Solana and the Capture Styler

[reynard]

I'm not sure why I'm recalling this right at the moment, but I've wanted to talk about it. Solana was a Pokemon ranger who appeared in the anime. And she also used her Capture Styler.

Now when I first saw that episode and saw her use that thing, my intuition said game mechanic. Research tells me I was right. And I would get that thing inside a Pokemon game.

But watching her use it in the show made me really uncomfortable, because of the implications it had. I mean her Capture Styler allowed her to temporarily take control of any wild Pokemon she wanted, right? When I saw that, I thought to myself "Doesn't that qualify as a form of mild control?" One other thing I thought to myself was "What happened to just asking them?"

I mean it. Pokemon are intelligent creatures. Why does the Pokemon ranger need to resort to that? Isn't that sort of technology the kind of things the villains would use?

Even if the effect is temporary, what's to stop someone with it to say, take control of a wild Pokemon and then make it go into a Pokeball? Did anybody else wonder about this, or is it just me?

 

[CherrimPrincess]

I like this topic, so I'll try to answer good. I do find it to be a sort of mind control, but there is good reason for it. There is proof in the Pokemon Ranger series. I have played all of the games, and in each one, various Pokemon are mind controlled by evil corporations. The regions these cooperations are in, Fiore, Oblivia, and Alma (sorry if misspelled) outlawed the use of Pokeballs. So to keep order, a compromise would be the capture styler. This information could help you solve some questions.

Since Pokemon aren't captured, they would act more wild than in regions where capturing is legal. Asking would be a bit more difficult in that case. Also, Pokemon have different personalities, in a dire emergency, a Timid nature Pokemon might not want to help, rather run away. The ability to temporarily mind control a Pokemon would solve these two issues. Along with those two issues, capturing a Pokemon also calms it if it is aggravated or panicked. Many of the organizations attack you with mind controlled Pokemon of there own, and they are often angered or afraid. After capture, since they are pacified, the danger of them or another organism getting hurt is gone.

Also, capturing a Pokemon with a Styler is like using a Pokeball for a short amount of time. I would assume since you cannot catch a Pokemon that is already caught with another Pokemon, you cannot capture a Pokemon with a Pokeball that is currently caught with a Styler. The fact that game-wise Pokeballs are outlawed/banned in the regions also would make it even harder. I cannot answer well Anime-wise unless I referenced to Pokemon Ranger: The Temple of the Sea, and that didn't cover a lot in my opinion. I hoped that help.

And on an unrelated note, Ditto is one of the most infuriating Pokemon to capture in the series. I won't say why, but it is.

 

[Team Gaara]

Well, the wild Pokemon are not her's. I highly doubt she'd get much success by just asking some random wild Pokemon to do something for her. They'd likely ignore her, possibly attack her, or run away.

Capturing isn't some crime involving mind controlling wild Pokemon to get them to do your bidding. It actually snaps them out of mind control if you have played any of the games, as well as calming them down.

 

[reynard]

I suppose that makes sense. I had no idea that Pokeballs were outlawed in those regions. I was just uncomfortable because I could see so many ways that sort of device could be abused. Still, if it were up to me, I'd make sure the Capture Styler never got out of those regions ever.

 

[Team Gaara]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I remember right, Poke Balls weren't outlawed in the regions of Ranger games. They just weren't common. Or at least in Fiore; I vaguely remember an NPC noting that not many people used Poke Balls, preferring to keep their little beasts by their sides~

 

[Muur]

Well the Rangers would probably get fired if they did something like that, they're there to protect. That doesn't mean that mad guys can't get a hold of them though but really, the effects aren't very long so really they would probably be useless to the bad guys anyway, which is why they all used alternate means to control them.

 

[Pokémon Spectrum]

I suppose that makes sense. I had no idea that Pokeballs were outlawed in those regions. I was just uncomfortable because I could see so many ways that sort of device could be abused. Still, if it were up to me, I'd make sure the Capture Styler never got out of those regions ever.

It was revealed in a later episode made to promote the third Ranger game that Stylers can only be used by the Ranger that they're registered to, as shown when James got ahold of it and couldn't use it. It's also stated in the first game that only official Pokémon Rangers are capable of using Stylers, for the exact same reason: The Stylers only respond to the Ranger that they're registered to. So there's no risk whatsoever in allowing the Ranger to take their Styler into other regions.
Also, to elaborate on what everyone else is telling you, the styler isn't exactly the same as a temporary Pokéball effect; it unleashes an energy that allows the Ranger to convey their feelings of friendship to the Pokémon that is being captured.

 

[reynard]

I suppose that makes sense. I had no idea that Pokeballs were outlawed in those regions. I was just uncomfortable because I could see so many ways that sort of device could be abused. Still, if it were up to me, I'd make sure the Capture Styler never got out of those regions ever.

It was revealed in a later episode made to promote the third Ranger game that Stylers can only be used by the Ranger that they're registered to, as shown when James got ahold of it and couldn't use it. It's also stated in the first game that only official Pokémon Rangers are capable of using Stylers, for the exact same reason: The Stylers only respond to the Ranger that they're registered to. So there's no risk whatsoever in allowing the Ranger to take their Styler into other regions.
Also, to elaborate on what everyone else is telling you, the styler isn't exactly the same as a temporary Pokéball effect; it unleashes an energy that allows the Ranger to convey their feelings of friendship to the Pokémon that is being captured.

Ah, that's a really good security measure. Not that it wouldn't be possible to hack the machine or steal the technology, but a great security measure anyway. As for the whole "temporary Pokeball" thing, I was implying that the styler's temporary effect could perhaps be used to lure a Pokemon into a Pokeball, or any other form of cage. It would be like the Pied Piper of Hamlin. His flute playing allowed him to command "any living thing under the sun". So when he played, he could will his playing to command all the rats to follow him, and then command them to defy their survival instinct and walk right into the river and drown, or later command all the children of Hamlin to follow him far away as punishment for being swindled.

...which actually makes the Pied Piper one of the most powerful of fictional characters and makes his story really horrifying... but that was the sort of idea that went through my head.