Pokémon Bank

The Pokémon Bank (Japanese: ポケモンバンク Pokémon Bank) is a downloadable online application for the Nintendo 3DS that is available for the. It serves as a complement to the Pokémon Storage System, and is compatible with Pokémon X and Y, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon Sun and Moon, and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

A companion application, Poké Transporter, also allows for the Generation V core games and  and the Virtual Console releases of the Generations  and  games to connect to the Pokémon Bank service as well.

Pokémon Bank is a paid service. The annual charge is ¥500 in Japan, $4.99 in, $4.99 plus tax in , $61.99 in , R$8.99 in , £4.49 in , €4.99 in Europe, $6.50 in , $8.50 in , ₩5000 in , $150 in , and $40 in.

Pokémon storage
Pokémon Bank allows undefineds to store up to 3000 Pokémon from the games in an online cloud. This storage is similar to the Pokémon Storage System provided by PCs and has 100 Boxes capable of carrying 30 Pokémon each. Boxes can also be assigned to one of 10 groups with customizable names. Pokémon Bank also features extensive search options and filters. Pokémon in Generation VI and Generation VII games can be transferred to the service individually or by group selection.

Poké Transporter
Poké Transporter allows the transfer of Pokémon from the Generation V and the Virtual Console releases of the Generations I and II games to Pokémon Bank and can be downloaded separately after Pokémon Bank has been downloaded.

The Transport Box, which is effectively the 101st Box, is reserved for use by Poké Transporter. Pokémon can only be removed from this Box and cannot be placed in it, except by Poké Transporter.

Rewards
The player receives 100 Poké Miles when Pokémon are deposited for the first time into Pokémon Bank. Additional Poké Miles are awarded for the length of time that a given Pokémon is deposited into Pokémon Bank. The amount of Poké Miles earned by the player increases if more Pokémon are deposited into Pokémon Bank.

Accumulated Poké Miles may be transferred to the currently selected game via Pokémon Link either directly as Poké Miles or as Battle Points (at a rate of 1 Battle Point for every 10 Poké Miles). If the player chooses not to transfer their Poké Miles, they will simply continue to accumulate.

Restrictions
Pokémon that are holding Berries or other items cannot be deposited into Pokémon Bank. If the player attempts to deposit Pokémon that are holding Berries or other items, the items will be removed and sent to the player's Bag. If the Bag is full, the item will disappear.

Pokémon that evolve via trading will not evolve when deposited into or withdrawn from Pokémon Bank.

s, Cosplay Pikachu, Black, White Kyurem, Dusk Mane , Dawn Wings Necrozma, and certain -sized Pokémon introduced in (specifically , , , and  ) cannot be deposited in Pokémon Bank.

Pokémon with moves that were introduced in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire cannot be transferred to Pokémon X and Y. Likewise, Pokémon and moves introduced in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon cannot be traded to Pokémon Sun and Moon.

Any Pokémon caught in or transferred to the Generation VII games cannot be transferred to the Generation VI games. Such Pokémon are outlined in a white square when using a Generation VI game with Pokémon Bank.

Connectivity
Any number of physical or digital copies of Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon can be used in conjunction with Pokémon Bank. Pokémon Bank can be utilized at any point after the player obtains the Pokédex in those games. The service cannot be used if a new game has not been started.

The Pokémon Bank account that a Nintendo 3DS system accesses depends on the system's Nintendo Network ID, which can only belong to one Nintendo 3DS system at a time. There is no way to transfer Pokémon directly between Pokémon Banks belonging to different Nintendo Network IDs.

While the Generations VI and VII games are region-locked and cannot be played if their region does not match the region of the Nintendo 3DS they are inserted in, Pokémon Bank is still able to communicate with these games regardless of their region. Nintendo does not make any guarantee for the performance of software or systems in the Nintendo 3DS family when used outside of their intended regions, however.

