History TheComputerIsACheatingBastard / Pokemon

** Sometimes after the Tera Pokemon's HP is completely depleted, it'll get one more attack off before it faints. Meaning that, if your Pokemon's HP and the timer are low enough, you can still get blasted out of the arena even though you essentially ''won'' the battle.
** Even if you try to [[AIBreaker break the AI]] by locking the Raid Boss into a certain useless move despite knowing a super-effective move (say, negating raid Sinistcha's Stun Spore with Safety Goggles to boost at your leisure), the AI will recalculate its options and use the super-effective move ''if'' it knows it will get a CriticalHit that turn. And if you get KO'd as a result...

* The slot machines in the Game Corners are based on Japanese pachisuro machines, and thus they will slip to prevent paying out a winning combination. However, the slots in the Japanese versions of ''[=HeartGold and SoulSilver=]'' take this up a notch: They'll actually continue spinning well after you hit the button (even if it takes more than a half-revolution) to force two Poké Balls or two 7's to line up on the first two reels, then force the third reel to avoid lining up a third 7 or Poké Ball to achieve a near miss. This would actually be highly illegal to program into a real pachisuro machine. The international releases replaced the slot minigame with Voltorb Flip.

** Most members of Team GR have deckbuilding requirements in order to duel them, with their own deck running under the same restriction. The only exception is Grace of the GR Fighting Fortress, who requires you to have only Fighting Energy in your deck, but runs 3 Double Colorless Energy in her own.

* In the [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]] sequel to the TCG game for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, Magician's deck has at least two Nightly Garbage Run cards.[[note]]Use one, and you can pick up to three Pokémon or basic energy cards from your discard pile and shuffle them into your deck.[[/note]] When Magician uses them, [[MyRulesAreNotYourRules and only when Magician uses them]], he can also retrieve Trainer cards. His strategy is to select another Nightly Garbage Run (and two other cards), so his deck never runs dry.

* Presumebly due to lack of foresight or miscommunication, many post-game bosses in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl]]'' have Pokémon with moves that are unobtainable in the game due to movesets being reset on transfer from ''Pokémon HOME''. Also, Lucas's Milotic in the post-game weekend battles knows Calm Mind (a move Milotic has never been able to learn), and Psychic Corbin's Banette knows '''Giratina's SecretArt Shadow Force''' in a rematch (presumably meant to be the weaker version Phantom Force, which Banette can learn).

** Items from the bag can't be used on Pokemon while raiding. Much like the Battle Tower in previous generations, you have to rely on (sometimes, single-use) held items instead.

** Any moves that deal recoil damage will, more often than not, result in you being knocked out instantly due to the Tera Pokemon's sheer amount of HP. A Tera Pokemon's recoil damage, however, is absolutely insignificant.

* Presumebly due to lack of foresight or miscommunication, many post-game bosses in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl]]'' have Pokémon with moves that are unobtainable in the game due to movesets being reset on transfer from ''Pokémon HOME''.

** In ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'', Lance has three Dragonite that are 5-8 levels lower than the minimum level Dragonair can evolve. The remakes introduce a Dragonite of his that's at a measly level 40, but this may be justified by Team Rocket deliberately inducing early evolution.
** In ''[=FireRed=]'' and ''[=LeafGreen=]'', your rival's Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto by level 17, despite Pidgey not normally evolving until level 18. It's possible that he simply caught a different Pidgeotto in the wild, but it is heavily implied otherwise.

* Up until ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', in the event that both trainers had their last Pokémon KO'd as a result of Self-Destruct or Explosion, the AI would be declared the winner no matter what, despite the fact that the trainer who ''used'' one of said moves is supposed to lose by default.

* Lance's Aerodactyl knows Rock Slide in these games, despite the move not being added to Aerodactyl's learnset until ''[[VideoGame/PokemonFireRedAndLeafGreen FireRed and LeafGreen]]''.

* In one of the bonus downloadable tournaments in ''Black 2 and White 2'' (only available in Japan), Fantina has an Origin Forme Giratina holding a Ghost Gem. Giratina can only be in Origin Forme if it is holding a Griseous Orb.

* Totem Lurantis is capable of using Synthesis nine times or more, with its item slot occupied by a Power Herb, despite the move being limited to eight uses without a PP-restoring Berry.

* Several [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' can use multiple Pokémon in battle at the same time (usually up to three), something the player has never been able to do themselves. While it might be justified due to how there are no official rules in Pokémon battles yet due to the setting taking place before modern times, there should be nothing stopping the player from sending out multiple Pokémon themselves, yet they are still restricted to using one at a time.

