Why do Pokemon obey their trainers? They are portrayed as being

>>29667006
They're too stupid to figure out how to use Potions which are literally just spray bottles
I wouldn't say they're "intelligent"

They aren't really "highly intelligent" unless you go by the anime or the mystery dungeon games. I'm pretty sure they're all basically animals that are capable of remembering 4 tricks that happen to shoot fire or whatever

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>>29667006
game mechanics

>>29667018
I think they're just too arrogant.

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>>29667018
>I wouldn't say they're "intelligent"

It's confirmed that they have human-like emotions. They're far different from normal animals.

>>29667006
Because friendship.

>>29667006

Some of them are animals some of them are human intellect or higher. Its chalked up to some kinda of social contract signed with Arceus or some shit at one point as an excuse for it just being a video game

>>29667044
Why is Weavile so perfect?

>>29667006
Because this is a children's game that was not made with things like continuity or sensible lore in mind.
The entire setting is just one ginormous half-assed excuse plot to have kids go on epic adventures with cute and super-powerful monsters. There is no salvaging Pokemon's lore without some radical reboot that retcons literally everything.

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>>29667006

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>>29667006
>Free food, free shelter, and loving care by most
>Don't have to worry about dying ever
>Only have to fight other Pokemon, which isn't NEARLY as dangerous as actual dog fighting

It's pretty much why cats and dogs domesticated themselves, why even try to survive on your own when you can just take advantage of someone else?

The wild pokemon that attack you are essentially auditioning for a spot on your team.

Pokemon have an innate desire to become stronger and they know the best way to do that is with a trainer who can support them and help them travel to places they wouldn't make it to on their own

Imagine it as thousands of boxers roaming the streets looking for a personal trainer/manager

>>29667183
But we actually HAVE Pokemon that are basically boxers.
That's a nice headcanon for those Pokemon though, so I'm just gonna steal that if that's okay with you.

>>29667006
The same reason any sports team has a Coach to train them, even though the coach himself is likely too old and weak to play.

>>29667041

Pokemon are highly intelligent and have their own language. They are even capable of some degree of advanced logical reasoning, as can be seen multiple times in the anime.

>>29667061
Abusive trainers exist.

>>29667164
Most of a Pokemon's life is spent fighting, hurting others and getting hurt in return. That sounds like a terrible life to me.Why do Pokemon willingly allow themselves to be used and abused by their trainers in such a way?

>Free food

Food is readily available in the wild. Berries are found almost everywhere.

>Free shelter

They give up their freedom to be imprisoned in a tiny ball and if their trainers don't like them or don't find them useful, they get boxed in a PC for eternity.

Trainers also trade their pokemons without the latter's consent.

>>29667254
I said outside of the anime. In the games pokemon don't say their own names (aside from pikachu sometimes) or have some sort inexplicable secret language

>>29667254
In the anime Ash becomes friends with everyone and that's why they get in cockfights for him

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>>29667254
>Most of a Pokemon's life is spent fighting, hurting others and getting hurt in return. That sounds like a terrible life to me.Why do Pokemon willingly allow themselves to be used and abused by their trainers in such a way?
Haha no. Pokémon battles are nowhere near as bad as actual animal fighting. It's more like boxing than anything else.
>Food is readily available in the wild. Berries are found almost everywhere.
And they have to fight against other Pokemon for that food, which can be a life or death situation most if not all of the time.
>They give up their freedom to be imprisoned in a tiny ball and if their trainers don't like them or don't find them useful, they get boxed in a PC for eternity.
They aren't "trapped" in a ball, since Pokemon CAN escape their balls if they so choose. See; Pikachu. And we don't even really know what the inside of a pokeball looks like, it could easily be a paradise in there.
>Trainers also trade their pokemons without the latter's consent.
Ok now this is beginning to sound ridiculous.

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>>29667254
>Pokemon are highly intelligent and have their own language. They are even capable of some degree of advanced logical reasoning, as can be seen multiple times in the anime.

