>>43431516Pokémon Types are elements—but in the fire/water/air/earth sense, not the silicon and aluminum sense,
Ice and water are the same element on the periodic table. Not the same Type.
They are separate because water and ice have completely different physical properties. They NEED to be different Types because Pokémon's rock/paper/scissors element system is based on things resisting and being strong on each other. Rock, Steel and Fighting shatter ice like glass, but it makes no sense Water would have the same weaknesses. I won't spell out all examples but you get the point.
Rock and Ground are the same "element" in RPG an sense—Earth. Arguably Steel and Grass are as well depending on how you want to group things. But Rock and Ground NEED to be separate Types because those two things behave and interact with things differently in combat. Especially on the attack side. Flying needs to be immune to earthquakes but not rock slides. Soil/sediment/sand/mud is loose and flowy, but rocks are solid, dense and tough. They are too different to be lumped together when creatures in this franchise are often MADE of rock. They physical differences between the two is too much.
