VGC- An Adventure through Victory Road

Two weekends ago, me and my brother finally competed in the Pokémon VGC tournament again! For those of you who don't know, VGC is the Videogame Competition that Pokémon holds every year. Last year, my brother Scott qualified all the way to Worlds in San Diego. This year, we trained harder than we ever trained before in hopes to win it all.

The tournament rules for VGC were different than last years. Instead of single elimination, the tournament was conducted in Swiss Rounds. Instead of being eliminated, players would continue to battle each other. The players with the highest win-streaks would fight each other until only one would have an undefeated record. The juniors played for 6 rounds while the masters played for 8. The juniors had about 48 contestants while the masters had about 148.

We got up pretty early to get to the Hilton on time. The tournament location was about an hour away. I was excited to try on my N costume. My mom's expression when she first saw me was priceless. She said something along the lines of "you're going to change right?" Not likely, because I've been working on the costume for a couple of months now. Besides, N's outfit is the most normal looking in Pokémon, which is really saying something.

See the resemblance? We're like twins!

I wanted a Hydreigon, but hey it's still cool.

We got there around 8 in the morning. My brother promptly registered and went straight to grab some breakfast. While my family was chowing down like a couple of Snorlax, I couldn't eat. Fear was gripping me. What if we forget what moves work best on what Pokémon? What if we run into a threat we didn't predict? What if his DS dies during battle? I clutched my commemorative Shelmet card as we walked in. I could only hope that he would do well.

Scott chatting it up with another competitor. He always has a calm demeanor going into battles.

Unlike me, Scott is pretty calm. You might say he has a high Special Defense! Get it? Because in the game, having a Calm nature boosts your Special Defense and...forget it. Anyways, after a close first match my brother claims victory! I don't remember how the match went, but they took out Scott's main sweeper. Still, he kept a cool head and emerged victorious. His other matches go well and Scott continues to defeat trainers each round. We get into the finals, and this is when things start to heat up.

 Last year at regionals, my brother fought a kid named Kobe (not Bryant, I don't think he even plays Pokémon) and lost. When the announcements for the final pairings came up, you bet I had Butterfrees in my stomach when I saw my brother had to fight Kobe. It was like facing your rival in Red and Blue; the entire Pokémon journey was leading up to that fateful battle. Only one would be declared a champion.

Scott and Kobe before their final match.

Honestly I had no idea how the battle went until my brother was done. One second, my brother was smiling, the next his face was buried in the DS screen. It was a close match, but in the end my brother clenched victory for a perfect 6-0 record! At the end, they were both beaming and shook hands. It was an sincere act of sportsmanship. After the battle, Scott told me that Kobe was a really good friend. It's moments like these that really make me love Pokémon; games like these have the power to bring out the best in people.

My matches weren't as good. Granted, I was using last year's team so my strategy was pretty antiquated. Still, I walked away with a 4-4 record, which isn't too shabby. I always got beat by people who used shiny Pokémon. I guess I couldn't attack pretty looking Pokémon. Darn you shiny Volbeat! I want one! Anyways, here's my last battle of the evening. I got pretty lucky at the end, but it was a great battle nonetheless.   

So what now? Well, since my brother won we'll be going to Nationals this June in Indianapolis. He's already called me up and we've started planning changes to his team. Hopefully when school ends, I'll have time to build my own team. We've met a lot of cool people at regionals and overall had a great time. We've survived the trek through Victory Road. Up next, the Elite Four! They'll be plenty of fierce challenges ahead but I know we'll be ready for them. 

My brother's trophy and hat. Congratulations Scott! You deserve it :)

A Traveler's Guide to the Pokémon World

Plan on traveling for Spring Break but haven't picked a destination yet? How about making a trip to the Pokémon world. The Pokémon world is both vast and beautiful. From the humble grasslands of Route 1 to the majestic mountaintop of Spear Pillar, the scenery in Pokémon is breathtaking. I'll show you some of the hotspots that you should definitely visit.

The desert Orre region isn't one of the most famous regions in the Pokémon world, but is beautiful nonetheless. The Orre region is known for having well developed cities, including the water city of Phenac

A jewel in the desert that overflows with water

Phenac City stood as an oasis in the arid Orre region. The city is flowing with water and the stadium is simply gorgeous. The citizens are all cheerful with smiling faces. You can always count on seeing that jogger with his Castform running around the central fountain. For fun, I would stand in front of Castform to make it stop moving :P. While the city was once run by a corrupt mayor, efforts from a valiant trainer put the Cipher member behind bars. It might be peaceful, but there's still plenty of action for trainers wishing to hone their skills. Those itching for Pokémon battles should make their way to the Pregym and Stadium, where there's always a competition going on.

