I guarantee this will make you want to play VGC - Cybertron's 2011 Worldstory

[Cybertron]

Voted the best warstory of 2011 by the Smog Awards!

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Posing with only like 50 of the coolest people ever. No big deal or anything.

From 17th Place to 1st to 17th...
A VGC 2011 Worlds Warstory, by Aaron / Cybertron.
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Introduction
This is always the long part... in fact, none of it even talks about the actual event. Still, I find it fun to write and include in all my warstories. Read if you're bored :D

First off, you don't know how long I've been putting this off. I wrote most of this warstory 3 weeks after Worlds, but never really got to posting it because I still had so much to finish, but I don't want this to just disappear since I really had a lot of fun writing this and I don't want the memories to just fade away... I hope you enjoy this warstory, even if it's like 7 weeks overdue.

I'll start off by introducing myself. Most VGC players already know me, but my name is Aaron. I'm just your average 13 year old... who has a huge passion for Pokemon. I've been playing Pokemon ever since I was around 7, and started playing competitively after going to the JAA stop in Long Island in 2006. My main passion for Pokemon started with the Trading Card Game. In 2008, I finished in the Top 16 at Nationals and qualified for the World Championships through a ranking invite. That was also the year they held the first official "VGC" tournament, known as the Video Game Showdown back then. After learning about it through my good friend Dan, also known as dtrain, I decided I wanted to check it out just for fun. To my surprise, I ended up finishing in the Top 4 with a rather random team that I built last minute, which consisted of Pokemon such as Kingdra and Vaporeon. Pokemon paid for my trip to Worlds that year, and I ended up declining my TCG invite and tried my hand at the VGC. Unfortunately, I got knocked out the first round in the single elimination tournament because of some hax and that ended my run. Still, I became hooked with playing the video game competitively and decided I would focus on it more in future years.

To shorten the next three years up (2009, 2010, 2011), I steadily improved with each year. In 2009, I was denied a chance of playing because of the silly lottery system that they had, and my flight to Nationals was canceled due to poor weather. My last year as a Junior, and I wouldn't get a chance to even play! In 2010, with only two divisions, I was basically the youngest in the "Seniors" division. To my surprise, I finished in 4th out of 768 at the Newark Regionals, and barely missed out on the Worlds Invite at Nationals, finishing 17th. I also convinced my younger brother, Brendan, to play last year. He did pretty awesome too, for his first year! He finished 3rd at the Newark Regionals, and 26th at Nationals. Neither of us qualified for Worlds, but we still had a great experience and learned a lot.

Now we're up to this year - 2011. (PS: A lot of this is just repeating what I said in my Regionals/Nationals warstory!) I started practicing under the VGC rules way later than everyone else, maybe only a month before tournaments started throughout America. I ended up using a Tailwind team, which consisted of Tornadus, Terrakion, Chandelure, Jellicent, Amoonguss, and Thundurus at Regionals, Nationals, and Worlds. My brother had a very similar team, which basically had the same Pokemon. After we both finished 1st at the Washington DC Regionals, I saw that we both stood a solid chance this year - we were finally making a name for ourselves! Nationals at Indianapolis was a huge success for both of us. My brother finished 2nd, losing only to Henry/Snake, one of the coolest Juniors and a very strong trainer. I managed to win the whole tournament, beating many friends and good opponents along the way. The whole thought of representing the USA at the World Championships is pretty cool, and I was glad to just make it back after a disappointing year in 2008. And for how we ended up doing at Worlds... guess you'll just have to keep on reading.

Prologue: Post Nationals

After winning Nationals, I had a lot of confidence with the team I used. My brother used the same team and finished 2nd in the Juniors division, and Simon/TDS used a similar team in Masters and finished 3rd in the Masters division. I knew it was solid, and really didn't want to switch a team I didn't have much confidence in. The only thing keeping me away from using it was that I wouldn't have the element of surprise on my hand, but I figured that it was worth it. I didn't have much time to spend practicing, since I spent my summer at Google's NYC office at a programed called "CAPE," where I learned computer science and programing for basically the whole day. I spent the time that I did have practicing with one of the most amazing friends ever, Unreality/Aaron. We both ended up using the same team we used at Nationals, and to be honest, I really thought we had a really strong chance at Worlds. As for my brother, I gave him the speedy Amoonguss that I used. At Regionals, he only used the same 4 every time. (Tornadus, Terrakion, Thundurus, Jellicent) At Nationals, we added Chandelure to those four, and his team at Worlds was the exact same as mine. Brendan learned exceptionally quickly, I only spent maybe a day or two teaching him how to use those two Pokemon, and he used them so well. Way to go, buddy! Here's the team I ended up using. Thanks to Elemt, Bitterlemon, andrea, Cassie, and JRank for providing me and my brother our teams.

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GetTheGirl the Terrakion @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Quick Attack

17th Place the Amoonguss (M) @ Coba Berry
Trait: Effect Spore
EVs: 76 HP / 164 Def / 12 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Spore
- Rage Powder
- Giga Drain
- Protect

WinWorlds the Tornadus (M) @ Flight Gem
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Taunt
- Substitute
- Tailwind

MZhengky the Thundurus (M) @ Electric Gem
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Grass Knot
- Protect

Cyberwong the Chandelure (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Overheat
- Heat Wave
- Shadow Ball

Coobertron the Jellicent (M) @ Water Gem
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 152 HP / 252 SAtk / 100 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Water Spout
- Shadow Ball
- Protect
- Ice Beam

Some notes about the team: Yes, it's standard as Muk, but it WORKS. As for my nicknames, my leads were generally Win Worlds and Get the Girl, my Tornadus and Terrakion. Based off an amazing inside joke before Raikoo ruined it. MZhengky the Thundurus was to represent the legendary MSankey. The rest were names that the Ha family used to call me. 17th Place as that was the place I got at Nationals last year, Coobertron because I'm cool, and Cyberwong for all my Asians out there! Except it was supposed to be Cyberwrong. Oops... My brother had nicknames for strong members of Team Seniors (sorry I could only fit a few out of so many amazing people.). Out of his 6, we had JRank, Cybertron, Babbytron, Maski, Unreality, and Human. Shout outs to everyone else in Team Seniors that couldn't have been represented through Pokemon... I love all of you guys! But enough about all this stuff... I'm sure you're dying to read the actual warstory. :naughty:

Day 1: August 10th

We started the first day of our Worlds journey by waking up at the time of... four in the morning... For those that don't know, me and my brother won four flights though Nationals. We also had 8 nights at the Hilton, so we extended our vacation by a day and reduced a room in the other room we had. At first, our dad decided he was going to come, but changed his mind, so we brought our grandma using that last ticket. Then, last second, my dad decided he wanted to come again so we had to buy another ticket. Fortunately, the times worked out well and our flights had great timing. Still, it's never fun waking up so early... especially when you sleep at two in the morning, lol. Still half asleep, I take a look around my room and make sure everything is packed up. Clothes, check. Cards, check. DS and game, check. Medals, check. Swag? Check. Bam. I got this.

We get to JFK International airport at like 5:30, and my dad's flight soon takes off to Arizona, before laying over to San Diego. Meanwhile, our flight wasn't for another two hours, so I bought myself and Brendan some breakfast. A chicken wrap for $8... bleh. Food is food though. I kill time by checking Smogon and falling asleep every now and then. Brendan was knocked out soon enough though. Here's a cute picture of him.

DM: Go get 'em, Babby!
FISHY LOVES DRAGONS OMG (lol): too cute babby
Captain Falcon: :3
Tyler: HES GOING DOWN! (to in n out)

Two hours seemed like forever, but soon enough, we were off to San Diego! Not a very eventful flight, and I couldn't fall asleep so I jammed out to some Chris Webby, one of my favorite rappers! They had satellite TV, and me and Brendan rocked out to some Spongebob (shout out to Kenan/Lucien Lachance :D). I saw that they were showing the one and only...

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FINAL DESTINATION, NUMBERO UNO. This movie is serious business, lemme tell you. For those that don't know, Final Destinations are always about people who get visions and don't die when they're supposed to and then dey all end up dying rofl. They're not even that great lol... but I had nothing better to do so I ended up watching it. Freaked me out though, since it was about an airplane flying out of JFK that explodes... remember where I flew out from? Fortunately, our airplane DOESN'T explode and we make it to San Diego safe and sound. I take a step out the plane and a cool breeze blows past me. God, I miss that weather. We find out that my dad's flight was delayed by an hour, so I end up walking around and taking some pictures of the airport, along with grabbing some good pizza from one of the stores there. I find out that there is free Wi-Fi at the airport like 3 minutes before my dad lands, and go on IRC and rant to dtrain/people in Team Seniors about how nice the weather is compared to NYC...

My dad finally lands and we're off! Our first stop: Enterprise, to pick up a rental car. A shuttle bus picked us up, and soon enough, we were in our "car" for the next few days! After not following our GPS's directions, we end up taking a bridge and end up on the other side of the river... across from the Hilton. It was nice to go around the area though! Here are some pictures:

Babbytron doing some shady business...

Oh... thanks for the warning...

Driving the wrong way... the Hilton can be seen in the background.

Dad! That's not the right way...

After driving around, we finally make it to the area where the hotel was. We end up checking in going up to our room. (Funny story here, actually. Take a look at a few more pictures before I tell that story!)

Petco Park.

Side view of the ramp to the hotel... such a fancy ramp lol.

Oh look, a fancy hotel!

The fancy lobby... where someone barfed in one day.

Our BEAUTIFUL view from the room! Just look at that amazing... Dole factory?

