Prepare to have your heart broken by a Pokemon...

[icon_uk]

I found this over on tumblr, and though I am not personally a major fan of Pokemon for reasons I've elaborated on before, this is a very striking story, both in text and visual form

The story is by obsessiforge, art by projecttiger, who has kindly permitted me to post their artwork here.

The prompt was from another user on tumblr



And that led to obsessiforge writing this

and that led to projecttiger drawing this... and I will refrain from futher comment.

Comments

[venatosapiens]

....oh god. That's...oh, god. Why.

[shadowpsykie]

O_O

is that the creation of a MissingNo?

[icon_uk]

For those who don't know what that is (eg me pre Google search) this is MissingNo

[alexanderlucard]

Is it bad that my first thought was not on the quality of the story, but that this very question has been answered in canon by all forms of Pokémon (video game, anime, manga, etc) multiple times and that this exact situation (which well written but is way too dark for the fandom's core age group) could not occur and has a fundamental misunderstanding of what a Pokeball actually is and does?

[icon_uk]

Are Pokeballs flawless and incapable of glitching or crashing? That must make them pretty much unique in the annals of technology.

Oh, and out of curiosity, how is the issue addressed in the other media you mention?

[alexanderlucard]

Actually yes, because they aren't truly technology. The original Pokeballs are organic in nature and all the modern Pokeballs do is replicate the teleportation process to where Pokémon go. They're aren't a storage device like putting MP3s on a USB or a saved game on a battery for an old Sega Game Gear for example, which is how this comic is presenting it.

Now a Pokeball COULD feasibly have an error, but it doesn't digitize a pokemon into binary code or turn their physical form into data but rather transports them to an alternate dimension. I guess it would be more akin to Magik's teleport discs or Cloak's version of teleporting, but if Limbo or Dark Dimension were more a communal paradise where every Pokémon in a Pokeball is currently in. So if a modern Pokeball did break down, they'd just be stuck in that dimension.

[icon_uk]

Interesting, thanks, though it does beg the question, if it's an idyllic paradise, why would the Pokemon want to leave?

[alexanderlucard]

In canon terms? Because Pokémon are heavily anthropomorphized mentally and emotionally compared to animals and look at battles as a sport rather than say, cock fighting. So they tend to want to come out to compete. Like say a sports athlete COULD spend all there time in their home drinking, watching TV and doing stuff like that, but they miss the thrill of the game, so to speak. It's also why some Pokémon refuse to do Pokémon battles but will do dance contests, dress up games and the like. Some Pokémon dislike fighting the same way you or I might find American football, boxing, rugby or the like disdainful. Which is different from say, trying to get your cat, rabbit or dog into a carrier. :-)

Plus some also are very emotionally invested in their human so they want to come out and some, like Ash/Red's Pikachu reject the other dimension and refuse to stay in it. I guess in a comic fashion it would be like Superman rejecting the Black Lotus or whatever it was called in "For the Man Who Has Everything." Sure it's a dimension where you don't have to worry about predators or starving and the like but it's not HOME to some Pokémon who would rather have the everyday struggles and journeys on this plane of existence.

[ozaline]

But in the games it seems they're stored on Bill's PC (or whoever else in later games) implying digitization, I also have to wonder why a Pokemon would fight against being captured (I mean sure they might prefer freedom over servitude to a trainer but you think many when first put into the ball would just say, "hey it's nice in here!" and give up right away. Whereas in the anime they all just seem to hang out at Proffesor Oak's house, was the alternate dimension thing a later retcon?

[alexanderlucard]

Nope. It's been since Day 1. The Storage Device doesn't literally store the Pokemon. It's bad English translation, like Pikachu being a mouse instead of you know, a PIKA. :-) There's a lot of localization errors from Red/Blue/Yellow that still plague the English version TPC has to run with like those.

The Storage device is storage for the Pokeballs, bot the literal Pokemon. In both the games and the cartoon, if you have six or more Pokeballs with Pokemon on you. it's the Pokeball that is transferred into the storage unit (They teleport away) rather than a Pokemon. You'll also see in the cartoon on the rare occasions the Pokemon Storage Center is used at a Pokemon center that one ball is teleported out for another. The PSS is basically a large scale teleporter instead of a single one.

