2BA MASTER

It's taking over my life. Again. I went to bed around 2 AM and fell asleep during a battle with the Elite Four's Lucian. I woke up at 9 AM, finished him off with my Palkia's STAB Surf attack, ate a bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch (with expired milk), and then hatched 25 Eevee eggs. I'm trying to breed an Eevee with perfect IV's so that I can evolve it into a Glaceon with Snow Cloak. I'm hoping it has a modest nature so that it'll have a higher Special Attack. Then I'm going to pair it with my insta-hail inducing Abomasnow and take on the Battle Tower's Tycoon. I'm trying for a 100-win streak. Then I'm off to catch me some shinies!

Didn't understand much of that last paragraph? That's because I'm a HUGE NERD. Seriously. The newest Pokémon game came out three weeks ago. I've been locked up in my apartment for most of that time trying to "catch 'em all." Again. For the seventh or eighth time.

It's a kind of ritual I have. Every time a new Pokémon game is released, I buy it, go into hiding for about a month, get bored with it, and then promptly go back to my life as if nothing has happened. It actually got a lot worse last year when I went to the Pokémon VGC Regional tournament in Dallas. My Platinum version had about 80 hours on it when I finally put it down. I prepared so hard for that day and I didn't even get to compete because of the random selection. So sad... I did get this cool photo of Chimchar karate chopping a kid in the face though:



AND Pokémon tattoos! I rocked those tattoos so hard.

This time wasn't so bad. I only have 35 hours logged on my Silver version and I added an additional 10 to my Platinum version for breeding purposes. 45 hours over three weeks isn't so bad. Right?

(It's a little frightening that you can breed Pokémon. Especially when you can breed a male Snorlax with a female Squirtle. That poor, poor Squirtle.)

But, alas, my Pokémon interest is dying down. As soon as I get that perfect Eevee, I'm going to put my DS in a drawer until this year's Pokémon VGC Tournament. I will, however, still be using my totes mcgoats awesome Pokéwalker!



It's like a Tamagotchi but with POKÉMON! How awesome is that? You can send over any Pokémon you want to the Pokéwalker and carry it around with you throughout the day. Going to the gym? Bring along your trusty Hitmonchan to help you work-out. Feel like going to the library? Alakazam would surely love to read some books with you. I have a Gyarados in my Pokéwalker right now because what's better than carrying around a destructive kraken-type creature in your pocket?

My fancy for Pokémon (or "pocket monsters," as they are sometimes known) can be traced back over a decade ago when the original Red/Blue version came out. Back then, there was no shame in being a Pokémon trainer. Probably because I was thirteen, like everyone else who played. I bought both versions and promptly collected all 151 Pokémon within a few weeks, capped off by a climactic trip to Toys' R' Us to receive my legit Mew. I can distinctly remember the joy I felt when I connected my ice-blue Game Boy Pocket to the employee's. Within a few seconds, I had received the legendary Mew and completed my collection. I was smiling for the rest of the month. From there, I went on to collecting all of the cards, all of the stickers, all of the toys, and all of the other merchandise that Nintendo pumped out. I still have a large box filled with Pokémon stuff back home in Houston.

How crazy was I when it came to Pokémon?

I pushed an eight-year old kid down to the ground at KB Toys because he was going to take the last Charmander figurine. I was sixteen.

I camped out all night for the release of Ruby/Sapphire.

I once punched a girl in the ovaries for threatening to delete my game file.

That last one's a lie, but I probably would have. Suckas shouldn't be messing with my Pokémon!

Maybe it runs in the family. As crazy as I was about Pokémon, my mom was even crazier about Beanie Babies.

I'm not really sure what it is about Pokémon that makes my heart pound. The games are very simplistic and repetitive. In fact, the newest additions to the Pokémon series are pretty much identical to the original Red/Blue version. The only difference is that there's now nearly 500 of the little critters to catch instead of 151. I can't explain it. It's not the collecting aspect that excites me anymore either. I gave up trying to catch all of them back in 10th grade.

I think it's more so that connection to my childhood. The original games made me so incredibly happy that every time I play a new Pokémon game, I get that same feeling. It can partly be explained by nostalgia, but if it were just that, I'd stick with playing the originals. I love the Megaman series, but I don't get as excited with new releases of the Blue Bomber as I do with Pokémon. Like I said, I can't explain it. I just know that anytime a new Pokémon game is released, you can pretty much forget about getting in contact with me for three to four weeks.

I've only been that passionate over three things in my life:

Pokémon
Dance Dance Revolution
and improv.

Which explains why I'm in Chicago.

That rush I got when I defeated my first gym leader is the same rush I got whenever I saw a DDR machine which is the same rush I get when I perform a scene on stage. It's pure, pure bliss. No additives, no preservatives. Just one-hundred percent joy.

Though that doesn't make it any less weird when I go to Pokémon events and I'm surrounded by children. I feel like a total creeper.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to play with Snappy the Gyarados before I go to bed.