( some sections are still bulleted / wip / need grammar and prose. i dont get paid to do this. )
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Welcome to Battle by Post!
The Pokemon Raising and Battling Text Fangame
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The Pokemon Raising and Battling Text Fangame
What is all of this?
The subtitle says it all: This is a forum dedicated to our text-based game; where you can be the Trainer you always wanted to be, assemble the roster of your dreams (and others' nightmares), and duke it out against like-minded tacticians in heated battles!
"But I've already played all the Pokemon I could want on the cartridges," I hear you say. But we have a secret weapon: This forum game incorporates CAP Pokemon! Adding those to the mix creates a different experience than simply replaying your favorite game for the umpteenth time!
For now, though, let us take a bit of time to explains the very basics. No one climbs atop Mt. Silver in a day!
This is a game? How is it played?
Part of the charm of this game is how it's played: Over the internet, day by day, with other flesh-and-blood humans on the other end!
There are no moves to click here, and you and your opponent cannot order at the same time. One of BBP's biggest draws is that you play by alternating posts with your opponent, round after round. Ordering first, you're playing to survive — you need to prepare for anything your opponent could possibly throw at you. Ordering second, you're playing to win — try to exploit any hole you can see in your opponent's strategy! This is the essence of playing BBP, and while it is easy to understand, it is challenging to master. Whether you're the type to plan a battle from start to finish, or make that clutch comeback thanks to daring orders, you'll be able to infinitely test your mettle.
That said, the pace here is definitely much slower than what you can experience on cartridge, or especially on Showdown. Checking in once or twice a day to order in battles and ref your matches before logging off is the recommended way to play BBP. There's no need to nervously track how your matches are going all day. Partaking in the community experience is recommended as well. This is part of the Socialization forum, after all!
What's the goal? Why are we playing?
Why, likely the same reason you're still reading. Most players here play to hone their battling skill and that of their Pokemon. Level them up, watch them grow strong enough to take on powerful Battle Facilities, and come home with the trophies of your matches: EXP, currency, and more. If you compete at the top, even special Pokemon could be yours...
At the end of the day, though, what you play for is for you and you alone to decide. Some of us play because they have fun doing so, some of us play for the role-playing side of the game, some of us play because they truly want to be the very best like no one ever was. Whatever the reason, you will meet new people who will grow alongside you, battle at your side or against you. People you will perhaps come to know. Soon, bonds of battling may turn into actual bonds of friendship. We welcome all into our community, and you are no exception!
How different is BBP from the source games?
Very.
Eager veterans will point you to all kinds of examples — Switching phases, moves with new custom functionality, abilities that have been buffed to help struggling low-tier Pokemon, and more. A single, simple example might make it clear just what playing BBP is like, though. Here's a move you're sure to be familiar with if you've even casually played Pokemon: Thunder Wave!
| Thunder Wave The user fires a special jolt at the target. The jolt does no damage but can interefere with nervous signals. Ground-type Pokemon are unaffected by this move. Inflict Paralysis with two (2) markers on the defender if the user is Electric-type, or one (1) marker otherwise. |
At first glance, this move looks like it was ported directly from the source games! It inflicts Paralysis, and it even fails to affect Ground-types, just like the cartridge version. But, what's this about inflicting Paralysis "with markers"? Why do Electric-type users inflict more than non-Electric?
The gist is that BBP is its own entire game. It uses pieces and names that are familiar to fans of the cartridge Pokemon games, but rearranged and remixed in ways wholly its own. You'll want to approach game pieces as if you're seeing them for the first time — because in many cases, you are!
To whet your appetite, here's a few choice excerpts from real effects in BBP:
- When the user transforms from one Forme to another: Place an Atmosphere marker on the user until they faint.
- Transfer the user's Confusion status, if any, to the defender.
- When the user is hit by a contact attack from a Paralyzed attacker: Inflict Sleep on the attacker until the end of their next turn.
- When equipping items to the user in a send-out post, you may also equip them with one item from an opponent's backpack. Note those items as the user's "Contraband".
- While it is a round where the user entered play: The user is unaffected by actions with the word "Ball" in their name.
- Opponents are Infatuated with the user.
Sounds fun! How do I join?
