Essay: De Facultas Pokémon

[Vhazhiphor]

DE FACULTAS POKÉMON
"ON THE ABILITIES OF POKÉMON"

Essay on the Properties and
Origins of Pokémon Moves
by Vhazhiphor

INTRODUCTION​

_______All of us have ordered our Pokémon to use a Move before. Most of the time, we take these abilities for granted, but one must ask how it is possible for these wondrous creatures to have such powers. What makes a Charizard's flame burn? How can a small Pikachu call down a mighty lightning bolt from the skies? These and other questions are what I hope to answer.

_______In this essay I will explore possible reasons for the Moves Pokémon can use, how they came to know them, along with the nature of Moves and a little bit about the nature of types ad Pokémon evolution. I am not, however, an expert on every matter I discuss, such as genetics, for example. I may be wrong; if so, I encourage anyone with the necessary knowledge to work together with me, that we may better comprehend the mysteries of the Pokémon world.

_______Please note that in the following work the term "Ability" will not be used as it commonly is, but rather as a synonym for Pokémon's Moves.

SECTION I
WHAT ARE POKÉMON MOVES?​

_______The first question we must answer is what a "Move" is in and of itself. A Move is an ability, or technique, that a Pokémon can learn and use either in battle (as is most often the case) or in their daily lives. A Pokémon can learn and use up to four Moves at any given time - this calls our attention to an interesting issue. Do Pokémon have such limited memories that they cannot be aware of more than four abilities at any time? Truly, this cannot be the case. A Pokémons abilities are always within it; if a fire-type does not "know" any fire type Moves, it can still produce fire, but not in battle. Likewise, Moves that prove useful in the environment such as Surf, or Cut are not exhausted while not in battle. This leads me to the conclusion that Pokémon do not "learn" and "forget" their Moves. They may have only certain abilities ready to battle with at any time, because using these Moves is tiresome for them. This will be further elaborated upon in a later section.

_______Next, we have the issue of how a Pokémon comes to possess these abilities in the first place. Not in the sense or learning (or as I call it, "preparing") a certain Moveset, but rather how a small rodent can electrocute a whale many times it's size, or a small lizard can spew flames from it's maw. This is quite the mystery. There are two possible explanations I have come up with; one being that Pokémon are subject to chemical and physical reactions we have not yet discovered operate within them. The other, a tad less tangible, is that these creatures are far more in tune with nature than we are, and as such can bond with other life, and even inanimate objects at a far deeper level than we do.

SECTION II
ON THE INNATE KNOWLEDGE OF MOVES​

_______As I mentioned before, Pokémon do not "learn" a Move as they become more powerful. They gain the capacity to use this ability in battle, but it is an ability that they already possess. For example, a Totodile may not know how to use the Move we call "Bite" - but it most certainly can perform the action of biting something. If not, how would it eat? Similarly, a Goldeen may not know the battle Move "Surf", but, undisputably, they can swim. So what is it that sets aside a "Move" from an ability the Pokémon already has?

_______The difference seems to be in the effort. In a battle, a Pokémon will put in a great effort to overwhelm its opponent. This is what makes a "Move" different (and more powerful) than a creature's innately known "ability". Following up the prior Goldeen example; should a Goldeen use Surf, it will apply the same principles it will when swimming, but use them to deliver an attack, something that will reduce the opponent's stamina. Likewise, the Move known as "waterfall" does not conjure a waterfall itself; rather, it uses the same principles that the Pokémon would use to climb the waterfall, and applies them to battle. Still, this leaves a bit of a grey area.

_______Is it purely willpower, determination that makes a Move more suitable for battle? We may never know; but I believe it is more akin to a battling "frame of mind". You probably know how to wield a hammer. No doubt most of us have nailed something in our lives, but if you were asked to use that same hammer in a fight, would you readily know how? We all use knives as tools or as utensils to eat, but few of us would know how to properly wield it in a knife fight. Why even shooting a gun, which requires no ability whatsoever but that of pulling a trigger, will not be effective if you do not know how to aim, hold or otherwise handle the weapon. It is my belief that Pokémon abilities work the same way; they Move simply takes the ability the Pokémon already has and develops it to fit for battle. This is why a Pokémon will appear to learn stronger versions of a same Move as it grows in level; a Flamethrower attack is nothing but a better applied Ember attack. As the Pokémon gains experience in battles, it gains the capacity to use it's abilities more effectively.

