Pokémon Gold Version, Silver Version, and Crystal Version - Diversification Values
Diversification Values, or DVs, range from 0 through 15. These values can differ between two Pokémon of the same species and define a particular Pokémon’s stat potential rather than the stat potential of its species. There are four different stats a Pokémon has DVs for--Attack DV, Defense DV, Special DV, and Speed DV. A Pokémon begins with randomly generated DVs. There is a fifth kind of DV -- the HP DV -- which is determined by using all four of the other DVs. The DVs a Pokémon gets are permanent and can’t be changed.
Some people use the Determination Value, the gene, and the Individual Value to refer to Diversification Values. Of these other names, "Individual Value" is probably the most common.
The Special DV determines the Special Attack and Special Defense stats.
Finding the HP DV
The HP DV is calculated from the Attack, Defense, Special, and Speed DVs.
HP DV = A + B + C + D
where:
- A=0. If Attack DV is odd, A=8.
- B=0. If Defense DV is odd, B=4.
- C=0. If Speed DV is odd, C=2.
- D=0. If Special DV is odd, D=1.
Shiny Pokémon
Shiny Pokémon are special colored Pokémon with Defense, Special, and Speed DVs of 10; and an Attack DV of either 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, or 15. The shiny red Gyarados in the Lake of Rage has an Attack DV of 15. Because only the Attack DV can vary, Shiny Pokémon always have an HP DV of either 0 or 8.