A dedicated Pokemon fan has successfully migrated a Pokemon from the Nintendo GameCube to the Nintendo Switch. Originating in the cult classic Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, the Pokemon in question is now ready for battle in Pokemon Sword.
One of the Pokemon franchise's most unique features is its focus on allowing players to bring cherished Pokemon into each new game. While Pokemon Sword and Shield do not allow every Pokemon to come to the Galar region, Nintendo offers the Pokemon Home application as a way to store every Pokemon for future games. In the past, Pokemon could even be transferred between mainline entries and spin-offs like My Pokemon Ranch, Pokemon Stadium, and Pokemon Battle Revolution.
Reddit user bodnast revealed that they use the same Salamence in Pokemon Sword that they met in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness 15 years ago. Salamence must have traveled from Gale of Darkness to the Game Boy Advance Pokemon games, the Nintendo DS games, the 3DS games, and finally Pokemon Sword on the Switch. While fans have made an easy-to-read infographic for the Pokemon transfer process, the transfer is time-consuming, with bodnast noting that it could have been easier.
My Shadow Salamence from XD is now in Sword - how cool is Pokémon’s backwards compatibility and all the new training items introduced in Sword/Shield? from pokemon
As one of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness' Shadow Pokemon, this particular Salamence had to be acquired in an unusual way. The player needed to steal (or "snag") the Salamence from the villainous Cipher Admin Eldes and purify it before it could be transferred to the mainline Game Boy Advance games. Sadly, anyone looking at a Pokemon transferred to Sword from Gale of Darkness would just see a normal Pokemon, with no acknowledgement of its shadowy origins. Moreover, on a broader level, Pokemon Sword and Shield don't acknowledge Gale of Darkness or its setting, the Arizona-like Orre Region, in any way.
The Reddit post also highlights the ease with which Pokemon in Sword and Shield can grow stronger and be optimized for competitive battles. For example, players can retroactively max out a Pokemon's genetic potential (the stats known as IVs) through Hyper Training. Perhaps the biggest new addition is the Ability Patch, introduced in the Crown Tundra expansion, that unlocks a Pokemon's Hidden Ability. With the Ability patch, bodnast was able to give Salamence the ability Moxie, which is useful for turning Salamance into an offensive powerhouse.
Sadly, there is one aspect of using Salamence that does not carry over into Pokemon Sword and Shield from past installments: Mega Salamence, the Pokemon's Mega Evolution. Although the latest games introduce the new Dynamax mechanic, they represent a return to the series' roots in other ways, abolishing ultra-powerful Z-Moves and fan-favorite Mega Evolutions. At the very least, if those mechanics are ever re-introduced, longtime veteran Pokemon like bodnast's Salamence will likely be there to see it happen.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now for Nintendo Switch.