Two new tournaments have been announced for players of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2. Below are the details for both tournaments. Our B2W2 tournament page has also been updated with the details.

2013 June International Challenge

Region: International
Registration Period: June 14th, 2013 at 13:00 until June 20th, 2013 at 23:59
Tournament Period: June 21th at 00:00 until June 24th, 2013 at 23:59
Battle Type: Double Battle
Pokémon Restrictions: National Dex
Banned Pokémon: Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Chatot, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Keldeo, Meloetta and Genesect
Entry Gift: Ganlon Berry, Petaya Berry, Apicot Berry

The 2013 International Challenge which took place in June was the forth International tournament for Black 2 & White 2 that was open to all regions to participate against each other.

There was three entry categories: Junior (born after 2002), Senior (born between 1998 and 2001) and Master (born before 1997).

2013 Spring Friendly

Region: International
Registration Period: Thursday, May 9, 2013 00:00 UTC through Thursday, May 16, 2013 23:59 UTC
Tournament Period: Friday, May 17, 2013 00:00 UTC through Monday, May 20, 2013 23:59 UTC
Battle Type: Single Battle
Pokémon Restrictions: Unova Pokédex
Banned Pokémon: Pokémon may not hold the item Soul Dew and may not use the move Sky Drop or Dark Void during battle.
Entry Gift: Black Kyurem and White Kyurem C-Gears

Start training for a new Wi-Fi tournament! Registration has begun for the 2013 Spring Friendly at the Pokémon Global Link. This Wi-Fi Competition runs May 17–20 and includes players from all over the globe, so you can test your team against the world’s best! Plus, all qualifying players in the 2013 Spring Friendly will receive two C-Gear skins featuring Black Kyurem and Pokémon White Kyurem for their Pokémon Black Version 2 or Pokémon White Version 2 game!

The 2013 Spring Friendly features Single Battles, where all Pokémon are automatically set to Level 30 while participating. It is open to every Pokémon in the Unova Pokédex of Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2, so check the rules to see which Pokémon are eligible before registering.

Players competing in the 2013 International Challenge April will be divided into two age divisions: Junior/Senior Division: Born 1998 or later and Masters Division: Born 1997 or earlier.

Sources: http://ja.pokemon-gl.com/about/sp/ic2013_06/ and http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/pgl_2013_spring_friendly-2013-05-09/

A special 15th Anniversary Eievui Nintendo 3DS LL will be available to purchase by a few lucky lottery winners in Japan. The Pokémon Center Original Nintendo 3DS LL Eievui Edition (ポケモンセンターオリジナル ニンテンドー3DS LL イーブイエディション) features Eievui colored brown stripes on the front of the Nintendo 3DS and a picture of Eievui on the back. Those wishing to purchase the Eievui Nintendo 3DS need to submit their application between May 15th, 2013 and June 3rd, 2013 with a postmarked envelope. Those that are selected to purchase the Nintendo 3DS will receive a postcard in the mail around June 14th, 2013. The Eievui 3DS cost 18,900yen and the purchase period is from June 22nd, 2013 until July 7th, 2013. Last year a special Lizardon 3DS was also distributed in a similar manner.


Source: http://www.pokemon.co.jp/ex/pokecen_15th/3dsll.html

The official Pokémon website has posted a lot of new information about the upcoming games Pokémon X and Y. Below are the details and the press release.

Helioptile	Fletchling	Pancham	Gogoat
Normal/Electric Type	Normal/Flying Type	Fighting Type	Grass Type
Spanish: Helioptile Italian: Helioptile French: Galvaran German: Eguana Japanese: エリキテル	Spanish: Fletchling Italian: Fletchling French: Passerouge German: Dartiri Japanese: ヤヤコマ	Spanish: Pancham Italian: Pancham French: Pandespiègle German: Pam-Pam Japanese: ヤンチャム	Spanish: Gogoat Italian: Gogoat French: Chevroum German: Chevrumm Japanese: ゴーゴート

The Kalos Region

Your adventure in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y takes place in the Kalos region, home to beautiful skies and forests! The Kalos region is full of interesting places to visit and explore! The mysterious Kalos region is shaped intriguingly like a star.

Lumiose City

The central city of the Kalos region is Lumiose City, a thriving metropolis filled with customers checking out its variety of shops. Many roads extend from the iconic tower at the city's center.

Characters

Humans and Pokémon peacefully coexist in the world of Pokémon. In addition to playing as a human hero, you'll meet many other folks. Some of them will help you on adventure, while many others will stand in your way!

