Nintendo has posted a FAQ page to help all of you Trainers out there figure out how the new Pokémon Bank app for the 3DS will work.

Pokémon Bank will give Pokémon X and Y players the ability to store up to 3,000 Pokémon, which can be separated out between 100 boxes (each box holds 30 Pokémon).  Players will even be able to store Pokémon from different copies of X or Y.  This will come in handy if a cartridge is ever lost.  Pokémon Bank is online storage for Pokémon so a lost cartridge doesn’t mean lost Pokémon!

Pokemon from X and Y can be stored in Pokémon Bank as well as any Pokémon from Black, White, Black 2, or White 2.  To move Pokémon from Black, White, Black 2, or White 2, players will have to download the companion application, Poké Transporter, to their 3DS. (Poké Transporter is free and can be downloaded after installing Pokémon Bank)

Pokémon from older versions of software can be ‘transported’ into the Bank as well but the process is much longer than just one simple transfer using the Poké Transporter.

Use the GBA Game Card slot on a Nintendo DS Lite or Nintendo DS to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Ruby, Pokémon Sapphire, Pokémon Emerald, Pokémon FireRed, and Pokémon LeafGreen to an area called the Pal Park in Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon Pearl, Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon HeartGold, or Pokémon SoulSilver.

Then, using two systems from the Nintendo DS family, transfer your Pokémon from Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon Pearl, Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon HeartGold, or Pokémon SoulSilver to Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, or Pokémon White 2 using the Poké Transfer facility that exists within those games.

Players who are new to Pokémon X or Y will not be able to use Pokémon Bank until they have begun playing either game and received the Pokédex while playing.  There is a free trial period for anyone who downloads and opens Pokémon Bank by January 31, 2014.  The trial period lasts for 1 month and after the end of the trial Pokémon Bank is available as a subscription service for $4.99 per year.

If you download and open Pokémon Bank by January 31, 2014, you will be able to obtain a pass that will allow you to use the software for no charge for 30 days.

Before February 1, 2014, you will need to:
1. Download Pokémon Bank from the Nintendo eShop.
2. Open Pokémon Bank.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to obtain your pass.

This pass unlocks a 30-day trial period. During this time, you will be able to use all of the features in both Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter without charge.

If you download Pokémon Bank but do not open the software and obtain your pass by the end of January 31, 2014 (Friday), you will not be able to obtain the pass. Please be sure to take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts.

Pokémon Bank will be available on the 3DS eShop December 25th in Japan and December 27th in Europe and North America.

There is a lot more information about Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter over at Nintendo’s Pokémon Bank FAQ page.  If there are any other questions about Pokémon Bank or Poké Transporter, odds are that it can be found on this extensive Pokémon Bank FAQ page.