An Eye for Pokémon

After several experiences that I went through recently, I can say that I have an eye for Pokémon. That is, I can almost readily identify just about anything that involves Pokémon or has Pokémon on it. While this ready identification applies to many things, it seems to be particularly stronger for Pokémon; there is a certain amount of greater affinity for identifying things related to Pokémon. It is very much like a sense that I have about them.

Not long ago, I went out for a gathering with certain friends, and I spotted some of them playing a card game from far away. Oddly enough, I noticed that the card back image looked vaguely similar to the image of third-generation Ash and Pikachu... which it actually was, when they confirmed it for me. From where I saw it, it was not immediately obvious, but there was a red cap and blue and yellow coloring around it, and this was what led me to think that way. I'm quite amazed that it was right - it was like I acutely sensed it.

Then, just the other day, I spotted a child wearing a yellow shirt. As I got closer, it appeared that it could be a shirt with elements of Pikachu on it. Lo and behold, it was what I expected - the front showed the front body elements and the same for the back, with the added elements of the Pokémon logo and a Pikachu label. Again, I was amazed that I could speculate and pinpoint these details from a cursory glance, and then be confirmed about them with a closer look. The same could be said to be true with the encounter of "little Ash" way back at this year's Japanese World.

Perhaps this is a consequence of being such a dedicated fan. One becomes aware of the minute details, even if they don't appear clearly at first glance. They become "hard-wired", so to speak, allowing for detection of them. The reward is of course when the details are confirmed to be actually present, becoming a source of joy and reassurance for being a fan. That seems to be how I felt in the situations above.

I'm quite happy to be able to detect that there are Pokémon things around me and to seemingly have the capability of doing so. It's a fascinating and rewarding sense, even if it's just a more directed and acute variation of typical observation skills. And yet, it's a part of me and my experiences with Pokémon, just like how all my other senses are innate to me.

One year ago: Conserve and Cooperate