When I was a young laddie, I spent my days with my friends, huddled around in a jubilant circle. If you peaked over our heads into the small circle below us, you would see the object of our collective attention–Pokemon Cards. I swear we would talk about Pokemon cards and trade cards like Wall Street Brokers talk about blue chip stocks. I fondly remember the unforgettable thrill of a Pokemon battle. Yes, I’m aware this probably sounds super nerdy to most, but it was an important part of my childhood. I smile when I think back and remember the extreme lengths I would go to to become the greatest Pokemon trainer ever! To truly be the best, I had to have all the cards, especially the shiny, limited edition cards. I stored my library of treasures in these massive binders that had slots specifically designed for a Pokemon card to fit snugly. In my spare time, I would flip through the pages and pages of cards, admiring every one and remembering the memory associated with each one. If I was bored, I might organize the cards alphabetically, or by type, or by favorite. That was fun for me.
Life really got good though when I finally got my hands on my first NintendoDS. What do you think the first game I played is? POKEMON, boi! I started out with Pokemon Diamond, then I slowly expanded my Pokemon gameplay and went on to play every single Pokemon game since: Diamond, Platinum, Heartgold, Soulsilver, White, White 2, Alpha Sapphire, Y, Sword, and more. I’ve collected hundreds of hours of gameplay on those games and I don’t regret it. Those games brought Pokemon to life, and made me feel like I was my own Pokemon trainer and I had a real relationship with these virtual Pokemon that accompanied me on my virtual journey. And that was special for me. It was fun. I have always been a huge Pokemon fan and will continue to be one. In fact, when the mobile app Pokemon Go debuted in 2016, you already know that I was traveling all over the place trying to “catch ‘em all”. I take Pokemon Go very seriously. Sometimes my friends and I will travel to the strangest places at the oddest hours to catch the Pokemon that we have our eye on. Gym Raids; now those are crazy. You’ve probably, at least once, seen a pack of well-intentioned civilians scattered in a single area looking, swiping at their phones. The hype is real. Trust me on this.
You would never know that I have the ability to recall information on all the Pokemon in the entire Pokedex. I could tell you the names, types, type advantages and disadvantages, evolution stages, battle stats, and locations of hundreds of Pokemon. Yet somehow, I’ll occasionally forget my trig identities and anything else tangentially important. Given that this blog is for an exploration of ideas that I find interesting, I would now like to discuss, in a very serious manner, what a world with Pokemon would be like and how this can be achieved.
I believe that somewhere, in some ocean there lies an undiscovered island full of Pokemon. The Pokemon there all live in peaceful harmony. There are Pikachus living in massive colonies and Charizards roam the skies. That, or there is an underground passageway that leads to the Pokemon world but is hidden deep in the ocean trenches and can only be reached by submarine. If international governments were able to form an international coalition to generate massive research efforts, I believe Pokemon could be discovered.
Think of all the ways Pokemon could benefit society! Water-type Pokemon like Blastoise could serve in fire departments across the world, eliminating the need for all water hoses! They could also serve in waters international waters, existing as an extension of the coast guard. Grass type pokemon would also serve humanity by creating more oxygen and reducing CO2 levels. I don’t think anyone would complain about the natural, sweet aromas these Pokemon emit either. Also, if everyone had Pokemon, crime rates would decrease. Mental health and overall happiness levels would increase as a result of people developing loving relationships with their Pokemon. No, Pokemon are not pets and never will be. They are so much more. Electric and Fire type Pokemon could also help generate power for the population using the massive amounts of energy that they are able to generate. Fighting, Rock, and Steel type Pokemon can find niches in construction and architecture, building for the future. We’ve considered many practical applications of Pokemon in our society, but I haven’t mentioned yet how a new, lucrative sporting industry would emerge. With national gyms and competitive Pokemon battle leagues, a new community would form, enabling people from all backgrounds to have fun and develop strong relationships with each other and their Pokemon.
What a world it would be if Pokemon roamed the Earth… If I had the choice to bring a fictional world to life, it would most definitely be the Pokemon universe.