Like I said in the last Pokémon book, there’s a lot to know about the game. Now there is even more to know! Because Pokémon is not just a video game anymore. It’s a card game. It’s a television show. A lot of different things.
Of course, with so many different games, a complete dictionary or glossary that included everything would take an entire book. So what I did was to list some of the most important things, along with what they mean.
Ash: Ash Ketchum, a young boy and the hero of the story.
Badge: You win Badges during the game play when you do something good. There are eight different Badges in the game, like the Boulder Badge, the Earth Badge and the Rainbow Badge. You will need Badges to win the game. See the section on Badges for complete details of what powers they give you and your Pokémon Party.
Booster Pack: A pack of Pokémon trading cards that includes 11 individual cards ranging from the Common to the Rare. Serious players of the game buy boosters to customize their sets while kids who trade will buy boosters looking for valued cards.
Boss: Video game slang for the bad guy you have to fight. The Bosses in Pokémon are Junior Trainers and Gym Leaders. Some Bosses are powerful, like the Gym Leaders. Other Bosses are less powerful, like the Junior Trainers.
Brock: A trainer and opponent in the video game, but a friend to Ash and Pikachu in the TV show. The same is true for Misty.
Cable Club: The Cable Clubs are located in the Poké Center. You can go there to either trade Pokémon or challenge a friend to battle. You must go to the Cable Club to trade or fight even if you are using a Color Game Boy with infrared connection.
Car: Short for the word “cartridge.” You may also see or hear the word game-cart, which is a “game cartridge.” Inside the cartridge, which goes into your Game Boy, is the software (computer language) that holds your Pokémon adventure. You wouldn’t think that such a little cartridge could hold so much fun, would you? The words “cart” and “cartridge” are also used to describe “console game” software. Console games are the ones you play with a system like Nintendo 64 and hook up with your television.
Colosseum: An arena where you can battle friends by linking two Game Boys together.
Common: In Pokémon, the word “Common” means that there are a lot of them. Pokémon that are easy to find and a lot of them exist in the game are said to be “common.” Pokémon that are difficult to find and there are very few of them are called “Rare.”
Elemental Stone: There are five different stones that Pokémon need to evolve. They are Water, Moon, Thunder, Fire, and Leaf stones. You can simply buy them in the Celadon store or find them in Item Balls. The Moon stone can be found in dungeons.
Elite Four: You will encounter the Elite Four near the end of the game. In fact, the Elite Four are the four biggest battle challenges of the game. They are four trainers, Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, and Lance. All have Pokémon with levels above 50! And each one specializes in a different type of Pokémon.
Evolve: When a Pokémon changes (grows) into another form through experience. Evolved Pokémon are stronger and better fighters. However, not every Pokémon evolves. The ones that don’t evolve into anything else are more rare and valuable.
EXP: (Experience): A Pokémon becomes more skilled in battle and can even evolve when his experience level rises. With each battle your Pokémon will become more experienced.
Faint: What a Pokémon does in battle if he is not up to fighting an opponent.
FAQ: This is a common term used in video game books or internet sites. FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. It’s pronounced like the word “facts,” so it sounds like what it is.
GBC: This is short for Game Boy Color.
Game Pack (also Game Pak and just plain Pak): This is the game cartridge that contains the software that is the game. The Game Boy “reads” the information stored in the cartridge depending on what buttons you push to play the game. The words game pack, pack, and pak are also used to describe “console game” software.
Gary: Your main rival in the game and Professor Oak’s grandson.
Gym: Found in the cities and towns, Gyms are where you test your Pokémon against the Trainers’ Pokémon.
Gym Leader (sometimes called Trainers): These are your major opponents in the game. They can be found in the Gyms in the major cities. There are eight Gym Leaders and when you defeat them they will give you things, like Badges and Technical Machines. Gym Leaders are the bosses of Junior Trainers.
(Junior) Gym Leader (also called Junior Trainers): Like Gym Leaders, only not as powerful. If you have trouble with the Juniors, then it’s a good idea to level up with some power before facing the Bosses.
Health Point (also called HP): These are the points or measurement of how healthy your Pokémon is during the game. A battle may deplete (use up) some HPs, but you can usually cure your Pokémon and get more Health Points by using a potion.
Hidden Machines (also called HM): Like Technical Machines (TM) they give your Pokémon new battle moves. However, unlike Technical Machines they can be reused for as long as the game goes on. In fact, once a Pokémon learns a Hidden Machine skill, he has that skill forever. There are tons of Technical Machines, but only a few of the Hidden Machines. Both Technical Machines and Hidden Machines have to be given to a Pokémon type who is able to use them. A Machine for a Grass Type Pokémon will not help a Water Type very much.
Jesse/James: Two members of Team Rocket in the TV show.
Level (also called LV): The amount of skill a Pokémon has gotten in his battles and training. The Level (or LV) of a Pokémon will give you an idea of how well it will do against an opponent. Pokémon is different than other RPG games where the word “Level” refers to where you are in the game. For instance, the Third Level is the Magic Dragon’s Dungeon. In Pokémon, the word “level” mostly means the strength of your Pokémon character. When your Pokémon has gained enough points he can then level up, which means get new skills or evolve.
