Four Years, Taking Damage and Healing

With this post, it is now a full four years that I've blogged about all kinds of things related to Pokémon, whether personal or common. It's been a very long four years, and even this year could be considered to have been the longest one yet, what with all the things that happened. As in past years (see below), particularly from the previous couple of years, I'd also like to tie it with a Pokémon conceptualization. For this year, it seems appropriate that the conceptualization regards "taking damage" and "healing", both being key dynamics in many Pokémon battles.

In battles, taking damage can be instant, as the result of many Pokémon moves in the main series games and in general in Pokémon Go and few other spinoff games. Notably, the instant damage came about this year when many Pokémon things (or at least with personal possible Pokémon relevance) came to an abrupt halt due to the effects of that certain viral illness. Some moves can result in one-shot or one-hit KO by design or under the right circumstances, and effectively that's the effect that the latter had on many things of the former, as the situation was totally right - or rather, totally wrong. Others were left with barely a sizable amount of HP that would then be affected by other dynamics in the future.

One of those other dynamics is the gradual taking of damage, as through a status condition or by moves like Future Sight. This is mostly well-known in the main series games, but a few other games may have a variant of the dynamic. Sure enough, gradual damage was taken by a few other things this year, and it resulted in a few more things coming to an abrupt halt, becoming an effective KO for them, particularly if they weren't fully damaged by the conditions in the first place. I noticed this dynamic gradually occurring for many other things throughout the year.

Yet, where damage has been taken, there is the possibility of healing. Being able to deal with Pokémon continuously even during tough times is healing in itself, in addition to coverage of unique topics such as videos on YouTube and a unique anniversary pathway. There was also an attempt to start a totally novel way of discussing Pokémon Go through a podcast. Still, these only represent a gradual healing, as with the condition created by the Ingrain move or by usage of moves such as Recover, as well as minor item usage. And like moves in the main series games, they were sometimes limited like the Power Points (PP) limit them. The podcast is a testament, existing for only two episodes.

It is still possible for healing to be instantly complete. An instantly complete healing would be one that is accomplished through the Rest move or major items like the Full Restore. In the case of what has happened throughout this year, however, it hasn't been the case that this has happened. Further advancements will only confirm that this will be the case, in the next year or even beyond. In the meantime, one can heal the spirit, in Pokémon ways or otherwise, through ways like the "return to believe" that one singer suggests. And the lead-up to that anniversary may help a tiny bit.

It has been said that everything has their own time. In the case of matters related to Pokémon (battling), there would be a time to take damage, then there would be a time to heal from that damage. The two can be said to represent "counterforces" by which negatives and positives cancel out. Much of this year can be said to have been the former with much less of the latter, for Pokémon or other things.

But it seems, as with the spirit of a post I made over a year ago, it may just be a matter of having the time and making the time, hopefully for more healing than damaging. And if we "return to believe", there may just be still time.

Cheers to lots of healing (and less damage) in the times ahead for all of us. 💪

One year ago: Three Years: Making My Moves

Two years ago: Two Years of Evolution

Three years ago: One Year Full of Pokémon