Trainer Mentalities: An Observation of the Hearts and Minds of the Humans Who Inhabit The World of Pokémon

I’ll admit it.

I love Pokémon. It won me over with its deep and ever expansive battle system, and it continues to pull me back with it’s charm. Take for example the Battle Frontier.

At the Battle Frontier you and a friend battle together against opposing trainers, gain BP, and generally have a good time. While I do enjoy playing Pokémon together with my girlfriend, what I really enjoy are the things the other trainers say.

Observe:

Beauty Trainer

Before Battle:
“…Oh, wait one second.
I have to take this call.”
After Battle:
“Hi, yup… Yes,just battled… Nope…
Kid beat me… Uh-huh…”

Waiter Trainer

Before Battle:
“Work is fun, and Pokemon also.
I am happy I come to this country.”
After Battle:
“Oh, why you beat me? So mean!
I want to go home to my country.”

Expert Trainer

Before Battle:
“Fwo-fwo-fwo. Youngster, what’s most
important is to never give up.”
After Battle:
“Fwo-fwo-fwo.
You’re and admirable Trainer already.”

Collector Trainer

Before Battle:
“I’m the main character of this story.
It’s impossible for me to lose.”
After Battle:
“…The hero has to suffer a bit so the
audience feels more empathy.”

With only a few lines of text, Game Freak was able to give massive amounts of color and texture to the Pokémon world. It really shows how much thought they have put into the game. Beside being one of the cutest game scripts I have read, this game also managed to pack in humor, a pretty surprising vocabulary, and just a touch of social commentary.

Take a gander:

Lady Trainer

Before Battle:
“Partying, shopping, dining…
Darling, I’ve grown bored of it all.”
After Battle:
“Only battling lifts me from this idle
existence of boredom and apathy…”

Wow! I never thought I would be reading something like that in a Pokémon game.

While I do love that last one, thus far my personal favorite has been this one:

Reporter Trainer

Before Battle:
“This microphone is what made me a star.
It’s my all and everything.”
After Battle:
“…Thud. Bzzzzt…”

- Aaron M.

sprties via bulbapedia