Hero and Heroine

Before your adventure begins, you will first select whether you want to play as a male or female hero. Your adventure will be largely the same no matter what your choice.

Box Art

Trailer Video

THE KALOS REGION AND MORE NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN POKÉMON FROM POKÉMON X AND POKÉMON Y INTRODUCED

Four Brand-New Pokémon, the New Region, and Official Package Art Revealed for the First Time - BELLEVUE, Wash.—May 14, 2013—When Pokémon fans begin their thrilling 3D adventure in Pokémon X or Pokémon Y this October, they will be transported into an entirely new region called Kalos. A mysterious place that is shaped like a star, Kalos is a region where players will encounter beautiful forests, thriving cities, and many never-before-seen Pokémon. The central city of this breathtaking region is Lumiose City, a metropolis featuring a tower that is set to become an iconic structure in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y.

While exploring the Kalos region, Trainers will encounter many new Pokémon that they can battle, catch, and add to their Pokédex. A Trainer is only as good as the Pokémon he or she befriends. Seven new Pokémon debuting in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y were introduced earlier this year—and today, four additional Pokémon are being revealed for the first time. These Pokémon add to the more than 640 Pokémon that have been encountered in previous games.

The cowardly Pokémon Helioptile, a Normal- and Electric-type Pokémon, can generate enough electricity through sunbathing to power machinery. But wise Trainers won’t be deterred by Helioptile’s lack of bravery. It knows Parabolic Charge, a brand-new move where Helioptile attacks everything around it. Helioptile's HP is restored by half the damage taken by those hit.

Fletchling, a Normal- and Flying-type Pokémon, sings with a beautiful chirp that is sure to delight any Trainer. Although it is known to be very friendly, Fletchling will suddenly unleash relentless attacks once it’s in battle. For example, when it uses its Fire-type move Flame Charge in battle, in addition to doing damage, Fletchling’s Speed increases every time.

With a leaf always in its mouth and an intimidating glare that is rarely effective, Fighting-type Pokémon Pancham shows its playful side when it lets out a little smile when its head is pat. Pancham can learn a brand-new move, Parting Shot, which not only lowers an opponent’s Attack and Special Attack, but also allows Pancham to switch out for another Pokémon in a Trainer’s party during battle.

Pokémon X and Pokémon Y introduce a new method of transportation—riding the brand-new Pokémon, Gogoat. This large Grass-type Pokémon is a reliable way to travel certain parts of Lumiose City. In battle, it can use Horn Leech to recover HP equal to half the damage dealt by this move.

These brand-new Pokémon and others caught in the Kalos region will be added to a player’s Pokédex that, for the first time, will be divided into three unique areas within the region. There is much to explore in the Kalos region, and many Pokémon to encounter when Pokémon X and Pokémon Y debut worldwide this October. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months!

Sources: http://www.pokemonxy.com/en-us/story/ and http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=38836

Episode 135 of Pokémon Smash, Fighting Pokémon! The Big Battle! / The 'PokéSma Genesect Army' is Hard at Work Today as Well, Aiming for 1 Million Members! / Nymphia Nakagawa Appears!? / EbiChu Takes the Stage for the Pokémon Battle! (かくとうポケモン！ だいバトル！ / 軍団員100万人を目指す「ポケスマゲノセクト軍団」が今回も大活躍！ / ニンフィア中川登場！？ / ポケモンバトルにエビ中が登場！) aired yesterday.

As usual, the episode started the hosts greeting the viewers with a 'Pokémorning!', before Golgo introduced the "You Choose! The Pokémon Anime Requests" segment. Yamamoto had chosen today's request, which came from 6 year old Tomoaki Ajiki (安食 智朗) from Osaka. He had drawn a picture of Ebiwalar, which he thought looked really strong and cool because it was a boxer. Since he was boxing as well, he really wanted to see Ebiwalar's boxing match, and thus requested Pocket Monsters episode 29, Fighting Pokémon! The Big Battle! ( かくとうポケモン！だいバトル！). A summary of that can be found in our episode guide. Professor Red cut to the episode with "Ok! PokéReq GO!"


As we return from the rerun episode, it seems Professor Red and the International Division have disappeared. Red quickly announces his arrival, though, and what appears to be the Genesect Army in their Hi-Speed Morphs fly in in front of the camera. Golgo tells them to come forward already, and it's revealed that what we saw flying in front of the camera were papier-mache models held up by fishing rods.

