Birdkeepers, the Real and the Imagined

Some of my relatives used to keep birds, whether for fun or for some other purpose. I wasn't involved in what they did, but I can tell that they enjoyed what they did in their regard. Reminiscing about this memory makes me recall another batch of people who keep birds, possibly for a living, and that would be the Birdkeeper group of Trainers in the main series of Pokémon games. They too appear to enjoy what they do in different regards, particularly Pokémon battles.

True to their name, Birdkeepers possess bird Pokémon and by extension many Flying-type Pokémon. This makes them easy to be battled down, provided one knows what one needs to do and as is true of Trainers who possess primarily monotype teams. Their antics may be kind of odd as well, as with one of these Trainers who thought that one needed a flock of birds in order to fly off to someplace when all the Trainer needed is one Pokémon with the Fly move, at least at the very least.

Meanwhile, real birdkeepers, especially in my local area and somewhat beyond, have their own contests, being bird call contests. The birds are evaluated for their performance in making bird calls, including sound quality and even physique. It may be hard to imagine Birdkeepers in Pokémon to participate in the same contests, but given that certain birds (Chatot and Fletchling, for two) make pretty noises, so it might not be out of the question for these contests to occur with Pokémon.

Today, the birds that my relatives once kept have essentially "flown away", whether to another owner or out into the wild. But the memories of them keeping the birds have remained and will remain with me. The same is true for my recall of the Birdkeepers in Pokémon, whose objectives are in line with or exceed that of what my relatives did when they kept birds. They may not have been to take off to the skies in a literal sense, but at least the spiritual fantasy is there in both Pokémon and real form.

One year ago: Pokémon Hanafuda

Two years ago: Limited Research Methodology

Three years ago: The Spirit of Giving

Four years ago: A Faraway Tournament and a Charitable Spirit