Still not as intelligent and resourceful as humans.

>Abusive trainers exist.
Pokemon can run.

>Food is readily available in the wild. Berries are found almost everywhere.
And so are other Pokemon who wants to eat other Pokemon and those Berries.

>They give up their freedom to be imprisoned in a tiny ball and if their trainers don't like them or don't find them useful, they get boxed in a PC for eternity.
Except Poke Balls aren't as tiny inside, they can leave the Poke Ball whenever they want. Poké Pelago also confirms that being in PC means they are transferred somewhere else, not actually stored in a Box.

>Trainers also trade their pokemons without the latter's consent.
And the Pokemon can refuse to listen to those trainer.

We've been through this N. Pokemon aren't being abused by humans.

>>29667254
Pokemon don't leave you in the games because it would be really fucking annoying for players if your Bidoof got mad he wasn't getting enough attention and walked out on you

In the anime and the mangas it shows the Pokeball is just a comfy storage, not a prison, and pokemon can leave it any time they want. Hell there are shitloads of examples of running gags involving pokemon who won't stay in their ball like Misty's Psyduck, Brock's Croagunk coming out to bitchslap him every time he flirted with a girl, every pokemon James has ever had, etc

There have been examples of abusive trainers in the anime, but none of them forcibly keep mons in their balls because they don't work that way. Ash's Tepig had an asshole trainer like that who actually tied him to a post and abandoned him because he -wouldn't- just stay with his left behind pokeball and kept trying to follow him

>>29667340
lolwtf, some Pokemon are smarter than humans. Not even going to read further with this retarded shit.

>>29667364
Example? If they were smarter, they wouldn't be living in fucking caves with other Pokemon just waiting to kill and eat them.

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If a speaking meowth can exist, it just proves how intelligent Pokemon really are.
It makes no sense them obeying. But it also could be that the pokeball modifies their brain so they obey no matter what.
That's why Pikachu is so strong, it's intelligent as it was never in a pokeball. Pokeballs break Pokemon

>>29667364
>>29667380
Yeah there's Alakazam, but if anything that just shows that even smart Pokemon realize th E benefits of being protected by someone else instead of needing to survive on your own

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>>29667411
>being smart means you'll want to fight back despite having no real reason to.

If anything because they are smart is the entire reason they stick with trainers in the first place.
And pikachu is strong because protag magic.

N seriously, please go home.

>>29667413
According to the Pokedex, Alakazam IS a human. It also needs help from other humans to evolve.

>>29667435
According to legend, we don't really know if that's true and the dex isn't the most reliable thing anyways.

on the one hand you have some dumb ass RPG that's actually about japanese bug fighting

on the other hand you have a generic furry anime based on that RPG that bends over backwards to combine generic furry anime adventures with a game about japanese bug fighting

don't expect it to make sense

>>29667445
Then that means that Alakazam might not be smarter than humans, consider that is also something Pokedex says.

Human beings have high enough special defense to survive being psychic'd and thunderbolted repeatedly, and perhaps human beings in the pokeverse evolved some innate ability that allows them to command Pokemon, provided that they are strong enough (enough badges, in-game, though I imagine other feats of proving worth are possible) to earn the right of command.

>>29667452
True, but I find it just a little bit more reliable since it's Psychic type and Psychic types are supposed to be smart.

>>29667431
There were many instances of Pokemon being stronger when they weren't in a pokeball

>>29667464
Psychic powers are controlled with mind. That doesn't mean the user must have high intelligence. A Psyduck can learn to use Psychic, for fucks sake.

Also, in our world, at least, ONLY humans can be Psychic. A human become a Kadabra is just as believable as Alakazam being ridiculously smart.

>>29667469
Name one good example.
Make sure it's not from the anime since it's incredibly shoddy when it comes to this stuff.
>>29667506
You need to have a good mind to be psychic. Being able to count a lot of numbers is only one part of being actually intelligent.
And humans can become Fighting type too, or of you want to be funny, Dark Type.

