Although I yearn for the good ol’ days when there was only Red and Blue versions of Pokemon and “The Original 151,” I’ve had to “get with the times” and acknowledge there are now roughly 54,000 new Pokemon species. Additionally, there are so many new versions that they have to incorporate adjectives ALONG with colors into the game titles!
Recently, my daughter was playing Pokemon Brilliant Diamond (see what I mean with these names?!), and she asked me to help her with the adventure. Given that I pretty much blitzed through the Gameboy Red Version back in 1997, I humbly accepted her request. Not to brag, but I raised a Dratini all the way into a Dragonite back in the late 20th century, and my Blastoise was pretty much invincible. I mean, the “Ph” in PhD stands for “Pokemon Hero,” right?
And as I assessed her Team, I recognized Kadabra as a holdover from past eras; he’s always good. And then she had a cool-looking penguin that didn’t suck, so I figured I could get by with two strong Pokemon. The goofy beaver and the awkward vulture in her posse could just tag along for the ride!
And typically how these games work is you’ll defeat a bunch of other trainers and eventually reach the Pokemon League, which is a tournament where you compete against the “Elite Four.” And after a series of progressively more difficult battles, you reach the Final Boss. And if you defeat the Ultimate Enemy, you gain access to some previously inaccessible caves for exploration, have the opportunity to catch more Pokemon, and get to bask in the glory of your championship pedigree.
Well, the Ultimate Enemy in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond is named Cynthia, and I vastly underestimated her power. Even if I vanquish her first few “weak” Pokemon, she brings out some hellish dragon-like creature called Garchomp. And it either suckerpunches you before you can even do anything or kills you in one hit. My Kadabra and penguin guy are completely useless against Garchomp, and no amount of potions or special items can prevent me from utter annihilation. Super fun.
And I guess trying to defeat Garchomp with my current party is sort of like people trying to defeat Death. Sure, you can overcome certain non-fatal illnesses with modern medicine. Yes, you can mitigate the risk of chronic disease with appropriate lifestyle interventions and possibly even use “peptides” as “special items” in your quest for longevity. But eventually, Cynthia brings out Garchomp…and you are completely at its mercy. It may strike early, or it might wait around for you to try some futile attacks before wiping you out. But no one defeats it alone.
But if you and your party stop relying on your Kadabra and your Cool Penguin and become disciples of the One who defeated the power of Sin(thia), then there’s nothing that can touch you. Eventually Garchomp will be brought out…but you’ve already won. The Ultimate Enemy is powerless. And with a victory that you could have never earned on your own, you have gained eternal access to the otherwise inaccessible paradises that endure long after your showdown with the Final Boss😊
Romans 8:37-39
