Missed catch oppurtunities

[Toklo]

In the twelfth episode of the Pokemon Jhoto Journeys, Team Rocket steals a Totodile from Professor Elm. The Totodile became very "attatched" to Jessie, literally chomping on her hair. When Ash, Misty, Brock and Officer Jenny went to retrieve Totodile, it didn't go to them, continuing to stay attatched to Jessie's hair. I can't help but think that it should've stayed with her, instead of being rescued by Ash and the gang. It would've been cool to have team rocket have a starter Pokemon, and I can't help but think that they missed the perfect oppurtunity for Jessie to catch one at that moment.

Also, I thought that Ash should've gotten a Magnemite in the episode he got Muk, instead of Muk. Muk could've stayed on his team until "Get Along Little Pokemon" where it would've been given to the guy with all the magnemite.

 

[Daenerys]

TR literally stole that Totodile, though. How would they have been justified in keeping something that they didn't have a claim on? I know that OS had bizarre moral lessons on occasion, but I don't think TR's thievery should've been rewarded. As for Magnemite, I don't see why Ash would've needed a second Electric-type when he had Pikachu already, and I think 20 years has proven that Ash only needs to own one Electric-type.

Anyway, I'll say Jigglypuff for Misty. She bonded with it in its debut episode, so she might as well have caught it. I mean she ended up getting Togepi later, so it's not like she needed to keep up the "Water-types only" pretense anyway.

 

[Toklo]

TR literally stole that Totodile, though. How would they have been justified in keeping something that they didn't have a claim on? I know that OS had bizarre moral lessons on occasion, but I don't think TR's thievery should've been rewarded. As for Magnemite, I don't see why Ash would've needed a second Electric-type when he had Pikachu already, and I think 20 years has proven that Ash only needs to own one Electric-type.

Anyway, I'll say Jigglypuff for Misty. She bonded with it in its debut episode, so she might as well have caught it. I mean she ended up getting Togepi later, so it's not like she needed to keep up the "Water-types only" pretense anyway.

Yeah, and she actually was shown to want Jigglypuff when she first saw it. As for the fact that Team Rocket stole Totodile, Jessie stole her Yanmega, but it was the ace of her team during Sinnoh. So it's not completely out there for her to keep a stolen pokemon.

 

[Hidden Mew]

Yeah, and she actually was shown to want Jigglypuff when she first saw it. As for the fact that Team Rocket stole Totodile, Jessie stole her Yanmega, but it was the ace of her team during Sinnoh. So it's not completely out there for her to keep a stolen pokemon.

That situation is a bit different though. Jessie just threw the Pokeball before the other character could do that. It's an underhanded way to capture a Pokemon, but it's not on the same level as stealing a Pokemon that already had a trainer. Or at least was waiting specifically for being chosen as a starter Pokemon for someone else.

Besides that, I thought it was clear that Totodile was just enjoying chewing Jessie's hair. It didn't try to go back after they rescued it, so I don't think it had bonded with Jessie. While the idea of Team Rocket having a starter Pokemon sounds interesting on paper, I doubt it will ever happen. They wouldn't want to associate a starter Pokemon with the villains and being with Ash or another main character would give them a chance to actually win battles too. I also can't really see Ash with a Magnemite or why he'd give Muk away in that Orange Island episode. At this point, it's highly unlikely that they'd give Ash another Electric type just because he already has Pikachu to fill that role.

While I still wish that Ash caught a Riolu during DP, I also think he could have caught that Hippopotas he met a couple of times instead of Gligar. It was cute and it seemed like they bonded a bit during its first episode. I can kind of see why that didn't happen. If they were already planning on giving Ash a Torterra by that point, they probably didn't want to give him a Hippowdon on top of that, but I think that would have been nice to see.

 

[Toklo]

That situation is a bit different though. Jessie just threw the Pokeball before the other character could do that. It's an underhanded way to capture a Pokemon, but it's not on the same level as stealing a Pokemon that already had a trainer. Or at least was waiting specifically for being chosen as a starter Pokemon for someone else.

Besides that, I thought it was clear that Totodile was just enjoying chewing Jessie's hair. It didn't try to go back after they rescued it, so I don't think it had bonded with Jessie. While the idea of Team Rocket having a starter Pokemon sounds interesting on paper, I doubt it will ever happen. They wouldn't want to associate a starter Pokemon with the villains and being with Ash or another main character would give them a chance to actually win battles too. I also can't really see Ash with a Magnemite or why he'd give Muk away in that Orange Island episode. At this point, it's highly unlikely that they'd give Ash another Electric type just because he already has Pikachu to fill that role.

Yes, but a lot of pokemon have gimmicks. That could've been its gimmick if she caught it. That it enjoyed chewing on her hair. However, I can see why they wouldn't give Team Rocket a starter pokemon.

