The Thieves and the 1000 Pokémon

The Thieves and the 1000 Pokémon (Japanese: とうぞくと1000びきのポケモン) is a free, downloadable game for Nintendo 3DS. It features characters and content from Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, and had a limited-time release on the Japanese eShop starting June 5, 2014. The game utilizes Nintendo 3DS's StreetPass feature.

Plot
One day, in a forest that is home to many Pokémon, a shows up pleading for someone to recover a stolen treasure. ,, and hear his plea and immediately gather some friends and set off after the culprit. After defeating a couple of guards standing in their way, the group recovers the stolen diamond. They return the diamond to the Carbink,, who thanks them. Dace begins to explain the diamond's importance to the Diamond Domain when Merrick, Bolt, and Allotrope appear with news that many more diamonds have been stolen by the same Pokémon, who they suspect were under orders from human thieves. Even worse, two of their national treasures, the Sunset Diamond and the Night Sky Diamond, were stolen.

Dace explains to Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie that they come from the Diamond Domain, where the diamonds act as a medium that transmits the energy that supports the entire Diamond Domain. Hearing this, the group vows to recover all of the stolen diamonds.

As Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie begin to recover the diamonds, the thieves take notice. Riot warns Merilyn to use better guards, and Merilyn responds that she already plans to send her. When the group defeats Delphox, Merilyn brushes it off, musing to herself that the Sunset Diamond she stole is worth far more than the plain ones that are being taken back. She also promises to herself to one day make the Night Sky Diamond that Riot stole her own too.

As the group recovers more diamonds and draws closer to the place where the Sunset Diamond is hidden, Merilyn becomes more worried. Riot offers to send his to help, but Merilyn suspects ulterior motives. She agrees in spite of her doubts, though, intending to make sure things go her way. When the group defeats both of their Pokémon, however, Merilyn accuses Riot of holding back, but he and his Greninja have already vanished. Meanwhile, the Carbink servants rejoice over the Sunset Diamond's recovery, certain that their princess,, will be pleased as well.

Merrick, Bolt, and Allotrope take the Sunset Diamond and head back to the Diamond Domain, but they soon return to Dace to report that the Sunset Diamond was stolen again, while they were on their way home. Dace is dismayed, but Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie remain dedicated to recovering all of the diamonds. When the group recovers another diamond, Riot reassures his Greninja that the Sunset and Night Sky Diamonds that they now have more than make up for it.

Upon close examination of the Sunset and Night Sky Diamonds, Riot surmises that they couldn't have been natural, that there must be some secret behind them, which would surely be even more valuable. At that point, Merilyn walks in and remarks on Riot's unconcern. Riot asks bluntly if she's looking to take back her Sunset Diamond. Merilyn responds to his confession furiously, threatening to take it back by brute force, but Riot brushes her aside, vowing to face her after he's dealt with Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie. When the group defeats his Greninja, however, Merilyn manages to steal back the Sunset Diamond as Riot makes his escape. Riot is willing to let her have it, having already examined it to his satisfaction.

Dace continues to worry, with the Sunset Diamond now having been stolen twice from them. He explains that their national treasures are not natural diamonds, but instead were created by past princesses. One day, their own princess will awaken to the same power herself. Meanwhile, Riot has been investigating the Sunset and Night Sky Diamonds and discovers that they were made by a Pokémon called Diancie. Riot decides to make his next target Diancie, so that he can use its powers to create any diamond he wants.

As Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie approach the place where the Sunset Diamond is hidden anew, Merilyn warns Delphox to keep them away this time. But when the group breaks through anyway, they only find a regular diamond, Merilyn having switched it for the Sunset Diamond. In the meantime, she suspects that Riot may have discovered a bigger treasure, since he appears to be uninterested in reclaiming the Sunset Diamond from her. She resolves to track Riot down and see what he's up to.

In the process of tracking Riot down, Merilyn uncovers the secret of Diancie's powers and decides to target it herself as well. Confronting Riot with her newfound knowledge, the two are interrupted when Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie draw near again. The group defeats Riot's Greninja and reclaims the Night Sky Diamond. Riot recognizes the group's strength and resolves not to pursue them this time. Thanks to this, this time the Night Sky Diamond is able to be successfully returned to the Diamond Domain.

Later, Riot visits Merilyn. He reveals that Diancie lives deep underground, unreachable unless she comes out herself. But his greater concern for the moment is getting revenge on Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie. The two thieves join forces once more to thwart the group as it closes in on the Sunset Diamond for the final time. After being defeated, Merilyn makes her retreat so she can focus on capturing Diancie so she can create diamonds herself. Riot follows suit, determined to beat Merilyn to Diancie. In the meantime, Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie, and the Carbink are finally able to return all of the diamonds to the Diamond Domain. Elsewhere, Argus muses that it's time for him and and Millis to get to work, too; but Millis tells him it's not quite their time yet...