Signing up is easy enough: you get to select three purchasable Pokemon at their earliest stage of evolution. Those are your starters!
Details about leveling and purchasing can be found below, as well as a list of Pokemon you're not allowed to purchase (meaning you can't start with them, either). But for now three unevolved Pokemon, like Bulbasaur or Absol, will do.
Don't fret too much about your starters: Your roster will expand soon enough, so don't let the fear of missing out on more cool Pokemon get to you! With some of your favorite Pokemon in mind, follow the steps below to create your BBP Trainer Profile!
Profile Creation
If you're interested, your first order of business is to head over to the Registration Center Forum. There, you'll use the new-thread field to create for yourself a Trainer Profile Thread:
In the field, you'll type "Profile: ", followed by your Smogon username. This thread will hold everything you collect—including Pokemon, currency, items, and more—for the entirety of your BBP career!The first post in your Trainer Profile Thread will be about you, as a trainer in the world of BBP. To populate it, you can use or approximate the following template:
Code:
[b]Pokemon:[/b] Pokemon 1, Pokemon 2, etc.
[b]Trainer Level:[/b] 0
[b]TC:[/b] 0
[b]RC:[/b] 0
[b]JC:[/b] 0
[b]Items:[/b]
1x:oran berry:Oran Berry
1x:lum berry:Lum Berry
1x:lucky egg:Lucky Egg
1x:muscle band:Muscle Band
1x:wise glasses:Wise Glasses
1x:life orb:Life Orb
[b]Key Items:[/b]
1x:shadow mail:Harvest Event Voucher
1x:snow mail:Festive Event Voucher
1x:heart mail:Devoted Event Voucher
1x:orange mail:Deviant Event Voucher
1x:star piece:Star Piece
[b]Current Battles:[/b]
None
[b]Prize Claims[/b]
None- Trainer Name: (Optional)
It's not required to invent a Trainer identity for playing in BBP, but the game is much more immersive if you do! Some players write descriptions for their Trainer, create sprites, or even formulate multiple cooperating Trainer characters! - Trainer Level:
You start BBP at Trainer Level 0 ("T.Lv0"), and as you train you strongest Pokemon to new Levels, you'll go up in Level too! Raising your Trainer Level lets you battle in harder and more rewarding venues, such as the Legend Gauntlet. - Pokemon Names: (Optional)
This is a list of every Pokemon you own in BBP. You can list them alphabetically, in order of acquisition, or however, as long as they're all listed. - Currencies:
Your three stocks of Counters. You don't start with any, but you'll be flush with them soon enough:- TC: Stands for "Trainer Counters". Represented with
:rare candy.- This currency is used to meet new regular Pokemon, and to evolve Pokemon.
- RC: Stands for "Retail Counters". Represented with
:amulet coin:.- This currency is used to buy Items for your Trainer and Pokemon.
- JC: Stands for "Judge Counters". Represented with
:tea:.- This currency is used to pay the player who acts as the referee for your battles.
- TC: Stands for "Trainer Counters". Represented with
- Items:
Your trainer's full inventory of items. Every trainer in BBP starts with an Oran Berry, a Pecha Berry, a Cheri Berry, a Rawst Berry, a Muscle Band, and a single pair of Wise Glasses. Eventually, like many trainers do, you might have to sort your items into different lists to keep track of them all! - Current Battles: (Optional)
It is recommended to paste links to each of your ongoing battles in your profile, so you can check one place to see if you're due to post in anything on BBP. - Prize Claims:
When you claim prizes in the Prize Claim tower, you will be required to paste a link to your claim into your Trainer Profile. BBP's Approvers will use these links when making sure that your counter earnings and spendings add up properly. Help make their job a little easier, please, and keep this section tidy!
Before you pick your starting Pokemon, let's take a look at an example Pokemon Profile:
Muginn (Murkrow ♀)
Level 2 EXP: 06 / 10
Hardy nature ( +None, -None )
Typing: Dark/Flying
Abilities: Insomnia, Super Luck HA: Prankster
Name Etymology:
The younger raven serving the god Odin in Norse myth. Each dawn, she flies low along the entire mortal realm to learn the whispers of the soil, beasts, and corpses; and each dusk she returns to inform Odin of her findings.
