Summary
In order for their to be cases to crack and mysteries to solve,Detective Pikachu Returnscertainly needs a story behind it for fans to uncover as they play. It certainly does, and it features interesting things from breaking Pokemon out of prison to finding the truth to a secret organization’s research. As the sequel to the game thatinspired theDetective Pikachumovie, it takes place two years after Tim Goodman and his partner Pikachu solved the case of the strange chemical “R.”
As players explore the world ofPokemonthrough the eyes of Detective Pikachu and Tim, they’re bound to run into some rather interesting details that were taken straight from their favorite games. Knowing thePokemonseries sadlywon’t help withDetective Pikachu Returns' deductions, but it may help elevate the experience in numerous ways. When it comes to the tail of the pocket monster Slowpoke, however,Detective Pikachu Returnspresents a problem.
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Pokemon Gold and Silver: Team Rocket and the Slowpoke Well
In the second generationPokemongames,GoldandSilver, players eventually come across a village known as Azalea Town. When trainers arrive, the welcome wagon they run into is rather dramatic as they’re greeted to aPoke Ball craftsmanknown as Kurt dealing with a Team Rocket grunt protecting the town’s most known landmark, the Slowpoke Well. True to its name, the well is where an abundant number of Slowpoke and other water Pokemon live.
Players are then asked to dispatchTeam Rocketfrom the well, saving the poor Slowpoke from the criminals, as they’re cutting off their tails to sell them for funds to help bolster their numbers. Slowpoke Tails are seen as a delicacy in thePokemonworld, but cutting them off for profit in the manner that Team Rocket is using is presented as a cruel action for easy cash that has to be stopped right away.
What Detective Pikachu Returns Reveals About Slowpoke
Detective Pikachu Returnsintroduces a Slowpoke who’s an assistant to a mineral researcher. While exploring a set of ruins, the Slowpoke gets encased in a block of ice. Tim, Detective Pikachu, and their friend Rachel help pull the water-Pokemon free, but its revealed that its tail was pulled off in the process. Detective Pikachu seems surprised about it at first, until he turns around to find that Slowpoke’s tail grew back in the single second since it was pulled off. It’s certainly an amazing feat that the critter’s tail grew like a lizard’s tail, and even more impressive that it happened so quickly.
This gives Pikachu a rather helpful item that helps later on into the case, but older fans playingDetective Pikachu Returnsmight stare at thewater-type Pokemon Slowpokein disbelief. With what happened at the Slowpoke Well inPokemon GoldandSilver, the fact that Slowpoke Tails can grow back incredibly fast - and popped off with no pain to the creature in question - almost makes the situation with Team Rocket not nearly as bad as it seemed way back then.
While thisfun fact about the classic Pokemonshows up in a comedic fashion, it begs the question as to why stopping Team Rocket’s Slowpoke Tails heist is as big of a problem as it’s made out to be inPokemon GoldandSilversince it grows back quickly and doesn’t cause Slowpoke any pain. While it’s quite a heavy topic for a game likePokemon, it could be a matter of ethics, as holding down the well to constantly chop of Slowpoke Tails likely isn’t healthy for the creature no matter what. Still, thanks toDetective Pikachu Returns, it seems that situation isn’t as dire as it was back in the day.
