The First of Us

A long time ago - likely before I started this blog - I saw a fascinating multiple-choice question about Pokémon that promptly slipped my mind, as I didn't have any further business with it. Just a few days ago, I had the virtual gathering with my Pokémon figure group, and because it involved a few games with multiple-choice questions, I was reminded of the question, and it even became relevant at one point. Given that I now have this blog, it serves me well to be able to discuss the question and its answer in a post.

Here is the question:

Which is the first Pokémon?

A. Bulbasaur

B. Mew

C. Rhydon

D. Arceus

What is the answer? They're all correct, because each of them are "first" in different ways. Bulbasaur is the first Pokémon in the Kanto and therefore the National Pokédex, which at this point is something that should be obvious to many fans, including long-time ones. Mew is the "common genetic ancestor" (to borrow a term from biology) of all known Pokémon, and it is therefore the first in this matter. Rhydon is the first Pokémon conceived as an idea, something that may not be known very well by many; it is perhaps due to this that it becomes the archetype for lower-level raid bosses in Pokémon Go. Finally, Arceus is the being that created the universe, and because of this preceding nature, it is the first in this regard.

In that sense, the question is ambiguous. It doesn't specify which Pokémon is "first" regarding a particular characteristic, and in that case, many might be tempted to choose Bulbasaur as a Pokémon that is an obvious "first". But once someone becomes enlightened to all the backgrounds of the answers and therefore of the question as a whole, it becomes a fascinating one to consider. Different Pokémon are first in different ways, and there is no shame in any of those ways. With the question being ambiguous and the answers all being applicable, it may rightfully be considered a "rhetorical question" in a sense.

Ill-formed as the question may be, it does offer something for Pokémon fans to consider, and once they have found out the real truth behind the question, tantalizing things to know about Pokémon. That must be why I found the question fascinating the first time and given the opportunity to talk about Pokémon questions and answers, it became a neat one to discuss. The matter of which Pokémon is "first" is regardless an insightful one, particularly when it takes a question to shed light on all the possibilities.

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