Attitude and Motive:
Muginn has a slothful, impetuous personality. Rather than better herself or pursue challenging goals, it is her preference to laze about and eat junk food.
History:
Found at the roadside, ailing from apparent illness. After being brought home and tended to, however, Muginn revealed that she was merely ill from over-eating. The manner in which she displayed this--by expelling her meal all across the carpet--was to be an omen for the future. Muginn has proven herself to be troublesome, untidy, and all-round an extraordinarily irritating nuisance to her trainer.
The younger raven serving the god Odin in Norse myth. Each dawn, she flies low along the entire mortal realm to learn the whispers of the soil, beasts, and corpses; and each dusk she returns to inform Odin of her findings.
Attitude and Motive:
Muginn has a slothful, impetuous personality. Rather than better herself or pursue challenging goals, it is her preference to laze about and eat junk food.
History:
Found at the roadside, ailing from apparent illness. After being brought home and tended to, however, Muginn revealed that she was merely ill from over-eating. The manner in which she displayed this--by expelling her meal all across the carpet--was to be an omen for the future. Muginn has proven herself to be troublesome, untidy, and all-round an extraordinarily irritating nuisance to her trainer.
Attack: 6
Defen.: 3
Sp.Atk: 6
Sp.Def: 3
Speed: 91
Size: 1
Weight: 1
Moves
Level 0:
Aerial Ace
Air Slash
Astonish
Attract
Brave Bird
Confide
Dark Pulse
Double Team
Drill Peck
Facade
Feint Attack
Mud-Slap
Protect
Psychic
Round
Shadow Ball
Thunder Wave
Toxic
Wing Attack
Level 1:
Air Cutter
Calm Mind
Confuse Ray
Curse
Defog
Detect
Flatter
Gust
Haze
Night Shade
Ominous Wind
Peck
Quick Attack
Rain Dance
Snore
Steel Wing
Sucker Punch
Sunny Day
Swagger
Swift
Taunt
Twister
Whirlwind
Level 2:
Assurance
Beat Up
Captivate
Double-Edge
Dream Eater
Feather Dance
Foul Play
Heat Wave
Hurricane
Nasty Plot
Nightmare
Payback
Pluck
Psycho Shift
Quash
Rest
Roost
Scary Face
Screech
Secret Power
Sky Attack
Take Down
Thief
In this profile, we can see that Muginn's trainer has provided all of the required information for a Pokemon in BBP, in the proper order:
- Sprite: You need an image that represents your Pokemon. Typing
:sv/murkrow:on Smogon Forums gives you a nice, convenient animated .gif of Murkrow for Muginn's trainer to use; but any sufficiently small and recognizable image will suffice. If you aren't sure if a sprite is recognizable, ask your fellow BBP players! - Species Name: Muginn's species, "Murkrow", is clearly visible directly under her Sprite, where it belongs.
- Level and EXP: Muginn's trainer has managed to advance her to Level 2. Your Pokemon will start at Level 0 with no EXP.
- Nature: Because Muginn is a low Level, she can only have a neutral (non-stat-altering) Nature, if a Nature is desired. These are Hardy, Docile, Bashful, Quirky, and Serious. Once she Levels up more, she'll be able to select a stat-altering Nature to improve her stats!
- Typing: Muginn's types, being Dark and Flying, are listed in the proper order for a Murkrow.
- Abilities: Muginn's Abilities are listed in the proper order for a Murkrow. If Muginn's Level was lower, her Hidden Ability would be crossed out with
[s]Strikethrough[/s]formatting. Pokemon can unlock their Hidden Ability by Leveling up to Level 2 or higher. - Stats: Muginn's maximum HP, her five core stats, and her Size and Weight Classes are listed, in order.
- Moves: Every move at Muginn's disposal is listed, sorted Level by Level, and then alphabetically. As Muginn Levels up, she'll add new moves from each Level she reaches; each Level sorted alphabetically after the next.
The definition of what constitutes an "identifiable" sprite is subjective. If you are uncertain as to whether an image you wish to use is acceptable as a profile sprite, ask your fellow players.
