Pokémon are more than Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s battle buddies. Whether navigating different terrains or simply walking, Pokémon are essential to any trainer’s journey. Additionally, the more time you spend with a Pokémon, the deeper the bond, which ultimately provides various benefits known as affection bonuses. However, there are some instances where affection bonuses do more harm than good. As a result, every trainer should know how to negate Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s affection bonuses when necessary.
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How to cancel affection bonuses in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Affection bonuses are friendship benefits for increasing your friendship level with any specific Pokémon. Although friendship and affection are different from previous generation games, they are the same in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Pokémon that receive affection bonuses do better in a battle. They can land Critical Hits consistently and have a chance to survive a fatal attack (like Focus Band). They also level up faster than usual.
Affection bonuses can be an issue when trying to catch a rare or legendary Pokémon. If you land a Critical Hit accidentally, it can cause the opposing Pokémon to faint, giving you no chance to catch it. High affection bonuses also speed up progression, which can be unattractive for many trainers. In that case, you can try to do the steps mentioned below to reject the affection bonuses of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
- Give Pokémon Herbal medicine. While this will improve your Pokémon a bit, it will also decrease your friendship with the Pokémon.
- Allowing Pokémon to be constantly weakened in battle will reduce the friendship level. This will be more effective if the opposing Pokémon is at a higher level.
Obviously, having affection bonuses is better in most cases. Regardless, don’t try to lower your friendship level with a Pokémon that you use regularly in battles.