This is a thread about TOP GUY shit in Pokemon. I won't pretend like I follow "IT" beyond a basic understanding of the "lore" so forgive me if it's been explained in some pandering season of Pokemon the New Adventures of Old Misty.

There's a whole DIS BUSINESS INDUSTRY with Pokemon. So ya got regional gyms and badges. Get 8 and you get a call up to the Pokemon League. Face off against the Elite 4 is a grueling endurance battle as Gary shouts stop hiding behind Hypers you fucking BITCH. Then you're... wait no, someone beat you to it. Evidently beating the elite 4 isn't that rare. It's your rival or someone else you met along the way. Now the FINAL BATTLE for the title.

Then what? IIRC wasn't Lance (hurr durr I got draGONs) the 2nd champion for Gold? Like that call back to the original? Maybe seeing you AND the rival beat the elite 4 made him step up. He plateaued as the champion's cock block. The elite 4 are gatekeepers son.

Scenario. You're the elite 2 right? Let's say your job is WIN and you lose x amount. Do you lose your spot? Do you have to defend it? If you lost but didn't become champion (I assume that was how it was with Ash?) do you get their spot if you want? Or invited to a strict rematch with them and if you win, you're the guy? If Lance did lose his smile and gave up his position in order to challenge, god dude imagine the backstage HEAT for doing that. Home boy thinks he's bigger than the elite 4. HHHBlueblood.gif

And go back to the gyms. If they give out too many badges is that good or bad. Imagine if you lived by gym 8 at the start of the game. RIP. Seriously can you set up an indy gym and send your students to fuck up their trainers do you earn a shot in the industry's eyes? Like if all your proteges are one-shotting their leader and collecting gym badges like literal pokemon cards, why are they an official gym?

DUDE THIS IS THE STUFF I WANT TO WATCH AN ANIME SEASON ABOUT. Straight into my veins.

Seriously though does it ever fascinate you? Pokemon as a "sport"?

Is being champion akin to winning the Superbowl or is it a title you defend. Like that battle you had with Red in Gold after being champion, was that nonsanctioned? As champion you shouldn't be showing your stuff to normies right?

Or do you have an OBLIGATION? Like if you're champion and team rocket is stealing pokemon, FUCK YOU. Why are you sitting up top and not giving anything BACK!!! You lost touch you ain't MY CHAMPION!

What does it even mean? When you're champion is it a legends deal? Do you gotta be on call or is someone getting through the elite 4 not common so you can be a part timer? Was Gary beating you to the punch a freak accident so normally beating the elite 4 makes you the default champion? Or should that just entitle you to becoming elite 4 #4? The final boss.

If this thread resonates with anyone, gimme that notification because this is beluga whale 2.0.

You'll have to ask the anime expert Emperor when he reaches that episode. That reminds me, I never got around to your recent reviews and I had actually watched one of those episodes recently as well!

My theory is that Pokemon is just a child's imagination over this brand new craze so there's a child-like logic that doesn't sweat the small stuff.

Even so, let's take Lance for example. According to the manga, Lance's father was meant to become the Blackthorn Gym leader, but the family moved away before it took place so Lance's cousin, Clair, eventually took over the role while Lance had to reach higher.

Maybe we're looking at this all wrong. Perhaps the answer lies in Gold, Silver and Crystal where we saw the impact of what happened in Red, Blue and Yellow? As we saw, Red abandoned his post, so Lance reclaimed his position as champion. Meanwhile it appeared that Blue settled down and took over the vacant Viridian City gym. Hey maybe the pay-rates were too good to ignore and the ability to hang out with his family was too good to ignore? As we saw, Koga received a promotion and it was his daughter Jasmine that took over in Fuscia City. It tends to suggest nepotism is alive and well in Pokemon.

What do you make of gym leaders getting better in GSC and in every post-game afterwards? I tend to think it's a case that they're not going all-out when they're performing gym battles and they're just performing a competency check. That or they're going through their own personal growth as a trainer and the cities have bigger things to worry about - like Yu-Gi-Oh.

