"Comraderie by Kommo-o's Clanging Scales" ft. V_Iced_Mocha | TRAINER'S EYE #137

From Pokémon Gold to the immersive world of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, V_Iced_Mocha takes us through his Pokémon journey and how the games resonated with his personal experiences. As a Twitch streamer and active member of the Filipino Pokémon community, he opens up about the barriers fans face in the Philippines and how mobile gaming has made Pokémon more accessible. This conversation highlights the power of Pokémon fandom and how the franchise brings people together through connection and shared experiences. 

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Sources
Opening Song: "Forget You" by Alex_MakeMusic from Pixabay

Transcript

V_Iced_Mocha 0:00

I'm Mocha, and this is my Pokemon story.

David Hernandez 0:43

Welcome to, as the pokeball turns, we're going to interview people about their experience with Pokemon. My name is David Hernandez. I'm joined by Mocha all the way from the Philippines here to share us his passion with Pokemon. Mocha, welcome to As the Pokeball Turns. Thank you for coming on.

V_Iced_Mocha 1:03

Thank you for having me.

David Hernandez 1:05

Absolutely, and I love Pokemon fans who have been in it for a long time because we're like a different breed, right? We've been through all the franchises, the games, and all that. We still love this gate, uh, this franchise all this time. I want to ask, like, what is it about Pokemon that you enjoy the most?

V_Iced_Mocha 1:23

I think it's just the variety, to be honest. Every game has its own different mechanics, different core gameplays, whether you're playing mainline, side games. They're all so unique, at the same time, so similar. But, like, you always know what you get, but at the same time, you don't. at one second, you could be battling your favorite Pokémon, the next, you would be reading dialogue as you play. A detective with a Pikachu, and then the next, you're the Pokemon instead! It's just so fun because there's so much creativity around the series.

David Hernandez 2:00

I agree, because you think about how Pokemon started, it just started both, the idea of bug collecting, you know, for those who know, and to see how Pokemon has kind of branched out into all these avenues like Detective Pikachu. Of course, you can't deny them Pokemon main series games, but all the ways you can kind of take the Pokemon concept and branch off it and kind of see different takes on it. is very fun and keeps it fresh in a way.

V_Iced_Mocha 2:24

exactly. Like, I really like the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series, just because, you know, You get to play as the Pokémon, and then another thing that Scarlet and Violet currently just released with the DLC is the ability to travel around the overworld as your Pokémon, which really resonated with me. to anyone who like doesn't know me, I am a gay, furry, Twitch streamer, being able to just see my Pokemon walk around with my inputs as I control them, it's kind of like a dream come true. I think. seeing how I see myself as a Pokemon Kind of shifts the veil and like immerses you into a reality that you never really saw yourself in and I really really like that It's kind of like your Sword Art Online era

David Hernandez 3:14

Do you feel like you kind of get acknowledged, you know, as a kind of a gay furry creator with that kind of mechanic implemented? You

V_Iced_Mocha 3:23

with especially with it started with the mystery dungeon series And now I literally get to walk around as my favorite Pokemon anywhere on the map. It's just so cool

David Hernandez 3:35

I think about some of the earlier episodes, Kanto, they don't do it much anymore, but just seeing how Pokemon interact has always been something that In all this spin off series that I've kind of enjoyed the most, people think Pokemon snap, I think about that episode where you just had the Pokemon kind of communicating with one another or some of the sorts that come with the movies, It answers the question of what would Pokemon do if we're not around, right?

V_Iced_Mocha 3:58

Yeah, it kinda takes the focus away from the people, and puts the spotlight on the creatures themselves.

David Hernandez 4:05

Now you said you love the Pokemon mystery dungeon games. What is it about? The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games besides playing the Pokemon that you enjoy the most.

V_Iced_Mocha 4:14

I think it's the storytelling. As a kid, like, I played Mystery Dungeon at like, 8 years old. And, right now, I'm like, in my early 20s. But, Dungeon was the first ever game series that actually made this kid cry.

David Hernandez 4:33

Really? Aww.

