Trainer Card
Purpose
The Trainer Card
is the official license for training Pokémon. It certifies that the bearer has passed an exam in elementary animal care and has demonstrated common sense in handling a Pokémon.
Uses
While not strictly required to train Pokémon, a Trainer Card is needed to enter Gym matches, official tournaments, and most unofficial tournaments. In addition, modern Pokéballs require a trainer ID to tag their captures with, making a Trainer Card mandatory for purchasing them. Also, certain high-dosage medicines require additional certification for purchase, which is signified by a Trainer Card annotation.
In practice, a Trainer Card is one of the easiest to obtain forms of official identification- the test is typically passed on the first try, and with parent/guardian consent a card may be issued as soon as one's tenth birthday. Thus, even most non-trainers get a Card.
Features
Like any ID card, the Trainer Card sports the name and photograph of its bearer, along with a registry number. The back has space for a signature.
Furthermore, the Card may carry annotations, including:
- Official receipt of Gym Badges (though most Trainers prefer to carry the physical badges anyways)
- Pokémon League Champion (in the deputized agent sense, not statistical ranking sense)
- Lab Research Assistant
- Potent Pharmaceuticals License