The room. Not worth $250+ a night if you ask me.

Check out our sweet medals ;)

MAI PLUSHES!

So arriving at the hotel, my dad tells us that he was going to wait in the car while we checked in and dropped our stuff off. About that funny story... while checking in, I notice a bunch of asian kids playing Pokemon. (And I'm not being racist or anything, but they REALLY looked Korean, and I can normally tell between Chinese and Korean people :x) I thought they were Korean VGC players, so I approached the family and introduced myself and asked if they were here for the tournament, and they told me they were just visiting. Oh... We were walking behind them when I realized I actually understood what they were saying in Chinese... oh... that's not awkward at all, lol. My embarrassing story of the day! Anyway, after dropping off our stuff, we decided we wanted to check out the famous San Diego Zoo, and head off for the zoo. We finally get there... picture time again! Oh wait. There aren't that many pictures because the zoo costs $40 per person. What a joke!

[HIDE='sup, giant elephant.]

[/HIDE]

$40? No thanks.

After realizing the zoo was a total rip off, we decided to drop our plans and looked for free things to do around the area. After driving around for a bit more, Seaport Village seemed like a pretty cool thing to check out. It was right around the hotel and had a bunch of stores and places to take pictures. More pictures now! (Getting annoyed yet? I uploaded like 800+ on Facebook, and me and my dad combined probably took over 3000 lol)

Random pictures around the city.

After touring Seaport Village for like 2 hours, Brendan starts complaining about how it's getting cold. We decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel to relax and eat some of our... RAMEN NOODLES! That's right - we brought 8 packs of Instant Cook Ramen Noodles! My parents drop me and Brendan off at the hotel before going to purchase some groceries for the weekend, while me and Brendan relax. I contact my man BHARMALARMALARMARM and meet up with him, Lord Gtr, and his sister later on that night. I have a picture with all of them, I'll try to upload that later. After meeting up with them, I go back in the room and use the computer for the rest of the night. Oh, here's another embarrassing story - Wifi cost like $7 an hour or $14 a day. I managed to click the wrong button (oh... I just noticed... I've been clicking wrong buttons throughout the whole weekend...). Silly me. The first day was rather eventful, just because hardly anyone was actually in San Diego, but it was nice to just tour the area and meet the European players. The 2nd day was where the fun really started to happen. End Day 1.

Day 2: August 11th - Let the fun begin!

The second day starts off bright and early. My parents and grandma actually left the hotel and spent the day in LA, while we stayed back at the hotel. I really wanted to go with them, but at the same time, I really didn't want to miss spending a day with all my friends so me and Brendan decided to stay. I get on IRC, and find out that bharharharhahrmalm was at Starbucks along with Plusle! Once again, I have a picture with him but it's on my phone somewhere so I'll upload that later when I get some time. We hang out there for a bit and meet Zog and his brother. Also, bharmalm managed to get hacked on Smogon by some cute users and he thought it was me and Plusle the whole time. Fun stuff. Anyway, me, bharmalm, and Plusle decide to check out the open gaming room - a 24 hour gaming room for TCG and VGC players alike. There were a bunch of Japanese vendors there, and they were selling some really nice artwork for $5 a piece. I buy two, one for myself and one for Brendan. Slowly, players and friends began to come in one by one - get ready for more pictures!

Me with 7014gree. Hella cool guy.

Posing with the soon to be World Champion :o

Another Team Aaron picture. We are the best.

You better believe it. There's only one RIZZO!

Me with Danny/TTS :D

Awkwardly posing with Synre/Scott, with Danny creeping in the back...

So, while hanging with mai European boys, the TRUE masters begin to come in. I finally get to meet kamz, future World Champion, one of the coolest kids ever, along with getting a picture with Scott, a really funny guy with an awesome personality. I swear, I'm always laughing when I'm around him. I also see some familiar faces, including talking toilet seat Danny, WORLD CHUMP Ray, and fellow Team Aaron member Aaron! We were all hanging around and talking when the one and only... RUBEN WALKS IN. HOLY CRUD.

HOLA!!!! AMIGO!!!! Fellow champions Ray and Ruben SPARK up a conversation! Me and Ruben had a battle at one point that day, and when my HP Ice KO'd his Haxorus, he called me a puta!!! It's alright though we're buddies and all. I decided to walk out and see if anyone else was arriving... well, talk about good timing! I meet four more awesome people - Snake, Greysong, Phillip, and Kristan! Picture time again!

National Champs!

Repping dem Minorities.

AHHHHH ASIANS EVERYWHERE

With Greysong, one of the nicest VGC players :D

After saying hello to some old friends, more familiar faces begin to roll in, along with new faces! Can anyone say... more pictures?

With fellow National Champ Wolfe - probably one of the coolest guys in Pokemon.

Oh my god... Dozz... THE funniest person of the weekend. Oh the stories...

Oh god... you're probably dying from me hiding all of these pictures... well, there's a lot more to come, so you better get ready ;) After meeting Wolfe and Dozz, (I know I say this a lot, but seriously, these guys are REALLY cool and chill and funny too. Wolfe has a really bright personality, and an awesome name to boot. Dozz... makes everything funny, especially when a bunch of bloody Americans are playing "football.") Bruno/Kid Kadabra aka the coolest Senior ever comes in and we give each other bro hugs and all. A couple of us then head over to the RAY RIZZO'S ROOM to play some N64.

Team Aaron/Ray vs. Team Scott/Danny. Ray kicks major butt in this game.

The winning team poses for a picture, along with some new CREEPERS!

After Ray destroys everyone in Mario Tennis and Pokemon Stadium Quizzes, more people begin to show up in Ray's room... as you can tell from the picture that Henry, Enosh, and Thomas photobombed oh so well. I see my man DANTRAIN as well and go YES in my mind. Ya know, 'cause we tight and all. Bruno and my Asian Bro, 2009 World Champion JEREMY FANN show up as well, so of course, we have to get a picture together. (Oh I'm sorry, am I bothering you with these pictures?)

Hey. My name is Bruno and I'm too cool to look at the camera. BAM.

After Ray destroys everyone in some Quizzes again, we decided that this was TOO MUCH for us, so we headed back to the open gaming room. Oh god. You know what this means. PICTURE TIME!

Fun in the open gaming room.

Such qt3.14's.

MY ARMY!

Everyone having some fun battling!

Cuties! (And Enosh ;])

Team Juniors and... OH GOD DAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

Stop it Dan... you're too tall >:(

Tired of the pictures? I'm sure you are. But buddy, we're just getting started! Get ready for some more pictures with friends!

(bad) picture with PBB/Thomas, a REALLY chill guy. We go back to 08!

Me and my boy Tyler Hagan ehh sporting a INNOUT SHIRT

Don't worry we're friends.

With Ben/DarkPenguin67. Really nice kid.

IT'S MUDKIP MASTER OMG.

After meeting a lot of new faces and reuniting with old friends, a bunch of the Ducks, including Scott, Danny, Paul, and Tyler head off back to Paul's hotel. Me and kamz go with them... only like five minutes after they left, so we were basically wandering around hopelessly. My phone ran out of power with the directions to the hotel like 3 minutes before we got there, so we were in the dark lol. Fortunately, we spotted them across the street at one point and run over there... only to find out we were going to walk all the way back to Tyler's hotel - also known as where my mate G-E-C is staying.

Walking away from the hotel with kamz.

We reach Tyler's room and I am given the command to call G-E-C's room... he picks up and I say "Herro prease?" He says "Who is this" and I'm all like "Herro, please come over to this room. We shall have fun. Gud bye." He tells us on IRC he was "getting ready." Probably preparing that ridiculous (ly amazing) hair of his. This is when a bond, so strong, is created. MIN DATOO asks who was calling on the phone. Was it Tyler's little sister Janelle? WRONG. IT was me. Oh. I didn't know I sounded like a 7 year old girl. That's not a problem at all. Me and Scott have a battle at some point, and he crushes me since his leads destroyed mine. It was a good game both teams played hard. We head back to the Hilton, where more people come in, including fellow rival Dynasty... the HA'S! I head up to Danny's room to give Dan TCG cards for the LCQ the next day, and hang out there for a while with Danny, Dan, Huy, RUBEN, Thomas, and newcomer BadIntent/Omari! I head back down later after making plans to go to IN N OUT with da crew, and bump into some of the finest trainers - the CSmugs. Enfuego: "Oh, no pictures, it means i'll end up on Smogon."

Chaud up.

STRONGING Up.

After meeting up with these pwrful trainers, we gather da crew and split up to go to In N Out. Da crew consisted of many pwrful trainers, including Tyler, Min Datoo ehhh, Duh, Huy, Paul, caffwin, Fish, Simon Yop, Len/Alaka, Alan/Dubs and many others that I can't remember right now because it's almost 1 in the morning here and my brain is being a fart. After some discussing with Len, we split up into two crews. Len took Paul and Alan, while Tyler took me and Min. I sat in the front seat and said a prayer with Min, hoping that we would make it out alive. And then our journey to the airport to pick up Simon Yop began.

"You're supposed to make a right turn there."
"NO YOU IDIOT YOU'RE NOT."

To my surprise... OUR MATE TYLER WAS AN EXCELLENT DRIVER. We jammed out to some tunes on the ray-de-oh, since getting to the airport took like 50 minutes because of some stupid accident. We finally pick up the final member of the crew, and Team MinTylerAaronSimon was off to In N Out... only after attempting to make a legal U Turn. Tyler was a class driver and got us to In N Out safely. +1 for you duder. We all order my food, and I begin to dig into my first In N Out burger...

