Pokémon: Gotta Exploit 'em All! - Part I
| « Previous Article | Home | Next Article » |
Introduction
If you've played any of the Generation V games, you would know that Team Plasma supposedly stood for the "rights of Pokémon". Whether that's actually the case or not doesn't matter, though.
I've assembled a team of panelists to analyze whether the following topics are considered exploitation or things that just have to happen. Let's welcome DHR-107, Codraroll, Steven Stone, and Tikitik!
Audino
Audino has a special quality that it shares with no other Pokémon: you will get a hell of a lot of Experience Points, or EXP, when you defeat it. If they left it at that and just made it an absolutely normal Pokémon in every other way, that would be awesome. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Low-level Audino, which you face for the majority of your time in Unova, will heal your Pokémon at every opportunity while you attempt to beat it to a bloody pulp in order to gain EXP. Is defeating Audino something you should feel guilty about? Is hurting Audino morally wrong? In the same vein, is it wrong to hurt baby Pokémon as well?
DHR-107
Oh, Audino... You creepy little pig nurse thing. I never felt guilty about KOing Audino. Just as I have never felt guilty ever grinding and defeating multiple Pokémon to gain some levels. The great thing about Audino grinding is that there are staple "areas" (at least in BW2) that make the process massively easier. Having played it through so many times (I'm talking nearly 20 playthroughs on Challenge mode), I've learned exactly where I can stop to gain a few levels by easy Audino grinding. In some places, you only have to cross through one piece of grass to reach the rustle, or jump on them from a raised walkway, among other tactics. Unfortunately, Audino is not all that great at battling (even in-game), so it tends to get very much overlooked and solely turns into an EXP slave.
Baby Pokémon could be a whole other topic, but if you are willing to battle with them, then you have to be prepared with having them get hurt. It's the same as having a little kid; they'll get hurt and get back up again.
Codraroll
I'm gonna be boring here: Pokémon like to battle. To a Pokémon, battling is life. It's fun. It's harmless. It helps a Pokémon grow. That's stated in pretty much every aspect of Pokémon media as a central theme and concept of Pokémon. It is completely okay for Pokémon to battle, as that's the entire premise of the franchise. Monsters battling other monsters, and they love it. There's no lasting damage in it; the winner gets experience, and the loser just needs to rest to come back to full health again. In the rare event that we see Pokémon get hurt or die—usually in the Pokémon movies—it's because they continue to battle or spend energy long after the battle should have been over. As long as it's done properly, battling has no downsides to a Pokémon. The proper way to battle is the only way to battle in the games. You literally can't screw up. Battle on!
I view Audino and baby Pokémon in light of this. They're in the battle because they like to battle. They know the consequences (or rather, the lack thereof) and happily take the damage without complaining. Audino might be in it just for the fun and not necessarily to win. Healing your foe while taking damage yourself is not a very optimal strategy, but if Audino enjoys it, who am I to say it is wrong?
Steven Stone
I think hurting one or two Audino isn't really morally wrong, as it's just a wild Pokémon like everything else, and we wouldn't be Trainers if we don't teach our Pokémon how to battle. However, this sometimes can get to a ridiculous point when you have beaten up 20 or 30 Audino, and that's just not right. I'll say that's as awful as hunting Farfetch'd: One day, Audino will be extinct, and we'll be the only ones that are responsible of that.
On the baby Pokémon topic, I think it's fine as long as it's a fair match (like, Mantyke is pretty common in LC anyways), but if you get to the point where you zap a level 36 Mantyke with your Choice Specs Thundurus-T, you are just a child abuser and you should stop playing this game.
Tikitik
I'm not going to feel bad after defeating Audino. I mean, battles are something all Pokémon are prepared for, and they're mostly aware of what happens when they engage in one. We're presented with a world where these creatures constantly battle to learn, get stronger, and earn experience, and they enjoy doing this. Being defeated is something that all Pokémon will naturally experience at one point, and if I'm going to be the one that offers that experience, that's okay. It's not like after defeating Audino that I proceed to aggressively use my Pokémon to smash it against a brick wall several times and continue to do so until I beat away every single living cell from its body. That brings me to another topic—battles never have lethal consequences. Or at least that's what we've been shown, as never have we seen a Pokémon die just from losing a battle, but only when they wear themselves out to a critical point by, let's say, continuing to fight or waste precious energy on something else after a previously long battle. With that said, I'm not killing Audino but defeating it, but instead merely hurting it to a minor extent, and it's something that the Pokémon will just recover from and get up again as if nothing serious happened, as after all, it didn't. The fact that Audino will still try to heal your Pokémon even though they're attacking it isn't something that should discourage you or make you feel guilty; the little fellow just has a really bad understanding about how combat works. But you'll teach him!
Regarding hurting baby Pokémon, this is a topic that could be dragged on quite a bit as well, but to put it simply, every battle has a winner and a loser, and if you're ready to battle baby Pokémon, you have to be aware that they'll get hurt. They'll get back up again and continue battling away until they get stronger at some point. It's just how this odd world works.
