Human Psionic Powers In the Pokemon World

[Drakon]

According to the anime, humans with psionic powers (telekinesis and teleportation and possibly others) do exist in the pokemon world. Obviously, their "attacks" are not as strong as a psychic Pokemon's attacks.

My main question is: how would those people be regarded? Feared, respected or admired?

My other question is: are there rules for Pokemon battles that pertain only to psionically gifted trainers? I ask about this because of a psionic link that is hinted between Sabrina and her Pokemon. Obviously, this is more in the grey area, as compared to say, telekinetically deflecting a projectile aimed at your Pokemon or using pyrokinesis to torch the opposing Pokemon or the trainer.

 

[PDL]

I'm willing to bet that psychic powers in human beings in the Pokémon world has been retconned, or at least reduced drastically (down to only telepathy, mindreading if you will). Possibly because:

1. It makes human beings themselves seem as powerful as Psychic Pokémon, which defeats the purpose of training Pokémon in the first place. Why use a Pokémon to preform a psychic manuver if you can do it yourself?

2. It makes it seem like in order to connect with and train psychic Pokémon, you need psychic powers yourself. Which would limit the kinds of Pokémon you can train (this goes against the rule that any Pokémon you can capture, you can befriend as an ally and use in battle.)

Notice how there hasn't been any hint of humans with god-like psychic powers since the Sabrina Arc?

Also, it appears that aura powers has taken over that aspect of humans with supernatural abilities.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

There's a page in How I Became A Pokemon Card that half-suggests that Giovanni and Persian may be somehow linked, but it may have just been shown that way to illustrate their closeness.

In Special, Morty has psychic powers, but I don't think it connects him with his pokemon any.

 

[Martonimos]

I always wanted them to expand on Rui's powers in Colosseum, especially wh she has them/how she got them. You'd think I'd have learned by now that story elaboration isn't really Nintendo's thing.

 

[Drakon]

About Aura powers, would there be special rules regarding Pokemon battles with them? IE, you can't Aura blast the opposing Pokemon or the trainer.

Also regarding the telepathy, is it against the rules for a psionically gifted trainer to read an opponent's mind and act accordingly?

 

[Infinity Mk-II]

I don't think many people have these abilities, or even know of them.

The ones that do are exceptions, so it's in their own judgement to use their powers (or honor or rules of a clan or whatever is the reason they have the powers). Usually they'll play clean becouse their training to get these powers usually requires to know to control themselves.

Now, if someone, for some reason, had these kind of powers and misused them, I'd assume it'd be like any other non-pokemon threat.
Using it in a battle would be cheating and could probably be penalized in an official one if they find it out. As I guess the trainers interfering in the battle themselves is not allowed (otherwise it wouldn't be a "pokemon" battle after all... I mean, you don't take a gun and threaten the opponent to do a move)

 

[Drakon]

Usually they'll play clean becouse their training to get these powers usually requires to know to control themselves.

If you are talking about psionic powers, I do believe in the anime, Sabrina's father said this: "You usually have to be born with telekinesis."

 

[bell02+]

About Aura powers, would there be special rules regarding Pokemon battles with them? IE, you can't Aura blast the opposing Pokemon or the trainer.

Also regarding the telepathy, is it against the rules for a psionically gifted trainer to read an opponent's mind and act accordingly?

Well, yeah you make a good point. How powerful a psychic a person is, it doesn't matter because pokemon battling is a type of sport and it has rules.

We've seen witches and Kung-fu fighters who also would be able to fight over the pokemon, yet they too hold their "powers" back in battle. There just are rules, like trying to catch your opponent's pokemon, to the game.

 

[The Outrage]

Apart from Sabrina, there are barely any trainers with significant psychic abilities that can even influence battles even in the games.

I mean most of the psychics you talk to ingame sound like they are just bullshitting you. I mean one guy was says something along the lines of "Look, that spec of dust, I moved it with my mind!"

Most others with prominent powers seem to only be able to communicate with their Pokemon, or with Tate and Liza, each other.

 

[Nekusagi]

I dunno, the Sabrina episodes gave me the impression they were some kind of cult. Look at her "throne" and the one guy's behavior around her.

 

[The Outrage]

Well, when you can pants people with your mind and also shrink them and put them in a doll house, why not create a cult and sit on a throne.

Though I am wondering under what category of psychic powers does "shrinking" fall under?

