Breeding for Beginners: Pokemon

Learn the basics of Pokemon breeding in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire! Find out where to breed, how to get eggs, and what your new Pokemon can inherit.

Hey there! So you want to get into breeding Pokémon in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire? Awesome! It's a super rewarding part of the game, and I'm here to walk you through it. Think of it like this: you're not just catching Pokémon anymore, you're crafting the perfect team member from scratch!

First things first, you'll need to progress a bit in the game until you reach Route 117. This is where the magic happens, thanks to the Daycare Centre. You can drop off two Pokémon here, and they'll hang out while you do your thing.

While your Pokémon are chilling at the Daycare, they'll gain 1 EXP for every step you take. Pretty neat, right? To get them back, it'll cost you $100 base, plus an extra $100 for each level they gained. Just a heads-up: you can't control which moves they learn or forget while they're there, and they won't evolve through leveling up, so keep that in mind!

How to Breed Your Pokémon

Alright, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of breeding. You'll need two Pokémon, one male and one female. You can tell their gender by the little icons next to their names in battle – a blue arrow means male, and a pink cross means female. If a Pokémon has no mark, it's genderless and usually can't breed. There are some exceptions, but we'll get to that!

Once you've got a compatible male and female (or other valid combinations), leave them at the Daycare. After some time and steps, there's a chance you can talk to the guy outside the Daycare, and he'll give you an Egg! It's like a surprise gift from your Pokémon.

The really cool part is what can come out of that Egg. Depending on the parents, the Pokémon inside can inherit things like IVs (which are super important for stat growth), Nature (which can boost or lower certain stats by 10%), specific moves, and even the species itself. It's how you can start aiming for those perfect stats and abilities!

Hatching Your Egg

So, you've got an Egg – now what? The only way to hatch it is to carry it around in your party and just keep moving. Walk, bike, skate – it all counts! The number of steps needed varies a lot depending on the Pokémon species inside the Egg, ranging anywhere from 5,000 to a whopping 31,000 steps. Don't stress too much about it; just keep adventuring!

Want to speed things up? Make sure you have Pokémon in your party with abilities like Magma Armor or Flame Body. Having one of these in your lead slot can cut down the hatching time significantly. Happy breeding!