Generation II

The second generation (Japanese:  second generation) of Pokémon games, referred to as the Gold & Silver series in 's box blurb and instruction manual, and sometimes called the metal generation or metallic generation by older players due to the names of the paired versions, is a sequel to the Generation I games, , , and.

Beginning with Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver and later joined by, Generation II began the Pokémon series' expansion-focused nature, introducing to the world which did not exist and are unable to be obtained in the Generation I games, and the new region of Johto. Many of these Pokémon expand the evolution families of older Pokémon, while a majority of them are brand-new evolutionary families.

The initial hint that Generation II was on its way came in early 1997, with the release of the 's first episode. A Pokémon appears to Ash Ketchum on the first day of his journey, shortly after he and become friends, that cannot be identified by the Pokédex. This magnificent golden bird, later revealed to be the Legendary mascot of Gold Version,, was the first Pokémon from a future generation to debut in the anime. The games, initially named directly as "Pocket Monsters 2", were set for release in late 1997, but were pushed back to 1999 with the intention to redevelop the games to work with the Game Boy Color better.

Details in the games indicate that the storyline of the Generation II games occurs three years after the one in Generation I and Generation III, while the storyline of the Sinnoh-based Generation IV games indicate that they occur contemporaneously to Generation II as Generation I does to Generation III.  Generation II/List of Pokémon|Pokémon List