Pokemon Gold and Silver - Pokémon Loyalty
There is a special stat called "loyalty" that determines how well you raise your Pokémon. However, you can't tell exactly how loyal your Pokémon are without a little work.
The loyalty of your Pokémon depends on your actions on them. To get an idea of loyalty, talk to the lady in Goldenrod City and she'll check one of your Pokémon for you. What she says will determine the approximate loyalty of your Pokémon.
| Value | What did the lady say? | Notes |
| 250 to 255 | It looks really happy! It must love you a lot. | |
| 200 to 249 | I get the feeling that it really trusts you. | Some Pokémon will evolve when its loyalty reaches 220 or more the next time it gains a level (after adding happiness due to the level gain). |
| 150 to 199 | It's friendly towards you. It looks sort of happy. | You can get Return at this stage. |
| 100 to 149 | It's quite cute. | |
| 50 to 99 | You should treat it better. It's not used to you. | |
| 0 to 49 | It doesn't seem to like you at all. It looks mean. | You can get Frustration at this stage. |
Pokémon caught with the Friend Ball start with a happiness of 200; Pokémon caught with any other ball (or obtained internally) start with its base happiness (in Gold/Silver/Crystal, this is 70). A Pokémon hatched from an egg starts with a happiness of 120. Here are the ways to raise or lower loyalty.
| Raise Loyalty | |||
| Method | Loyalty 0-99 | 100-199 | 200-255 |
| Level Up** | +5 | +3 | +2 |
| Stat Enhancer (Protein, Iron, Calcium, Carbos, HP Up) | +5 | +3 | +2 |
| Haircut (Younger brother)* | +1, +3, +5 | +1, +1, +2 | |
| Haircut (Older brother)* | +1, +3, +10 | +1, +1, +4 | |
| Daisy's Fur Grooming (in Pallet Town; 3:00 PM hour only) | +3 | +1 | |
| Battle Gym Leader, Elite Four, Lance or Red | +3 | +1 | |
| Walk every 512 steps | +1 | ||
| Lower Loyalty | |||
| Method | Change | ||
| Heal Powder, Energy Powder | -5 | -5 | -10 |
| Energy Root | -10 | -10 | -15 |
| Revival Herb | -15 | -15 | -20 |
| Pokémon faints | -1 | -1 | -2 |
| Trade, or put in a Stadium PC | Returns to base happiness | ||
*Haircuts can change too. Consult the chart below for the value of loyalty points.
| Day | Brother | Loyalty <50 | Loyalty 50+ |
| Sunday | Younger | +1 | +1 |
| Monday | Closed | - | - |
| Tuesday | Older | +1 | +1 |
| Wednesday | Younger | +3 | +1 |
| Thursday | Older | +3 | +1 |
| Friday | Younger | +3 | +1 |
| Saturday | Older | +5 | +2 |
So, it's best to get a haircut on Saturdays.
**In the Crystal version, loyalty gain is doubled if it levels up at the place at which it was caught. You can find out where by visiting the Pokemon Seer in Cianwood City.
