Aparty orteam (Japanese:手持ちポケモンPokémon on hand) is a group of up to sixPokémon that aTrainer carries with them.

After this team of six is filled, newly-acquired Pokémon are sent to aPC or equivalent to be stored. Trainers may have any Pokémon in their party, and newlycaught Pokémon will automatically fill empty slots in the party. Some games have thePokémon Box Link system, allowing players to change their party at almost any time. Other games require players to travel to aPokémon Center, base camp, or another PC-enabled place to access thePokémon Storage System or equivalent.

In the games

The interface used to manage a player's party is known as thePokémon List (Japanese:ポケモンリストPokémon List).

In battle

When entering aSingle Battle, the first Pokémon that has notfainted in the party list is the one that will be drawn first. ForDouble Battles, the first two Pokémon that have not fainted in the party list are the ones that will be drawn first by the Trainer. Likewise, the first three Pokémon that have not fainted in the party will be sent out first when entering aTriple Battle orRotation Battle. If there are not enough conscious Pokémon to battle, then theplayer will simply be unable to participate in the battle. During battle, if "Shift" is selected inOptions, Trainers can switch the participatingPokémon with another in the party when one of the opponent's Pokémon are defeated. This is not the case during Double Battles, Triple Battles, Rotation Battles, theBattle Tower, and other similar areas.

Outside of battle

All Pokémon in a Trainer's party will slowly gaintrust towards them as the Trainer walks around. Every 256 steps, the party Pokémon gain friendship. Also, if there is anEgg in the party, it will slowly hatch according to steps taken. Different Eggs take different amounts of distance, but to hatch they must be in the party. Eggs cannot participate in battle, therefore a Trainer may only carry a maximum of five Eggs at a time.

SomeAbilities have anout-of-battle effect, and these can only be activated if they are in a Trainer's party. Most of these Abilities only work outside of battle when the Pokémon with the Ability is leading the party.

If any Pokémon in the party are suffering fromPokérus, it can spread along the party, including Eggs. However, Pokémon in the party will recover from Pokérus aftermidnight.

Interface

Viewing the party in themenu will display their name, icon, currentHP,status condition, andlevel in all games. From the party, it's possible to visit the Pokémon'ssummary. When not in battle, it's also possible to give or take aheld item (fromGeneration II onwards), and also change the order of the Pokémon in the party.

Generation I

In theGeneration I games,gender was not yet a mechanic*, and so this is absent. Also, on the Pokémon summary screens, there are only two screens: Stats andMoves. The Moves section only shows the name, and thePP of each move. The icons were extremely limited, and the only Pokémon that had its own, unique icon wasPikachu (inPokémon Yellow only).

Generation II

InGeneration II, the icon range became higher than in Generation I, although it still remained low. The screen was colored similarly to Pokémon Yellow, with all Pokémon icons sharing a common palette.

New to the party screen was a box-like icon obscuring the lower left quarter of a Pokémon's own icon if the Pokémon washolding an item (if the item in question wasmail, the icon looked like an envelope instead) and a "Cancel" item.

The Moves section of the summary allowed switching orders and power to be shown along withtype.PP was still visible, and the party screen itself kept the same format. InPokémon Crystal, some Pokémon got unique party sprites, such asSnorlax.

Generation III

InGeneration III, the party screen was overhauled, now with the first Pokémon on the left. Each and every Pokémon had its own unique icon, and all in color. The Pokérus status is visible on the party, unless another status condition is present. The Moves section is again updated, with a page forPokémon Contest properties, such asAppeal andJam Points, and another for the moves when used in battle. The battle moves now showaccuracy,power, type, and added effects. However, Shiny Pokémon do not show the alternate colors in the party screen.

Generation IV

InPokémon Diamond, Pearl, andPlatinum, the party screen is changed again, showing the party Pokémon from left to right and top to bottom. All other things stay similar, with unique icons, but it adds condition to the summary pages. The party can also be viewed through thePokétch, to see eitherHP and items, orfriendship.

InPokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the party screen is essentially the same as in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum; however, it is moved to the bottom screen. The Pokémon that leads the partyfollows the player around, like thePikachu fromPokémon Yellow.

Generation V

InPokémon Black and White, the party screen is now fully able to interact with theNintendo DS's touch screen, by being placed on the bottom of the screen. It functions similarly as it did in previous games. The player can view the back sprite of a Pokémon by tapping it while viewing information on it. Sliding the stylus up and down or left and right causes the Pokémon to jump, and drawing circles around the Pokémon makes it levitate.

Generation VI

InPokémon X and Y, the party screen is almost the same except Pokémon in party are now always jumping unless fainted, in which fainted Pokémon just sit still. While all Pokémon have their unique icons updated, these icons are no longer animated. Sprites were replaced by models (players can no longer view the back but by tapping it causes it to perform one of the Pokémon's species-based attack animations instead), can move from one Pokémon to another by sliding the stylus or tapping the Poké Balls located on the right of the summary screen, can move from one item to another by sliding the stylus and no longer drawing circles around the Pokémon to levitate.

Additionally, Pokémon with field moves display an icon like that of a TM or HM that opens the Pokémon option list with the field moves expanded, Pokémon can be switched by touching a Pokémon until it detaches from the grid or by touching a swap button and using either quicker drag-and-drop or button navigation and items can be moved more easily by pressing an item swap button. Both the item swap and the Pokémon swap must be disengaged using the back icon or B button before the menu can be closed. The party Pokémon can be seen and interacted with by using bothPokémon-Amie andSuper Training, but the party order is not affected by them.

InPokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the contest move effects page returned, withcontest condition displayed on the upper screen.

Generation VII

InPokémon Sun and Moon, the party screen works almost the same as it does in Generation VI. The ability to drag a Pokémon to move it remains, along with the ability to swap items. However, Pokémon placement can be done by pressing the Y button. The X button no longer closes the menu, as it is replaced with swapping held items around party members instead. A Pokémon's EVs can be seen by pressing the Y button on their status screen. Pokémon can have their Markers changed to both blue and pink colors within this screen. Their Ability and Held Item descriptions can be viewed by pressing a blue circle with an "i" next to it via touch screen. Ribbons can still be viewed, although Contest stats from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have been removed, due to the lack of Pokémon Contests in the games. Having been completely abandoned as a mechanic, field moves can no longer be selected or used.

Party Pokémon can be interacted with and healed inPokémon Refresh, replacing Pokémon-Amie. This can be done after battles to heal status conditions and groom the Pokémon. The Pokémon currently sent out in battle will be the first one to appear in Refresh. Otherwise, it will always be the Pokémon in the front of the party.

InPokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the party screen is displayed in a more horizontal manner, with Pokémon organized in two rows of three, instead of two columns. Pokémon icons are no longer restricted to the same size, some of them (mostly those of fully evolved or Legendary Pokémon) were replaced with larger ones. The party screen now also allows direct access toboxes.

Generation VIII

InPokémon Sword and Shield, the party screen reverted to its original form, with the entire party presented as a single column. The rest of the screen displays the Pokémon's moves if shown in battle, otherwise its model is shown. If a Pokémon is holding an item, the item's specific icon is shown instead of a generic box. The access toboxes is unavailable until it is unlocked in-story (in this game only, it is unlocked by obtaining aPokémon Box Link).

InPokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Pokémon and item icons have been redrawn in a higher resolution.

InPokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon are shown as portraits instead of icons.Held items are not shown, being completely absent in this game. New to the party screen are Poké Ball icons which glow when a Pokémon is ready to evolve, experience bars with points required to level up, as well as markers specific to Alpha Pokémon. The party can appear on two different screens: outside of battle, it shares a screen with thesatchel, with items on the left and the party on the right; during battles, it is possible to switch to another screen, where the party appears on the left, while the right side of the screen lists the moves the currently selected Pokémon can use. The access to the boxes (or pastures in this game) is not possible.

