Pokerus - a mysterious virus from the world of Pokemon

Pokerus is an extremely rare virus known from the Pokemon games. It was introduced in the second generation – Silver/Gold/Crystal. It occurred so rarely that one could get the impression that it was another urban legend from the Pokemon world and not a real phenomenon.

What is Pokérus?

Pokérus is a rare but beneficial affliction that occurs in Pokemon games. Pokérus is a type of virus that can be transmitted when fighting other infected Pokemon. These microscopic creatures cover the creature when interacting with others. It is a positive virus, but after a certain period of time it becomes inactive and can no longer be passed on, although the Pokemon that had it continues to enjoy its benefits. Pokerus is therefore coveted by many Pokémon trainers for its beneficial properties of developing the potential of their creatures.

What are the benefits of the virus?

The infection, as we have already mentioned, is a positive phenomenon. Thanks to the presence of these microbes, a given Pokemon gains double EV points (Effort Values). As a result, it develops its statistics much faster. Even after recovering from this affliction, this bonus is retained permanently. Its effect remains virtually unchanged until the ninth generation, in which the virus no longer occurs naturally. Creatures uploaded to games continue to retain their properties. Although the infection status is no longer visible on the summary screen.

What are the chances of catching Pokerus?

The second generation presented many new mechanics, including Shiny Pokémon, which were so rare that if it weren’t for the red Gyarados in Lake of Rage, most players might never have encountered them. The occurrence of Pokémon was even rarer, so even spending dozens or hundreds of hours it was not easy to catch one, especially since we needed to infect ourselves with a wild creature. This was especially true when the main method of leveling up in the last phase of the game was skirmishes with the Elite Four. The odds of encountering this disease are 1 in 21,845! That is, the odds are three times lower than meeting a wild Shiny Pokémon.

The creators certainly wanted to make it something rare and unusual, but the odds of meeting it were far too low. Which, in the days before global exchanges, made it virtually impossible for us to have a realistic chance of encountering one. The introduction of global exchange services via Wi-Fi – presented in Generation IV – facilitated the possibility of acquiring a creature infected with this rare disease. You could easily get such Pokémon even during the Wonder Trade.

How long does it take to be cured of this ailment?

In order for a Pokemon to be cured of the virus, we do not have to do anything, no special items or potions are needed. After 1 to 4 days, the infected creature will recover on its own. It will no longer infect others and the status will disappear. Also, a visit to the Pokemon Center is not able to cure the ailment, also we can fearlessly treat our team to full health. However, in the first generations, statuses such as sleep or poisoning can also cover up the status, but after eliminating them, we can again see the characteristic image suggesting that we have Pokémon.

How to stop Pokémon from being cured?

Pokémon give the infected Pokémon only positive additional effects, so if there was an acquisition we should try to make it stay with us as long as possible. There are several ways to stop the healing process and use Pokerus at any time.

• PC – the most popular method, consists simply in placing the infected creature in the computer, so we will effectively prevent you from getting rid of the affliction. At any time after removal from the PC, it is ready to pass the microorganisms to another Pokémon.
• Day Care – also placing the creature in the Day Care Center will prevent it from getting rid of the affliction, but we must keep in mind that in this way we block the possibility of reproducing Pokémon.
• Transfer – this is probably the most difficult method, as we need to transfer the infected Pokemon to the Pokemon Stadium game, in later versions we can use the HOME service, which makes it much easier to do the transfer without the need for additional games or devices.

Summary of information

Pokemon is an unusual phenomenon that has been around since the second generation of games. They are small microorganisms that cover the infected. They are not harmful, they give only positive effects, in the form of doubled EV values during training. This phenomenon is so rare that most older players may never have encountered it. It only gained popularity with Wi-Fi replacements. In the latest installments of the series it is already losing its importance and we can suspect that it will not be continued in the future.