As soon as Ramar Larkin Jones got wind that lawyers from The Pokémon Company objected to the Pokemon-themed party he had planned in August, he shut it down.

But that's far from the end of it. Pokémon's lawyers aren't letting go—they refused to dismiss the case against Jones unless he coughs up $4,000 by mid-November. Jones, who described his plight to Geekwire, says he just hasn't got the money.

"I work in a cafe and I literally don’t have $4000," Jones wrote on a fundraising page he set up to try to satisfy Pokémon's demands for cash. "I wish they would have just sent a cease and desist because I had no problem dropping the party but I just don’t have $4000 to pay in the next 45 days."

Jones even offered to pay the full $4,000 over the course of a year, but Pokémon's lawyers from the firm of Davis Wright Tremaine wouldn't budge on the deadline.

The Pokémon party would have been a money-losing endeavor, Jones told Geekwire, as it has been every year since 2011 when he first threw it. He collected about $500 by selling tickets at $2 apiece, but that revenue was outweighed by the $450 he spent on a DJ and gift cards, plus additional revenue spent on decorations, a Kindle Fire, and cash prizes. Jones refunded the tickets after he canceled the party.

In its complaint (PDF), The Pokémon Company states that posters used by Jones to advertise the party, as well as Facebook postings, violated their copyrights by including two characters, Pikachu and Snivy.

Jones timed the party to coincide with the PAX gaming conference that takes place each year in Seattle, where he lives. According to the poster, the 5th Annual Unofficial Pokémon PAX Kickoff Party would have included "Pokémon themed shots and drinks," a "Smash Bros. Tournament with cash prize," as well as dancing, giveaways, a cosplay contest, and an "AMAZIN POKEMON MASHUP."

On his fundraiser page, Jones says he threw the party because "I mostly wanted to geek out and add to the fun parties you can find all over the city." Now he's reaching out to the gaming community to satisfy the lawyers' demands.

"Trust me I will never throw another fandom party again," he writes. "Thank you guys so much in advance."

The Pokemon Company didn't respond to inquiries from Ars Technica.