People with at least one Pokémon creature can be considered a Pokémon Trainer. In this sense, people in related Pokémon occupations, such as Pokémon coordinators or Pokémon breeders, can also be considered to be Pokémon Trainers.

Some Trainers carry a Pokédex with them, which serves as identification as well as a tool for keeping track of the Pokémon a Trainer has seen or caught. The process of completing such a list is known as "filling" the Pokédex. A Trainer who has filled the Pokédex (with minor exceptions) is a Pokémon Master. In the animated series, the Pokédex is already loaded with much of the information that a Trainer needs in order to identify Pokémon, but in the video games, the data of a Pokédex starts empty and must be gradually filled as more Pokémon are seen or caught. Seeing a Pokémon will give a picture of its image, and the area in the region it lives in. Catching one will give a small bio, and reveal its weight and height in comparison with the trainer.

Many Pokémon Trainers compete in a regional Pokémon League. To qualify for league competition, a Trainer must win a number of badges from various Pokémon Gym Leaders throughout the region through Pokémon Battles by defeating the gyms' leaders.

An individual usually receives their Pokémon Trainer's license when they become or are older than 10 years old. Authorities chosen by the regional Pokémon League, usually a Pokémon expert such as Professor Oak, will allow a Trainer to choose their first Pokémon from three, which vary from region to region. Of course, those people who already have possession of a Pokémon, either as a pet or inherited through family, may eschew this process and start their journey with that Pokémon.

In the video games, a second Trainer, generally referred to as the "rival", will choose the Pokémon with the type advantage over the player's starter. However, in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl

are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. With the enhanced remake Pokémon Platinum, the games comprise the fifth installment and fourth generation of the Pokémon series of RPGs...

 and Pokémon Black and White

Pokémon Black and White

are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. They are the first installments in the fifth generation of the Pokémon series of role-playing games...

, there is a second rival, with both rivals taking one starter.

Pokémon Battles

Pokémon Battles serve as a useful way of exercise for the Pokémon as well as the main source of income for a Pokémon Trainer. By weakening a wild Pokémon and capturing it in a Poké Ball, it is also the primary method for Trainers to acquire new Pokémon.
A Pokémon Battle is essentially a match where two teams of Pokémon battle each other until all the members of one team are knocked out. In a normal Pokémon Battle, only one member of a team may be battling at the time, although there do exist "double battles," where two pairs of Pokémon may be fighting at the same time,and "triple battles",introduced in Gen V. Pokémon Trainers, as a rule, cannot have more than six Pokémon on their active roster at once, although they can have more than six Pokémon accompany them (as long as the trainer only asserts ownership of up to six of them).

In the video games, the winning Trainer is also entitled a cash prize from the losing Trainer, which can be used to buy items at a local Pokémart, a supermarket

Supermarket

A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...

 that sells Pokémon-related items.

In the end, the losing Trainer is likely to have his or her Pokémon either knocked out

Consciousness

Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...

 or in serious condition. In this case Trainers must proceed quickly to a local Pokémon Center, which heals Pokémon for no charge (in the video games, this is done automatically). In the animated series, a Pokémon Center also serves as an inn for Pokémon Trainers.

Pokémon games

In the video games, Pokémon Trainers behave differently than they do in the anime. Pokémon Trainers possess different types of Pokémon depending on their career and origin. They are themed differently, and have Pokémon that match their character, name and type of person. For example, in Pokémon Colosseum

Pokémon Colosseum

is a role-playing video game developed by Genius Sonority and published by Nintendo as part of the Pokémon series. It was released exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube on November 21, 2003 in Japan; March 22, 2004 in North America; and May 14, 2004 in Europe...

, there exists a trainer named Botan who uses grass type Pokémon. His name provides a hint as to what the player might expect, as Botan is probably drawn from Botany

Botany

Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...

. It also means Peony in Japanese.

Pokémon Trainers are all types of people, with given names. For example, a player may encounter a Trainer called Hiker Kent or a Trainer called Beauty Violet. Trainers like this are never assigned a particular strategy, just a group of Pokémon for its type. As the player travels through the game, Trainers will approach them and demand a battle, rather than simply asking. Pokémon Trainers will often be found on routes and in caves, and especially gyms, and give more experience to the player than wild Pokémon, as well as give money on their defeat.

Trainers are known to have a particular quality about them; for example, a "Rich Boy" will often give the player lots of money for being victorious. Their names can also be a clue as to how difficult it will be to defeat them (compare "Youngster" and "Expert").

Types of Pokémon Trainers

Although many Pokémon trainers have no further distinctions, some are also further classified:

• A Gym Leader is a Trainer who runs a training facility for a specific type of Pokémon (or, in rare cases, a mixed team of Pokémon). Some gyms are authorized by a regional Pokémon League, and these Gym Leaders offer a Gym Badge upon their defeat in a special Pokémon Gym Battle. In the Pokémon animated series, this is often a Pokémon Battle in which Gym Leaders are not permitted to switch Pokémon, but the nature of a Pokémon Gym Battle is entirely up to the Gym Leader to decide. In the video games, Gym Leaders will also give a Technical Machine to any Trainer able to defeat them in a Gym Battle. In the animated series, many Gym Leaders have a signature Pokémon that Ash (the main character) must battle over or around.

