>>58653172Ash's Charizard circa Kanto is absolute proof that approach would've failed in the anime's world. If he thought he could just cozy up to those Pokemon and them hit them with the "and NOW I'm gonna battle you and catch you" factor, even if he did catch them, they'd all be belligerent shitheads who cost him at vital moments, assuming they don't just release themselves and dip at the earliest convenience.
The fact he lost Indigo due to Charizard exposing his own ineptitude and cockiness, rather than getting outplayed by a better trainer, is precisely why he got his shit together and started putting full focus on Pokemon autonomy and respecting their wishes, even when he was given countless opportunities to capture legendaries and super-powerful fully evolved mons, and only made catches when the mon made it clear it wants to stick around with him.
Tobias isn't just a protagonist/player in mindset, he's a protagonist/player in execution, considering he earned the right to command and hold onto that Latios, a nonconfrontational Pokemon who only opens its heart to genuinely compassionate souls.
