#Pokemon Death

[pokemonshelterstories]

remember how you explained the euthanasia process for ghost types? how exactly do you euthanize inorganic pokemon that aren't even alive (in a traditional sense) to begin with? or are there just pokemon that simply can't be euthanized because of their unique properties?

it really depends on the pokemon. we haven't found any pokemon that cannot truly die as of yet, but providing a quick, painless death is a more difficult task.

generally, we look for whatever is sustaining the pokemon's body physically and target that. for example, a beldum or magnemite doesn't have a way for us to inject it with the anesthetic solution that we use most commonly for euthanasia, but it has a central processing center effectively equivalent to a brain that we can disrupt. you can euthanize a porygon by deleting certain lines of code. certain electrical pulse patterns can be used to euthanize more "mechanical" pokemon.

it's part of what's so difficult- and yet so interesting- about studying pokemon and being invested in their welfare. there's such an incredible range in what you can and can't do to take care of them depending on their species- and that includes giving them a peaceful death when necessary.

[sparklingshinx]

vulpix is a cool pmd eos hero or partner and all but do you ever think about how drastically ninetales's lifespan differs from basically everything else you could pair it up with

and if they're the partner

they lose you twice

[ballonleastadiumofficial]

Freakiest thing you've seen in the tangle GO

I suppose you're expecting some kind of ghost story, aren't you? Expecting me to say that I saw a group of faceless people gliding through the trees, or an uncanny, impossible road into realms beyond, or something of the sort. Hmph. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but if you want me to share the "freakiest" thing I've seen, it happens to be far more mundane than that.

It was a Passimian with its foot lodged in a crevice between two tree roots. There were claw marks on the wood where it had been struggling. Its body was withered, wrinkled, and unnaturally lean, and its fur was covered in glowing Shiinotic spores. THAT'S the "freakiest" thing about the Tangle. The fact that people and pokemon who stray off the paths get hurt.

I'll not go about spreading sensationalist stories that encourage unskilled tourists to wander off on petty ghost hunts.

[vehement-sun]

(A hand holding a black cord on which hang three Luxray claws attached to metal loops are hung. They're held in such a way that one of the points is starting to dig in...)

If one of your team dies, keep a part of them with you if you can. Carry it with you forever. Let it be a reminder of everything you swore to protect. And everything you failed to. Nothing less is acceptable. Nothing less will do.

[pokeblr-confessions]

Hello! I am a reasearcher from Orre. I keep dogtags on all of my pokemons collars. I myself keep 2 dogtags. One for me. One of an eevee. His name was Nerium.

I am completely enamoured with poison types. I thought I could possibly be the one to find a new poison eeveelution. I was not.

I am forever haunted by what I have done.

Confession #452

[rottenice]

The colder seasons are approaching. Time for your reminder that you really should not be releasing Pokémon anywhere they aren't found. But especially giant frozen mountains.

Your Pikachu isn't going to live in a winter wonderland. They will freeze to death. And I will find the Pikacicle, defrost it, and put it's skull on my shelf.

[humming-pokemon-helpers]

//It's also in the tags but to reiterate, major warning for a written description of Pokémon death below the cut. It's not particularly graphic or bloody, but it's written as somebody standing from a distance would see it and with heavy emotional weight afterwards, so do be aware.

[Video after video...

As Reshiram stumbles across the ground, sending Pokémon scattering with each move and attacking with Dragon Pulse those that move too swiftly, Cross focuses not on the two Zor leading the giant dragon's movements with illusions away from the population, and instead towards Vision, whose heels squelch in the rain-dampened earth as she pushes past just about every other combatant to seize Colress by the lapels of his lab jacket. He doesn't do much to resist with his usable hand as she sets into reaming the man out.

"You! You and I both know this isn't how things were supposed to go at all, you sorry excuse for a whelp of a man! We agreed on the Moor of Icirrus! So why are we here, and why am I fighting my brother?! Can you not follow the simplest of directions?! The simplest of boundaries?! Or are you forgetting who the person who controls the Dragon of Truth is here?! Besides, if this keeps going, we're all going to--to die, with how this thing is rampaging! So end this madness already!"

