The Wonder and Intrigue of "Oh?"

Of the many verbalisms that Pokémon have, most are composed of several words and they stand out as such, requiring the links among those words. One Pokémon verbalism, though, stands out among them in that it is composed of one word yet is quite evocative of Pokémon in many ways and aspects. The utterance of "Oh?" by any Pokémon fan will likely be recognizable among other fans in that regard for its many interpretations in many situations, and that's the verbalism I'd like to discuss.

Those who play the main series games will recognize the verbalism when dealing with Eggs, as it appears just before one or more of them hatch while one is walking. This then carries over to Pokémon Go, where the same verbalism appears just as Eggs are about to hatch. Trainers there then have an additional context, which would be when a Ditto doppelganger is caught and Ditto is exposed. Either way, there's a "transformative" element that is involved, and the verbalism captures the prelude and bewilderment to that.

And bewilderment is definitely involved. Before the hatching of Eggs or the reveal of Ditto, there is a curious feeling with the presentation of Eggs or the possible difficulty of catching the doppelganger. Then the "Oh?" comes and surprise starts to set in. After the hatching or the reveal, the feeling may be of pleasure if good results are achieved (a desired hatch or Shiny Ditto) or being dumbfounded otherwise (undesired hatches or unwanted Ditto in general). In both circumstances, there is a certain sense of wonder.

Experiencing such wonder on a regular basis then leads to the intrigue part. When Eggs are involved for the main series games or Pokémon Go, expectations may arise, especially when the kind(s) and source(s) of the Eggs are known. When Ditto is involved for Pokémon Go, a species that is known as a Ditto doppelganger may become a source of wariness, especially once it turns out to be difficult to catch. After all that, the bewilderment returns, and the feelings continue in a cycle with each Egg or possible doppelganger, 

Whatever the case, "Oh?" has its own very recognizable character for those who are well-versed in Pokémon. The simple instance of it being displayed on screen or uttered by people speaks volumes about what is happening or about to happen. In that sense, it is a true verbalism despite its simplistic structure, being uniquely composed of one word with a punctuation mark, and no less than that. It's amazing how even the simplest Pokémon thing may just represent something very deep.

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