Chapter 5 - Procuring Pokédata
A/N: A quick thanks to the reviewers who wanted to know how levels and Stats can exist in a 'real' pokémon world. This one's for you.
Part 1 - Legendary Lust
Ex woke the next morning when his Pokédex received another email. His body and his pokémon around him jerked to consciousness at the sound of the chime.
Blinking his eyes open, the boy witnessed a sky tinged the color of a cloudless dawn. He couldn't see the horizon from here, but the sun was probably still beneath it.
Pokémon Trainer Ex sat up, his Meowth scattering at the movement, though Charmander stayed in his lap. Ex absentmindedly pet her head as he removed the Pokédex from his bag and flipped it open.
'Re: Insights and Legendaries' from ProfessorSamuelOak(atsymbol)pokéweb(period)net_
Open?_
Ex's brain took over while Ex himself was still too tired to think.
Yes_
Good Morning Ex, his brain read in a mental voice.
I am submitting two payments to your account: ₽100 for the tip on Bulbasaur and ₽1,000 for the conversation and theory about Hidden Power.
In the future, I recommend using your Pokédex to record yourself. You would have to manually activate the feature, unlike with pokémon battles, but it would be much less work than transcribing your conversations by hand and memory afterwards. The Pokédex will automatically convert it to text.
Regarding your request, this may not be what you want to hear, but I recommend ignoring the entire issue of Legendary pokémon and focusing on your journey for now. The few Trainers who have caught Legendaries in the past were powerful and experienced in their own right long before they actually managed to Capture one.
If you are hoping to do so yourself, as your question seemed to imply, I am afraid I have no scientific information to offer. You may search the web if you wish, but beware that scammers often prey on the naive eagerness of young Trainers looking to Capture Legendary pokémon.
Sincerely,
Prof. Samuel Oak
Ex closed the email, now fully awake at the thought of Legendary pokémon, and his brain requested that he do a bit of online research, just to be sure. After a few quick searches, he saw that Professor Oak was right about the scammers, so he quickly restricted his search to ONLY learn about past, verified Legendary Captures.
The most useful information he came across was written on a blog which recently gained a great deal of popularity, specifically thanks to this three-paragraph blurb titled 'Lusting after Legendaries':
The only research papers on Legendary pokémon are theory and conjecture, or the occasional battle analysis. It is true that some Trainers have successfully captured Legendary pokémon in the past, but only members of the more abundant species. Think the Lati twins and Regi trio from Hoenn; Rotom, Spiritomb, and Darkrai from Sinnoh; and Volcarona from Unova.
Confirmed, modern Legendary Trainers include Pyramid King Brandon, Pokémon Champion Cynthia, and the mysterious Tobias, all of whom currently reside in Sinnoh.
Unfortunately, no such Trainers exist in Kanto, so I've not had the opportunity to interview them to learn more. Furthermore, Legendary Trainers have been notoriously secretive of their methods in the past, so I likely wouldn't have any luck even if one walked right by my house in Vermillion!
Your ever-faithful poké fan,
Chairman of the Pokémon Fan Club (Kanto Division)
Well that's a bummer, Ex thought as he closed his Pokédex and exited the sleeping bag. No easy answers.
Actually it's a good thing, his brain thought. No easy answers means no competition, and more Legendaries for us.
...
Possibly.
...
Eventually.
...
Well, in any case, it's something to shoot for. Professor Oak essentially answered our question: In order to capture a Legendary pokémon, you have to get good. Simple as that.
That doesn't sound like much of a plan, Ex thought back as he stretched out his arms and legs.
If you want a plan, his brain whispered seductively, we know all their potential locations.
Ex started rolling up his sleeping bag. Oh?
If this world resembles the TV show and movies, his brain thought, we can find the Lati Twins in Alto Mare. Rayquaza will be in LaRousse City during that whole Deoxys debacle – not to mention the TWO Deoxys that will be there as well. Actually, the core of one Deoxys is ALREADY there. Then there's the Regis and Mew at the Tree of Beginning; if, you know, you're okay with dooming the world by taking away the tree's protectors.