The Genesect Army introduce themselves, and Golgo asks what they're going here, and how many members they've recruited thus far, since their goal was 1 million. Red explains that they've been having a bit of trouble, and that they've only managed to get 8 additional members thus far, but that they'll make sure to get at least 1000 total members before the day is up. As they set out to recruit more members, Golgo says he'll go with them this time, and joins them on their quest.

PokéSma Genesect Army: Dispatch!

Red explains that today's plan is to recruit various organizations in their entirety. As they walk through the city, Niccolo spots a soccer team heading for practice, and the Army decides to follow them to their practice hall. The team they followed is the kindergartener soccer team FC Ooizumi Gakuen (FC大泉学園), which has 28 players in total. Red explains to the coach that they want all the kids to join the Genesect Army in order to hype the upcoming movie. The coach says it'll get in the way of their training, so Niccolo suggests a 3-on-3 penalty kick contest; if the Army wins, the kids will all join.


The contest uses two goals lined up next to each other, with one point being awarded for each goal. The players from the Genesect Army also get to shoot from half the distance the soccer players do. Still, the soccer players manage to score on their two first attempts, while the Genesect Army players miss on both their first. Despite the Army losing, Golgo still manages to convince the coach to let the players join, and as such, the Genesect Army add another 28 members to their ranks.

The Eievui Akiyama Friends

Yamamoto and Baba once again visit the Eievui Akiyama House with questions from the viewers. They call on Eievui Akiyama, and give him the question of the day, sent by Tomoki Hayashi from Tokyo: "Does Nymphia live at the Eievui Akiyama House?" Just then, a fancy socialite walks up, eventually introducing herself as Nymphia Nakagawa. She hands them her overly flashy business car, as Eievui Akiyama explains that she's a proper lady. Baba asks her where she's moved here from, and she says she comes from Philadelphia. He then asks why she's at the Eievui Akiyama House when her name is Nakagawa, and Eievui Akiyama explains that she's just a friend of the house, and Yamamoto and Baba point out that adding Nymphia Nakagawa to the Eievui Akiyama House is going to help a lot in hyping the upcoming movie short.


Baba then finally asks the question that's been on everyone's mind, and that has been sent to the show so many times since Nymphia got revealed;

From Satomi of Hokkaido: "What type is Nymphia Nakagawa?"

She doesn't seem all that willing to answer, so Baba suggests they do some tests in order to figure it out. Yamamoto points out that out of the 17 possible Pokémon types, Nymphia Nakagawa isn't going to be any of those a previous Eievui evolution has, which deconfirms the Normal, Water, Electric, Fire, Psychic, Dark, Grass and Ice types right off the bat. First, they decide to let her show off some of her skills, to see if they can give a hint towards the type. Nymphia Nakagawa pulls out a pair of nunchaku from her bag and demonstrate some tricks with those, making Yamamoto guess that this means she's a Fighting type. Baba suggests having her fight a martial artist to make sure, and a martial artist wielding an empty oil drum walks in. He instantly defeats her, and Yamamoto concludes that she's probably not a Fighting type after all.


Next, Nymphia Nakagawa demonstrates her skill in breaking ice, an ability she seems to have confidence in despite appearing quite weak earlier. And sure enough, she manages to break a plate of ice with a single chop. Baba says that if she's strong against ice, that means she might be a Steel type, and Yamamoto says that would mean the Poison type would have no effect on her. As such, they run a test to see if she's immune against poison, putting her face into a box, and then injecting the smell from a piece of kusaya into it. She immediately starts choking and gagging from the smell, making it seem more like it's super effective. It appears it'll be hard to determine the type by running this type of tests.


As Baba and Yamamoto try to think of what to do next, Nymphia Nakagawa gets a phone call, and says she'll have to go, she just got invited to a party for the movie voice actors. Baba and Yamamoto ask if they can come as well, since they're trying to hype the movie, and both they and Eievui Akiyama go along with her.

In the meantime, Golgo and the Genesect Army have arrived at a practice of the mothers' choir group Chor Dolce (コール・ドルチェ), which numbers a total of 15 members. They greet the group with a "Pokémorning", but receive no reply, Golgo pointing out that they probably don't know the term. It turns out the choir isn't particularly familiar with Pokémon in the first place, but after Golgo and Red explain that they're trying to hype the upcoming movie, and want them to join the Genesect Army, they go along with it, saying it doesn't look like they have any other choice. The choir does a quick performance of the army's "Gene~" call, and the army has added another 15 members.


