Gotta Catch...Some?

[Devalue]

Created the slogan "Gotta Catch 'Em All". Designed some methods that do not require throwing a Pokeball, however. Examples:

• Plot gift Pokemon (besides the starter Pokemon), such as Lapras in X/Y.
• Reviving fossils
• Trading (Version exclusives and some trading exclusives like Red/Blue Farfetch'd)
• Hunting Digletts on Isle of Armor
• Befriending Pokemon on Poke Pelago and in Camp.
• Optional trainer battles (such as Saffron City's Fighting Dojo)
• Game Corner

Would you like more methods of acquiring Pokemon without (directly) catching them in a Pokeball, or does that dilute the formula too much? Is there anything you want to see more or less of? Perhaps ideas of your own?
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Wants to see more alternatives to catching Pokemon. Liked the Game Corner. Worked towards something through luck or grinding money. Counterbalanced some low encounter rates. Never fiddled with the free Pokemon from Poke Pelago and Camp much. Seems good, though.

Views unavoidable gift Pokemon as a bit boring, as well as Diglett seeking. Struggled to see the thin hair of a Diglett poking up. Found some by spamming A near common hiding spots. Was not a bad idea on paper, however.

More ideas:

• Stationed Pokemon to interact with around Ultra Sun/Moon. Why not make them obtainable at a certain friendship level? Could appear wandering through certain areas. Should be repeatable.
• Power up a wild Electric Pokemon with watts for a few days.
• Adopt Pokemon at an abandoned Pokemon center. Costs a small fee. Consists of lower level Pokemon. Gives you some kind of reward for showing someone there a high friendship Pokemon you adopted from the center. (Unlocks higher level, more difficult Pokemon too.)

 

[Orion☆]

You know, as much as I rag on some fan games, I too would like to see more sidequests that feature a certain Pokémon as a reward rather than an object - just as in those fan games.

I'm also especially keen on the idea of wild Pokémon wandering in during Pokémon Camp sessions and wanting you to take them. I have never had the luck of meeting one, but I would like it to be more frequent. It's such a cute idea!

 

[Sheep]

More of these methods would be lovely, with some exceptions... Those exceptions being trading. I don't think we need version exclusives anymore (alas, two versions sell more than just having one) and would rather all the Pokémon be available in the game through other means. Even if it's a little tedious and requires some work, like Game Corner rewards.

Also gotta agree with Vielleroue re: wild mons wandering in during camping. Just have to make it work a bit better and it would be really cute and personal!

 

[ReKoil]

How about some random encounters where a Pokemon is in trouble and needs your help? The Pokemon would be visibe in the overworld, but what mon it is would depend on the route and time and perhaps even how many badges you have.
Pretty much just mini missions/quests that are optional and if completed will result in the Pokemon walking up to you and joining you whenever you are on the route where you helped it. Could result in you always fighting anyone or any mon on that route 2 vs 1 in the future. Or having it at your side could help deter certain wild Pokemon to influence what you can encounter (like, maybe rarer mons would show more often).

There could be various 'in trouble' situations. Perhaps it's hungry and can't find any food. Share some berries with it =D
Or perhaps it's being bullied by a pack of Pokemon and you have to defeat them.
Or maybe it's too shy to profess it's love to another mon it fancies and you either back them up as moral support or give it something to help impress their crush ^.^
Or perhaps it needs to get across a river and can't swim or fly. You'd help it across =3
And so on....

[*]Adopt Pokemon at an abandoned Pokemon center. Costs a small fee. Consists of lower level Pokemon. Gives you some kind of reward for showing someone there a high friendship Pokemon you adopted from the center. (Unlocks higher level, more difficult Pokemon too.)
[/list]

I love this idea ^.^

 

[Corveone]

Yeah, wouldn't mind more methods for obtaining Pokémon without catching. I considered doing "no catching" runs a few times, but there are very limited options and I'm not sure you can even have a full team in some of the games. I think some people count in-game trades but that doesn't make sense to me since you need to catch the Pokémon asked by the other trainer to make the trade anyway.

Especially for Legendaries, being able to catch and collect them like you do with any mundane Pokémon is very weird from a lore standpoint (I don't catch them most of the time anymore for that reason). They're supposed to be unique species so I think they should just join your party in other ways whenever the plot or something requires it.

 

[Fairy]

I would love more narrative driven options for getting Pokémon! Fessing them, earning their trust, having them visit campsites/equivalent in future games, reaching certain friendship thresholds, adopting from other trainers.. any method would be neat! ◟(๑•͈ᴗ•͈)◞

 

[Megan]

I think this is where getting more exploration driven gameplay in the games could be very handy. Maybe there's some old ruins that require you to solve puzzles. And at the end you could find a chamber with a Poke Ball containing a long forgotten Ghost type or something. It doesn't even need to be a legendary (and no catching would be necessary).

You could also have certain Pokemon as side quest rewards. We could even have some sort of "soft trading requirement". Trade Evolutions still exist, but there's at least some ingame options to obtain the trade exclusive Pokemon.

Challenge rewards are an option, as well. You get a team of Pokemon that you have to use in certain battles and when you're done you are allowed to keep some of them depending on how well you did.

Gen 2's Shuckle sidequest was also something they could expand on: you get a Pokemon and have to return it at some point. But if you treat it well you may be allowed to keep it, instead.

Gift Pokemon could also be handled differently. Instead of someone handing it over to you something in the story could happen that makes you encounter that Pokemon and kinda forces you two to stick together which then results in the player getting it "gifted".
Example: at some point you lose all the Pokemon you have so in the meantime another (wild?) Pokemon helps you out. Once you get all your Pokemon back it decides to stay with you. This is also a way to add some difficulty to the game.

 

[Janp]

I would love more options. Most of them were already mentioned here. Another one that comes to mind is series of side-quests that lead to new Pokémon alá Yo-kai Watch. I would also like to see more puzzle-based encounters like Regi trio in RSE.