• An Elite Four Trainer is one of the four top trainers of the region that a Pokémon trainer must beat in succession before facing the regional Pokémon League Champion.

• A Pokémon League Champion is the top trainer of the region they hold their title in. They have defeated the Elite Four and hold their title as Champion until a stronger Pokémon Trainer defeats them in battle (with the exception of Pokémon black). The Pokémon Trainer who defeats the Champion becomes the new Pokémon League Champion and their team of Pokémon used at the time of their victory are recorded in archived files to look back on. In the Video Games, once the Pokémon League Champion is defeated, you may go on with your adventure or even challenge that Champion however many times you wish. In addition, you are permitted to travel to an Island restricted (with exceptions) to only Pokémon Trainers whom have defeated the Elite Four and the Pokémon League's Champion called the Battle Frontier. Elite Four Trainers and Previous Pokémon League Champions may also travel to Battle Frontier freely whenever they please.

• A "Pokémon Master" has been said to be a Trainer that has, with few exceptions, filled their Pokédex. In the Pokémon animated series, many Pokémon Trainers set out to achieve the dream of becoming a Pokémon Master, but most give up trying either because of the lure of another career or an insurmountable obstacle. Alternatively, some Trainers will instead choose to specialize in a particular type of Pokémon and choose to obtain a mastery over that particular type. In the anime, Misty is one such Trainer, choosing to try to become a Water Pokémon Master. In the video games, this is an impossible task with one game alone—the trading of Pokémon between players with different versions of the game is necessary to become a Pokémon Master, unless a cheat code device such as an Action Replay or GameShark
  GameShark
  GameShark is the brand name of a line of video game cheat cartridges and other products for a variety of console video game systems and Windows based computers. Currently, the brand name is owned by Mad Catz, who actively markets GameShark products for the PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and Sega game...
  
   is used. In the anime, where the Pokédex already contains the data of all Pokémon, it is never stated what is necessary to become a Pokémon Master, but several Elite Four trainers are referred to as being Masters.

Gym Badges

The goal of many Trainers is not only to raise powerful Pokémon (or help Pokémon to become stronger battlers), but to compete in league competitions. To do so, one must collect all eight Gym Badges.

In the video games, a Gym Badge serves both as a symbolic marker of the player's progress in the game, and as an enhancement of the player's Pokémon-handling abilities. Depending on the badge, it can allow Trainers to use Hidden Machines (HMs) that allow them to use certain attacks outside of a Pokémon Battle, letting them move certain obstacles, light up dark areas, or travel on water. Possession of certain Gym Badges also reduces the likelihood of stronger Pokémon disobeying their Trainers, and thus serves as a token of respect between Pokémon and their Trainers. Some badges also increase certain stats in the Trainer's Pokémon, such as their Attack power or Speed. Eight gym badges are required to face the Elite Four in each of the Pokémon regions containing a Pokémon League (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova).

In the anime, although the only official Gyms featured are the ones from the video games, there appear to be more than eight Gyms in each region, as Trainers have been seen with Badges never before seen in the video games (there are 27 different Kanto badges seen in the anime.) It appears that collecting the badges of any eight officially recognized Gyms in a given region grants a trainer access to its annual Pokémon League event.

Gym Badges often resemble the type of Pokémon the Gym Leader had when defeated, such as the "Knuckle Badge" received from Brawly, a Fighting-type Gym Leader, in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

are the third installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing games, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. The games were first released in Japan in late 2002 and later released to the rest of the world in 2003 . Pokémon Emerald, a special edition version,...

, and Emerald.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

A Pokémon Trainer is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...

for the Wii

Wii

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

 along with three Pokémon from the original series: Squirtle, Ivysaur and Charizard. His character model is based on that of the male FireRed/LeafGreen Pokémon Trainer and when the player changes his color, his clothes change to look similar to other playable Trainers from the series (although the Trainer himself never changes). Referred to simply as the "Pokémon Trainer", instead of fighting directly, he uses one of his three Pokémon to fight: Squirtle

Squirtle

Squirtle, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. It was originally conceived by Game Freak's character development team and finalized by Ken Sugimori...

, Ivysaur

Ivysaur

Ivysaur, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Ivysaur first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...

, and Charizard

Charizard

Charizard, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Charizard first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels. They have later appeared in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and...

. Using his own special move, he can switch between each Pokémon. They share the same damage meter, but must be changed out during the course of the battle to prevent loss of stamina, which is a status that only they have in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Pokémon Trainer stands in the background, issuing battle commands.

Each of the Pokémon has its own individual special moves based on the moves they have on the Pokémon games. Squirtle: Water Gun, Withdraw, and Waterfall; Ivysaur: Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, and Bullet Seed; and Charizard: Flamethrower, Rock Smash, and Fly. Their Final Smash is called the Triple Finish and sees all three Pokémon released onto the stage at once to perform a devastating attack: a combination of Hydro Pump, Solarbeam and Fire Blast.