V_Iced_Mocha 4:34

a lot of, reading comprehension problems actually understood a story for the first time and actually, like, pure and raw emotion from your partner crying as you disappear into the next, as you return into your own world to just tears of joy as you return from a wish that was granted by Dialga. maybe it's my, inner fear of abandonment that's kicking in there, but It just really touched the, it just tugged the heartstrings.

David Hernandez 5:05

Aww, it sounds like, it sounds like you have a very emotional connection for that scene. And for me, like, I pretended to be Ash around this Pokemon. I would put my stuffed animals around me because that was kind of my way of having company growing up. And, you know, Pokemon's kind of the way to where not only allows you to, develop your own adventure, but it lets you kind of develop your own feelings and kind of like what kind of needs, I guess, come with a relationship in a way. For you, you said it was a fear of abandonment. For me, it was like the fear of not having support, in my opinion. What do you think?

V_Iced_Mocha 5:36

I think that kind of is true, because honestly, Loki, I kind of did the same thing, but in instead, but

David Hernandez 5:43

Ha ha ha ha!

V_Iced_Mocha 5:46

stuff, I let my imagine I let my imagination run wild and I was just playing with laundry, cuppers, because that's the only thing that I could like grab at the time as like a kid.

David Hernandez 5:59

Now, was Pokemon Mystery Dungeon your first introduction into the franchise, or was there a different Pokemon game that started this whole, uh, shambang?

V_Iced_Mocha 6:05

Well, mystery Dungeon was the first ever Pokemon game that I understood But my first ever Pokemon game is actually Pokemon Gold. I

David Hernandez 6:16

Oh!

V_Iced_Mocha 6:16

Jotto girly. I think I started playing Pokemon Gold, in my pretty and Pink Game Boy Advanced, I think I was four years old at that time.

David Hernandez 6:27

So you're still kinda young, you're just like, kinda, it looks cool, you didn't really kinda understand what was going on? Well,

V_Iced_Mocha 6:33

know that like, meme of like, Battle moves are everything. No one uses status moves. Like, just press A, deal damage. That was

David Hernandez 6:42

Yes.

V_Iced_Mocha 6:43

growing up. press A, deal damage, win the game. There's a funny story about my first ever Pokemon Gold playthrough too. Literally the scene with the burnt tower, where you unlock all the legendary beasts. There's another reason, one of my favorite legendary Pokemon is Entei. And the reason for that is, this 4 year old kid, in the basement, just moving the stuff on his Gameboy Advance, in the middle of the night, around, I think, with the side route to Critique City, sees this big dog this big fire dog, and I throw a Pokeball, and it stays on the first throw. it made me feel, oh cool, what is this thing? And then I showed it to my brother, and he's like, oh, this is a very strong, legendary Pokemon. And I was like, It chose me! Like, the That was like, me as a little kid, and that's why I really like Entei right now. Like, it's the top of one of my favorite Pokemon lists.

David Hernandez 7:49

I caught an Entei too. Now, you have a huge flex just doing the Pokeball, like I ain't on that level. But, I ran into an Entei randomly. It was Pokemon, I think I did Pokemon, no I did Pokemon Gold as well. And I ran into a random Entei and I'm like, Oh, this is rare, let me catch it. And it was the only legendary beast I've ever used. Outside of maybe Suicune, but that was until later on. But, it's just kind of cool to see it like, Oh, randomly, and it's like, Oh, it chose you! That's just very unique.

V_Iced_Mocha 8:15

It kinda, like, it doesn't help that a couple of weeks after that encounter with Entei, I watched the Unknown movie, which is the

David Hernandez 8:24

Oh, yes.

V_Iced_Mocha 8:25

Entei! And he has a kid And he has a little kid with him! We're friends now!

David Hernandez 8:33

I chose the movie. It happened. Did you, uh, after watching the movie, did you kind of go back to your auntie and see like, oh, my gosh, isn't it so powerful? Like, can you make a wish for me kind of thing?

V_Iced_Mocha 8:45

Not really, because it was just I borrowed that Pokemon Gold copy from my cousin, so after watching that movie, I had to return the Gold copies. I'm pretty sure my cousin deleted the Entei. See?

David Hernandez 8:57

Oh, no.

V_Iced_Mocha 8:58

But that's fine. The important part is I remember actually catching it.