I also can see whey Ash wouldn't get a second electric type, but i wasn't saying that Ash should give Muk away in "Get Along Little Pokemon," I was saying that if he had caughed a Magnemite instead of Muk, he could've given the Magnemite away in that episode.

 

[sc190191]

I get its not the lesson they want to show in the anime, but it really wouldn't be that absurd for the trio to keep a starter they stole in the GS anime, considering it is based on the GS games where Silver, son of Giovanni of TR, stole a starter and was allowed to keep it when they displayed a strong bond after training together for so long. It actually would have been an interesting tie in with the game, since the trio takes the place of the majority of TR operations and Silver wasn't present in the anime.

As for missed catch opportunities, I still really wish May would have caught the Swablu she cared for. I would have liked for Serena to have caught a Scatterbug that didn't evolve in the poacher episode that was from a different region and have it be a surprise what it would look like for when it evolved later. I'm sure there are a lot more that I'm not thinking of right now, because there have been a lot of bonds created where a catch didn't happen.

 

[KenzeyEevee]

Ash who didnt catch the Wimpod in SM20. Really a shame... If you know who doesnt appear it will be even sadder but I am not sure anymore

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

I really, really wanted Ash to capture the leader Houndour of the pack with the sick Houndour. The build up with Ash earning the trust of the Houndour, and taking it to the Pokemon Center gave the feel of a capture episode to me, not to mention it’d made for some interesting situations taking in view Houndour's unwavering loyality.
It could also have interesting interactions with Bayleef (and maybe Cyndaquil).

 

[Daenerys]

I really, really wanted Ash to capture the leader Houndour of the pack with the sick Houndour. The build up with Ash earning the trust of the Houndour, and taking it to the Pokemon Center gave the feel of a capture episode to me, not to mention it’d made for some interesting situations taking in view Houndour's unwavering loyality.
It could also have interesting interactions with Bayleef (and maybe Cyndaquil).

Ash probably didn't catch that Houndour due to him eventually getting Totodile in the next episode, and Noctowl two episodes after that one. Catching three Pokemon in such a small time span would've been overwhelming IMO.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Ash probably didn't catch that Houndour due to him eventually getting Totodile in the next episode, and Noctowl two episodes after that one. Catching three Pokemon in such a small time span would've been overwhelming IMO.

If Houndour was caught then they could easily space out the other capture episodes a bit. It’s not as if the space between captures was not in their control.

 

[SonansuMan]

Lana and Dewpider.
Ash and Wimpod.
Jessie/James and Bewear.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I also remember thinking Ash was going to catch the Houndour in that episode when I first saw it. It did seem like they were connecting more than he usually does with the Pokemon of the week. I can see why that didn't happen though. Not only because of Ash capturing Totodile and Noctowl, but also because they wouldn't want Ash to have two Fire types on his team. He already had two Grass types with Bulbasaur and Chikorita, so I think giving him two Fire types on top of that would have really limited his team far too much.

I can't believe I forgot about May and that Swablu. She definitely should have caught it. She had bonded with it so much and it would have been perfect for her Contests. Maybe they didn't want to give her two part Flying types or they just wanted to end the episode on a more emotional note. It is strange how May doesn't really have a lot of Hoenn Pokemon on her team despite being from the third generation. She has Blaizken, Beautifly and Skitty, but then all of her other captures were to promote FR/LG and setup for the fourth generation. Having Swablu would have helped to balance her team out more and she had only three Pokemon with her during the Battle Frontier arc anyway, so she had plenty of room for Swablu.

 

[CaptainBuggles]

My mind like instantly went to Swablu, but of course that was so obvious that other people have already been talking about it. All I have to add on that front is that Swablu was at least a nice example of how Pokemon in the anime are actual living beings, and sometimes you just have to accept that they can have their own lives.

But Phantump in XY would've been nice. Ash had no Grass-type in Kalos yet, and he's almost never had a Ghost-type at all. (Haunter and Rotomdex barely count). Plus, having the counterpart Pokemon to Jessie's Gourgeist would've been kinda interesting.

On the other hand, that episode was pretty close to the end, and it was another example of a Pokemon being happy with its life already. Plus, there's the question of how well it "fits" Ash, but since Ash consistently shows he loves all Pokemon, and would probably be willing to adapt and compromise, that specific question doesn't bother me much.

But, if they moved the episode up sooner and tweaked it a bit, things could've been different...
And even though I like Noivern, Phantump could've replaced it entirely from a more utilitarian perspective. Ash already has Goodra as Dragon and Talonflame as Flying. Without Noivern, he only has two Flying-types on his Kalos team instead of three, which feels less redundant.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I still wish that Ash had caught a Skiddo during XY. I don't think he would have caught one when they were first featured in the series since the episode was primarily about Serena, but I think that would have worked nicely as his Grass type team member. He really needed one and I would have preferred Ash catching a Skiddo over Noibat. It's possible that they didn't want to give Ash a Pokemon big enough for him to ride around, but out of all of the Grass types introduced in the sixth generation, I think Skiddo would have worked nicely with Ash.

