From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.

A Pokémon Day Care (Japanese: ポケモン 育て屋 Pokémon Day Care) is a place for Pokémon Trainers to drop off their Pokémon to be raised in the care of other people. Most locations are staffed by a Day-Care Couple, but some are only staffed by a Day-Care Man and one is staffed by the Day Care Lad and his older sister. Pokémon in Day Care gain one experience point per step the player takes. Where it is possible to leave two Pokémon, it is also possible for them to breed and produce Eggs.

In Alola and Galar, the Pokémon Nursery is used for breeding instead of a Pokémon Day Care.

In the core series games

The player can leave their Pokémon at Pokémon Day Care, where they gain experience over time. At Pokémon Day Care centers that can raise two Pokémon at once, if the player leaves a compatible pair of Pokémon, they will produce a Pokémon Egg in a process known as Pokémon breeding. All Pokémon Day Care centers except those in Kanto and Orre can raise two Pokémon at once, facilitating Pokémon breeding.

Leaving a Pokémon at the Day Care is free, but withdrawing it will cost 100 plus an additional 100 for each level the Pokémon has gained while in Day Care. Any Pokémon left in the Day Care is completely healed.

In Pokémon Black and White, the Pokémon Day Care will initially only raise one Pokémon at a time; two Pokémon may be left after the player has received the Bicycle in Nimbasa City. In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, the Pokémon Day Care is not accessible until the player has entered the Hall of Fame, as Skyarrow Bridge is blocked until the player has completed the game.

Experience

As they level up in the Day Care, Pokémon will not undergo evolution. If a Pokémon reaches a level where it can learn a new move, it will always learn that move; if the Pokémon already knows four moves, all of its moves will be shifted up one moveslot, so that it forgets the first move that it previously knew, and the newly learned move is placed last. From Generation II[citation needed] onward, a Pokémon may even forget HM moves this way; in Generation I, the player cannot deposit Pokémon that know HM moves in Pokémon Day Care.

In Generations I and II, when a Pokémon is taken out of the Day Care, its experience will lower to the minimum value for its current level.

In Pokémon Colosseum, if a Shadow Pokémon is left at the Day Care, it will gradually be purified. In Pokémon XD, however, Shadow Pokémon can no longer be left at the Day Care.

Breeding

Main article: Pokémon breeding

If the player leaves two Pokémon of opposite genders and the same Egg Group at a Day Care, or any Pokémon that can breed and a Ditto, an Egg may be produced.

Locations

Gallery

Kanto: Route 5

Johto: Route 34

Hoenn: Route 117

Kanto: Route 5

Kanto: Four Island

Sinnoh: Solaceon Town

Johto: Route 34

Unova: Route 3

Unova: Route 3

Kalos: Route 7

Hoenn: Route 117

Hoenn: Battle Resort

Orre: Agate Village

In the anime

Several Pokémon Day Cares have been shown in the anime.

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

The Day-Care Couple on Route 34 in Johto helped Gold, by letting him train on the Pokémon entrusted to them. This training helped Exbo evolve into Quilava, after which he perseveres harder and accumulates enough experience for Polibo, Gold's Poliwag, to eventually evolve into a Poliwhirl during their stay in Ecruteak City. They also taught him to battle without his billiards cue and goggles, as well as how to exploit type advantages.

At the end of this chapter, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum were seen at the Solaceon Day Care with Manaphy and Phione. The Day-Care Couple from Johto also appears, telling the trio about a boy they once knew, having known to affect a Pokémon's personality before hatching.

In the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga

In Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys, the Day-Care Couple are young, as opposed to the usual older couple. In Let's Use Fighting Type Pokémon!!, they invite Gold to a tournament run by the Day-Care Center, and in A Huge Mysterious Tree!!, they give him a Pokémon Egg.

In other languages

See also