David Hernandez 9:03

And I think that's the best part about Pokemon, is it gives you those moments that kind of stay with you. And you get to share the stories, and who else can save, like, they caught an Entei and their friend deletes it. Like, well, not deletes it, but had that kind of story, and that kind of allows us to connect. Like, just you and me, we connected with Entei, and I never thought, you know, I haven't thought about that story in a while.

V_Iced_Mocha 9:23

It's just so nice to see other people's, experiences and relationships with certain Pokémon.

David Hernandez 9:29

What kept you engaged with Pokemon? Because, you know, you didn't have the game, were you like watching the anime, collecting the cards at that time?

V_Iced_Mocha 9:36

so there's actually a fun story about this.

David Hernandez 9:39

Oh, let's tell, let's go.

V_Iced_Mocha 9:41

is one of my favorite games ever. I love the entire Generation 3. Generation

David Hernandez 9:47

hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

V_Iced_Mocha 9:52

I think it was just lack of interest. is very ironic, because I have all of the Sinnoh games. I have Pearl, Platinum, and Diamond. But, They're just untouched because I didn't really like Sinnoh all too well. And then I think Gen 5 was what put the nail on the coffin. Because at least in Gen 4, I had the access to some of the old Pokémon. And like, I had my favorites, and I could use them around, even though like, there was a significant lack of Fire types. I know, the joke, that Sinnoh does not have Fire types. But the lack of overall variety in old Sinnoh, kind of like, not interested. That's why I like the side games of Gen 5 more. And then Gen 5, black and white, just getting rid of everything entirely, and having a huge regional dex with everything new, left a bad taste in my mouth, because I don't see the sense of, like, that's why I kept going back to the series. see familiar figures, I see Pokemon that I've grew up with. And then they introduced new designs to like, pique interest. And then, Black and White completely just threw that out the window and just gave us this completely new, 150 new mons to play with. And, personally didn't really like it. And then, Jane Jane Jane. Gen 6 came about, and then it gave us a very small regional dex. But it gave us one of the biggest Pokédexes in entire series. And then it gave us so many fun things to do, like Pokémon Amie, the roller skates, Mega Evolution. And then just the super training. That

David Hernandez 11:37

Yeah, I forgot all about that stuff. Yeah, yeah. I mean, Gen 5, just thinking about it. For those who don't know, Gen 5 was actually kind of quote unquote the first Dexit in a way. Because, you had, like you said, you had no new Pokemon. So, In Game Freak, the reason why they did it is because they wanted people to kind of experience Pokemon for the first time, like they try to relive basically Red, Blue, and Yellow in a way, but it was a controversial move because you kind of go into this game with nothing from past games, literally nothing at all, no characters, no Pokemon,

V_Iced_Mocha 12:09

Mm hmm.

David Hernandez 12:09

you're literally just going with a blank slate I could see why that would be a bad taste in your mouth just to kind of step away from the franchise for a bit.

V_Iced_Mocha 12:17

No Pikachu, no Charizard, no Eevee.

David Hernandez 12:20

Can you imagine no Pikachu, no Eevee? That's wild. Like,

V_Iced_Mocha 12:24

hmm. At this point in time, they're like the staples of the franchise.

David Hernandez 12:29

yeah, like if they, if Pokemon did a game without Pikachu and Eevee now, people would be nuts about it.

V_Iced_Mocha 12:35

Yeah, that that was low key. To anyone who doesn't know, I am basically a living Dexer. I basically want to have all of the Pokemon, both as their regular forms and as their shiny forms.

David Hernandez 12:47

Oh my gosh.

V_Iced_Mocha 12:48

key, like a fun little fact, Eevee takes up so much of the Pokedex. Eevee usually takes two pages of the Pokedex, just because of how the boxes are arranged. And like, how many eeveelutions there are, it takes a lot of space out of everything.

David Hernandez 13:04

are you more of a completionist because you're trying to do both a regular and shiny decks

V_Iced_Mocha 13:08

I think I am, this is like the first time I've ever felt something, felt compelled to, like, just percent everything. I'm not gonna say the chemical, cause I'm gonna mix them again. Cause last

David Hernandez 13:23

Sure,

V_Iced_Mocha 13:23

time I said, the melatonin you get from seeing a shiny Pokemon, and that was not the correct word. But like, just the

David Hernandez 13:33

I got you

V_Iced_Mocha 13:35

when

David Hernandez 13:35

the dope of feet that don't put me

V_Iced_Mocha 13:36

that, the dopamine, the rush that you just get when you see a sparkle on your screen.

