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Things in the Pokémon world which just don't make sense (by pokémon standards)

lemoncatpower

Cynical Optimist
one thing I am wondering is that when you catch a pokemon, why do they automatically seem to pledge allegiance to you? do they just submit knowing they lost the battle?
 

Akashin

Well-Known Member
one thing I am wondering is that when you catch a pokemon, why do they automatically seem to pledge allegiance to you? do they just submit knowing they lost the battle?

The easy answer is that doing it any other way would be sacrificing fun for the sake of realism (at least without a major overhaul, anyway). Pokemon love to battle, and so if they're defeated and captured by you they continue to do so under your orders, even if it stands to reason that it shouldn't be that simple.

The anime is probably the better place to go if that sort of realism is something you care about, though even it isn't great with it at times.
 

gliscor&yanmega

Well-Known Member
one thing I am wondering is that when you catch a pokemon, why do they automatically seem to pledge allegiance to you? do they just submit knowing they lost the battle?

It likely has to do with them deeming you worthy to use them. As such, they are willing to follow your commands. As time goes by while you use them, they'll like you more(Happiness). If you go the extra mile(Pokemon Amie/Refresh) then they'll end up liking you a lot and even dig deep into friendship powers.
 

Bguy7

The Dragon Lord
one thing I am wondering is that when you catch a pokemon, why do they automatically seem to pledge allegiance to you? do they just submit knowing they lost the battle?

Kind of touched on already, but a sense of honor is probably the best answer. They were defeated by you, and unable to escape the Pokeball, therefore they now see it as their honor-bound duty to serve you, or something like that. But as Akashin said, the anime is probably the place to look for an answer to this question.
 

RedJirachi

Veteran member
one thing I am wondering is that when you catch a pokemon, why do they automatically seem to pledge allegiance to you? do they just submit knowing they lost the battle?

It's heavily implicit that Pokemon have a "might makes right" philosophy, a sort of warrior code. By capturing them, you deserve mastery over them. Which would explain why legendaries have such low capture rates; they have much higher standards than most Pokemon
 

Blaze The Movie Fan

Reviewer and PokéFan
I still don't get the logic of normal-type Pokémon being immune to ghost-type moves.

No matter how much I TRY understanding the logic of that I just can't.
 
It's heavily implicit that Pokemon have a "might makes right" philosophy, a sort of warrior code. By capturing them, you deserve mastery over them. Which would explain why legendaries have such low capture rates; they have much higher standards than most Pokemon

There was also something in Sinnoh in the Canalave Library that explained why Pokemon appeared before humans. That might have something to do with it.
 

Bguy7

The Dragon Lord
I still don't get the logic of normal-type Pokémon being immune to ghost-type moves.

No matter how much I TRY understanding the logic of that I just can't.

I've always seen it as a reference to the idea that ghosts, being incorporeal, have no solid form, and therefore no physical action could touch them. Of course, if ever physical attack had no effect on Ghost-Types, the type would be too powerful, so it was scaled back to make it so that only your average, every-day attack with no special properties pass right through Ghost-Types, meaning Normal-Type moves don't effect Ghost-Types. Makes perfect sense in my mind.
 

octoboy

I Crush Everything
Kind of touched on already, but a sense of honor is probably the best answer. They were defeated by you, and unable to escape the Pokeball, therefore they now see it as their honor-bound duty to serve you, or something like that. But as Akashin said, the anime is probably the place to look for an answer to this question.
Yeah, pretty much. That and they probably figure that if a pokémon you trained can beat them, you could probably train them to a similar level. That could very well be the reason traded pokémon don't do as they're told; they haven't had first-hand experience of your skill, so you need to prove yourself to them with badges instead, as that's a concrete sign you've won a battle against a relatively skilled pokémon.

There are a couple of odd spots in this idea, like starters being loyal to a trainer they're given to, but not one they're traded to, or pokémon being instantly loyal to anyone who owns a pokémon who could lull it to sleep or was able to shell out for a master ball, but the general idea is pretty plausible given the story's premise.
 

Bguy7

The Dragon Lord
There are a couple of odd spots in this idea, like starters being loyal to a trainer they're given to, but not one they're traded to, or pokémon being instantly loyal to anyone who owns a pokémon who could lull it to sleep or was able to shell out for a master ball, but the general idea is pretty plausible given the story's premise.

Starters are easily explained by the fact that they're probably specially bred to be given to new trainers.
 

RedJirachi

Veteran member
It comes off as pretty absurd to me that of all Pokemon Ditto can't breed with, one includes itself.
 