When Pokémon Bank (along with Poké Transporter) is downloaded, any restrictions on the Nintendo 3DS system for Shopping Services need to be removed within the Parental Controls before Pokémon Bank can be utilized. Any restrictions set in place pertaining to usage of the Nintendo 3DS's Internet browser also require removal each time that the Pokémon Bank software is used.

Passes
While downloading the Pokémon Bank application is free, usage of its services requires the purchase of a pass. A pass lasts for 365 days from purchase. If a previous pass has not expired when a new pass is purchased, the number of remaining days from the old pass is added to the new pass. Pokémon Bank will prompt the player to purchase a new pass when the current pass is within 14 days of expiring.

After a pass expires, Pokémon in Pokémon Bank may or may not be preserved, and eventually will be lost entirely if a new pass is not purchased in time. If the stored Pokémon have not been lost yet, it is possible to connect to Pokémon Bank and withdraw them without purchasing a new pass.

Player reports have varied considerably as to how long Pokémon have been preserved after a pass expires. There exist reports that Pokémon have been kept for several months or more, as well as reports that Pokémon have been deleted after a few days or less. It is conjectured that sweeps are done at arbitrary times to all accounts with expired passes at the time of the sweep.

Pokédex
Introduced in the version 1.3 update, Pokémon Bank features a National Pokédex that collects and consolidates information on Pokémon that have been registered as "seen" or "caught" in the Pokédexes of any Generation VI or VII game updated with Pokémon Bank. Users can view basic information and Pokédex entries from the Generation VI and VII games of Pokémon they have registered. Pokédex entries from other languages and alternate forms of Pokémon can also be registered, with the exception of Cosplay Pikachu.

This Pokédex also includes an extensive search filter that provides, among other options, the ability to search for Pokémon by their availability in the Generation VI and VII games, as well as their appearances in various regional Pokédexes, including the Kanto, Johto, Good Old Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Central Kalos, Coastal Kalos, Mountain Kalos, Hoenn, and Alola Pokédexes.

Celebi
If the player accessed Pokémon Bank before September 30, 2014, they could receive a special event. This Celebi knew, an event-exclusive move similar to.

Hidden Ability Johto starters
These Pokémon were available to players who accessed Pokémon Bank from February 27 to November 30, 2015. These Pokémon could then be transferred to Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire using the Pokémon Link option. This marked the first time the Johto families had legitimate access to their Hidden Abilities.

Hidden Ability Legendary titans
These Legendary titans were available to players who accessed Pokémon Bank from March 4 to October 31, 2016. They all have their Hidden Ability and may be transferred to Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire via Pokémon Link.

Pokémon Bank Mewnium Z
A Mewnium Z is available to players who access Pokémon Bank from January 24 to October 2, 2017.

Hidden Ability Alola starters
These Pokémon are available to players who access Pokémon Bank from March 8, 2018 to October 31, 2018. These Pokémon could then be transferred to Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon via Mystery Gift.

Initial launch
On December 25, 2013, Pokémon Bank and the Poké Transporter were both released in Japan, South Korea, and other Asian territories. Due to high volumes of traffic throughout the Nintendo Network caused by a large volume of Nintendo Network IDs being created, the Nintendo eShop was temporarily inaccessible. When the Nintendo eShop was accessible again on December 29, 2013, Pokémon Bank was removed from the Nintendo eShop (although players who had previously downloaded Pokémon Bank could still download Poké Transporter, which can only be downloaded through Pokémon Bank). In addition, the release of Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter for the Americas, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand—originally set to be December 27, 2013—was delayed due to the aforementioned issues.

On January 21, 2014, Pokémon Bank was re-released in Japan, South Korea, and other Asian territories.

The service was launched in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on February 4, 2014.

The service was launched in the Americas on February 5, 2014.

Trivia

 * Pokémon Bank's services are maintained by Brigette, who was previously the host of Pokémon Box Ruby and Sapphire.
 * Pokémon that evolve via friendship will be restricted from evolving in any Generation VI game that is not the original game due to a glitch.