David Hernandez 13:42

Mm hmm

V_Iced_Mocha 13:43

the feeling of satisfaction when you open your box and everything is just full, arranged in decks order. it's such a nice little feeling to have.

David Hernandez 13:53

now mocha if you want to come organize my boxes, please do cuz they are been a hot mess for the longest time But

V_Iced_Mocha 14:02

my boxes.

David Hernandez 14:04

Really? Do you like organize them by number or like what's your method?

V_Iced_Mocha 14:08

I arrange them by, dex number, and then I have boxes for their, alternate forms.

David Hernandez 14:15

Oh, okay. So you don't put them next to each other. You keep those separate, like, uh, say for example, a Giratina origin and, uh, the other one.

V_Iced_Mocha 14:22

I keep them separate. Or like, uh,

David Hernandez 14:25

Oh,

V_Iced_Mocha 14:26

and then my main dex would have male Indeedee and its shiny form. And then the form box has female Indeedee and her shiny form.

David Hernandez 14:35

this is how, you know, Mocha organizes. This is crazy. It's good though. I like it. I mean, some people just like to organize stuff.

V_Iced_Mocha 14:43

But sometimes I'm just a lazy fuck and just them down wherever they are. If you look at my Scarlet and Violet boxes right now, just a whole gaggle of Vesuvian Zorua where they're not supposed to be there.

David Hernandez 14:59

We all have our, I guess we all have in your case, Zoras and boxes. You know, going back to your experience with Pokemon, you said Gen 3 was one of your favorites. And I want to know, like, what is it about that generation that separates it from the other games, in your opinion?

V_Iced_Mocha 15:15

I know my first game was Gold, but I

David Hernandez 15:18

hmm.

V_Iced_Mocha 15:18

just a game that I borrowed from my cousin. The first Pokemon game that I ever owned is Pokemon Sapphire. I'm a Sapphire girly. Stanky

David Hernandez 15:27

Ayyy.

V_Iced_Mocha 15:28

It may miss, it may miss Origin Pulse, but the D. Va is serving in the rain. Let

David Hernandez 15:34

Right, right. Okay.

V_Iced_Mocha 15:36

Lady Gaga right now.

David Hernandez 15:39

I would, but I'd probably get copyright

V_Iced_Mocha 15:41

yeah, exactly.

David Hernandez 15:42

I mean, if you wanna do karaoke, by all means, you got the sage is yours.

V_Iced_Mocha 15:47

No, I wouldn't want to blow anyone's eardrums out with how

David Hernandez 15:50

Okay. Fair enough, Fair enough. Fair enough?

V_Iced_Mocha 15:55

But, I think it's just my experience with Hoenn because I kept replaying Hoenn over and over and over again. Just because I just love the game. Like, I love the decks, the mons, the bike, the music. Like, just

David Hernandez 16:11

Mm,

V_Iced_Mocha 16:12

8 bit trumpets

David Hernandez 16:14

yes.

V_Iced_Mocha 16:15

the remix too, like, when everything is like, more modern sounding without the 8 bit iness. it's kind of like, you know that scene of like, in Ratatouille, of like, the food critic just eating the Ratatouille, and then just

David Hernandez 16:29

Mm-hmm

V_Iced_Mocha 16:30

to like, his mom? You know? Me, that's me going into Slayport City in Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire. It's just me going back as a kid, first entering Slayport City, hearing the dun dun dun dun dun dun dun there is a fangame for Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl that actually allows you to swap between DS sounds. It has a feature that you can swap between the DS and the Switch

David Hernandez 16:59

Ooh, that sounds good.

V_Iced_Mocha 17:01

And that's such a great, quality of life cause it can really, like, tickle that nostalgia bean. the ping, ping, ping, instead of like the very more crisp PING!

