Pokémon types: How DO they work?

[Dannypan]

The title says it all. How do you think Pokémon types work out, in the real world?

It's easy, in a world of fantasy, to just imagine a Pokémon conjuring up all these weird and wonderful moves, but, in actual practice, how do you think they'd scientifically be answered?

Some are more simple, like for fire moves, the lungs would contain the required gases to create fire that could be compiled into fire, then spat out at the enemy. It also explains PP, as the stronger the move, the more gas used, meaning less times it could be used.

But, ones for, say, grass are a more difficult. It could be a rapid growth of plant-line cells that are used to attacking and defending. It could be a little man, inside a plantpot, throwing leaves...

Let's see what you guys think.

If this already exists, I'm sorry!

[Ghastly_Gastly]

Fighting types are generally easy. It's just using limbs, etc. Water has to be similar to fire. Poison types probably have their own poison glands or something. Whereas ghost/psychic are a lot harder to explain.

[Sableyed]

MAGNETONS HOW DO THEY WORK?

Psychic moves are mostly waves coming from their minds, I assume.
Bug moves are generally straightforward.
Dark moves are generally just dirty fighting, with the exception of Dark Pulse.
With Rock and Ground moves, generally they should be getting Rocks/earth/mud from somewhere, so it doesn't make sense while they're, say, inside Team Rocket headquarters. Then again, neither does Dive.
Ghost just have magical powers I guess.
Dragons are sort of the same, they can breate fire and summon meteors, but most of their attacks are just tackles.
Electric can presumably create electricity.
Ice can create frigid temperatures, and things like blizzards and icy winds.
Normal is all over the place.
Flying moves are generally straight forward.they can create winds and attack with beaks and wings.
Steel works when it's a physical move, makes less sense with mirror shot or flash cannon.

I think that covers all the types that haven't been covered.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by Dannypan

The title says it all. How do you think Pokémon types work out, in the real world?

It's easy, in a world of fantasy, to just imagine a Pokémon conjuring up all these weird and wonderful moves, but, in actual practice, how do you think they'd scientifically be answered?

Some are more simple, like for fire moves, the lungs would contain the required gases to create fire that could be compiled into fire, then spat out at the enemy. It also explains PP, as the stronger the move, the more gas used, meaning less times it could be used.

But, ones for, say, grass are a more difficult. It could be a rapid growth of plant-line cells that are used to attacking and defending. It could be a little man, inside a plantpot, throwing leaves...

Let's see what you guys think.

If this already exists, I'm sorry!

Water - If it lives in the water it could accumulate water to use in attacks over time.
Grass - Possibly a type of mutation?
Dragon - Uhh not possible.
Ice - They live around water and they can cool their bodies to create ice
Fire - You got me on that one.
Ghost - Their atoms are extremely loose so they can pass through solid objects.
Psychic - Probably use all of their brain which may allow special powers.
Steel - Got me there.
Poison - Poison glands
Bug - They are an insect.
Flying - They can fly.
Ground - Possibly they can hit the ground hard enough to cause tremors or earthquakes.
Rock - Break off rocks and throw them.
Normal - Anything not fitting for the other types.
Electric - Their body can store electricity and release it when they need to.
Fighting - They use their limbs to lash out at their opponent.
Dark - I don't think can ever be explained.

And that is all 17 types.

[RotomGuy]

I can explain certain moves.
Meteor Mash - Steel: Meteors get summoned from space to crash down onto the opponenet.
Rock Throw - Rock: Rocks are thrown/hurled.
Tickle - Normal: User tickles opponent
Magnet Rise - Electric: Pokemons body magnetism repels grounds natural magnetism, letting it float. Yes it is a complete ripoff the Beldum pokedex entry.

[legendaryseeker99]

Additions in all caps.