Thanks to Smogon's talented userbase, there exists a repository of April Fool's Day sprites to provide some guidelines for what constitutes "recognizable":
✓ Acceptable:
✗ Unacceptable:
Thanks to Smogon's talented userbase, there exists a repository of April Fool's Day sprites to provide some guidelines for what constitutes "recognizable":
✓ Acceptable:
In addition to the above, Muginn's trainer has furnished her profile with a few touches of flavor: Muginn has a nickname, a gender symbol ("♀"), and some short prose about her nickname's history, her personality, and her backstory. In addition, Muginn's profile has been freshened up with the use of
[size][/size] and [b]bold[/b] tags to clarify the formatting. No such touches are required for a Pokemon in BBP, but they help bring your team to life!Your Starter Pokemon
All this information about how to make your starters is well and good, but who can you actually choose?
Well, the answer is almost any Pokemon that hasn't evolved, except the Pokemon on this list:
Arceus
Articuno
Articuno-Galar
Azelf
Blacephalon
Brute Bonnet
Buzzwole
Calyrex-Ice
Calyrex-Shadow
Calyrex
Celebi
Celesteela
Chien-Pao
Chi-Yu
Chromera
Cobalion
Cresselia
Darkrai
Deoxys
Dialga
Diancie
Enamorus
Entei
Eternatus
Floette-Eternal
Flutter Mane
Genesect
Giratina
Glastrier
Gouging Fire
Great Tusk
Groudon
Guzzlord
Heatran
Ho-Oh
Hoopa-Unbound
Hoopa
Iron Boulder
Iron Bundle
Iron Crown
Iron Hands
Iron Jugulis
Iron Leaves
Iron Moth
Iron Thorns
Iron Treads
Iron Valiant
Jirachi
Kartana
Keldeo
Kubfu
Koraidon
Kyogre
Kyurem-Black
Kyurem-White
Kyurem
Landorus
Latias
Latios
Lugia
Lunala
Lycanroc-Dusk
Magearna
Manaphy
Marshadow
Melmetal
Meltan
Meloetta
Mesprit
Mew
Mewtwo
Miraidon
Moltres
Moltres-Galar
Naganadel
Necrozma
Nihilego
Ogerpon
Palkia
Pecharunt
Pheromosa
Phione
Poipole
Raikou
Raging Bolt
Rayquaza
Regice
Regidrago
Regieleki
Regigigas
Regirock
Registeel
Reshiram
Rockruff-Dusk
Roaring Moon
Sandy Shocks
Scream Tail
Shaymin
Shaymin-Sky
Solgaleo
Slither Wing
Spectrier
Stakataka
Suicune
Tapu Bulu
Tapu Fini
Tapu Koko
Tapu Lele
Terapagos
Terrakion
Ting-Lu
Thundurus
Tornadus
Ursaluna-Bloodoom
Urshifu
Uxie
Victini
Virizion
Volcanion
Walking Wake
Wo-Chien
Xerneas
Xurkitree
Yveltal
Zacian
Zamazenta
Zapdos
Zapdos-Galar
Zarude
Zekrom
Zeraora
ZygardeThat's right, every Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, as well as every Ultra Beast and Paradox Pokemon. Hardly surprising, no?
Well, there's one surprise: Type: Null is purchasable! Amassing a suite of Memory items to type-change your Silvally into the best type for each challenge ahead can be a fun and rewarding goal!
That said, if you would really like some guidance...
It can be prudent to start with a mix of early-blooming and late-blooming Pokemon. Because moves are given Levels based on their complexity, rather than their power, some Pokemon will gain most of their strength early and some will gain their strength quite late.
