Whether you're a Pokémon veteran or newcomer with this generation, you should be familiar with the myriad of "unwritten rules," as it were, of the world of Pocket Monsters. These are the invaluable tidbits of information just aren't told by frantic NPCs or the expensive strategy guide you purchased in anticipation of being the very best, like no one ever was. Fear not, fledgling Pokémon Master. That's why we're here. We've got a rundown of these unspoken rules for your reference here. Retain these bits of trivia, so that in the future, you'll be able to handle whatever comes your way. These are the Top Unwritten Rules of Pokemon.

  • 1

    Stave off evolution until you've learned key skills.

    It's tempting, especially as a new player, to let Pokémon evolution run its natural course, or induce it with the proper evolutionary method. Everyone wants a powerful new ally, right? Really though, you're going to want to stop evolution before it can complete in order to learn more powerful techniques earlier. If you evolve a Pikachu into, say, Raichu with a Thunderstone, in many cases you'll miss out on several attacks that you didn't get early on. If you're planning for more in-depth training, this is especially important to keep in mind. It's not something the game will explicitly detail for you, but useful advice just the same.

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  • 2

    Train your squad evenly.

    If you're not concerned with advanced Pokémon growth techniques and are finding problems when it comes to battling your way through certain areas, you'll find that it's beneficial to keep all of your Pokémon at or around the same level. If you're maintaining a team of varied elemental types, that ensures you'll have a fighter for every different situation. Gym leaders and random trainers often throw out random types, and if you've been powering up your Greninja for the majority of the game and neglecting Lucario and Pansear, you might end up finding yourself at a disadvantage later on down the (victory) road.

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  • 3

    Save your Master Ball for when you really need it.

    The Pokémon games generally hand out Master Balls in order for you to capture the Legendary of that game. For instance, in the original Red and Blue games, you received a Master Ball to capture the elusive Mewtwo near the end of the journey. However, in many situations, frustratingly, so many players toss the 100 percent capture rate device at the first monster they see that they need or want, only to need the Master Ball again later for a special event monster that's tough to capture. In many situations, an Ultra Ball or even Great Ball will do the trick. Don't always waste your Master Ball on a Pokémon that the game tells you to.

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  • 4

    Use Repel or an Escape Rope for a painless exit from caves and dungeons.

    Keep a healthy stock of both of these items to make sure your bases are covered after trekking through a long and frustrating journey into the caves. You'll likely be low on health, supplemental items, and mentally fatigued from the ridiculous amount of battle throughout the area and Repels, Super Repels, and Escape Ropes ensure a quick and easy way out of the trenches and into a Pokemon Center for its healing touch.

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  • 5

    Use gym trainers as a warm-up for the real thing.

    When you set foot into a Gym, you'll be greeted by trainer after trainer before finally facing off against the Gym Leader. This is your opportunity to get in some higher-quality level grinding without paying much of a price. Go in, take out some of the lackeys, and then go to the Pokémon Center to heal up. Save, then enter into battle with completely refreshed PP and restocked items.

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  • 6

    Train more "defenseless" Pokémon by swapping them in and out of battle or keeping them at the top of the list.

    This may sound like a no-brainer, but how do you effectively train monsters that are just too weak or devoid of active moves (read: a Magikarp with only "Splash")? Keep them at the top of your list and head into battle so they're still receiving experience points but are not in danger of fainting without having ever gone into battle. This will work for any weaker Pokémon, and it's a lot cheaper and more effective than utilizing daycares or similar services.

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  • 7

    Teach a Pokémon Fly and keep it in your party for the remainder of the game.

    Train a Pidgeot to its max level and teach it Fly. Now you've got foolproof transport whenever you need it instead of trying to trek all the way back and forth between towns. This will become an invaluable resource that you'll wish you had thought of sooner -- and just think -- that HM can be used in battle, as well.

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  • 8

    Save after every important development, because you never know when you're going to be forced into multiple battles.

    This is common knowledge and should be across game genres, but it should be especially relevant in Pokémon, where you lose a good chunk of the money earned throughout the game, if you "black out" or lose in a battle.

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  • 9

    The in-game Pokémon trades, unless in instances where you can't obtain said Pokémon any other way, aren't usually worth making.

    This one is pretty self-explanatory, but unless you have no friends, are playing one of the games that doesn't utilize wi-fi, or need instant gratification. You're better served catching the Pokémon if you can, or using other means.

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  • 10

    Holding B, tapping A, or any other combination thereof isn't going to ensure you catch a Pokémon or increase your odds at all.

    Just trust us on this. It's going to do nothing at all. It's all in your head.

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