Ex struggled with the elastic band that would tie the sleeping bag into a compact roll. Even if I WAS okay with that – and I'm NOT – we're in Kanto, not Sinnoh. That doesn't exactly help us at the moment.
If we're talking ONLY about Kanto Legendaries, his brain amended, we can go for Mewtwo whenever he decides to gather the world's strongest Trainers. But we're going to have to get strong enough to catch his notice if we want an invitation. And if all else fails, his brain added sarcastically, we can just kidnap Ash and use his mythical Legendary-attracting powers to our advantage.
If Ash even exists here in the first place. Ex hummed in satisfaction as he finally got the first elastic band tied around the top half of the bag. I wonder if Mewtwo will actually do it, he mused, moving on to the second band on the bottom. Attempt to destroy the world, I mean.
His brain shrugged. If he makes it THAT easy for us, he deserves to be Captured.
Easy?! Ex mentally impugned.
Inviting us to his home, organizing a tournament, leaving himself open to set-up Moves, or Spore, or a Master Ball.
If he's sapient enough to do all that, Ex thought, I want no part in any plan that involves Capturing him. At most, I'll try to stop him. Besides, he'd just Release himself afterwards, even if it WAS a Master Ball. Unless a Master Ball prevents voluntary releasing as well...
Regardless, the Professor is right, his brain thought conclusively. Right now, our best option is to get stronger.
What if this world is more like the games? Ex asked as his fingers worked with nylon and cloth. Then we wouldn't be able use any of that information.
We can deal with THAT too, his brain said smugly. Zapdos in the Power Plant, Articuno on the Seafoam Islands, Moltres on the Sevii Islands, and Mewtwo in Cerulean Cave. Or, if we're talking the Mystery Dungeon series, Mt. Thunder, Frosty Forest, and Mt. Blaze, respectively.
Sounds too easy, Ex thought back as he finally got the second strap around the bag. Other Trainers would have noticed the Legendaries by now.
True, his brain gave a mental nod.
Part 2 - Procuring Pokédata
But ignoring the legendary question, his brain continued, there's still some merit to figuring out where we ACTUALLY are – games or TV show.
I thought you would have had that worked out by now, Ex thought. It's a real world, so that means TV shows. Right?
It's not a simple question to answer, his brain cautioned. Just about every mechanic we've encountered so far follows the games more than the show: battles seem to be turn-based, our Pokémon have levels and Stats, the Pokécenter heals instantly, we earn money from battles, the list goes on.
Yeah, Ex thought. I noticed that. So... video games?
Not necessarily. Even the anime mentions levels a couple of times.* And don't forget that the Legendary blog specifically mentioned Tobias. That's anime only. And the games had many Trainers who had caught Legendaries, but here there are only three.
Ex paused at that. The information seemed rather conflicting.
Even if the mechanics are video game, his brain thought, the setting doesn't have to be. I'm banking on the 'story' of this world running closer to the anime, even if it's not exact. I mean, just look at Amber; if she doesn't scream 'we're living in the anime-verse', I don't know what does.
Good point, Ex thought. Speaking of Amber...
"Hey Amber, you awake?" he asked out loud in the direction of the tent.
No answer.
Probably still sleeping, he thought. I'll pack up camp so we can get going when she's up.
Why pack, thought his brain, when we could eat breakfast right here? Just have Meowth go get some Rattata and then-
No water, remember? Ex interrupted. We need to find another river.
Even still, getting a head start on the Rattata would be nice. Think of all that juicy... uh, meat. Yeah. That's it. Nice, delicious, nutritious... meat.
You just want our team to get more Experience, Ex accused.
Maaaaaaybe.
Ex rolled his eyes.
It's not like it's a BAD idea, is it? thought his brain.
Fine, Ex huffed. We can start hunting breakfast. But we're eating light. One Rattata for each of our pokémon and three each for us humans. I want to make some walking progress today, and I can't do that with thirty Rattata in my bag.
His brain grumbled at the lack of Exp. points in his party's near future, but didn't protest.
