Pokémon Platinum - Battle Arcade

General

The items held by each Pokémon before a Battle Arcade challenge begins will be taken and then given back when the challenge ends.

In a Battle Arcade challenge, before each battle begins, the challenger enters the room and each Trainer’s party is shown, or more specifically, the icons of each Pokémon and whether each Pokémon is holding an item. Then the player activates a "game board" filled with different events. The event that happens depends on the symbol the game board lands on. Then the battle starts (except if the game board landed on the "Circular arrow" symbol, see below).

The Game Board

The game board is a 4x4 square grid. Here is how the game board is set up.

First the game determines how well the previous battle went. To do that, it calculates a score as follows. (Skipped battles are ignored. If there was no previous battle in the challenge, the score will be 0.)

• Start with a score of 0.
• If number of turns the battle lasted is:
  • 3 or less, add 10 to the score.
  • 4 or 5, add 6 to the score.
  • 6 or 7, add 4 to the score.
  • 8 or 9, add 2 to the score.
  • 10 or more, the score remains unchanged.
• If the number of fainted Pokémon controlled by the player and his or her partner (if any) is:
  • zero, add 6 to the score.
  • one, add 4 to the score.
  • two, add 2 to the score.
  • three or more, the score remains unchanged.
• If the number of Pokémon that are poisoned, burned, paralyzed, frozen, or asleep and are controlled by the player and his or her partner (if any) is:
  • zero, add 8 to the score.
  • one, add 6 to the score.
  • two, add 4 to the score.
  • three or more, the score remains unchanged.

After calculating the score, the game fills each place in the board with a square. There are four categories of square: Red side, blue side, weather/board movement, and miscellaneous. The chance that a square of a particular category will appear will depend on the score, as shown below:

Within each category, each available square has an equal chance of occurring. Also, the square previously stopped on in the last game board of the challenge won’t appear on the next game board.

For the battle with the Arcade Star, only the "Spark" square is a valid miscellaneous square that can appear on the game board.

Once the game board is shown before each battle, the board cursor will start at a random position and, by default, will move from left to right, then from top to bottom across the board. It will move 900 times before it stops by itself, although the player can press the button to stop it earlier.

Available Squares

Each place in the 4x4 grid contains a square, which is randomly chosen, as detailed above, from the choices given below. The selection of squares varies with the number of consecutive challenges won.

Red Side and Blue Side

Symbols with a blue background affect the player, and symbols with a red background affect the other Trainer.

• -HP - Each Pokémon starts with 4/5 of its maximum HP, rounded up. Available with 1 or more consecutive challenges won.
• Lv+ - Each Pokémon starts with its level raised by 3 (but not to more than 100) for the battle. Available with 1 or more consecutive challenges won.
• Berry - Each Pokémon will have the same Berry, chosen at random from the list below, before the battle. (Held items will carry over between battles.) Available with 0, 1, 2, and 6 or more consecutive challenges won.
  • 0, 1, or 2 challenges won: Aspear/Cheri/Chesto/Lum/Pecha/Persim/Rawst/Sitrus
  • 6 or more challenges won: Apicot/Ganlon/Lansat/Liechi/Lum/Persim/Petaya/Salac/Sitrus/Starf
• Bag - Each Pokémon will have the same item, chosen at random from the list below, before the battle. (Held items will carry over between battles.) Available with 3 or more consecutive challenges won.
  • 3 to 5 challenges won: Black Sludge, Expert Belt, Iron Ball, Lagging Tail, Life Orb, Muscle Band, Power Herb, Scope Lens, Shell Bell, White Herb, Wide Lens, Wise Glasses, Zoom Lens
  • 6 or more challenges won: Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, Expert Belt, Focus Band, Focus Sash, Leftovers, Life Orb, Scope Lens, Wide Lens, Zoom Lens
• Bolt, Skull, Flame - Each Pokémon becomes paralyzed, poisoned, or burned, respectively, before the battle, unless it can’t because of its type or ability. Available with 0, 2, and 6 or more consecutive challenges won. (A Ground-type Pokémon won’t become paralyzed by this effect.)
• Zzz, Snowflake - Each Pokémon falls asleep or becomes frozen, respectively, before the battle, unless it can’t because of its type or ability. Available with 4 or more consecutive challenges won.

Weather and Board Movement

• Sun, Raindrop, Tornado, Snowman - The effect of Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, or Hail, respectively, will begin and last indefinitely. Available with 1, 2, and 6 or more consecutive challenges won.
• Cloud - Fog will begin and last indefinitely. Available with 3, 5, and 6 or more consecutive challenges won.
• Concentric squares - The effect of Trick Room will begin and last for five turns, starting with the first turn of the battle. Available with 3, 5, and 6 or more consecutive challenges won.
• Board and up arrow - The board cursor will move faster the next time the game board appears in the current challenge. Always available.
• Board and down arrow - The board cursor will move slower the next time the game board appears in the current challenge. Available with 0, 1, 2, and 6 or more consecutive challenges won.
• Board and question mark - The board cursor will move randomly the next time the game board appears in the current challenge. Always available.

Miscellaneous

• Spark - Nothing happens. Always available.
• BP - The player earns 1 BP. Available with 3 or more consecutive challenges won.
• BP+ - The player earns 3 BP. Available with 6 or more consecutive challenges won.
• Arrows on red and blue - The player uses the Pokémon that the other Trainer has during battle, and vice versa. Available with 4 or more consecutive challenges won.
• Circular arrow - The player skips the next battle. Available with 4 or more consecutive challenges won.