Some Pokemon work quite effectively "out of the box". They're quite happy to use their stats to sling simple Level 0-1 attacking moves and they don't have much need for the tricks learned at higher Levels. That is to say, having a straightforward bruiser on your team, such as
Heracross, 
Ursaluna, or 
Drampa can help you muscle through early battles and rack up EXP on your late-blooming Pokemon.This isn't to say you should avoid late-blooming Pokemon. Many fan-favorite Pokemon are exceptionally powerful at high Level, once they've learned all of their best moves. However, until they learn moves that they rely on for survival, such as
Gengar or 
Dragapult, or until they learn a particular move or moves that they're designed around, such as 
Grimmsnarl or 
Serperior, they will have to work quite a bit harder to compete.There are also middle-of-the-road Pokemon who start decently strong and also gain decent strength as they Level. For the most part, bulky offensive Pokemon featuring lots of coverage moves such as
Dragonite, 
Togekiss, 
Dusknoir, 
Volcarona, 
Gardevoir, and 
Gallade will fit this description.If that sounds too much like metagaming for your taste, there's another option:
CAP Starters! These three Pokemon--Fawnifer, Smogecko, and Swirlpool--were designed from the ground up as Create-a-Pokemon 25. Their final evolutions--Caribolt, Smokomodo, and Snaelstrom--were lovingly crafted by Smogon's CAP community to celebrate more than a decade of the CAP Project. They each feature a deep well of interesting tricks and tools that are sure to make your battling experience a blast!
Once you've chosen your starting Pokemon, whoever they may be, it's time to put them in your Profile Thread!
Profile Template
To make Profiles for your own Pokemon, you can follow the guidelines above to ensure all of the required information is present in the order they're required.
Or, for simplicity, you can use the template below and fill in the information fields with the data of your Pokemon. You can safely delete any field your Pokemon doesn't use, such as Forme data for most Pokemon.
[hide="POKEMON NAME"]
SPRITE
[b][size=7]NICKNAME[/size] SPECIES[/b]
[size=5]Level [b]0[/b][/size] EXP 0 / 10
[b][u]Unique Traits[/u][/b]
(If your Pokemon a Trait from their species, such as Rotom's Trait "Has the command Forme Shift." or Squawkabilly's Trait "Has two Hidden Abilities." it goes here.)
[B]Nature:
Typing:
Abilities:
HP:
Attack:
Defen.:
Sp.Atk:
Sp.Def:
Speed:
Size:
Weight:[/B]
(If the Pokemon has alternate Formes and can change Formes, the Sprites, Typing, Abilities, Stats, and Traits of those Formes would go here.)
[b][u]Moves[/u][/b]
(List all of your Pokemon's Moves here, one move per line.)
[/hide]
SPRITE
[b][size=7]NICKNAME[/size] SPECIES[/b]
[size=5]Level [b]0[/b][/size] EXP 0 / 10
[b][u]Unique Traits[/u][/b]
(If your Pokemon a Trait from their species, such as Rotom's Trait "Has the command Forme Shift." or Squawkabilly's Trait "Has two Hidden Abilities." it goes here.)
[B]Nature:
Typing:
Abilities:
HP:
Attack:
Defen.:
Sp.Atk:
Sp.Def:
Speed:
Size:
Weight:[/B]
(If the Pokemon has alternate Formes and can change Formes, the Sprites, Typing, Abilities, Stats, and Traits of those Formes would go here.)
[b][u]Moves[/u][/b]
(List all of your Pokemon's Moves here, one move per line.)
[/hide]
Once you have your profile exactly the way you want it, you just have to wait until an approver takes a look. Approvers will review your profile and let you know if there are any errors in it, like this:
(He wouldn't let me have 44 Special Attack on my Sableye. Killjoy!)
After your fixes are made, notify an approver (by typing their username with an "@" in front of it) so they can double-check.
Once you get their seal of approval... You're ready to play!
Finding an Opponent
Now you're all fired up to get started, but you can't exactly play against yourself. It's time to find a worthy opponent, and the best place for that is the Battle Tower! Post your rules for a match or accept another player's existing challenge; as long as you are of the appropriate level, of course. Don't forget to repost any present queue, adding your match to it!
Battle It Out!
Congrats, you found someone to battle! So how exactly does battling work?
Battling is done in rounds. Each round, you will give your Pokemon a number of orders in sequence. A round includes a definite number of steps (usually 3 or 2), and each step includes one turn per battling Pokemon. Rounds hold steps hold turns, like so:
| The Round |
|---|
Start of Battling Phase | Step 1  Zangoose's Turn  Seviper's Turn | Step 2 Zangoose's Turn Seviper's Turn | Step 3 Zangoose's Turn Seviper's Turn | End of Battling Phase |
In a battle with three steps, you might order your
Bulbasaur to use Leech Seed, then Sludge Bomb, and then Sludge Bomb, like this:"Give them the ol' Drain and Pain, Littleroot!"
