pokecache

[pokecache]

When I was younger anytime my parents fought, bullies beat me, or gunshots went off I’d fly to Snowpoint city and listen to the music to calm myself down and fall asleep. Now any time I hear the theme I’m brought to tears due to the deep emotional connection I have with it.

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The IKEA Story

I remember my mom and I were running errands, searching for furniture for our living room at IKEA. I was bored out of my mind, and whipped out my DS and continued playing my game of Pokemon Platinum. I have already beaten the game, and was trying to fill out my Pokedex.

I was trying to look for a Toxicroak in the Safari Zone, because I was too lazy to evolve my Croagunk. After only a few minutes of searching, I ran into a Quagsire. My first instinct was to flee and save my Safari Balls, but then I saw a hint of pink. A shiny Quagsire.

I threw my first Safari Ball, failed. I threw my second Safari Ball, failed. I was so anxious the entire time, expecting the shiny Quagsire to run away. Then, I threw my third Safari Ball... shake, shake, shake... captured. I was so over the moon. I tried showing my mom but of course she had no idea what a shiny Pokemon was or how rare it was and we just continued shopping for furniture at IKEA.

Flash-forward to this year, just a few months ago. My parents and I were driving to IKEA, trying to find a new desk for my dad's office. I was in the backseat, hatching Riolu eggs in Pokemon Moon trying to pass down a Hidden Ability. We went inside the parking lot, my eyes still glued to my 3DS. After a few dozen eggs, I grew disappointed, feeling as if I will never get my precious Hidden Ability Riolu. Then, I saw a yellow hint. A shiny Riolu. I wasn't even trying to hatch a shiny, but there he was, 5IVs, 4 egg moves, Hidden Ability, and yes, also gotten at IKEA.

I'll let you know one thing for sure, next time I'm looking for a shiny Pokemon, I'm going to IKEA.

[pokecache]

pokemon experience submission thing

my first ever shiny was a quagsire in diamond, my first game! I was sooo anxious because it was at the freaking SAFARI ZONE AND RAN AWAY 2 TIMES. but i eventually tracked it and caught it! I transferred him to ORAS and still like to just look at him, yah'know?????

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Pokémon Platinum was the first pokémon game I’ve ever played, and I also really enjoyed the anime while it took place in the sinnoh region! I have a strong connection to that region and it’s pokémon! Every time I hear the twinleaf town theme I get chills! I just really, really love the 4th gen and it will forever be my favourite!! 

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Oh geez Pokemon has been with me since I was about 5 years old, I have so many fond memories of it. I played it pretty much every day for years, and then somehow one day I learned about shiny pokemon. I had just gotten a copy of leaf green and Charmander was my favorite pokemon at the time, so of course like 8 year old me was gung ho about soft resetting to get a shiny charmander. So I did. I soft resetted for months and watched videos of people getting shinies on their 100th try and I was so jealous. Well eventually I stopped soft ressetting every day because of school and stuff and only did it during holiday breaks. Fast forward to me being a 19 year old in college and I got the shiny itch again. I picked up my old gameboy and started to soft reset, laughing at myself because I’ve been at this for 11 years now there’s no way I’m ever gonna get this shiny charmander. But then, as I was just mindlessly resetting I see it. There’s a golden charmander right there in my party. I screamed and jumped out of my chair and nearly started crying, I had never been so happy to get a pokemon before in my life. Needless to say this charmander is my pride and joy and I feel like a childhood wish of mine came true.

[pokecache]

First shiny

I vividly remember when I was swimming to reach another area of land in Pokémon Pearl. As I was making my way, the battle scene commenced. I was expecting to run into another Magikarp, but I was very VERY wrong. I froze in my seat as stars glittered over a gorgeous, shiny Tentacool. He was my first and only caught shiny. I beat Team Galactic and the Eleite

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The year is 2013. I’m trying to catch all the pokemon that exist in Black 2 currently.

It’s route 3, I’m wandering around catching some stuff, I have a few pokemon left and the battle music cuts in.

My hands start shaking as it comes into view, my eyes widen and I shriek in excitement. It’s a shiny yanma. The first shiny I’ve ever seen in my life that wasn’t on a recording or a picture.

I can feel my hands sweating as I carefully do everything in my power not to kill it. I’m not going to lose this one. It’s blue and sparkly and I’m not even sure if I’m breathing as I throw the pokeball.

It shakes three times, the sweat on my palms is so bad I have no idea how my 3DS hasn’t slipped out of my palms and onto my bedroom floor.

The catch music plays and I scream, clutching my 3DS tighter as I name the Yanma ‘Blue’ and he transfers to the PC.

I save and then I run to the nearest center to take Blue out of the PC and just run around with my shiny yanma everywhere I’ve been.

