Outside of gaming, Haissam is an anime nut, and keeps up with the manga to stay ahead of the pack.
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Pokémon entered the media in the 90s and quickly became a cultural icon. These immersive pocket monsters were fun to catch, and the game allowed you to go on a journey with them.
Pokémon took the world by storm, and to increase the immersion even further, GameFreak added the friendship system first introduced in Pokémon Yellow. The system later evolved and gave birth to one of the most useful items in the game, “The Soothe Bell .”
As the friendship system grew, the importance of the soothe bell rose as new, and many loved Pokémon’s friendship needed to be maxed for evolution.
You must know the basics of the friendship system if you’ve played a few Pokémon games but let me tell you how to use this fun item. “The Soothe Bell,” to its maximum potential, and what role it has played throughout the Pokémon series.
The Soothe Bell and Friendship
The Soothe Bell is an item that you can give to Pokémon to hold to increase the friendship level by about fifty percent. It can speed up all friendship-related mechanics in the games. It was first introduced in Generation three and has been a staple of the Pokémon series ever since.
The friendship mechanic in Pokémon amplifies the immersion in the game and is needed for certain unique evolutions, moves, and achievements. The Soothe bell is a beautiful item you can use in various ways, found in almost every mainline Pokémon game. It has also made its appearance in the Pokémon anime and the trading card game.
The game’s friendship mechanic functions as what we in the fandom call “A Pokémon’s happiness .”There is always a Non-Playable Character (NPC) in the games, which lets us know the bond between our Pokémon and us.
You can use this mechanic in various ways, which I will discuss later. The friendship ranking in Pokémon games goes from zero to two hundred and fifty-five (0-255). Maxing up the friendship meter opens so many avenues to explore in-game, immerses the player, and allows us to connect with our Pokémon.
In the Manga
The Soothe Bell makes a very brief appearance in the Manga in the chapter “The Suffering Psyduck .”Cynthia makes an appearance and meets up with Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum to solve the problem plaguing the Psyduck.
Near Mr. Backlot’s mansion, Cynthia manages to convince the Psyduck who was blocking their path to move so that they can locate the missing Psyduck. The group works to rescue the lost Psyduck. One of Mr. Backlot’s maids gives Platinum the Soothe Bell as a present for visiting their mansion.
In the Trading Card Game
It has only appeared once in a promotional Pikachu card which consists of Snivy on the left, Pikachu in the middle, and Victini on the right wearing a Soothe Bell. The soothe bell itself has no power or usage in the card game. It is only there for aesthetic reasons. The Playing card is “120/ BWP Promotional series”.
In the Anime
Since its inception, the Soothe Bell has made a few appearances across the Pokémon series. It first appeared in the Third Generation Pokémon Series The Anime: Ruby and Sapphire, in the episode “Showdown at Linoone.
“In the episode, It appears alongside other round items gathered by Token, Kimmy’s Linoone. It then appears as a winning prize for the Hearthhome City Tag Battle Tournament. Dawn and Brock participate as a team; on the other side, Ash and his rival Paul are teammates. In the episode “Smells like Team Spirit!”
Ash and Paul manage to secure the victory, and their team wins the Soothe Bell prize. Paul throws the bell to Ash, citing that he does not need it. This Soothe bell also appears near the end of the series, where Ash displays all the items he got from the Sinnoh region.
The prominent appearance that even showcased its usage in the anime, slightly different from the game, was in the episode “Lost at the League!” Axew goes missing, and everyone splits up to look for him.
A separate Pokémon search party consists of Pikachu, Oshawatt, Scraggy, and Emolga. While the rests of the Pokémon are busy searching, Oshawatt finds a box of apples and starts munching down, not realizing that it belongs to a Garbodor and Trubbish.
Garbodor and Trubbish start looking for the thief, and Emolga manages to spot Axew. As soon as the order to meet, trouble ensues, and the Angry Pokémon closes in. The confrontation occurs at the edge of a cliff. As it’s about to get worse, our heroes arrive at the scene, and Virgil uses his Pokémon Rescue skills to save the day.
His Espeon uses Psychic to save the Pokémon, and he uses his Soothe Bell to calm the anger of Garbador and Trubbish. Cilan prepares food for everyone, and the day is saved.
