PokéBase - Pokémon Q&A
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I want my Buneary and Pichu to evolve but they're not. My Buneary is level 31, and my Pichu is level 18. I feed them Poffins once a week, enter them in contests, and I'm always out battling with them, so what am I doing wrong?

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Try not killing them or making them learn moves they don't like.Mayby they evolve at a certin time or place.Talk to the man who can read Pokemon feet.He can tell you what your Pokemon fell or want.Trust me.
Keep your pokemon alive, heal it regularly, walk around with it (if using soul silver or heart gold), take it on walks if using D/P, feed it poffins more regularly if possible, give it a soothbell or any hold item that benefits it, don't use an exp.share - travel back to low level pokemon and train it (without it dieing), massage your pokemon in the city with the electric gym (D/P) you need to rock climb somewhere in the east of the city, massage your pokemon in the tunnel where you dress up your pokemon (soul silver/heart gold).
For Pokemon platinum, catch it with a luxury ball, give it a soothe bell, a massage in veilstone city, don't let it faint, and give it poffins it likes. also, walk it in amity square in hearthome city (if possible).
While the other answers work for Pokemon diamond pearl and platinum, if you use Pokemon heart gold and soulsilver, it would be easier to just use a friend ball made from a green apricorn to catch them. also if you trade them toanother game they won't become friends easily. and never ever give them herbs or roots. try only using berries milk and moves to heel them. hope this helps:)
YES!!!!!!!finally someone who uses a luxury ball!!!!!!!!!

2 Answers

5 votes
 
Best answer

Here is every method that raises happiness in Pokemon. Some of these aren't possible in every generation, so check which ones are available to you.

In general, keeping a Pokémon in your party, raising its level, using items on it, and getting it groomed will increase a Pokémon's friendship. Other than that, here are some more specific ways you can increase friendship.

  • Catch a Pokemon in a Friend Ball (instant 200 Friendship - See Friend Ball Locations)
  • Catch a Pokemon in a Luxury Ball (Every increase in friendship will be boosted by 1 point - See Luxury Ball locations)
  • Pokemon hatched from an egg start with 120 Friendship
  • From Crystal onwards, (except in Gen IV) any action that raises friendship is boosted if it happens in the met location of your Pokemon, (i.e, where it was caught). This boost is x2 in Crystal and a boost of 1 point in all other games where it applies.
  • Equipping your Pokemon with a Soothe Bell causes increases in friendship to be boosted by 50%.
  • Specific berries increase friendship drastically. Pomeg, Kelpsy, Qualot, Hondew, Grepa, and Tamato berries all raise friendship while decreasing HP, Attack, Defense, Sp.Atk, Sp.Def, and Speed EVs respectively.
  • Leveling up a Pokemon or giving it a vitamin will increase its friendship by a maximum of 5 points.
  • Using a feather on a Pokemon increases its friendship by a maximum of 3 points.

Other more obscure methods include challenging a Gym Leader or the Elite Four, using a TM/HM pre-Gen VI, using battle items, or walking certain amounts of steps.

Here are some game-specific ways to increase friendship:

  • Purifying a Pokemon in Colosseum/XD increases it's friendship by 70 points.
  • Winning a contest in Gen IV increases friendship slightly.
  • Getting a haircut at the Beauty Salon on Join Avenue in B2W2 causes vast increases in friendship.
  • Using the Soothing Bag in Super Training increases friendship by 20 points.
  • Getting a drink made at the Juice Shoppe in Lumiose City in XY variably increases friendship.
  • Putting your Pokemon in Isle Avue on Poke Pelago causes a 5-point increase in friendship.
  • Throwing money in the fountain in Cerulean City in LGPE causes a party-wide increase of 20 points.
  • Playing with your Pokemon in Pokemon Camp slightly increases happiness.
  • Feeding a Pokemon a Poffin slightly increases happiness in BDSP.

The only ways to decrease happiness are by fainting or giving your Pokemon herbal medicine.

And I think that's it! It's important to note that friendship-increasing actions often yield fewer gains as friendship increases. You can see more about that here.

I hope I could help! Please let me know if I have any major misses.

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21 votes

Some tips I can provide for increasing the Happiness faster are.

  1. Equip it with Soothe Bell. This increases the happiness they receive for battling.
  2. Give it Vitamins and Berries*
  3. Just having the pokemon on your team can also increase it's happiness so make sure and do that.
  4. If you are playing one of the 4th Gen games you can view it's happiness by using one of the Poketech apps.
  5. Give the pokemon massages. You can find massages at Veilstone City or Ribbon Syndacite.

*Berries:
Pomeg Berry raises happiness but lowers Hp Ev's
Kelpsy berry raises happiness but lowers Attack Ev's
Qualot Berry raises happiness but lowers Defense Ev's
Hondew Berry raises happiness but lowers Special Attack Ev's
Grepa Berry raises happiness but lowers Special Defense Ev's
Tomato Berry raises happiness but lowers Speed Ev's

Here's somethings to Avoid so your pokemon's happiness doesn't decrease.

  1. You should never feed it anything bitter.
  2. Try to keep you Pokemon from fainting.
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You can give it bitter poffins if it likes that kind of food.
bitter means herbs