Those fries were sooooooo good.

BAM. GOOD FOOD, JUST LIKE THAT. Except eating dat burger was impossible since it like melted with the wrapper around it. I finished like three quarters of my meal and threw out the rest because I am a fart. Something I haven't brought up yet: Constant teasing about the one and only... MASKI. Ya know, since we're like best friends and all. Oh god, Duy made a joke about it every other minute. Thanks bro >:(

After a delish meal at In N out, Tyler fills up on some gas and offers us some gum. Good gum, it was. We finally return to the hotel. I give Tyler an A+ for his driving skills, and I finally get to see MASKI AGAIN!!!! YES!!!! /me awkward hugs. I help her finish her team up while we're in the lobby, and the two Masters who T2'd France were there too. We challenged the 2nd place finisher to a couple of battles. He lead with Mienshao and Crustle, his same leads from France. He won the first game, I won the second, and my game turned off before we finished the third. They were really cool guys though, and it was nice talking and battling with them! I finally finish up my part for Maski's team and she heads off with her dad to go to bed, but not before giving me my awesome Mew hat :D

BAM. I'm kind of cute. LOLJK.

After saying good night to Maski, Scott, Duy, and Huy come down and we decide that with everyone else in bed sleeping, we were going to tough it out and walk around like the MEN we are!!! We head to the open gaming room, where I crush Huy in a couple of battles. No big deal or anything. We finally decide to eventually head out and get ready for the first official day of Worlds - DA LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER. I set my alarm to like 7 in the morning and go back to my room. GOOD NIGHT Y'ALL. End Day 2.

Day 3 - August 12th: Let the battles begin!

Once again, I wake up bright and early, not because I wanted to this time but rather because of the time difference. Quickly took a shower and headed down to meet Aaron and everyone else in the LCQ line. I finally got to meet TheCalmSnivy... MY SWORN ENEMY. But seriously, he was a really nice guy who made it through the LCQ with a really sweet team. (It had a special Landorus in it!) I also got to see Jeremy, Maski, Bruno, and finally... the one and only KINGOFKONGS. Yay Gavin! I don't have a picture with him from that morning though >:(

Oh... don't mind my wet hair.

I'm guessing you're tired of group pictures now. How about some pictures of the tournament area?

Pictures of the area.

While the line started to move, me and Aaron went and took a few pictures. Oh no. MORE PICTURES?

Oh. We're creative.

I used to be a winner. Now I'm a non winner :(

So the line finally moves, and we all go in to start watching the matches. TheCalmSnivy/Matt blew through the competition and was one of the first people to make it through. One by one, the seniors made it to round 2, including Jeremy, Maski, Bruno, kamz, Talon, and others. Sadly, Gavin was knocked out early on after playing a great player Round 1. Maski had a tough matchup, playing Wade Stanley, the 2010 Jr. National Champion R2 and kamz R3. In the end, Bruno got knocked out, but Talon, kamz, and Jeremy made it through. A strong lineup for the next day! Kamz vs. Maski was an excellent game that was on TV for everyone to watch. Kamz basically missed Heat Wave/Overheat three times, and had a 11 HP Chandelure against an Amoonguss and Elektross, and got the crit he needed to win the game. Such a clutch game. It was upsetting to see two friends get paired up with each other, but what can you do? :/ Aaron's brother, Amanda, managed to make it in through too, and we all celebrate for those that made it in! After the Juniors/Seniors LCQ, it was time for all the competitors to check in. Me, Aaron, Henry, and a bunch of others make our way down and get in line. For those that don't know: Pokemon gives competitors special gift packages for qualifying every year, which has binders, cards, playmats, clothes, shirts, etc. They're really cool! After a good time spent in line playing Mario Kart, we finally get our competitor packages. Check out the swag we got!

Yay for free stuff!

PS: Medal not included!

After getting our bags, me, Aaron, Snake, and Jeremy headed back up to the room where the competition was going on and chilled by the trophy case, where we all had an eye on the beautiful prizes.

To believe Ray has 2 of these oh my gosh...

We were all gaming when one of the really cool interviewers, who took videos and pictures for the opening and closing ceremony came over. Aaron mentioned how we were a strong group of trainers - 4 Regional Champions, 3 National Champion, and 1 World Champion amongst us, and got all of us interviews... except himself >:( It's okay though, none of our interviews were used lol. He even got this random kid who hung around us an interview too! After being interviewed, we decided to meet up with the other Seniors to hang out a bit and grab some food before the Masters LCQ started, but not before some PICTURES with Terrakion!

Aren't they adorable?

Awww c:

Snake has serious swag in this one.

Asian pride! (+ Snake)

Alright, alright, enough pictures. Anyway, after posing with the strongest Pokemon in VGC 2011, we all head upstairs to Maski's room. Funny story about this, we never actually went inside her room, we just stayed outside. I had the pleasure meeting Maski's mom, who was really nice and sweet. It was funny, because she knew everyone from their Smogon usernames rather than their actual names! I also got to meet Maski's dad again, who was kind enough to let us raid their room at Nationals this year :D Oh yeah, and Matt's dad was there too! The group consisted of: Me, Brendan, Jeremy, Henry, Aaron, Aaron's sister Amanda, Maski, Bruno, Gavin, and Matt. Hella cool group. Of course, we all pull out our DS's and start battling again. Soon enough, we decided we were hungry and headed out to Subway. With my great directions and my handy iPhone, we actually got there quickly and ordered sum fud!

How's that sandwich going for ya, brah?

A good meal was had by all. After a quick lunch break, we all headed back to the LCQ room to check out our Masters! I started streaming a couple of matches, including Paul's match. Huy and Paul were eliminated quickly, sadly. They kept on pairing people together, such as Trista and Mitch early on, and the infamous Len vs. Deagle match. People had a bounty over Deagle's head, and when Len won because of hax, we offered to give Len like $50 for beating Deagle!!! Deagle was really nice though, he's pretty kewl IRL. In the end, we had Scott, Duy, Luke/tad38, Trista, Mike/OmegaDonut, Kamaal/Sixonesix and a couple of others in the Final 12. Trista and Mike got byes into Worlds, while Scott, Duy, and Luke had to fight it out. We saw Duy get paired with Luke, where Luke won, and Scott lost to some random. A job well done to those who made it in! It's a shame that Luke had to play Duy though, that really made me upset. The matches finally end, and we split up into several groups again. The Masters + Human headed out to TACO SMACKDOWN to get some grub, while the rest of us decided we wanted to go swimming! So, we all head up to my room, when I realize...

Crap. I don't have my card with me. My brother doesn't have his card with him. My parents were off in the city, having fun. We had to call security to get them to open my room. It only took them, oh I don't know, 45 minutes to get there? One of the security guards knocked on the room next to mine and then just left... and came back like 15 minutes later realizing that WE were the ones locked out. hurdurrrrrrrp. We finally managed to get in though! I got my swimming trunks, and when I turn around, I see...

OH MY GOD BRUNO WHAT ARE YOU DOING???? Bruno's hella strong and he started benchpressing Brendan and Snake like it was no big deal at all. While this was all going on, we got another knock on our door from security... asking us if we saw a Ben with a red hat. Sorry. No Ben with a red hat. We apologize for the inconvenience, and their quest to find the missing child continued. We finally all gathered together at the pool, and brought our PokeBeachBalls!

Funny story here, actually. People kept on stealing our beach balls, and I approached this little kid about it, asking him where he got his when it was obviously ours. First, he stutters for a bit, then says he brought it from his house? I go... uh, sure, and then realize his dad was there. Best not to start trouble with a dad... You can keep our beach ball... Jeremy and Bruno I think started wrestling in the pool at one point, and we all went to the jacuzzi to warm up after a nice swim. We even video chat with fellow Smogon member Solace. while at the pool! A fun time was had by all. We all decide that we had enough fun at the pool for one day, and Human comes by the pool right when we were about to leave. Talk about good timing! Aaron mentions that there were free cupcakes that night, so we all went over to make some great cupcakes. You know what that means. PICTURE TIME!

Bet this will make you hungry.

To finish the night off, we all all headed over to Ray's room for some fun. There were like 20 people in the room at one point! Brendan and Ray make a compromise - Ray teaches Brendan in the video game if Brendan teaches Ray in the cards. Ray and Mike make a strong team and play against my brother in a few games of TCG. They were too strong, even though they cheated every now and then...

Oh yeah, we summon this Gyarados (ryuzaki:3) with four water energies out of no where nbd....

In the end, Team Mike/Ray beat Babbytron in some close (unfair) games. IT WAS A GOOD GAME BOTH TEAMS PLAYED HARD. We all had a blast in Ray's room, and most of us headed back to our rooms to get ready for what we came here for - the big competition. Brendan leaves later, and in a few minutes, I get a call from my mom saying that Brendan was upset because I didn't tell him some strategies I promised I would tell him with the team, so I say good bye to everyone and head back to the room. I tell him what to do against certain Pokemon and strategies such as a Scarf Haxorus and other max speed Amoonguss', and we both soon try to get some sleep to prepare for the big day. End Day 3.

 

[Cybertron]

Day 4: August 12th - Now you're playing with the big boys!

I wake up early, take a shower, and prepare mentally by just trying to remain calm and relaxed. I head down right before the open ceremonies begin, and meet with Adam/Dozz, Aaron, Jeremy, and Gavin. They started off the ceremonies with a really cool video, and finished it up with a bunch of "big name" Pokemon people including Junichi Masuda performing the D/P/P champion song with lyrics. Not an amazing performance, but pretty cool to see. It was hard for most people to understand anything since the whole song was Japanese though. After a pretty cool way to start the morning, the TCG and VGC players split up and go to their own sections for respective player meetings. But before that... pictures of the opening ceremony!