17:10

Hey you! Yes, you with the ears! Don't go anywhere, just taking a quick ad break. We'll be right back. Love diving into people's experience with Pokemon? I'd appreciate it if you guys support the podcast by joining my Patreon. My goal is for As the Pokeball Turns to become the best Pokemon interview show, like no one ever was, where more people can share their experience with Pokemon. Support the podcast and you get a monthly Pokemon wristband featured on a selected Pokemon each month. Go to patreon. com slash asthepokeballturns and join our community today. A special thank you to Matt Monkeybread, Gus Ulrich, and all other patrons for your continued support. Now let's get back to the episode.

David Hernandez 17:57

you know you said you know Gen 3 is your favorite you love you know the everything about it When did that eventually I guess your experience of Pokemon transition to go into you streaming on Twitch

V_Iced_Mocha 18:09

Ooh, so I grew up in the Philippines, and, money isn't really the most, common resource I have. So it

David Hernandez 18:16

hmm. Mm hmm. Don't

V_Iced_Mocha 18:17

me a while to actually get my own Nintendo Switch. Like, is very old. Like, I think it's like 10, 11 years old now. Around

David Hernandez 18:30

tell me that don't tell me that

V_Iced_Mocha 18:32

the

David Hernandez 18:32

it doesn't feel like it.

V_Iced_Mocha 18:33

at time of

David Hernandez 18:34

Yeah

V_Iced_Mocha 18:36

I got my Switch three years ago. Well, not really three, two and a half years ago. As a birthday gift to myself on my 20X birthday. And I just, I personally never thought that I would ever, uh, stream. a friend of mine, who is a streamer on Twitch, Juddy, if you're listening, hi! Ha

David Hernandez 18:59

out the jetty. I think jetty gone, right?

V_Iced_Mocha 19:00

JuddyGone.

David Hernandez 19:01

Yep. Yep

V_Iced_Mocha 19:02

is, one of my bestest friends on Twitch. I love the guy so much. just seeing him have nice connection to his community, like, build up the community, have a space of his own, and just have friends from all around the world Made me want to do it too. I didn't know what to do at that point. Cause like, what would people even like, want to watch me for?

David Hernandez 19:28

Mm hmm.

V_Iced_Mocha 19:28

I had the idea, since I also have a Switch, and I do know a lot about Pokemon, Why not just start shiny hunting? And that's how my streaming journey low key started. me wanting to make new friends and just be able to talk around people around the world because I already was low key kind of doing that. I'm actually very active in a bunch of different, Discord servers. Like, I

David Hernandez 19:55

so you're like the person people know all over the discord Yeah.

V_Iced_Mocha 20:00

either am a regular at or am actively, uh, moderating for.

David Hernandez 20:05

Look at you. You're such an important person, man.

V_Iced_Mocha 20:08

Not really important. I don't think I'm that important sometimes. I'm just here to make sure that people have a little safe space that they can call home on the internet and just have someone to talk to whenever they need a listening ear.

David Hernandez 20:23

Well, I mean, that makes you an important person because, you know, those type of personalities, those type of people are very hard to come by, to have somebody to be that supportive you're like the web to keep people together in a way. like, how does it feel to kind of be that kind of central focus to be there for your friends? Like, what does that mean for you to play that role for them? And

V_Iced_Mocha 20:47

because people do choose to like just talk with me and just share whatever is going on with their life. a common rule I personally have on my stream is that we listen, we don't judge. Like you can say, as long as it's not hateful in any way, shape or form, you can literally say anything. Like, if you have to rant about something, feel free. if you want to celebrate something that you just achieved, go for it. I love learning about other people and how they're living their lives. It kind of sounds stalkery sometimes, but I just like listening to people and learning about them.

David Hernandez 21:24

you know, you learn so much by listening, you know, there's always a saying over here in the States, more in the South to where you say you got two ears and what, for a reason, use them because it means that we should be listening more so than talking or looking to respond.

V_Iced_Mocha 21:39

I didn't know that that was a saying there.

David Hernandez 21:41

There probably is. I just, I probably butchered it like, uh, everything else I do. But I wanted to ask another question. Cause you said, you know, you got your switch very late, how difficult is it for you to stay connected with Pokemon? Not having the, closest gadget, you know, not having the updated game, you know, do you find it difficult sometimes to stay connected with the franchise or do you find alternate ways to still, Love Pokemon.