 

[Drakon]

Though I am wondering under what category of psychic powers does "shrinking" fall under?

I think shrinking falls under the "telekinesis" category; you are manipulating matter with your mind.

Apart from Sabrina, there are barely any trainers with significant psychic abilities that can even influence battles even in the games.

Most others with prominent powers seem to only be able to communicate with their Pokemon, or with Tate and Liza, each other.

What about the sprite art from the games? The Psychic trainer class is obviously capable of manipulating Pokeball sized objects. I'd assume that they don't play dirty and limit themselves to fighting with their Pokemon. They won't do something like telekinetically yank off your Pokeballs or pelt you or your Pokemon with rocks.

Also, is a psionic link between the trainer and the Pokemon a legal tactic?

 

[The Outrage]

[/color]

I think shrinking falls under the "telekinesis" category; you are manipulating matter with your mind.

Telekinesis/Psychokenisis only involves movement of objects though, not something as powerful as shrinking something. I'm pretty sure they can compress objects with their minds, but that's more in the sense of crushing than shrinking.

What about the sprite art from the games? The Psychic trainer class is obviously capable of manipulating Pokeball sized objects. I'd assume that they don't play dirty and limit themselves to fighting with their Pokemon. They won't do something like telekinetically yank off your Pokeballs or pelt you or your Pokemon with rocks.

Its merely a sprite art that shows they are Psychic. Like I said, most of them just seem like a bunch of hacks, or have very little psychic energy. The Sprite art of Psychics moving Pokeballs is probably just to represent the few trainers who actually can do it, or more likely our stereotypical idea of a Psychic in the Pokemon World.

Its not like the entire Poke Maniac Class wears Charizard outfits eventhough they are depicted so in the games.

Also, is a psionic link between the trainer and the Pokemon a legal tactic?

Why not? Its not as if they can enforce it, nor are the Psychics really doing anything to harm the opponent. All they are doing is giving commands through their minds.

Oh yeah, there was also the Pokemon Seer in Cianwood. Not like her powers can really do anything to help influence battle (atleast to the extent she had revealed to us)

 

[PDL]

Also, is a psionic link between the trainer and the Pokemon a legal tactic?

Well, the purpose of the Pokémon journey is the forge a relationship with Pokémon you've caught. The trainer and Pokémon must function as a single unit in order to succeed. A psychic link may be one way acheive this, but there are others, nor does it appear to have any significant advantages over good old-fashioned trust and friendship.

 

[The Outrage]

Well, the purpose of the Pokémon journey is the forge a relationship with Pokémon you've caught. The trainer and Pokémon must function as a single unit in order to succeed. A psychic link may be one way acheive this, but there are others, nor does it appear to have any significant advantages over good old-fashioned trust and friendship.

Combined with good ol' trust and friendship though.....

Besides, experienced trainers themselves seem to be able to pick up on what their Pokemon is thinking or feeling, hence Sabrina telling the player character that everyone has psychic abilities to some degree, we just don't know it.

It does have an advantage in the sense that you can conceal your strategy much better from your opponent, especailly one you just thought up on the spot. You'd be able to explain it to your Pokemon as they battle without giving away your strategy.

EDIT:
Okay, so I was looking up the different types of Psionic abilities so I can compare to what we have seen in both Pokemon and Human

First Person Psionics - This type of Psionic ability is personal, as in it is useful only to the user:

Spoiler

Psycho-metabolic abilities ("mind over body")

• Resistance to Pain
• Personal Shielding - To resist assault or external injury
• Accelerated/Guided healing
• Lessening mental instabilities

So we haven't seen anyone who seems resistant to pain, though I believe that good vitality is shared by Aura users. Personal Shielding, I'm not sure if we saw that in the Sabrina episodes but Pokemon are obviously able to do that. Accelerated Healing is a trait of most Psychics with Recover but a human has never been shown doing this (though they never went in full detail. Though Aura users seem to have a variation where their Aura can be used to heal others. pokemon with Wish/Softboiled/Aromatherapy/Heal Bell/Milk Drink does this (heal others), but only two of them seem like Psychic powers. Lessening mental instabilities, yeah of course Anime Sabrina had that power [sarcasm]

Extrasensory Perception ("third eye")

• Precognition (seeing the future)
• Postcognition/Retrocognition (seeing the past)
• Remote Viewing(seeing beyond one's own surroundings)
• Spiritual Perception (seeing beyond the planes of this reality)

Well I'm guessing the Channeler, Sage and Medium class of trainers has some form of the the last power stated. Most Aura users seem to have points one and three. Sabrina and a couple psychics(and I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to them) definately has precognition, and the Seer in Cianwood may have Postcognition since she knows where you got your Pokemon, though it may just be Clairperception. Xatus according to the Pokedex has both.

