A fan of Pokemon brought attention to a possible contradiction in the mainline games regarding the morality of consuming Slowpoke Tails, sparking discussions and theories within the community to clarify the issue.
The Reddit post suggests that the rules regarding consuming Pokemon vary between different regions within the fictional universe. The poster shared a scene from HeartGold where the player uncovers a black market for Slowpoke tails and draws a comparison to Sword and Shield, where players can openly prepare Smoked-Tail Curry using Pokemon.
However, the comments on the post provide insight into the complex decision of consuming Pokemon, a dilemma that has been present for decades and one that fans have had to navigate while playing the mainline games.
I guess regulations are a tad different in Galar (OC) byu/-et37- inpokemon
“According to a Reddit user, Slowpoke’s tails naturally fall off after a certain period, but Team Rocket was intentionally cutting them off, causing harm to the slowpoke.”
This concept is further elaborated in both Gold and Silver and the remake’s storyline, as a Team Rocket grunt reveals their involvement in illegally cutting off Slowpoke tails and selling them.
In the majority of mainline generation games, the consumption or sale of Slowpoke tails is a recurring theme or topic. This concept is also mentioned in Slowpoke’s Pokedex entry in Sun and Moon, where it is explained for the first time that its tail can fall off without causing any pain and will eventually regenerate.
According to another user in the thread, the TR grunts are likely unaware of how to remove their tails without causing harm and are simply cutting them off without concern.
Despite the lack of explanation, the various references to a Pokemon’s tail in the games remain a mystery. While consuming a Slowpoke’s tail is accepted in regions such as Alola, Galar, and Kalos, it is viewed as a cultural taboo in Johto.
According to a Reddit user’s theory, Johto may have varying laws or cultural customs surrounding the consumption of Pokemon, similar to other countries in the real world, unlike regions such as Galar.
“They explained that due to Johto’s reverence for Slowpoke, as evidenced by the dedicated well and the region being where Slowking was first discovered, it is not surprising that the consumption of Slowpoke tail was considered taboo in Johto but not in Galar.”
Despite this, the reason behind the answer could be attributed to the franchise’s lasting success, eventually prompting Game Freak to address the issue of Pokemon consumption, particularly with the introduction of new cooking mechanics in recent entries.
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