PokéVerbalisms

A verbalism in one sense is a verbal expression, as the words used and their arrangement. In regard to Pokémon, this would mean verbalisms that are particular to and characteristic of the franchise. Any particular subject, field, or realm tends to have its own set of verbalisms, and quite possibly many of them. Pokémon too has its share of verbalisms, also to a great number. At the moment, though, I can point out three such verbalisms that are most popular and most relevant, at least to myself personally.

"It's Super Effective" - Anyone who has ever played Pokémon games know that some types are superior to others, and when Pokémon of those types inflict hits by moves to the less superior types, it's called a "super effective" hit. In the main series games, this is succinctly expressed as in this particular verbalism. Even the Pokémon Pixel Artwork sticker pack for LINE contains this verbalism in one of its stickers, exactly as a battle scene. What is important about this one is that this is probably one of the most well-known verbalisms in and out of Pokémon, having a general interpretation of "superiority or success over something". It becomes a particularly Pokémon way of saying that things happened as such.

"But Nothing Happened" - This verbalism can be considered the totally opposite counterpoint to the one above. Those who deal with Pokémon that know the move Splash will recognize this verbalism, because these are exactly the words that are incited after the move is executed, as the move does absolutely nothing. This can then be interpreted as "failure, being unsuccessful, not working", and it is likewise a Pokémon way of speaking about it. This too is immortalized in the same sticker pack as above, with the humble Magikarp as its symbol. As I play Magikarp Jump quite a bit nowadays, I am frequently reminded of this verbalism.

"Next Time... A New Beginning" - While this one is less well-known than the other two above, it is still quite tied to Pokémon, and more specifically the anime. These words replace "To Be Continued" upon the ending of a particular saga. It becomes a strong and poignant reminder that things have come to a close, and something new will open up and present itself. Hence this too becomes a verbalism that is quite intricately connected to Pokémon, as much as it is representative of endings and beginnings of life in general. This is something I have been thinking about quite recently.

The individual words that make up these verbalisms are nothing special. However, when structured as above, they are indeed special, because they become relevant to and invokes Pokémon. That's the power of many verbalisms like these, whether for Pokémon or otherwise. Personally, it amazes me that such expressions are both meaningful in their own ways and at the same time meaningful for involving Pokémon.

One year ago: After the Faraway Tournament