Papa Zheng's high quality pictures!

After we're all given instructions and pass our hack checks, me and Aaron talk about how terrible it would be if we played Round 1. I mean, we knew our teams and each other so well, best friends having to play so early would... I don't even know. But what are the chances of that, right? People comment and gasp when they see us sitting together, and we tell them that this wasn't an official paring. IGN even gets a picture of us for their website!

We are: fotosexy:3

Parings go up, and there's this pretty cool picture of us looking at them.

LOOK AT EMOLGA !!!

Sure enough, guess who my Round 1 opponent is? Aaron T. I seriously wanted to shoot myself right now. With only a 5 round tournament, that meant that we couldn't even afford two losses to make it in for sure. I didn't even know how to react to this. We wanted to get our match on TV to give people something to watch, but they didn't let us. Great. Enosh R1 at Nationals and Aaron R1 at Worlds. How much better does it get?

Round 1: vs. Aaron Traylor (US)
Team: Krookadile, Eelektross, Druddigon, Amoonguss, Terrakion, Thundurus

Pre-game thoughts: I know some key things about Aaron's team before the games start, such as the fact that there's a Scarf on Krookadile and a Chople Berry on Terrakion. Druddigon is something I have to watch out for, because it easily counters my Jellicent and Chandelure.

Game 1: I can't remember the exact details of any of my three games, but I remember getting a crit with Close Combat through his Chople Berry Terrakion for the KO. He realizes that a CC from a -2 Terrakion can still take out his Krookadile, which is scarfed. The crit really hurts him, and I take the first game without too much trouble.

Game 2: Aaron played this game really well, and I forgot about all his little tricks which he used to destroy me. His Druddigon knows Snatch, so he snatches my Tailwind early on in the first turn. His Krookadile also knew Beat Up, and he used it on Terrakion, and after that, I couldn't do anything to stop him. He takes the second game, and I know I have to remember all his little tricks in order to stop him.

Game 3: I get lucky with prediction in Game 3, and go for the risk of setting up Tailwind when Druddigon is out. I manage to stay on top of my game and use prediction to win out the last one. I really can't remember much about this game other than the fact I risked setting up Tailwind in the beginning. I win Round 1.

1 - 0

I'll be honest. Playing Aaron Round 1 straight up ruined Worlds for me. I know that I shouldn't be complaining about something that is decided randomly... but out of ANYONE I had to play, it had to be Aaron? We hug it out and I wish him good luck in the next few rounds. Brendan won his first game as well, so we were both 1-0. The pairings go up for Round 2, and I see that I am paired with the only and only... Shota Yamamoto. That's right, the 2010 Junior World Champion. I sit down for this match and get ready for a tough one.

Round 2: vs. Shota Yamamoto (JPN)
Team: Landorus, Amoonguss, Jellicent, Scrafty, Hydreigon, Thundurus

Pre-game thoughts: I'm looking at Shota's team and I really don't know what to do. Against most opponents that use Scrafty, they tend to lead with it so I use Chandelure to block out their Fake Out. I figure that Tornadus and Chandy is my best leads for the first game, and go for it.

Game 1: Game 1 is normally the game I use to figure out my opponent's team and items. If I win, that's good, but losing isn't a big deal for me. Shota leads with a Jellicent and Amoonguss, and I'm thinking, "Trick Room." In the first turn, he fires off a Rage Powder and my Tornadus uses Acrobatics on it... he doesn't have a Coba Berry! The HP goes down and down... and hits 1 HP. Crap. He's Focus Sashsed. I KO the Amoonguss with a Shadow Ball, and the Jelly hits off a Water Gem'd Water Spout, leaving both of my Pokemon barely hanging on. I'm somewhat happy because Trick Room never went up, so I have a chance the rest of the game. The rest of the game is blurry, but I can tell you this: Nothing went the way it was supposed to be. Heat Wave missed when it would have KO'd. He Thunder Waved me and got a full paralysis the turn I needed to hit one Pokemon to win. His Scrafty had Shed Skin, which activated the first turn he fell asleep. Crits. Misses. You see where this is going? I thought I had the first game won, but nothing went in my way. I get pretty upset, and go into Game 2 knowing I should have won the first. I do note his items on his Pokemon, such as Sash Amoonguss and Sitrus Thundurus.

Game 2: He leads with a Landorus and a Hydreigon, I think while I lead with a Tornadus and Terrakion this time. I expected one of his leads to be Scarfed, and went for a Tailwind + Rock Slide IIRC. His Landorus actually was faster than my Terrakion to my surprise, and hit me with a EQ, leaving me barely alive. I fire off a Rock Slide + Acrobatics to KO Hydreigon? I can't remember too much about this game either, but I remember switching out to Thundurus, leaving his Landorus useless, and KOing Pokemon one by one. Rock Slide double missed at one point, but I still managed to win the 2nd game 2-0. This boosts my confidence a bit, and I go into Game 3 ready.

Game 3: I can't remember much about this game either, other than the fact Rock Slide missed like 4 times and Cursed Body activated three times in a row. He locked my Rock Slide, forcing me to switch out, and locked a couple of other moves that made me switch out in the worst time possible. Rock Slide never even hit Thundurus because it kept on missing. Every turn was frustrating for me, just because nothing would ever go the way I needed it to go. Shota wins this one too, when I had the lead and thought this game was mine. I shake his hand and say good game, and like that, I've lost Round 2.

1 - 1

After this Round, I know that the only reason I lost was because of tons of hax. We get a short lunch break at this point, and I rant to all of Team Seniors about my games with Shota. I know I have to win out at this point, so I get prepared for Round 3. Brendan was 2-0 at this point, so I have really high hopes for him. Pairings go up, and I see that my opponent is Brandon, my T8 opponent at Nationals. Here goes nothing.

Round 3: vs. Brandon Mitchell (US)
Team: Tornadus, Thundurus, Zoroark, Jellicent, two more I can't remember.

Get ready to read the saddest moment of my Pokemon career.

Game 1: Brandon used some very unorthodox movesets, such as Attract and Embargo on his Tornadus. I lead with Tornadus and Chandelure, and his Attract makes me not able to move two turns in a row. Hax every now and there, and Brandon wins the first game without too much trouble. He really caught me off guard this match, but I'm ready for his surprises the next game.

Game 2: I just outplay him in this game, predicting well every turn and moves hit when they needed to hit. Can't remember this match at all to be honest, but it wasn't too much trouble for me.

Game 3: Game 3 went really well for me too. In the end, it was my Choice Scarf Terrakion, with Thundurus and Chandelure in the back against his itemless Thundurus and Jellicent. All I needed to do was KO both with a single Rock Slide, right? I get ready for the game to end, when suddenly, I notice that Terrakion used CLOSE COMBAT on the Thundurus rather than using a Rock Slide. That's right. I misclicked. I couldn't believe what just happened, how stupid of a move I just made. This gave Brandon a fighting chance now. In the end, it was his Jellicent against my Thundurus, with the last turn of Trick Room up. I needed to pull off a double protect in order to win the game, and of course, I didn't get it. I leave the play area in tears, knowing that my Worlds run is probably over because of such a stupid mistake.

Losing to hax is one thing, but losing at WORLDS because you got too excited is another thing. I didn't even want to focus on my next two games at this point. Dan, Huy, and the other Masters were really encouraging and gave me hugs, and I still have that slight hope that I could make it in as the 8th or 7th seed with a 3-2 record. On the other hand, Brendan was 3-0 at this point, and was destroying the competition! I see that my next match is against the one and only... TheCalmSnivy! Great. Another friend and American I have to play.

Round 4: vs. Matt Dunham (US)
Team: Cofagrigus, Gigalith, Emboar, Amoonguss, Hydreigon, Reuniclus

Pre-game Thoughts: I notice how similar this team is to Wolfe's Regional team, and I know that TR is coming. I know that I'll be leading with my TR counter leads - Chandelure and Jellicent, and it looks like a good matchup for me. Hydreigon is a trick one though, I'll have to watch out for that. Playing Matt sucked though, because it meant the loser didn't even have a a chance of making it into the Top 8.

Game 1: I can't remember much about this, but I'm reading Matt's warstory to remember some details about this one. I go with my standard leads, and he leads with Cofag and Amoonguss. I go for the Spout and Heat Wave, and Heat Wave misses Amoonguss while he protects with Cofag. Crap. He Spores my Chandelure, and sets up Trick Room later on. I play it out well, and stall TR out and get bs prediction hax, killing Reuniclus with a double target in one turn, making him not able to set up TR and I take the first game.

Game 2: I lead the same in game 2, and things go the way I want to go. Speedy Amoonguss basically puts his whole team to sleep and I KO things one by one, and I also take the second game.

2 - 2

I get a bit more hopeful, knowing that I have a chance of making it if I win out my last game. On the other hand, Brendan was 4-0, and was guaranteed to make it into the Top 8 the next day. He was really playing well that day, and I'm really proud of how well he did. Onto the last game... and I see it's against another person I know. Great...


Round 5: vs. Mohsyn Bharmal (UK)
Team: Whimsicott, Terrrakion, Hydreigon, etc etc etc

Game 1 + 2: Rock Slide crits my Tornadus both games turn 1. GG. He ran Safeguard on Whimsicott too, which killed my Amoonguss lead Game 1. I couldn't even stay focused the whole time. He pretty much steamrolled me both games.

