Pokémon and Me

When I was little, my mum was friends with a lady who had two sons close to my age. Each of them had their own Game Boy Colour. Whenever we went to their house, my sister would hang out with the brothers, while I usually borrowed one of their Game Boys, and this is how I was introduced to Pokémon.

Because they already had their own save files, I couldn't save my progress and get very far. Every visit meant starting from scratch. I'd make my way through the first route, battling Pidgeys and Rattatas, until it was time to go home. Sometimes when I got home, I'd go to our back room (which mum and dad made into the most amazing arts and crafts room), pull out my supplies, and make my own Pokémon cards.

Before school started in the mornings, as much as I could, I'd make sure I was in front of the TV to watch Pokémon on Toasted TV. On weekends my dad would take me to the local markets and I'd beg him to buy me the bootleg Pokémon figures they sold. I was that desperate to own anything Pokémon, even if it was terrible quality! He never gave in though. Somehow, I managed to collect a few legit figures, probably through trading random stuff up at school. There was a group of us who would bring along figures to trade and we would roleplay battles together. My Nana also gifted me two Pikachu soft toys. One looked fairly close to Pikachu's official design, while the other was very chunky, and I adored them both.

My love for Hoenn

When I was about 12, I became friends with a rich kid. He lent me his Game Boy Advance and his copy of Pokémon Sapphire, and for the first time, I was allowed to create my own save file. I played through the entire game, thoughtfully giving every Pokémon I caught its own nickname and training my team all the way until I defeated the Elite Four. Then I’d just run around, catching more Pokémon, and training them up to even higher levels. Eventually I would reset the save files, sad to lose my Pokémon but excited for a new adventure, and play again and again.

Around that same time, my dad had a friend with a boat, and I'd often tag along while they went sailing. I remember chilling out at the front of the boat, looking out across the endless ocean with the coastline stretching into the distance. In my imagination, it felt like I was in Hoenn. I did this over many summers. Even after playing almost every mainline Pokémon game, the Hoenn region is what I return to the most because it feels like home.

Hoenn and Australia

After a long day on the water, they’d sail the boat into the harbour, and we'd come home and I'd collapse on the couch, exhausted, and switch on Pokémon Sapphire. I would just run around Slateport City, and surf random routes, feeling like I'd just been there in real life. Even today, it remains one of my favourite locations in the game, because it reminds me of those carefree summer days. The town also feels just like where I grew up, in a coastal town just down the road from the beach, with outdoor markets, piers, museums, and a ferry terminal. People gather at the beach and hang out all day. Boats come and go, and there's a relaxed seaside atmosphere and lifestyle that follows.

In Hoenn, reaching Mauville City meant arriving in the centre of the Hoenn region, where everything connected. Unlocking the bikes was cool, allowing me to get around quickly and hop ledges, and then discovering the Pokémon Day Care meant I could hatch my own eggs. From Mauville, roads stretch towards the sea, the desert, mountains with caves, forests, and grassy routes. Growing up on where I did, I was always surrounded by the ocean, but it never took too long for the landscape to completely change as we travelled around. I think that's one of the reasons I also really like Mauville.

Littleroot Town, Oldale Town, and Verdanturf Town feel like so many tiny towns I’ve come across in my road trips. They especially remind me of the ones inland from the coast, where the nearest proper town is an hour away. Petalburg City is like a bigger country town, where you’re able to “go into town” as the saying goes, and buy things you need from locally owned shops. There are plenty of ferries in Australia that go to towns like Dewford, where the town itself stretches along the beach, in close proximity to attractions like cave systems and spots that are known for their amazing beaches. Lillycove City feels more like a small city, where it’s not all skyscrapers and concrete, and there’s still a heavy connection to natural landscape and the sea. Ever Grande City is a small beauty worth a mention, and it’s not hard to find hillsides with waterfalls here in Australia.

There’s Fortree City too. Since the town is built almost entirely among the treetops, it sounds like an awesome place to live (if you ignore all the bugs). Instead of paths or roads connecting the buildings, there’s a footbridge you walk along. The vegetation feels lush and tropical, like much of northern Queensland. The weather is hot and humid, with plenty of rainforests just like in its surrounding routes. The trees grow dense and the grass grows tall. There are some really cool treetop walks that exist in Australia that make me think of Fortree City.

Mossdeep City reminds me of the many islands that surround the coast of Australia, with small townships. There are a number of larger cities in Australia like Rustboro City where it’s all business, and places where volcanoes once existed that remind me in ways of Lavaridge Town. Starting hundreds of millions of years ago, volcanoes shaped my hometown, and the evidence is apparent through the rock formations and hills that remain. We even have natural mineral hot springs due to geothermal activity deep underground.

Although there are many similarities I draw between Hoenn and Australia, there are a few special exceptions. There are some calderas in Australia, but there are none like Sootopolis City where a town is built around it. With so many islands in Oceania, I have no doubt there are floating towns like Pacifidlog Town within reach of Australia, but they don’t exist within Australia. Fallarbor Town receives a lot of volcanic ash, but mainland Australia doesn’t have any active volcanoes.

My Pokémon Favourites

Favourite game: Pokémon Sapphire
Best game: Pokémon Black 2 and also HeartGold. In my heart though, thruthfully, it's Emerald.
Most time spent on a game: No idea what the hours would amount to, but it's on Pokémon Go. I have used it a ton while walking, and I went through a phase where I spoofed the heck out of my location, and would run it for hours daily. Following behind that would be Pokémon Sapphire
First game: One of the Generation II games for the GBA
Favourite region: Hoenn
Favourite locations: Slateport City, Fortree City, Undella Town. Mauville City should get a mention too
Favourite starter Pokémon: Treecko and Bulbasaur
Favourite Pokémon in general:
Growlithe, Cubone, Zangoose, Pachirisu, Treecko and Grovyle
(Treecko is my ultimate favourite, but I wanted to include more because they are also great :D)>
Best Pokémon designs:
I can't narrow it down, so here are my stand outs:
Togetic, Tropius, Golduck, Quagsire, Stantler, Mudkip, Zigzagoon and Ponyta (Galarian forms), Azurill, Altaria, Buizel, Cubchoo, Flabébé (any colour), Reuniclus, Pancham, Xerneas, Zacian, Jirachi, Suicune, Azelf
Favourite Legendaries: Latios, Kyogre, Entei
Console of choice: My hacked Nintendo 2DS
Best fan-made Pokémon games: In the past, it was Pokémon Crater and UnovaRPG. I am sad both games no longer exist, even though they were objectively bad :( These days it's PokéMMO