Speaking of the anime, I don't think Ash was ever allowed to just challenge the Elite 4. They existed, but only as a fancy monicker like the Horsewomen. In the anime, there were way more cities, way more gym badges (Gary had about 20 in one episode!) and it was all just a qualification for the big 3-3 tournament which was captured in those N64 games.

It's been long enough, I want to manifest another Pokemon Stadium into existence.

Excellent point about gyms merely been an entrance exam. While the show suggested differently, maybe that's why Misty didn't get along with her sisters. She treated it as a shoot rather than what it should be. Ash and Pikachu dominated, but any worthwhile Water Gym probably had a level 75 Tentacruel. Oh you're gonna use a level 12 thundershock? Get the fook outta here. Are gyms more akin to wrestling schools? Or perhaps there's something deeper as I find it hard to believe dot gov isn't heavily invested here. What happens in terms of a war? Does the champion have an obligation to be on the front lines? Is that all it is... champion vs. champion? Battle of the Bastards? Was that Ash's King Slayer moment? Did he refuse to BEND THE KNEE?!?

Like as a gym leader I am not about to let some randoms hang out in my lobby and brag about beating me. That was even my final form hard-r. The LEAGUE won't let me go all out on you. You can't even catch a level 30 yet son, what do you really think you're doing acting arrogant. Does the fact that I faced you with TWO while you had SIX no show you I was merely testing you as a call up ala BOBCORE? Put some RESPKT on my name or I'll learn you something you won't find in no books at the academy.

Also do you think the Pokemon Center Union is doing anything to fight automation? You already got the TM Kiosk there and what are the Nurse Joys of the world doing besides placing the pokeballs in the slots and hitting a button?

Do you ever just ask yourself, what's REALLY going on in the Pokeworld?

Obviously it's just a kid's game at it's core, but there's some real world building here. Team Rocket clones weren't always jokes, but don't act like it's not financed and orchestrated by someone in charge. Wars and there's no way champions are 100% not compromised. Cops and the government. How has there never been an attempt to "disarm" citizens? Is chasing the elite 4 a business? All these shops existing in traveling pokemon trainers. In a capitalist society how can they afford to heal your mons for free? Is it THAT the loss leader?

Champions are too honourable to serve in meaningless wars unless they threaten the purity of competition. However wars certainly exist as we learned from Lt. Surge who threatened to paralyze you with his Pokemon just like he did to the enemy during the war.

Unless that was a case of stolen valor which considering how weak his Raichu wouldn't be farfetched.

Nov 18, 2022 2:32:51 GMT @ness said:

Also do you think the Pokemon Center Union is doing anything to fight automation?

If the last DLC is anything to go by, they lost that war.

Pokemon is basically their version of Soccer if Soccer was somehow bigger than the NFL in America. A global phenomenon that is simple enough even a 10 year old can compete but it has some serious real world consequences. The legendary Pokemon in particular are used as political tools to push climate agendas by extremists (eg. Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald), distort time/reality (eg. Diamond/Pearl) or destroy the system altogether and plunge the world into anarchy (Black/White). Imagine an athlete that was so powerful he virtually became Dr. Manhatten from Watchmen - that's Pokemon.

As time has gone on, they have strayed from the sci-fi route of the original. Remember when Bill Cronenberg'd himself into a Pokemon? Remember stumbling across the abandoned electric plant and Cinnabar Island lab that eventually Chernobyl'd itself in G/S/C? This was a world that was on the brink of nuclear disaster and that chubby red cheeked rodent was in the centre of it.

If not Pikachu, who else could've been the face of DIS BUSINESS?

Finish the story!

Pikachu is the ultimate politition. Polls well with women and young voter while enjoying strong support in particular regions. Also went from being an outspoken sociopath in it's younger days to a completely diplomatic entity that only makes stands on popular social issues.

Also has a fu manchu that it likes to stroke. Put over Dragonite? Doesn't work for me brother!

