diff --git a/src/battle/BattleState.lua b/src/battle/BattleState.lua
index 58f80d59..ec26c48b 100644
--- a/src/battle/BattleState.lua
+++ b/src/battle/BattleState.lua
@@ -234,7 +234,11 @@ local imageMeta = setmetatable({}, WEAK_KEYS)
 -- entirely, so its palette variant collapses back onto the plain path.
 local function getImage(path, pal, trueColor)
   if not path then return nil end
-  if trueColor then pal = nil end
+  if trueColor and require("src.render.PaletteFX").honorsTrueColor() then
+    pal = nil
+  else
+    trueColor = nil
+  end
   local key = pal and (path .. "#" .. pal.name) or path
   if not imageCache[key] then
     local img, pad, padL = nil, 0, 0
diff --git a/src/render/PaletteFX.lua b/src/render/PaletteFX.lua
index 461a29c8..e920b739 100644
--- a/src/render/PaletteFX.lua
+++ b/src/render/PaletteFX.lua
@@ -305,6 +305,13 @@ function PaletteFX.usesGbcPack(mode)
   return mode == "redpp"
 end
 
+function PaletteFX.honorsTrueColor()
+  if GameVersion.generation() >= 2 then
+    return require("src.render.GbcPalette").mode == "gbc"
+  end
+  return PaletteFX.mode == "redpp"
+end
+
 -- Yellow's authentic GBC look is CGBBasePalettes (per-map), not a boot-ROM
 -- auto-palette.  The shared `ogred` save id wears that table on a Yellow
 -- playthrough and labels itself "OG YELLOW".
diff --git a/src/render/Renderer.lua b/src/render/Renderer.lua
index ff744222..e9d71727 100644
--- a/src/render/Renderer.lua
+++ b/src/render/Renderer.lua
@@ -641,6 +641,7 @@ end
 -- or empty zone list is left alone: that already draws the whole canvas
 -- unshaded, which is what the rects were asking for.
 local function withTrueColor(zoneList, pass)
+  if not PaletteFX.honorsTrueColor() then return zoneList end
   local rects = PaletteFX.trueColorRects(pass)
   if not (rects[1] and zoneList and zoneList[1]) then return zoneList end
   local merged = {}
diff --git a/src/render/SpriteRenderer.lua b/src/render/SpriteRenderer.lua
index 94909836..9983e27f 100644
--- a/src/render/SpriteRenderer.lua
+++ b/src/render/SpriteRenderer.lua
@@ -234,8 +234,12 @@ function SpriteRenderer:gen2Obp()
     self.objGroup .. "|" .. tostring(GbcPalette.mode)
 end
 
+local function liveTrueColor(def)
+  return def and def.trueColor and PaletteFX.honorsTrueColor()
+end
+
 function SpriteRenderer:resolveImage()
-  if self.def.trueColor then return self.image end
+  if liveTrueColor(self.def) then return self.image end
   if self.objColors then
     return getObpImage(self.def.image, self:gen2Obp())
   end
@@ -289,7 +293,7 @@ function SpriteRenderer:draw(px, py, camX, camY, facing, walkPhase, stepFlip,
   local redraw = false
   -- True-color sheets bypass every palette bake; the screen-space exemption
   -- is recorded below once the final frame/height is known.
-  if self.def.trueColor then
+  if liveTrueColor(self.def) then
     image = self.image
   elseif self.objColors then
     -- Gen 2: the palette came from the caller (setObjPalette).  Like RED++
@@ -349,7 +353,7 @@ function SpriteRenderer:draw(px, py, camX, camY, facing, walkPhase, stepFlip,
     drawHeight = math.max(1, self.frameHeight - math.min(8, self.frameHeight))
   end
   -- Full-color art claims exactly the portion of the frame that was drawn.
-  if self.def.trueColor then
+  if liveTrueColor(self.def) then
     PaletteFX.markTrueColor(x, y, self.frameWidth, drawHeight)
   end
   blitFrame(image, quad, x, y, flip, redraw, self.frameWidth)
@@ -362,7 +366,7 @@ end
 -- raw DMG shades (#384).
 function SpriteRenderer:drawTile(path, x, y, flip)
   local image, redraw = getImage(path), false
-  if self.def.trueColor then
+  if liveTrueColor(self.def) then
     PaletteFX.markTrueColor(x, y, 16, 8)
   elseif PaletteFX.usesGbcPack() then
     local colors, group = PaletteFX.spriteObp(self.def, self.seed)
diff --git a/src/ui/gen2/BattleState.lua b/src/ui/gen2/BattleState.lua
index c2d33a5d..9254d2b9 100644
--- a/src/ui/gen2/BattleState.lua
+++ b/src/ui/gen2/BattleState.lua
@@ -740,7 +740,8 @@ function BattleState:drawPic(mon, back)
   -- pokemon.sprite's ctx.trueColor, the same flag Gen 1's Sprites.path hands
   -- back to its own draw site.
   local function paint()
-    if colors and not trueColor and GbcPalette.available() then
+    if colors and not (trueColor and GbcPalette.mode == "gbc")
+       and GbcPalette.available() then
       GbcPalette.with(colors, body)
     else
       body()
diff --git a/tests/gen2_big_object_test.lua b/tests/gen2_big_object_test.lua
index 15144bd0..f7387578 100644
--- a/tests/gen2_big_object_test.lua
+++ b/tests/gen2_big_object_test.lua
@@ -126,6 +126,9 @@ end
 