Argus and Millis stages
Shortly before would set out to find, Dace returns to the forest Pokémon to request help in the face of a new pair of thieves. This time, a third national treasure is among the diamonds stolen: the Heart Diamond (こころのダイヤ; no relation to what is referred to as the Heart Diamond in the English version of Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, which is せいなるダイヤ Sacred Diamond). And so, Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie set out once more. From far off, Argus and Millis watch as the group recovers their first diamond. Millis frets that after sending their Pokémon into the Diamond Domain they only stole some diamonds instead of finding Diancie. Argus counters that the Diamond Domain was far too big to search and assures her that the diamonds are part of a plan, telling her to keep her eyes on Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie.

Before long, Millis informs her father that she witnessed Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie handing over the diamond to a Carbink. She realizes that now she just needs to watch the Carbink, and Argus tells her to to send her to take care of the others now that they've fulfilled their purpose. But the pair are shocked when the group manages to defeat Chesnaught.

Later, the Carbink servants are waiting for Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie to return, but Merrick, Bolt, and Allotrope are uneasy, unable to shake the feeling that they're being watched. As Dace scolds them for their unbecoming behavior, a bush behind him shivers slightly, but goes unnoticed by any of the Carbink. As Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie return from their latest adventure, Millis returns to Argus to inform him of what she overheard, that Diancie is currently unable to create diamonds and will need to meet Xerneas before she can gain that power.

Argus and Millis begin to make preparations for when Diancie will surface to find Xerneas. Argus figures they should cash in the last diamond they have, the Heart Diamond. Millis reminds him that Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie are likely to be coming for it. When the group defeats Chesnaught and, the pair are forced to beat a hasty retreat, having underestimated the power of strength in numbers. In recognition of Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie's deeds, the group are invited to the Diamond Domain where Diancie waits to offer them her thanks.

Gameplay
The gameplay in The Thieves and the 1000 Pokémon boils down to simple resource management. The basic gameplay loop is, the player chooses a stage to play in, chooses Pokémon to take into that stage (which may or may not be bookended by story cutscenes), and then proceeds to wield those Pokémon to get past a handful of challenges in the stage (which usually requires losing some of those Pokémon).

The player's "resources" are Grass-, Fire-, and Pokémon, in the form of the three species of Kalos starter Pokémon,, , and. The player starts the game by choosing which of these Pokémon they will play with; this Pokémon is the group's "leader" during the game, and this is the species that the player will initially have as a resource, starting at 50 Pokémon. On the bottom screen before a stage is selected, the player can choose to search for friends (なかまを　さがす) by either receiving them from StreetPass data or by using the Nintendo 3DS's Play Coins. The Pokémon received from a given player by StreetPass will match the leader that that player originally chose in their game, while those received by exchanging Play Coins match the leader that the player originally chose. Play Coins can be exchanged in groups of 5, 10, or 15 coins, and the rate of exchange both varies depending on the amount exchanged (more coins makes a better deal) and on the number of stages the player has completed (ranging from as few as 20/50/90 Pokémon to as many as 75/160/255 Pokémon). There is no other way to gain friends, and since challenging and completing a stage means losing the Pokémon that were sent into it, this may force the player to spend several days completing the game.

The challenges within a stage take three forms. One is a straightforward battle with a Pokémon guarding the way, one is a sneaking challenge which may turn into a battle if failed, and one is clearing passive obstacles. At any time in any of these challenges, the player may leave the stage, which will leave any Pokémon that are still usable at that spot in the stage; multiple groups can be left at different spots in this fashion. The next time the player plays that stage, just before reaching a spot where a previous group was left, the new group will reunite with the old group and they will join forces. By reuniting with old groups, it is possible to exceed the limit of Pokémon that can normally be brought into the stage, but each species will always be limited to 333 Pokémon (any extras will leave the stage and be lost). Including the nominal leader, this makes it possible to have 1,000 Pokémon in any stage.

In a battle challenge, the player must defeat enemy Pokémon in a brawl in order to advance. A pair of opposed gauges at the bottom of the top screen measures the relative progress of the player and enemy sides. If the enemy's gauge pushes the player's all the way down to the left, the player loses, but if the player pushes their gauge all the way to the right, they win. The player influences the battle by sending Pokémon from their side into the battle, while the enemy's side may also be joined by reinforcements. Depending on the battle, the enemy may be reinforced by different species at different times throughout the battle. The progress for both sides in the battle is influenced by the type effectiveness between them. The prevailing type on a side is generally determined by the type of the last Pokémon that was sent into it. At the beginning of a battle, an approximately even group of Pokémon from each type in the overall group is automatically sent in; this group's type is dominated by the leader Pokémon's type. After a battle is won, some of the Pokémon the player sent into the battle will be lost and leave the stage.

In a sneaking challenge, the group spots a guard and can attempt to sneak behind it while it is facing towards the screen. The player holds the X, Y, or A button to direct either the, , or to sneak past in a group, and the challenge is only passed when all Pokémon have made it past. As a button is held, the group starts slow and gradually moves faster, and if the button is released, any Pokémon who still haven't crossed will immediately withdraw to the starting position. Occasionally during the challenge, the guard will perk up and turn around to check behind it, and if any Pokémon are visible when it is looking behind it, the challenge will devolve into a battle (involving all Pokémon in the group, including those that had already made it across). If, after turning around, the guard sees no one, it will advance its position towards the group's starting position; if the guard advances close enough in this manner, it will spot the group and the challenge will devolve into a battle.

