Horde Encounter

A Horde Encounter (Japanese: 群れバトル Herd Battle) is a type of Pokémon battle in the Generation VI games, which involves one of the player's Pokémon facing five opponents at once.

Mechanics
In Pokémon X and Y, this is restricted to wild Pokémon, but in, special scripted events allow five Trainers to engage the player in a Horde Battle.

In wild Horde Encounters, all Pokémon are usually of the same species, but in some cases, one of them may instead be a counterpart or a similar Pokémon to the majority. The Pokémon in hordes are at approximately half the level of other Pokémon in the area and may be a lower evolutionary stage of a Pokémon that normally inhabits the area (such as a horde of occurring in areas dominated by ). Pokémon encountered in hordes may also have their Hidden Ability. Some Pokémon can only be found in hordes.

Not all locations have wild hordes, but where they exist, hordes may be randomly encountered at approximately a 5% rate in tall grass or flowers (but not in in Pokémon X and Y) or in caves. Horde Encounters can also be purposefully initiated by using Honey or ; however, in Pokémon X and Y, Honey and Sweet Scent will not cause a wild encounter if the overworld weather is not clear. As in all wild battles, a Trainer cannot throw a Poké Ball unless there is only one wild Pokémon remaining. In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, while Horde Encounters can be forced at any time with Honey or, they only otherwise appear in.

The player's moves in a Horde Encounter act as if the player was in the center of a Triple Battle, except with all five other locations being treated as opponents instead of three opponents and two allies. Moves that target multiple Pokémon simultaneously (like and ) are able to strike all five Pokémon at once.

Mixed hordes
In all cases of mixed hordes, four of one Pokémon species will appear, joined by one of another species.

Pokémon X and Y

 * A horde on  will always include one  in Pokémon X, and vice versa in Pokémon Y.
 * A horde on  will always include one  in Pokémon X, and vice versa in Pokémon Y.
 * A horde on  will always include one.
 * A horde in Reflection Cave may include one.
 * A horde on  will always include one.
 * A horde on  may include one.
 * A horde on  may include one.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire

 * A horde in Granite Cave may include one.
 * A horde on  may include one  in Pokémon Omega Ruby, and vice versa in Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.
 * An horde on  will always include one.
 * A horde on  will always include one.

Mixed hordes with enemy species
If a mixed horde consists of and  or  and, the different species will direct attacks at each other instead of at the player's Pokémon if possible. The exception to this is moves such as that cannot target allies. Once all the Pokémon of one species have fainted, the horde will begin attacking the player's Pokémon.

In contrast to Triple Battles, Pokémon attacking each other in a horde have no range limit; a Pokémon in a far-left position can attack a Pokémon in a far-right position.

Trivia

 * In Pokémon X and Y, if the player selects a, the user's spot is not highlighted, while the spots of the two opponents in the places where the Pokémon allies would be in a Triple Battle are highlighted as if either of them could be targeted (even if those Pokémon have fainted), despite the user being forced to target itself.
 * In Pokémon X and Y, if the player selects or a, the user's spot and the spots of the two opponents in the places where the Pokémon allies would be in a Triple Battle are highlighted (but not joined) as if any of them could be targeted (even if those Pokémon have fainted), despite the user being forced to target itself.
 * Although Horde Encounters have not been a feature of gameplay in the series until Pokémon X and Y, several instances of battles with similar circumstances had occurred or were invoked in the anime since the very first season. Such instances include:
 * In Pokémon – I Choose You!, Ash's Pikachu single-handedly takes on an attacking flock of, electrocuting the entire group with a powerful.
 * In Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon, Ash Ketchum and find themselves attacked by a mixed group of, , , and  at once, which Ash attempts to counter by calling out his Charmeleon, before they are scared away by the arrival of an.

In other languages
Massenbegegnung Encuentro de horda Horde de Pokémon Gruppi di Pokémon 群れバトル 群聚对战