Poke Marts might be amongst the least important buildings in Pokemon. Often positioned in town next to Pokemon Centers, the two buildings couldn’t be further apart in terms of value and necessity. Nurse Joy and her mini-hospitals are often your first stop in any new town. Though occasionally, some towns lead right into one another, most of them reached via a route filled with other trainers, a cave, or other obstacle. You’ve battled your way through and have arrived wounded, so the free healthcare of the Pokemon Center is – literally – a life saver. Poke Marts? Not so much.
Poke Marts do serve some purpose. One of the main reasons we visit Pokemon Centers so much, especially in the early game, is because of the Pokemon we’ve just caught. To do this, we need to stay regularly topped up with Poke Balls; and as the game goes on, the various alternate versions that either raise the catching potential or work in specific situations. That’s pretty much all Poke Marts are good for, though.
Related: Why Pokemon Unite Is So Important For The Series' FutureWhen we visit the Pokemon Center, we’re either healing up the ones in our party, or withdrawing creatures from the PC. On top of these basic uses though, the games always find uses for the Pokemon Centers, whether that’s trading links, battling our friends, or Pokemon employment. Typically, there are also more NPCs with unique dialogue options and special tasks or rewards waiting for us, too.
Having more people in there makes sense – a Poke Mart is just a shop. You buy things, and then you leave. In the Pokemon Center, with so many different activities – and the narrative explanation that, despite it never happening to you, some Pokemon take longer to be healed – there are plenty more reasons for folks to linger.
The Poke Mart sells lots of other things besides the different riffs on the Poke Ball, you just never need them. I’ve played at least one mainline Pokemon game in each generation, and I’ve never bought any potions or revives apart from immediately before facing the Elite Four. I’ve never bought anything like a Burn Heal ever. The Pokemon Centers are right there for stuff like that, and even though I typically end up with way too much money at the end of the game, it never feels right to waste it on medicine, especially when the Pokemon Center is right next door anyway.
There is no real reason to save this money, and yet I do. It's not just to be a cheapskate though – playing so thrifty has its own benefits. Most of the important items in the game are either found or given to you. Fishing rods, for example, are gained through conversations. Bikes, Running Shoes, Poke Flutes, and Water Bottles all come via the story or by assisting individual NPCs. Even most held items – not too important in the base game given Pokemon's low difficulty, but interesting nonetheless – arrive in your backpack via conversations. That's before you mention how many items you'll find just scattered on the ground, too. With regular access to Pokemon Centers, you'll likely only ever need to use Antidote two or three times in a run, and you'll probably find a couple for free through general play too.
Not buying items also makes sure you make use of your full team. If you constantly have the ability to heal or revive your Pokemon while out in the wild, you become overdependent on your strongest 'mon, which is likely your starter. Having to accommodate for low health or a status condition while out wandering ensures that you're constantly rotating. This keeps everyone in your party at a similar level, and means the 'weaker' ones get a chance to become specialists, either at specific roles in the team or in dealing with certain types.
There are exceptions to the 'never shop' rule. Poke Balls, as I've already said, need to be regularly purchased. In the more recent games with customisation options, I have no qualms about blowing money on a new haircut or some designer jeans, either. Although judging by the price relative to a glass of lemonade, I think they're about as designer as that handbag I bought in Ibiza. The department stores have much more character too, often full of interesting stories and more unique items, like TMs, that regular Poke Marts are not. When it comes to the Mom & Pop shops though, all they are is a Poke Ball dispensary.
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