Trading Pokemon

Learn how trading works in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, including the obedience system tied to gym badges and the experience boost for traded Pokémon.

In order to get Pokémon you do not have or that do not appear in the game, you trade for them with other friends or people in-game. Traded Pokémon get an experience boost for every battle (150% boost), but there is a flaw: to control traded Pokémon, you must have the appropriate badge. For example, if you've been given a level 100 Mewtwo to beat the game with ease, you're in for a nasty surprise when the Pokémon falls asleep on you in the middle of battle. For example, the 2nd badge (the Knuckle Badge) allows traded Pokémon level 30 and under to obey you. If you had only two badges with a traded Pokémon at level 35, its chances of obeying you will be pretty low. It could do things such as not attack completely, fall asleep, or use a different move instead.

This is how the obeying system goes:

Stone Badge (1st badge)

Pokémon up to level 10 will obey you

Knuckle Badge (2nd badge)

Pokémon up to level 30 will obey you

Heat Badge (4th badge)

Pokémon up to level 50 will obey you

Feather Badge (6th badge)

Pokémon up to level 70 will obey you

Rain Badge (8th badge)

Any Pokémon will obey you, regardless of level

Remember: Pokémon obeying you only applies for TRADED Pokémon, not Pokémon that have the same trainer ID as yours (meaning it is your Pokémon and you caught it in the wild, etc). Pokémon that are yours will listen to you no matter what level they are at and how far you are into the game. So you could raise your Mudkip to a level 75 Swampert before you get the first badge and it'll still listen to you, even if that would take forever.