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Water - If it lives in the water it could accumulate water to use in attacks over time. LIVING WATER
Grass - Possibly a type of mutation? DEVELOPED BRAINS
Dragon - Uhh not possible. YOU NEED TO WATCH MORE SCIENCE CHANNEL. SPECIAL PROVES POSSIBLE PAST EXISISTANCE OF DRAGONS.
Ice - They live around water and they can cool their bodies to create ice
Fire - You got me on that one. FLAME SACS
Ghost - Their atoms are extremely loose so they can pass through solid objects. THEY ARE GHOSTS.
Psychic - Probably use all of their brain which may allow special powers.
Steel - Got me there. ROBOTS. 'NUFF SAID
Poison - Poison glands
Bug - They are an insect.
Flying - They can fly.
Ground - Possibly they can hit the ground hard enough to cause tremors or earthquakes.
Rock - Break off rocks and throw them.
Normal - Anything not fitting for the other types.
Electric - Their body can store electricity and release it when they need to.
Fighting - They use their limbs to lash out at their opponent.
Dark - I don't think can ever be explained. FIGHTING DIRTY. DARK PULSE = CONCENTRATION OF NEGATIVE ENERGY.

[Dannypan]

Here's my thought (and if it seems plagarised, it is. From my own post on bulbagardens):

Normal: No real powers, but some have the basics in biologics - A Persian can use Thunderbolt because it can electrify its fur and send it into foes.

Water: The ability to store massive amounts of water in their bodies. There may be pouches that contain it, or they have specially modified cells that contain more water than the standard animal cell. They can also use water to their will, giving them a possible psychic use of water.

Fire: The ability to create fire energy in their bodies and release it at will. The ability to do so would be part of their respiratory system; a third lung, or lungs that contain fire.

Grass: The ability to mutate and get rid of, or use, their cells to form plant-like objects as weapons - Bulbasaur's bulb makes leaves inside it by mutating cells, and fires them at rapid speed for a Razor Leaf attack.

Electric: The ability to store massive amounts of energy inside their bodies, that can then be converted to electrons for attacks. In those, like the Pikachu line, they can compress and store electricity in tiny sacs in their cheeks, for rapid use. In some like Magneton, they use electromagnetic electricity.

Psychic: Mental powers & ESP The Pokemon can use telekinetic powers to attack, defend and empower.

Ice: Similar to water, but the body being able to survive freezing temperatures. Water molecules are transformed into ice somewhere in the respiratory system when ice moves are used.

Dragon: Fierce power. The Dragon type, despite it's "Special" status, has more of a Physical presence - it's only super effective against itself, like brute strength is, and is only not effective against Steel (punching a steel bar would hurt. A lot.) Dragon Pokemon have more adept cells, meaning they can convert energy into fire, electricity and others. If bred correctly, they can also gain the ability to store water in cells, as seen if a Salamence breeds with Gyarados.

Dark: Haunting powers. The Pokemon has a supernatural ability to use darkness to it's will, losing its scientific approach.

Fighting: Muscles. Massive strength, similar to humans, but also with cells that can use some other elements. Possibly, the "clothing" that some wear is where they store their elemental powers - a Hitmonchan's boxing gloves contains the energy for Thunderpunch.

Flying: Similar to Fighting, but using aerodynamics to attack foes. Again, cell adaptability to use "Special" moves.

Poison: The ability to story poison in the body and use against foes. As seen with ordinary animals, a Poison type Pokemon can simply use poison to attack.

Ground: The power to use the ground to their advantage. Some moves, such as Earthquake, require a lot of strength to utilize. Ones, such as Mud Slap, require minimal power, but still can be effective. Rocks and mud can resist electricity, which is where their power becomes weakened.

Rock: Similar to Ground, except they only use rocks. Rocks can be damaged by the Earth, which is where the weakness comes into play.

Bug: Using bug abilities to attack - horns, teeth, claws, spikes, eyes, wings, spores, poisons, etc. The Bug type is super-effective against Psychic type because of the annoyance - if a psychic tries to use their powers and a fly is bugging them, then their concentration is lost.

