Stat Trainers

Lucas in a wild Multi Battle with Marley

The stat Trainers first appeared in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, where each is encountered at a certain point during the player's journey. Unlike other Trainers, the stat Trainers ask the player to help them to navigate their way through a certain area, participating in Multi Battles against other Trainers and wild Pokémon, and healing the player's Pokémon after each battle. They will follow the player until they reach the end of the area; once this happens, they cannot be encountered in the same area in future visits.

After the player has entered the Hall of Fame, the stat Trainers that the player has encountered so far will be waiting in the Battle Tower to participate in Multi Battles. In Generation IV, they act as NPC partners the player can pair with. In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, however, they appear in Master Class Doubles Battle as opponents.

In Diamond, Pearl, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl, only Cheryl is required to be encountered during the game's storyline; the others are optional. In Pokémon Platinum, in addition to reprising their role from Diamond and Pearl, the stat Trainers the player has encountered will also appear in the Battleground in the Survival Area as potential opponents. Buck is also now required to complete the game's storyline, with his scenario involving Team Galactic.

The stat Trainers also appear in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver as Multi Battle partners in the Battle Tower.

Riley in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

All five Trainers have appeared in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, doing so in the same order they can first be encountered in the games.

Cheryl was the first to appear, in Some Enchanted Sweetening! and the two episodes that followed. As in the games, she traveled with Ash and his friends through the Eterna Forest. After finding the Honey she was looking for in An Angry Combee-nation!, she left the group.

The next to appear was Mira, in Sandshrew's Locker!. Unlike in the games, she was not lost in Wayward Cave, but instead needed Ash and his friends to help her, using their Water-type Pokémon to retrieve her Sandshrew from her sunken school. After this was done, she had her Abra teleport the group to Hearthome City.

Riley appeared more than 50 episodes later, when Ash journeyed to Iron Island in Steeling Peace of Mind!, after facing Byron. Like Ash, Riley has the ability to use Aura. He and his Lucario, along with Ash and his friends, stopped Team Galactic's plot to discover the location of the Spear Pillar on Mt. Coronet. Then, they attempted to calm the Steel types that were disturbed by the beam the villainous team was sending at the mountain in Saving the World from Ruins!.

Marley appeared in Keeping in Top Forme!, where she was helping a Shaymin get to a field of Gracideas. Team Rocket was after Shaymin, and Marley, along with her Arcanine, helped Shaymin escape by hiding it in her basket. Marley asked Brock, along with Ash and Dawn, to escort her to the garden to find the field of Gracidea flowers for Shaymin. After Shaymin had changed into its Sky Forme, it helped to defeat Team Rocket and left.

Buck appeared in Bucking the Treasure Trend!, where he was looking for a hidden treasure near Lily of the Valley Island. As he parted ways with Ash and his friends at the end of the episode, he planned to head to Stark Mountain.

Pokémon Adventures

Emerald arc

Riley debuted in Epilogue, where he was seen heading towards the Hoenn Battle Frontier aboard the S.S. Sinnoh.

Diamond & Pearl arc

By the request of Byron, Riley trained Diamond on Iron Island to prepare him for his upcoming confrontation with Team Galactic.

Platinum arc

All the stat Trainers appeared at the Battle Zone. Buck tried to protect Heatran from Team Galactic, only to unwittingly unseal it and thus allow Charon to capture it. The other stat Trainers later accompanied Platinum to the Distortion World for the final confrontation against Charon.

• All of the Pokémon used by the stat Trainers when they team up with the player are Pokémon that, as of Generation IV, have evolved once.
• All the stat Trainers' names are based on a variety of grains in the original Japanese and all translated versions.
• In Pokémon Platinum, they are the only Pokémon Trainers to use animated sprites but have the standard Trainer battle music, though other Trainers would gain this trait in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.