Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Manaphy: Sinnoh’s mythical Pokémon can’t be caught in the grass. They arrived through official distributions, limited in time, in stores, over Wi-Fi or from another game. Here is how these events worked, what they offered, and what you can still do with them today.
Distributions went through the Mystery Gift, an option in the main menu that you had to unlock, and then through the delivery man at the Pokémon Center, who handed the Pokémon or item over to the player.
All of these distributions ended long ago. Today, the only way to get these Pokémon on Diamond, Pearl or Platinum is to trade with a player who owns them.
