Ball,� �Pok�Block,� and �Go Near,� which serve similar functions.

RUN
If you are engaged in a Wild Pok�mon battle, you have the option to run away. Doing so increases your chances of your Pok�mon contracting Pok�rus, and your Pok�mon are denied any experience. You cannot run from a Trainer battle, and you lose the battle if you select this option in a link battle.