Eievui Akiyama, Yamamoto and Baba have followed Nymphia Nakagawa to her party, where they meet Takashi Yoshimura and Kenta Tokui from the comedy duo Heisei Nobushi Kobushi. Yamamoto asks where the voice actors are, and Nymphia Nakagawa points out that it's those two, and Yoshimura explains that they are going to do guest roles in the upcoming movie.

Yoshimura says he'll be playing the role of Eric, a Pokémon Hills guide, and that he'll have a good amount of lines were he guides Satoshi and friends through the area, and that this is an important role. They ask him to perform one of his lines, and he makes an attempt at reciting the line he has in the trailer, saying "この街が危ない!" ("This town is in danger!"). We're shown a clip from the trailer that shows the line was actually (このままでは街が危ない！) "At this rate, the town will be in danger!", but it's still impressive for an improptu recital. He then recites some lines that weren't in the trailer, "My name is Eric! I work at Pokémon Hills!", as well as the grunting Eric makes while running. Next up is Tokui, who says that while Yoshimura is playing a human, he's been cast as a Ishitsubute. While they haven't done any dubbing work on the movie itself yet, Tokui has practiced for the role, and does a quick impression of how he plans on playing it. The segment then ends with the two saying to make sure to watch the movie.


Meanwhile, the Genesect Army have found a grade school full of enthusiastic children. They're from the Takasago Grade School (高砂小学校) in Sota, Saitama, and the assembled children number a total of 159. They all join the Army right away, and Red says he has a mission for them - to make a "Genesect expression" with their bodies. Red has them line up in a specific formation on the school grounds, before he and Golgo head to the school roof, where we see they've been lined up to form the word "Gene~!" (ゲノー!) And with that, the Genesect Army only needs another 999790 members to reach their goal! They're getting there.


The Genesect Army return to Pokémon Enterprise with the result of today's recruiting. Red points out that while they have 210 members now, it'll take a while to assemble 1 million at the pace they're currently going at, so Baba gives him a good idea; Enlist the help of the television viewers. Yamamoto announces that viewers can go to the official movie website and submit photos featuring Genesect, and that by doing this they'll join the Army. Shoko-tan then adds in that there will be a special gift available once they reach 1000 members. The announcer then goes over the rules, explaining that the photos can be both of yourself in a Genesect costume, Genesect merchandise, or anything else portraying Genesect in some way, and that photos can also be submitted by mail.

Pokémon battle

Shoko-tan announces that today, they have some special guests related to the movie: Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, the singers of Let's Hold Hands, the ending theme to Pocket Monsters Best Wishes Season 2 Decolora Adventure. Hinata Kashiwagi (柏木 ひなた) and Rina Matsuno (松野 莉奈) walk onto the set and introduce themselves. Yamamoto points out that EbiChu has 9 members total, and aks where the rest are, and Rina answers by holding up finger dolls of the remaining members. Golgo says that Shoko-tan mentioned that they were related to the movie, and asks in what way, and the two member of the group announce that "Let's Hold Hands" will also be used as the ending theme for the movie short Pikachu and its Eievui Friends. Shoko-tan then brings in the current movie poster, and points to the listed credits for the short's ending theme. Golgo asks them to perform the song, but Rina tells him that'll have to wait until all 9 of them are gathered. Hinata says she wants to have a Pokémon battle, and that since they're in the Eievui-themed short, she wants a battle where only Eievui ad its evolutions can be used.


Maru goes up against Hinata, while "Nice Yamamoto" (ni-ni-ni-nice!) and Red provide the commentary. The battle ends up quite even, but Hinata manages to secure the win in the end, turning Maru's slight lead around (ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-nice!). After congratulating her, Golgo tells them to bring the entire group next time, so they can perform their song.

The Marketing Division's Pokémon Movie News

Shoko-tan ends the episode by announcing that they have yet another guest related to the movie on the set... and Leafia Akiyama walks in. As he offers Golgo grass rice cakes and Red a home-made sticker, Golgo asks him what he has to tell them about the movie.


He explains that it's about the previously mentioned event that will be held across the country, the "Exciting Pokémon Carnival" (ポケモンわくわくカーニバル), which allows people to experience the world of the movie and its accompanying short. These events will feature various attractions sporting designs featuring Eievui and its various evolutions, including the new Pokémon Nymphia, and visitors will also get the chance to receve a special sun vizor, as well as participate in a "Pikachu and its Eievui Friends Rally".