One of the many floor in Mt. Moon

Most trainer's first encounter with a mountain would have to be the Mt. Moon. In between Pewter and Cerulean City, Mt. Moon has a complex interior filled with Zubats. Their use of Supersonic can get bothersome, so it's highly recommended that trainers carry repels with them. A while back, fossils of Pokémon were discovered. While the original Kabuto and Omanyte fossils are long gone, it's still possible that more fossils lie inside Mt. Moon.

In the Kanto region, Mt. Moon serves as the exclusive home for Clefairys. These usually shy Pokémon come out to play every Monday night. They dance on the mountaintop as the starry sky sparkles on the water's surface. It's truly a sight to behold, but trainers must be cautious. If spotted, the Clefairys will hastily retreat. They usually leave behind a Moon Stone. Many Pokémon that evolve when exposed to a Moon Stone live in the surrounding areas. Mt. Moon is a mysterious place. It's full of wonder, magic and Zubats. Lots and lots of Zubats...

Feeling homesick on your journey to becoming the Pokémon master? Well plan a trip to Hearthome City, a home away from home! Located in the Sinnoh region, Hearthome is one of the larger cities in the region. 

Home is where the heart is

Going out on the town is a great way for you and your Pokémon to relax. There are many things to do in Hearthome. Amity Square is a park where you and your Pokémon can frolic. It's possible to pick up some rare items while roaming around, so be sure to talk to your Pokémon often. The Super Contest Hall hosts Pokémon contests. People from around the world travel to Hearthome to see and partake in contests. It's a great way to show off your beautiful Milotic to the world! There's also a Poffin House where you can make tasty treats for your Pokémon, a cathedral, and even a Pokémon Gym. Fantina uses Ghost type Pokémon not only in battle but also in contests. A visit to Hearthome city is a heart warming experience.

The Unova region has some remarkable landmarks like Skyarrow Bridge and Celestial Tower. One location that's fun to visit and filled with history is Liberty Garden.

A shiny beacon of hope

Accessed by taking a boat from Castelia City's pier, Liberty Garden stands as a symbol of victory for the Unova people. The garden is lush all year round and people gather from all over to visit the lighthouse. It's said that a Victini makes its home in the basement of the lighthouse. Victory, Victini, you get the idea. While there isn't any battles or wild Pokémon running amok, it's a nice place to visit if you're looking to relax and bask in the history of Unova. You could also go to the Desert Resort if you wanted to learn more about Unova lore, but the sand in your eyes might not be enjoyable.

The Pokémon world is a unique place to visit. There are places for every type of traveler to explore. So what are you waiting for? Hop on your Pidgeotto, teach it Fly, and go out and explore the Pokémon world!  

Xatu used Future Sight!

It's been six days since the new year started and I'm already excited for what the future holds. New games, cards and other cool stuff have already been announced for Pokémon this upcoming year. Grab the nearest Psychic type near you, order it to do Future Sight, and take a look at what 2012 will bring! ...Or you can just read this post and get a glimpse of what's going down this year.

New cards! The newest expansion, Next Destinies, will be hitting shelves early February. Unlike previous Black and White expansions, Next Destinies features Pokémon from all 5 generations. There is also the return of Pokémon EX cards. I drooled all over the computer screen when I first saw Mewtwo-EX. The theme decks look pretty cool, but I already own the Reshiram and Zekrom card from the first series.  

Can't wait to add this to the collection

While I wasn't as big of a fan for Pokepark as my brother was, I'm still excited for its sequel to come out. The cool thing about Pokepark 2 is that you can control Pikachu, Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott. There's also multiplayer minigames. My favorite part about the first game were the battles. It's the closet thing to battling in the anime. 

A Pokémon crossover? Meowth that's right! Completely out of the blue, it was announced that Pokémon will appear in a crossover game with Nobunaga's Ambition. Nobunaga's Ambition is a turn-based RPG where players go around conquering feudal Japan. It's quite interesting how they applied Pokémon to the formula. The gameplay sort of reminds me of Advance Wars. The trainers look pretty cool, especially the guy who owns the Articuno. Unfortunately there is no release date outside of Japan, but here's hoping!

 

The thing I'm most excited for is to compete in VGC again! A few cities already had their regional tournaments last November. April 15th has been marked on my calendar for a long time, and I've been working all break trying to get my team ready. The competition will be fierce, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

There's still plenty more to come in the year 2012. The year so far is shaping out to be a good one, and I can't wait to see where my Pokémon adventure leads me next!