Ex took out his Pokédex to check the condition of his team before setting them loose. He was surprised to find his party fully healed, with all PP of their moves restored.
His brain, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all. Resting at beds is a common way to heal your party in the games.
Ex gave a 'hmm' at that. And if we're going by 'real world' logic, he thought, there has to be SOME way of recharging PP without going to a Pokécenter.
Right, thought his brain. Otherwise Wild pokémon would constantly be using Struggle after they used up their Moves, and Faint themselves with the Recoil damage.
Actually, most wild pokémon would probably never even get to that point, Ex thought. They need some way to recover from Fainting, too. How much do you want to bet that sleeping restores Fainted pokémon to full Health, not just their PP?
He felt his brain give an evil grin at that. Want to hear the best idea ever?
What?
Make sure to use up as much PP as you can today, his brain advised. End the day with 0 PP in all damaging Moves before we go to sleep, to maximize training efficiency, and have our Pokémon be Fainted or on low Health to maximize Potion, Oran Berry, and Revive efficiency.
If they're Fainted, Ex thought, we can't have a Pickup Party going on. If they're not on full Health, we don't get the Flawless Victory boost to Experience. And they don't move as well when they're injured, especially if they're near Fainting. Remember Squirtle yesterday?
Yeah, sighed his brain, though mostly at the mention of the Flawless boost. If only ALL the aspects were video game. This pesky realism is getting in the way of my exploits. After a moment of consideration, however, it had a different idea. Would you mind keeping the Pokédex open when you send them out? I want to keep a close eye on our team.
Ex called his team front and center with a loud "HUME HuuuuuuMAN (ATTeeeeeenTION)!"
Why? he asked.
We need to see what the Pokédex can do, his brain declared. What are its limitations? Which battles does it track? Can we order our Pokémon through it? These are important questions that need answering.
Ex commanded his party with, "Hume human, hume human hume hugh human (Time to hunt, same tactics as yesterday)."
Fine with me, he thought as he handed out the Oran Berries.
We might even be able to track our team in real time, his brain predicted.
What do you mean? Ex asked as his Poaching Party scattered.
If we can view past battles like Professor Oak said, we might be able to view present battles as well.
We haven't even verified that we CAN view past battles, Ex thought. Even if the Professor DID say we could, we haven't seen it for ourselves.
Then let's start there, his brain decided after his pokémon were no longer visible. See what information you can find on the battles we had yesterday.
Which ones, the Trainer battles or the Wild ones?
Both, his brain answered. But start with the Trainer battles. You're right, before we explore for new features, we should confirm the Professor's claim.
Ex started playing around with the options and settings of his Pokédex.
It took many opened and closed pages, but he eventually found what he was looking for under a tab labeled 'Records', which had three sections:
Trainer Battles_
Wild Battles_
Manual Entries_
His brain took note of the last one, which had the description 'For recording Pokémon and Pokémon-related subjects outside of a battle'.
Just like Professor Oak mentioned in his email, his brain concluded. I'll remind you to check it out later, when I feel a public lecture coming along.
You won't forget?
Naturally, thought his brain.
Video and audio recordings aren't exactly 'pokémon-related'.
It's a Pokédex feature, his brain said simply. I'll remember.
If you say so.
Getting back on track, click on the 'Trainer Battles' tab.
Ex shrugged, then did as requested. A new page opened, showing a long list with many empty spaces. There were two entries at the top, sorted by date and time:
Trainer Ex Vs. Trainer Gary, 11:30 AM, Yesterday_
Trainer Ex Vs. Trainer Leaf, 11:37 AM, Yesterday_
Trainer Ex Vs. _
Trainer Ex Vs. _
Trainer Ex Vs. _
Trainer Ex Vs. _
...
First battle, came the command from his brain.
Ex clicked on 'Trainer Ex Vs. Trainer Gary', opening yet another menu:
Video, Audio, Text Recordings_
Battle Statistics_
First option, ordered his brain.
Ex clicked, then beheld a new drop-down menu. Apparently, he could mix and match how he wanted to re-witness his very first pokémon battle, including but not limited to:
Did he want to watch the battle without audio?