 -- ---- and the draw picks the right table -----------------------------------
 do
+  local PaletteFX = require("src.render.PaletteFX")
+  local savedColors = PaletteFX.mode
+  PaletteFX.setMode("redpp")
   local G = love.graphics
   local realDraw = G.draw
   local blits
@@ -147,6 +150,7 @@ do
     "with the doll's own sprite deciding which, the way SetFacingBigDoll does")
 
   G.draw = realDraw
+  PaletteFX.setMode(savedColors)
 end
 
 -- ---- WillObjectIntersectBigObject -----------------------------------------
diff --git a/tests/mod_graphics_tests.lua b/tests/mod_graphics_tests.lua
index 37ccc2a1..5b9ff89d 100644
--- a/tests/mod_graphics_tests.lua
+++ b/tests/mod_graphics_tests.lua
@@ -364,12 +364,6 @@ local r, g, b = shaded.data:getPixel(0, 0)
 check(r == 0 and g == 0 and b == 1,
       "a 4-shade pic is palette-quantized onto its shade bucket")
 
-local full = battle:speciesSprite("FULLCOLOR", false)
-r, g, b = full.data:getPixel(0, 0)
-check(math.abs(r - 0.4) < 1e-6 and math.abs(g - 0.7) < 1e-6
-      and math.abs(b - 0.9) < 1e-6,
-      "a trueColor pic keeps a pixel no 4-shade palette contains")
-
 -- trainers.trueColor is the same opt-out on a class portrait
 BattleState.invalidate()
 local trainerPicData = {
@@ -386,6 +380,14 @@ local shadedTrainer = BattleState.trainerSprite(trainerPicData,
 r, g, b = shadedTrainer.data:getPixel(0, 0)
 check(r == 0 and g == 0 and b == 1,
       "a 4-shade trainer pic is palette-quantized onto its shade bucket")
+
+local savedColors = PaletteFX.mode
+PaletteFX.setMode("redpp")
+local full = battle:speciesSprite("FULLCOLOR", false)
+r, g, b = full.data:getPixel(0, 0)
+check(math.abs(r - 0.4) < 1e-6 and math.abs(g - 0.7) < 1e-6
+      and math.abs(b - 0.9) < 1e-6,
+      "a trueColor pic keeps a pixel no 4-shade palette contains")
 local fullTrainer = BattleState.trainerSprite(trainerPicData,
   trainerPicData.trainers.FULLCOLOR)
 r, g, b = fullTrainer.data:getPixel(0, 0)
@@ -395,6 +397,7 @@ check(math.abs(r - 0.4) < 1e-6 and math.abs(g - 0.7) < 1e-6
 check(BattleState.trainerTrueColor(trainerPicData,
         trainerPicData.trainers.REUSED) == true,
       "a basePic reuse inherits the base portrait's trueColor flag")
+PaletteFX.setMode(savedColors)
 
 -- ------- trueColor: the colors == false zone sentinel
 
@@ -434,6 +437,8 @@ check(bareDraw.shader == false,
 -- covered and endFrame splices it in.  Driven through the real draw path
 -- rather than by handing endFrame a hand-built zone.
 
+savedColors = PaletteFX.mode
+PaletteFX.setMode("redpp")
 local GRAYS = PaletteFX.GRAYS
 local function canvasDraws(canvas)
   local drawn = {}
@@ -625,6 +630,7 @@ check(#PaletteFX.trueColorRects("world") == 0,
       "the same tileset without the flag reports nothing")
 Renderer:endWorldPass()
 Renderer:endFrame({ PaletteFX.whole(GRAYS) }, fullWorldZones())
+PaletteFX.setMode(savedColors)
 
 -- ------- font pages and charmap ordering