Ash's Pokemon go to Professor Oak (Unlike everyone else's) because he is on the journey to fill up the Pokedex and thus his Pokemon are sent back to Pallet Town for scientific study for Oak to finish his work. This is actually mentioned in the cartoon, albeit sparringly. Once in the Kanto season and once in the Orange Island season. Any trainer can make a designation for his Pokemon to be let out at a specific location though, at least in the anime.

[cypherfdp]

Loyalty to the trainer, boredom, wanting to fight some 'mons, any number of reasons, really.

[icon_uk]

Who is that masked Pokemon in your icon? Zappy, the Pikachu Wonder? :)

[cypherfdp]

What? That's not a Pikachu, that mysterious masked figure could be anyone.

[icon_uk]

:D

[alexanderlucard]

Oh sorry. Missed the edit.

Anyway, in the cartoon for example, there is an episode in the first season where a trainer has been dead for centuries and his pokemon are stuck at the bottom of the sea. The ship they were on was excavated and the Trainer's Pokémon championship trophy was exhumed and brought up for people to gawk at in a museum. His Pokémon did NOT like this and although centuries old and waterlogged, the Pokémon were able to open their Pokeballs from the inside through sheer force of will.

As well, multiple Pokémon have been shown to open the Pokeballs in the same manner including Team Rocket's Wobuffet and Red/Ash's Pikachu. It's very much you're in the Pokeball because you want to be and it's easier on everyone involved. Son in this situation, the Pokémon could have just ejected itself at any time to check on the Trainer and go, "oh crap. S/he's dead. Guess I'm foraging for myself in the tall grass again."

[q99]

I get the impression that it takes a fair amount of effort on their part (probably why just-caught wild ones don't), but yea.

[alexanderlucard]

Kind of. Because as you probably know, Wild Pokémon are much harder to keep in a Pokeball than a tamed Pokémon. You'll see this in the game when some Pokémon escape multiple times (DAMN YOU ZAPDOS! GETINTHEBALLARGGGGH!) in the catching process.

The canon explanation for this is that a Wild Pokémon's reaction is, "Holy crap? Where the hell am I? What just happened?" and their instinctive flight or flight reflex kicks in and they reject the Pokeball's attempt to join with them physically and physically causing the Pokeball to "die," and thus why you can't reuse a Pokeball. The rejection of the ball by the intended target fries it permanently. The multiple attempts however show the Pokémon that the other plane of existence is easier than foraging in the wild like how a feral cat will go, "Wait, these people will feed me and brush me and take care of me and I don't have to worry about finding shelter, things to eat or being hit by a car? Maybe this is a good thing after all! OH HEY MILK! THIS IS PRETTY COOL!" eventually and thus the Pokémon eventually (if you have enough balls!) accepts the ball and thus the Trainer.

[crinos]

To be fair though, those were Ghost Pokemon, so it would make sense they could last for centuries at the bottom of the ocean.

Another good example would be Pokemopolis, where ancient an ancient giant Alakazam, Gengar and Jigglypuff were able to survive for millenia inside ancient Pokeballs.

[alexanderlucard]

Ghost Pokémon aren't literally Ghosts though, much like how Evil Pokémon (What are known as Dark Type in English) aren't literally EVIL Pokémon. It's meant to be earlier more ignorant human's giving them a bad designation and it sticking due to people being people.

The giant Pokémon you named are another great example as are the ones that lived in mystical urns.

[long_silence]

Well there is Yamask, who according to the Pokedex is a pokemon that used to be the spirit of a human. Which is all sorts of creepy

[alexanderlucard]

Also Spirittomb which is supposed to be the spirit of 108 humans souls combined into one, but in both cases, they aren't actually undead people turned into Pokemon. It's merely human rumour, superstition and legend from the ancient days in the Pokémon world that have carried on to modern times. Like how Gengar were once believed to be undead Clefairy or in real world terms, that guy with hypertricosis isn't an actual lycanthrope.

[mrstatham]

But then that kind-of contradicts the first game, where it's implied that the Gastlys and Haunters lurking in Lavender Town's Pokemon Tower actually are the spirits of Pokemon buried there.

[alexanderlucard]

Only the Marowak is an actual Pokemon ghost in the game, and although the English translation of RGBY isn't the best, both those and late Fire Red/Leaf Green does try to make it clear that only there is only one real Ghost and a ton of Ghost Type Pokemon.It's also why when you do Lavender Tower with the Scope Lends you can tell Ghost types from the well, real ghost. it's akin to the fact Evil Pokemon were translated into Dark Pokemon for the English versions of the game.