Ghost: Supernatural powers. Similar to Dark.

Steel: Using the compound metal, Steel, to attack. The Pokemon contains the atoms in their cells, which they can release and harden for attacks at will. Most Steel Type Pokemon have a metal casing around their bodies, for massive protection. The downside? A weakness to fire and a slowed movement.

[Idno58]

Hmmm...
Well, Ghosts already don't scientifically exist, so there's no explanation there; same with Dragons
Psychic would be stimulation of some parts of the brain to use powers.
Ice would be emitting gasses in the air that have a chemical compound to make the air around it freeze.

Now for as why some moves are supereffective against eachother.
Fire kills Bugs___Water Douses Fire
Fire burns Grass_Water Whittles away at Rocks and Earth
Fire Melts Steel_Grass Absorbs Water
Fire Melts Ice__Being Normal has few advantages
Birds Eat Bugs__Grass' roots crack Rocks and Earth
Flight over Fight_Electricity is Conducted by water
Ice Freezes Plants_Electricity always hits things in the Air
Ice covers the Ground_Fighters are known for crushing Rocks
Birds are weak against the cold_Fighters can beat up Normal People
The Cold can put Dragons to sleep_A strong offense can destroy a strong Defense
Rocks Crush Ice___Fighting like a Man is more honorable than using Dirty Tactics
Bugs Devastate crops_Brain over Brawn
Scary things Corrupt the Mind_Intelligence can overcome pollution
Shadows are unseen in the Darkness_Steel is Harder than Rock
Only Dragons can Kill other Dragons_Steel is Harder than Ice
Poison kills Plants__Poison SHOULD Corrupt Water

You better appreciate this, cuz it took a while.

[Sableyed]

Something I would like to reming you all: DARK IS NOT SHADOW. Ghosts are shadows. Dark pokemon are evil, they use dirty tactics and dark pulse is a beam of negative emotions. Fighting beats dark because honorable fighting beats dirty tactics, but dirty tactics trick the mind. Bug always confuses me, but I guess bugs distract psychics, and how do you fight dirty with a bug?

[Idno58]

Originally Posted by Sableyed

Something I would like to reming you all: DARK IS NOT SHADOW. Ghosts are shadows. Dark pokemon are evil, they use dirty tactics and dark pulse is a beam of negative emotions. Fighting beats dark because honorable fighting beats dirty tactics, but dirty tactics trick the mind. Bug always confuses me, but I guess bugs distract psychics, and how do you fight dirty with a bug?

Yeah that's what I said. Dark Beats Ghost because Shadows don't exist in Darkness. And The "Scary things" are Bugs, Ghosts, and Darkness. Hence all the pretty colors I put into my paragraph.

[AnathemA]

Call me a geek, but ive spent many an hour pondering how pokemon would be like in real life. man, i could write a bloody thesis if i tried hard enough. Like in most fantasy RPGs everything runs around mana (or Ki, in our worlds reality), in Pokemon, the equivalent would be PP.


I came up with this (rather wierd/desporate) theory that all living beings in the pokemon universe are infused with mana, which lets them tap into their elemental powers and skills, even for normal and fighting type attacks, in which they glow white (mach punch, etc). pokemon can also use this mana to perform acts that are physically impossible in our world, like super high jumps (blaziken data in the pokedex) and extreme speed (quick attack, agility, Extremespeed) this would also apply to aura guardians like Riley i suppose.


In my Pokemon reality, what differentiates Pokemon from humans that inhibit the world is the ability to use this mana. In a way (in my world), Human aura guardians are actually Semi-Pokemon.


Anyway this Poke-mana also prevents them from getting seriously injured in battle, which would explain why a tiny Pikachu can take a fricking explosion to the face and not get seriously hurt. this mana primarily takes a form of a huge invisible shield inside a pokemons body. "Fainting" in battle would equate to a pokemon being completely drained of all its mana. When a pokemons mana has been completely drained, is would be then be in mortal danger from attacks.