** In the Pika Cup in the first game, some of the trainers have Pokémon that normally cannot be obtained at their level in that Generation. For example, Hiker (Round 1) and Swimmer (Round 2) have Seadra at level 15 and 17, respectively. The minimum level a Seadra can be legitimately obtained in Gen 1 is at level 20 in the ''Yellow'' version. However the Rental Pokémon available for the Pika Cup are all at level 15, which for most of the evolved ones isn't normally possible in the Gen 1 games, letting the player technically cheat too. Additionally, by exploiting in-game trades with [=NPCs=] (where the Pokémon you get has the same level as the Pokémon you traded) and tradebacks from the Gen 2 games, it's possible for the player to get Pokémon at even lower levels than what's normally possible in the Gen 1 games and get most Pokémon that evolve beyond level 20 at legal levels for the Pika Cup.
** There are also a large number of trainers' Pokémon that have move combinations which are impossible to obtain. For example in ''Stadium 2'' one Blastoise has Haze and Mirror Coat, which are two of its egg moves but together they are a combination that is impossible to breed onto a Squirtle.

* [=NPCs=] in the original Kanto games can never run out of PP. Have fun with the Elite Four-Champion gauntlet... Notably, this can make the fight with Lorelei UnintentionallyUnwinnable in certain (albeit highly unlikely) scenarios, since her Dewgong has a fondness for endlessly spamming Rest against Poison and Fighting-types.

* Try using the Mean Look/Perish Song combo on a Trainer with multiple Pokémon. When you switch your Pokémon out to avoid getting [=KOed=] by Perish Song, your opponent does the ''exact same thing'', despite the trapping effect not allowing switching. [[note]]To elaborate: Perish Song is a technique that makes both Pokémon faint after three turns. Mean Look is a technique that prevents switching. By using Mean Look, then using Perish Song, the opponent's Pokémon will faint on the third turn, while you can switch out just before the final turn to avoid fainting. For human players, the player who is trapped has their switching function disabled. For the computer, however, as long as you switch out, they can switch as well because of a coding error. The code is erroneously set to check whether or not ''your'' current Pokémon is barred from switching out, not whether or not the opponent's is.[[/note]]

* Various characters have Pokémon that have evolved at levels lower than their designated evolution level, if you were to train up its pre-evolution. Also {{justified|Trope}} in that various areas contain wild evolved Pokémon at lower levels than ought to be possible, allowing the player to catch them -- the [=NPC=]s may have caught their Pokémon in places the player simply hasn't been to.

** The Mewtwo who serves as the FinalBoss of the first ''Stadium'' game ([[NoExportForYou or second, if you're Japanese]]) has infinite PP when you fight it. Granted, you're fighting six against one, so it's kind of a trade-off, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a blatant cheat.

[[AC:Main Series]]

* [=NPCs=] in Generation I could never run out of PP. Have fun with the Elite Four-Champion gauntlet... Notably, this can make the fight with Lorelei UnintentionallyUnwinnable in certain (albeit highly unlikely) scenarios, since her Dewgong has a fondness for endlessly spamming Rest against Poison and Fighting-types.
** This one comes back in ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' in some of the Island Trials; the Totem Lurantis can be seen using Synthesis nine times or more, with its item slot occupied by a Power Herb, despite the move being limited to eight uses without a PP-restoring Berry.
* Speaking of the Elite Four, Lance's Dragonite in Generation I has Barrier. Dragonite's line has forever been incapable of learning Barrier under normal circumstances, no matter how much breeding you do. What's more, in Generation II, his Aerodactyl knows Rock Slide, which it couldn't learn until ''[[VideoGame/PokemonFireRedAndLeafGreen FireRed and LeafGreen]]''.
** In 2016, an event Dragonite with Barrier was distributed as a deliberate reference to Lance's Dragonite, so this has gone full circle.
* In a similar vein, various characters have Pokémon that have evolved at levels lower than their designated evolution level, if you were to train up its pre-evolution. Also {{justified|Trope}} in that various areas contain wild evolved Pokémon at lower levels than ought to be possible, allowing the player to catch them -- the [=NPC=]s may have caught their Pokémon in places the player simply hasn't been to.
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'', Lance has three underleveled Dragonite; this time they at least have legal movesets. In the remakes, one is as low as level 40, but this may be justified by Team Rocket deliberately inducing early evolution.