Ghosts types are simply called that because they have qualities of folkloric ghosts and it was easier for primitive and more superstition humans centuries ago (in-canon I mean( to call them Ghosts before they truly understood where it was. The name stuck even once people realized they are just another form of Pokemon. Much like how a Panda Bear isn't an actual bear.

[long_silence]

Those centuries old Pokemon you bring up is interesting, it's something I've wondered about before but are Pokemon functionally immortal when they're in the pokeballs? They aren't given food or air or sunlight, but those pokemon on the bottom of the sea aren't the only case of Pokemon coming out after years of isolation in the pokeballs. I seem to recall James from Team Rocket finding a pokemon he had as a kid in a pokeball he hadn't seen in over a decade. And then of course there's the case of the ancient giants Gengar, Alakazam and Jigglypuff.

[alexanderlucard]

It's the alternate dimension thing. Think of being in a Pokémon as a pass to an all inclusive resort. There's food, shelter and you're not alone. You don't starve, asphyxiate, physically or mentally deteriorate or get sick. The Pokeball is merely the equivalent of the plane and taxi ride to the new location rather than a cage or boarding facility. Whether or not Pokémon age in the dimension or not has never been covered as Pokémon that have been shown in the official varying canons in these situations are also Pokémon that are known to live for centuries and thus outlast their Trainer like how some parrots or turtles outlive their humans. This has been done purposely too by the way because Pokémon death is never...received well by the fans when it has occurred. See also, Optimus Prime in Transformers: the Movie. In fact internally at Game Freak, Hal Labs, ets, killing a Pokémon is referred to as "pulling a Convoy."

[ozaline]

But Pokemon do die occasionally in the Pokemon special manga which is supposed to be the closest version to the creator's vision.

[alexanderlucard]

Yep, it's why I said it's done rarely and not very well received. The manga where Clefairy is the main pokemon (which I believe is the one you are speaking of) is especially brutal at times and it's also why Clefairy was switched out for Piakchu as the main character in the cartoon and also why the original manga while first, is heavily downplayed by much of the Pokemon corporate machine. After all, it's far cruder, more sexualized and violent than everything else that is Pokemon and it's not the image kids are looking for nor what the majority of fans want to see. Think of it like when Claremont came back to the X-men and how instead of HOLYCRAPAWESOME people were like, "There there, do X-Men Forever."

There are scads of internal stories about kids finding the special manga and have severe...issues with it.

[janegray]

Wait, the pockemons were still alive after centuries? Wouldn't they have aged to death? If all pokeballs do is teleport them away, they shouldn't work the same way as cryogenic chambers.

[alexanderlucard]

Depends on the Pokémon. Some are effectively ageless. Some live for centuries or millennia. Some live a few years. In the case of the above example, they were Ghost type, specifically the Gengar family tree and they're like frickin' elves with their longevity.

[icon_uk]

To top it all off, since every darn species of them appears to oviparous, they're lifecycles must be bloody insane!

Can every evolution of them breed?

Does it make a difference on what their offspring hatch out as?

What happens if a pregnant Pokemon evolves mid-term?

And most importabtly, why the hell is my mind asking questions like this on a Friday evening?

[thezmage]

Baby forms, such as Pichu, can not breed. Some legendary species never breed

The offspring always hatches as the least evolved form of the mother, barring some special circumstances that require specific incense

Pokemon lay eggs, they don't get pregnant.

[icon_uk]

Thanks. Can they crossbreed? At least between similar species?

As to that last one, I assumed there must be a stage between the fertilisation and the actual laying of the egg and wasn't sure what that would be called other than pregnancy, though I'm sure a proper biologist would tell me there's a proper name for it.

[thezmage]

There are a number of breeding "families" based on certain common characteristics. For example, nearly all humanoid Pokemon can breed with each other. Likewise the fish. There's some overlap among the groupings. And, of course, everyone can mate with a shapeshifter. It's the only way to get babies from all male or gender less species.

The only thing we know for certain about how exactly Pokemon eggs are produced is that it is fast and secretive. The day care man goes for a walk, and comes back to discover an egg. The phrase "I don't know how this happened" is always used.

