How to Complete your National Pokédex in Generation 5

• Due Diligence!  The first step to completing your Pokédex is taking it upon yourself to find and catch every obtainable Pokemon in your game.  Sure, you want to run around the tall grass and defeat all the wild Pokemon in your path to level up your team.  But keep an eye on that Pokeball indicator next to your opponent’s name – it will show you whether or not you’ve already caught this particular Pokemon.  If you don’t see a Pokeball next to their name, then you need to CATCH IT NOW!  Also keep an eye out for special WIFI and Local Wireless Mystery Gift events, as they are often giving away hard-to-find Pokemon or those who weren’t really available before.
• Get Some Balls!  All puns aside, you need to have a LOT of Pokeballs in your arsenal if you want to catch as many Pokemon as possible.  This might be easier to do once you’ve advanced far in the game and have a lot of money.  The best Pokeballs for this purpose are:
  • Ultra Balls – The most trustworthy general-use Pokeballs available.
  • Dusk Balls – Not only for in caves!  These balls are very useful at night, they can be used to catch any Pokemon!  I often play at night and this makes it a lot easier.
  • Quick Balls – For the lazy!  Just kidding.  Quick balls are awesome; I always throw one of these before doing ANYTHING else.  They are most effective if thrown during the first turn of a Pokemon battle.  I’ve actually caught SEVERAL Legendary Pokemon with Quick Balls, if you can believe that.
  • Timer Balls – Opposite of a Quick Ball, these are only effective after many, many turns in a Pokemon battle.  Basically, if you’ve thrown 15 Ultra Balls with no success, I’d recommend trying some Timer Balls at this point.  If a Quick Ball doesn’t work at the start, the Timer Ball *should* work at the end of a long battle.
• Enlist Your Friends!  It’s very likely that if you have, for example, Pokemon Black… that you have a friend who has Pokemon White.  You can work with your friends to catch spares of needed Pokemon for each other, especially if you need a game-exclusive Pokemon.  Keep in mind that many Pokemon require being traded to evolve, so if you trade with a friend, you can BOTH get a record for that evolution for your Pokedex’es.  Just make sure your friend is willing to trade your evolved Pokemon back to you!
• Dust Off Your Older Games!  Using the Pokemon Transfer Machine allows you to migrate older generation Pokemon to your newest generation game.  This can really help to reduce the number of Pokemon that you need to catch in the wild.  I also recommend that if you have a Pokemon that is fully evolved in an older game, transfer it over.  Then you can just breed and evolve the lower evolutions in Black/White, making for slightly less work and potentially one less evolution stone you have to use.  Keep in mind that you need access to two DS systems to use the Transfer Machine.  (Ask your friends for help with this too if needed!)
• Don’t Forget the GTS!  If you’ve battled against a Pokemon with another Trainer, then that Pokemon will be indicated as “seen” in your Pokédex.  Obviously this isn’t the same as obtained, but it’s a step in the right direction.  Any Pokemon that is listed as “seen” or “obtained” in your Pokedex is available to be requested in the GTS.  (For those who haven’t used the GTS before, it stands for the Global Trade Station.  This service can be found in the top floor of your Pokemon Center in Black/White on the far right side.  If you are playing an older game, the GTS is a stand-alone building in HG/SS/D/P/Pt.  You might have to unlock it first, a quick Google search will explain all that to you.)  As long as you have “seen” the desired Pokemon in your game, you can request to trade for it using the GTS.  Keep in mind that the rarity of the Pokemon will influence how many people will be willing to trade one to you.  Be sure to offer a Pokemon of equal rarity or something in high demand (like Eevee’s or starter Pokemon) to ensure that someone will want to trade with you.
• The Internet Is Your Friend Too!  There are many forums, fan sites and Facebook groups dedicated to Pokemon.  If you are a registered member of a site like this, you can post a request for someone to help you.  Maybe someone like me is out there with EVERY Pokemon, and all you have to do is ask if anyone will trade with you.  You never know until you try!  Be specific when you post a trade request.  Don’t just say, “Someone help me with my Pokedex!”  Instead, say, “Does anyone have a Drapion to trade?  I can offer this, this or this…”  If you want strangers to help you, be fair with your trade and be specific so you will be noticed!
• Be Patient!  This is a long process.  It took me YEARS to find all the Pokemon.  You have to do a lot of breeding and training.  As long as you are committed to it, you can do it!

Good luck on your Pokédex Quest!  🙂