Question 1

How many Pokemon are in each game's DLC Pokedex (Legends Z-A, Scarlet/Violet, Sword/Shield)?

Accepted Answer

Pokemon Legends Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC (Hyperspace Pokedex) contains 132 Pokemon. Pokemon Scarlet/Violet's DLC dex covers 432 Pokemon, and Sword/Shield's DLC covers 422. Even without buying the DLC, free updates add the species data to the base games, so you can still receive these Pokemon through trades or Pokemon HOME transfers.

Question 2

How far into each game do you have to be before you can trade Pokemon?

Accepted Answer

Trading unlocks early in all three games. Legends Z-A: complete the Mimikyu investigation quest and leave the research lab (during 'A New Life in Lumiose City') to unlock Link Play. Scarlet/Violet: the Poke Portal unlocks once you finish the opening classes at the academy. Sword/Shield: trading unlocks when you reach the Wild Area. None of them requires beating the main story first.

Question 3

Do I need to beat the main story before trading or transferring Pokemon?

Accepted Answer

No. Not finishing your first playthrough has no effect on trading or transfers. Link trading unlocks early in Legends Z-A, Scarlet/Violet, and Sword/Shield, and Pokemon HOME transfers do not require story completion either. You can receive traded Pokemon and use them in your playthrough right away.

Question 4

Do you need Nintendo Switch Online to trade Pokemon?

Accepted Answer

Yes for internet trades: online link trading in Legends Z-A, Scarlet/Violet, and Sword/Shield requires a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership. Local wireless trading with someone physically nearby does not. Moving Pokemon between a game and Pokemon HOME also does not require NSO — HOME has its own separate free and Premium plans.

Question 5

Do I need Switch Online to receive a Pokemon traded to me by another player?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the trade happens over the internet — both sides of an online link trade need Nintendo Switch Online, so receiving custom/traded Pokemon remotely requires NSO on your account (the cheapest individual monthly plan is enough). Local face-to-face trades need no membership. Note that Pokemon Champions itself has no trading; all trades happen in the origin games.

Question 6

Can you get DLC-exclusive Pokemon without buying the DLC, and can you use them?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Free updates add all DLC species data to the base game, so players without the DLC can receive DLC-exclusive Pokemon through trades or HOME transfers and use them normally in battles, including online. This applies to Legends Z-A, Scarlet/Violet, and Sword/Shield. The only limits: you cannot enter the DLC areas or catch those Pokemon yourself.

Question 7

What does CHS mean on a Pokemon's summary screen?

Accepted Answer

CHS is a language-of-origin tag meaning the Pokemon was originally obtained in a game played in Simplified Chinese. Similar tags include CHT (Traditional Chinese), JPN, ENG, and so on. The tag records the original game's language, stays with the Pokemon through trades and transfers, and has no effect on battles — it is completely normal on Pokemon caught by Chinese-language players.

Question 8

What does the lock icon on a Pokemon's summary page mean?

Accepted Answer

The padlock marks a special Pokemon that cannot be traded (and in some games cannot be released). It appears on certain gift and event Pokemon — for example AZ's Eternal Flower Floette in Legends Z-A. A locked Pokemon can still battle normally and, if its species is supported, can currently still be moved one-way through Pokemon HOME.

Question 9

What does a Pokemon's ball type mean, and does it matter?

Accepted Answer

The ball shown is the Poke Ball the Pokemon was caught in, and it is purely cosmetic — it only changes the send-out animation and has no effect on stats or battle. The ball can never be changed after capture and stays through trades and HOME transfers. In Scarlet/Violet and Sword/Shield breeding, the ball is usually inherited from the mother.

Question 10

How is a Pokemon's Original Trainer (OT) set, and can it be changed?

Accepted Answer

The OT is written automatically from the trainer name and ID of whoever catches or hatches the Pokemon, and it can never be changed afterward — trading does not overwrite it. The only legitimate way to get a specific OT is for a save file with that trainer name to obtain the Pokemon. Rewriting OT with external tools creates edited data, which risks online penalties.

Question 11

How do I remove a held item from a Pokemon?

Accepted Answer

Open your party or boxes, select the Pokemon, and choose the held-item option to take the item; it goes back to your bag. If you deposit a Pokemon holding an item into Pokemon HOME, the item is automatically removed and returned to that game's bag — HOME cannot store items, and held items never transfer into Pokemon Champions.

Question 12

What is the difference between star shiny and square shiny Pokemon?

