Caught/Procedure

The catching process typically involves a in which the Pokémon is at first weakened and/or affected with a status condition, at which point the Trainer throws a Poké Ball (or upgraded version) at said Pokémon in order to catch it. Catching Pokémon is central to all canons in the Pokémon franchise; a caught Pokémon can be used in battling and for quests to aid Trainers, whereas Pokémon in the wild cannot, except in some episodes in the anime.

In the core series, Pokémon that are caught do not need to obey their owners; if a Pokémon is traded and the Trainer does not have the Badge required, it may disobey and refuse to execute a move during battles. In the Pokémon anime, even with many Badges or being under original ownership, many Pokémon still may refuse to listen until trust is gained between the Trainer and Pokémon.

Caught Pokémon are stronger than Pokémon in the wild in the games. At the same level, a caught Pokémon will have more points in every statistic than a wild one; this is due to the fact that caught Pokémon gain s from every battle they partake in, and therefore, on training, will gain points in their stats based on what they've encountered. This becomes more and more obvious at the later stages of the game, where the higher levels allow for a greater disparity of stats between caught and wild Pokémon, especially those raised from a low level, giving the Trainer a more decisive edge in wild battles.

It's important to note, however, that Pokémon controlled by other Trainers are just as strong statistically (at the same level) as the player's are. Caught Pokémon can level up, learn new moves in battle, and evolve, while wild Pokémon cannot.

Newly caught Pokémon are no stronger or weaker than their wild counterparts, with the exception of innate differences. By using some varieties of Poké Ball, such as the and, a Pokémon's friendship may be higher than usual upon being caught.

Wild Pokémon that are fused with other Pokémon cannot be caught, with prime examples being in  and Dusk Mane/Dawn Wings/Ultra  in.