The Sound of Instant Gratification

There is a Pokémon element that is small but carries a great deal of meaning. It is one that has remained unchanged from the first main series games to more recent iterations, and appears in a variety of contexts yet is recognizable for its significance. As can be expected by the title of this post, that element would be a particular sound in those games, and that sound would be the "all Pokémon healed" sound. Given its significant usage and meaning, I'm tempted to give it another title: I call it the sound of "instant gratification".

The sound is extremely simple in structure. It only consists of five notes, which in key-independent form is 5-5-5-3-1', where the last note is of the next higher octave. It is certain that other embellishments can be added, like accompanying chords, but the basic form remains the five notes above. The significance of the sound is of no question: when the sound plays, all of the Pokémon in the party of the player Trainer are healed, recovered, the whole nine yards. The sound is most commonly associated with a Pokémon Center where a Trainer goes to get the party healed, though certain places other than a Pokémon Center will also allow for this to happen.

In fact, any situation in which the sound is played (though some substitute the generic heal sound instead) effectively signals that the Pokémon of the player Trainer has been fully healed as such. One of the transitions in one of the games notably contains the "heal all" sound, but drawn out and lower in pitch in such a way that if one doesn't listen closely, one might miss the occurrence of the "heal all" sound and not realize that the "heal all" process had in fact occurred. Beyond the games, the anime has implemented the sound in various Pokémon Center settings to indicate that this has occurred for certain Pokémon, including but not limited to those of Ash.

Now, I'm tempted to call the sound above as the sound of "instant gratification" because... well, it is. There is something gratifying about being able to heal all of a party at once without much expense and effort, and the sound signaling as such means that the gratification is given immediately or instantly, and thus "instant gratification". The fact that it can occur at (in)opportune moments means that the gratifying power can be earned at the spur of the moment and is likely to be a virtue rather than a vice. And even if the sound occurs in a non-player context such as in the anime above, the gratification can be felt immediately by the viewer regardless, as an example.

If there is ever a collection of small things that are representative of Pokémon across all kinds of times, this small but significant sound signifying all Pokémon in party healed is a prime one for inclusion. It's short and recognizable, and its effects are significant and profound. Those same effects can be significantly gratifying in an immediate manner, and therefore it is not at all inappropriate to consider the sound as one that brings "instant gratification", no matter what the circumstance may be.

One year ago: Pokémon Upbringings

Two years ago: Benefits

Three years ago: Ex-Raids and Cancellations

Four years ago: The (Current) Fate of the Megas