Final Record: 2 - 3

I finish Worlds with a record of 2-3, and when standings come up, I see that I'm in 17th place. Again. A ton of friends make it through though, such as Human, Jeremy, Kamz, 7014gree, and Shota. I have to say, in the end, all the Seniors that made it through were class players and really deserved to. I'll be honest though, I really wanted me and Aaron to make it through, but in the end, neither of us made it through. I really thought that I had a chance of becoming World Champion, but after the game with Brandon, that dream pretty much died out :( On the other hand, Brendan went undefeated in Swiss the first day, and he wouldn't have to face any Juniors we were afraid of him battling! The thought of him becoming World Champion actually became very possible! I congratulate him on doing so well, and stay around to see Masters finish up. Wolfe and Ray make it through, but have to play each other the next day, a very upsetting matchup since I really wanted both of them to be in the finals.

"When one lucky hat helps get you the win, then two must give you even better chances!"

After the swiss matches finished up, me and Aaron headed out to the open gaming room, too depressed to stay back in the competition room. It was a pretty terrible day so far for myself, Aaron, and the favorite to win the whole competition, Snake, who was eliminated also due to hax and misclicking. We joined Gavin, Maski, and Bruno downstairs for a while, and hanging out with them really did make me feel a bit better. Tyler and Paul tell me that the Masters are heading to the beach and invite the Seniors, and I decided what better way to drown out my sorrows than a Californian beach? But first... we went to make free cupcakes again! (I just noticed I haven't posted a picture in forever... I didn't take like any on Saturday!)

After getting free cupcakes, Huy, Scott, Alan, Bruno, Dan, Paul and I manage to all squeeze into his car... it was pretty terrible, actually. Let me tell you... squeezing 5 people in the back where it's meant for three people is NEVER. FUN. The car ride was actually enjoyable though, all of the masters were super cool and we had conversations and laughed the whole time. Paul had a GPS on his phone, and kept on yelling on how we were stuck in the middle of the river, haha. After what seems like forever, we finally make it to the beach and... getting out of the car? Best feeling ever. We make it over to beach and finally gather everyone together to play some... soccer and Frisbee! I don't think this was the first time I got to introduce myself to him, but I said hello to fellow Smogon member Supe, a really cool guy who can apparently play basketball in jeans!

Our adventures on the beach were super fun. Dozz kept on screaming at all of us because we were horrible at playing "football," and frisbee didn't work out so well... I ran into Paul and knocked him over, and bent his glasses. Oh. Bruno beasted it up in soccer and scored a few goals. We even attempted playing kickball, and I was ready to kickbutt. But then I was informed that we had to play without shoes or anything so when I kicked it went like half an inch backwards and that was that ;_;. It got dark pretty soon, and I knew I had to do one thing before the day ended - ROLL IN THE NICE, COOL SAND.

After rolling, the Masters all come by and bury me in sand. Lots and lots of sand. I think I might still have some sand in my ears. It took me like 2 long showers to get all the sand off me! After we all had a blast at the beach, everyone realizes that they're pretty hungry and want to get some food! People get stuck between In N Out and TACO SMACKDOWN. In the end, Team HuyPaulAaronDanScott ended up going to Taco Smackdown while others headed towards In N Out. While heading out the beach, I notice that there's a bag left on the sand... and guess whose it was? MASKI'S! Insert more teasing. So, after like a 50 minute walk, we finally reached Huy's car, where I steal a water bottle from his trunk and chug it all down. We finally all get in the car (a LOT more comfortable this time, with only five people), when Huy realizes... he doesn't have his wallet. Oh man. It could be anywhere! The beach, the sand, in my pockets... after 10 minutes, Huy realizes it was in the car the whole time. We breath a sigh of relief, and head out to Taco Smackdown. While driving, we get a call saying that the place was packed and there was no where to sit, but we decided to tough it out and check it out anyway. The drive there included conversation on me talking about New York City private schools... Paul, Huy, Dan, and Scott know what I'm talking about.

We finally arrive at the parking lot of Taco Smackdown, and a silly looking security guard stares us down the whole time we were driving. He looked incredible shady too, wearing a shirt that just said "Security" on it. We finally end up walking in the store and realize that there actually were seats... probably since it cleared out while we were driving there. Funny story time: The lady asked us for our names every time we ordered, so with Ray's order, his name was... of course, Michael Sankey. Then came Huy's: Darnell Washington. And finally, mine. JACKIE CHAN. HELL YEAH. The lady's like ! oh Jackie Chan and I just wink at her. While we were all sitting down and waiting, the lady says JACKIE CHAN YOUR ORDER IS READY, and the whole restaurant starts laughing. Sweet. I'm funny. I order a burrito that was feature on the famous TV show Man Vs. Food, and although it was really good, I only finished half of it since it was so big! Me, Jeremy, Maski, and Bruno chill outside with Huy and Paul, and Paul mentions how TCPi hates him because he's... Paul. But I love you, so it's okay!!!

With our stomachs filled with good Mexican food, we all headed back to the Hilton and went to Ray's room for a while. Did our standard goofiness, played TCG, watched Ruben try to woo caffwin and get me to sexo Maski, etc. At one point, we were so loud management had to come to Ray's room and tell us to be quiet... oof. After playing some Halo with Tyler, Len, Dan, and Thomas (I sucked btw...), a bunch of us decided we were going to line up at the retail store to buy some Worlds swag. An adventure for sure. Most of us split up, wish Ray good luck for the next day, and eventually meet up after taking showers/changing clothes. Our eventual crew became myself, Len, Dan, Paul, Huy, and Duy... and ALMOST maski. BS School Hax :( End Day 4.

Day 5: August 13th - No Words Needed.

To sum up our experiences lining up all night to buy stuff, here's a picture. (Oh no!)

I was basically asleep half the time, still a bit disappointed with my performance. Nevertheless, it turned into a really fun experience, playing TCG and talking with the group throughout the whole night and morning. Finally, the line began to move and Paul took the initiative to clap every time someone bought something from the store and walked it. Hella fun times. After finally getting our stuff, we headed over to watch the finalist matches.

Brendan was paired against the Italian kid for this Quater-Finalist match, and won them very quickly, being the first out of all 12 matches to finish. I congratulated him on doing so well, and felt really good knowing he was one match between a invite and a trip back to Worlds next year... After a bunch of friends had made it through (as well as being eliminated!), we finally had our Top 4 matches, and they started. While everyone gathered around the Ray vs. Ruben match, I was glued on Brendan's match against Ian M., also known as Raikoo's brother. The first game seemed terrible for Brendan. Ian lead with Terrakion and Whim., and set up TRICK ROOM while Brendan set up Tailwind. I also realized that Whim. used Charm as one of it's moves. However, Brendan played very well (although he used Close Combat on Amoonguss a bunch of times...) and won the first game. Only one game from making it... so close, but so far. The next game was very close, and I thought Brendan had it. It was Ian's 14 HP Chandelure against Brendan's last Pokemon, and he sends it out... an Amoonguss. Crap. I figured it could survive a Heat Wave from Chandelure, but no such luck. It gets OHKO'd, and Ian takes game 2. Game 3 was very one sided, and Brendan got swept... tears of joy on one side, tears of sadness from the other. Seeing Brendan so upset was frustrating, but I rushed in and hugged him, reminding him how well he did and telling him that his opponent was an excellent player as well. Brendan was so close to winning it all, but he just slipped up a bit in the end. However, for one of the younger competitors there, he did so well and I was so proud of him. 3rd Place at Worlds in your 2nd year of playing is pretty freaking awesome, and the fact that he even beat Brian twice is impressive. We'll just win the trip from Nationals :)

Anyway, we finally see our finalists in each division, and they are:

Juniors: Ian vs. Brian
Seniors: Kamz vs. Sejun
Masters: Ray vs. Matteo

Ray had made it to the finals again... unfreakingbelieveable. It just goes to show how amazing of a VGC player he is. We all went out to lunch at TGIF's, and got like 40~ people. Mario Kart soon started, along with conversations and food. Best picture while we there was Brendan with this superb check:

"Don't worry guys. I got this."

After trying to gather enough money from everyone, we finally make it back to the hotel before the finals start. Brian wins against Ian quickly, Brendan tells me, but all of us have our attention on Ray's game with Matteo. I screamed so loud every time Ray made a move I pretty much lost my voice for the next few days, but being part of the crowd was exasperating. Kamz wins in Seniors with his Terrakion named MR.ZHENG. At least a Zheng won Worlds, lol :D Way to go buddy! Ray finally wins, and we take the stage by storm and cheer. Unbelievable. Rushing on to the stage was so cool and it was really great to be a part of it. After congratulating our new World Champions, chaos soon ensues as we all go to take group pictures. My dad took over 200. Ready? Hope you are.

Basically, we started from this:

To this:

Here are some more super pictures from then!

Won Worlds, got the girl :)

Matteo, the Italian boss! Way to go dude!

I'm so cute!!!

These Japanese people were the best, lol.

After the Championships themselves concluded, we all went outside to hang out and play soccer. After some confusion on where the soccer ball actually was, we finally got it and had a great time playing soccer, eating Human's Jewish Chocolate, watching Brendan and Snake duke it out on the battlefield, sharing stories and laughs, and even falling in mud. I dove in for the ball at one point and got covered in mud, ruining my shirt and pants, so I rushed back to my hotel to change, and on the way down, guess who was on my elevator? Mike Liesek himself! For those that don't know, Liesek is the guy behind all the VGC's and he's really, really awesome and incredible. We have some small talk before he gets off, and I get back to the group of people. They decide that they are going to go somewhere to eat, and I didn't want to leave Brendan alone or bother spending more money for food, so we just hang back at the hotel. I get to talk to my boy kinderl3w for a bit - freaking awesome guy.