In our demographic, it's clearly Charizard - the Vegeta of Pokemon. That's the card everyone wanted, the original face of the brand, is constantly pushed in all the games and even politic'd the Pokemon trainer out of Smash ala Davey Boy on Dynamite.

So what is the kayfabe in universe reason for trade evolutions? I understand why it exists from a business stand point, encourages coop and for the true basement dwellers it forces them to buy extras in order to get a completion status... but why do they evolve that way for real? Is it some afterschool special warning that one man's trash is another man's treasure? Fuels deception? LIttle kid pissed that you got a golem from a pokemon he gave up? HEEL TURN when Timmy decides to not return the Gengar who was only "traded" in order to evolve...

Dude imagine you're a gym leader just minding your business and The Champ shows up to challenge you like an improptu health inspector visit. Or is it more akin to Regal backstage at PWG scouting talent. Is that our role? Government spy to make sure those standing armies are ready for an invasion? Dude why does nobody else find this aspect so fascinating. Like CLEARLY champ should be winning these battles, do they rate the gym? Of if the leader wins, is that nonsanctioned as far as "champion" goes? Do you have to beat elite 4 to become #1 contender?

What does champion even mean? I whipped Penne Primo's ass and they're still referring to her as such. These gym leaders need to be some RESPKT on my name. So "champion" must be a KOTR victory, clearly not a title you defend. Then why is she still considered the "boss" according to Larry? She's basically Elite 5, in fact she may have been the easiest one. She only gets *some* credit for cockblocking Nemona always trying to fight me after I've had a battle already. Just like when Taker said "you wanna go" after Brock just lost his belt. Real tough guy there when my health is in critical and you been sippin on concessions all night.

If she's top champion shouldn't she be this country's represenative to test foreign champions? Maybe an entry into the 'lympics. I got one class left so I no sold her to finish it before continuing the story. The REEEEEEEEEEEEEAL Top Champion snubbed you.

Kinda crazy they got the names wrong in the original Japanese. I ain't no purin. Realistically was the kid over enough to get the secondary Pokemon slot in SSB? This was years before the Fire Emblem jobber squad where anyone could make the roster.

"You're not allowed to lose to anyone but ME"

I've beaten you several times. She is DELUSIONAL bruh.

I'm the ACE of course. Scared me because the Switch/TV turned off right after...

Anyways the 2nd go round was a lot tougher than the original fight. Once Geeta's goat started fucking me up it started getting tough. But my TOP GUY Azumarill could not be one-shotted with her Terra Blast no matter how much she spammed it. I am THAT DUDE. Sure it's not exciting like a Mayweather defensive fight, but I got the purse yo.

May 2, 2024 2:35:26 GMT @ness said:

Kinda crazy they got the names wrong in the original Japanese. I ain't no purin. Realistically was the kid over enough to get the secondary Pokemon slot in SSB? This was years before the Fire Emblem jobber squad where anyone could make the roster.

Always thought Puff only got in because she's virtually a re-skin of Kirby with a few tweaks. I'm not sure if that's true, or if it's because she was over in Japan and appealed to Sakurai's sensibilities.

Then again, wasn't Clefairy originally pitched as the mascot until Pikachu eventually politic'd itself into the role?

So what is the kayfabe in universe reason for trade evolutions? I understand why it exists from a business stand point, encourages coop and for the true basement dwellers it forces them to buy extras in order to get a completion status... but why do they evolve that way for real? Is it some afterschool special warning that one man's trash is another man's treasure? Fuels deception? LIttle kid pissed that you got a golem from a pokemon he gave up? HEEL TURN when Timmy decides to not return the Gengar who was only "traded" in order to evolve...

Thought it was meant to represent external factors as opposed to Pokemon naturally growing into their more powerful forms. Interestingly, I remember Slowking was supposed to be a combination of Slowpoke and Cloyster but they didn't really expand upon that anywhere.

That's why you make the person you're trading post collateral. Sorry, I'm not trading my Haunter for a Pidgey, raise those stakes!

Also we know that Jynx, Likitung, Mr. Mime, Farfetch'd etc. aren't native to Kanto, so where are they from?