SECTION III
ON TUTORS, TECHNICAL MACHINES
AND INHERITANCE OF MOVES​

_______So, we have now established that a Pokémon's abilities are all natural to it. How then, can one explain the use of a Technical Machine or Move Tutor to "teach" a Move, or how Pokémon can be born knowing a Move it does not normally acquire as it grows (normally called an "egg Move")? This would seem to imply that Pokémon can learn abilities foreign to them. However, it does not.

_______I have already tapped a bit into how the genetic makeup of a Pokémon can affect it's growth in my essay "De Mutatio Pokémonis". In Section VI of that paper I proposed that some Pokémon evolve when "learning" Moves because it triggers a form of "cellular memory" that causes them to regress to a more primitive form. This would only be possible if the "Moves" were hard-wired into the Pokémon's genetic code. That is to say, the genetic makeup of a Pokémon already has the potential for all of its Moves (and I believe for all Moves, to varying degrees - this will be further elaborated upon later). Whether the ability can be successfully used in battle usually depends only on the Pokémon's individual growth; but in cases such as specifically bred offspring, the "knowledge" of Moves is passed down, and an ability that a Pokémon might not otherwise be able to fully exploit (such as Double Kick for Cyndaquil) is developed enough so that it is, and in such a natural way that no effort is needed to adapt it for battle. This would be similar to the concept of a recessive gene.

_______A Technical Machine or a Move Tutor work in much the same fashion, locating the potential of the ability and artificially enhancing it so as to permit use of the Move. This is also why some Moves cannot be learned through a Technical Machine, but can be learned through selective breeding, or vice-versa; as in the case with a Vulpix unlocking it's ability to use "Energy Ball", a technical machine cannot bring out the Move artificially, but nature can get the job done.

SECTION IV
ON THE ORIGIN OF MOVES:
COMMON ANCESTRY​

_______As I mentioned, I believe that all Pokémon hold within their genes the ability to use any Move, to a varying degree. This means, of course, that some Pokémon will be exceptional at using certain Moves (most notably, so-called "Signature Moves"), while terrible at others, which it may never be able to effectively use. While this section is more fitting to a future essay I plan on writing about Pokémon Evolution (true evolution; not metamorphosis, which my previous essay has already covered), it ties in with the subject and merits mention.

_______So firstly, let us observe the Pokémon Ditto.

_______Ditto is unique among all Pokémon in that it does not have specific genetic makeup inherent unto itself; rather, it's genetic and cellular structures enable it to copy any Pokémon it encounters, also gaining the ability to use it's Moves. It's rather obvious that a Ditto, then, knows every single Pokémon Move there ever has been, but simply cannot bring out the potential of that Move if it does not have a genetic structure to base itself upon (one that supports the Move). A similar phenomenon to Pokémon "learning" to use their inherent abilities as Moves, but less permanent.

_______Keeping this in mind, let us examine a couple other interesting happenings in the incredible diversity of Pokémon.

_______Feebas and Magikarp are both very similar creatures. So are Goldeen and Finneon. And in a broader sense, both of these pairs have similarities themselves, as well. It does not seem far fetched that they may, at one point, had a common ancestor, who gradually split off into these different species. Relicanth is a likely candidate; of course, a more primitive version, as Relicanth themselves have also been evolving this entire time, albeit in much less specialized way.

_______If we study the fossil records, we can see several Pokémon that could be considered ancestors of current ones. Anorith shares similarities with many bug Pokémon, Omanyte with sea Pokémon, and both, in a way, with Kabuto. Is it possible that Kabuto was the ancestor to these two creatures? Of course, we cannot say for sure if they are; and likely other links that are now lost to the sands of time make tracing the family tree much more difficult. But it is again, not a stretch to see Lileep as one of the precursors to plant Pokémon. Taking a look at Anorith/Armaldo, we can see similarities with many modern creatures, such as Scyther, Yanmega, Scorupi, and more indirectly, Spinarak. Kabuto shares some traits with creatures such as Krabby and Corphish, and it isn't hard to see the relation between such reptiles as Cranidos, and their possible descendants, Aerodactly, birds, and somewhere along the line, a precursor to dragons. Yet I digress; you have probably understood what I'm getting at by now.

