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Original content (this page; 2000)
(+ related ep. updates, notes)
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Additional content (2003-12) |
What is Pokémon?
To begin, Pokémon is pronounced "Po-KAY-mahn" or "Pok-uh-mahn" (NOT Po-kee-MAN or Poke-MAN). It is the collective name for the hundreds of known species of creatures, each with a specific or combination of two of the seventeen different elements, including normal, grass, fire, water, grass, electric, poison, rock, psychic, ghost, ground, ice, flying, bug, dragon, dark, and steel. (And will somebody please tell the morons at the Star Ledger that Pokémon is also plural - there's no such word as 'Pokemons' [and, yes, they left off the accent mark, too¹]!); furthermore, the name of each Pokémon species is also both singular and plural (i.e. one Pikachu, two Pikachu; just like one Pokémon, two Pokémon). Unlike some other trading card-based monsters that are digital or virtual, Pokémon are living, breathing, *sentient beings (*as defined by animal advocacy groups, not the Star Trek universe²), who depend on humans for their survival and well-being.
With their special techniques, Pokémon battle in matches under the instruction of their human trainers, who work hard to bring out their Pokémon's strengths; a trainer's journey begins with a starter Pokémon, challenging Pokémon in the wild in hopes to win and gain a new friend and teammate in each captured Pokémon, all with the goal of becoming a Pokémon Master. Training and battling are just a few of the many ways humans and Pokémon can interact, and share in the world of these wondrous creatures.
¹The Star Ledger published a (bad) review of Pokémon Heroes (2003) with said errors.
²Often used in defense of animals, 'sentient' refers to any creature with the ability to experience basic emotions, pain, fear, etc... However, according to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Measure of Man", the requirements for sentience include 'intelligence, self-awareness, and consciousness'; those meeting these requirements are also often referred to as 'intelligent life', and does not include life forms otherwise referred to as 'animals'.
Text and artwork copyright © 2000-2012 by Kimberly (RageOfInnocence)
Pokémon © Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo/Creatures, Inc./Game Freak, The Pokémon Company International
The beautiful screenshots of Ash, Pikachu, and their friends and Pokémon are from various themes and episodes from Pokémon
(Kanto/Orange Islands/Johto series), Advanced Generation, Diamond & Pearl, and Best Wishes!/Black & White |
kimsites.net
Dream Valley | Oak Branch Woods | We All Live in a Pokémon World | Kimberly's Attic
|
![We All Live In A Pokémon World... (Pure White version [Ash and Pikachu])](purewhite_title_full.jpg)
Related episode(s):
![MASTERPIECE (Kenji [Tracey] fanlisting)](masterpiece.png)
![Captivating (Nozomi [Zoey] fanlisting)](fl-zoey.png)
![KOBRA [Arbok fanlisting]](fan_arbok.png)
![Mahou Love [Satoshi {Ash} + Kasumi {Misty} fanlisting]](fl-ash_misty.gif)
![Super Effective Team! (Satoshi [Ash] and Pikachu) fanlisting](fl-satoshipika.gif)
![A Single Rose [Haruka {May} + Shuu {Drew} fanlisting]](fl-may_drew.jpg)
![Adolescence [Ash {Satoshi}/Gary {Shigeru} fanlisting]](fl_ash_gary.png)
![Sinnoh Trio [Ash, Dawn, and Brock fanlisting]](fl-sinnoh.png)
Bulbapedia