Did he want to read text transcriptions of his orders and detailed descriptions of the battle?
Did he want to watch, hear, and read it all at the same time?
Did he want to see the battle through his pokémon's eyes?
Pause.
'Through our pokémon's eyes'? his brain queried. What's that?
Don't know, Ex shrugged. Probably what it sounds like. Let's go through the other options first, so we can compare when we get there.
There were seven total combinations that didn't involve the eye-seeing option, and the battle itself lasted about a minute and thirty seconds.
Eleven minutes later, Ex was NOT thoroughly sick and tired of watching himself crush Gary; that would never get old.
He WAS, however, curious how the battle had been filmed, and who was doing the text descriptions – things like 'Charmander used Scratch' and 'Squirtle took four points of damage' and 'Squirtle used Tackle, but Missed'.
Ex asked his brain if it had any ideas.
I don't know how the battle was filmed, thought his brain. We might just have to chalk it up to 'futuristic tech' and leave it at that. But Text descriptions are easy: if the Pokédex tracks our team's Health and Status, it could be programmed to notice whenever and however those conditions change. Also keep track of which Trainer issued what order, and presto: simple descriptions, like we see here.
But how did it know how much damage Squirtle took? Ex thought. Our Pokédex doesn't track information THAT detailed outside of our own pokémon. We can see levels and Health bars of opponents, but not exact hit points.
You're right, only Gary's Pokédex should have had that information, his brain thought. Maybe our Pokédex coordinated with his. Go to the 'Wild Battles' section. Can we see enemy hit point values there?
Sure enough, Ex found the hit point values of Wild pokémon conspicuously absent.
Meaning, thought his brain, we can only see enemy hit point loss during Trainer battles, when our opponent has a Pokédex. And we might not be able to see them in real time, only after the fact. We'll have to pay closer attention next time.
Ex then noticed something else about the current page: the video and audio recordings of all non-Charmander Wild battles were missing.
Our Meowth never battled near us, Ex's brain thought. But we stayed with Charmander the whole time. The video and audio recordings might be range-limited.
Sensible, thought Ex.
But we're getting off track. Go back to our battle with Gary and check out the 'see through our pokémon's eyes' feature.
Ex did so, and the result was exactly as described: the battle, seen through the eyes of his pokémon.
But how? Ex thought. More inexplicable future tech?
No, thought his brain. Tab back to 'Wild Battles'. See if those battles can be seen through our team's eyes.
They could. And not just Charmander's battles, either. The option was offered for every single battle his pokémon had ever fought.
I think, said his brain after a time, I have an idea.
Do tell, Ex thought, stooping to collect a Rattata that his full-Health Charmander brought him. Charmander still had an Oran Berry in her claws, and was using her mouth to deliver the Rattata. Ex pat her head and sent her out again.
First, go to the 'Manual Entries' tab, thought his brain. It's time to test Professor Oak's suggestion. I feel a lecture coming.
Ex took a few minutes to puzzle through the kinks, during which Winky, Pinky, and Prime all returned at various times. Two Rattata heavier, two Oran Berries lighter, and Ex finally figured out how to start a recording.
When the Pokédex was filming, Ex thought, We're live.
Okay, here goes.
"The following is a test of the Pokédex recording feature," his brain dictated, assuming full control. "This is personal conjecture, not scientific data. In this entry, I will be theorizing how the Pokédex can offer the option to view past battles through the eyes of my pokémon, among other things."
What other things? Ex asked.
Shush, thought his brain.
"First and foremost, I learned yesterday that Pokéballs increase a pokémon's intelligence over time. For this to be possible, a Pokéball must interact with a their brains, somehow. And since it can physically contain their forms, it almost certainly interacts with their bodies as well."
And? Ex thought impatiently as Stinky and Blinky brought him another Rattata.
"AND our Pokédex interfaces with our team's Pokéballs," his brain continued. "My theory is that our Pokédex gets its information straight from the pokémon themselves, transmitted wirelessly via Pokéball."
Oh.
"Want to know a pokémon's physical strength? The Pokéball does a muscle scan, and boom: Attack stat.
