

In the cases where a Pokémon being in the wild would not be thematically appropriate - for example, starter Pokémon or legendaries - new events have been added to the game to make obtaining these Pokémon feel as unique as they normally would. The details for where to get each Pokémon can be found between the wild Pokémon and special events documents. (Big thanks to Mikelan98 for that feature!) Additionally, the correct locations for wild Pokémon are also shown in the Pokédex. The Pokémon rosters of every Trainer in the game has been edited, now including Pokémon from the National Dex. Trainer levels have also been modified to fit the new level curve, which is now higher than before due to bigger Pokémon rosters and greater use of evolved Pokémon awarding larger amounts of EXP. Trainers can now expect their Pokémon to reach the 70s by the Elite Four, instead of the 50s that was the case in the original Platinum.

Additionally, all Trainers use the AI that is normally only used by boss Trainers such as the Elite Four. The details for what each Trainer has can be seen in the Trainer Pokemon document. Please note that this feature is purely for the normal Trainer battles in the game the Battle Frontier has not been changed.

Important battles such as the rival, Gym Leaders, Galactic Admins or the Elite Four have had their difficulty increased further than normal Trainers. Gym Leaders and Elite Four members now always use 6 Pokémon instead of the 3-5 from before, and all of these battles have them using high IV Pokémon with custom movesets, held items, and sometimes ideal natures. The first round Elite Four and the Champion also have the unique property of randomly picking from four teams to battle you with, making it impossible to know in advance what their lead Pokémon will be. They shouldn't be literally impossible to beat, but are definitely a much greater challenge than the original version.

You can expect some of your Pokémon to faint in battle unless you bring some strategies of your own to the table. However, they do retain their aesthetics from the original, including their type focuses and signature Pokémon.