V_Iced_Mocha 22:04

Actually, that's a very interesting question. like, there's a little segue I have about that, too. But, personally, I can still stay connected to the Pokémon community, even with or without my Switch. because of fan games. Just having, people playing the fan games, just having communities, like, centered around fan games. for example, before I had my Switch, I was playing Pokémon Radical Red, which is a difficulty increasing hack for Pokémon FireRed that, basically puts all of the modern features of all Pokémon games and just shoves them all into Kanto. Like, the expanded decks, the physical special split, like, everything. even Megas and Dynamaxmons are there. And like, around, that was, I think in 2021, when I started playing that, and I started reconnecting with the Pokémon community more. Other, like, not just the Shiny Hunters. was talking with Challenge Runners now, or Nuzlockers, or just casual, like, difficulty, just people who want to play Pokémon with a more higher difficulty setting. I was starting talking to them with that. And then there was also a big boom of Pokemon Infinite Fusion, where like, you get a fan game where you get to fuse two Pokemon together to make a new Pokemon. was

David Hernandez 23:24

Oh.

V_Iced_Mocha 23:25

talk about that. then there was also a Roguelite Pokemon that released that was a little bit controversial at first, called PokeRogue. Like, a lot of people were really talking about that, and I got to talk to a lot of people who were also playing Boogie Rogue, who were, like, doing challenge runs of, like, no evolved mons, or just baby mons, no evolutions. I got to talk to people who were also doing that. And, like, that's just me without my Switch. Now that I do have my Switch, I can talk to a lot more people now. I can relate to people who do. VGC, I grew closer to people who play Pokemon Night, competitively more people who play old games, too. Like, the people who just recently started playing Mystery Dungeon. Thanks to Nintendo Switch Online emulators for the older consoles, people started playing Mystery Dungeon again. Like, Red Rescue Team

David Hernandez 24:22

it's kind of cool to see all the different ways, even, you know, stuff that's not officially by Game Freak, allow you people, such as yourself, to stay connected with the franchise in a different way. Because I remember for me, I couldn't play both the DS and 3DS right away. So I was kind of gate kept from those games, X and Y and Diamond and Pearls, respectively, for about, you know. Almost six months. So I missed out on a lot of stuff, but I was still able to stay connected with me through different means. You know, I think earlier on I went back to playing Hoenn, I played Hoenn to death, but then the other one I played Pokemon Go, but all the while still playing a franchise I loved. It's just not the normal way that, you know, if you stuck with the main series games, if that makes sense.

V_Iced_Mocha 25:07

one thing here in the Philippines, not everyone has a Nintendo Switch. It's a very much, the Nintendo Switch is very much a item here in the Philippines. But, thanks to the kind, kind generosity of my community, Um, Cause I don't live in the mainland, I live in the islands, I live in the island part of the Philippines. Where

David Hernandez 25:32

Okay.

V_Iced_Mocha 25:33

bunch of just islands. So I'm not like in the main region of the Philippines. But thanks to the kind generosity of my community, I was able to go to one of the biggest Pokémon conventions here in the Philippines, which is aptly named PokéCon. And just being able to see how we Filipinos are still very Interconnected with the Pokemon franchise, even though not everyone owns a Nintendo Switch, is very, very, it's like eye opening. Like, people just know the franchise through Pokemon or Pokemon Cafe Remix, or they just play Pokemon Masters instead.

David Hernandez 26:17

Mm hmm.

V_Iced_Mocha 26:18

they even just Pokemon Go exclusively. Like, I knew people that that convention, that their first ever Pokemon game is Pokemon Go. Like, Pokemon Go, back when it released, when I was in

David Hernandez 26:34

2016, yeah.

V_Iced_Mocha 26:35

I was in high school at that time. And like, wow, that's your first ever Pokemon game. And like, it got them hooked. And like, it was so, it was so refreshing to see someone have a Go. as their first game. Cause I personally don't really, vibe with Go, mainly because I'm a shut in. And then, like, I met so many people, I met so many figures in the Pokemon community there in that convention, it kind of feels that even though we're separated in island, islands and regions, and states, And like, even some international people went there. We're still connected just by this franchise. So that all like, like minded people and like fans just can get together and just talk about their experiences with the game. Just like what we're doing, just like what we're kinda doing right now.

