How does one interpret a Pokemon learning a move?

[matt0044]

This is something I've been pondering for sometime. Would showing Pokemon acquiring a new move in battle (that is, when "leveling" up so to speak) make sense? How would one describe the phenomenon (I heard something like Muscle Memory)? Is there alternatives to this? How would you show Pokemon trying a new move (like with Technical Machine moves)?

So... thoughts?

 

[妖精ちゃん]

If I had to rationalise it, and this is going a little far out but I'd think of all things Pokemon like the Pokeball System for example would have some kind of data-base.

All known 'moves' would already be there, but certain Pokemon can only learn certain moves based on type for example, but they'd need a certain amount of 'experience' to actually use a move.

They maybe could try using a move that's outside of their type and/or experience level, but it would fail and be barely recognisable as that move.

 

[Tophat Dragoneye]

I'm being scientific here, but I would say that adrenaline plays a role here. During a battle, a Pokémon can & will be stressed during it and that would release some adrenaline into their bodies. In case some don't know, adrenaline plays a role in fight-or-flight situations, which is otherwise known as caveman instincts. So if a Pokémon into a situation where it feels threatened, its body will instinctively make it learn a move to help it defend itself or get away from their would-be opponent and predator. That rule could also apply to abilities as well. When the Pokémon's body feels that the Pokémon is threatened, it will activate the ability, for example Blaze. Some abilities are activated through simple instincts, so it's not a hard rule.

 

[Drakon]

In some cases, I think you could think of it as an series of steps.

Like you first learn how do do Ember, then after that, you progress to Flamethrower and then finally, after much training, you learn Flamethrower.

 

[LightningTopaz]

What I do is just show them using the move in question--but then again, in my Pokeworld, every Pokemon has access to their full moveset from the get go, and that includes TM/HMs, tutor moves, and egg moves.

That said, while they have access to their full moveset at any time, a Charmander using Flamethrower would only happen in an emergency, as it would exhaust them afterwards

 

[Stratelier]

Yeah, I think from an in-universe perspective all Pokemon have certain inborn abilities that can manifest as a range of specialized techniques (E.g. Ember, Flamethrower, and Fire Blast all stem from the same skill). They discover the basic level of ability rather quickly, but it takes time, practice and training (possibly with the help and coaching from another Pokemon) before they can really "weaponize" it as a higher-level technique.

And, obviously, the four-move limit is a game mechanic only and does not apply to fanfiction. In any average battle, a Pokemon might only use up to four discrete techniques at a time, but they do have access to anything they've learned.

 

[NoirGrimoir]

What Stratelier said. My philosophy is that most pokemon are able to use the moves that will eventually be available to them long before the 'level' where they would acquire the ability in the game, but it takes training and practice outside of battle to be able to use it properly in a battle, or to nurture it to full strength. I figure TMs are more of an instructional tool to help your pokemon learn a move, and Move Tutors are the same thing, except they are actual humans that act as coaches for your pokemon to help them learn a move. Egg moves I treat as the pokemon having seen their parents do it at a young age, so they already know what to do to use it themselves, as well as genetically being predisposed to having talent in that area, since their parent can do it.

 

[Miar]

Well, since I see the Pokémon as sorta-digital beings, it's a matter of absorbing information (data = experience).

Natural moves just happen. You must have this much memory (LV) to unlock it. And they never forget them. The trainers limit themselves.

Pre-G5, the Pokémon would copy the data from TMs and then the disc becomes empty. Not so anymore

 

[Stratelier]

That is a very . . . digimon way of looking at it.

 

[CrystaI]

That is a very . . . digimon way of looking at it.

Even Digimon don't learn their moves in such mechanical ways. Digimon may be a digital creature made up of data, but that doesn't mean they behave themselves just like lifeless data.

Miar's way of treating Pokemon is not Digimon-like, he just treat the Pokemon as a lifeless and soulless being that has absolutely no wills of their own.

 

[reynard]

I think that it may be possible for a Pokemon to learn a new move right when it levels, but that depends on the move. What moves a Pokemon can learn are limited by their bodies and abilities. Some moves are built in and even defining of a whole type, like Flamethrower or Water Gun, which require special organs. Like Stratelier said, other moves are extension of the same physical qualities (like Ember, Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Overheat).

If a Pokemon can now use a move upon evolving, it could be that all that prevented it from using that move before was its body. With the growth and change, it can do new things. That argument doesn't work for all moves, but still. For example, when Treecko becomes Grovlye, it can use Leaf Blade, only because it now has leaves on its arms. Or Golduck being able to use psychic powers because when it evolved, it's brain changed to allow it full access to those abilities (Which means Psyduck's headaches are the result of growing pains). Okay, those moves probably require some practice, yes, but like Tophat said, perhaps adrenaline helps in those sudden situations.

But yeah, most moves are learned and perfected through practice, until they become like muscle memory. I know a Pokemon can learn more than four moves, though they may get rusty with certain moves if they don't use them for a while. But if they practiced enough in the first place, I am sure it wouldn't take long to get back into the swing of things. It's like some games I played where timing was involved in the attacks. Whenever I started the game up again, I was always rusty the first time, missing a lot more. But it didn't take too long to get back into a good rhythm.

Now I am remembering that Misty's Gyarados could use Flamethrower. In that case, she would have had to do a lot of work. It indicates that Gyarados DOES have a built in flame thrower, though it is usually inactive. Misty would have been working with it to find a way to open the organic flamethrower back up. Maybe Gyarados could will it to open up and work?

And some moves are learned simply by aging, and not full evolution. I'm just remembering May's Torchic. All the time it was a Torchic, it always used Ember, and not Flamethrower, which is rather standard for the type. And that always made me curious. Looking at it on the wiki, it learns Flamethrower at a very high level. And Torchic's Ember game out in small pellets, and not a continuous stream. And even Charmander learns Ember first and Flamethrower much later.

I think in that case, the reason both species use Ember first is because they can't do otherwise. It is the baby stage, and perhaps their flamethrower organs need to grow a bit more before they can release a continuous stream. Am I making sense?

 

[Almonds]

I saw someone have the pokemon 'eat' the TM discs. Like, literally chomp chomp. I don't know about level up moves, though - sometimes, they just magically acquire it, like they do in the anime.

"Oh wow! [pokemon] leveled up, and it learned a new move!" sort of way.

 

[Teapot Salty]

in my opinion it must be like, the different ways to release different kinds of energy, say my electabuzz knows thundershock, which is essentially a small electrical current. It would learn shock wave, a move that is essentially electricity being realesed on all sides of the users body, by addapting the two moves, upping the juice in thundershock and realesing it over a greater area, of course this would need more energy to do, which is why a pokemon needs to get stronger to use new moves.

 

[Lugion]

@Stratelier; and @NoirGrimoir; literally covered everything I can say on the matter.

 

[Glitchipedia]

My thought is, for naturally-learned moves, the Pokémon already knows how to use them, it just can't actually do that until it reaches a certain level of strength. TMs and HMs are, as already stated, instructional tools (DVDs, perhaps?) demonstrating how a move normally outside the Pokémon's natural movepool may be taught. Move tutors are the same as TMs and HMs, just skipping straight to teaching the Pokémon without the trainer's involvement.

Egg moves....I dunno, maybe Pokémon have a limited form of genetic memory? That'd be an interesting thing to think about.