Gary's Raticate - Did we kill Gary's Raticate?

Gary Oak in Lavender Town

Lavender Town is an unusual town in the Kanto region. You won’t find a Pokemon hall or other challenges there. The town is known for its tower, which is a cemetery. Trainers from all over the world can come and pay tribute to their deceased comrades. When we first go to the necropolis we will meet Gary (more commonly known as Blue in the games) there. He is puzzled by our presence, because, as they rightly point out, none of our Pokémon are dead. We can therefore assume that Gary himself has come to visit the town to visit the grave of a fallen comrade.

The town of Lavender is the most mysterious place in Kanto. Over the years there have been many mysterious stories relating to the place, such as the Lavender Town Syndrome. The story of Raticate Gare’s death is also one of them. Unlike many stories containing outright supernatural motives, in this case the events may have happened. Though we will probably never get confirmation from the series’ creators.

Battle on the S.S. Anne

Until the encounter in Lavender, Gary always had Raticate in his squad, so the last battle we fought with him is the one aboard the ship S.S Anne. Due to being on a luxury liner, our rival was unable to reach the Pokemon Center with his friend in time to heal his wounds. It was for this reason that he was about to arrive at the tower in Lavender City. It was in the battle with our hero, whom we direct in the game, that Raticate was to suffer serious wounds that contributed to this tragedy.

The Pokemon animated series also has a theme of fighting on S.S. Anne. Gary Oak does not appear in the episode. The plot of the episode strongly focuses on Pokemon Raticate, which may to some extent indicate the validity of this theory. On the ship’s pok patch, Ash swaps his Butterfree for Raticate. However, he is not satisfied with this transaction and eventually asks Gentelman to return his companion. In contrast to the game, the ship is attacked by Team R. While fending off an attack by the villains, the ship is sunk. Although the events are quite dark, all ends well in the end.

Gary’s Raticate – Theory about the death of Gary’s Pokemon

Although Gary Oak himself has never admitted that it was because of us that his Pokemon died, many fans speculate that it was our fight aboard the S.S. Anne that contributed to the tragedy. When we see our rival in the Lawender tower his image is different than usual. The sprite (image) in the game has changed, which may suggest the internal transformation he is undergoing. His grief was to be turned into motivation to become the best trainer and become a Pokemon champion. The determined trainer kept his promise to his friend. He became the best trainer and beat the Elite Four. His joy did not last long, as not long after his victory we come down to defeat him and take his place.

Of course, this is just a theory, following Gary’s actions in the Pokemon animated series, we learn that he caught many more Pokemon than Ash. So a scenario where he exchanged Raticate for a stronger creature is likely. This theory treats the characters of Green and Gary as one trainer. As with Red and Ash, we should not treat them as one and the same person. The Pokemon series has practically been aimed at younger audiences since its inception. Most of the dark theories have never been officially confirmed, so we can assume that both in this case is no different and Gary’s Raticate is just an urban legend.