o begin, Pokémon is pronounced "Po-KAY-mahn" or "Pok-uh-mahn" (NOT Po-kee-MAN or POKEY-mahn [unless you're Meowth!]). 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 standards, 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.

Related episode(s): "Pokémon, I Choose You!" (pilot episode; Japanese preferred; Pokémon [first season]) -Ash's first adventure with a stubborn Pikachu; when he rescues it from a flock of wild Spearow, they form an instant bond "Get the Show on the Road" (Japanese ["A New Land! A New Adventure!"] preferred; Pokémon Advanced [sixth season]) -As a new trainer, May (Haruka) has no interest in Pokémon, but quickly bonds with her Torchic upon meeting Ash, after witnessing him risk his own safety to save his Pikachu from a feverish and delusional condition "Following a Maiden's Voyage" (Pokémon Diamond & Pearl [tenth season]) -Dawn, a new trainer, quickly learns to interact with Pokémon when she must rescue an escaped Piplup from wild Ariados "The Brockster is In!" (Pokémon DP Sinnoh League Victors [thirteenth season]) -On board a ferry with no infirmary, Brock uses all his resources to help some badly poisoned baby Pokémon, causing him to consider making a life-changing decision "...I've been thinking more and more about what it really means to be strong - that means believing in the strength of my friends and that's because I trust and love 'em!" -Ash ("Chim-Charred" [Pokémon DP Battle Dimension])

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'.

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Text and artwork copyright © 2000-2013 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

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