Deconstructing the first-generation Pokemon universe

[cantab]

Originally Posted by Fat Obsessed

The biggest problem with the button hypothesis is that it means that even incredibly intelligent Pokemon like Mewtwo (who can plan world domination) are dumber than even the dumbest humans. If Mewtwo breaks out of 30 Ultra Balls and they all use the same/similar button system then how on earth does the 31st ball finally work? Does he just forget how to do it after doing it 30 times in a row?

They randomise where the button is? The button's really stiff?
Yeah...it doesn't seem to be that plausible. Although I don't know of any in-game, non-Pokedex sources about Pokemon being intelligent. The Pokedex quotes Alakazam as having at IQ of 5000, which is typical exaggeration (I rather suspect that would require writing faster than the speed of light on the test).

[cim]

The button's not physically a "puzzle". The ball just can't contain the wild Pokemon's raw power. That's why lowering the HP helps...

Deconstruction sucks.

[Dracoyoshi8]

Originally Posted by Fat cantab

While we're deconstructing - how do Voltorb and Electrode relate to Poke Balls?

Voltorb and Electrode would be using the art of mimicry to avoid predators. When you throw a Poke Ball at a Pokemon, it resists and tries to escape. This most likely means that Poke Balls are uncomfortable, painful, threatening or the Pokemon just doesn't want to be caught. And this would probably lead to most Pokemon to avoid any Poke Ball they come across in the wild. Voltorb and Electrode use this as a defense. By appearing as something that is avoided by Pokemon, they can avoid most of their predators. And for Pokemon that aren't scared or see pass their disguise, they have electrical powers generated in their bodies as a second line of defense. At least, that's what I think.

[Invective]

i have a question on the theory of wild pokemon that faint dont revive. if this were the case then why do some pokemon use the moves explosion or self destruct, when we know that certain pokemon have the ability to flee from us when they are engaged in battle? i suppose it could be the ultimate last ditch effort but id like to think theres a more thorough answer

[earthpeople]

Originally Posted by Fat vanguard

i have a question on the theory of wild pokemon that faint dont revive. if this were the case then why do some pokemon use the moves explosion or self destruct, when we know that certain pokemon have the ability to flee from us when they are engaged in battle? i suppose it could be the ultimate last ditch effort but id like to think theres a more thorough answer

Maybe it's an accident. They're just so excited, worried, scared, etc. that they accidentally explode.

[Kikuichimonji]

Originally Posted by Fat vanguard

i have a question on the theory of wild pokemon that faint dont revive. if this were the case then why do some pokemon use the moves explosion or self destruct, when we know that certain pokemon have the ability to flee from us when they are engaged in battle?

For a real-world equivalent, see honey bees, which die when they sting an intruder. Perhaps some Geodudes knowingly self-destruct in an effort to eliminate a perceived threat to their young.

[cantab]

Well the honey bee dying when stinging thing depends on what they sting. Their stings are barbed and get stuck in human skin. But the barb helps when stinging other bees from other hives, which is why it's evolved.

[Invective]

hmmm yeah, thats a good real life equivalent. and it usually appears on pokemon that are quite common so it wouldnt negatively impact their viability as a species too.

[Tobes]

This is all really fascinating. I love deconstructions. I'd like to share my own thoughts.

- It is possible that Blaine, Mr. Fuji, and Professor Oak all worked on the Mewtwo project. Blaine and Mr. Fuji are definately old friends, as indicated by a picture in Blaine's gym. I think a reasonable idea is that after Mewtwo escaped from the Pokemon Mansion (which, although not explicitly stated in the games, I believe belongs to Fuji. I remember an NPC saying that the Mansion belongs to an old friend of Blaine's.), an event which caused the eventual formation and subsequent eruption of Cinnabar Volcano (This is physically possible within three years, by the way. A volcano once formed in a Mexican [iirc] farmer's backyard within the space of a week [and its relatiley small size would also coincide with the Cinnabar Volcano, which is also quite small]). All three men went into their own forms of exile afterwards.

- Pallet Town would likely only consist of Oak's lab (which could grow enough food to supply a small town) and the homes of the researchers. I'd also like to note that the lab is facing Cinnabar. Just something to consider with the above paragraph.

- I think that Red is not an emotionless monster, but is intelligent enough to be well-aware that he isn't "human", and would not be accepted if people knew. He is curious though, so he's always willing to listen to people talk, but rarely talks back. Blue on the other hand, has completely embraced the fact that he is not human, and revels in his feeling of superiority. He is condescending to everyone, even his creator, and believes that Red is inferior as he was created first.

