Why are all these esteemed professors sending you, a ten-year-old on an epic quest to become (a) become a Pokemon Master, and (b) catch all the Pokemon? I was running one day, and an explanation struck me. It's a simple explanation, but upon closer consideration, you'll see that it makes complete and total sense.
Why Catch Them All
What other significant event in history involved "catching them all"? In actual history, there's no such thing. But how about the Bible? Ever heard of the story of Noah and the Ark? Noah basically "caught" a pair of every single animal and stowed them in his Ark. This was due to the coming of a flood of epic proportions which would wipe out the wicked humans...or something like that. I'm not very clear on the story.
So if we draw parallels here to the Pokemon mythology, we see that the Professors are all "Noahs" in their own rights. What if they, in their infinite wisdom as professors, found evidence that a great flood, or natural disaster of an epic scale was coming. And this will potentially wipe out all the Pokemon and humans in existence? They love Pokemon, and see their values as awesome creatures, very much like how God in the tale of Noah looked upon animals. Of course they'd want to save them. Moreover, the power of certain Pokemon, especially legendary ones, might also make them a pre-requisite for rebuilding the world.
Once you've caught them all, in the event of the great flood, the Professors will take you some place safe. There are already Arks in the Pokemon world (SS Anne etc). You, with the professors, and any other worthy human being will successfully survive the flood. The burden of restarting society will fall upon the humans...and the burden of renewing the Pokemon ecology will lie on the Pokemon themselves.
If we go with the assumption that a great disaster is coming, then we see that quite a few details within the game actually fits, and perhaps make more sense because of it.
Pokemon Storage.
Let's take the very mechanism of the Pokeball and PC Storage for instance. If you love Pokemon, would you want to keep them cooped up in a tiny ball or as PC data? Most certainly not. But...storing one specimen of every single Pokemon in a boat would need for a pretty huge boat. Gigantic Pokemons, like Wailord, Onix and Dragonite can't simply squeeze onto a boat. So maybe...just maybe, these were constructed as a means of conveniently storing them.
A Ten-year-old's Quest.
Some people wonder too why a ten-year-old is chosen to go on a quest. Why not get someone older and more experienced? Ten-year-olds are pure. They haven't hit puberty yet...okay, let me rephrase it: kids are just more pure in general. They don't have the evils and wants that adults do, which is the primary cause of this disaster, as in the Bible. This is symbolically represented by the presence of evil organizations in every single Pokemon game: Team Rocket, Team Magma and Aqua, Team Galactic and lastly, Team Plasma. These organizations are devoid of kids; only adults are capable of evil deeds.
A far cry from paradise.
I guess if you look at it, the Pokemon world isn't a pleasant one. On top of the many evil organizations, the current status quo is that Pokemon battles are glorified cock-fights; I'll raise this Pokemon and then I'll make it fight yours, and if I win, I get your money, and if you lose, you get mine. There's a whole economy and way of life revolving around the practice. PokeMarts sell potions and supplements dedicated to making your Pokemon even stronger...like steroids. If a place ever deserved condemnation, it's this one.
The Existence of Ditto.
You only need to catch one of each species. The issue that arises now is the fact that...can you breed Pokemon when you only have one of each? This is where Ditto comes in. Ditto, a Pokemon which can transform into any other, is capable of breeding with any Pokemon, regardless of their sex. Unlike in the biblical story, this way, you only need one of each gender.
The need for strength.
Is it possible to catch all the Pokemon without getting all the badges and beating the Pokemon league? Most certainly. So then what's the point in getting the badges? But let's think about the different levels of Pokemon for a second. They range from as low as 2...to the dizzying heights of level 70, as with Mewtwo in the original game. The primary purpose of going through the rigours of Pokemon battle is for the trainer to become stronger. Attaining a certain level of strength will then allow them to catch this strong Pokemon. The gym battles and the Pokemon league are merely means to an end: to get stronger in order to catch the strongest of wild Pokemon.
Concluding Words.
At the end of the day, I guess we can't really tell for sure whether it's the creator was indeed inspired by Noah's Ark. There is compelling evidence, however, within the game itself. We also have to recognize that the Pokemon world is inspired by Japan itself, a country wrecked by many natural disasters. If there ever was a country living in fear of a great flood, it's Japan. If you look at the game through that lens, it gives it an added dimension; one of urgency, and a sense of foreboding.
Word Count: 1006. What. The. Shit. I think I got slightly carried away. And I lost the plot halfway through. Thanks for reading lol.
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