[rdfox]

HOT SKITTY ON WAILORD ACTION! *flees*

[alexanderlucard]

To top it all off, since every darn species of them appears to oviparous, they're lifecycles must be bloody insane!

Not all of them are, but the vast vast vast majority are.

Can every evolution of them breed?

No. Baby Pokémon can't breed and some won't breed at all in captivity. However, there are some crazy combinations. As this is Scans Daily it's only fitting to mention "Skitty/Wailord slash" Google it as it's a real canon thing.


Does it make a difference on what their offspring hatch out as?

Yes, a specific mother and a specific father determine the moves a Pokémon knows when it is born along with its species. There are entire websites devoted to what you get stats, moves and the like when you breed one Pokémon with another.

What happens if a pregnant Pokemon evolves mid-term?

It can't happen. To breed a Pokémon, you have to isolate it and thus not let it earn any XP. Can't evolve without XP. At least that is the video game canon. In the cartoon or manga it's generally the final evolution that lays an egg so it's not a problem.

And most importantly, why the hell is my mind asking questions like this on a Friday evening?

Eh. I spent six years of my life getting paid to answer these questions in three different languages so it's sadly second nature to me at this point. :-)

[sadoeuphemist]

Eh. I spent six years of my life getting paid to answer these questions in three different languages so it's sadly second nature to me at this point. :-).

Wow, that's a job I would have never thought of myself, but in retrospect I am not surprised exists. Was it like a Pokemon information hotline, or did you keep track of background information for the games, or what?

[alexanderlucard]

It's hard to explain as I did a little bit of everything from write most of the Pokemon Magazine to ensure a better quality of localization in the translation and ensuring better continuity between said localizations.

I was hired away from Konami for my folklore skills and because I was doing a freelance "real life Pokemon" article for some publications at the time showcasing the real life or historical creatures Pokemon were based on. TPC Japan was like, "Do you want to just come work for us, because you know this better than any of our current US branch" and so for my time with TPC, I basically helped internally and externally to make sure there was communication between various forms of the company, that products regardless of style (Ranger, Mystery Dungeon, Anime and the like) had continuity and the same cohesive culture like how Pokeballs work. Anytime a child wrote to Professor Oak in English, Japanese or French wanting to know Pokemon answers, I was the guy that wrote them back with an answer. I also was subbed out to Becket's Pokemon magazine where I wrote even more articles. All that for someone who was originally hired to create lists and descriptions of folklore creatures from around the world and Yokai to the character creation team as they attempted to make them into toyetic poducts for the franchise.

[sadoeuphemist]

Oh my god, I'm actually talking to Professor Oak.

Seriously tho, that's a really interesting job, being an expert in this totally fictional history/biology/culture. Thanks for sharing.

[icon_uk]

Fascinating... sort of a multi-lingual crypto-mythologist! :) Corporate Folklore?

By weird co-incidence, I know a couple of people who translate games materials professionally, but it's always nice to hear from others.

[crinos]

They can also refuse to come out, like in the Diglett episode, where none of the Pokemon would even come out of Pokeballs to fight the diglett.

[alexanderlucard]

Yep. That's another great example. Thanks!

[jaybee3]

I wouldn't mind seeing a serious story/art on a Pokemon dealing with the death of its trainer given the bonds they form (see Lucario and Aaron in the Lucario movie or Ash/Pikachu when it seemed like Ash was dead) but I thought it was always clear that a Pokemon could escape his Pokeball if he/she really wanted to (even a weak one like Oshawatt who was still an un-evolved starter Pokemon and yet got out of Ash's Pokeball when he wanted to make his presence known).

[alexanderlucard]

Yep. Pokémon has always tried to make it abundantly clear that a Pokémon can leave whenever. it just has to want to/need to.

[chrisdv]

O.O

[cyberghostface]

[jaybee3]

This is pretty much how I imagine what goes inside a Pokeball as well.

[icon_uk]

Or there's the infamous Robot Chicken version

[md84]

I got the impression that Pokemon enjoy fighting. The reason wild Pokemon attack you all the time is because they want to find a worthy trainer to raise them. And in the anime at least, if a Pokemon really doesn't want to leave its Pokeball, it's not going to leave its Pokeball. They can also leave said Pokeballs whenever they want -- look at Misty's Psyduck.