** Another infamous example is the grossly underleveled Purugly and Skuntank belonging to Galactic Commanders Mars and Jupiter, respectively, in ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' due to the EarlyGameHell and ForcedLevelGrinding they can put players through. Especially Purugly. Skuntank is more underleveled than Ghetsis' Hydreigon, and Purugly is twice as underleveled as Skuntank [[note]]Skuntank is Level 23, despite not being obtainable until Level 34, 11 levels earlier. Purugly is at Level 16, despite not being able to evolve from Glameow until ''Level 38'', '''22''' levels earlier![[/note]].

* ''Emerald'' is also a blatant offender. It introduced the Battle Frontier, and set the standard for all subsequent games. It has multiple Gym Leaders with Pokémon they should not have at certain levels, such as Winona's Altaria. To top it all off, regular trainers in Victory Road have completely impossible movesets. One in particular is absurd: a Lanturn in a Double Battle knows NOTHING BUT EARTHQUAKE, a move it cannot learn in the first place.

* Last Resort, introduced in Generation IV, is a powerful move usable after every other move has been used by the Pokémon at least once. [=NPC=]s can use it early, though.

* The slot machines in the Game Corners are based on Japanese pachisuro machines (see the Real Life section), and thus they will slip to prevent paying out a winning combination. However, the slots in the Japanese versions of ''[=HeartGold and SoulSilver=]'' take this up a notch: They'll actually continue spinning well after you hit the button (even if it takes more than a half-revolution) to force two Poké Balls or two 7's to line up on the first two reels, then force the third reel to avoid lining up a third 7 or Poké Ball to achieve a near miss. This would actually be highly illegal to program into a real pachisuro machine. The international releases replaced the slot minigame with Voltorb Flip.
* In one of the bonus downloadable tournaments in ''Black 2 and White 2'' (only available in Japan), Fantina has an Origin Forme Giratina holding a Ghost Gem. Giratina can only be in Origin Forme if it is holding a Griseous Orb.
* Max Raid Battles in ''Sword'' and ''Shield'' have the AI doing everything in its power, and more, to ensure you lose:
** The Dynamaxed/Gigantamaxed Pokémon is allowed to move twice, and sometimes even ''three times'', in one turn. If they have a spread-damage move like Rock Slide or Earthquake, they could potentially ''take your entire side out'' in one turn, even if one of you was holding a Focus Sash.
** Whenever they so choose, they can negate your entire team's stat changes, and Abilities.
** Any positive side effects of moves happen more often.[[labelnote:Example]]If the Dynamaxed Pokémon uses Ancient Power, prepare to see every single stat rise, regardless of its otherwise low probability.[[/labelnote]]
** So long as four Pokémon on your team have fainted, the battle ends, regardless of the Dynamaxed Pokémon's current HP. Even if it's at [[KaizoTrap ZERO]].
* In the TCG Online game, watch how many times your computerized opponent gets potions, roller skates, and other lovely and convenient advantages, versus how many times they occur for you, the player. Clearly, the AI really is a cheating bastard.
* In Hoenn Contests (both gen 3 and gen 6), the AI will always, without fail, know when you're about to use a jamming move, and if they can, will immediately use a move preventing jamming.

* Speaking of cheating with decision-making, the AI in Gen I can use items on their Pokémon during the second turn of a two-turn attack (during which a player is normally prevented from taking ''any'' action while the move automatically completes), as seen [[https://youtu.be/TeWxEbl2kWQ?t=979 here]] with Giovanni.

* You thought Dynamax raid battles in Sword/Shield were hard? Tera raid battles in ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' are universally agreed to be '''even worse'''. All the problems mentioned above with the Dynamax battles are present here, and then some:
** First and foremost, ''you can't use any items''. Much like the Battle Tower in previous generations, you have to rely on (sometimes, single-use) held items instead.
** Unlike most other battles, where you can Terastallize any time you want, you can only do so in raid battles after getting a certain number of attacks in.
** Any moves that deal recoil damage will, more often than not, result in you being knocked out instantly, due to the Tera Pokemon's sheer amount of HP. A Tera Pokemon's recoil damage, however, is absolutely insignificant.

** Most damning of all, sometimes after the Tera Pokemon's HP is completely depleted, it will ''get one more attack off before it faints''. Meaning that, if your Pokemon's HP and the timer are low enough, you can still get blasted out of the arena even though you essentially '''''won the battle'''''.

[[AC:Spin-off Games]]

** Chance is ''very'' strongly stacked in the AI's favor; for example, should their Pokémon use evasion-increasing moves like Minimize or Double Team, it becomes almost impossible to land a hit, and low-accuracy moves almost always connect when launched by them, but rarely when used by the player.

** Unlike most other battles0, where you can Terastallize any time you want, you can only do so in raid battles after getting a certain number of attacks in.