Colress, oddly smug for someone who could have his face kicked in at any given moment, replies in an even tone. "I had told you that Lostlorn Forest was by far the best location to amplify the emotions of those fighting, and thus produce the best data. That includes your own, of course. Even if you are the one who wields Reshiram... right now, Reshiram's will is fully its own. Something you can only accomplish with my help. So even so, I can't let you sabotage my experiment. For both of our sakes. My apologies, Lady Vision."

The half-Zorua sneers at Colress, pulling at his lapels one more time as she roughly tosses his weight to the ground, hard enough to leave skids in the mud. "Watch your temper..." Colress warns sternly as Vision turns to Reshiram. The dragon's steely blue eyes were already locked onto Vision's position. It seemed more enraged by the incessant noise than the skittering creatures Vanilla and Wolfgang had conjured.

"And you! You've been here since that day, you should understand exactly why--!" She slips into snarling at the Reshiram, voice intensifying as she becomes more and more incensed, her screams breaking into an outraged cry at the end. Cross moves closer to Vanilla and Wolfgang, capturing their glimpses at each other, their faces softening as something hits them. Maybe even sympathy.

What Cross is more interested in, though, is the Reshiram's looming posture as Vision continues to rant, its wings rearing upwards and upwards until in a clean motion--

A scream pierces the air, the same in pitch and tone as Vanilla's, as Reshiram seizes Vision in its claws and readies its wings as if to take to the sky, flapping heavily, shaking the nuisance in its confusion. Nobody moves an inch, save Wolfgang, who Vanilla catches by his arm. The microphone picks up a soft "Please," but the wolf shakes his head and snarls in response. Vanilla nods reluctantly. She begins focusing her power, scars glowing red through her clothing. Wolfgang rushes for the dragon's shank, leaping in the air to claw into the dragon's fur as its feet leave the earth and it rapidly ascends.

Reshiram thrashes as the Zoroark claws its way up its body and across the dragon's wing, but Wolfgang's battle-bonded claws hold even when shaken high in the air. Even when his crest finally breaks into energy. It's inaudible, but Wolfgang snarls something at Vision. Her mouth moves as Wolfgang pries her arm from Reshiram's claw, then her body. Below, Dolly the Darmanitan holds out her arms, watching for the soundless cue. And then the girl falls, for what feels like an eternity, until she meets Dolly's arms. They both buckle under the inertia of a 30-foot drop, but Dolly pulls her arm out from under Vision soon enough to give a triumphant thumbs-up to Wolfgang. He roars back.

At the signal, Vanilla reaches out her hand, stretching from it a chilling deep purple aura of malice that wraps itself around Reshiram's leg and tugs it to the ground as hard as she can muster. They scream in effort, their voice cracking with the pressure as they brace their body backwards, but the dragon rears upwards harder as Wolfgang readies a Shadow Claw and is thrown off balance. His remaining claw slips. Vanilla releases the dragon. He reaches for his brother instead. So does Reshiram, grabbing the Zoroark with the sharp talons on its feet. Before Vanilla can reach again, the dragon toys with its prey, tossing Wolfgang above its own head as he snarls something at the top of his voice and just a little further, just reach a little further--

There's a deafening crunch.

Reshiram holds something in its mouth. Something unmoving. It lands gracefully. As if its head had never been clearer. It drops the thing casually. Preens its wings. The thing has the shape of Wolfgang, but it doesn't move.

The malice returns to Vanilla's core. They stand, eyes wide, for seconds or eternities. The thing doesn't move. She stumbles and nearly collapses on her first step. She keeps stumbling as Amadeus rushes over to the thing, some unspoken barrier broken. It doesn't move. Amadeus whines low and hurt and shakes the thing as Vanilla manages to lower himself towards the ground without collapsing. The thing doesn't move. Not to get up, not to mumble something into the dirt, not to breathe. But the thing is, without a doubt, Wolfgang.