What about a pokémon's resilience? Skin scan, and viola: Defense and Special Defense.
Their moves? Scan the energy levels of their body, you get PP.
Do they have toxins in their bloodstream? Unusually high body temperature? Unusually low body temperature? Too much bioelectricity? Poison, Burn, Frozen, Paralysis.
You want to know what levels even are in the first place? Maybe they're just Silph Co. shorthand for arbitrary power thresholds."
What about the eye-seeing option in the Pokédex? Ex asked.
Getting to that.
"Furthermore, if the Pokédex can't get a direct battle recording from it's apparently range-limited high-fi super-camera," his brain hypothesized, "it can get a video recording of battles directly from the visual cortexes in our team's brains."
...
That sounds pretty intrusive, Ex thought as Winky and Pinky returned again, one holding a Rattata and the other holding a Potion. I'm okay with the stuff about Stats and Status Conditions; that all sounded like sci-fi health and fitness tests, basically. He knelt down to collect the goodies and replace them with an Oran Berry. But hijacking their brains for video feed AFTER modifying them in unknown ways? I'm not sure if I can get behind that.
After his pokémon set out again, his brain mentally responded, It's no more intrusive than a pacemaker in a person's heart, or hearing aids for their ears, or police body cameras. Well, maybe a LITTLE more intrusive, but remember what we read – at the end of the day, it's making the pokémon stronger and smarter. You can't accomplish that without a little brain intrusion.
"In conclusion:" his brain finished,
"The Pokédex interacts with a Pokéball's technology. A Pokéball interacts with a pokémon's biology. Put the two together, and you get all the Pokémon mechanics we know and love: levels, stats, experience, and status conditions, man-made systems for measuring natural phenomena. Like keeping track of time in seconds, or keeping track of weight in pounds. End recording."
"Or, you know," his brain added as an afterthought after Ex clicked the 'Stop Recording' button, "maybe it's all just Arceus magic. At the end of the day, we don't need to know where levels and Stats come from to exploit them."
Ex ignored the afterthought as he considered his brain's theory. He labeled the recording 'Procuring Pokédata' in the meantime. It sounded sound, but...
You aren't AT ALL worried, Ex eventually asked in a skeptical voice, about where all this data is going, or what it's being used for?
It's going to Silph Co. and it's being used for Pokémon Professor research, his brain instantly replied. Professor Oak had authoritative access to Pokédex info when he was checking out our team of Meowth in orientation.
Ex thought back, remembering that the Professor had indeed said something about seeing the team of every Trainer in Kanto on his PC.
Silph probably has that access too, his brain continued. But they seem more focused on pokémon research as it relates to technology and profit, like Amber's dress and our Berry Pouch.
Profit isn't exactly a reassuring motive, thought Ex.
This, coming from the Trainer with the profit-seeking Pickup Party, his brain snarked. Their inventions are improving living conditions. Profit incentivizes invention. Simple.
And what if someone else steals access? Ex continued, ignoring the last comment.
Silph Co. has security. Remember when the PC went through all those checks as we booted it up? It's hard to bypass facial and fingerprint recognition software, not to mention all the other futuristic ways they could be protecting their data. Stealing it probably isn't as easy as you make it sound.
What if Team Rocket is behind Silph, Ex pressed. They wouldn't need to steal access if they had it legally. What then?
If Team Rocket, or some other secret shadowy organization, really IS pulling the strings behind all of Silph Co., well... his brain shrugged. The only thing we can do about it THAT potentiality is ditch our Pokédex.
Ex hesitated, not having any immediate rebuttal to that.
His brain pounced on the pause. Does that sound like a good idea to you? Getting rid of an extremely useful tool on the off-chance that some big conspiracy is going on in the background?
Ex sighed in defeat. No.
At that, the conversation ended, producing silence in the clearing. Well, there had already been silence before that point, but now there was mental silence as well.
Ex gazed lazily around the camp sight, looking for something to do while his pokémon hunted, then noticed his other set of clothes still hanging by the firepit. He marched over and started folding so they'd fit neatly in his backpack.
