By Matt
The Pokemon Day-Care has, for generations, entertained us by offering to take care of our Pokemon. Believe it or not, this was the pioneering of breeding Pokemon. The Day-Care is run by a nameless elderly couple, known as the Day-Care Lady and Day-Care Man. Usually, Day-Care centers are found on Routes, but are close to cities. The Day-Care in Pokemon Black and White version are on Route 3, which is right next to Striaton City.
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Day-Care is located right before Goldenrod City. But location doesn’t matter, as long as the Day-Care can do what it does: provide you with Pokemon Eggs that turn into first-stage Pokemon. But besides breeding, Pokemon can also level up over time. The cost for keeping them in the Day-Care is relatively easy to figure out: it is 100 Poke Dollars, plus 100 for every level it gains. Of course, keeping your Pokemon in the Day-Care for a set amount of time will not level it up.
To prevent abuse of the game for players who will keep the game on, experience is gained by simply going about with other business. In other words, you have to take steps if you want results, like receiving Eggs.
In Black and White, the Day-Care man will notify you if your party has room when he has an Egg. HeartGold and SoulSilver have the calling feature, which allows the Day-Care Man to call you when he has an Egg ready for pickup. The Day-Care Lady runs the main office, which allows you to check on your Pokemon’s progress in leveling up. The Day-Care Man is located outside, and will tell you when he has an Egg ready.
In older games, there was no way of instant notifications of Eggs. This was remedied by having the Day-Care Man change his usual position. Instead of facing straight, he would either be found out one step, or change the direction he was facing. Of course, if you could anticipate when the Day-Care Man had the Egg ready, you could talk to him. The Day-Care Man also tells you how compatible the two Pokemon are.
Basically, the rules for breeding are that you can’t have two Pokemon of the same gender breed, or breed with a genderless Pokemon. Pokemon in different Egg groups can’t breed, which I will explain some other time. The Day-Care is mentioned on television, when they broadcast programs based off your trainer. Their “independent research” will tell you how many Pokemon you have left at the Day-Care.
From game to game, the Day-Care has changed its aesthetic look outside. The older games, plus Black and White, feature several Pokemon running or staying stationery outside. HeartGold and SoulSilver actually show whatever Pokemon you have left. But regardless, the Day-Care provides us with the EV trained, battle-ready Pokemon that we use in competitions. It is a concept that is needed, but sadly overlooked; however, we can attribute our victories in competitions to the Day-Care.
Tags: Heart Gold, Nintendo DS, Pokemon Black & White, Soul Silver