- Copycat could possibly be genetically engineered. Instead of changing clothes quickly, she actually transforms into her target, much like a Ditto mutates its DNA. This would explain why Red talks to her, as he believes they are similar. Copycat is kept by her surrogate parents, rather than the man who took out the contract for her creation (Giovanni?) or her creator (or perhaps her father is her creator), just as Red was.

- As for the Pokeballs, so far the wormhole theory makes the most sense to me.

[cantab]

It's hinted that Mr Fuji was involved in the Mewtwo project. Whether Oak was directly involved I don't know, but I find it hard to believe he didn't at least know of it. Real-world academics always talk to each other.
Oak being involved could explain his later retirement from Pokemon battling, as mentioned by Agatha - having seen what Mewtwo was capable of, Oak wouldn't want to battle with Pokemon.

But I don't think it would have much to do with the volcano. Firstly there's the island's name which is after a volcanic mineral. Secondly, it's likely that Cinnabar island is volcanic, making the volcano far from small since it rises from the sea floor, like the Hawaiian Islands do.

In any case, I'd say the cause of the Cinnabar eruption in GSC is obvious. What does the player do? Release an Entei. What happens when an Entei barks? Volcanoes erupt.

[Tobes]

I'm not too sure about Entei being the cause of Cinnabar's eruption, as only Entei having that kind of effect is implausible. In order for it to be reasonable, Suicune and Raikou would also need to cause catastrophes, and there isn't enough in-game material to easily support this...

As for the name, did you notice that every single town is named after a color? Not pigments. (Example: Celadon is not a pigment or mineral. It is specifically a color). The only exception is Pallet Town, which, of course, is named after the painter's pallet.

On another note, are FR/LG and HG/SS considered canon at all? Although they mostly go against the canon of the first two games, they do have implications if material is selectively taken from them. For example, in FR/LG the boss of Five Island says something about Giovanni having a child with red hair (as he never explicitly says it is Silver, it could also be Lance), and the HG/SS Celebi event explicitly states Silver is Giovanni's son, which is never brought up once in G/S/C. Thoughts?

[cantab]

Well Raikou can create thunderstorms, but they often don't leave lasting impact. Suicune doesn't create any disasters. This is going on Pokedex entries.

The OP explicitly stated he was working with RBY. Arguably, FR/LG and HGSS are the current canon.

[Tobes]

Using Pokedex quotes for canon will lead to some very serious logistic problems, so it may be best to ignore them. Besides all of the physical lawbreaking (Magcargo is apparently 18,000 degrees Farenheit: approximately twice as hot as the surface of the sun. And there is quite a bit of these shenanigans), there is also the references to exisinting countries. This isn't as big of an issue if Kanto isn't a futuristic Japan, but assuming this is an alternate dimension it really screws things up.

[cantab]

I agree that the Pokedex perhaps can't be taken as entirely reliable, but it is still in-game stuff and thus counts for something. Most of the issues with the dex seem like exaggeration rather than qualitative errors. Sure Magcargo's probably not 18000 F, but the point is it's still really really hot.
Another issue is that some large Pokemon are WAY too light. Wailord is perhaps the worst offender - its Pokedex weight in comparison to its length makes it lighter than air.

[mingot**]

Originally Posted by Fat cantab

Wailord is perhaps the worst offender - its Pokedex weight in comparison to its length makes it lighter than air.

Considering that it can travel just fine on land, this actually makes sense.

[Sy123]

What is the Pokemon League?
The Pokemon League was an organisation to keep order in the Kanto region, the Champion, was leader of the Pokemon League, and these 5 people was the Parliament of Kanto, they vote on laws etc. However recently, the Champion disappeared after a meeting with celebrity, Giovanni. People all around Kanto believed it was him who killed the Champion. Giovanni, grew sick to these requests. Everywhere he went people hated, him. The Elite 4 tried to strip him of his badge, however there wasnt enough sufficient evidence to prove so. The Champion was actually Blue's father. Giovanni, then decided to regain his image by trying to go to the moon, to discover new pokemon. However project 'Team Rocket' failed. And they were back into the dumps. Team Rocket then was formed into a criminal orginisation, to steal others' pokemon. Back on the pokemon League, they were devestated by the loss of there Champion, and without an odd number to divide the polls, new laws couldnt be made to suit the new technologically chaning world

Who is Red and Blue exactly?
Red and Blue are actually twins who were seperated from birth since a huge explosion near Cinnabar Island. This explosion was a nuclear explosion, the twins mother died from the explosion, however a Chansey had blocked them from the harm, the Chansey mutated to become a Blissey. However some readiation leak had caused Red and Blue to mutate and form genetically modified beings. Red was closer to the explosion so recieved more of the radiation to make him mute. Blue was so used to talking for him, that Blue learned everything about his twin brother, and was always one step ahead of him. Red and Blue were the names given to them, after they discovered the color of the DNA strands that were mutated.