>>29667547
>You need to have a good mind to be psychic.
I've never heard of that requirement before in anything.

>And humans can become Fighting type too, or of you want to be funny, Dark Type.
Yes, but other animals can to. Being a fighter or dark isn't something exclusive to humans. Being Psychic is, outside of the Pokemon World, of course.

>>29667587
>I've never heard of that requirement before in anything.
You need to use your mind to be a psychic, so I can imagine that not being able to understand the concept psychic powers would make it difficult for you to use them


>Yes, but other animals can to. Being a fighter or dark isn't something exclusive to humans. Being Psychic is, outside of the Pokemon World, of course.
So what does this have to do with Alakazam then?

>>29667615
>You need to use your mind to be a psychic, so I can imagine that not being able to understand the concept psychic powers would make it difficult for you to use them
In every work of fiction with Psychic powers in it, they're treated as a natural talent thing. Something you can't get through hard work or anything, but something you know how to use by instincts alone. Intelligence hasn't been involved at all.

>So what does this have to do with Alakazam then?
That a Psychic human becomes a Pokemon is just as farfetched as a Psychic Pokemon having 4000 IQ. Both are ridiculous, but equally believable.

>>29667006
Some pokemon realised they would become stronger under human training. This was discussed alot by N and Colress in BW2.
Also Sinnoh myth if you are a romantist.

>Posting in a Plasma thread

Read the Sinnoh library.

First of all. Pokemon probably have diffrent anatomy, they can take fire, they can be punched by massive heavy steel thing, they gan take blows what will kill normal animals (and humans) easily.

But when they got too much damage they
lose consciousness (or we call it they fainted), and probably pokemon can be killed only while it is fainted.


But well, pokemon need to battle to become stronger, and some species just want to fight just for fun.


But there is a risk, when you are pokemon and you are fighting with other pokemon, the other pokemon can finish you off when you are fainted.
And here comes role of pokemon trainer. Remember all battles (except these illegal hidden from law) ends when one of pokemon faints, Then fainted pokemon comes back to probably comfortable shelter and rest so trainer's pokemon doesent need to care about risk of death.

Also as we know catching pokemon is not forcing them to be with you. Pokemon must agree to be with you and when it wont agree, it will break free from pokeball all time.

And types of pokeball are have diffrent insides. THe better pokeball is, the more comfortable is inside (and sometimes comfortable pokeball shelter is enough reason to join you, look master ball).

Why don't Alakazam rule the world instead of humans? They're not as physically capable, but they more than make up for it with their psychic/telekinetic abilities. Not to mention they apparently have an average IQ of 5000, which has to amount to something. What gives?

>>29667851
Because Dex entries are written by 10 year old kids.

>>29667851
Two reasons. Alakazam can't become Alakazam unless a human owns them, and Dark-types exist.

>>29667911
u smurt

>>29667911
>can only evolve by trading
How does this work exactly?

>>29668146
I don't know. Maybe those Trading Machines have PokeMagic in them that can evolve certain Pokemon.

Same reason why boxers listen to their coach even though said coach can't throw a punch.
They have a broader view of the battle and they're not being targeted by laser beams, so they can focus on planning while the pokemon can focus on his target.

>>29668146
Sudden change of environment causes a surge of emotion.
Some pokemons do evolve by just being happy, right?

>>29668281

They hold a grudge against you.

>>29667340
/thread

>>29667006
Trainers battle their pokemon with other trainers to build bonds and learn about each other, it's in the games

>>29668539

Not all trainers use their pokemon for battles.

Obey? Maybe in the same sense that if you want your friends to do something, they'll do it. That hardly means you control them, they still act of their own free will. Pokemon only stick around because they want to. They don't need anyone to tell them what to do.

