If you hack a nickname onto a legit event Pokemon, is it still considered legit?

Question

So back in 2013 I got an event shiny Giratina, and I'm going to be putting it in Pokemon Bank and trading it for a legit Shaymin. Since I'm 98% sure you can't nickname (most of) the event Shaymin, I'm considering allowing somebody to hack a nickname onto it...

But I'm wondering: Why go through the trouble of getting a legit Shaymin if hacking a nickname onto it just makes it not legit? I feel like this is a stupid question, but I don't hack and never trade for hacked Pokemon, so I don't know -- maybe hacking a nickname onto a Pokemon is different from hacking it in general...

Anyway, thanks for humoring me.

Comments

Also, can you nickname the event Shaymin that you catch after getting Oak's letter? I would imagine you can...

---

Technically, if the event Pokémon has the same TID, SID, and Trainer Name as your game, you should be able to nickname the event Pokémon. While this is very hard, it isn't impossible. :P

Although, hacking is hacking, so while a nicknamed event Pokémon is possible, I will recommend avoiding it and instead searching for a game that has the desired TID and SID. (or don't bother; it is basically shiny hunting a 1/999999 x 1/999999 chance, while using real money). :P

Answer 1

This is one of the gray areas of legitimacy, but according to the official Pokémon rules and guidelines document (section 4.1), "The use of external devices […] to modify or create items or Pokémon in a player’s Battle Team is expressly forbidden." Because there's no "unless" in there, it can be inferred that using third-party software to modify a Pokémon in any way makes it illegal, so technically no, hacking a nickname would make it illegal.

Comments

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

---

I guess it also depends on who you ask. For a lot of fan-hosted competitive tournaments, hacked Pokemon are fair game so long as their attributes can be attained through legitimate gameplay. It's less than virutous, but there'd be plenty of organisers who wouldn't be fussed unless you were actually gaining an advantage.

---

I should have specified that I just meant hacked in it's broadest sense, like what KRLW said. No competitive 'mons here, just an honest player.
I was actually wondering in specific; that if the Shaymin were hypothetically used in formats that don't allow hackmons, if it would be allowed or if the game would recognize it as hacked and not let you enter it.