An alert from his Pokédex stopped him in his tracks, even as he finished folding the last piece of clothing. It was making a sound he was very familiar with – a constant, blaring alarm. The racket was grating on his ears, not to mention annoying.
But it was meant to be.
One of his pokémon was in the red.
Part 3 - Horde Horrors
Ex rushed through the Tall Grass, heedless of the Wild pokémon that Fled from his presence along the way. Prime, his very first pokémon, was in danger, and Ex didn't know how or why.
Prime's Pokéball was in the scanner of his Pokédex, meaning Ex could track his exact location, even as his Health went lower and lower. The Pokéballs of the rest of his team were in his pocket, but the pokémon themselves were all still outside hunting. Ex's eyes were firmly fixed on the screen's display of Prime's Health, which had just dropped down to one point.
He heard the sounds of a pokémon battle a little off to his left, so he dashed straight through the grass to find-
Charmander defeating a Rattata. Not Prime.
"Charmander, Return!" Ex shouted, using her Pokéball to recall her. He didn't have time to explain, and his Pokédex was still blaring at him urgently.
Then, it fell silent.
Ex's eyes returned to the screen, and he saw that Prime had Fainted.
Luckily, it still showed how to find him – both direction and distance. Prime was only about twenty meters away, where the grass went from waist height to head height.
Ex barreled through the tall stalks, immediately bursting into a second clearing – the correct one, this time. His eyes took in the scene of a battle, with dirt scattered and paw marks everywhere. He saw five Rattata-
Horde Battle
-converging on a single pokémon.
A Fainted Meowth.
His Meowth.
One of them had their teeth at Prime's neck, as if it were about to bite down and-
"Prime, return!" Ex shouted, yanking the Pokéball from the Scanner and pointing it at the group. The red beam connected with Prime just before the teeth could, returning his Fainted but still living pokémon into its Pokéball.
This action was not at all a mistake, but with the way the Rattata all turned to glare at him, it almost seemed that way.
Can humans beat pokémon? Ex asked his brain frantically.
I don't know! his brain replied, sounding panicked. Maybe one-on-one, or with one of Team Rocket's robots, or some other tool, but not alone and unarmed!
Ex had left his backpack at the camp in his frantic rush, meaning he had no tools at his disposal – no Revives, no Potions, no Repels, not even any Berries.
His brain shouted, Try running away!
But the Rattata cut off his every escape route just as he turned, surrounding him completely.
Couldn't get away! his brain automatically observed. Maybe we need an active pokémon to run.
"Go, Charmander!" Ex shouted.
But even as the flaming salamander appeared at his feet, the Rattata gave no avenues for escape. Worse, they all Growled at him and his pokémon.
It seemed that recalling Prime and sending out Charmander had counted as his 'turn', just like it would in the games.
Thankfully, the attacks didn't do any damage, but they did send a massive wave of weakness through his muscles, and probably Charmander's as well. Five Growls hitting at once-
Probably only three or two hitting us, and the rest hitting Charmander
-was not at all a good thing. The Rattata were using the only ranged move they had, possibly to intimidate Ex into releasing Prime again, while still preventing any avenues to escape. Ex was much larger than them, so they might be hesitant to attack him.
We need to make an opening, thought his brain. And physical moves are straight out.
Ex glanced at his Pokédex and spun in a quick circle to see which Rattata had the lowest Health. There were three Rattata at level 3 and two at level 2. One of the level 2 Rattata was undamaged, while the other was at 75% Health. Two of the level 3 Rattata were at about 80% Health and 90% Health, while the third was at 50%, in the yellow.
Prime didn't concentrate his attacks, thought his brain, and he didn't target the weakest ones first.
But we will, thought Ex. What Move should we use?
Ember effectively does 90 base damage, thought his brain, so it's Charmander's hardest hitting Move. And it's a Special Attack, so the damage won't be affected by the Growls.
"Charmander, Ember that one!" he called, pointing at the Rattata at 50% Health.