Generation IX

InPokémon Scarlet and Violet, the changes fromPokémon Legends: Arceus have been rolled back. The party no longer has its own screen and now appears at the same time as themenu, allowing the player to move between the two by pressing left or right. Access to boxes is now its own menu item. A new shortcut allows auto-healing a Pokémon by using healing items in bulk. The shortcut allowing to move Pokémon has been replaced with one allowing to immediately switch a Pokémon with one in the lead of the party.

Gallery

Core series

Game Boy and Game Boy Color

RBY	GSC

Game Boy Advance

RS	E	FRLG

Nintendo DS

DP	Pt	HGSS	BW	B2W2

Nintendo 3DS

XY	ORAS	SM	USUM

Nintendo Switch

LGPE	SwSh
BDSP	LA
SV	ZA

Spin-off games

Stadium (Japan)	Stadium
Stadium 2	Colosseum
XD: Gale of Darkness	Battle Revolution

In animation

Pokémon the Series

InPokémon the Series,Trainers can only carry sixPokémon at a time just like in thegames. When a Trainer catches a new Pokémon while having a full party, the new Pokémon cannot be used until the Trainer switches it with a Pokémon currently in the party. InMystery at the Lighthouse, the Poké Ball ofAsh's newly caughtKrabby teleported away, while inSewaddle and Burgh in Pinwheel Forest!, the Poké Ball in which Ash caught his brand-newSewaddle simply shrank and locked itself with a red light until he had switched out one of his other Pokémon. InA Snow Day for Searching!, however,Goh was seen immediately sending out his newly caughtCubone despite having six Pokémon on hand, suggesting that there are no strict party limits outside ofbattle inPokémon Journeys: The Series, similar toPokémon GO.

Unlike in the games, it is possible for Trainers to carry anEgg while they have a full party of six Pokémon with them. This was seen in theoriginal series whenAsh traveled withLarvitar while he had a full party already. This might, however, have been because Larvitar was neverofficially Ash's Pokémon, as he never actually caught it in a Poké Ball.

In thiscanon, official battles between Trainers usually involve each person using the same number of Pokémon. For example, mostGymbattles require both theGym Leader and the challenger to use the same number of Pokémon. There is also a battle variation known as aFull Battle, in which both Trainers are required to use all six Pokémon. InPokémon Showcases,Performers are allowed to use up to six Pokémon while delivering a Freestyle Performance, although this was never shown.

Pokémon Horizons: The Series

InPokémon Horizons: The Series, while no upper limit on party size has been confirmed, most major characters in the series only carry one to four Pokémon on their person at a time. One major exception to this is the Ancient AdventurerLucius, whose party of six Pokémon, theSix Heroes, play an important role in the series.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

InPokémon Adventures, there are technically no limits to how many Pokémon a Trainer can have on hand beyond what the Trainer can physically carry. However, Trainers are still limited to a maximum of six Pokémon for official battles, such as in thePokémon League. InA Flaaffy Kerfuffle,Professor Oak explained that thePokémon Association determined six to be the ideal maximum at which a Trainer could give all Pokémon on hand sufficient care and attention.

The concept of a full party of six Pokémon was brought up inBesting Buizel II, whereCrasher Wake toldPearl that he should catch an additional two Pokémon to fill out his team of four before confrontingTeam Galactic. Pearl's full team was revealed by the end ofthe next chapter. InBoom!! Reunion in a New Land,Casey refusedMustard's offer to train hisKubfu due to her already having six Pokémon in her team, so he gave it toHenry instead.

Trivia

• In theanimated series, only seven main characters have ever held full teams of six Pokémon at any time:Ash,Misty,Dawn,Goh,Brock,Jessie andJames.
  • Jessie and James also took the longest time for a main character to acquire a full party in the animated series. InRocket Revengers!, all of the Pokémon belonging to theTeam Rocket trio kept at theTeam Rocket HQ were returned to their respective Trainers, marking the first time thatJessie andJames were seen with full parties on hand.

In other languages

Related articles

This game mechanic article is part ofProject Games, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on thePokémon games.

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