The Room

[Hagi]

Wait... really?

I haven't payed attention since Red/Blue. Are there seriously 700+ of the little bastards running around now?

We're up to the 6th generation now, that's less than 100 in each release.

How exactly does one take six generation of less than 100 and somehow come up with more than 700? Even if you don't count the first gen of 151 then you're still left with over 549 in the proceeding five generations. Unless Pokémon math works by an entirely different system you won't make it with less than 100 in each released generation.

 

[Silver Patriot]

Since everybody has already made the obvious 1984 reference.

"The Elite Four have invited you to the Indigo Plateau."

 

[Darth_Payn]

Technically, Professor Oak isn't wrong. It's sort of his job to discover and catalogue new Pokémon species. Scientists are always discovering new things that replace old ideas, like Copernicus and Galileo saying the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Unless the new ones are being bioengineered, vat-grown in a lab! BUT FOR WHAT PURPOSE?!

 

[Darth_Payn]

It's referring to 1984. I think the Star Trek episode you mentioned was actually referring to 1984 as well. There's a scene in 1984 where the main character is being brain washed into thinking that 2+2=5. Both were inspired by the same source material.

Further, the intro post mentions the Ministry of Pokélove, making it fairly obvious where it comes from. Also, the use of a Ratatta, reminiscent specifically of the rats from the scene[footnote]And the very creepy implications of a use for Ratatta[/footnote]. Pretty sure Star Trek doesn't use rats in that ep.

But then, we reach the obvious issue: More people on The Escapist are likely to remember the Star Trek episode than a book they only read because it was a high school requirement.

Know what's funny? My high school didn't require me to read 1984. Ironic since that's the year my graduating class was born in. Instead, they stuck us with Orwell's other classic, Animal Farm.

 

[Aptspire]

Big Professor is watching.
We are at war with the Johto region.
We've always been at war with the Johto region.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

This is starting to get sinister.

I think we need a Planet of the Apes story arc next. Where the Pokemon rise up and learn to talk, and the humans are forced to battle each other instead.

In black/white 2 one of the movie side things you did had a story a lot like that.

A scientist[sub](you the player)[/sub] made a time machine, went to the future, and found that it was under the control of talking bug pokemon who use pokeballs on humans to make them fight.

You have to use your pokemon to defend yourself without killing the humans, and then teach the intelligent bug pokemon the importance of friendship in battles....or some crap like that.

 

[Bindal]

For the first time ever, Pikachu will saay "Pika pika" or some variant thereof on the battlefield, but everyone else still uses their "cries", which are more like animal cries than what the Anime would have you believe.

So, Pokemon Yellow never existed as game? Because I am pretty sure, that bugger said "Pikachu" every time you called him into battle (even having a unique "animation" for being called in and out. Just moving to the left rather have a ball, but still).
Also, I think they use the same "Name calling"-thing in the Manga and pretty much EVERY media ever, when it's possible.

 

[Chimichanga]

I thought a Pokémon's Dex number was based on when they were discovered.

Is that no longer true? Was that never true?

Wait... really?

I haven't payed attention since Red/Blue. Are there seriously 700+ of the little bastards running around now?

Yeah. (Though it may be worth noting that Digimon has had 1100+ for years.)

Wait... wat.

Is Digimon even a thing any more? I recall that they had three good first seasons (the third being the best, imo) and then it went downhill for two more seasons, and then faded into obscurity. How could they possibly have that many?!

It's a madhouse I tell ya! A MAAAAAADHOOOUUUSE!

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

This is exactly how I feel every time a new Pokemon game comes out.

I thought a Pokémon's Dex number was based on when they were discovered.

Is that no longer true? Was that never true?

It's based on the order they make them up.

 

[Requia]

Uh, was this humor? No seriously? Am I meant to openly laugh at this? Or chuckle a little bit and say "that's was kinda clever" or what? I know quality control on the Internet is pretty much non-existant but come on. Really?

It's actually, I believe, a Star Trek reference. Picard was doing a secret mission and was captured by the Cardassian who then tortured and tryed to brain wash him (or something as evil). The first step is to get him to admit that there are 5 lights when in fact there are 4. (youtube picard torture) It's a good episode.

Star Trek copied 1984 (which used 2+2=5).

And this is a rather direct 1984 reference given the Rattata in a cage.

 

[Trooper924]

In other news, we have always been at war with Team Flare.

 

[deth2munkies]

But...but the Pokerap...

SILENCE! Thou shalt not speak of the forbidden song ever again.

 

[kael013]

Pokemon and 1984? Oh, well played, that's one nightmarish combination.

