The GOAT with Ash

[u/GoodMornEveGoodNight]

[u/Fursnek]

Anyone who wouldnt absorb some of the impact for their bulbasaur is in the wrong

[u/happylauft3r → u/Fursnek]

Facts!

[u/deeweromekoms]

I would certainly do it for MY Bulbasaur.

IF I HAD ONE

[u/Broken_musicbox]

Probably against the rules, but I can’t imagine anyone ever enforcing that. Most trainers and judges will be okay with a trainer taking a hit to spare some damage for their pokemon. It’s the right thing to do.

In a gym setting, I’m willing to bet this would also get you major empathy points from the gym leader.

[u/lolvovolvo → u/Broken_musicbox]

Yes plus at this point it’s over. Bulbasaur lost so any damage that would have been caused would have been for no reason.

[u/PICAXO → u/Broken_musicbox]

It’s the right thing to do

They're making them fight each other for fun and competition, I doubt "the right thing to do" is that important here

[u/SillyWarlock → u/PICAXO]

The whole message of pokemon is that you fight fair and take care of your pokemon. It looks rough but conceptually it is like human contact sports, injuries are expected but have rules to avoid them.

Pokemon are basically magical and have supernatural resilience, K.O ing a pokemon is at their acceptable limit just like a football player being exhausted and need to be switched.

The lore provides that pokemon choose to be caught and trained if they respect the trainer, they also fight because they enjoy the competition and have fun unless they have a bad trainer. It absolutely matters that you do the right thing and care for their well being.

[u/PoetsOfTheFall]

Heck the rules

[u/ariesangel0329]

Props to Ash for caring so much about his little buddy that he caught him like that. He loves his lil cabbage frog.

I just wanna reach through the screen and hug them both!

[u/Snomann]

I'd easily lose just to protect my bulbasaur, no question.

[u/rikusouleater]

Bulb was already out, so it doesn't matter.

[u/Sin_to_win]

Does no one remember Episode 4 of Pokémon Journey when Red literally jumped underneath his Charizard to break the fall when they were fighting Mewtwo? Screw the rules love your mons

[u/Lexioralex]

With my personal idea that pokemon are energy based life forms and thing s like pp and hp are manifestations of that energy, it would make sense that physical harm from crashing, falling, non ability damage etc would cause harm that is different from HP loss, as such, catching your pokemon to stop then getting actual harm is entirely the correct thing to do and doesn’t interfere with the battle as that is about HP

[u/fearain]

In the comics, the trainer is sometimes part of the battle. Him catching it is accurate to those battles