Leech Seed - Sludge Bomb - Sludge Bomb
Your Pokemon would use Leech Seed in Step 1, and then Sludge Bomb in steps 2 and 3.
If you're ordering first, you might think that your opponent will just pick apart any orders you can think of. But you have a tool at your disposal for just such an occasion: You're allowed to order a certain number of Substitutions, each time you give orders. For example, if you expect that your opponent will use Protect to block your Leech Seed, you might tell your Bulbasaur:
"Give them the ol' Drain and Pain, Littleroot!"
Leech Seed - Sludge Bomb - Sludge Bomb
IF the foe intends to use Protect, THEN use Growth, and use Leech Seed next turn.
This will ensure that your opponent needs to work a little harder if they want to escape your Leech Seed strategy!
You still get substitutions when ordering second. You might issue "IF your foe is Poisoned, THEN use Venoshock" to take better advantage of your Sludge Bomb's chance to poison. You might also try to use Leech Seed again if your first attempt happens to miss.
Players typically alternate ordering first and second. Some actions, such as counterswitching or forcing your foe to switch with a move such as Roar, will make you order first after.
To make it easy to keep track of your battles, you may consider bookmarking the link "https://www.smogon.com/forums/watched/threads". This will show you all of the threads you've Watched on Smogon — which will include any thread you've posted in, by default. If you do, make sure to use the "Watch" button on threads you have yet to post in.
This button is found at the top-right of the first post in any thread (including this one), like so:
You are now fully equipped to play your first match. Order first, order second, and display the full breadth of your skills in each situation!
The Path of a Trainer
As you train your Pokemon, so to will you grow and improve alongside them. Your Trainer Level increases as you reach certain milestones in BBP:
T.Lv0: Create a trainer profile.
T.Lv1: Promote a Pokemon to Level 1 via Beginner Battle.
T.Lv2: Promote a Pokemon to Level 2 via earned EXP.T.Lv3: Promote a Pokemon to Level 3 via earned EXP.T.Lv4: Promote a Pokemon to Level 4 via earned EXP.
T.Lv5: Earn 
one of each Advanced Technique.Increasing your Trainer Level unlocks additional venues of BBP for play. This lets you earn EXP and counters in more places, allowing you to expand your team, which allows you to take on tougher opponents and eventually raise your Trainer Level again.
Each time you attain a new Trainer Level, you'll earn a one-time reward as a prize for your achievement. Most of these rewards are various
EXP Records, special consumable items that you can use to give EXP to your Pokemon. Some players will use these Records right away to fill their team with strong high-Level Pokemon. Other players will save these Records for use on Pokemon that are weak and have trouble earning their own EXP at early Levels.The reward for reaching Trainer Level 5 hasn't yet been announced, so don't stress about racing to the top for the time being.
You can always find the requirement and reward for each Trainer Level in the Prize Claim thread.
The Spoils of Battle
So you just fought your first match. Congratulations! With your hard-fought contest, comes your own hard-earned rewards!
A typical match will usually award and cost various Counters, which are the currencies used here. There are three types of Counters:
- TC, or Training Counters, are used to catch, evolve, and promote your Pokemon.
- RC, or Retail Counters, are used to buy more items.
- JC, or Judge Counters, are used to pay referees for processing your battles. If you are a battler, you pay JC. To gain JC, you must referee matches. This ensures that there's enough referees to go around!
However, before you can play with your new rewards, you have to have them approved at the {Prize Claiming Thread}, where approvers will make sure your rewards are correct. Once approved, you can add them to your Profile thread. In addition, the Prize Claiming Thread is also the place where you'll spend your hard-earned Counters, for the purchase of Pokemon eggs, training, and items. These purchases will need to be approved in the same way as reward claims.
Training Your Partners
After your first prize claim, you'll have Pokemon who are ready to Level Up and begin their path to greater mastery!
Your Pokemon, who start unevolved at Level 0, have the following progression to look forward to:
- They can begin leveling (and evolve, if applicable), which will make them Level 1, simply by participating in a battle, or if you spend a Training Counter in the Prize Claiming Thread.