"Under the spreading Chesto tree, I sold you and you sold me."

 

[The_Echo]

Wait... wat.

Is Digimon even a thing any more? I recall that they had three good first seasons (the third being the best, imo) and then it went downhill for two more seasons, and then faded into obscurity. How could they possibly have that many?!

It's a madhouse I tell ya! A MAAAAAADHOOOUUUSE!

It's still going strong. Xros Wars (the sixth series, split into three seasons) was just recently released in the West as Digimon Fusion. There have been eleven movies (the latest having been in 2009), and Digimon World Reigitize Decode was released on 3DS in June.

The list of Digimon species [http://digimon.wikia.com/wiki/Categoryigimon_species] on the wiki says there's 1,159 species currently. Of course, not all of them have been in the anime, instead being specific to the games, the manga or the TCG.

It's based on the order they make them up.

I can't tell if you're being facetious or not, but I was talking in-universe.

I remember being told back in my childhood that a Pokémon's place in the Pokédex was determined by order of discovery

 

[Plucky]

Due to 3 unused trademarks, Volcanion, Diancee and Hoopa, there's technically 721 Pokemon. if the rumor of 800 pokemon due to Serebii having placeholder images (though they might be honeypot images for Bots) that might in fact be something for Pokemon Z/XY2.

Dianshii - Unused, presumably westernized into Diancee.
Hariboogu - Quilladin
Gekogashira - Frogadier
Borukenion - Unused, but due to B's turning into V's and K's into C's, it's Volcanion. (ke-, in kenion is pronounced as KAY, hence the Canine in the english name)
Dedenne - Dedenne
Horubii -Bunnelby
Nyaonikusu - Meowstic
Burigaron - Chesnaught
Jigarude - Zygarde
Mafokushii - Delphox
Fuupa - an oddity, for some reason it's Hoopa...Fuu is usually used for Wind, maybe it's AZ's Floette?
Gekkouga - Greninja
Torimian - Furfrou
Teerunaa - Braixen

A common thing with all those names, is that they've been used for Corocoro reveals, Legendaries gets a free pass since every game since G/S/C has the same name in all countries, this justifies why the Legendary Birds were named Fire, Thunder and...Freezer.

AZ's Machine killed all life around it to bring Floette back to life, indirectly either making both of them Immortal or at least longlifed or even Mutated them

It's possible that the backstory meant that over 50 Species of Pokemon became extinct, or perhaps they'll slowly come back into circulation with the Zygarde plot. Or if you want to be skeptical, possibly internal data placeholders for Mega forms, and for Pokemon who later gained individual data tables for alternate formes such as Unown, Castform and Rotom.


On the topic of the comic. Let's hope professor Oak doesn't get a trash can and place it ontop of the Rattata and use a lighter on it...like in a certain film. (wasn't it 2 Fast 2 Furious?)

 

[orangeapples]

Prof. Oak never said there were 150/151 pokemon in the world >_>

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

It's based on the order they make them up.

I can't tell if you're being facetious or not, but I was talking in-universe.

I remember being told back in my childhood that a Pokémon's place in the Pokédex was determined by order of discovery

There's supposed to be an in-universe explanation? I never knew that, I thought it was never addressed.

 

[newwiseman]

This is starting to get sinister.

I think we need a Planet of the Apes story arc next. Where the Pokemon rise up and learn to talk, and the humans are forced to battle each other instead.

I thought that was the Mewtwo movie...

 

[AliasBot]

Since everybody has already made the obvious 1984 reference.

"The Elite Four have invited you to the Indigo Plateau."

Shit, and I thought I'd be the first to make that reference. Props, sir.

...after a quick trip to Serebii, Gen I (Kanto) obviously had 151 pokemon, Gen II (Johto) added 100, Gen III (Hoenn) added 135 (and it feels like almost all of them were Water-types), Gen IV (Sinnoh) added 107, Gen V (Unova) added 156, and Gen VI has so far added 69 (because the 3DS's encryption hasn't been cracked, the unrevealed event legends are still actually unrevealed). Taking Unova out of the equation, since Black/White were meant to basically be a full reboot and built its Dex from scratch, the average addition per generation has been about 100 (411 pokemon divided by 4 regions). The regional dexes have been getting progressively larger, though, since they can include more and more old pokemon (despite introducing less than 70 new pokemon, Kalos's Dex numbers a ludicrous 454).

(Also was never required to read 1984 in high school: always meant to read it in my free time, never got around to it.)

 

[Jezzy54]

YOU ARE TEARING ME APART, PROFESSOR OAK!