Second Person Psionics [You] - This type of Psionic ability can be interpersonal, as in useful or effectual against more than one person:

Spoiler

Telepathy: Communication without the use of physical senses. ("mind speak")

• Thought Communications
  • Discourse Projection (saying conversation without mouth)
  • Discourse Reception (hearing conversation without ears)
• Image Projection (transmitting images into another's mind)

Most PSychic Pokemon can do this aswell as Sabrina and her family. Apparantly anyone they are "speaking" to gains Discourse Reception for the time being. Though Aura users only seem to share this power with each other unless they develop stronger psionic traits like Lucario did.

Mental Persuasion ("brainwashing")

• Mind Control
• Mind Reading
• Memory Alteration
• Induced Hallucination

Mewtwo.

Clairperception (perceiving the truth in an object or person similar to an extra sensory perception)

• Clairvoyance (perceiving the truth in an object or person through sight)
• Clairsentience (perceiving the truth in an object or person through feeling/touching)
• Clairaudience (perceiving the truth in an object or person through hearing/listening)
• Clairalience (perceiving the truth in an object or person through smelling)
• Claircognizance (perceiving the truth in an object or person through knowing)
• Clairgustance (perceiving the truth in an object or person through tasting)

Cianwood lady has a form of clairperception. Its likely Clairvoyance or Clairsentience.

Therapeutic Uses ("mental healing")

• Lessening mental instability in another
• Third-party mediation of internal conflicts

I have not seen any of this in Pokemon

Most psychic trainers claim to have the third person psionic powers like telekinesis, though they don't really have pyro or electrokinesis.

 

[Nekusagi]

Well, when you can pants people with your mind and also shrink them and put them in a doll house, why not create a cult and sit on a throne.

Though I am wondering under what category of psychic powers does "shrinking" fall under?

The fact the assistant guy knelt and called Sabrina "great one" will never leave my mind... I got the feeling from that episode at least they had some kind of really shady brotherhood thing going on if not a fullblown religion with Sabrina as the head.

Shrinking is telekinesis. Probably related to shapeshifting. Pantsing is telekinesis as well.

Either way, Pokemon's treatment of them is definitely a lot different than in a show like Heroes, where if you find out you have psychic powers, your mode of operation is 1. Go on a killing spree 2. Freak out and hide them away unless you absolutely need them or 3. Gleefully use them whenever possible.

In Pokemon, it's just like "go find a psychic Pokemon and beat up trainers."

 

[PDL]

I suppose the main reason for this is:

1. Psychic powers appear to be accepted, even revered in Pokémon, rather then reviled like in other fictional works (like Heroes, X-men or even Elfin Lied)

2. Being a kids show about trainable monsters, they wouldn't go into graphic detail about how Psychics can completely tear you to shreads or how they do it. Actually, I think they exaggaretted Sabrina's powers in the anime by making her Psychic powers almost like magic.

 

[The Outrage]

In Pokemon, it's just like "go find a psychic Pokemon and beat up trainers."

Game Sabrina doesn't even like battling, which makes me wonder why she battled the Figting Master for the Gym's dominance.

 

[PDL]

Game Sabrina doesn't even like battling, whihc makes me wonder why she battled the Figting Master for the Gym's dominance.

Apparently every town has to have only one gym to represent them. Fighting Types get beaten by psychic types.

She may not like fighting, but she does it because she was appointed gym leader and that's her duty.

 

[The Outrage]

She may not like fighting, but she does it because she was appointed gym leader and that's her duty.

She couldn't just let them have the Gym title? My point was, why did she even fight the Fighting Master for the Gym-leader title if she didn't like to battle. Neither one of their gyms were the official one at that point. Maybe there was a majority vote between her colleagues at her gym.

Well atleast she takes her Gym-leader duties seriously, not like Giovanni who is absent from his gym 99% of the time then quits, or Blue who takes after his predecessor and is also absent. Then there's Clair withholding the badge because she can't believe you beat her, and Whittney crying and forgetting to give you the badge. Oh and Volkner being absent aswell because he's bored.