Why Didn't Thief Work in This Situation?

Question

I used Thief with my Krookodile and it was powered up by the Dark Gem, which should've been used, leaving room to steal the opponent's Maractus's Life Orb or Leftovers, but I got no item in return during battle! (I'm not wondering why it didn't have the item after battle; I soon found out.) Please help me on why this would happen- maybe thief only works if you have no item at all in the turn you use it?

~Thanx!

Comments

I would assume it is because, when it started the attack, it was holding the Dark Gem.  Did you try using Thief again the next turn?

Answer 1

Thief only steals an item if the user is not holding an item itself. If your Krookodile was holding an item, Maractus' item would not replace your Krookodile's.

Also, on the DB page for Thief, it says:

Thief deals damage and steals the target's held item, if the user is not holding an item.
Items stolen from wild Pokémon are kept after the battle ends, but items stolen from a Trainer's Pokémon are not. Items stolen from the player's Pokémon either by wild Pokémon or Trainer Pokémon are returned at the end of the battle. All held items in wi-fi/linked battles (including Battle Tower/Subway/Maison) are returned to their respective owners at the end of a battle.

What ended up happening is that your game didn't recognize that you lost your Dark Gem because it was the same turn it was used up.

Comments

Hey WoonderWaffle!
This is irrelevant, but did you happen to post a Pokemon Medley for the piano a while back on Musescore? Because I saw that it got taken down, and I'm lucky to have printed a copy. I love the medley! So if you did write it, thanks! And if you're not the same person then... this is awkward. Disregard this then.

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I didn't write it. The original is by Kyle Landry.

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thanks WoonderWaffle