_______If there truly was a common ancestor, and Ditto is the closest evolutionary relative of that common ancestor, we can see how Pokémon can have such varied abilities, assuming, also, that these abilities are inherent to their genetic makeup. That is to say; slowly, Pokémon became more diverse, and more specialized as they evolved, to the point where some simply lost the ability to use certain Moves to their fullest, as they were no longer needed; while others were able to exloit their abilities to the maximum, mastering such techniques as the legendary Sacred Fire, Aeroblast, and Roar Of Time. This is also, I believe, the nature behind a Pokémon's Types.

_______While this is not so much proof as educated guessing, Ditto's existance, versatility and remarkable capacity for transformation is definitely evidence in favor of this school of thought.

SECTION V
ON THE EFFORT NEEDED
TO USE MOVES
​

_______Finally, we come to the issue regarding why Moves can be used a limited amount of times, and this is tied to the reason they can only use up to four Moves at a time for battle. Unlike their day to day activity, where chewing on food or swimming around to Move come naturally and effortlessly, in order to use these same abilities well in battle, a Pokémon must have the necessary skill to do so (as explained previously) and also, put in effort. Using their abilities takes a toll on a Pokémon's stamina; this is usually measured in "Power Points", as we call them, indicating how many times the Move can be used on average before the Pokémon exhausts it's ability to continue using it.

_______Some Moves are more simple, and come naturally; such as Ember, Tackle, Confusion. They are very basic and require little effort; hence, they can be used several times. Other, more powerful Moves, such as Flamethrower, Giga Impact, or Psycho Boost, use up much more energy, and often have some kind of drawback - Giga Impact, for example, not only has little use before being exhausted, but it also requires the user to rest afterwards, due to the enormous effort being put into the attack. Similarly, Flamethrower can be used fewer times than Ember before thorough rest (or medication) is needed, and Psycho Boost will lower the user's power from the exhaustion required to use such a tremendous amount of energy.

_______This further supports the theory that it is not the Move in and of itself that is learned; rather, the basic elements and principles of the Move are innate, and the Pokémon only needs to achieve the right conditions to use it as an attack, to varying degrees of effectiveness, and with varying effects.

FINAL THOUGHTS​

_______As mentioned at the beginning of this essay, we have all commanded our Pokémon to use a Move at least once. This last section is in regards to the question: How did they understand which Move to use? It certainly cannot be the name we give the Moves. We name the Moves for our own convenience, based on the concept we gather of said ability; not because Pokémon recognize the names. So what makes them comprehend us? Most likely some sort of link, or bond between trainer and Pokémon. This would of course tie in with the hypothesis that Pokémon are more receptive towards their environments, as mentioned at the end of Section I. I will do my best to delve into this matter much deeper in a future essay regarding Pokémon behavior. For the moment, however, this particular aspect of battle Moves remains a mystery to me.

_______I repeat that the views herein expressed are solely mine, based off of my own reasonings and observations, and cannot be considered verifiable truth.

_______Also, I thank you, the reader for your interest and time, hoping once more that the reasoning and ideas presented in this essay will be of benefit to our community and to the better understanding of one of the many mysteries surrounding Pokémon.

 

[Green Zubat]

Wow, that was a brilliantly detailed & thought provoking read Vhazhiphor, well done! However, I did not at first fully grasp some parts of the essay and as such I have been contemplating the phenomenon of "moves" for some time. Based on both our beliefs & observations, below is what I have concluded, what do you think?

* A "move" is a natural ability which a pokemon may perform (such as bulbasaur's ability to store sunlight) and has learnt to wield in order to effectively change either its own, its ally's or its foe's health or stats some way (such as Solarbeam & Synthesis).

* The fact that a pokemon can only "learn" a move naturally at a certain level but can forget & remember a previously learnt move at any time, between levels via move, suggests to me that a pokemon's body must be allowed to adapt before it can effectively wield certain abilities as "moves". For example, if a pokemon is to learn "sweet scent" then it must wait until it has accumulated enough energy (from battle) to alter their bodies in subtle ways so that they can wield certain natural abilities effectively enough to be termed "moves". The idea that pokemon change their physiologies slightly with each level, using the energy they gain (assumedly from battle and attested to by the shimmer of light that one may see when a pokemon "levels up") is suggested by the stat increase that pokemon always receive when they level up. For example, a pokemon which is learning "sweet scent" through level up may release chemicals in its body to stimulate the growth of its scent gland in order for it to use that move effectively.

* A pokemon is only capable of performing one of a possible four different "moves" at any one time. Although the true reason for this is not yet known, I theorize it is because trying to wield more than four moves would put too much of a strain on the pokemon's physiology. Some also believe it is conneted to the pokemon's memory.