- To advance to higher levels, to the maximum of Level 4, they will have to battle in Facilities to earn Experience Points. As they level, they'll unlock features such as their Hidden Ability at Level 2, and your choice of stat-altering Nature at Level 3.
- Lastly, once they've reached Level 4, they can begin to earn advanced techniques by fighting powerful Pinnacle Opponents in each of the different Facilities.
Training Counter in the Prize Claiming Thread (in which case, they do not need to have battled). This represents the first step of their competitive training! They unlock all of their Level 1 moves when they're promoted.Once your Pokemon reaches Level 1, you may select their evolution stage. For example, when you advance your Bulbasaur to Level 1, you get to decide whether they will exist in BBP as a Bulbasaur, an Ivysaur, or a Venusaur. Some unevolved Pokemon like Scyther have upsides over their evolved forms, but you'll typically want to choose the latest evolution stage. Some Pokemon have inherent Traits that modify how they evolve or what they evolve in to. For example, Nincada evolves into two Pokemon at once, and you get to keep both of them! Pokemon can be truly wondrous at times.
To reach Levels 2 through 4, your Pokemon will require 10 Experience Points ("EXP"). This target doesn't grow with Level — each Level is 10 points from the next. EXP can be obtained from Facilities, such as the Battle Tree and Realgam Tower. Pokemon can't "stock" EXP beyond this maximum of 10. For example, if a Pokemon is Level 2 with 5 EXP, and they are awarded 7 EXP from a battle, they must use 5 of that EXP to become Level 3, and only then may they receive the remaining 2 EXP from their reward.
Pokemon can only obtain EXP from a battle of their own Level or higher. If the Pokemon earns enough EXP to reach a level that's higher than the battle they're receiving EXP from, any excess is lost. In the case where your Pokemon has most of the EXP they need for a Level-Up, you might consider sending them into a battle of the next Level above them, so that none of the EXP you earn goes to waste.
You can send Pokemon into battles below their Level, as if they were the Level of that battle. This feature is called "Level Sync", and that Pokemon is said to "sync down" to the battle's Level. When a Pokemon is synced down to a lower Level, any higher-Level moves, abilities, or advanced techniques will be unavailable to them. Pokemon that are synced will still keep their Nature. Pokemon synced down in this way won't be eligible for the battle's EXP (since their "actual" Level is higher than the battle's), but this feature can help you build a stronger team for the Facility and improve your odds of earning lots of EXP for your other Pokemon.
At the highest Level, your Pokemon can battle powerful opponents to earn Advanced Techniques, such as Mega Evolution, Z-Move access, and more. Each of these special options has the ability to swing battles in your favor, making them highly coveted.
A resource called Technique Control (called "tech" for short), representing your trainer's ability to direct and lead such powerful Pokemon, is required to perform an Advanced Technique. You'll have to carefully decide which of your Pokemon will get to spend them in each battle. Some Pokemon are even so demanding that they themselves will require your Technique Control!
Advanced Techniques are very far into your journey. Once you're ready to begin earning them, you can refer to the comprehensive rules for their full details.
Your Pokemon Journey Awaits!
You now know the basics. Get out there and fight! Win, lose, create bonds and have fun! Having fun is the most important of those, by the way.
If you're still unsure what to do after evolving your partners, here are a few suggestions for beginners!
These two Facilities are the best places to start:
- Try exploring the Safari Zone for a while! You can catch powerful Pokemon and reinforce your roster!
Climb up the Battle Tree and tell a story, with your words and attacks!
- Gather your allies to clash with powerful Raid Boss Pokemon in the Raid Frontier!
- Face various powerful boss Trainers in the Realgam Coliseum! You'll be fighting on their home turf, so prepare a team and plan carefully!
- Face off against other Trainers for the favor of legendary Pokemon in the Legend Gauntlet!
- Team up with other Trainers to face strange and wonderful Seasonal Events!
Announce your supremacy among Trainers in the Boasting Hall! Then... See if you live up to your own hype!
Take a load off, wear your heart on your sleeve, and enjoy a wholly different game mode in the Contest Spectacular!- Enter the unpredictable and ever-changing {Battle Pike}, and push your battling skills to their limit! With luck and competence comes a chance to battle the Pike Queen...
Should you overcome those challenges, you might earn rare and powerful Pokemon... Your Battle-By-Post adventure is yours to start!