Red's Father
Red had a father however he was killed during the nuclear explosion
The Nuclear explosion
The nuclear explosion took place, after the unsucceful cloning of Mew, Mew had doubled its chromosomes, and after nuclear fusion took place, Mewtwo had the power to release nuclear energy. Mewtwo was born, however the intese binary fission process that the scientists wished to do, Mew was destroyed by Mewtwo himself. Mewtwo was unstoppable and created Nuclear explosions everywhere, causing mutations in the pokemon, pokemon had now evolved into stronger different forms, such as Bulbasaur->Ivysaur etc. Professor Oak was the top trainer and head chief of Police, who was to investigate the disapperance of the Champion. Professor Oak had tricked Mewtwo, into washing itself with a special type of water which came from the tears of a Charizard. The tears from a Charizard were so unique in that tears were impossbile to get. Mewtwo lost its powers, and was locked in its cave. Little did people know that the energy from nuclear power hadnt been lost, but temporarily gone, and when it came back it became so strong. However Mewtwo wanted to wait until its powers became really unstoppable. He wanted to wait, until his power was powerful enough to defy the laws of Law of Conservation of Mass, and create mass out of antimatter and matter.

(And yes I did have a science test just a few hours ago)

[cantab]

Errr...yeah...so many problems with that. But I'll pick up on just one. The Japanese really don't like using nuclear weapons in fiction, as mentioned by tvtropes, for obvious reasons.
Of course, that doesn't stop there being a massive explosion that has mutagenic effects but is definitely not a nuke.

[Sy123]

Also I found a big flaw in that button in the pokeball theory. How come when pokemon are asleep they dont get automatically caught?

Also to the above post, I am sorry that I dont recognise this, I just wanted to type something ok.
What if North Korea attempt to bomb them or something?

What about......

Pokemon History: Population Increase/Decrease
I am sure, that like nearly everyone else, notices the ridiulously low amount of people in the region. So why is that?

When does a pokemon die?

Why does every trainer you face, want to battle?

Do people get prior academic education?

What do people do for excercise? Why arent there any obese people?

What is it like inside a pokeball?

Why does music come up when you battle?

[cantab]

Originally Posted by Fat Sy123

When does a pokemon die?

Team Rocket apparently killed a Marowak, so presumably they can be killed with sufficient force. They would also likely die of old age, and it's likely many Pokemon have shorter lifespans than humans.

Why does every trainer you face, want to battle?

Plenty of people, even some who are known to have Pokemon, don't battle you.

Why does music come up when you battle?

I don't believe the characters hear the music (except for the radio).

[Annhialator Zero]

Can I just give a quick point on the Elite Four being the leaders of Kanto. It would be effectively like a military dictatorship over an armed population. Sure the masses have some weapons (their own Pokemon), but the Elite Four have the nukes of the Pokemon world. Lance alone would be quite capable of destroying cities with his Pokemon (Gyarados' Pokedex entry may be exaggerated, but bear in mind that Lance's Dragonite is essentially the most powerful Pokemon in existence bar Mewtwo, Red and Blue only defeated it through type advantage with powerful Pokemon).

[Tobes]

Originally Posted by Fat Sy123

Pokemon History: Population Increase/Decrease
I am sure, that like nearly everyone else, notices the ridiulously low amount of people in the region. So why is that?

What do people do for excercise? Why arent there any obese people?

This is supposedly a post-apocalyptic word (although Kikuichimonji hasn't explicitly stated this), so that would explain the low number of people. As for the obesity, have you ever seen the movie Zombieland? Fat people die in post-apopalyctic worlds. That's just how it is. The exception is fat people who accrue power early (i.e. Cue Balls, who are obese). With limited amounts of supplies and constant struggle for survival, it's pretty unlikely that anyone ever becomes fat.

[earthpeople]

There are quite a few round NPCs in the city, which I would guess are overweight people.
I think most characters you actually see a full detailed sprite of are trainers and they probably stay relatively fit just from training their pokemon.

[cookie]

Originally Posted by Fat mingot

Considering that it can travel just fine on land, this actually makes sense.

Except a similar calculation yields the same absurd result for Steelix and god knows what else.

[manav95]

This is sort of interesting. I think that the player is too young to be concerned with taxes and politics. The government is probably part of some national entity.

[Arcticblast]

Originally Posted by Fat Sy123

Why does music come up when you battle?

While, yes, this IS deconstruction, not everything can be logically explained. It's just a game, hence the music, and Red would not hear said music. GB Player in HGSS doesn't count.