Wow, epic off topicness, anyway, back to pokemon types. pokemon types like dragon, fighting, steel, ghost, flying, rock, dark, bug, dragon, psychic, and ground are all completely classified by physical appearances. Ice, grass, water, fire, normal, and poison Pokemon are classified primarily by their moves, water pokemon arent made of water, normal pokemon arent made of norm, grass pokemon arent made of grass, you get where im going with this..


Pokemon move types are based on how the mana is manipulated. Fire Pokemon naturally have the ability to manipulate mana into fire, etc. Dual types have the natural ability to manipulate mana into two types of attacks. This could also easily apply to psychic, ghost, dark and dragon type attacks. In those types, mana is manipulated into a special (almost paranormal, i suppose) type of attack. What makes those types conflict with each other so badly is purely because the channeled manipulated mana reacts violently with each other.


Thanks for taking the time to read such an incredibly boring post. Normally (and thankfully) i dont post stuff this long, but its like, this particular thread was calling out to me, to unleash my inner Professor Oak. If youve read this half way and died of old age, i cant say i blame you :/

[AnathemA]

Since i feel that theres still some leftover Pokemon Professor inside me, im gonna post specifics about certain attack types, relating to my last post above (or next page) about Pokemon Mana

Special Fighting Attacks (Aura Sphere, etc.) - Mana is channeled into a pure ball of energy


Physical Fighting Attacks - Since most Fighting Type attacks seem to glow white when used in the anime, im guessing that since theres no pure natural element to use around them, like fire or water, and that fighting type attacks are purely violent and rapid punches and kicks. Mana is channeled into a pokemons muscles in order to give it a massive speed boost, and the attacking limb glows white, with raw mana.


Seismic Toss/Submission - Since these moves are technically "throws", the mana is mostly channeled into muscles, to give the user the appropriate speed boost to get into position for attack.


Fire and Water attacks - Mana is channeled into respective elements, and is then blasted at target


Grass Attacks - Mana is channeled to take the form of leaves from the nearest tree, leaves are then blasted at target


Dragon attacks - Im gonna go ahead and make my own non-canonical pokemon lore, and say that dragon type attacks use an ancient form of mana channeling, to make attacks incredibly strong.


Dark Attacks - Mana is channeled into a Pokemons mind and brain, in order to give them the ability to think significantly faster than normal, giving them greater reaction times, and tactical knowledge. This knowledge is then used to get positional advantages, or land a sneak attack.


Ice Attacks - Same as fire and water


Ground - Mana is channeled straight into the ground, to manipulate movement and behavior of local terrain.


Psychic Attacks - Mana is channeled into the air around the user, this allows the user to manipulate the area around it, e.g. - telekenisis. Moves like Psy Wave are pure blasts of manipulated mana


Ghost Attacks - This was a tricky one to think of, in the end, i decided that Ghost attacks should work exactly as psychic attacks do, channeled into the air. What makes the different is the way the mana is channeled. They are complete opposites from each other.
e.g. - phychic attacks charge the air with negative electrons, ghost would make negative electrons.
Im not saying thats exactly what they do, that was just an example.


Steel Attacks - If a pokemon isnt naturally a steel type, the mana is then channeled to manipulate the molecules of the attacking limb, to give it almost a steel like feel. If a pokemon is already naturally a steel type, the attacking limb is merely given a speed boost.


Electric Attacks - Mana is channeled into electricity, and is then stored inside a pokemon. Electric attacks can hit a target dead on using mana to guide the beam of electricity. AoE attacks are just electricity released around the pokemon without the aid of mana targeting.

Well, thats all the Professor Oak i have in me today.. Time for bed :/
Congratulations once again if youve somehow managed/bothered to read this entire post.

[Serenade]

Smeargle is like Neo from the matrix series. He is the one, he can disappear, fly, shoot spores- SUMMON BEES, utilize all forces of nature, etc. He is, the one.