In the Pokemon Games
The Soothe bell, first introduced in the third Generation, can be found in every Pokémon game from then on. Its functionality changed a bit through the years, but the main mechanic remained the same. It provides a fifty percent (50%) amplification to any Pokémon who holds it when doing actions that increase friendship.
There is usually only one Soothe Bell in the entire game, so make sure not to lose yours. Along with the Soothe Bell, there is one more NPC available in every Pokémon game who tells you your friendship status with your Pokémon.
Granted, he does not mean you the exact numbers. Still, he uses a phrase that easily lets you know where you stand in the happiness levels, but this will allow you to see where you stand with your Pokémon.
The Locations
The Soothe bell in every Generation is located at a unique location or given to us by NPCs. The places, according to the games, are:
Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, and Emerald
The Soothe Bell is found in Slate port city. Go to the poke mart, and on its left is the Pokémon fan club. You can receive it from the lady beside a painting above the sofa. You need to put the Pokémon whose friendship is maxed at the first slot to receive this item; just use your starter Pokémon; chances are its friendship is max.
Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green
The Soothe Bell can be located on the top floor of the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. Once you reach the top floor, the game wants you to use the Item Finder, but if you go forward, there are two small pillars with statues on top on the left and right.
The block in the middle has the Soothe Bell hidden underneath. Just go to it, look in the block’s direction, and press A. you have found the Soothe Bell.
Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
The Soothe Bell can be received from Cheryl from route 205 heading to Eterna Forest. There you will encounter Cheryl, who will ask you to be her escort since she fears Team Galactic and believes there is safety in numbers. Take her to the end of the forest, and she will give you the Soothe Bell as a token of appreciation.
Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver
The Soothe Bell can be found in the National Park. From Ecruatek City, head down towards route 36, and from there, enter the National Park.
You will see a Pokeball on the opposite side of the fence to the right of your character. Go up, and you will find a small opening in the wall. From there, head towards the Pokeball and pick up the Soothe Bell.
Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, and White 2
The Soothe Bell is in Nimbasa City. You can find it in the building, which is to the left of the building above the Pokémon center. Enter the building, head upstairs; speak to the old lady near the table. She will give you the Soothe Bell.
Pokémon X and Y
The Soothe Bell is found in Shalour City. From the Pokémon center, head into the building to the immediate left of the Pokémon center. Talk to the Lady holding the purse. She will give you the Soothe Bell.
Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon
It can be found in MeleMele Island on route 3. Go to the side of the mountain and to the right of the wooden bridge; there is a spot overlooking Cala A bay. Talk to the man standing there in overalls. You need a good friendship stat with your Pokémon in the first slot so keep your starter there just in case. Now you have the Soothe Bell.
Another way to get a Soothe bell in this game exists, which requires battle points. It can be found on Akala Island, in the Battle Royale Dome. Talk to the woman at the right-most counter, and she will trade you the Soothe Bell for forty-eight (48) Battle Points.
Pokémon Sword and Shield
The Soothe Bell can be found in Hammerlocke City. It is in the first building to the right of the castle bridge. Once you enter the building, talk to the woman with blonde hair near the TV. She will give you the Soothe Bell.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
The Soothe Bell is located inside a Mansion on route 212. From Hearthhome city, make your way down towards route 212. Go straight down until you find a path leading right to the Pokémon Mansion.
From the stone-walled entrance, head directly into the Pokémon Mansion and go to the corridor on the left. Enter the second room in the hallway and talk to the maid. She will give you the Soothe Bell. In my opinion, this real throwback to the Manga is well suited and very appreciated.
Using the Soothe Bell
We’ve talked about the Soothe bell a lot but now comes the technical bit. The Soothe Bell is used to double the number of friendship points earned by Pokémon through various actions.
The number of points gained can vary depending on the performed actions or the game being played; for example, before Generation five, if the Pokémon is holding the Soothe Bell, the boost is applied to the original point value change in friendship.
In contrast, in later Generation games, the gain is used after including the Luxury ball/friend ball boost or the location metric boost. The actions that help raise friendship efficiently with the Soothe Bell are
- Using friendship berries is a long-used and efficient method to increase friendship but be careful. You should know a bit about how EVs work in Pokémon since these berries lower EVs as a cost.
