Use A to choose and B to go back. Keyboard defaults: Z or Space for A, X or Esc for B, and Enter for Start.

Meet a Trainer and stay in touch

Once you have the PAL PAD, click a nearby Trainer in the world and choose ADD FRIEND. Confirm the request; the other Trainer must accept before the friendship opens private contact.

Trainers Alice, Noel, and Emma with their partners at the Trade Station.
Click a nearby Trainer to open their in-game menu and arrange a direct trade.

Use People to find nearby Trainers and manage friend requests. On a phone, open Menu first. For an accepted online friend on another map, open ITEM → KEY ITEMS → PAL PAD, choose the friend, then the action you want. Direct trade and battle invitations stay in these in-game menus.

Accepted friends listed in the native Pal Pad.
Choose an accepted friend in the Pal Pad to open the in-game contact choices.

If an action is unavailable, check that both players are online, have the Pal Pad and are free to respond. A Trainer visible across a map join may still be on a different map; meet on the same map for nearby actions.

Trade directly with another player

Click a Trainer on your map, choose TRADE/BATTLE, then TRADE. For an accepted online friend elsewhere, use the Pal Pad instead. Wait for the invitation to be accepted, then select a party Pokémon.

TRADE, BATTLE and BACK in a nearby friend’s native menu.
Open TRADE/BATTLE on a nearby Trainer, then choose TRADE.

Both sides review the proposed exchange and confirm it. Check the species, level and original Trainer before agreeing. If either choice is wrong, cancel before committing. Let the transfer finish and press A when the received Pokémon is shown. Keep the game open until you return to the trade menu.

Trades exchange the actual Pokémon, including its moves and training. Received Pokémon can be above your current training limit; obedience still follows that limit. For trading with someone who is offline, post a Trade Station offer instead.

Browse the Trade Station

Go upstairs in a Pokémon Center and enter the left meeting room, Trade Station. Interact with either machine and choose BROWSE. You can also look through offers on the website, then return to the game to make the exchange.

Trade Station listings for Kadabra, Graveler, and Vulpix, each showing the wanted species.
Each entry shows the Pokémon offered, its level, and the species wanted in return.

Each listing names the offered Pokémon, its level and the wanted species. You can browse offers for Pokémon you have not seen. Check your party and PC for the requested species before opening an exchange.

Check and accept an offer

Choose a listing to inspect it. OT means original Trainer; it can differ from the player posting the offer. Use A for actions and choose STATS to inspect the Pokémon more closely.

Alice’s level 26 Kadabra offer, asking for a Haunter.
Check the offered Pokémon, its Trainer, and the wanted species before choosing a match.

Choose TRADE, select the matching species from your party or PC, then read both sides of the final question. Confirm YES only for the exchange you want. No money is involved. The received Pokémon joins your party if there is room, otherwise your PC. Leave a healthy party Pokémon available and room to receive your new partner.

Post an offer that stays available

At the machine, choose DEPOSIT and select the Pokémon you want to offer from your party or PC. Next, choose the species you want in return. You can request species you have seen; unseen entries stay dashed.

Choosing a Haunter from the party and PC selection screen.
Choose the Pokémon you want to offer from your party or your PC.
The wanted Pokémon list, with known names and dashed unseen entries.
Choose a species you have seen. Dashed entries are not available to select yet.

Read the confirmation and choose YES to deposit. That exact Pokémon leaves your usable team or PC while the offer is active. You can keep one deposited offer at a time, and other players can accept it while you are offline.

Return to MY OFFER to check its result or take back an available offer. An offer already held for an exchange cannot be withdrawn at that moment. Follow the game’s receipt when your Pokémon arrives and press A to finish receiving it.

Check what will evolve

Kadabra, Machoke, Graveler and Haunter evolve when traded. Their level alternatives and the full evolution instructions have one home in the catching and evolution guide.

For a fixed-price sale instead of a species swap, use buying and selling on PokéMarket. Its offers use the right meeting room.

Choose a player-battle format

Choose BATTLE from a nearby Trainer’s TRADE/BATTLE menu, or invite an accepted online friend through the Pal Pad. Choose a format before sending the invitation:

  • NORMAL keeps your Pokémon’s levels.
  • BALANCED uses level-50 teams and excludes Mewtwo.
  • CANCEL returns without sending the invitation.
NORMAL, BALANCED and CANCEL in the native battle-format chooser.
Read the format rules, then choose the kind of battle you want.

Both formats begin with healed battle copies, even if a partner in your adventure is fainted or has used its moves. Each turn waits for both players’ choices. Items cannot be used, and the battle awards no adventure EXP or prize money. Choose RUN to surrender.

When the battle ends, your adventure team’s HP, status, move uses and levels remain as they were before it. A lost connection ends the encounter; a battle without a confirmed result does not count as a win.

Give an item or money

Meet on the same map, click the other Trainer and choose GIVE. Choose an item and quantity, or enter a money amount. Check the recipient and amount before sending. The other player gets a YES/NO question naming you and the exact gift.

Choosing a Potion from the native gift-item list.
Choose the item you want to give before setting its quantity.
The final Yes/No question for one Potion to Alex.
Check the recipient and exact gift before saying YES.

Keep the game open while it finishes. If the other Trainer refuses or the offer expires, your gift returns. If the game says an item cannot be given away, pick a different gift. Money gifts come from carried cash; withdraw savings first if needed.

Talk or watch while you play

Press C or choose Write a nearby message to speak in the world. Nearby messages are public to the players who can see them. Use Messages for a private conversation with an accepted friend instead.

A friend’s phone profile showing Message and Watch game.
Select a Trainer in People to find Message and Watch game.

Open People, choose an available player and select Watch game to view their shared game while keeping your own adventure open. The viewer’s window or tab depends on your browser. Close the viewer when you are done; watching does not give control of the other game.

For any request, finish reading its names and choices before responding. If the other player is busy, let them finish and try again rather than opening another adventure in the same account.