Pokémon battles are a competitive sport in the franchise; however, there are some rules behind them that don’t make any sense at all. Some of these rules are bizarre, such as trainers battling when they see each other, and some are more founded in design choices; however, generally, none of these rules make sense.
The following rules can be described as unusual, and they usually have very little logic behind them. These rules make fans question the mechanics behind Pokémon and Pokémon battles in general because of how weird they are.
10 Trainers Battle When Their Eyes Meet
Trainers battling upon their eyes meeting is not a new concept in the Pokémon franchise; however, this tradition makes absolutely zero sense.
Realistically, trainers shouldn’t be forced into Pokémon battles, and it is quite peculiar that in the video games, there is no choice given as to whether the player wants to fight or not. This also creates unfair advantages for trainers that may have their Pokémon party ready to fight with full health and PP, whereas the other trainer may not.
9 A Tail Whip Can Lower A Pokémon’s Defense
Players of the Pokémon franchise know that attacks such as tail whip and growl will lower the opposing Pokémon’s stats. However, even though this is a long-standing mechanic, it doesn’t make much sense that these moves even exist because most of them shouldn’t do much to the opposing Pokémon.
It would make sense if weaker and more meek Pokémon were affected by these attacks; however, it is very weird that a Rattata could cause a Dragonite’s defense to fall. Hopefully, at some point, these weird attacks will be explained in the future because they don’t make any sense at all.
8 Trainers Can Challenge The Pokémon League As Many Times As They Want
Trainers in the Pokémon world are able to challenge the Pokémon League regardless of how many times they’ve already failed. In general, a rematch does make sense; however, the amount of times that players are able to go back into the League isn’t very logical.
This is also somewhat peculiar because of the fact that trainers can also rematch gyms as many times as they want per day. It would make more sense if, in the Pokémon video games, players get new dialogue upon being defeated and coming back to the gym for a rematch. This is one major thing about Gym and League battles that make no sense.
7 A Pokémon Won’t Wake Up From Sleep If It’s Being Attacked
The sleep status effect is one of the most useful ways to defeat an enemy Pokémon; however, it doesn’t have much logic behind it. Generally, if a Pokémon is asleep, then they should probably get woken up when they are attacked by a powerful move such as Flamethrower or Hyper Beam; however, this is not the case.
Instead, the Pokémon will stay asleep for a random amount of time, and then it will randomly wake up by itself. It would make a lot more sense if the developers decided to create a system where if it takes enough damage, it wakes up from its slumber.
6 Trainers Can’t Run From A Battle
Trainers not being able to run from a battle makes sense from a development standpoint for the video games; however, it doesn’t make a bit of sense otherwise.
A trainer should be able to walk away from a fight if they choose to and other trainers forcing them to stay there isn’t something that would ever happen if Pokémon battling were real. Many fans wonder why this was implemented instead of a forfeit button that allows the player to fight another day.
5 Trainers Can Switch Out Pokémon Mid-Battle
Competitive Pokémon battling is fascinating, and one weird mechanic of this sport is the peculiar rule of switching out Pokémon. Trainers are able to switch out a new creature whenever they choose during a battle, and that creates an unfair advantage for the trainer on the opposing side.
Trainers should not be allowed to change out their Pokémon whenever they want because it will give them the chance to gain a type of advantage in almost any situation. Hopefully, in the future, this is rectified because it also makes the video games way too easy.
4 Singing Puts Pokémon To Sleep
Sing is able to put Pokémon to sleep in the franchise, and this status effect can come about from this strange attack.
Although singing can soothe a person to sleep, it would not be likely that a powerful Pokémon would be so affected by a song from a Jigglypuff. This move is a mechanic in the Pokémon franchise that is very peculiar, and fans wish that there was an explanation as to why this standard singing makes Pokémon want to take a nap so quickly.
3 Trainers Can’t Escape From Battles With Wild Pokémon
Trainers are unable to escape from battles with wild Pokémon if they are a higher level than their Pokémon. Sometimes this will not apply; however, this mechanic is likely to occur simply depending upon the level of the wild creature.
A lot of fans may think that this makes sense until they realize that even weaker Pokémon can force stronger ones to battle. For example, a Caterpie one level higher than a Charmeleon would be able to keep the trainer from running away, which makes very little sense from a logical standpoint.
2 The Same Move Can Be Used Over And Over
Although many Pokémon fans may love the ability to use their favorite attack over and over again, especially during advantageous situations, this mechanic is quite bizarre, and it should realistically be prohibited within the Pokémon League rules.
Battling by using the same move, consecutively makes a fight too easy and requires absolutely zero strategies, which is supposed to be the entire point of a Pokémon battle. Perhaps players will see a change to this mechanic in the future; however, it would be unlikely that the developers would decide to implement a change as large as this one.
1 Items Can Be Used At Any Time During A Battle
Items are able to be used at any point during a Pokémon battle, and this includes items such as Fully Restore or Revive. Within the video games, this can be very annoying because players will have almost won a gym battle, and then a hyper potion will be used, bringing the enemy Pokémon’s health all the way back up.
This mechanic is bizarre and considering that items cannot be used during online battles, it leads players to believe that it is only implemented into the games to make them easier. Hopefully, using items will be more limited in the future because it turns Pokémon battles into a much easier and less enjoyable experience.
NEXT: 10 Pokémon That Learn Moves that Make No Sense
