Part 55: Side Notes #10: Is Raticate Dead???

Side Notes 10: Is Raticate Dead???

No, you idiot.

So there's the theory going around that the reason your rival appears in Pokemon Tower and battles you is because he is mourning the death of his Raticate, who no longer appears in his team. So you are a complete asshole for beating him when he is at his lowest point and continue on without a care in the world. How could you? Here, let me write this fanfic about what a misunderstood character Blue is and how he's a really nice guy if you just get to KNOW HIM. All he needs is a girl to set him straight, you'll see!

Well anyway, you can tell this theory is bullshit, but sure, let's humour it. Let's pretend that this was intended. Firstly WHYYYYYYY??? What possible reason would there be to include it in the game? Does Blue grow as a character because of it? Does he finally see the preciousness of life and that frivolous completion of an encyclopedia doesn't matter anymore? Until it all comes crashing down when you beat him and he swears revenge on what an insensitive prick you are. He will become the strongest trainer in the world and he will take you down, in memory of his Raticate. Is that what happens? A tale of revenge for the injustices he's been a part of?

No, you idiot. Blue does not grow as a character until the very end of the game, when after you beat him for the seventh time or whatever and gets chewed out by his grandad, does he finally realize that he's a bad trainer and if he just trusted his Pokemon, or some other bullshit, then he would've won. Obviously. He will act no differently to when we next see him, so there's no reason to have his Raticate die at this point of the story. There's no thematic point, so the implication is pointless because it doesn't do anything, or change any part of the story.

So why doesn't he keep his Raticate around? Well, he's been catching a lot of Pokemon. Definitely a lot more than 40, so he's seeing which Pokemon are stronger than others and it's in this battle that he's getting his team composition finalized, to cover all types and cement his position as the strongest trainer. So he realized that Raticate just wasn't making the cut anymore and replaces it with better, stronger things. The fact that he does it when we face him in Pokemon Tower is a coincidence.

And why is he in Pokemon Tower to begin with? Well, he tells us: catching a Cubone. There are three unique Pokemon in that area that are found nowhere else, so someone wanting to complete their Pokedex would go there. But wait, if he caught a Cubone, but it's not in his team when we fight him, DOES THAT MEAN CUBONE DIED???

No, you idiot. Does it mean the other 35 Pokemon he caught and aren't using in his team right at that moment mean that they died also???

No, you idiot, it means that he's storing them in a cybernetic space, you know, the one he talked about when we saw him in Cerulean? The one that we use throughout the game. Maybe, just maybe, other people aside from us use it also. But that's just a theory. A GAME THEORY. Thanks for reading!

(Also the next time we face SHIGERU, he will no longer have Fearow on his team. DOES THAT MEAN FEAROW DIED???)