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Dark Gem!
-> 
Pterapenthes the Archeops for 
Darlingtonia the Malaconda!
Choice Specs!"
Juice the Pangoro steps up. "Alright boss, I'm switching in. Leave them to me."
.
.
Tyranitar."
Cyclizar."
Diana the Bewear for our next act!"
."
Julius."
Garchomp."
Penthesilea the Sirfetch'd will drink this 
Elixir and regain their energy!"
Almace the Excadrill holding 
Life Orb and 
Ancille the Hippowdon holding 
Ground Gem."
on 
"
Hathor."
Skylord used Focus Blast!
You threw an Ultra Ball!
Snorunt is Ice-type. 
Syclant is Ice/Bug-type.
Rotom's typing is Electric/Ghost. After using Forme Shift to become 
Rotom-Wash, their typing is Electric/Water.
Scizor is Bug/Steel-type. 
Trevenant is Ghost/Grass-type. Forest's Curse, which may say, "The subject is Grass-type in addition to their other types," would cause Scizor to be Bug/Steel/Grass-type, but would not cause Trevenant to be Ghost/Grass/Grass-type.
Terapagos.
Unown, 
Smeargle), then they will have a movepool-replacing Trait.
Mega Venusaur), they have the movepool of their default Species and Forme instead (e.g. 
Venusaur).
Electrode and 
Electrode-Hisui) should each have their own movepools.
Vulpix-Alola).
Bug Memory
Dark Memory
Dragon Memory
Electric Memory
Fairy Memory
Fire Memory
Fighting Memory
Flying Memory
Ghost Memory
Grass Memory
Ground Memory
Ice Memory
Poison Memory
Psychic Memory
Rock Memory
Steel Memory
Water Memory
Mega Stones, including 
Red Orb and 
Blue Orb, when held by a Pokemon whose species they mention.
Magna's Mail.
Adamant Orb or 
Adamant Crystal when held by any Dialga.
Lustrous Orb or 
Lustrous Globe when held by any Palkia.
Griseous Orb when held by any Giratina.
Vile Vial when held by any Venomicon.
Rusted Sword when held by any Zacian.
Rusted Shield when held by any Zamazenta.
Hydreigon @
Combination Moves used by Pokemon.
Charizard, 
Blastoise, 
Beedrill, 
Pidgeot, 
Alakazam,
Slowbro, 
Kangaskhan, 
Pinsir, 
Gyarados, 
Aerodactyl,
Ampharos, 
Steelix, 
Houndoom,
Sceptile, 
Blaziken, 
Swampert, 
Sableye,
Mawile, 
Aggron, 
Medicham, 
Manectric, 
Camerupt, 
Sharpedo,
Altaria, 
Banette, 
Glalie, 
Salamence, 
Metagross,
Lopunny,
Abomasnow, 
Audino, 
Scizorite.)
Ultranecrozium Z; additionally, Necrozma must have undergone Pokemon Fusion (See 11.3 "Pokemon Fusion") and transformed to either their Dawn-Wings or Dusk-Mane Forme.
). This condition disallows any of its declared moves from being attempted by its subject, while it persists. When inflicting Sealed, an effect should specify what move or moves are being Sealed. Sealed has a new behavior among conditions where new instances will be included in old instances.
Toxicroak) and for interactions with Terrain, but is otherwise mostly trinket text.
Razz Berry and 
Pomeg Berry:
Revised Group 1: Status-Cleansing Berries (Cheri, Chesto, Pecha, Rawst, Aspear)
Revised Group 2: (Razz, Bluk, Nanab, Wepear, Pinap)
:
Revised Group 3: Stat-Overwriting Berries (Pomeg, Kelpsy, Qualot, Hondew, Grepa, Tamato)
Revised Group 4: Status-punishing Damage (Cornn, Magost, Rabuta, Nomel, Spelon, Pamtre, Watmel, Durin, Belue)
Light Ball
item for that... Which will likely prove to be very strong on this Pokemon.
) now, but faster users can set their own Sun to protect against Major Status more easily.
Zoom Lens
Smoke Ball
Infernape and 
Carnivine for being seemingly beyond our help, for now.)
Destiny Knot