Finally, everyone starts coming back and Huy/Dan contact me saying they were buying Chinese Takeout and asked if I wanted any... of course, I said yes! :D In the end, a group of us gathered in the open gaming room for the last night of Worlds. We managed to get the Korean and Japanese players as well, and all had fun playing TCG, doing musicals with Sejun, and multi-battling against Santa and Shota with Aaron. I'll link you to our battle in a sec. Sadly, I don't have any pictures that I can find of all the good times we had, but it was the best night there, getting to hang out with our new international friends and with our old friends. While playing TCG with Alan, I get tired and decide that it was time for me to retire for the night. I say my good byes to everyone, give away some hugs, and thank everyone for everything. I leave Brendan with the others - somehow, he had more energy than me that day... the true life of a champion. And so ended the 5th Day.

Day 6: August 14th - The End

My dad woke up at like 5 in the morning there and left for his flight, and we all packed up and left around 7. I was lucky enough to run into my good friend Wolfe (who is incredible at battling, for those that don't know) and got to say some final words to him before departing in a taxi. The ride back was uneventful: Fast, but boring. I spent most of my time sleeping and looking all the memories from the last few days... it all happened so fast. My performance itself was lackluster, but everything else was perfect. I still look over what me and Brendan could have done to have finished better, but I remind myself every time to forget all regrets and remember all the positive aspects. We finally got back to our home, and soon enough, returned to our normal lives, but this was still one trip I will never, EVER, forget. Thank you, to everyone who made this year so memorable and perfect. I love you all, and look forward to seeing everyone in the upcoming months!

The End.
​

 

[Cybertron]

Shoutouts: The section where everyone I love in Pokemon gets a little mushy thank you. An incredibly nerdy thank you.

First, to start off, I'd like to thank everyone in Team Seniors. I love all of you to death, and you guys make going to Pokemon tournaments a lot more fun. It was pretty awesome, how a bunch of teenagers on the internet managed to create their own group online and turned it into some real at Nationals and Worlds. It's great hanging out with the Masters, but sometimes, you need your own group of friends your age, you know? A lot of strong trainers in this group too... Thank you guys. I had a ton of fun with all of you this year, and you've all been so supportive and encouraging. Time for individual shout outs!

Aaron/Unreality: God, where to start... It went from you winning the San Jose Regionals and us realizing we had the same name to the great friends we are now. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done this year, whether it's entertaining me while I was bored at Google, training and testing teams with me, or just being a really supportive friend in general. You're so sweet and kind, and I really wish that we didn't have such crappy luck playing each other Round 1 at Worlds. Pokemon's all luck though, as we all know... But seriously, thanks for everything this year. You've become one of my best friends, and it's really great to know I have such an amazing person on my side. Team Aaron!

Edward/iss: I think we've both come a long way now, lol. From realizing that we were both Smogon members on the Prep bus in 2009 to what we are now... a bunch of Asians who enjoy playing Pokemon! You're a really cool kid, and I have to be honest, playing 'mons with you was what made me realize how awesome you really are. You're funny and super hyper, and get out of control sometimes (cough breaking laptops), but that's what makes you such a great guy! You had some bad luck this year with VGC, but don't worry, we'll train together next year and create the first Trinity Pokemon Club (along with David lol). It's always a pleasure to hang out with you, whether it's at a Pokemon tournament or a meetup, and I'll see you at school next week ;)

Jonathan/JRank: 2010 youngsters unite! I'm sad we didn't talk that much in 2010, but we really did fix that this year! Walking with you when I first came to Nationals and just talking about everything was pretty awesome. Sorry you had to deal with me really being hyper and excited, it's one of the quirks about me :D I think you've really matured a lot from being on Smogon, and I'm glad that you have because you've turned into a wonderful person now! (God I'm so corny...) Seriously though, I had so much fun with you at Nationals this year, and to be honest, that was one of the best weekend of my life. You had some pretty bad luck this year with VGC, but don't worry, you and Kenen got this next year! Also, we share a common love for Selena. <3

Enosh/Human: Shachal. What a great last name! You're an awesome dude, whether it's in the battlefield or when you're giving everyone chocolate from Israel (which are so good btw). Like you said, you've been steadily improving in VGC, so I expect to see some victories next year ;) I liked that time at Regionals when you charged my phone using my laptop to stream, lol. You're really good at battling too and you'll rock Masters this year! Thanks for everything this year, especially boosting my tie-breakers at Nationals c:

Natalie/Maski: "So... I think I might have a crush on you..." How that turned into one of the best jokes this year in VGC, before you know who killed it :( The first part about you being really cool is that you're a girl. And you play Pokemon. And you're really good at it too. I think that already makes you awesome. But add in an awesome personality (and cuteness ;) and BAM! Your family is pretty awesome too, I'm glad your dad didn't mind a bunch of boys in your hotel room at Nationals messing around, lol. Congrats on doing so well for your first year! I had a ton of fun with you at Nationals and Worlds, especially helping you with your team the night before at both tournaments, hehe! Didn't win worlds, still got the girl?

Henry/Snake: Man, it's hard deciding between you and Brendan for my favorite Jr! You used to always kick my butt in VGC 2011 and inspired me to use Choice Scarf Terrakion, thanks a lot for that! I honestly don't know any other 11 year old like you who fits along so well in a group of teenager and adults. You're really fun and have a great personality! Your parents are really nice too, they've raised you well :) It's always fun talking with you on IRC, whether it's about TCG or about trolling Skarmbliss VGC. Winning Nationals undefeated was pretty crazy, and you did so well this year. I know you had some bad luck at Worlds like me, but don't worry, you'll soon be kicking all of OUR butts in Seniors next year. Snaaaaaaaaaaaake!

Bruno/Kid Kadabra: You don't give good advice :c JUST KIDDING. The coolest and chillest bro in Pokemon, who is undefeated against Jeremy so far in battling. You should just threaten to beat up kids when they beat you in 'mons. That should solve your problems ;) Seriously though, you are the coolest guy ever, and you do NOT look like a Senior. Oh, you're also really good at soccer. Also, you and your girlfriend are super-duper cute :))

Kenan/Lucien Lachance: Man, you went from the kid we all hated online to the amazing lil' dude you are in real life! (Who am I calling little? You're older than me!) At Nationals, I saw and and I was like, :O IT'S LUCIEN! I remember asking for a picture and thinking that you were hella cool and that I actually had a great first impression of you. You were one of my favorite people to be around at Nationals! You did pretty awesome for your first year of VGC's, and I'm rooting for you and Jon all the way at Regionals next year. You BETTER win so we can hang out again! You are beautiful.

Jeremy/AlphaOmega: My Asian bro! You're hella good at 'mons and at being real awesome in real life! It was really great meeting you in real life finally, and I had a ton of fun with you at Worlds. Congrats on doing so well too! I was personally rooting for you to go for the repeat, too bad hax dreamcrushes everyone :( I also really enjoy it when I actually understand what you say to your dad in Chinese, hahaha. Thanks for making Worlds that much more awesome! Wo ai ni

Gavin/kingofkongs: Ugh, I hate to say it, but you're not the creeper you are online in real life. You're actually pretty cool in real life, and your Nationals team was one of the coolest teams I've seen this year. Sorry you got haxed out of like everything this year, but you still did pretty awesome! I know you'll kick some serious butt next year as a Senior again. Try to not be as creepy online. (It's good advice, you should take it) Though sometimes that creepiness leads to really funny posts, so that's a plus... Thanks for everything this year! .kokalert

Dillon/Alphabet123: You are a super duper cool dude. Also my hero for using that team at Nationals. Incredible. Also known as the guy who hates Facebook. I love your current VGC 2012 team btw, it kicks some serious butt.

Jenny/Solace: lol we live like 15 minutes away from each other. We will be best friends at VGC this year! You are a super member, especially on the great New York Scraftys. Always there to boost our morale and make fun of Edward's 7 PM bed time. Should have been there at Nationals, poor Maski being the only girl... Also you're a mod lol

Scott/muffinhead: Not really a Senior but still a very awesome guy. Way too tall though :( Also very nice to all the VGC community, being one of the few members to supply so many Pokemon to everyone. It was nice meeting you shortly at DC last year, and hopefully our paths will cross this year!

Cassie/Cassie: Another non Senior who is super awesome and nice to the community. We missed each other last year, but hopefully not this year! Also helped me and Brendan out with a Shiny Chandelure the night before Worlds, SUPER thanks to her for that! Always a pleasure to chat with her, and listen to you complain about your sister lol :D

Matt/Maestrol: Blak. That is all.

bharmalm: You talk too much. :)

Plusle: Very nice kid, it was awesome meeting you! Better than bharmalm.

7014gree: A very awesome guy in real life, and looked flipping sharp on Sunday. Kicked serious butt; cool guy in general.

Second of all, the other "big" VGC group, the Mighty Ducks! I've gotten to meet so many and have fun with everyone in this group this year, and it was a total blast. I guess Team Seniors is like a smaller version of you guys - a bunch of good friends who just happen to be good at Pokemon as well! I look up to a lot of the Masters in this group, and you guys are so awesome to be with at events. Going to Worlds really made me realize this... thank you all!