Vanilla just kneels. Breathes. Waiting. Even when Amadeus lays her head on her auncle's lap, curling herself into the smallest shape she can muster. Even when Tula rushes over to confirm, as a trauma nurse, what was already known. Even when she tries to meet their eyes, leaning low, but can't. "...I'm... so sorry." They squeeze her hand so tight it hurts when she rests next to them.

Vanilla turns and blinks at the Swords as they approach. He takes in enough to shoo them off with his free hand. He stands roughly when Vision approaches with timid steps. Apologetic. Horrified, from the look on her face. Reliving something. She touches her fur collar again. Amadeus stands to steady her relative, but Vanilla keeps going, speeding until she full-force charges her counterpart, toppling them both to the ground. They draw their blade to Vision's throat wordlessly as Cross readjusts to capture the scene.

"...Do it. You know how I feel, correct? There's no life for me. After this."

His sword hand wavers like it can't decide where the blade's home is. There's a forceful intake of breath as their eyes water, the silence deafening.

Until Reshiram decides there's too much of it, its tail blazing to life. Vanilla glances up, back at Vision, and sighs as she weakly pushes off the ground.

"...But there is. You're going to help me. You say you want justice so badly... then start with yourself. Right your wrongs. And I'll do the same."

The video saves.]

[shilo-sumac]

sending memes to people im fond of whenever i see one that makes me think of them like a feral skitty leaving a pidove on your porch only to skitter away in fear if you try to pet it

[dynamitoriel]

Wait a second, this is not Pokepasta Prediction I played

[fourphoenixfeathers]

Happy trainguy Tuesday! Whump upon ye.

It's kabaneri au again bc I have no shame. 😎👉

Please mind the warnings in the tags. Safety checks! This is probably one of the darkest things I've written, even though I know there's a happy ending somewhere down the line (there always is). The temptation to tag this "Canon-Typical Strangulation" was strong but in the end I left off the Canon-Typical part.

I am a normal girl who watches normal shows I swear.

[harteofthehart-ayyy]

Hey, uhh… I want to know how I can defend myself against a Lapras attack. I don’t have any Pokemon and I live in an area where they are not only abundent, but also highly aggressive. Like, tearing apart pets that try to ride them levels of aggression (I learned that the hard way, RIP Nidoran.)

IF YOU’RE BEING ATTACKED BY A LAPRAS YOU’RE DOING SOMETHING VERY VERY WRONG????

Also why are you asking ME??? HUH????

[pokemonshelterstories]

Even after reading your FAQ and a bunch of asks you've answered, I'm still not sure if a shelter blog is the best place to ask this, so do feel free to delete this (or tell me privately that you won't post it, but only if you have the time and energy), but I can't think of anyone else, and if you do post it, you or some of your followers might have some interesting thoughts, so here goes:

How would you feel about using Pokeballs to catch Pokémon you're planning to eat?

For context, I and my siblings grew up in a small, mostly off-grid community, and while most details aren't relevant, we did hunt for food occasionally. We never used pokeballs, but instead bow and arrow, fishing rods, nets and traps.

These days I live closer to a big city, sharing a house with my brother, his husband, and their teenage son (my other nibling, their older child, has moved out a while ago, so they're not part of this story).

Last month, we visited the community my brother and I grew up in, and during our two week stay, I took my nephew on a hunting trip. He was decently enthusiastic to train his archery, but he asked why we don't just use pokeballs. Wouldn't it be easier? I didn't have an answer for him then, only that we'd been taught this way and that I'd never considered using pokeballs.

But I've been thinking about it. It would be easier, but wouldn't it also be more cruel? After all, by catching it in a pokeball, you're giving the pokemon false hope of a nice life with a trainer, only to then kill it. I feel like killing it quickly while it's still in the wild and doesn't know any better is more, like, honest maybe?

What do you or your followers think?

