Editing Bill

{{Character
|image=[[Image:Bill.png|100px]]
|caption=Bill in ''[[Pokémon: Gold and Silver Versions]]''.
|bgcolor=#660000
|fgcolor=#FFFFFF
|name=Bill
|hair=Brown
|eyes=Brown
|species=Human
|relatives=Grandfather<br>Father, Mother<br>Brother, Sister
| voiced by=
|debut=''[[Pokémon: Red, Green and Blue Versions|Pokémon: Red/Green Versions]]''
|}}

{{dablink|This article is about the Pokémon character. For the ''[[Star Fox]]'' character, see [[Bill Grey]].}}

'''Bill''' is a Pokémon researcher, more commonly referred to as a Pokémaniac, who appears in several games of the ''Pokémon'' series. He is notable as the creator of the Pokémon Storage System, which allows the player to keep more than the six Pokémon that they can carry on them.

=Background=

Bill was born and raised in Goldenrod City in [[Johto]]. He was the son of a Pokémanic and a Kimono Girl. His family also included grandfather, a brother and a younger sister. Ever since he was a child, he liked collecting things, which led to his later affinity for Pokémon. He ended up following in his father's footsteps as a Pokémaniac, although as an adult he was annoyed by his father's apparent laziness. He later lived in a Sea Cottage located on Route 25 of [[Kanto]]. There, he developed the Pokémon Storage System, his most well-known invention which was used to store the extra Pokémon of various trainers through PCs. He originally developed it for Kanto and Johto, and he also helped [[Lanette]] and [[Bebe]] to set up their own systems in [[Hoenn]] and [[Sinnoh]], respectively. He also sent [[Cassius]] to run the system in [[Kalos]]. He apparently had a large collection of Pokémon and loved rare Pokémon. At the same time, he did not have any skill for battling and was not known to be very outgoing.

==First Generation==

For his original appearance in the first generation games (''[[Pokémon: Red, Green and Blue Versions|Pokémon Red, Green, Blue]]'' and ''[[Pokémon: Yellow Version|Yellow]]'', as well as the remakes ''[[Pokémon: FireRed and LeafGreen Versions|FireRed and LeafGreen]]''), there was an accident with the testing of a teleporter device which caused him to accidentally get his body fused with that of a Pokémon (specifically a [[Clefairy]] in ''FireRed''/''LeafGreen''). [[Red]] later arrived and was able to help him by operating the teleporter to restore him to normal. Bill thanked Red by giving him an S.S. Ticket, which he did not want anyway, due to his dislike for fancy parties. In ''FireRed and LeafGreen'', he later met Red again at Cinnabar Island and invited Red to accompany him on a trip to the [[Sevii Islands]], to help his friend [[Celio]] set up a machine connecting the PC systems of Kanto and Hoenn. Red was able to find the Ruby and Sapphire needed to power the machine, and Bill rewarded Red for his efforts with a Tri-Pass and a meteorite.

In the ''[[Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!/Eevee!|Let's Go!]]'' games, Bill's role was largely the same as in the original first generation games. Instead of the Pokémon Storage System connected to PCs, this game had a Box that was accessed through the player's Bag for storing extra Pokémon. Bill was still behind its creation, but that fact was only mentioned by his brother at Fuchsia City. Bill had also created the [[GO Park]] complex with the help of a professor from another region (presumably [[Professor WIllow]]). Bill also had several reports that could be read on his computer, which recalled his attempts to search for Kanto's three legendary birds ([[Articuno]], [[Zapdos]] and [[Moltres]]). In this version, he was fused with a [[Nidorino]] instead of a Clefairy, and he gave the player two S.S. Tickets instead of one.

==Second Generation==

Three years later, Bill had returned to his family's home in Goldenrod in the second generation games (''[[Pokémon: Gold and Silver Versions|Pokémon: Gold, Silver]]'' and ''[[Pokémon: Crystal Version|Crystal Versions]]'', as well as the remakes ''[[Pokémon: HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions|HeartGold and SoulSilver]]''). In the original version of the games, the player first met him at the Pokémon Center in Ecruteak City just as he had finished adjusting the Time Capsule, which made trading Pokémon with the past (ie the first generation games) possible. He found an [[Eevee]] from the Time Capsule and did not think he could raise it due to all the time he spent indoors, so he instead gave it to the player character when they visited his home in Goldenrod. He later mused upon making an upgrade to his teleportation system. 

In ''HeartGold'' and ''SoulSilver'' (which omits the Time Capsule), he instead mentioned his work with Lanette and that it made his storage system easier to use, and the Eevee he gave to [[Ethan]]/[[Lyra]] was instead one that he had used to prepare the Wi-Fi Network.