Further information can be found on the official movie website.

Pictures from the June 2013 Corocoro have been released and new Pokémon and new information on Pokémon X and Y have been revealed. Below is the revealed information.

New Pokémon

• Gogoat (ゴーゴート) looks like a goat and is the Riding Pokémon. It is a Grass-type, it's 1.7m in height and weighs 91.0kg. You can actually ride this Pokémon in the field. It can learn Horn Leech.
• Elikiteru (エリキテル) looks like a lizard and is the Generation Pokémon. It is an Electric/Normal type, it's 0.5m in height and weighs 6.0kg. It has a new move called Parabola Charge (パラボラチャージ) which heals the user while damaging opponents.
• Yayakoma (ヤヤコマ) looks like a bird and is the Japanese Robin Pokémon. It is a Normal/Flying type, it's 0.3m in height and weighs 1.7kg. It can use the move Flame Charge
• Yancham (ヤンチャム) looks like a panda and is the Naughty Pokémon. It is a Fighting-type, it's 0.6m in height and weighs 8.0kg. It has a new move called Parting Remark (すてゼリフ).

New Pokémon X and Y Information

The game is set in the Karos Region (カロス地方) which appears to be based on France. Players can customize their trainers by changing their hair colour and skin shade. Main city is Miare City (ミアレシティ).

Pokémon Tretta Lab for Nintendo 3DS (ポケモントレッタラボ for ニンテンドー３ＤＳ) has been announced and is being developed by T-ARTS and MAQL. The main system/application will be released in Japan on August 10th, 2013 for 3800yen. The Nintendo 3DS application will allow players of the popular Japanese arcade game Pokémon Tretta to load tretta's into the Tretta Scanner (トレッタスキャナー) to identify the tretta.


The application Pokémon Tretta Lab can be downloaded for free and will be released simultaneously with the release of Pokémon Tretta Lab Main System (ポケモントレッタラボメインシステム). Players can scan a QR code that is included in the Pokémon Tretta Lab Main System package to download the application. The application is pretty much useless without the Tretta Scanner though. The Main System package includes: the Tretta Scanner, 2 Nintendo 3DS stands (Original 3DS and LL sized) and the QR code.


Pokémon Tretta Lab has three main modes: Tretta Analyzer (トレッタアナライザー), Type Checker (タイプチェッカー) and Auto Battle (オートバトル). Tretta Analyzer displays information on the scanned in tretta. Type Checker looks up information other tretta's type information and Auto Battle allows players to scan in two tretta's and it will automatically setup a battle between them.


Eevee, Mewtwo and Lucario tretta's come with the main system package and are featured in this years Pocket Monsters movie but those that pre-order can also get a Pichu tretta.

Source: http://www.maql.co.jp/pdf/20130509.pdf

The next legendary Poké Dolls distribution on the Japanese Pokémon Global Link has been announced. Mewtwo and Mew can be unlocked via a password sent to all Pokémon Daisuki Club members on May 17th, 2013.

「ポケモンだいすき！通信」を受け取ってポケモンドールがもらえる「あいことば」をゲット！

"ポケモンだいすきクラブのメールマガジン「ポケモンだいすき！通信」に毎月、伝説・幻のポケモンのポケモンドールがもらえる「あいことば」が掲載されるよ！5月17日配信予定分を受け取るには5月15日（水）までに、だいすきクラブのマイページからメールマガジンを受け取る設定にしておく必要があるよ！

5月のプレゼントは「ミュウツードール」「ミュウドール」だ！

Source: http://ja.pokemon-gl.com/#/information/687

The official Pokémon Tretta website has announced a few new goods that will be released in April and May of 2013. The Pokémon Tretta - Collection Trunk (ポケモントレッタ　コレクショントランク) stores 99 Tretta's and 1 Tretta Report card. It has a large Monster Ball on the front and a carrying handle to make it easier for players to bring their Tretta's to a gaming unit. It will be released in Japan on April 25th, 2013 for the suggested retail price of 2,604yen (tax included).


The Pokémon Tretta - Tretta Sleeves (ポケモントレッタ　トレッタスリーブ) protect a players Tretta's from scratches and dirt. Packs of 15 will be sold starting on May 16th, 2013 for the suggested retail price of 420 yen (tax included).