*TMs & HMs teach pokemon how to perform moves as well as making certain biological changes for them which the pokemon would have perform naturally during "level up" by accumulating energy. It is unknown how move tutors teach moves that are otherwise unteachable, however I theorize that the pokemon is already innately capable of performing those otherwise unteachable moves but since the pokemon has little need for them in everyday life and/or they are very complex the pokemon will not "learn" them unless specifically show how to peform them and so they remain latent.

* Moves may be passed down in one of two ways: either by both parents (in the case of level up moves) or by the father only (in the case of TM/HM & "egg" moves. To me, this supports the idea that the a pokemon (such as a male Vulpix with Heat Wave) must be biologically different in some subtle way (as mentioned earlier) than a male Vulpix without that move for it to be passed down and this biological difference is passed down genetically so that the resulting child is not only born with the capability of performing Heat Wave but also the instinctual knowledge too and hence it is born "knowing" that move.

*Lastly, on the subject of Bite vs. biting: It is my belief that all pokemon emit "Energy" in the same way that some people believe humans have "auras" (a concept backed up by the anime) and this is what how pokemon are classified as certain types (by the two, or single, most predominat type of energy they emit). Before a move is performed a pokemon releases a large amount of that moves energy type with it. The interaction between the pokemon's aura and that move's energy is what changes how much damage the oppnent receives from a "move". Energy can be categorized as any one of the 18 types (including ??? type) and this is what makes a move super/ineffective or neutral against a pokemon. For example, although many pokemon can bite (as well as other simple moves like scratch & pound) with enough force for it to be a "move" only certain pokemon will have the physiology which allows them to inflict the Darkness energy into the attack which constitutes a real "Bite". Any pokemon that tries to bite without being able to inflict said energy will just come off as a "struggle" attack.

 

[Vhazhiphor]

Wow, that was a brilliantly detailed & thought provoking read Vhazhiphor, well done! However, I did not at first fully grasp some parts of the essay and as such I have been contemplating the phenomenon of "moves" for some time. Based on both our beliefs & observations, below is what I have concluded, what do you think?

*I agree; while I hesitate to say the purpose is limited to affecting health or stats, it seems to me that the more direct matter is survival.

*Again, I agree. While I am not sure what precisely it is that changes upon leveling up (your hypothesis sounds plausible, though), I do believe they cannot use their ability in battle until gaining the strength and experience to do so.

Also, off the top of my head; it might be possible that Pokémon level up due to the presence of some symbiotic lifeform similar to the Pokémon Virus. I'm not placing any bets, though.

*I favor the physiology hypothesis. If it were truly a matter of memory, Rhyhorn would not be able to use many moves at once, and other Pokémon (particularly psychic ones, with their advanced mental abilities) would be able to use more of them. Also, when they have exhausted their "power points", and attempt to continue battling, the struggle of performing any move is so great it begins to take it's toll on the Pokémon's stamina in a much more noticeable way.

*Agreed. You read my first essay too, didn't you?

* Once more, we concur. While I was unsure of explaining it this way, I guess the short way to explain it would be that in the Pokémon world, Lamarck was right.

*Personally I tried to steer clear of the anime, and try to stick as true to the games as I could. So I can't really comment on auras. However, I do like your reasoning for types. I had figured they were something that came about due to specialization; depending on the role the Pokémon species took, it would evolve a type that suited said role. Which is why you don't find ice types in volcanoes or fire types near Snowpoint.

As for what determines a Moves type, you propose a rather interesting idea. Indeed it would seem that type has more to do with the nature of the move itself rather than the move. How Dark type moves are generally of a malicious nature, and attempt to flinch, confuse, or even kicking a Pokémon when it's down; basically trying get an edge over the other Pokémon.

One can take for instance, a Pokémon of the Dark Type, such as Mightyena. It is considered a dark type because of it's sneaky or otherwise underhanded tactics, just as any other dark Pokémon. One could assume that such a being is not inclined to charge directly into battle, but rather keep it's distance until certain it can swoop in for a swift kill. This is in contrast to the fighting type, who are by nature more inclined to physical activity and melee combat. One could also assume that a fighting Pokémon is physically much stronger than the dark type would find a need to be. This explains why a well-placed hit from a fighting type has crippling effects on a dark pokémon; they're just not made to take a direct blow.

This is, of course, just a hypothesis. I do plan on exploring types further in a future essay, though.