- Walking with them provides an excellent boost to friendship for the whole party. It used to be 255 steps in yellow, changed to 512 in Generation two, but now it is stable at 128 steps which has a fifty percent chance of raising friendship.
- Using Vitamins is one of the best ways to raise friendship, giving it a +5 boost in the early stages to a +2, which is huge for the last stages.
- Defeating the Elite four has always been one of the best ways to raise friendship. Not only are the battles consecutively against strong trainers, but they also provide a quick way to increase levels.
- Learning a new move through a TM also raises friendship by one point.
- The later generations introduced many new mechanics, making raising friendships much more accessible. Going to beauty salons, getting food, making and eating poffins, playing with your Pokémon, and many other side activities are excellent ways to achieve that.
Using the Soothe bell through these endeavors can double the friendship points earned but be careful. When I was playing Pokémon Emerald for the first time, I found Energy items. I started using the energy items for HP and PP since they were much cheaper.
When I went to get my friendship checked, my Pokémon hated me, and let me tell you. There is no worse feeling than that. It turns out that energy items per use decrease friendship significantly.
Which Pokemon Benefit Most trom The Soothe Bell?
Now, you can use the Soothe Bell for any Pokémon, and it will be beneficial, especially for moves like Return which increase damage as the Pokémon’s friendship level increases, or to teach Pokémon specific special moves like
- Draco Meteor
- Blast Burn
- Frenzy Plant
- Hydro Cannon
- Grass Pledge
- Fire Pledge
- Water Pledge
Frustration is a move that does more significant damage the lower the friendship level is with the player.
The best Pokémon to use the Soothe Bell are those who need a substantial amount of friendship points for some unique evolutions. These happen when friendship reached above 220 points in earlier generations but changed after Generation eight to 160 points or higher.
Note: You need to level up for the evolutions to work.
- Eevee is one of the most sought Pokémon and has three possible friendship-based evolutions. Espeon for high friendship and leveling up during the day. Umbreon for high friendship and leveling up during the night. Lastly, Sylveon for high friendship and leveling up while knowing a fairy-type move.
- Golbat evolves into Crobat.
- Alolan Meowth evolves into Persian.
- Chansey evolves into Blissey.
- Pichu evolves into Pikachu.
- Cleffa Evloves into Clefairy.
- Igglybuff evolves into Jigglypuff.
- Togepi evolves into Togetic.
- Azuril evolves into Maril.
- Budew evolves into Roselia during the day.
- Buneary evolves into Lopunny.
- Chingling evolves into Chimeco during the night.
- Munchlax evolves into Snorlax.
- Riolu evolves into Lucario during the day.
- Woobat evolves into Swoobat.
- Swadloon evolves into Leavanny.
- Type: Null evolves into Silvally.
- Snom evolves into Frosmoth.
FAQs
Question: I Lost My Soothe Bell. Is there any Way I can Get it Back?
Answer: Sadly, there are no legitimate in-game ways to get the Soothe Bell again except in the Sun and Moon series, but there are always other methods.
One of which is trading; there are a lot of people willing to trade a Soothe Bell or just give one out. I found many when I started searching in the discord servers or on Reddit.
There’s always the Pokémon item duplication glitch you could use, which is available for most Pokémon games.
However, only do that if you’re well versed with Pokémon since glitches might break the game. With that said, the item duplication is primarily safe, and maybe you should try it out.
Question: I Walked with My Pokémon with a Soothe Bell for a Long Time, but it Still has not Evolved?
Answer: While walking is an excellent way to raise friendship, the steps counted have a fifty (50) percent chance of increasing the party’s friendship by one. The best way to improve an individual Pokémon’s friendship is to take it to get a massage or use berries along with the Soothe Bell.
I would recommend the Tomato berry, which will increase the friendship points very quickly, and you will be able to evolve your Pokémon in no time. Just remember to plant the berries and harvest them, so you never run out.
Oh! And don’t give it any energy-named items or let it faint since that reduces friendship points.
Question: Does the Soothe Bell Increase Friendship from Items and Other Means?
Answer: Yes, it does. In the generations before five, the Soothe Bell accounted for friendship points gained by vitamins and berries but did not account for the type of ball or area bonus.
Game Freak changed that in the later generations. Now, the Soothe Bell amplifies and doubles all friendship points gained through any medium once the Pokémon holds it.