Accepted Answer

Only the entry animation differs: star shinies sparkle with star-shaped particles, square shinies with square-shaped ones, and the summary icon in Sword/Shield (where the distinction debuted) also differs. Stats, coloring, and battle value are completely identical. Which type you get depends on the method: in Sword/Shield, standard wild encounters almost always produce square shinies, while bred or raid shinies are usually star, with square at roughly 1/16.

Question 13

How can I tell if a Pokemon is shiny?

Accepted Answer

Open its summary/status screen: a shiny Pokemon shows a red-and-white star icon (a square icon for square shinies in Sword/Shield) next to its name or gender. Shinies also use an alternate color palette and play a sparkle animation when sent into battle. Pokemon HOME displays the same shiny icon on the Pokemon's details page.

Question 14

Why can't I find Shadow Rider Calyrex in trade searches?

Accepted Answer

Fused Pokemon cannot be traded, so Shadow Rider Calyrex (Calyrex fused with Spectrier) never appears in trades — only base Calyrex, Spectrier, and Glastrier can be traded. To get the rider form, obtain Calyrex and Spectrier separately, then fuse them yourself with the Reins of Unity in Sword/Shield's Crown Tundra. You must unfuse again before trading or moving to HOME.

Question 15

How do fusion Pokemon like Calyrex, Necrozma, and Kyurem work for trading?

Accepted Answer

Fusions must be done on your own save, because fused Pokemon cannot be traded or deposited into HOME. Trade for the components separately — Calyrex plus Glastrier/Spectrier, Necrozma plus Solgaleo/Lunala, Kyurem plus Reshiram/Zekrom — then fuse them with the matching key item. In Sword/Shield, the Reins of Unity come from the Crown Tundra story, and an NPC in Stow-on-Side gives you the N-Solarizer/N-Lunarizer and DNA Splicers once you own the matching legendaries.

Question 16

If a legendary can't be put into Pokemon HOME, can it still be used in online battles?

Accepted Answer

In its origin game, yes — online battles never require HOME, and regulation rules decide legendary eligibility. But Pokemon Champions has no other entry route: Pokemon join only via one-way HOME transfer or Roster Ranch recruitment, so anything that cannot enter HOME cannot reach Champions. Fused legendaries must be unfused first; if HOME rejects a Pokemon as illegal data, using it online risks penalties.

Question 17

What is Eternal Flower Floette (AZ's Floette) and why can't I find it in trades?

Accepted Answer

Eternal Flower Floette is AZ's special Floette, a one-per-save postgame gift in Pokemon Legends Z-A: win 15 Infinite Z-A Royale reward matches to receive it at level 72, OT 'AZ', with its Mega Stone. As a locked gift Pokemon it cannot be traded, so trade searches show nothing. To use it in Pokemon Champions, transfer your own from Z-A through HOME.

Question 18

Why do traded/custom shiny Pokemon come at a fixed level like 54 instead of level 5?

Accepted Answer

Because every Pokemon permanently records where and at what level it was met, and that data must match a real encounter in its origin game. Some species can only be encountered at high levels — for example fixed encounters around level 54 — so a legitimate shiny of them cannot exist at level 5. Level-5 versions would be impossible, flagged as illegal data, and risk online penalties.

Question 19

Can a shiny Pokemon have a specific mark added? How do marks work?

Accepted Answer

Nearly all marks are assigned only at the moment a Pokemon is encountered or caught in Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet — weather, time-of-day, personality, and rare marks depend on the encounter's conditions and cannot be added later. The one notable exception is Scarlet/Violet's Partner Mark, earned after catching by walking with a high-friendship Pokemon. Editing marks onto a Pokemon creates illegal data and risks online penalties.

Question 20

Can ribbons be added to a Pokemon?

Accepted Answer

No — ribbons cannot be customized or added on request. Each ribbon records something that specific Pokemon actually did on its owner's save: beating the league, battle-facility wins, contests, memory ribbons from past games. They are earned only through play, and a traded Pokemon keeps only the ribbons it already earned. Editing ribbons in creates illegal data and risks online penalties.

Question 21

Can you get banned for battling with traded or custom Pokemon?

Accepted Answer

Legitimately caught or traded Pokemon are safe — trading is a core feature and does not trigger penalties. The risk comes from edited or illegal data: Pokemon with impossible stats, marks, levels, or origins can be blocked by HOME and may lead to penalties in ranked play or official events. Nobody can guarantee outcomes for edited Pokemon, so only use Pokemon whose data could exist legitimately.

交換・HOME転送 FAQ