My Pokémon Mentor: Tournament Start Special: Pokémon Eugenics

It's June 19th, and after 5 PM in my timezone. What does that mean? It means that the June 2014 International Challenge has started! I'll guiltily admit that I haven't started battling yet (that's what I'll do as soon as I post this!), but since it's the start of a tournament, I'll talk about something prevalent in Pokémon competitive battling: Pokémon eugenics. I've talked about eugenics a bit, but haven't really given an in-depth look at what it is, why it's done, what benefits it grants eugenicists, and why I don't practice (most of) its techniques.

What is the goal of Pokémon eugenics? Quite simply, to achieve "perfection" in a Pokémon. This typically involves milking Pokémon's specialized training mechanics and breeding system in order to boost certain stats. Practices considered Pokémon eugenics include:
- Breeding for Individual Values (IVs).
- Breeding for Natures.
- Breeding for Abilities.
- Effort Value (EV) training.
- Breeding for Egg Moves.

If you're sitting at your computer/phone/etc wondering what any of that just meant, I'll break it down for you as such:
Individual Values are values set at the time of a Pokémon's "birth." They're essentially its DNA. All Pokémon have different values in each stat (HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed), even if they're the same species/gender/etc. These can't be changed after they're set, and range from 0-31 in value, with 31 being the best possible value for a stat. Some people want to go and breed Pokémon with a high IV value in certain stats, in order to yield a Pokémon with high IV stats.
Natures are the lovely little things in your Pokémon's Summary that, at first, seem little more than an indicator of their personality. Natures actually boost a Pokémon's stat value ever so slightly (too little for me to see the purpose of breeding for them).
Effort Values are values which increase over time and essentially act as modifiers for your Pokémon's stats. 4 EVs = 1 point in a specific stat. Every Pokémon can hold 510 EVs in total, with a maximum of 255 in a single stat. The easiest way to boost EVs prior to Generation 6 was to give a Pokémon vitamins; a lot of vitamins. (That is, if you're comfortable with essentially giving your Pokémon copious amounts of semi-prescription drugs.) With the creation of Super Training in Gen 6, EV training is easier and arguably fun. It doesn't feel as...seedy. It doesn't feel like eugenics anymore.
Abilities are, as you probably know, special skills used by a Pokémon inherently. Pokémon can have only one Ability, but out of three options; two of these Abilities appear naturally in the wild, and one can be found in Generation 5's Dream World or Generation 6's Friend Safari. Especially in the case of the third rare Hidden Ability, Pokémon Trainers will want to pass an Ability down from parent to child through breeding.
Egg Moves are moves passed from parent to child through breeding. They can be moves that a Pokémon species cannot typically possess (and thus are passed by a parent of another species), or that it wouldn't learn until a higher level. There are a few different ways to pass down Egg moves; I'll only include the ones that are still applicable in Gen 6:
- Both parents know a move acquired from leveling up.
- The move can only be learned by a Pokémon species by breeding. Taking Bulbapedia's example of a male Dragonite, which knows Outrage, and female Charizard...Charmander can't learn Outrage normally. The species is inherited from the mother, and the egg move from either parent (in this case, the father). Ergo, the child will be a Charmander, and due to the father knowing Outrage, the child will know it as well.

"OK, Dusk, so that's what Pokémon eugenics is. Why don't you do it if it gives you an advantage?"
Well, unknown curious person of the Internet, I'm glad that you asked. I don't practice Pokémon eugenics for a fair number of reasons. First and foremost, I think that it's a waste of time. The most time I've wasted on breeding was the one time I used the Masuda method, and even then, I swore that I'd stop at 30 eggs because I felt that what I was doing was wrong. (I got my shiny Goomy after 27 hatches.) It's also unnecessary. I don't practice Pokémon eugenics beyond EV training (which I only do because Super Training exists, and only do it rarely), and I still battle to my own satisfaction. I win a fair bit of my games, and even when I lose, I still have a great time. I have no need for egg moves, and so I don't breed for them. I don't need a Charizard that knows Outrage; I can have "Surprised?!" moments through TMs (like my Hydreigon knowing Surf) without needing egg moves. Breeding for IVs bothers me for the exact same reason that Pokémon eugenics bothers me as a whole.

...and that's because I think of Pokémon as more than a means to an end.

Sure, Pokémon are bits and bytes of data in the purest form. I'm not saying that they're anything more than that; because, in reality, that's what they are. They're made of the same basic stuff as this blog, or the Google homepage, but with entirely different programming. They're also something that you grow sentimentally attached to after hours and hours and hours together. After you've spent years around Pokémon, I find that one of two things happens:
1.) A trainer becomes very attached to his/her/their Pokémon, and while he/she/they sees them as data, the Pokémon are something more than that. Pokémon have been by their side for years, and probably through both good times and bad. They wouldn't let go of their Pokémon, and they can't let go of their Pokémon. They won't be deleting their save file.
2.) A trainer becomes disconnected from his/her/their Pokémon, and too enthralled with the idea of winning. Pokémon aren't seen as companions anymore; they're seen with full logic, as what they are in their purest form: data, without feeling, emotion, or an ability to reciprocate the love and care that they once poured into them.

I'm a very firm believer in #1. Call me a sentimental fool if you'd like to, but there's something special about raising a Pokémon. It's not really like anything else. It's sort of like having a pet (something that has always been a part of my life, which may explain my beliefs about Pokémon), except that it's much more fantastical than that. You can disconnect from your own life for a bit and go see your Pokémon; whether it's a Clefable or a Whiscash, a Rhyperior or a Raichu, a cute little Joltik or a tough-looking Tyranitar, there's a Pokémon out there for everyone.

How do you want to experience competitive Pokémon battling? It's your choice. The competitive community (including myself) won't judge you either way.