How to Get a Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Sapphire

A Pokemon of a different color is often referred to as a "shiny" Pokemon. Shiny Pokemon are incredibly rare, and unless you're playing Pokemon Diamond, Pearl or Platinum, there's no way to increase the odds greater than 1 in 8,192. Despite this, it's still possible to get a shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Sapphire, though chances are it's going to take a while. Still, with enough patience and gumption, you too can have a shiny Pokemon of your own.

Hunting for Shinies

Decide which Pokemon you want to find as a shiny and determine where it's found in the game. Either check your Pokedex, refer to the game's official player's guide (purchased separately) or look online to learn which Pokemon are found in your game and where to find them.

Go to a Pokemon Mart and buy as many Pokeballs, Great Balls or Ultra Balls as possible. In the case of a shiny encounter, you're going to need a Pokeball to catch it. The more you have, the better your chances are of catching it.

Fly, walk or surf to the area where the Pokemon is most common.

Wander about the tall grass in the area and fight wild Pokemon. If the area's a cave or body of water, just walk or swim around to find wild Pokemon. Battle the Pokemon to earn experience or run away (either way has no impact on your hunt for a shiny Pokemon).

Keep on battling wild Pokemon, stopping to heal at a Pokemon Center whenever your Pokemon need a quick healing. It might take a while, but eventually you'll run into a shiny Pokemon. If you find one, use a Pokeball, Great Ball or Ultra Ball to catch it. Save immediately after catching it so you don't accidentally forget and lose it.

Breeding for Shinies

Go to the Daycare Center on Route 117 near Mauville City. Make sure you have a male and female version of the Pokemon you want shiny in your party. You also can breed any Pokemon with a Ditto to create another version of that Pokemon (e.g. Mudkip left with Ditto creates a Mudkip egg).

Talk to the person working at the Daycare Center and leave both Pokemon there.

Walk outside and wander around or ride your bike, occasionally talking to the man by the fence at the Daycare Center. Eventually he will give you an egg (you must have an open spot in your party to receive the egg).

Continue to ride your bike or walk around until the egg hatches. The chances it's a shiny Pokemon are just as high as a wild encounter, except you can control what Pokemon is in the egg based on what you leave at the Daycare Center.

Talk to the man whenever he's standing outside the fence to get another egg. You can carry up to five eggs at a time. Continue hatching eggs until you get a shiny.