## EV Training

Behind every Pokémon's visible stats sit **Effort Values** (EVs) — points earned by battling. Each defeated Pokémon awards EVs in specific stats (a Geodude yields Defense, a Zubat yields Speed, and so on). At level 100, every **4 EVs** add **1 point** to that stat, so a fully invested stat gains 63 points.

Generation III caps EVs at **255 in a single stat** and **510 across all stats combined** — enough to max two stats and put a little into a third. **Vitamins** (HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, Carbos) add 10 EVs each but stop working once a stat reaches 100 EVs, so the last stretch must come from battling.

Two items speed things up: the **Macho Brace** doubles the EVs a holder earns (while halving its Speed in battle), and the **Pokérus** virus doubles EV gain for any infected Pokémon. Because EVs are locked in as you battle, planning which Pokémon you defeat early matters as much as which you avoid.
