May 2, 2026
On my birthday before my father passed away,
I received a reprimanding.
Father said,
“You understand nothing.
You win and win and know nothing.
You don’t know your opponent.
You don’t know yourself.
You don’t know your Pokemon.
You don’t know why you fight.
You fight and battle and nothing.
And your victory means nothing
because you know nothing!
Start over and learn something!
Give me your Pokemon;
have my Pokemon for a year.
Don’t disappoint me.”
I received my father’s Medicham.
Father says, “Learn self-reflection.”
I received my father’s Lucario.
Father says, “Be aware of other’s emotions.”
I received my father’s Sunkern.
Father says, “You move too much. Learn to be still.”
I received my father’s Omastar.
Father says, “If you make your shell too big, how can you carry yourself?”
I received my father’s Palafin.
Father says, “Heroes remember their zeroes.”
I received my father’s Tyranitar.
Father says, “Victory is possible with power; but power isn’t possible without wisdom.”
I took my father’s Pokemon and looked him in the eye,
a glaring look in his face that acknowledged nothing I thought of myself.
Once again,
regressed to a 10 year old by his stern gaze,
I glanced down and nodded.
He said nothing else
as I walked away with his Pokemon.
Fanfiction inspired by The Pokemon Company International.
Happy 30th anniversary of Pokemon this year.
Autism Librarian
The Causes of Autism 