Poké Balls
DHR-107
I don't know how I would treat my pet if I could do that with Poké Balls. It would be a lot easier to get it to the vet if you could, though! I guess it might help in strange situations, like if your pet was about to be hurt, in danger, or stuck somewhere, in which case you could recall it and send it back out again. I think a lot of people would keep them like Ash does Pikachu or Dawn does Piplup; keeping them outside their Poké Balls the majority of the time. It would allow you to build up a much stronger bond with that Pokémon. I think there is some merit in keeping animals that way, but it's kinda cruel too. I'd love to have all my Pokémon out and about, but it would probably cause a lot of damage, and not everyone could do it. I'm not sure if Pokémon "live" like normal animals; it's stated they die, but we don't know what from. Can they attain great ages just like people? We also do not know what the inside of a Poké Ball is like. I'm not sure if being converted to energy allows them immortality, as was shown in the anime with the sunken Sandshrew Poké Ball. Being inside the ball could be paradise, frozen in time, or something similar. It could be rude to take them OUT of the Poké Ball...
Codraroll
In real life, it might be cruel to keep pets in balls. At least it would be if the pet is larger than the ball, as is usually the case in Pokémon. That being said, I'm not much of a pet person, so I'd much rather put any pets bestowed on me in a ball than have to deal with them and all their quirky needs, smells, noises. Cramming animals into balls is a bit of a hassle, though, so maybe I'd rather send them to a nice, loving home instead. Actually, that sounds better than ever getting a pet in the first place: let somebody loving somewhere else take care of them without my involvement.
That being said, the Poké Ball is not your ordinary ball. It's not shown exactly how they work, but they are obviously some kind of digital storage. I imagine being in a Poké Ball to be a lot like being in the Matrix (from the movies of the same name), sans all the evil robots. That is to say, I imagine a nice, simulated environment where the Pokémon can live free and without care, not bound to its bodily needs, and able to interact with other Pokémon in storage. If the Pokémon were to have a religion, I think the Pokémon Storage System would be their idea of paradise, which is a suitable explanation for why they keep throwing themselves at Trainers entering their tall grass. Does that make Ash's Pikachu an atheist, or just a contrarian? Anyway, Pokémon probably enjoy being free too. Either way seems to be fine.
Like battling, Pokémon being okay with Poké Balls is a core premise of the franchise. It describes a world where Pokémon enjoy battling and living as digital entities inside balls. The franchise is targeted at kids; it goes to quite great lengths to not imply any suffering unless the situation explicitly calls for it.
Steven Stone
This topic is actually addressed a lot during Generation V. This is possibly where Pokémon got deepened in the morale and ethics more than ever before, with N being one of the main people that also thought the same way. During the way, N's mentality against Trainers changes as he meets the player to a point where he accepts that Pokémon "like" to be in their Poké Balls and follow the Trainer wherever he goes. I think the first question we must ask ourselves is, "What does a Poké Ball look like from the inside?" because heck, if you're playing around in the paradise, being in a Poké Ball must be really comfortable. Second of all, looking at the anime, it seems like Pokémon have their own will over the Poké Ball, seeing as Ash's Oshawott can get outside of it whenever he wants. In the same anime topic, while watching the episodes, I can recall one episode that can confirm a Poké Ball, rather than a slaving tool, is something that represents the bond between a Pokémon and a Trainer. This is when Jessie releases her Dustox.
I feel like a Pokémon should answer that question, rather than us.
Tikitik
Ah, Poké Balls. We don't exactly know how they work and what the Pokémon in there experience, but putting that aside, the fact that people have the right to capture a wild creature and keep it for various purposes (combat, entertainment) is something that sparks a lot of questions. If we were to replace the Pokémon with pets and think about how would an invention like a Poké Ball affect the real world, you'd obviously have people that are for it and against it, like with anything else in the world. Personally, as a dog owner, I couldn't possibly imagine myself cramming up my pet inside a ball and releasing it whenever I feel like it. I just wouldn't be able to get the same experience as with a pet I'd spend the majority of my time with, following me around and depending on me. But then again, think about other possibilities. Will the Poké Ball keep the pet in a healthy condition for longer periods of time, along with being an environment that the pet can enjoy? Let's say you're about to go on an unexpected trip and can't bring the dog, and nobody's available to take care of him. What are you gonna do?... ah yes! The Poké Ball will keep him safe. You just have to make a decision between being practical and efficient or just making the most of your time with your animal friends. If you'd rather have it constantly kept inside an isolated space rather than with you, though, then there isn't really a point in committing yourself to a pet anyways.
Back to the Pokémon world, how would things work without Poké Balls in cases of bigger, more dangerous Pokémon that you just can't have running around, doing what they do, and potentially accidentally setting your house on fire while you sleep? Although we don't exactly know how a Poké Ball works and operates, I assume that it offers the Pokémon a digital environment that they can enjoy, and seeing as it's shown that they agree on going back to the ball after being in it, we can safely assume that they don't mind or have any problem with spending time in there. It's also a fantastic space saver, as where would your average Pokémon Trainer find a shelter for their Charizard every night?
All in all, in the real world, the Poké Ball would probably be referred to as a cruel and heartless thing to do because even though it's somewhat practical, the idea of keeping animals trapped inside a closed space will always receive a lot of negative reactions even if the way the ball operates is clearly explained. It's a topic we can only make theories of, though, as an invention like a Poké Ball could end up being accepted in so many different ways, and we just can't be certain about which one will it be. With the Pokémon franchise of course, everything is made to be so much simpler. The Pokémon are okay with being in the ball, but hey, they also like being outside and running around, so both choices are just fine—no need to make a fuss about it. But, of course, I understand that, with a show that is meant for kids to watch, you're not going to create a massive debate about whether keeping your Pokémon inside a ball is ethical or not, or go in depth about the morality behind anything, really.
Conclusion
Keep a look out next week for part two!
| « Previous Article | Home | Next Article » |