Dan/dtrain: Dan... you've been the guy I've known since the very beginning. I think it's been like four years already, from when I started Pokemon as a little kid, to the big kid I am now! You're one of the reasons why I enjoy playing Pokemon so much, and I'm pretty sure my parents are cool with me playing Pokemon because they see how swell of a guy you are! You really made me realize a lot of things as a person, and helped me mature and grow, and I can't thank you enough for that. It's always a ton of fun whenever we get to have a mini meetup during the weekends, and I'm really glad that we live in the same area. There are so many moments we've had I don't know what to refer to... though spending that time in the line that night was pretty. awesome. Thank you so much for everything you've done. I really appreciate it both as a Pokemon Player and as a person.

Huy/Huy: God, to believe I thought you were quiet/shy when I met you at Nationals again this year. You're the cooler Ha brother by far (HEAR THAT DUY?). Whether it was driving us around in San Diego, lining up for merchandise all night, or me kicking your butt in VGC 2011, I had a ton of fun with you at Worlds this year. I really appreciate your personality - you're so kind, and you're one of the people that really did make me feel better after my failure in Round 3. I'm actually saying nice things about you right now, lol. Thanks for giving me that 1/10 btw. huy is the greatest of all time (Control + F) It was tough writing this, because I have not moved on from our divorce yet. You rebound too quickly. Hit me up on my blueberry for the business deal, alright? I'll send you those Cincinnos btw, you'll win a BR because of me for that. 2-3's a pretty strong record man. I also hate you for getting the best deals in TCG (next to Dan lol). But really, you are really nice and kid and super and awesome and I miss you tons... you'll kick serious butt next year, I know it. (Not in VGC though, I mean in TCG and in kung-fu/math)

Duy/samsung222: I was kidding about Huy being the better by the way, you obviously are. Even when you tease me about Maski. You're really funny and have one hell of a personality, and one great battler too. Kicked butt against my boi kinderl3w at Nationals. Is a beast at basketball. I wasn't there but I saw you drain that 3 in one of the Worlds videos without even trying. Total boss. Also pretty good at TCG, although you lost to that Junior because my Zekrom deck didn't run Cleffa, terrible. I just realized we've never battled before, something has to happen about that to prove that I am part of the better dynasty.

Paul/makiri: Paul. The monster. Wins a Regional every year without trying. Makes hilarious comments when driving with Huy and his GPS phone. "We're in the middle of the water!" Also makes hilarious comments basically everywhere and is a ton of fun to be around. I enjoyed writing on your wall "drunk." t ws fn. "WHAT DID I DO TO YOU GUYS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Scott/Synre: Another super cool dude. (lol that's what I call everyone) But is a strong trainer who should have made it to Worlds, I mean he kicked my butt in the hotel of MIN DATOO AND TYLER with his Krookadile and Terrakion lead. Was part of the BEACH crew, losing feeling in our legs. Really fun guy in and out of Pokemon, and is a strong super mod on Smogon. Team Puberty beat you guys though :D

Min/GEC: My mate Min Datoo, whose first impression of me was that I was Tyler's sister on the phone. One of my favorite Brit's, has an amazing accent and godly hair, and part of the super In-N-Out crew. I had a ton of fun with you, and you are super super super cute and cool. Congrats on making it into that uni btw :D Also a master at writing warstories, TORNADO NEGRO was one excellent piece of work. I am rooting for you to win next year so we can hang out in HAWAII, 2012. Love my mate min.

Tyler/Tyler: Sorry for bailing on you on Skype every time. I hope you still love me. Excellent driver though, thanks for driving the In-N-Out crew through airport traffic and accidents and not killing me and Min and Tyler. Your sister will kick butt along with Brendan next year, it's happening. Stop texting me pictures of your In-N-Out btw, all it does is make me sad and hungry and sad and hungry and hungry and sad. Had a ton of fun with you at Worlds, we will meet again and you will drive me places :D

Andrea/Andrea: THE Pokegirl! Probably the nicest member of the Wi-Fi community, offering everyone her super cool shiny VGC Pokemon free of charge. I used your Amoonguss the whole season, and it was freaking awesome. Thanks a ton :) Always takes really cool pictures, videos, and her Worlds Warstory was awesome! Chad is also a super duper guy, and is incredible at sports. Hopefully we can talk more in the future, and don't worry, if I ever play the girl, I will scoop ;)

Mike/Skarm: For some reason I thought you were like the coolest guy ever after VGC 2010. My thoughts have changed ever since you lost to Simisear... JUST KIDDING. Great trainer sometimes, loses to stupid stuff other times. Another really funny guy who had amazing hair before he cut it. Beat me once in a GBU Match and trained me very well for VGC 2011. Thanks dude, my success was because of you.

Danny/TTS: BIG BOY DANNY! One of the guys I've had the pleasure of knowing well since he kicked my butt at 2010 VGC Nationals. Loses to Quick Claw ;) Had an amazing VGC 2011 team, we both had some bad luck that day but you made some seriously cool plays with your team and it was one of the more creative teams I've seen. Always a pleasure talking to online or in real life, incredible Pokemon player.

Luke/tad38: Luke! Another of the guys I had a really good impression of after VGC 2010. I remember playing TCG with you and others Saturday night and it was super fun. Seeing you qualify through LCQ was awesome, especially since you had so many tough trainers to beat on your way up there. Always tough battling you on PO also, haha. Crazy Facebook tagger, glad you finally got blocked from tagging on those 200 pictures. Wears the American Flag to represent the great country. Amazing.

evan/evan: The hipster musician. Really nice guy and looks super hipster (and sharp) at VGC events. Loses to Focus Band Shedinja. Unbelievable.

Daniel/Eraddd: KOREAN! Really cool guy, who I know will kick butt in VGC 2012 in the great land of Canada. We shall meet this year, and it will be wonderful :D

Adam/DM: One of the chillest masters there are. Doesn't even play this game and made it to Round 3 of LCQ. Finally got to meet and talk to him at Nationals this year, and it was great! So great I had to get Babbytron to make a happy birthday video for him. Great guy, needs to post his Nationals warstory already.

Len/Alaka: Has serious business. Never seen a guy trade for that much stuff and profit off everything. Also a really cool guy, and has super TCG skills compared to everyone else in VGC. Part of the All-Nighter crew, and is on his school's varsity soccer team, shown by when we were on the beach. Awesome guy, kicks butt in Halo as well.

Kamaal/Sixonesix: This guy is seriously good at that Marvel vs. Capcom and at mons, lol. Congrats on qualifying again :D That battle you had with Zog was utterly insane.

Mike/OmegaDonut: Strong trainer, who always kicked my butt on PO. I don't think I've ever won a match against you. National Champs never do well at Worlds. Sorry about that last second room change btw :(

Rushan/Firestorm: The guy who updates everyone on Smogon while all the tournaments were going on! Was a really cool guy to meet at Nationals, and was really supportive about the whole Seniors thing. Also runs a ridiculous VGC 2010 team, looks like our paths will cross next week in NPA ;-)

Alan/dubs: Another member of the beach crew and a really cool guy! Has some serious dance skills, shown at Nationals haha.

Alison/FISHY LOVES DRAGONS OMG: Beats trainers because of her feminine status. Also has the coolest name on Smogon. Tyler can't handle her.

Next, to my wonderful csmugs. Great group of people whether it's battling or just generally!

Mitch/IPS: Is a true champ, dominated at Regionals this year. Really cool and supportive guy, making those tshirts really made Regionals so much more incredible for me. Also super tall, lol.

Elliot/3lmo: Another champ, the other half of the ZHENG OUT shirts. Awesome guy. Awesome hair.

Michael/DukeTheDevil: Really strong trainer who used the strength of Bold Thundurus at Worlds. Him and Ray are unstoppable when playing TCG, you all better watch out! They pull ryuzaki's out of nowhere and win with that.

Scarlet/SapphireBirch: Another VGC girl. Really cute. Is also very strong at TCG, and is kicking some serious butt in NPA right now.

Trista/Ryuzaki: gyarados :3

And to the World Champs?

Ray/Bluecookies: The one everyone knows. I guess you're part of Team Seniors too, but World Champion is a bigger title, right? Winning once is enough, but twice? Dang. And the thing is you're the best World Champion that's possible... Modest, funny, etc. Like honestly, I've never seen you mad once (which scares me) and you are godly at Pokemon lol. Also ridiculously good at Pokemon Stadium. "IT'S MAGMAR, IT'S ALWAYS MAGMAR." Even a better troll, and I find you hilarious. Congrats on winning again man, super performance.

Kamz: God, who knew you would end up winning Worlds? One flipping awesome guy. I had a lot of fun with you, and you're even improving on your online skills! I'm gonna win the Victory Cup competition btw, so you better watch out ;) It was awesome meeting you though, and I know we're gonna be really good friends now :)

Finally, to all those that I couldn't fit in a section but wanted to write something anyway!

MY BOYS KINDERLEW AND SPENCER: The coolest guys in Pokemon hands down. Kindergang or die. To my boi kinderlew, you are one seriously cool dude and it was awesome getting to talk to you at Worlds. Your brother is crazy at soccer too, lol. To my boi Spencer, we haven't gotten to meet in real life but this is gonna change, and hopefully we'll all get to party it up at Nationals next year. Stay classy boys.

Wolfe: You, my friend, are an incredible guy and your skills at Pokemon are even more incredible. Practicing with you on PO was always interesting, and we've had a ton of good battles with each other. You were one of the most consistent players this year, and being the youngest in an age group... absolutely incredible. I think it really sucked how you had to play Ray in the Quarter Finals rather than the Finals, but that's what happens. Way to go man, I look forward to building teams and playing with you this upcoming year!