In an obstacle-clearing challenge, the player is faced with a passive obstacle and must send Pokémon from the group against it to clear it out of the way. The player's progress is measured by a gauge at the bottom of the top screen, but unlike a battle, the obstacle never "pushes back". Also unlike a battle, all Pokémon that are sent against an obstacle will leave the stage when the challenge is completed. As with battles, the types on each side influence the player's progress. At the beginning of an obstacle challenge, an approximately even group of Pokémon from each type in the overall group is automatically sent in; this group's type is dominated by the leader Pokémon's type, but otherwise the prevailing type is usually that of the last Pokémon sent in.

Occasionally when sending Pokémon into a battle or against an obstacle, a will also jump in as a bonus. Pikachu do a large amount of damage with a critical hit. Pikachu may also appear when gathering new friends from StreetPass, but this too is purely random; Pikachu is never a regular part of the player's group.

Completing stages also increases the number of Pokémon the player can hold onto outside of stages. The capacity for each type of Pokémon starts at 100 and gradually grows until it reaches a maximum of 999.

Stages
Stages 01-16 tell the story of Merilyn and Riot and are available by default in the game. Stages EX01-04 are special stages telling the story of Argus and Millis Steel and could only be downloaded at viewings of Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction or other special events. The Argus and Millis stages can also only be played once Stage 06 has been cleared.

Stage 01
Stage name: ぼうけんの　はじまり The Start of the Adventure

Pokémon bringable: 20 each


 * Layout

Stage 02
Stage name: ときには　こっそり　すすめ Sneaking May Be Advised

Pokémon bringable: 20 each


 * Layout

Stage 03
Stage name: どうする？　ふさがれた　みち ''Now What? The Blocked Path''

Pokémon bringable: 40 each


 * Layout

Stage 04
Stage name: マフォクシー　どうしよう！ , Oh No!

Pokémon bringable: 40 each


 * Layout

Stage 05
Stage name: ゆくてを　はばむ　みず The Water Blocking the Way

Pokémon bringable: 40 each


 * Layout

Stage 06
Stage name: とうぞくたちが　てを　くんだ！ The Thieves Have Joined Forces!

Pokémon bringable: 100 each


 * Layout

Stage 07
Stage name: ライオット　やるきなし！？ Riot, Unconcerned!?

Pokémon bringable: 110 each


 * Layout

Stage 08
Stage name: まちうける　ゲッコウガ  Lies in Wait

Pokémon bringable: 120 each


 * Layout

Stage 09
Stage name: みっつの　ちからを　あわせよう！ Combine the Three Powers!

Pokémon bringable: 130 each


 * Layout

Stage 10
Stage name: やんちゃな　あいつと　しょうぶ？ A Fight with a Mischievous Panda?

Pokémon bringable: 140 each


 * Layout

Stage 11
Stage name: マリリンの　ほんき！ Marilyn Gets Serious!

Pokémon bringable: 200 each


 * Layout

Stage 12
Stage name: とうぞくの　おかしな　こぶん The Thieves' Strange Henchman

Pokémon bringable: 220 each


 * Layout

Stage 13
Stage name: めざすは　あおい　かがやき Shooting for that Shiny Blue

Pokémon bringable: 240 each


 * Layout

Stage 14
Stage name: きょうてき　ぞくぞく　あらわる Tough Foes Non-Stop

Pokémon bringable: 260 each


 * Layout

Stage 15
Stage name: そらに　ひびく　はねの　あと The Sound of Wings Beating the Air

Pokémon bringable: 333 each


 * Layout

Stage 16
Stage name: とうぞくと　さいごの　けっせん The Final Battle with the Thieves

Pokémon bringable: 333 each


 * Layout

Stage EX01
Stage name: あらたな　とうぞく　しゅつげん！ A New Thief Appears!

Pokémon bringable: 120 each


 * Layout

Stage EX02
Stage name: おそいかかる　ブリガロン  Attacks

Pokémon bringable: 140 each


 * Layout

Stage EX03
Stage name: アルガスと　ミリスの　たくらみ Argus and Millis's Scheme

Pokémon bringable: 160 each


 * Layout

Stage EX04
Stage name: さいごの　ダイヤを　とりもどせ Get Back the Last Diamond!

Pokémon bringable: 200 each


 * Layout

Rewards
Upon completing Argus and Millis's bonus stages, a new option will appear on the main menu, Open the Treasure Box (たからばこをあける). This allowed the player to obtain a serial code for a Master Ball that could be received in Pokémon X and Y. This serial code expired on October 15, 2014.

Gallery
Tōzoku to Senbiki no Pokémon Tōzoku to 1000-Biki no Pokémon La bande de voleurs et 1000 Pokémon とうぞくと1000びきのポケモン