Ultimate Pokemon

## Introduction

There were a lot of unanswered questions in the Pokemon world that this theory attempts to address, questions such as:

1. Why are Team Rocket so obsessed with Ash's Pikachu. Why that one in particular?
2. Why can't most Pokemon make advanced technology even though they're often said to be smarter than humans? Why can't they organize themselves like humans do? Granted, Team Rocket's Mewtwo could do so, but few others can.
3. How is it that Team Rocket's Meowth learned to speak human language, yet Chatot cannot even though they're clearly physically capable of producing human speech?
4. Why is it that legendary Pokemon can do such incredible feats, but when you catch one they do not demonstrate such abilities?
5. Why is it that so many of these questions about Pokemon personhood seem to revolve around Team Rocket?

## Assumptions

We are assuming that humans are people. We assume that humans dislike being converted into data and that they can break out of pokeballs at will (click here for more on that). This trait is assumed to set humans apart from Pokemon, except that it seems there are certain individual Pokemon that can do this as well, Ash's Pikachu for instance, but no other Pikachu.

## Are Pokemon People?

For a long time humanity has been known for its three hallmarks: complex language, complex technology, and complex society. It is the strength of human willpower that allows them to easily escape the Pokeballs that can trap even the strongest of Pokemon.

And yet, there are tales of Pokemon that show characteristics once thought to be found only humans, ones that learn human language and master human technology, ones that cannot be caught by any Pokeball. These were originally dismissed as legends and rumors, not credible. But recently researchers have begun positing the existence of ultimate Pokemon.

This theory is hotly debated, and most people think it's ridiculous if they've even thought of it at all, but it has begun gaining traction as evidence begins to mount of its truth. The theory states that humans are people. We have a spirit, something that sets us apart from other life. Pokemon lack such a spirit, with one exception. For every Pokemon species there is one ultimate Pokemon. This Pokemon has a spirit like a human, making it fully capable of any of the achievements a human could do. If its body is capable of producing the proper sounds, it can speak human language. With enough time studying human technology the Pokemon could understand, use, and even improve it. And such Pokemon could even integrate into human society.

As justification for this theory, they point to rumors of a Meowth that worked with a pair of Team Rocket members. This Meowth was said to speak full human language, was never stored in a Pokeball, and could operate the advanced technology Team Rocket used. It is said that the group was in search of the Ultimate Pikachu, which though it lacked the ability to produce human speech could mime and gesture more fluently than any other Pikachu that had been observed.

If accurate, this theory would explain many of the stories of legendary Pokemon having abilities that caught examples of legendaries do not have. While it is possible to catch, say, an Arceus, it will not have the full world-shaping power of the Ultimate Arceus even if it is still a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps all ultimate Pokemon are capable of such feats, but we associate them with legendary Pokemon because there are so few of them and therefore any given legendary Pokemon is more likely to be the ultimate of its species than would be the case for a Pokemon which numbers in the tens of millions.

This theory would suggest that if a new Pokemon were made, it would be the only one of its kind and then would therefore be an ultimate Pokemon. The first Mewtwo created would be such an example. Stories say that it used its psychic powers to project human speech, that it used cybernetic armor to enhance its abilities, and that it was capable of feats far beyond any Mewtwo that has been captured. If this is true, it would explain why any time anyone finds a Pokemon that shows signs of being an ultimate Pokemon, Team Rocket either already owns it or is actively seeking to capture it.

The theory also holds that when an ultimate Pokemon dies, its spirit moves on to another of its species. The same would hold if the body is changed to a new Pokemon, such as by evolution. This would explain why Ash's Pikachu refused to evolve: its consciousness would move to another Pikachu, one far away from its beloved trainer. If the last of a Pokemon species dies, the spirit would presumably move on to the afterlife. Some Pokemon, especially legendary Pokemon, are thought to have the ability to transfer their consciousness to a new body at will, and may do so to allow a worthy trainer to capture the body they leave behind. Such a body would not have a full consciousness and personhood, but would still be as intelligent and responsive as any other non-ultimate Pokemon.

A final part of the theory deals with humans, and what sets us apart from Pokemon. Under this theory, every human is the ultimate version of themself, the first and last of their kind.

## Playing an Ultimate Pokemon

When you play as an ultimate Pokemon, you pick a trainer to work with. You act as that trainer's Pokemon, taking orders and giving them crap if they mess with you too much, but at the end of the day, hopefully you'll find a way to work out a great relationship.

Deciding to play an ultimate Pokemon will leave you in a weird position. You won't be allowed to catch other Pokemon nor will you get the rights of a person. You may not even be able to speak human language. But you do get these special considerations to make up for that:

**Free Will:** Instead of being assigned a nature, you work out whatever nature you want and how it gives you friendship points. In fact, as long as the GM feels you're not abusing this privilege, you can simply give yourself friendship points any time your trainer does something for you that you like.

**Trust:** You can take a command action of your own choosing once per turn, but you can take a second command action that your trainer calls out to you, for a total of two command actions per turn.

**Memory:** You retain the knowledge of all moves you have ever learned by any method. You also may retain all badge bonuses you acquire instead of just one.

**Awakening:** Should you be KO'd, you can regain 10 HP after you've been out long enough to get bored, usually about 5 minutes. The GM can put you out for longer if you're abusing this privilege, and it never works during a battle.

**Immutable:** You can mega evolve, but you cannot evolve into any other Pokemon. Should you die or be forced to evolve, you instead transfer your spirit to another Pokemon of your species, statted out by the GM.

However, there are some challenges you will face as an ultimate Pokemon, and questions to ask yourself. How do you feel about being the only person around, rarely having a chance to interact with another like yourself? How do you feel living in a world dominated by humans, humans who don't realize you are a person just as much as they are? How has living a thousand lives in a thousand bodies shaped who you are, and how does that perspective differ from that of a human who lives such a brief existence? What goals and plans do you have for yourself? And what about for the rest of the species you represent?

## Ultimate Pokemon Class

This is the class for ultimate Pokemon.

**Powerhouse:** You retain the badge bonuses from every gym you've beaten and have all their benefits simultaneously.

**Learn by Teaching:** Spend a kudo and choose one of your trainer's Pokemon. Both you and the Pokemon train the same stat, one of your choosing.

**Fake ID:** No one knows how, but you are registered as a trainer, especially for the purposes of participating in arena and gym battles. You may fight yourself or send in other Pokemon you manage, but beware, if you faint in battle you can't issue command actions to your Pokemon.

**Invite:** During encounters, you can roll dice equal to half your badges, rounded up, to invite a Pokemon to join your pack as if you were capturing them. Succeess increases the target's stats by one challenge rating (though never above maxed) and grants it 1d6 friendship points. You cannot manage more Pokemon than the number of badges you have, and any additions beyond that will cause one of your pack members with the lowest FP to leave.

**Dominate:** You may spend a kudo in battle and choose a target Pokemon in range. It is under a harsh compulsion to obey you. This takes your command action.

**Broad Power:** Your learnable moves list includes all moves of any forms that a Pokemon of your species could evolve from or into. So if you are an ultimate Gloom, you can learn any moves that an Oddish, Vileplume, or Bellossom could learn as if they were on your learnable moves list.

**Paragon:** Increase your IV's until you have 120 total, and then choose one last IV to increase by 10 more, even if you already have more than 120 to begin with (for example if you're a legendary Pokemon). You may extend these benefits to any Pokemon of same species as you that you spend enough time with, such as allied trainers' Pokemon.

**Power Up:** Choose any move you could reasonably learn by TM. Spend a kudo and learn the move.