Downloading the Program
Hopefully you know how to do this and will just skip this step. Unfortunately there are many who don't understand this so it must be included.First, you go to Pokemon Online's main website. The front page will have the download a little farther down. Scroll until you see this:
Select the download based on your OS. You will receive an .exe file called Pokemon Online Setup v2.0.xx. It will be in the Downloads folder for most. If you chose a different directory, go to that directory.
If you've already had PO downloaded and want to install it in the same folders, you'll have to close the program if it's open. Launch the Setup file and it will install everything and when you click Finish it will usually launch automatically. The first window to pop up will be this:
Click on Teambuilder.
Building a Team
The first thing you need to do before going online is build a team. You can't battle anyone without Pokemon (unless you're seriously only using PO for chat). This is the Teambuilder window:On the left is your Profile, which unlike previous versions of PO, is separate from your team file. Trainer name is your username. Information is the message that appears when others click Challenge on your name or when you challenge other users. Winning, Losing, and Tie messages are what appear when you win, lose, or tie, respectively in battle.
On the right is the actual team. It will have only Missingno. when you first open up Teambuilder. You can have up to 6 teams loaded on PO at any given moment, and as you can see, I already have 4 teams loaded. To add a new team, click the icon near the bottom right (a folder with + on it). Once you do that, click any of the Missingno.
For an example only, I am opening up one of my pre-made teams
This will be what your window looks like:
On top is basic stuff that you can control ingame, such as the Pokemon's nickname, nature, EVs, item, etc. (exceptions: Gender and Shininess). On the bottom right are Hidden Power type, IVs, and Ability.
To select your Pokemon, click on its sprite on the top left.
You can select the Pokemon by scrolling through the list and double-clicking on the left (they're in National Dex order) or by typing in its name on the bottom and clicking the name you want. On the right, you can see what it looks like in its Shiny form, see what type it is, and see what its base stats are. Alternate Formes refers to Pokemon with different forms or Formes (such as Giratina or Deoxys). If you want a specific form/Forme, click that and select it from the menu that pops up. Once you're finish, click "Change species" and it will bring you back to the main window with the Pokemon you selected.
For moves, you can scroll through the list and double-click the moves, or type the name of the move on the bottom and click its name on the pop-up. On the top-center, as stated before, is where you edit EVs. You can click and drag it to the right, or type in the value you want on the right of the bar. Like ingame, it will limit you to only 510 EVs total. The bottom right has IVs and Hidden Power, but for now I only have to change Starmie's ability to Natural Cure (the other two are useless).
When you've finished building your team, the top right has a tab that says "Trainer Home". Click that. It will bring you back to the main Teambuilder menu. Below your team, enter its name and click the Floppy icon to save it to your computer. Remember where you saved it because when PO updates it doesn't always keep you in your default folders.
Once you're done, click Close on the bottom right. It's time for you to go online.
Going Online
Click "Go Online" on the main menu. This will pop up:These are all available servers on your current client. Servers from before 2.0 are not shown. As you can see, I have our own server highlighted on PO, and I encourage you use it, otherwise it'd be pointless for us to have it. If you want battles, though, the main Pokemon Online server is what you want; it tends to have at least 300.
Double-click the server you want and you'll connect to it. Because I need a battle, I'll connect to the main Pokemon Online server.
This is what it looks like when connected to the server (not exactly like this; I have custom settings. You can change your settings in Options). If you plan to keep your name, click Register on the bottom and enter a password. As you can see, mine is already registered. Right now I'm just going to click "Find Battle".
It will allow you to select your team for a specific tier. I'm using the same one I showed earlier, so I'm going to be playing Wifi OU.
It doesn't take long to find battles in OU. Now, similar to ingame, it will first allow you to select your team in any order. However, team order doesn't matter except for Zoroark and leads. To change the position of two Pokemon, click one and then click the Pokemon you want to swap it with.
As for actual battles, all types are color-coded, and even better, Pokemon Online tells you the specific Hidden Power type you have (as you can see on Politoed's set in the background, which has Hidden Power Grass).
Once the battle is over, you can chat with your opponent or spectators. However, if either battler closes the battle window, no one can chat.
Since battles on Find Battle are usually rated, they affect your ranking on the ladder. To find your ranking and rating, find your name on the userlist and right click, and click "View Ranking". Choose whatever tier you played in, and it will bring you to your position. If you don't want to play rated, there's always the option on the Find Battle window.