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Can You Breed Fake Pokémon? Unveiling the Truth About Illegitimate Offspring

The short answer is: no, you can’t breed “fake” Pokémon in the sense that the game will prevent you from doing so. However, you can breed Pokémon from hacked parents, and their offspring will be treated by the game as legitimate, provided certain conditions are met. Legality within the game is determined by data, not by origin. If a Pokémon’s data falls within acceptable parameters, it’s considered legal, regardless of its parentage.

But let’s dive deeper into the fascinating, sometimes murky, world of Pokémon breeding and the implications of using “hacked” or “genned” Pokémon as parents.

Understanding Pokémon Legality

The core concept here revolves around the definition of legality versus legitimacy. A legitimate Pokémon is one obtained through standard gameplay – catching it in the wild, receiving it as a gift, hatching it from an egg produced by legitimate parents, etc. A legal Pokémon, on the other hand, is one whose data matches the game’s criteria.

Think of it like this: a counterfeit dollar bill might look and feel real (making it legal to the casual observer), but it wasn’t produced by the official mint (making it illegitimate). Similarly, a hacked Pokémon might have stats, abilities, and a move set that are all possible within the game’s rules, making it legal, even if it wasn’t obtained through normal play.

How Hacked Pokémon Influence Breeding

The game does not store parent data. When you breed Pokémon, the offspring inherits characteristics based on an algorithm and random number generation, but there’s no “tag” that says “this Pokémon was born from a hacked parent.” Therefore, if a hacked Pokémon has legal characteristics (abilities, moves, IVs, etc.), it can produce offspring that are also considered legal by the game.

However, this is where things get tricky. Certain characteristics can be passed down that would make the offspring illegal. For example:

Unreleased Hidden Abilities: If a hacked parent has a Hidden Ability that isn’t yet available in the game, breeding it will result in an illegal offspring.
Illegal Poké Balls: Some Pokémon can only be caught in certain Poké Balls. If a hacked Pokémon is in a Poké Ball that’s impossible to obtain legitimately for that species, the offspring will inherit this illegality.

If you avoid these pitfalls, the offspring of a hacked Pokémon are, for all intents and purposes, indistinguishable from legitimately obtained Pokémon by the game.

The Tournament Conundrum

While the game itself might not detect the “hackiness” of your Pokémon, official tournaments are another matter. Tournament organizers often employ stricter checks, including manual reviews, to ensure fair play. Using a genned Pokémon (artificially created Pokemon using third-party tools) in a tournament, even one that appears legal, can lead to disqualification or even a ban.

The risk of getting caught depends on how carefully the Pokémon was genned. A Pokémon with glaringly obvious illegalities (like impossible stats) will be easily detected. But even a seemingly perfect Pokémon could be flagged if the tournament organizers have sophisticated detection methods.

The Ethics of Breeding Hacked Pokémon

Beyond the technical aspects, there’s also an ethical consideration. Some players believe that using hacked Pokémon, even for breeding, devalues the effort that others put into obtaining legitimate Pokémon. Others argue that as long as the resulting Pokémon are legal and don’t create an unfair advantage, there’s no harm done. This is a complex issue with no easy answers, and it often comes down to personal preference and the rules of the community you’re participating in. You can learn more about the player community on the Games Learning Society website (GamesLearningSociety.org).

FAQs: Delving Deeper into Pokémon Breeding and Hacking

1. Can I be banned for breeding with a hacked Pokémon?

The Pokémon Company generally doesn’t ban players for unknowingly using hacked Pokémon. However, if you are caught deliberately using hacked Pokémon in online battles or tournaments, you may face penalties, including restrictions on online play and trading.

2. What happens if I receive a hacked Pokémon in a Surprise Trade?

Receiving a hacked Pokémon in a Surprise Trade is common. As long as you don’t use it in competitive settings or online battles, there are usually no consequences. It’s generally recommended to release or store the Pokémon in a box.

3. How can I tell if a Pokémon I received is hacked?

Look for red flags like perfect IVs, being shiny, having an impossible move set, being in an illegal Poké Ball, or having an unreleased Hidden Ability. However, a skillfully hacked Pokémon may be difficult to detect without using external tools.

4. Can Pokémon Bank or Pokémon HOME detect hacked Pokémon?

Pokémon Bank and Pokémon HOME have some ability to detect hacked Pokémon. They may prevent you from transferring illegal Pokémon. HOME has a slightly better detection method.

5. Is it okay to use a hacked Ditto for breeding?

Using a hacked Ditto for breeding is generally safe as long as the other parent doesn’t have any illegal characteristics that could be passed down. A hacked 6IV Ditto will produce offspring that are legal if the other parent is also legal.

6. What Pokémon can’t breed at all?

Pokémon in the “No Eggs Discovered” group cannot breed. This includes Legendary Pokémon (with the exception of Manaphy), Mythical Pokémon, baby Pokémon, Unown, and certain special form Pokémon like Cosplay Pikachu. Also, Ditto cannot breed with another Ditto.

7. Can I breed a Legendary Pokémon with a Ditto?

No, Legendary Pokémon (except Manaphy) are sterile and cannot breed even with Ditto. Breeding Manaphy with Ditto will produce Phione, which cannot evolve into Manaphy.

8. Will breeding a hacked Pokémon give me a “bad egg”?

No, breeding a hacked Pokémon will not result in a “bad egg.” A “bad egg” is a glitch, not a consequence of hacking.

9. Does the Masuda method work with a hacked Ditto?

Yes, the Masuda method (breeding Pokémon from different language regions to increase shiny odds) works with a hacked Ditto just as well as with a legitimate Ditto.

10. Can I breed a Type: Null?

No, Type: Null is in the “No Eggs Discovered” group and cannot breed with any Pokémon, including Ditto.

11. What penalties do players face for using hacked Pokémon?

Penalties include restriction of online play for all Pokémon titles, restricted use of trading features in Pokémon HOME, or an indefinite suspension from Pokémon HOME.

12. If hacked Pokémon become more prevalent, how will that affect competitive battling?

If hacked Pokemon become too prevalent, there will be a degradation of the competetive experience for the player base as a whole. Players will need to rely on checking IVs and EV’s to ensure they are not facing off against illegal Pokemon.

13. Is it possible to create new Pokémon through hacking?

You can’t create entirely new Pokémon with unique designs through hacking. You can only modify existing Pokémon within the game’s framework.

14. Can I breed a shiny Pokémon from a non-shiny hacked parent?

Yes, you can breed a shiny Pokémon from a non-shiny hacked parent. The odds of breeding a shiny Pokémon are determined by the game’s shiny chance mechanics, which are independent of the parent’s origin. A link to shiny Pokemon can be found at the Games Learning Society, https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.

15. What is the difference between ‘genning’ and ‘hacking’ Pokémon?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, “genning” typically refers to creating Pokémon from scratch using external tools, whereas “hacking” can encompass a broader range of modifications, including altering existing Pokémon or manipulating game data. Both involve using third-party software to create Pokémon that weren’t obtained through normal gameplay.

Can you breed fake Pokémon?