Finishing it off with False Swipe!

The Pokémon anime has got to be one of the most craziest shows to date. Granted, the plot pretty much follows a four step process each week:
1. Ash and friends go to a new town.
2. They meet a trainer with the Pokémon of the week.
3. Team Rocket attempts to steal it, Pikachu thunderbolts, Team Rocket blasts off again.
4. Ash and friends say goodbye to the trainer and Pokémon of the week.

Still, there are some hilarious, weird, and touching moments in the show.

One of the most memorable moments happens in a recent episode. Ash and friends meet a sneaky Purrloin and help a trainer reunite with it. All the while, Meowth and Oshawott are flirting with Purrloin trying to have it go out with them. The episode's almost over and the main conflict is resolved when Meowth and Oshawott offer Purrloin roses. Purrloin says something and her trainer tells the Pokémon that "Purrloin's a guy." Meowth and Oshawott's faces are priceless!

Yep, Purrloin's a guy

I bet Rhydon got a charge out of that!

This is a pretty famous goof. It's amazing how often Pikachu defies the type effectiveness chart, and this moment is just one of the many times that Pikachu sticks its tongue at the gameplay mechanics. Ash is fighting Blaine, the seventh gym leader of the Kanto region. At first, Ash orders Pikachu to use thunderbolt on Rhydon. As to be expected, electric attacks don't work on ground types. But then, inspiration hits the young trainer. Pikachu! The horn! Brock gives some stupid explanation that "the horn acts like a lightning rod" and Rhydon faints. It still does not change the fact that RHYDON IS A GROUND TYPE AND ELECTRIC ATTACKS DON"T WORK ON IT! 

We'll miss you old friend

Possibly the saddest moment in Pokémon history was when Ash had to say bye to his Butterfree. The day this episode aired must have been devastating for kids everywhere. Bowls of cereal were filled with tears as children watched Ash bid farewell to Butterfree on that dark, Saturday morning. It's surprising to note that Butterfree was only around for about 19 episodes before it left. Still, this was a memorable episode and it taught me that sometimes, you just have to say goodbye. While you might bid farewell, you'll never forget about old friends you made.  Butterfree is still one of my favorite Pokémon, and I'll never forget it. 

The twerps don't suspect a thing

Another classic Team Rocket moment. In an attempt to steal a Nuzleaf for the boss, Team Rocket decide to dress up Meowth as a Shiftry. Ash and his friends unsuspectingly believe Team Rocket until Dawn pulls out her Pokedex. Her Pokedex talks about "Meowth the Scratch Cat Pokémon" and the pesky feline blows their cover by talking. Even after all that, Ash still asks the trio who are they. Seriously kid, it's been over ten years. If Jessie's abnormal hair style didn't tip you off, then the talking Meowth should have.   

The girl who liked Brock

Oh Brock, there are just too many moments when you hit on girls. Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, the trainer of the week, the list goes on and on. Too bad each and every time, Misty/Max/Croagunk ruin it for Brock and drag him away. There is one episode when the girl actually LIKES Brock. Unfortunately, he doesn't share the same feelings. Brock finally accepts her until she falls in love with James! Later on, things get heated in a battle and the girl gets knocked out by a water gun. Eventually she recovers, but then falls in love with the doctor who healed her. It's back to square one for Brock. Better luck next time. Besides, she was crazy to begin with.


After over 700 episodes, the show is still going strong. Oddly enough, Ash hasn't aged a bit. While I may not keep up with the show as much as I used to, it's still fun to tune in from time to time.
*Pictures courtesy of Serebii.net

Oooh...It's So Shiny!

One of my secret shames in Pokémon is that I'm a huge fan of shiny Pokémon! Out of all my creatures including EV training projects, RNG abuses, and perfect IV'd legendaries, nothing compares to the love I have for my shiny Pokémon. Shiny Pokémon are simply just an alter coloration of regular Pokémon, but the chance of finding them is rare. Long story short, the chance of encountering a shiny Pokémon is 1 in 8192 chance. That's approximately a .01% chance of encountering a shiny each time you run into a Pokémon. I've had the fortune of catching 12 of them! Each one has their own story.

My First Shiny!

