Trade machine

First appearing in the Generation I games, a trade machine is the in-game device that players use to trade Pokémon between game cartridges, in addition to the real-world Game Link Cable that actually connected information between the games. Players could access these machines at any Pokémon Center in the game by speaking with said Pokémon Center's Cable Club receptionist.

The trade machine is also a device located underneath Pokémon Centers in and. It allows the undefined to trade Pokémon between Orre and the faraway regions of Kanto and Hoenn.

In the anime
Trade machines have been used in multiple episodes of the. They are used to trade Pokémon between s, and are usually located in Pokémon Centers. The first was seen aboard the S.S. Anne, in Battle Aboard the St. Anne, but many more have been seen throughout the main series. It was through this method that Jessie obtained her in Tricks of the Trade.

Another trade machine appeared in Throwing the Track Switch, in which two Trainers were seen trading their and. Later, and  used the machine to perform a trade, with Ash sending  to Dawn in exchange for. The trade took place because Aipom wanted to compete in Pokémon Contests while Buizel had trouble adjusting to Contest Battle tactics, as he preferred the standard Pokémon battle format.

Trade evolution was showcased in Evolution Exchange Excitement!, in which and Professor Juniper traded their  and, respectively, to trigger their. Another trade evolution occurred in A Festival Trade! A Festival Farewell?, where the that Jessie had traded for Count Pumpka's  evolved into  after the trade. Afterwards, the two Pokémon were traded back to their original owners.