Polished Crystal evolutions: Linking Cord, held items and locations

Confirm the installed rule with Elm

Record the species, intended evolution and installed edition before checking the requirement. A guide for original Crystal or another Johto hack may give a different rule. Put the relevant teammate in the lead slot and consult Elm, then classify the action he describes.

Check the actual party member. A named move in a learnset is not the same as a move currently known, and an item in your bag is not a held item. That distinction is often more useful than another round of leveling.

Choose the evolution action

For an unlisted teammate or an older build, ask Elm for the installed method before applying a row from this FAQ snapshot.

Find a Linking Cord

The FAQ lists a cord from Elm’s Aide in Ecruteak’s west gate and another in lower Union Cave. Celadon Department Store also sells Linking Cords.

Choose the source that fits your current route. An available purchase and a reachable pickup are different possibilities; inspect your access and the current offer before making a long trip. Once you have the item, use the method for the intended species rather than assuming every formerly traded evolution uses the cord.

Plan the hatchling’s evolution after choosing its inherited move

Breeding and evolution solve different parts of the final teammate. The Growlithe recovery-move example first checks parents and the offspring’s actual move slots. If you keep that hatchling, ask Elm for its installed evolution rule before spending an item or choosing a level-up location.

Example: you hatch the species you wanted but it lacks the inherited move. Inspect its teaching options before evolving it. Keep the hatchling if an available service can supply the move; otherwise revisit the parent setup before collecting another egg.

Write two finish conditions: the hatchling has the target property, and the kept teammate completes the required evolution action. This prevents an evolution animation from becoming your only success check. A species in the party can still be missing the specific move, Nature or ability that justified the breeding task.

Choose a reachable evolution-item source

After confirming the required item with Elm, choose a source you can actually reach. The checked maker FAQ lists the following options. Compare their access requirements with your current progress.

Keep acquisition separate from the evolution action

Check the bag first. If you already have the item, return to the recipient and evolution action. For a wild-holder search, consult the maker’s rate information; these source notes list holders without percentages.

Example: you want a Metal Coat, but the department-store source’s progress condition is not met. First inspect the bag and current access. Then choose between postponing that pickup and investigating a reachable documented wild holder. Do not spend the session repeatedly checking a gated source without changing the prerequisite.

Once you obtain the item, return to the installed evolution rule. Follow Elm’s instruction for your actual teammate: use the item or hold it for the specified action. Record the resulting species afterwards.

Complete one evolution task

1. Identify: name the party member and intended evolution, then ask Elm.
2. Prepare: obtain the item, assign the held item, restore the move or reach the named location required for that method.
3. Inspect: confirm that the selected party member actually meets the condition now.
4. Act: use the item or trigger the specified level event, according to that rule.
5. Observe: check the evolved species and current moves before making your next team decision.

A planning example: you have the right item in the bag but the rule requires it to be held while leveling. The next useful action is to inspect and equip that teammate, not buy another copy of the item. Do not combine multiple guessed methods in one attempt.

Why did the evolution not happen?

If the documented and in-game rule still disagree with the observed result, retain the exact build and the steps you took. That describes a reproducible question; changing every setting or importing a different save would make it harder to isolate.

Example: restore the move before leveling

The move-relearner and leaf-service guide explains the teaching task. Decide which existing move slot you can replace, inspect the resulting move list and only then return to the evolution action. Keep the other moves your current battle plan still needs.

Use the preparation guide for broader rules and emulator choices. For an update or device change, use the profile’s separate save and runtime requirements.

Check Tyrogue against your EV rule

The FAQ explicitly notes that choosing No for EV gain makes Tyrogue’s evolution depend purely on IVs. Check the selected rule before applying a training suggestion intended for another run.

1. Put the intended Tyrogue in the lead slot and ask Elm for its evolution information.
2. Record EV gain and Perfect stats separately using the settings explanation.
3. Compare the in-game instruction with your actual teammate and current edition.
4. Choose the documented action; inspect the resulting species afterwards.

Example: a recommendation tells you to alter effort to steer an evolution, but your run uses No EV gain. Do not spend a long session following a preparation step that assumes a different rule. Resolve the discrepancy with the installed game’s instruction first.

If Tyrogue’s method remains unclear with your EV and Perfect stats choices, record its current values and Elm’s answer for a version-specific maker-support question. Resolve that combination before changing the run’s settings.

Sources and next steps

Creator documentation, checked 8 Oct 2026. The methods and item locations above use that FAQ snapshot. Examples and checklists are editorial guidance; no independent evolution test was performed. Match the instructions to your installed edition.

game profile · GBC emulator, controls and saves