>>29668556
should have said it was one of the ways to build bonds, like how contests are another way

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>>29667006
>>29667041
imgur.com/a/nzVMD

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>>29668803

>>29667006
Apparently, PokeBalls take away the Pokemon's willpower, and it takes a lot of effort to gain it back as a captured Pokemon

>>29667006
I've had this theory that in the Pokemon universe, humans are technically classified Psychic/Fighting typed Pokemon. While some humans display psychic abilities (Sabrina) or physical prowess (Bruno) that wouldn't be possible in the real world, an innate ability that all humans possess is the ability to bend any other Pokemon to their will.

This effect is cumulative, and increases in proximity to human settlements. That's why wild Pokemon will still initially attack when humans enter their territory, and why the strongest, least docile Pokemon tend to abound in isolated areas. This power also isn't absolute. An abused Pokemon will usually not have the will to strike back, but will flee if their preservation instincts kick in.

The specific typing of humans is important too: As part Fighting, humans feel an innate urge to become more capable fighters, and do so via Pokemon battles. That's why gym leaders, the Elite Four, champions, and other powerful trainers are looked up to by the humans of the Pokemon world, rather than as glorified cockfighers. The Fighting type also explains why Dark-type Pokemon can more successfully resist the dominating ability of humans (in the form of lower base friendship in the games) but aren't completely immune to it.

The extraordinary empathy that the Psychic typing bestows to humans, along with the sense of sportsmanship that most Fighting-types display, means that fights rarely, if ever, result in the deaths of the participating Pokemon. It also means that outside of fighting, humans tend to take very good care of their Pokemon. Those that intentionally abuse their Pokemon are generally shunned and are thought to have abnormal personalities.

I think this is why humans in the games make such a huge deal about the relationships between Pokemon and people: Along with tool-building and critical thinking, it's the sole reason why otherwise relatively-weak humans dominate the Pokemon world.

Sorry if this is super-autistic.

>>29669624
I approve of this interpretation, also add that humans have high special defense and physical defense, or at least very high HP, as shown by team rocket's repeated survival of things that would kill people in our world.

>>29669624
Not bad.

>>29669624
Pokemon are literally data.

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stockholm syndrome

>>29669624
kalos and possibly unova had ancient human wars fought with pokemon that slaughtered them on a massive scale

if anything it sounds like the restrained combat that we see now was a recent trend brought about by modern sensibilities

The only thing that still feels weird is PC storage. Pokeballs make sense as a transportation/protection mechanism (after battles), but PC storage honestly feels like a gameplay measure that never had a great explanation in the lore. It does seem cruel to essentially imprison a Pokemon as data. Even if it's a simulated paradise, there's something eerie about trainers removing Pokemon from the physical world for as long as they see fit.

Sun and Moon is gonna try to address this with Poke Palego, so we'll see. I think it just makes more sense to do something like the anime where "stored" Pokemon are actually just transported somewhere where they're cared for. If it's a simulated paradise, it'll still feel weird.

>>29667198
It's not headcanon. That's quite literally what the Sinnoh lore says.

>>29667313
I agree.

>>29667183
In the Sinnoh Region's Library:

Long ago, when Sinnoh had just been
made, Pokémon and humans led
separate lives.
That is not to say they did not help
each other. No, indeed they did.
They supplied each other with goods,
and supported each other.
A Pokémon proposed to the others
to always be ready to help humans.
It asked that Pokémon be ready to
appear before humans always.
Thus, to this day, Pokémon appear
to us if we venture into tall grass.

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>>29668146
>>29668146
I mean yes, evolution by trade is weird and is not exactly easy to explain, but...

>>29667096
in a nutshell

I haven't read this whole thread but I'm pretty sure Pokemon work with people because they find it mutually beneficial. There is no deep meaning or behavioral thing. I'm pretty the games have explicitly said that Pokemon find being with trainers as a beneficial thing if the trainer is strong and kind enough. You as the MC are always the strongest and kindest which is why you can befriend any Pokemon.