Nil Sine Pokemon

30 Apr 2012

I confess that I haven't been able to tend to this blog as much as I would've liked. It's not about time (or the lack of it), it's just laziness. Well, a lot of stuff has happened this month (and a lot of pics have been taken), which I simply can't do justice to by putting it in words.

I suppose, I've found a new love as well, some people are going to hate this…

…well actually it's not a new love, this dates back to 2004, so I'll narrate my history with this incredible video-game.

Back in 2004 when I was only 6 years-old, I was everything one could describe as a Pokemon fan. I used to watch the anime a lot, watched all the released movies, and even had Pokemon drawing and colouring books. In 2005, I was introduced to the world of Pokemon video-games, which I never knew existed. I remember how popular Pokemon used to be in my apartment complex, it was as if a GameBoy Advance and a Pokemon cartridge was like a piece of clothing, which you could not not have when going outside. The rage was infectious, and I soon caught on. I got my first Pokemon game as a birthday gift - Pokemon Sapphire.

So, with great exuberance, I got my first Gym badge, saved my game and went to bed. The next day when I woke up, and loaded the game, I was greeted with this message:

Serious disappointment. I tried saving again, but got the same message. I thought my Pokemaster career had come to a standstill, which it actually had. So, for the next few months, all I could do was gaze in envy at my friends' games which actually saved. Why only for a few months? Because, in February 2006, I got an original FireRed. With the same anxiousness, I tried saving, and obviously (but to my surprise), it actually worked! Joy. What followed was me getting an original Emerald as well, so I knew my career was well on its way. It was a lot of fun, when we were allowed to bring our GameBoys to school, and see whose Level 100 Mewtwo was better. I must clocked at least a total of 600 hours on both games, but in the middle of 2007, I was hit by a GameBoy ban, which didn't end till summer 2008. By then, I totally lost interest, and the GameBoy took its place as being a convenient paperweight and dust collector. Never touched it again for three years.

Then, in 2011, some of my friends came over with their GameBoys to ask me some Pokemon questions and how to get to Navel Rock without a GameShark. Of course, I had lost most of my expertise on the subject, and we never got to Navel Rock. But then, it brought back to me the fond memories of playing Pokemon, and thinking "Hey, this is fun!". The very next day, I downloaded an emulator and Emerald ROM, just to relive those moments.

It was brilliant, playing Pokemon on that queer low-resolution and basic pseudo-2.5D models. I couldn't care less about the life-like graphics in other games. This was for me. I frantically hunted for my FireRed and Emerald cartridges, but both of them were lost. Lost forever. It was a heart-breaking moment.

Soon after, I began trawling sites like Bulbapedia and Serebii, to catch up on what I missed.

It was an awful lot. But, looking closer, I saw a very sharp competitive edge to the game. I was amazed, and soon after, I swallowed the concept of EVs, IVs, and natures.

I downloaded Pokemon Platinum and DS emulator for fun. I never thought I would actually play it. I couldn't have been more wrong. I played the whole game and beat the Battle Frontier with all my newly-gained knowledge.

But soon, I realised, there's no way of playing with a real person like this. So, I (nervously) asked my parents for a DS + Pokemon Black (I would've never asked, if I hadn't got scholarship). But that was easily the best things I could ever buy. A Cosmo Black 3DS and Pokemon Black. All I could've ever wanted. I've played around 70 Wi-Fi battles, and won like 30 of them. I turned to sites like Smogon. It was incredible, a whole community of smart, competitive Pokemon players. It was just the place for me. A few months ago, I became a member, and my Pokemon journey continues to advance.

That's my story. Hope you guys liked it. No Poke-Haters please!