I suppose I’ve kept this memory with me because Blue was my first and he’s still currently chilling in Alola being pampered as hell but also because I’ve seen 3 shinies(not counting the gyarados in the lake of rage) and caught two of the three.

My brother has been playing for more years than I have and has only got the red gyarados.

[pokecache]

My first pokémon game was Diamond, which my best friend at the time (and also secretly my crush) got me, and now whenever I hear the cries of Starly, Bidoof, or Chimchar I get transported back to 2008 and all those hours spent exploring that new world

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Sinnoh had recently came out, and my brother out of the goodness of his heart bought me a copy. I was so excited for it cause it was my first Pokemon game that I owned for myself (I was like 10-11ish.) It was during the Summer and I remember staying up until 6 in the morning curled up on my Mom’s office chair watching Avatar the Last Airbender reruns on her computer and playing the game. I ended up getting stuck at a part and having to look up a playthrough, I stumbled across Merilands Pokemon Adventures (who was my first YouTube gamer) and had another all nighter on my moms computer playing along with him. It was honestly such an amazing thing, sometimes I’ll feel nostalgic and put on Avatar or Meriland and play Diamond into the late hours of the night. I also caught my first shiny during this time, which was a gastly that I nicknamed Zuko. So yeah, my first time playing through diamond is defiantly my favorite Pokemon memory. Sinnoh will always have a special place in my heart (as well as haunters)

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Mine is s recent one. Surprisingly I have always loved bug type Pokémon. It ironically comes from when I was younger and my house got infested by bed bugs. I just became fascinated with insects and all invertebrates. Enter gen 7 and seeing the Pokémon Wimpod. I fell in love with that Pokémon. I was very lucky that I found a shiny one. I named him Whimpy. To know that my favorite character Guzma trained one made me want to do the same. Mine evolved into a Golisopod and I always have him by my side no matter what kind of battle we are in. I can’t wait to travel the Alola region with him again in ultra sun and ultra moon and hopefully many more regions.

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I remember when I was first getting into games and I got to Jublife in Platinum and I was so amazed at how big the city was and how good it looked. It was just this sense of absolute wonder that I’ve only ever encountered once since then

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My school’s Pokemon club had a challenge where we had to start a fresh Gen IV game and get as far as we could in two weeks. We’d use our teams in Battle Revolution and see them all in 3D. It was fun going back through Sinnoh, trying to build the best team I could with what I knew I could find, all with a time limit, and the pressure of college weighing down on me.

Rushing through Sinnoh was a very different experience than the normally leisurely experience it provides. Every decision had to be optimized for speed, especially when working within the natural slowness of Platinum. For example, when I needed to level up my team, I would crash my underleveled team against the Elite Four over and over, slowly gaining experience until Aaron, Bertha, even Lucian consistently fell to my onslaughts. On the side, I also loaded my team into my copy of Battle Revolution, which was being used to host the challenge, and fought through the game until I could buy the items I needed to win.

By the deadline, not everyone had beaten the game. One person reset for a shiny starter, but was still able to evolve her into a Quilava. I had a good team with a Garchomp, Magmortar, Hippowdon, Empoleon, Staraptor, and Roserade, and was challenged by the others who had beaten their respective games. I stood at the very top of the club that night, after weeks of dedication, and not even a dip in my grades to show for all my “wasted” time.

[pokecache]

Pokememories

Do you have any particularly fond memories of Pokemon? Have you ever considered sharing them? Please, do!

Pokeache is a collection of fond and bitersweet memories trainers like you have made doing what you love. If you have a moment that made you jump from your seat, submit it to us and have it be published! Was there a time you faced all odds and cleared the impossible? Share it with us and know we’re excited too. Do you need closure on something and talking about it would help? Our box is open for you too, friend. 

Submit memories here!

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50 followers and 40 submissions in one night! Thank you all so much, I'm glad there's people who are as passionate about stories as I am!

[pokecache]

My bittersweet memory was just playing my first pokemon game(pokemon platinum). I was seven, I didn't understand english and it took me years to finish the game. I loved playing it but I had no idea what was going on. Also, whenever my parents bought me a pokemon magazine with cool stuff about pokemon platinum I could read about all the cool stuff I'd miss like wifi games and tournaments. I really want the sinnoh remakes to come out so that I can do internet stuff I wasn't able to do before.

[pokecache]

the saddest part of playing pokemon, to me, is trying to reset the game... one time i was gonna do a rerun of diamond (bc i never finished it) and reset my game with absolutely zero pokemon i felt attached in it and felt HORRIBLE theyre all lost to the void now :[ i don't even remember what they were but i still feel bad

[pokecache]

When i first played pokemon at age 8, i never thought of saving and resetting before gyms, legendaries, etc and so i only have dialga, azelf, and giratina. I also sucked at movesets and have a garchomp with all special moves and 2 hms