I remember catching this guy back in the summer of 2007 when Pearl just came out. My grandpa was taking us to Kemah, the boardwalk attraction in Galveston, that day. While my brother was getting ready for the day, I caught a normal Regigigas. I was about to save when I decided I should go for a shiny Pokémon. So, on the car ride to and back, I kept on soft resetting with no luck. As me, my sister, and my brother were watching some old movies, this baby showed up! Hesitant to lose my first shiny, I chucked a Master Ball at it and caught it! It doesn't have any noteworthy stats or nature, but I still love it.

Immediately after catching Regigigas, I went after Rotom. I was hunting for this guy for two weeks without any luck. Being a huge Simpsons fan, I was excited to go to the midnight premiere of the movie. Unfortunately my grandpa got really sick so I spent the night at his place making sure he was ok. As soon as I got there, I soft resetted and encountered the beauty pictured here! Missing the Simpsons Movie premiere wasn't a big deal, my grandpa quickly recovered and I got a new shiny Pokémon to boot.

First Firered Shiny!

This was by far the quickest obtained shiny by far. It was now 2008 and I haven't caught a shiny in about a year. Right as soon as I got up, I turned on my DS and was at the Power Plant in Firered. I got to a Poke Ball, pressed A, and an Electrode appeared. Wanting to get a shiny one, I saved in front of it and kept on shiny resetting. 30 minutes later while I was brushing my teeth, shiny Electrode appears!


This guy...man it took a long time! I remember soft resetting for this guy for an entire year. In my Firered game, I would soft reset for him off and on at Route 12. About a month after I caught Electrode, I got Snorlax. It put up quite a fight and broke through three Timer Balls before I caught this guy. Being one of my favorite Pokémon, I was glad I caught a shiny Snorlax.

A few days after I caught Snorlax, I was shiny resetting in Pearl at the Valley Windworks while playing Pokémon Colosseum. It was shiny, but I wasn't really excited when I caught it. It's not like Drifloon looks ugly shiny; I absolutely love it. I guess it was that I just caught a shiny a few days ago so it wasn't a big deal. I
still caught it pretty easily, although it did break out of the first Repeat Ball I threw.

My First Random Shiny

This actually came as a surprise. While EV training my Blissey in Firered, I ran into a shiny Tangela! Luckily I had an Electabuzz who knew Swift, so I was able to weaken it and paralyze it with Static to catch it. Tangela was also my first shiny of 2009 and the first I got in college.

Wooper was another shiny I caught while EV training in Pearl. It was right before we got off for Christmas Break when I caught this cute guy in a Heal Ball. Nothing really special about this shiny, but you can't resist a pink Wooper! They look so cute!

First Heartgold Shiny

It was Spring Break when Heartgold came out. Less than ten minutes into the game, I ran into this shiny on Route 30! Luckily I didn't run into it any sooner or else I wouldn't have had any Pokeballs. Unfortunately I lost the original game where Pidgey came from, but I traded it to Pearl before then so at least I still have it.

Giratina took possibly the longest time to catch. I started shiny resetting for it back in the summer of 2010. My Platinum game was just sitting in front of Giratina for about six months until school started back up after Christmas. Right before I was going to the TSTV station, this guy showed up! Granted, a Quiet nature isn't the best, but after six months I didn't care. I quickly chucked a Master Ball at it and caught it! Not only was Giratina my first and only shiny in Platinum, it was also my first shiny of 2011.

Patrat was a total surprise to me. I was hunting for some synchronizing Munnas when a Shiny Patrat appeared in the Dreamyard! Luckily I had my Galvantula with me, so I paralyzed it and caught it with a Premier Ball. I love my first shiny in Black! I even recorded a video of me encountering it, but that won't see the light of day...

My personal favorite shiny Pokémon. I was hunting Latios at Pewter City for about two weeks. Me and my sister were driving up after spending Easter Sunday with our family. I pop open my DS, start shiny resetting, and bam! Shiny Latios appears! It was pretty stubborn and I almost wasted all of my Pokeballs to catch it. I finally snagged it with a Fast Ball. My synchronizer worked and Latios had a Timid nature. I EV trained it and plan on getting as many ribbons as possible for it.

Bidoof is probably the most perplexing shiny Pokémon I caught to date. After I went out to eat with a friend, I looked up some info on how to use the Pokeradar in Pearl to get a shiny. Apparently, if you use the fishing rod and defeat the Pokémon you lured, you can reset the grass shakes to get the desired patch. After a chain of two, I ran into a shiny Bidoof! However, I don't remember seeing the shiny patch. The next Pokémon I ran into was a Starly and my chain broke. So even to this day, I still don't know whether Bidoof was from a shiny patch or just a random encounter.