Additionally, 12 more tretta from the upcoming expansion Search For That Trio Alongside Nyarth have been revealed, including a Legend class Rayquaza tretta, a Lizardon tretta that marks the very first non-legendary/mythical Pokémon to receive a Master class tretta, the first Poison-type tretta in Gureggru and Tamagetake, and another couple tretta with the Search mark, which has been revealed to be a function that allows the player to manipulate the Search Roulette to a certain degree.

Sources: http://www.pokemontretta.com/goods/trettacase.html#p04, http://www.pokemontretta.com/goods/etc.html#p06 and http://www.pokemontretta.com/tretta/t05/index.html

To celebrate the Pokémon Global Link Japan Cup 2013 (ジャパンカップ2013), all those that registered and participated in the tournament could get the Black Kyurem or White Kyurem skins as a gift. Dates Available for Japan: April 26th, 2013 at 13:00 until June 11th, 2013 at 16:00. Our C-Gear page for B2W2 has been updated with the latest information.


Source: http://www.pokemon.co.jp/info/2013/04/130418_g01.html

DLC for Mystery Dungeon

The next batch of DLC levels for Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Magnagate and the Infinite Labyrinths are now available for purchase in North America. Axe Road and Mount Tepig cost $2 each. Treat Road costs $2.50 while Strongest Trail costs $3.00.


The PokéForest DLC will be available for free on launch day, May 17th, 2013 in Europe. It will be free until June 21st, 2013, after it will cost €1.50.

Our DLC page has been updated with the latest information.

MORE THAN 20 MILLION PHYSICAL COPIES OF NINTENDO 3DS GAMES HAVE BEEN SOLD IN THE U.S.

Fueled by strong starts for Luigi's Mansion™: Dark Moon and Pokémon™ Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, and the continued strength of Fire Emblem Awakening, Nintendo 3DS™ crossed 20 million total units of software sold at retail in the United States, according to the NPD Group.

Some notable sales numbers achieved by Nintendo in March include:
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity sold more than 145,000 combined physical and digital units for the month.
- Total sales of Nintendo 3DS software at retail increased by more than 50 percent over March 2012.

Data regarding physical sales of games in March are from the NPD Group. Data regarding digital downloads of games and combined physical/digital life-to-date numbers are from Nintendo's internal sales figures. All numbers are specific to the United States only.

Source: http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=38468

Director Lucario Pokémon Scramble U NPC Promo Figure

A special campaign for Pokémon Scramble U (ポケモンスクランブル Ｕ) featuring a Director Lucario (ルカリオ部長) NPC promo figure was revealed by the official Japanese Pokémon website. Further details of the promo will be revealed during Pokémon Smash #133 which will air on April 28th, 2013.


Our Pokémon Scramble U Figure Promo page been updated with the latest information and will be updated as further information is revealed.

Source: http://www.pokemon.co.jp/info/2013/04/130418_s01.html

The Pokémon TCG Online has begun testing a new currency for purchases in game. Gems will allow players to purchase digital in game items. Currently the Gem's test is open to players in Canada only, but will expand to other countries after the testing phase. Players can purchase gems with PayPal or credit card.

Gems Testing Begins

posted: April 18, 2013 by: Prof_Mathis

In addition to the other exciting features released in this month’s Pokémon TCG Online game update, we are beginning the initial testing phase for Gems. For testing purposes, we are limiting the scope of this rollout to players in Canada. We’ve created the FAQ below to cover some of the basics of Gems.

What are Gems?
Gems offer players a new way to obtain digital items in the Pokémon TCG Online game. Working in tandem with the code cards found in physical Pokémon TCG products and booster packs received from the Daily Login Bonus, Gems offer players even more options to expand their online collection.

How can I get Gems?
As part of this test, players in Canada can purchase Gems with real money by visiting the Buy Gems page on the Pokémon TCG Online website.

What can I buy with Gems?
During this test, the Shop will contain digital booster packs and theme decks from the Pokémon TCG: Black & White series.

Who can buy Gems?
Gem purchases are only available to players in Canada during this testing phase. These players must have the “Shopping” option in their Pokémon.com Trainer Club account set to “Open.” These settings can be found on the Account Preferences page.

Why can’t I buy Gems in my country?
The introduction of Gems to the Pokémon TCG Online marks the first time that the online game has directly accepted real money from its players. Adding Gems is a significant and complex step for the game. We want to ensure we get it right. Limiting the testing of Gems to a single market allows us to evaluate and refine our systems in a more controlled live environment than would be available with a simultaneous global release.

Sources: http://www.pokemontcg.com/news/?p=527#more-527 and http://www.pokemontcg.com/buygems