(If any angry vegans find this post, don't even waste your energy on a mean response or lecture, because most likely I have you blocked already, and if I don't, I'll correct that when I see you being rude to me)

oooh, this is an interesting ask to get...

i think this is really more of a matter of personal comfort with the idea of eating a pokemon that's been caught in a ball, but as long as it's done properly, i don't see anything wrong with it. after all, pokemon for the most part don't really have any concept of what's going to happen to them in the future.

as someone who hunts, you (i assume) understand our duty to give the pokemon we eat as painless of a death as possible. then, as trainers, we have a duty to maintain the 5 freedoms for our pokemon, which includes freedom from psychological stress. provided you meet those requirements, i think it's ok to catch a pokemon in a pokeball for the sake of eating it. it's more humane than certain types of traps that leave the pokemon struggling until the hunter comes to check them, and pokemon tend to relax in pokeballs, since they mimic the way pokemon curl up when healing. when the pokemon is released from its ball, you then just need to humanely slaughter it. there are some pokemon that i wouldn't do this with, since they don't immediately take well to being caught in a ball; buneary is a good example. but many common game pokemon do just fine.

i've actually used a different tool to help out with culling food pokemon- my styler! there are a lot of farms out near artazon, and rangers do sometimes get asked to help with keeping livestock mons calm in the moments leading up to slaughter. i've met rangers who aren't comfortable taking on those cases, and i've definitely gotten fussed at by my share of pokemon rights activists, but i think pokemon raised as food deserve as calm of an environment as possible. so, no, i dont think using pokeballs to trap game is cruel as long as you know what you're doing and don't stress the pokemon out. but if you're used to the way you already do things, don't feel like you have to change it up either.

[sparklingshinx]

OH GOD OH FUCK new pmd idea okay what if.

what if pmd rescue team took place in the distant future of pmd eos, you know after everything was fixed up and time was running properly,

and the ninetales was the partner and got the idea to curse that human to turn into a pokemon (gengar) because of pmd eos hero

and yk how they talk about a great explorer lucario? what if that was pmd eos hero (who in this idea is. Not actually alive anymore and also their death was the reason the ninetales went off to the mountain)

this of course definitely is not canon and probably has like thirty million holes in it but its my new headcanon now 👍

[blaiddraws]

and on a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOTE

some sketches for chapter 19 of another of @stellarcoachman 's fics, Diverted Route

fic where ingo just goes completely feral. it's a good read as well, and kinda really heartbreaking in ways because. boy howdy ingo is not having a fun time. but it's so very good to read

putting this under the cut because blood and violence and injury etc. also a dead creature

if i had a nickel for every time i have read/drawn Ingo having torn someone/thing's throat out. i would have two nickels. which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice--

he wasn't even able to get there in time to save the kit...

[vehement-sun]

Everyone always brings out the Team Plasma comparisons when a Pokemon lover expresses contempt for humanity and the state of things, which is an incredibly fucking lazy thing to do. Team Plasma's mission statement was BEYOND unrealistic and idealistic and anyone that isn't a complete idiot knows that.

Just releasing every captive Pokemon into the wild would be an absolute welfare disaster. Most pressingly, there are Pokemon with disabilities that would suffer and die if left to the vagaries of nature. This is one way humanity is an advantage- there are good humans, vanishingly few they are who take these Pokemon in, who use those minds of theirs to do what nature cannot. There are also the domestically bred lines of several species that haven't known the wild for generations. Whether it's right for them to exist or not, it doesn't change the fact that they do and that just dumping them out onto some route is often a death sentence. And, though they often suffer for this misplaced trust, wildborn Pokemon often just WANT to be with humanity. It's something I'll never quite understand about them but many a Pokemon will actively seek out a human to live with and be trained by. And then they'll forget themselves, as the cases of a highly trained battler Pokemon refusing to use lethal force even when it would have saved their fucking lives demonstrate… They wouldn't just be miserable if released, they'd be unsafe trying to behave for a trainer no longer there.

So no, we do not want to see humanity extinct or entirely severed and seperate from Pokemon. We want to see humans actually treat Pokemon as equal partners like registered League trainers vow to. We want to see the general level of misery in this fallen fucking hellhole of a world decrease. We want people to fucking do better, whatever it takes.

-☀️

[pokeblr-confessions]

ate a dead weedle my friends found on the side of the road back in 6th grade on a dare. second most embarassing time i was hospitalized (first was getting my ankle broken by a luvdisc)

Confession #519