Pokémon battle/Games

In the games, the main battle screen will have four options: Fight, Bag, Pokémon, and Run. Depending on which of these is selected, a different menu will appear, or the battle may end. These same four options will appear no matter what kind of battle the player is in, be it with a wild Pokémon, an NPC, or another player via link battle. Battles are conducted in a turn-based manner. The Pokémon to take action first is determined by the priority of their action, then the of the Pokémon.

When a Pokémon faints in battle, it may cause its opponent to gain experience or effort values. After all of either side's Pokémon have been defeated, the battle has been won, and the loser must pay out some amount of money to the winner, determined based on the level of the Pokémon and type of Trainer defeated. In the core series games, if the player's Pokémon have all been defeated, he or she will black out (in Generation I and since Generation IV) or white out (in Generation II and Generation III), and be teleported back to the most recent Pokémon Center that was visited, or to his or her home, if a Pokémon Center has not yet been visited.

Some battles, most notably battles fought between two players or in certain, will not affect the participating Pokémon's experience, EVs, or friendship. The battle's outcome will not cause money to be awarded or deducted from participating trainers. Pokémon seen during these battles will not be registered in the Pokédex. Usually, bag items are not allowed in these battles, and all Pokémon and held items are restored after each battle. 