And those are my shinys I caught to date. Currently, I'm hunting for Rayquaza in Emerald, Suicune in Heartgold, and Spiritomb in Pearl. Maybe I'll get another shiny to add to this list soon enough. Good luck to all of you shiny hunters out there. Make sure you always carry Pokéballs with you; you never know when you'll encounter a shiny!

A Day in the Life (Heartgold)

So what exactly does a typical day in the life of a trainer consist of? Today, we'll follow my exploits on Pokémon Heartgold.

8:47 PM- I start up the game at Saffron City Pokémon Center. I Tune in to "Pokémon Talk" Radio Show. Mary talks about a Ditto swarm. I turn off the radio.

8:50 PM- I walk around the city with Espeon. Espeon looks very happy! I receive a yellow flower from her and put it in my Fashion Case.

9:05 PM- I call Chuck up for a rematch. He takes a break from his 24/7 training and magically teleports to the Fighting Dojo.

9:17 PM- I sweep Chuck 6-0. He didn't stand a chance. Going back to the Pokémon Center, I go through my PC and discover I caught a Jolly Horsea sometime ago. I decide to EV train it.

9:20 PM- I take the Magnet Train to Goldenrod City. I visit the Goldenrod Mall and buy steroids...I mean vitamins for my Horsea.

9:34 PM- After 14 minutes of EV training, I find out that Horsea's ability is Sniper. Sad it wasn't Swift Swim, I shove Horsea in the dark depths of the PC.

9:40 PM- I decide to hunt for a Shiny Venonat. I make my way over to Route 24, mindlessly running in the tall grass over and over again.

9:57 PM- I give up hunting. I make my way back to Cerulean City. Joey calls, tells me about how his Rattata is in the "top percentage of Rattata". I facepalm myself and hang up the phone.

10:02 PM- I challenge Chuck again. After sweeping his team for a second time, mom calls. She said she used some of my money and bought me something at the store.

10:05 PM- After picking up the Yache berries my mom bought at the store, I return to the Pokémon Center in Saffron City. I save my game and end my day.

And that is basically the day in the life of my Heartgold game. Hopefully I can go one playthrough without Joey calling about his top percentile Rattata.

Yes, I Play a Children's Card Game

While I've collected Pokémon cards for the longest time, I never got into the game until earlier this year. So this past Sunday, I went to the prerelease tournament for the newest trading card expansion, Noble Victories. At a prerelease tournament, you pay $25 and receive six booster packs of unreleased cards. You then build a 40 card deck, compete with other players, and see who will win. Needless to say, I lost horribly in the first round. But hey, I got some sweet cards out of it and two more booster packs to boot!

  

Everyone who entered gets a promo Victini. While low on HP, you get a 25 percent chance to dish out 120 damage with V-blast! That is pretty crazy to be honest. It has a cool design as well. If you had the Fire Victini on the bench, you could use its ability Victory Star to redo a bad coin flip.





I pulled this Haxorus from a pack! Haxorus is one of my brother's favorite Pokémon, so I can't wait to show it to him. Competitively speaking, I can't say that Haxorus is good or bad. 120 damage with Giga Impact is a lot, but not being able to attack the next turn is a downfall. Dual Chop requires good coin flips, but it can go for a max of 100 damage. Colorless Pokémon are great for any team mainly because any basic energy card could be attached to them. If anything else, the design looks cool enough.



I got both Conkeldurrs that were released during Noble Victories. This holographic one in particular was pretty cool. Besides looking pretty, this card is pretty decent in battle. Its ability Craftmanship gives an additional 20 HP for every fighting energy that's attached. Conkeldurr is already bulky without this ability. The added HP makes it a behemoth to take down. Top Down may look like an average attack, but good coin flips can literally devour your opponent's deck. I was planning on using this at the prerelease, but I didn't get a Gurdurr to evolve it from. Just my luck.




 Eviolite is great for Basic Pokémon like Druddigon, Kyurem, or Zekrom. Basically, any damage done by attacks is reduced by 20 after applying resistance and weakness. This also helps avoid damage that Pokémon can take while sitting on the bench. This is a pretty cool card, so I was quite excited when I got a reverse holo version of it. Like I said, this card works well with strong Basic Pokémon like Druddigon and Kyurem. Did I get any of those Pokémon? Nope. 



  I might not have the best luck when getting cards from booster packs, but it was fun to go regardless. I met cool people, made new friends, and got some new cards to add to my collection. I hope to attend another prerelease in the future with my brother, but in the meantime I still have two booster packs with his name on it.