Bguy7

The Dragon Lord
It comes off as pretty absurd to me that of all Pokemon Ditto can't breed with, one includes itself.

I wouldn't say that. Ditto is a genderless Pokemon, which as a generic rule of thumb cannot breed with others of its species/egg group. Also, as it's implied that it can breed with other Pokemon because it can transform into them, it is easy to infer that it reproduces by taking on that species method of reproduction. Ditto itself may not have a form of reproduction that is applicable to the circumstances in the day care center.
 

octoboy

I Crush Everything
Starters are easily explained by the fact that they're probably specially bred to be given to new trainers.
It doesn't explain their refusal to listen to other trainers they're traded to. You could transfer your starter instantly to someone else and they'd refuse to obey that person at a certain level despite knowing just as much about that person as they do you.
 

Bguy7

The Dragon Lord
It doesn't explain their refusal to listen to other trainers they're traded to. You could transfer your starter instantly to someone else and they'd refuse to obey that person at a certain level despite knowing just as much about that person as they do you.

Huh, good point. It's a little less obvious, but I suppose you could explain that as them being trained/bred to bond with one specific trainer, the one that chooses them. So they act like any other Pokemon towards other trainers.
 

Captain Jigglypuff

Leader of Jigglypuff Army
I wouldn't say that. Ditto is a genderless Pokemon, which as a generic rule of thumb cannot breed with others of its species/egg group. Also, as it's implied that it can breed with other Pokemon because it can transform into them, it is easy to infer that it reproduces by taking on that species method of reproduction. Ditto itself may not have a form of reproduction that is applicable to the circumstances in the day care center.

I think if Ditto being the Pokemon world's copy machine. That's why I always name one Ditto in each Game Xerox.
 

Blaze The Movie Fan

Reviewer and PokéFan
I've always seen it as a reference to the idea that ghosts, being incorporeal, have no solid form, and therefore no physical action could touch them. Of course, if ever physical attack had no effect on Ghost-Types, the type would be too powerful, so it was scaled back to make it so that only your average, every-day attack with no special properties pass right through Ghost-Types, meaning Normal-Type moves don't effect Ghost-Types. Makes perfect sense in my mind.

That explains why ghost-type Pokémon are immune to fighting and normal types, but it doesn't explain why normal type Pokémon are immune to ghost type moves.
 

Akashin

Well-Known Member
That explains why ghost-type Pokémon are immune to fighting and normal types, but it doesn't explain why normal type Pokémon are immune to ghost type moves.

The exact same explanation works, except in reverse. Your attacks pass through them because they're ghosts, and their attacks pass through you because they're ghosts.

Like Bguy7 said, logic would suggest that all Physical attacks not work. But A) there was no Physical in the days of yore, and B) that would be beyond broken.
 

Luthor

Well-Known Member
I find it odd that a ride pokemon you were bound to encounter like Charizard doesn't have a place in the Alola Pokedex. Especially given all the pokemon that can fly that are in the alola pokedex that easily could have been ride pokemon. It's not a major issue but it is certainly a strange choice.
 

jginz1

Shiny Hunter
I find it odd that a ride pokemon you were bound to encounter like Charizard doesn't have a place in the Alola Pokedex. Especially given all the pokemon that can fly that are in the alola pokedex that easily could have been ride pokemon. It's not a major issue but it is certainly a strange choice.

I agree with you. I think Fearow should have been the Fly pokemon considering that Charizard was already featured with a new Mega Evolution in Generation 6
 

Bguy7

The Dragon Lord
I find it odd that a ride pokemon you were bound to encounter like Charizard doesn't have a place in the Alola Pokedex. Especially given all the pokemon that can fly that are in the alola pokedex that easily could have been ride pokemon. It's not a major issue but it is certainly a strange choice.

Starter Pokemon hold a very special place in most Pokedexes. One rule of building a regional dex is that if a Pokemon is in the dex it is obtainable before you beat the game (with a few special exceptions like Legendary Pokemon). Starter Pokemon are too special to just randomly shove into the dex, and if one them makes it in, then all three of them will. Putting Charizard into the dex wouldn't work short of doing something like they did in Kalos with the Kanto Starters, and it really would be a bit much if they did that twice in a row.

Also, there's not really any reason why Charizard should be in the regional dex to begin with. The simple solution is that this Charizard was brought in from another region and doesn't naturally exist in Alola. As for using another Pokemon instead, they could have, but I think it's pretty obvious that a large percentage of the Pokemon fanbase will be made extremely happy by the fact that they can ride on top of a Charizard.
 
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