Japanese Pokémon - Pokémon Battle E - Firered & Leafgreen (Japanese E-Reader) (2004)

Release date

• Japan: April 15, 2004

Set size

There are 44 cards in the set. 32 of them are Trainer cards; 12 are Trainer Tower target time cards.

Information

All of the Trainer cards in this collection can be scanned via the e-Reader to replace the default Trainers found at Trainer Tower in the Japanese versions of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. A maximum of eight Trainer cards can be scanned for a complete run-through of the challenge.

This collection differs in several ways from previous sets. Instead of being sold in fixed packs, the cards are randomly packed in boosters, much like those found in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Each pack contains 5 cards. The collection is divided into four sub-sets: Red, which features Charizard; Blue, which features Blastoise; Green, which features Venusaur and Yellow, which features Pikachu. These sub-sets can be divided further into Single Battles (1 Trainer), Double Battles (2 Trainers at once) and Knockout Battles (3 Trainers in a row).

Replay ability for individual cards has also increased significantly; each Trainer depicted has a full party of six Pokémon, though will use different ones depending on the order the cards are scanned in. Single battle Trainers will use two out of their six Pokémon; each paired Trainer in a Double Battle will use one out of their six Pokémon, and each of the three Trainers in knockout battles will use one of their six Pokémon. As with previous collections, several Pokémon on each of the cards may be hidden, in addition to Abilities, held items and moves where detailed.

Upon clearing Trainer Tower, the player is presented with a prize if completed within the specified target time. This prize differs depending on which card out of the maximum eight was scanned first, further enhancing the replay ability.

The additional cards in this set merely specify target times in which to clear the tower with a recommended sequence of cards from the main set – there are no dot-code strips present on these cards. There are three difficulties ranging from Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. As the difficulty increases, more challenging Trainers are recommended to be scanned, with an increasingly tougher time target to meet. Obviously, there are no additional prizes for using these cards.

The default height of Trainer Tower in the Japanese version is only four floors. In order to provide more content for the localized versions of the games, the vast majority of Trainers found on these cards were used as the source material.

• The sub-sets are a reference to the first four core Generation I game releases in Japan and their respective version mascots.
• Several Trainers on the cards own Shiny Pokémon. A select Pokémon from three of these Trainers are featured in Trainer Tower in non-Japanese versions – one in each of the first three battle style selections.
• The design at the bottom of the cards above the dot-code strip is based on the pattern that lines the base of Trainer Tower.