TMs & HMs: where do they actually come from, again?

[Green Zubat]

Simple question: Where do the people who give us technical and hidden machines (randomers, Gym Leaders, etc.) get the TM/HMs from in the first place? Is there like a secret H/TM factory we don't know about, or something? Please, help me out here.

 

[Mielikki]

Since they look like CDs, I think it is only some kind of instructional DVD or something. Like your Pokémon watches it in its Pokéball and learns the move from a video.

 

[Green Zubat]

No, I get how they work, I just can't fathom where they come from; I don't think it's ever explained ...

 

[Xenidal]

Well, the TMs / HMs always have a strong connection with whoever gave them to you. For example, you get Cut from a cut master and Psychic from Mr. Psychic (who is presumably a psychic). And each TM given to you by a Gym Leader contains a move that that particular Gym Leader has mastered. So if they are like, instructional videos, my guess is that whoever gives it to you has personally made it himself. And all the run-of-the-mill ones that you buy from stores are just made by Silph Co.
The numbering scheme is most likely just there for the player's convenience and is not actually how it would be in real life.

My other guess, although not as plausible, is that Silph Co. (or the regional company) makes all of them but only distributes certain ones to certain notable people (particularly Gym Leaders and such). This would explain the numbering system though, except when trading the TMs / HMs to other regions in which the numbers probably wouldn't be all be standardized like that unless Silph Co. has a monopoly on TMs / HMs in all regions or unless there's some world-wide Pokémon organization regulating things.

 

[GliscorMan]

Well I can't remember exactly, but I think it was said that Silph Co. made TMs (and maybe Devon, come to think of it). As for those random trainers and the Gym Leaders, I think they'd just have a stock of them that they buy and give to people.

 

[sonic10158]

Aperture Science!


Okay, I don't know... I'd guess they are manufactured by different companies, such as Silph and Devon. I would like to see more detail on things like that and the development of the modern day Pokéball.

 

[Almonds]

They are developed by the GameFreak crew in-game. Like, there are Nintendo-related NPCs in-game - and their HQ is in Castelia. They develop them, and then companies like Silph or Devon would manufacture them.

 

[Infinity Mk-II]

It's been repeatedly stated that people design the moves. From ancient clans to Gym leaders to move tutors and other random NPCs.

They probably then get some company to make the TMs and HMs of this move. Probably some find their own way to make the TM themselves too.

The TMs distribution and numbering are most likely one of the things regulated by the region's Pokémon League.

 

[Vanillish Twilight]

^^^ wow, I never really thought of that. I just accepted the fact that somehow Pokémon absorb the moves from the discs. Especially since in FRLG there's an animation whenever you teach a Pokémon a TM/HM, it shows your Pokémon with a disc near its head then there's light and it's like it absorbed the disc or something. <--- I don't really know how to explain it, but hopefully you understood what I meant lol

 

[TouyaShiro]

I'll gather some information which I think is plausible and put it in one post.
TMs and HMs...they're most likely manufactured by the companies in that regional area, so Silph Co. for the Kanto/Johto Region and Devon for the Hoenn Region. I'm not sure on the Sinnoh Region, but one can assume the TM/HM factory works in general with the Pokémon League of that region to control which TMs and HMs are available for each Region. This might help to explain why Unova, being disconnected from the Pokémon World of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh (all of which are pretty close to each other) has certain TMs and HMs being changed to new moves such as Psyshock.

This would bring up another theory related to B2W2's Move Tutors which I don't think is relevant to this topic specifically.

 

[Owain]

They're recorded video lessons, like you watch for school, or that your mom watches for fitness, that you make your mons watch and learn, and in Black and White's case, your protagonist, instead of buying these limited CD's, just makes them watch the videos out of youtube.

 

[KaiserLugia]

They are created by some companies in the game. To use them, you have a portable DVD player and you stick the Pokemon's head in the machine and the Pokemon learns the new move.

And HM's and TM's don't exist in the anime.