The Shiny Phantump would have been a nice option too since it would have nice way to mirror Jessie's Pumpkaboo and it would be Ash's first official Ghost type Pokemon, but I would have preferred seeing Ash with a Skiddo.

 

[RileyXY1]

Ash should have caught Rhyhorn, Riolu, Hippopotas, Cottonee, and Phantump. May should have caught a Swablu and Iris should have caught a Deino.

 

[CaptainBuggles]

I still wish that Ash had caught a Skiddo during XY. I don't think he would have caught one when they were first featured in the series since the episode was primarily about Serena, but I think that would have worked nicely as his Grass type team member. He really needed one and I would have preferred Ash catching a Skiddo over Noibat. It's possible that they didn't want to give Ash a Pokemon big enough for him to ride around, but out of all of the Grass types introduced in the sixth generation, I think Skiddo would have worked nicely with Ash.

The Shiny Phantump would have been a nice option too since it would have nice way to mirror Jessie's Pumpkaboo and it would be Ash's first official Ghost type Pokemon, but I would have preferred seeing Ash with a Skiddo.

That would be interesting, and I think they could go either way with focusing on Gogoat's bulk or bending canon a little to make Gogoat unusually fast, like they did with Turtwig... Only Gogoat wouldn't lose this ability. And Gogoat just comes off to me like it could acceptably be faster than what its base stats say.

 

[Toklo]

Ash probably didn't catch that Houndour due to him eventually getting Totodile in the next episode, and Noctowl two episodes after that one. Catching three Pokemon in such a small time span would've been overwhelming IMO.

But if Jessie had caught a Totodile at the begginning of the series, Ash probably wouldn't have, and he could've caught Houndour.

I also don't think that Ash should've gotten Noctowl. It kind of just sat there on his team, not really having much personality. It reminds me of how Pidgeot was handled. If the writers wanted a member of the main cast to get a Hoothoot line pokemon, they should've had Misty catch the Hoothoot in the episode "Illusion Confusion!" It seemed attatched to Misty, and I think it would've been cool to have Misty have a pokemon that was the complete opposite of most of her other pokemon.

 

[CaptainBuggles]

But if Jessie had caught a Totodile at the begginning of the series, Ash probably wouldn't have, and he could've caught Houndour.

I also don't think that Ash should've gotten Noctowl. It kind of just sat there on his team, not really having much personality. It reminds me of how Pidgeot was handled. If the writers wanted a member of the main cast to get a Hoothoot line pokemon, they should've had Misty catch the Hoothoot in the episode "Illusion Confusion!" It seemed attatched to Misty, and I think it would've been cool to have Misty have a pokemon that was the complete opposite of most of her other pokemon.

I don't think Ash shouldn't have caught Noctowl at all, since I like Noctowl as a species despite its lame stats and lack of Psychic typing, and I'm kinda glad that Ash getting a Shiny was balanced out by it being an otherwise common species, but I agree that its handling was definitely a huge waste.

Especially since it seemed like it was the most intelligent Pokemon on the team, a concept that had a lot of potential when it comes to situations where power isn't good enough.

There could've even been a plot point about Noctowl getting impatient with Ash because it sees strategic options that he doesn't... But on the other hand, sometimes Noctowl overthinks things, so they have to learn how to get the best of both worlds.

Thinking about Misty, I remember kind of wishing her Politoed was something else. Not that Politoed is terrible, I just would've preferred like... Lanturn, Quagsire, or Poliwhirl just becoming Poliwrath instead.

 

[Toklo]

Thinking about Misty, I remember kind of wishing her Politoed was something else. Not that Politoed is terrible, I just would've preferred like... Lanturn, Quagsire, or Poliwhirl just becoming Poliwrath instead.

I mean, the entire point of her getting a Poliwag was for it to eventually evolve into Politoed. It was cought in the Orange Islands, right before they went to Johto. Not a coincidence.

But I agree that she should’ve gotten a Quagsire. In the episode “Once in a Blue Moon” she was shown to really want a Quagsire, and it’s a shame that she didn’t catch one at some point. She could’ve gotten a Wooper one in the Wooper daycare episode, which would eventually evolve into Quagsire.

 

[Daenerys]

But if Jessie had caught a Totodile at the begginning of the series, Ash probably wouldn't have, and he could've caught Houndour.

So it would've been preferable for Ash to have two Fire-types (Cyndaquil & Houndour), but no Water-type?