Misty: In the video game she is a trainer and an opponent, but in the TV show she’s one of Ash’s friends. The same is true for Brock.
NES: This means Nintendo Entertainment System. It was an earlier video game console system that ran some of the best games of its time. In Pokémon it’s the game that Ash plays in his room in Pallet Town.
Oak: Also called Professor Oak. He’s the world’s biggest expert on Pokémon.
Party: This is usually when a bunch of friends come over to eat cake and wear funny hats. However, when you talk about a “Pokémon Party,” it usually means the group of Pokémon you’ve collected and are using in the game.
Pikachu: Hey, do you really have to ask? Come on, I’ve got better things to do than to sit around writing about Pikachu. I’m a busy guy! Actually, I really don’t have anything better to do. Sad but true. Okay, Pikachu, or Pika to his friends, is the #25 Pokémon and “Poké-star” of the game. He’s also the star of the TV show, hero of countless books, and a movie star. I know, I know, he’s cute and deserves it all, but I remember him back when he was just an “Electric” Type.
PKMN: Means Pokémon.
Poké Ball: The thing in which you capture your Pokémon. It’s round and comes in different versions: the regular Poké Ball, the Great Ball, the Ultra Ball, and the Master Ball. There is also the Safari Ball, which is only good in the Safari Zone.
Pokémon: The word is Japanese and means—as if you didn’t know—“Pocket Monster.”
Pokémon Center: Like the Poké Mart, the Poké Center is a good place for supplies … and more. You can find a new box at a center, plus you can heal and feed your Pokémon there. You go to the center when you want to trade Pokémon with friends. And you can use the computers there to store and check up on your collection of Pokémon. The Pokémon Center is one of your most valuable tools in the game. They are located in every city.
Poké Mart: A store where a lot of different things can be bought. At a Poké Mart you can buy supplies such as Poké Balls, potions, antidotes, and other items you will need to complete the adventure.
PP: This stands for Power Points, the amount of strength you have left when in battle or about to go into battle or having just finished battle. And yes, I know what else PP is, so you can stop giggling now.
Pokédex: A listing of all Pokémon that players get from Professor Oak.
Pokémon Snap: Also called just plain “Snap.” A Pokémon video game for the Nintendo 64 console system in which you track and photograph Pokémon on Pokémon Island for Professor Oak.
Potion: A potion is a kind of medicine that can heal a Pokémon after he has been hurt in battle. Potions can be bought in the Poké Marts located all around the game. Also, potions are only one kind of medicine that Pokémon need. There are all kinds of medicines that help heal injured Pokémon. They include antidotes, burn heal, ice heal, and others.
Power Points (PP): A measure of how much power a Pokémon has. Moves require power points. To regain power points when running low, you need to go to a Poké Center.
Rare: When a Pokémon is difficult to find or can only be found in a few places, it is called “Rare.”
Role-Playing Game (RPG): This is a video game—like Pokémon—where you are the hero in a strange world. It is your job to walk around the world and solve problems, like collecting Pokémon. It’s like exploring.
Route: The places in the game that run from one area to another. Routes are like roads (or tunnels or forests) that you must travel to get from one place to another. Lots of action takes place on these Routes, so when traveling you better keep alert.
Skill: The way in which your Pokémon fights in a battle. Some Pokémon skills are learned and others are natural. A Pokémon can get skills either by reaching a certain level or by use of a Technical Machine (TM) or Hidden Machine (HM).
Satoshi Tajiri: The real inventor of Pokémon—the guy who came up with the idea for the original game. Satoshi is also the name given to the Ash character in the Japanese version.
Team Rocket: The bad guys in the TV show and the video game. In the TV show Team Rocket is made up of Jesse, James, and Meowth.
TCG: (Trading Card Game): It’s pretty simple really, the game is played with trading cards. So you can either just trade the cards for fun with your friends or play the game. The cards currently come in large sets like the two-player starter set that includes two three-card sets; the basic set that includes 102 cards; and in booster packs of 11 cards apiece.
Technical Machines (TM): Technical Machines and Hidden Machines (HM) give your Pokémon new battle moves. Technical Machines can only be used once in battle and a Pokémon can store up to four different skills at a time. Both Technical Machines and Hidden Machines have to be given to a Pokémon type who is able to use them.
Todd: The photographer character you play in Pokémon Snap. Unlike Ash who is a kid, Todd is a teenager.
Trading: The game feature that allows you to exchange one Pokémon character for another. Some of the trading is done in the game. However, the main trading is done with two players who both have Game Boys. A cable (sold separately) connects the two units and they can trade Pokémon back and forth. Once you trade a Pokémon with a friend, you can trade back at any time.
Types: Pokémon come in 15 different types. These are: Normal, Grass, Water, Fire, Poison, Dragon, Ground, Rock, Flying, Psychic, Electric, Ghost, Bug, Fighting, and Ice.
Walk-Through: This is another common video game term. So you’ll find it for other games, not just Pokémon. A walk-through is step-by-step instructions for every level of the game. Sometimes a walk-through is simply written down and other times it may contain actual maps.
Wizards of the Coast: Also called just plain “Wizards” and “WoTC.” They’re the company that first came out with the Pokémon cards.
Zero-One: The land, sea, and air vehicle you ride around in when you play Pokémon Snap.