Pokémon Gold Version, Silver Version, and Crystal Version - Breeding

Tags: pokemon-gold-silver-and-crystal, in-depth-guides, breeding

Pokémon Eggs are a new feature in Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version. The Day-Care Center in Route 34 is where Eggs can be discovered. To start, leave two compatible Pokémon (usually one male and one female) to the Day-Care Lady and the Day-Care Man. If the conditions are right, an Egg will be found there.

Egg Waiting Time

The waiting time depends on the species and trainer ID of the Pokémon (the OT names of each Pokémon are not considered). The species and ID will set a value, called X, as follows:

• Same species, different ID: X=254 ("It appears to care for [name].")
• Same species, same ID: X=177 ("It’s friendly with [name].")
• Different species, different ID: X=128 ("It’s friendly with [name].")
• Different species, same ID: X=51 ("It shows interest in [name].")

However, if the Pokémon are incompatible, X will be 0 instead. This will happen if:

• "It has no interest in [name]."
  • Both Pokémon are male or both are female.
  • Both Pokémon are Ditto.
  • One or both of the Pokémon are gender-unknown, unless either Pokémon is a Ditto.
  • The two Pokémon don’t have an Egg group ¹ in common, unless either Pokémon is a Ditto.
  • One or both of the Pokémon are in the "undiscovered" Egg group, even if either Pokémon is a Ditto.
• "It’s brimming with energy."
  • Both Pokémon have the same Defense DV and both Pokémon’s Special DVs are the same or are 8 apart from each other, even if either Pokémon is a Ditto. (This includes when both Pokémon are Shiny Pokémon.)

After two compatible Pokémon are placed in the Day-Care, with every step the player takes there is an X/131072 chance that an Egg will be ready.

The Egg will be calculated as soon as an Egg is taken or rejected from the Day-Care Man, or when two compatible Pokémon are placed in the Day-Care.

After an Egg is received, an "Egg counter" for that Egg is set to the " steps to hatch Egg ² " divided by 256. Every 256 steps the player walks**, the game reduces the "Egg counter" of each Egg in the player’s party by 1. If an Egg’s "Egg counter" reaches 0 or less, it hatches, and the "Egg counters" of Eggs that follow it in order in the player’s party are not reduced. When an Egg hatches, its trainer ID and OT name change to those of the player, and the player will be allowed to nickname the newly hatched Pokémon.

• Egg counter is 41 or greater: "This EGG needs a lot more time to hatch."
• Egg counter is 11-40: "Wonder what’s inside? It needs more time, though."
• Egg counter is 6-10: "It moves around inside sometimes. It must be close to hatching."
• Egg counter is 5 or less: "It’s making sounds inside. It’s going to hatch soon!"

**Internally checks 128 steps before and after each 512-step friendship check.

Species

Moves

The Egg begins at level 5 and initially has all moves it would have up to level 5. The Egg can inherit other moves from the Pokémon left in the Day-Care, in the order in which the male Pokémon’s** moves are listed:

• The Egg will inherit a move if the male Pokémon* knows it and it’s an Egg move ³ for the Egg’s species; if the male Pokémon* knows the move and it can be taught to the Egg’s species through a TM or HM, or, in Pokémon Crystal, through the Move Tutor; or if both Pokémon in the pair know the move and the Egg’s species could learn it by leveling up.

If the Egg would have more than four moves this way, moves from the top of the list are deleted and all duplicates except the last are removed until four moves remain.

*In these cases, if one of the Pokémon in the pair is a Ditto, moves will be inherited by the Pokémon that isn’t Ditto, but only if it’s male or gender-unknown.

**If one of the Pokémon in the pair is a Ditto, this refers to the Pokémon that isn’t Ditto.

DVs

The Egg inherits its DVs from Ditto, if one exists, otherwise from the female Pokémon if the Egg is male, or the male Pokémon if the Egg is female. DVs are inherited as follows:

• Egg’s Attack DV: random, from 0 through 15
• Egg’s Defense DV: Pokémon’s Defense DV
• Egg’s Speed DV: random, from 0 through 15
• Egg’s Special DV: (Either 0 or 8, random) + (Remainder of the Pokémon’s Special DV divided by 8)