Kristan/Mosquito, Phillip: Two cool guys who did very well this season. You guys should come to Battle Roads next week!

Jon/SP67: I remember when I was one of the youngest ones in my division... Good job this year! Hax at Nationals sucks, but you'll kick serious butt this year and the year after :) (Just make sure it's not my butt!)

Adam/Dozz and Porkloin: God, you guys were freaking awesome. Dozz, you are flipping hilarious and I literally laughed at everything you said. Also an incredible artist for the NPA, and uses Durant to good success. Porkloin, you were a super cool guy and need to make a Smogon account.

Thomas/PBB: Amazing at ultimate frisbee. Really awesome dude. 2008 represent!

Expert Evan: We never got to chat at VGC's this year, but it was cool watching you battle at Newark! Hopefully our paths will cross at Regionals this year!

Simon/TDS: My dad. You did really super this year: I'm glad that my trip didn't go to waste! Always fun to talk to, dreamcrushed me in NPA but it's okay. I'll see you (winning) in Rhode Island, alright Papa Zheng?

Ben/Darkpenguin67: Super nice Senior, stay classy! See you next year.

Milan/Critico: Super cool guy. Gotta make sure we chill more in future Pokemon events.

Greyson/Greysong: Same as Milan, lol.

Jose/Supe: Always chosen because of his race for soccer. Very awesome guy who I had the honor of meeting, and was an excellent translator for us and Ruben! Speaking of Ruben...

Destinybond/Captain Falcon/meztips: A very strong group of trainers, nice to talk to and very fun to battle with.

Ruben: IT'S EASY! NO PROBLEM!

~Golden-Emp: One really cool guy, we've had a couple of good battles. They need VGC in Mexico for you :D

tlyee61: You're a nice kid. We'll meet next year. It will be great.

TRE/R Inanimate: Two awesome brothers. Realizing you guys were Asian totally blew my mine, lol. R Inanimate used one seriously sick team: You guys will kick butt in Canada next year :)

Alvin/Jibaku: Asian! One really good battler, who kicks my butt in VGC 2012 all the time. Look forward to seeing you this year man :)

The Arnold Family: Wonderful group of people, and incredible at Pokemon. David was one tough opponent both at Regionals and Nationals, and Grace has always been one of Brendan's challenges at all his tournaments. You guys are all incredible!

Age of Kings: A GIRL! Super nice and cool, and took some awesome videos of the balling that happened!

Rukario: My bro. I love this kid.

Chilebowl: My other bro. :)

Talon: You're a cool kid, congrats on making it to Worlds this year. You should hang with us more next year!

Babbytron: My brother. You did incredible this year. 1st Regionals, 2nd Nationals, 3rd Worlds is no joke. And you're only 8, and adorable. Good work buddy, I love you :-)

MY MAN, NINAHAZA: Man, I can't believe I forgot the one and only Jesus. The guy with the most swagger. The most inspirational man. I am seriously glad we got that picture together, because it has amazing all over it. You can't have the name Jesus and go wrong with it. We didn't get to hang out that much at Nationals this year, but we will be unstoppable next year.

Zog: You scare the living crap out of me and I think you are high everytime you use the internet machine, but deep down I think you are cool and a very solid pokemon player and who knows you were very close to winning it all but bs time hax its okay though you will kick butt next year and not lose to a mono choice team and i enjoy your rants and your snake avatar yum

Liesek: you are the coolest guy in Pokemon ever, and I think we're all very lucky to have you in the program and all, you are actually super funny and cool and i can go on and on but come to every tournament we should hang sometime i love you and i will win worlds for you this year and prove that i am actually a good pokemon player unlike babby <3

 

[Cybertron]

Y'all should Google me. Gotta beat aaron zines and aaron zimmer.

More of a personal post, but links to everything from this season!

http://www.facebook.com/Babbytron (Brendan's fan page)
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2011/26/bt_fresh_meadows_pokemon_brothers_20110623.html (News Article, after Regionals)
http://www.queenstribune.com/news/News_081111_ZhengDynastyTakesOnTheWorld.html (News Article, after Nationals)
http://www.pokemon.com/us/news/op_nats_2011_vchamp-2011-07-10/ (Pokemon Article)
http://kotaku.com/5820352/these-are-the-very-best-pokemon-trainers-in-the-united-states/gallery/1 (Kotaku Article)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL0O0PfYJg0 (Close game with CakesOfSpan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cAPGIiAvr0 (T16 Match at Regionals)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V6vx7FQ5zs&feature=channel_video_title (Finals match at Regionals)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqK0hk_Ypz8 (First match against David Arnold)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKn4eSSzYpM&feature=related (Third match against David Arnold)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEfTb1-E5pA (Brendan vs. Snake Round 3)

And some pictures from the year.

 

[Unreality]

you are the best pokepal ever <3333 thank you for making my summer amazing

im not deleting this one, you can shove it

 

[iss]

:o

 

[Superpokemon67]

This makes me wish I was there. It'll be awesome seeing you at Philly later, and I can't wait for next year!!! BTW, it's not as overdo as my nats/regs warstory :3. Also, none of your pictures are showing up on my computer, so I can't stare at Babbytron, but oh well. Great Warstory, and I'm sorry you didn't make it further. It was great seeing you at nats, and good luck next year!!!

 

[Huy]

9/10. still missing the part where we hang out after san diego. OH WAIT T_T

 

[Cybertron]

Just wait until you see your shoutout.

huy is the greatest of all time

 

[ΩDonut]

In the end, Team Mike/Ray beat Babbytron in some close (unfair) games.

Nah, Team Mike wasn't there to play TCG. I think it's Len you see in the blue shirt.

 

[~Golden Emp]

A month late. You get an F in this assignement....

Wow. School has been taking my soul ._.

Excellent!!! Luv'd

 

[Cybertron]

Nah, Team Mike wasn't there to play TCG. I think it's Len you see in the blue shirt.

Oops, my bad, I meant Team Mike/Ray as in the combo between Duke and Ray haha :evan:

EDIT: Most of the shoutouts are up. Def. forgetting people though, I'll type them up as I remember. Now to finish the ending lol.

 

[Maestrol55]

Great warstory man, glad to see you had a good time. Hope to meet you in Philly next year!

 

[Huy]

can bruno bench press me?

 

[dtrain]

Post. You did good kid!
LOL but really thanks for the thanks ;) Your a great guy and I've had a blast getting to hangout with you :D (can't believe its been like 4 years, man time flies). Don't worry I couldn't refer the moments either (way to many =x.) All I know is we're going to hang out some moreeeee! Oh and coughdon'tplayzpscough!!!

 

[makiri]

Aaron and I go way back, 2008 old school. I can't say anything other than I love you bro no homo, it was pretty awesome hanging out with you this year (and the rest of the seniors).

 

[Jibaku]

/slap

That sandwich is making me hungry right now...

... RAMEN NOODLES! That's right - we brought 8 packs of Instant Cook Ramen Noodles!

...and hungrier

Thanks! you too :D

How much does Snake weigh?

(This is a collection of semi-random thoughts/impressions that came to mind. Well not really, I suppose)

Team Aaron is amazing.

EDIT: I Luvdisc'd the thread. It's really hard to put in words how wonderful this warstory is.

 

[Solace]

can bruno bench press me?

yeah he's got it huy

seriously though cybertron you're an awesome guy and congrats on your vgc season :D

we're so hanging out this year :DDDD

 

[theamericandream38]

This was the smokin' blonde staff girl I was raving about fyi!!!!

Also I was the best at Halo y u no mention me >:OOOOOO

Seriously though, this has been a long time coming and it certainly lived up to the hype. I'm glad we got to hang out a lot at Worlds, and I look forward to spending time with you for many years to come. You are a really awesome kid and a great Pokemon player to boot =D

 

[Lucien Lachance]

Aaron, my boy. You are always so late with your warstories but it makes them that much better!

 

[Synre]

i respect your strategy of posting the shoutouts late so the only thing there to read is the story. i read it.





Seriously though, I like the warstories a little late, makes the nostalgia a little different when it's not the weekend after or whatever. I enjoyed reading through and was glad I got to hang out with you and the other members of team seniors at Worlds, you're a fun guy except when involved with internet Pokemon tournaments. Brings me back seeing all the pictures... it was cool hanging how everyone just kinda hung out regardless of age or internet website for the most part at worlds, hope that continues at Nationals and we hang out there. :)



:evan::evan::evan::evan::evan::evan::evan::evan::evan::evan::evan::evan:






:evan:

 

[BlueCookies]

Aaron you are my favorite senior!!! :3

Great warstory and it was awesome hanging out at worlds after we didn't hang out much at nats. Looking forward to hanging out next year too (hopefully when I come back home from college over winter break).

Also just wanted to say that me and duke beat babby in 1 turn, thats how good we are.

Also you say you've never seen me angry, but now that I see that the free cupcake thing wasn't actually a troll, I am legit pissed.

 

[Tyler]

ILU Aaron. You are the coolest loser I know! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Regular show huehuehue
But seriously, I had a super awesome time spending time with you, and hopefully we can do it more next YEARE :P

P.S. you in the all girls picture is the best picture ever.

P.P.S Fricken stop bailing out on our skype calls!!!

 

[tlyee61]

tlyee61: You're a nice kid. We'll meet next year. It will be great.

<33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333

 

[Dozz]

This warstory was simply super and well worth the wait. I also appreciated the shoutout a lot. This has just made me miss it more though. Summed up such a ridiculously good weekend so well.

Was a treat getting to meet you all though, and put a face to the username. I've started saving to provide the laughs in Hawaii next year, fear not guys!