The non-physical move shot out and connected with the pokémon, bypassing the effects of the Growls and Fainting it in a single hit. In response, the Rattata Growled again, but now there was an opening in their ranks.
Perfect! his brain thought. Now we can escape!
No, Ex thought. We aren't letting them get away.
"Now Ember that one!" he shouted, pointing at the 80% level 3.
Another one-hit K.O.
There were three Rattata left in the clearing, no less determined than they were before. They all leapt into Tackles, dealing a total of 9 points of damage to his Charmander.
They must all have Guts, thought his brain. Otherwise they would be running away.
"Charmander, eat your Oran Berry if you have it, then Ember again!"
Charmander's Health went from 16 back to 25, then she blasted one of the Rattata in the face with fire.
Three down, two to go.
The remaining Rattata finally seemed to grow a little nervous, deciding to back away and Growl instead of Tackling again.
Perfect.
"Charmander, Ember!"
Now only one Rattata remained unFainted in the clearing – the 90% Health level 3 Rattata, which Ex's brain had estimated had the highest combination of Health and Special Defense out of all of them, meaning he had the lowest chance of one-shotting it.
Rattata looked around at its fallen brethren, then gave a squeak at the Charmander. It wasn't a Growl. The Rattata turned around, as if to run away.
"Oh no you don't!" Ex shouted. "Charmander, Ember!"
If the Rattata had had the Run Away Ability, or if it had been on full Health, it might have escaped the Fire attack. Instead, it suffered the same fate as the other foes, now lay on the ground with swirls in its eyes, like its four companions.
If Ex had been looking at the screen of his Pokédex, he would have seen 'Charmander gained 138 Exp. Points!', and if his brain weren't so (relatively) scrambled, it would have been reciting the victory music in his head.
Instead, Ex's hands were on his knees and he was panting. There was still adrenaline in his veins, and the Growls were still affecting him, but it had been wearing off over the course of the battle as the danger went away. Ex took a minute to get his breathing back under control, during which his brain examined their surroundings and tried to regain its coherency.
We're surrounded by Long Grass, it observed. That was a Horde Battle.
Generation 6 was the first generation that introduced Horde Encounters, where you fight five wild Pokémon at once.
In Pokémon X and Y, you couldn't encounter Horde Battles in Long Grass unless you used Honey or Sweet Scent, his brain thought. But in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, you could ONLY encounter Horde Battles in Long Grass.
The two regions of that generation – Kalos and Hoenn – had different rules for where you could find Horde Battles, and it seemed like this world followed the Hoenn rules.
I'm going to have to tell my team to stay away from Long Grass, Ex thought, still panting.
Unless Horde Encounters don't follow any set rules and can happen anywhere, his brain thought. In which case, tell them to run away.
What if they can't escape? Ex thought back. Should I start handing out Smoke Balls and Poké Dolls?
Not necessary, thought his brain. So long as the Speed of our pokémon is higher than the Speed of the Wild pokémon, they can always escape. That's how it works in all the games.
The faster pokémon being able to escape the slower one makes logical sense in a real world of pokémon as well, Ex thought.
Besides, his brain added, pokémon can't Hold more than one Held Item, and we need ours to be able to bring back the Rattata they Faint. And speaking of Fainting Rattata...
His brain trailed off as it observed the five Rattata in the clearing.
Why'd you have Charmander Faint them? it eventually asked.
Breakfast, thought Ex.
And, if he were being honest with himself, a bit of revenge.
Even if they were only wild animals.
Even if they had only been defending themselves.
Even if Prime had been planning to do the exact same thing to them.
Nothing attempts to kill one of his pokémon and gets away with it.
* "In episode 9 of the first pokémon anime season, a student at Pokémon Tech (a school about pokémon) quotes the levels at which Pidgey evolves and learns certain moves." - This information comes directly from Bulbapedia, though I do remember the scene myself. I think the kid was running on a treadmill or something as he listed off the answers.
In any case, levels and stats aren't foreign concepts to 'real' worlds of pokémon, and they're so ubiquitous that I don't consider them all that unrealistic. Plus, a good deal of exploits directly involve these mechanics, and I'd have much less fun without them.