The Pokémon Bank application has now been updated, according to the Pokémon Sun and Moon website. The Nintendo 3DS service, which allows players to transfer their Pokémon between a variety of mainline titles, is now compatible with Sun and Moon.
In celebration of the eagerly anticipated update, all Pokémon Bank users will receive a special gift. From now until Oct. 2, a rare Z-Crystal item for the legendary Pokémon Mew will be given away exclusively through Pokémon Bank. The Mewnium-Z item works with Sun and Moon, which introduced the Z-Move mechanic to the franchise.
Pokémon Bank has been updated for #PokemonSunMoon! To celebrate, all Pokémon Bank users can receive Mew’s Z-Crystal! https://t.co/XSh23CubsI pic.twitter.com/pZEU0sdDkH
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) January 25, 2017
The graphic below shows how Pokémon Bank will now communicate with Pokémon Sun and Moon. Trainers’ collections from those games will be able to move over to older 3DS entries, like X and Y. Players will also be able to move over Pokémon from those previous games into Sun and Moon, expanding their Pokédex and giving them the chance to use a number of older Pokémon in the newer games for the first time.
Pokémon Bank costs $4.99 for an annual subscription. Along with the ability to move Pokémon between games with ease, the service provides additional storage for trainers with large monster collections. For Sun and Moon, using Pokémon Bank will also introduce the expanded National Pokédex into the games, as a way to account for the rest of the Pokémon previously unavailable in the main campaign.
Update: The Pokémon Company detailed additional features included in the Pokémon Bank update. These include the addition of Adventure Records, a feature that lets players chart some important statistics from across all games registered to the app. Those include the number of Pokémon caught and wild Pokémon battles throughout their games.
Pokémon Bank users will also be able to collect the Poké Miles currency and port them over to Sun and Moon as Battle Points, which are used in the Festival Plaza. The Pokémon Bank website details all of the updated features.