Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Features The Cruelest In-Game Trade

screenrant.com:

Pokémon has always had in-game trades, but none are more infamous than the trade with Mindy in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl. While she at first appears as a typical trading NPC, her trade went on to achieve infamy in the fandom. Now her trade has a reputation as possibly the most unfair in-game trade in Pokémon history.

In-game Pokémon trades are nothing new, and they were already well-established by the time Pokémon Diamond & Pearl was released. Most of the time, the Pokémon being offered are either one of a kind, rare, or otherwise difficult to find. Most of the time these trades can be rather useful, especially since traded Pokémon gain experience quickly. However, among the NPC trades in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, Mindy's feels more like a cruel joke than a gift for the player. Even with updates inBrilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Mindy's trade remains the same, so new players can fall into the same trap.

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In Snowpoint City, one of the last cities the player will visit in the main story of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, Mindy resides in one of the houses. She will offer the player a Haunter in exchange for a Medicham. The big draw of this trade is that Haunter only evolves via trade, so this sounds like a chance to get Haunter's evolution Gengar without needing to find another player to trade with. Gengar is a strong Pokémon, not to mention an incredibly popular one. With the information given to the player, this trade sounds like a phenomenal deal, and since Pokémon's trade evolutions should be phased out as a mechanic in the first place, any way to get a trade evolution Pokémon would be enticing.

However, once the trade happens, Haunter won't evolve, and immediately