I've been playing Pokemon since the first Generation, with the original 151, have played the first three Generations, and have kept close tabs on the franchise pretty much for as long as it has existed here in the West. That said, there are some things that are lost on a child, and are only made obvious through the eyes of an adult. That's what I want to talk to you today, about something I've only come to realize recently as an adult: The coming of age story that is Pokemon.
Who are you, in the Pokemon world? You are a child. A young child, living in a quiet, idyllic town where nothing bad, or exciting, happens. You are comfortable here, but you are no longer growing. No, to grow, you need to leave town, to explore the world outside. You try to leave, but you are not yet ready. Someone stops you. In Generation 1, it's Professor Oak who stops you. He guides you to his lab and allows you to choose one Pokemon. You are offered three paths: One path is the easy path. Choosing this path allows you to have an easy time in your early adventure, giving you strength early on, but later in the game you find that this strength is insufficient. The second path is stable. From the get go you have sufficient skill, and as you grow stronger, your power and experience steadily grows. The third path offers hardship at first, but as you grow, you become stronger, and when you mature, your tenacity will be rewarded with unmatched strength. The choice is yours, and the game does not pressure you or punish you for your choice. There is no wrong choice.
You have a rival, and his choice is always one that presents the most difficulty for you. No matter what you choose, your rival will choose the Pokemon yours is weak to. Did you choose fire? He chooses water. Did you choose grass? He chooses fire. Water? His is grass. He is your ultimate obstacle, but not the only one.
What kind of Pokemon can you get early on in your adventure? Pokemon that require no skill other than patience. Typically, it's mostly field mice, tiny birds and insect larva that you can catch. These Pokemon are easy to catch. You are still young, and the world is forgiving. You will find that this is just the beginning.
You eventually come across the first gym. Your team is likely full, you already have six Pokemon. Save for your rival, you have fought no one that can truly test your skill. You enter the gym, challenge the first trainer. Are you prepared? If not, the game punishes you. You think you can breeze through? Think that just because you've had an easy ride so far, the entire game will be easy? You think the game will always hold your hand? No. The game demands that you get stronger. You have to become stronger; it does not do for you to just breeze through and act like you're the best. Think you can just bypass this challenge? Think again. Until you overcome this obstacle, the world closes itself off to you. You need to continue. You need to become not just stronger, but smarter. You train. You study. You challenge again, and win! The world opens up to you!
You cross mountains. You challenge stronger trainers, overcome increasingly harder obstacles. The Pokemon you started with becomes stronger. But wait! Those birds, mice and insects you caught? Their strength is no longer sufficient. They are a testament to the fact that you have gotten stronger, yes, but you need something more to keep going. You discard these reminders of the early parts of your journey, replacing them with the Pokemon you have recently caught. What was once good enough for a small child is no longer good enough for a young man taking on the world. You need more skills, more abilities, different types of strengths to challenge and win. But that's OK. You no longer fight little birds and larvae. No, you challenge bigger creatures now. Creatures that fly, dig through the land, that spit acid, that breathe fire. You have the power to fight. And you keep on doing this, winning badge after badge. Often you stop your journey a bit to help those in need. In the first Generation, you saved the city of Saffron from the criminal empire known as Team Rocket. In the third, you save the island of Hoenn from destruction.
After a while, you've collected all the badges. You have climbed mountains, explored dark caverns, crossed the ocean itself, and for what? For that moment. You enter a place with the greatest indicative name ever: the Victory Road. This place, home to the strongest trainers and some of the toughest Pokemon, is your final test before facing off the greatest challenge yet: the Elite Four. Your team, once composed of little birds, mice and insects, is now made of dragons, creatures of the sea, mighty beings that can move large boulders, and so forth. You challenge the Victory Road!
Then, it happens. You have crossed the Victory Road. You have your best Pokemon with you. You are ready. Failure is not an option. You challenge the Elite Four. You fight. You give it your all. This is what you've been training for. Four trainers, the strongest the game has to offer. No healing in between fights. What you come in with is all you'll have available. The game asks you: are you tough enough? Do you have what it takes?
Yes. You do. Because you trained for this. Because you prepared yourself extensively. You have your best Pokemon with you. You have what it takes. You've run through the strategy in your head a thousand times. You. Are. Ready.
When you defeat the Elite Four, and the champion, the game pats you on the back. After the credits, you return to your little town. But you are no longer the child that was satisfied catching little birds or field mice. You are an adult now. Your team is a testament to your tenacity, dedication, and patience. You are strong. The game has little more to challenge you with, because the real challenge is out there, in the real world. Out there are the other players, who have also trained their Pokemon, who have also studied, who have also devised their own strategies. To beat them, that is your new challenge. So go, get out there and fight!
This is your coming of age story. This is Pokemon. Or maybe I'm over analyzing.
No comments:
Post a Comment