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Pokémon cloning is a glitch that occurs which enables a player to make an exact clone of a Pokémon.

Generation I

The Generation I Cloning (discovered in 1999) is extremely hazardous, due to the risk of corruption of the data if done wrong. Must be done with an "incomplete trade" (this deletes a Pokémon). The steps are the following:

1. Catch a Pokémon to sacrifice (in the game that doesn't have the Pokémon that you want to clone), preferably a weak and common one (a Pidgey will do).
2. Get in the Cable Club. Select the weak Pokémon to be traded with the Pokémon to clone. Begin the transfer like normally. Wait for the animations to finish.
3. When the Message "WAIT..." disappears, and just before "TRANSFER COMPLETE!" appears, turn off the game that originally had the Pokémon you want to clone. (Must be really accurate!)
4. The other game will be locked up and the weak Pokémon, deleted.
5. After turning the games on again, both players must have the same Pokémon in their respective parties.

Generation II

The most common way for it to be done in the Pokémon Gold and Silver versions is as follows:

1. Save the game.
2. Deposit the Pokémon you want to clone.
3. Switch boxes to any box (Preferably an empty one).
4. When it says "do you want to overwrite saved data?" say yes. However, while the capitalized word "SAVING" is on the screen, shut the game off. If your timing is off, you could erase your saved data. However, as long as you turn off the game from around the time "SAV" is on the screen to when the word "POWER" is shown, the game will be fine.
5. Turn your game back on, and there should be the original Pokémon in your party, and a copy of it in your box. If you made the Pokémon hold an item, that item will also be cloned.

What happens here?

Shutting the game off while saving in the Box Change makes the game to save the changes inside the PC, but not outside. So, your party and items will be the way they were at the last place you saved, but the PC will keep the changes you've just made.

This let you do a variety of massive tricks like cloning five pokémon at the same time; or get the three starter Pokémon (tough it's dangerous to do) saving, starting a new game and AVOIDING TO SAVE until you can deposite your Pokémon in the PC, then do the "save trick", and when turning on again, you'll have the Pokémon stored at PC (It's better to do this with a just started game due to the risk of deleting all the pokémon in the box you use, or even in all the PC)

Warning: Do not attempt this method in Pokémon Red and Blue or Pokémon Yellow. Attempting this glitch in the Generation I games will sometimes give you a cloned Pokémon, but it is much more likely that the cheat will erase your saved game by corrupting the saved data.

Generation III

This method is only available for use in Pokémon Emerald. It can only be accessed after the player has beaten the Elite Four, as it requires that they are able to visit the Battle Frontier. Once the player is at the Battle frontier they must do as follows:

1. Go to the Battle Tower.
2. Deposit the Pokémon that will be cloned into a box, perferrably an empty one.
3. Save the game through the normal method.
4. Withdraw the Pokémon from the box.
5. Talk to the nearest receptionist to the PC.
6. Enter any competition, and save via the prompt. Wait until "Saving. Don't turn off the power!" appears in the text box, and turn off the game.

Once the game is powered on again, it will say the save file is corrupt. However, this is normal, and once gameplay has started again, the player can check their party and the PC box, and both will have the cloned Pokémon they chose.