This is a post idea that I’ve been playing with since In the Thunderlight was first added as a category. Pokemon has always been one of my greater interests, and it’s been one of the very hardest to explain. On first glance everything Pokemon-related looks hopelessly complicated. In reality, it’s not too difficult to understand, when properly explained. The concept is rather strange, but once you’ve gotten used to it, it’s pretty easy to keep in mind.The problem is, entirely, the sheer amount of relevant information that needs to be taken in to understand the beginning concepts of what Pokemon are. Hopefully, through examples, I can make these concepts relatively clear and give an idea how the concept of Pokemon works. I won’t get into the card or video games in this particular post; that’s a subject for later.

“Pokemon” (which is both singular and plural) is a general name applied to a specific group of fictional creatures. Pokemon come in, currently, 493 ’species’. This classification is comparable to ’snakes’ - there are probably a good few hundred types of ’snakes’. Pokemon is just another type of creature, with a specific set of characteristics that sets them apart from other beings or animals.

The core characteristic of a Pokemon is that they have a type. There are some seventeen types - Normal, Fire, Water, Grass, Ice, Electric, Poison, Psychic, Dark, Steel, Rock, Ground, Flying, Fighting, Bug, Ghost, and Dragon. The typing of Pokemon is a quick way to describe them and their traits and/or primary powers. Pokemon may have one or two types; they can’t have more than two. Some Pokemon also are able to ‘evolve’ - but that’s something I’ll go over in a moment.

Pokemon live in a world alongside human beings. Most of them have at least some sense of intelligence; some are a little low on the chain, and others are far more intelligent or wiser than any human. It is dependent upon their species. Pokemon and humans are, in general, friends. Pokemon are wild animals, however, and will attack humans that enter their territory. Humans who can ‘capture’ Pokemon force their obedience, although generally humans are kind to their Pokemon and treat them as friends and companions. Some don’t see things this way and they’re generally the antagonists of the series.

The image at below is a wonderfA collection of Pokemonul 3-D collection of twelve example Pokemon, which I can use to describe them as a whole.

At the middle row, far right is our first example of a Pokemon - Pikachu. You likely have heard of Pikachu before, because he’s the mascot of Pokemon and is basically included in everything Pokemon-related. He is a small Electric-type, though, and is otherwise mostly unnoteworthy. Pikachu ‘evolves’ into Raichu.

Evolution is the process by which Pokemon are able to grow. Smaller, weaker Pokemon evolve into larger, stronger Pokemon. Every Pokemon is organized into evolution lines - some Pokemon don’t evolve, others like Pikachu evolve once, and some evolve twice. Generally, Pokemon that do evolve, do so by growing and becoming stronger… but there are exceptions. We’ll get to that. Pokemon also evolve into other Pokemon that are quite similar to themselves, for the most part. There are, again, a couple of exceptions.

Just above Pikachu - the orange dragon - is Charizard, who had a bit of his own fame for a bit. Charizard is Fire and Flying type (Fire/Flying is normal notation). He, unlike Pikachu, is a fully evolved form, but he evolves from earlier Pokemon; the ‘basic’ or beginning of the evolution line is Charmander (Fire), followed by Charmeleon (also Fire).The scheme doesn’t change too much, at least in these simple terms.

Arcanine is the Pokemon in the second row, second from the left - the dog/wolf. Arcanine is also Fire-type, and evolves from Growlithe. Arcanine and Growlithe are both Fire-types, but they are considerably different from Charmander and its evolution line - not only in appearance, but also in traits. Arcanine is more physically powerful and faster. Charizard, you could say, has the hotter flames and is a little better at taking hits than Arcanine. Charizard also has a much greater variety of abilities and powers at its disposal. This is getting into specific battle statistics, however, which is unneccessary - the point is, no two Pokemon are necessarily alike, even if they are the same type.

This rule extends even through evolutionary lines, in some cases. The top row’s two middle Pokemon are called Vaporeon and Flareon (left to right), and they are among my favorite Pokemon currently known. They both evolve from the same Pokemon - Eevee. (This is a picture of Eevee, and all of its possible evolutions.) Eevee is a particularly interesting Pokemon in that it can evolve into seven different Pokemon! However, none of them can evolve into each other; Eevee evolves once, and is done. All of Eevee’s evolutions are different types. Eevee itself is Normal; the evolutions, in order from left to right in the preceding picture, are Water, Fire, Dark, Ice, Grass, Psychic and Electric types. And each one is entirely different!

On the bottom row and second from the left, the scythe-armed mantis, is Scyther. When first created in the original series of Pokemon games, Scyther (Bug/Flying) did not evolve. It simply was. That is no longer true - Scyther now has an evolution as introduced in the second series, Scizor (Bug/Steel). The point here is twofold: some Pokemon do not evolve - and we don’t know everything about Pokemon (I say that as if they’re real, and I dunno why), so new things are constantly introduced.

The first Pokemon and the one in the bottom row and third from the left - they’re both birds - represent the final grouping of Pokemon to consider, Legendary Pokemon. The first, with flaming wings, is Moltres (Fire/Flying). The second is Zapdos (Electric/Flying). They are part of a three-Pokemon set; the one missing is Articuno (Ice/Flying). Legendary Pokemon don’t necessarily come in sets; there’s generally a set of three for each series of Pokemon games. Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres are from the original games. Legendary Pokemon are considerably more powerful than normal Pokemon - they do not evolve, ever, and more often than not there is only one of them to be found. Again, there are a couple of exceptions to the last rule, but certainly the most powerful of legends are one of a kind.

To summarize, Pokemon are beings with elemental powers organized into types. Some Pokemon evolve into others in set, predictable ‘evolution lines’ as they become stronger. Others do not evolve at all. There are 493 different species of Pokemon, in all.

Hopefully, this gives at least a beginning insight into how they work. As ever, please leave questions; the last few flickers of a thunderstorm often illuminate more than what first met the eye.