==Later Generations==

Although Bill has not made any physical appearances since, an e-mail to Lanette from him was seen in ''[[Pokémon: Ruby and Sapphire Versions|Pokémon: Ruby, Sapphire]]'' and ''[[Pokémon: Emerald Version|Emerald Versions]]'' as well as ''[[Pokémon: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire|Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]''. He also gave Bebe an Eevee that was later passed down to [[Dawn]] or [[Lucas (Pokemon)|Lucas]] in ''[[Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl Versions|Pokémon: Diamond, Pearl]]'' and ''[[Pokémon: Platinum Version|Platinum Versions]].

In ''[[Pokémon: Sun and Moon|Sun and Moon]]'', after the main storyline, [[Lillie]] brought [[Lusamine]] to Kanto in hopes that Bill's experience with being fused and then separated from a Pokémon would be helpful in separating the last of [[Nihilego]]'s toxins from Lusamine's system, as a result of her own fusion with the [[Ultra Beast]]. The results of this trip are unknown.

=Other Appearances=

==Other Media==

*Bill appeared in one episode of the Pokémon anime series, where he lived in a lighthouse. Instead of being fused with a Pokémon, he was trapped in a [[Kabuto]] costume until freed by [[Red#Other Media|Ash]], [[Misty]] and [[Brock]]. During the episode he tells them about Pokémon and the possibilty of more than 150 Pokémon existing, as well as involving them in his project to find the mysterious [[Dragonite]], although [[Team Rocket]]'s attack later scares it away.
*Bill appears in the ''Pokémon Adventures'' manga, as a supporting character in several arcs. First in ''Red''/''Green''/''Blue'', he is specifically fused with a [[Rattata]], but is restored to normal after Red saved him from a [[Fearow]]. Bill forms a strong friendship with Red, often contacting him with tips and occasionally traveling with him. In the ''Yellow'' arc he winds up becoming Yellow's primary traveling companion, but not by choice, as he winds up on the run from the Elite Four. He accompanies them to Cerise Island and is paired off with [[Lt. Surge]] against [[Bruno]], and though they do not win, the odd couple is able to hold him off until Red's arrival. He appears throughout the ''Gold''/''Silver''/''Crystal'' arc, where he protests for more thorough examination of gym leaders due to some being tied to [[Team Rocket]] and is otherwise occupied by trying to get [[Johto]]'s teleportation system working. With [[Daisy Oak|Daisy]]'s help, he is finally able to fix it at the end of the arc in time to teleport nearly every trainers' Pokémon to Ilex Forest for the final battle against [[Pryce|the Mask of Ice]], after which he is shown to grow much closer to her. He continues to appear in later arcs, with a mix of supporting and minor roles.
*He was featured in an chapter of the ''Electric Tale of Pikachu'' manga, where he showed Ash and Professor Oak to a colony of Clefairy at Mt. Moon that he had discovered, and they helped the Pokémon with their evolution ceremony.

=Trivia=

*Bill is most likely named after Bill Gates, the famous real-life computer designer, in the English localization. In Japan, he has a full name of Masaki Sonezaki, with 'masaki' being the Japanese word for a type of Japanese spindle and possibly referring to the Japanese word for a cape, in reference to where he lives.
*His first Pokémon was an [[Abra]].
*Bill's favorite Pokémon is indicated as [[Eevee]] in ''Red'' and ''Blue'', although in ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'', Celio instead says that as a Pokémaniac every kind of Pokémon was his favorite. In the first generation games, he has files on Eevee and all three of its known evolutions at the time ([[Flareon]], [[Jolteon]] and [[Vaporeon]]) on his PC. Bebe also mentions that Bill seems to raise a lot of Eevee after giving one to the player.
*In the ''Let's Go!'' games, Bill's files on Eevee and its evolutions are replaced by files about the three legendary birds. This change was likely due to Eevee's role as the starter Pokémon for one of the games
*One Pokémaniac appearing in ''Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal'', Brent, is an avid fan of Bill. After collecting his number and calling him, Brent will often list various trivia about Bill.
*Bill apparently is lactose intolerant. This piece of trivia is recited by both Pokémaniac Brent in ''Gold, Silver'', ''Crystal'', ''HeartGold'' and ''SoulSilver'' as well as [[Celio]] in ''FireRed and LeafGreen''. 
*He was rumored to have a crush on the daughter of the owner of the Goldenrod Flower Shop.
*Bill's younger sister cannot wink, and his grandfather is not a Pokémaniac.
*In ''[[Pokémon: Black and White Versions]]'', Bill is mentioned in a book at [[Amanita]]'s house as the developer of the PC system.

{{Pokemon Characters}}
[[Category: Pokémon Characters]]