Meeting, Parting with, and Missing Friends

Within a Pokémon Trainer's journey, there are many people that pass or are passed along the way. Of those many people, a good deal will become friends with the Trainer, which is indeed a good thing. Some will be present nearby for a long time, while others will be a once-in-a-lifetime meeting. It's a wonderful image that is mirrored in many real people's lives, and that includes mine. I've met and parted with my share of Pokémon friends and fans throughout my life as well as missed a few of them, something that makes my life colorful as Pokémon itself.

Yesterday, I had the chance to come back to the different place where I met an interesting Pokémon fan the last time I was there, as I had detailed the following day afterwards. I knew I wasn't going to meet him again when I came back, so I was going to long for him then. Sure enough, I did; only one person passed by as I was doing my business at that place, and I did the exact same thing that the fellow fan did when I was there with the person. My longing did not fully dissipate, but at least I was satisfied to relive a small portion of the previous time in a different way. The situation that happened two weeks ago is similar to a situation that occurred several years ago, except then I was the guest rather than the acting host of the place; I've mentioned the memory of this in my thoughts on Mystery Dungeon post. We have yet to meet since then, and I sometimes long for this moment, especially given what happened earlier this month. I still hope that I can indeed meet both people again somehow.

I've also met Pokémon fans via events and tournaments, whether by chance or by intent. Of these, there are some I am likely to be able to encounter again, as those in a tournament that I couldn't go to this year, and others that I may or may not meet, like those I met in an event last month. I am interested to maintain relationships with as many of these people as I can through contacts, social media, and even 3DS friend codes if they allow, and I already do for a good portion. For the others, it becomes only a real longing if I'm not able to establish contact in the first place. Regardless, I am still certain that I may still be able to get in touch with them in later events while making new links, making them all worthwhile.

The ones I miss the most have to be friends from the early years that I liked Pokémon. It has been over a decade and a half since I began to like Pokémon the first time, and during those first few years, I did meet a few people that were quite into Pokémon, from one that introduced me to the games the very first time, to others that kept the interest going. That's a pretty long time, and by now even some their contacts have become hazy. I may or may not be able to get in touch with them even for Pokémon, but I may just be able to try. It would totally be a pleasure should this work.

It has been said that to meet others is something that is not coincidental, while to part with and to miss others is not interminable. I'd say based on my Pokémon experiences, that is in a way true. It seems I was intended to meet all those I've met, as well as to (re-)connect with those that I am able to do so. Such an experience would not be too strange for those that are actually in the Pokémon world and do this even more frequently: Trainers. This Pokémon Trainer is simply very happy to have been with the people that make it such an experience.