David Hernandez 27:28

As a Filipino resident, Do you feel that the way Pokemon has added more mobile games, cause you mentioned Cafe Remix, of course, just Pokemon Go, Pokemon Unite, has that given more access for people who live over there to kind of experience Pokemon for those who maybe can't purchase, you know, a game system.

V_Iced_Mocha 27:48

there's this funny story, actually, back in high school. Literally, Pokemon, the week Pokemon Go came out, one of my classes just cancelled due to, administration, just some university things. So, literally, the entire cla like, my entire class, uh, was just walking around campus. And like, this was me back at the time, because I didn't own a phone at the time, so I couldn't even play Pokemon Go. And I was like, What are y'all doing? And they were like, Oh, we're just running around, like, just walking our Pokemon. And I was like, What? Like, I can understand your Pokemon talk, but what is this walking around you speak of? And I was like, Oh, y'all are boogie. Y'all are paying Pokemon go. And it didn't help that the fact that in my high school university, were three pokey stops. Like just placed out in a, out near like just making a triangle in the university. And my, my entire class, except for me, was just basically just like, running from one Pokestop to the other, just literally catching everything that spawned. Like, they put lure modules on the Pokestops and they just kept going in triangles and just catching whatever spawned there. That's like a funny story that I keep, like, I still remember to this day, mainly because of the FOMO, because I didn't get to play with them. I didn't get to play with Pokemon with a big group because I didn't own a phone at the time.

David Hernandez 29:15

Uh, one thing I want to talk about, cause you mentioned a Filipino convention called PokéCon. what was it like to attend it?

V_Iced_Mocha 29:21

Oh, so, PogeCon is the biggest Pokemon convention here in the Philippines. It usually happens around September. It's basically just a little convention here Makati, which is like a place in Metro Manila, which is like the capital of the Philippines. It's just a big little convent A big little convention. That is just basically a little place where Filipino Pokemon fans can just go to. And there are a bunch of competitions, a bunch of artists, bunch of fans, and even like some actors that go to that too.

David Hernandez 30:01

Really? Wow.

V_Iced_Mocha 30:03

that are huge Pokemon fans. Like, there are so many competitions there. There's a competition for Pokemon Unite, TCG, VGC, or the trading card game, the video game, which is like competitive double battling. There was a cosplay, a cosplay competition. there was a fun little get together of Pokemon fans We even got recognized by Junichi Masuda himself. He was like, yeah, he was

David Hernandez 30:33

Okay.

V_Iced_Mocha 30:34

there was a word around the convention center the convention place where they were receiving likes and retweets by Masuda himself. Like, people who were

David Hernandez 30:45

Wow,

V_Iced_Mocha 30:46

was retweeting and liking posts from PokéCon.

David Hernandez 30:51

that must've been very humbling or very, it's humbling, but also very exciting to see the creator of Pokemon, you know,

V_Iced_Mocha 30:57

Just recognize

David Hernandez 30:58

or not created, but you know what I mean? Yeah. One of the creators of Pokemon. Yeah.

V_Iced_Mocha 31:01

recognize a small convention. It's just,

David Hernandez 31:04

Yeah.

V_Iced_Mocha 31:05

I, like, it's just gasping. Like, I'm, I was gagged.

David Hernandez 31:11

So when you, you know, you got a chance to attend, you said earlier, your community helped pay for the trip. Right. What was that like to have that kind of Amount of people put their own money at no cost to you to help you make that trip Like what was the meaning but like how did it feel to experience that for you?

V_Iced_Mocha 31:31

Honestly, this is, this has happened two times already. One was, the first one was for Pocan. The second was for me to be able to fly up again to the metro Manila area to participate in the first ever Philippine official Philippine regionals. for the Poki one, the Pokicon one, it genuinely felt just, it genuinely felt like a huge hug from my community, I never expect them to do stuff like this. I'm just happy that they get to hang out with me, and that they just, enjoy my vibe. I never expect them to just throw money and just gift on another, just, you know. Just to support me. Like, I never expect them to do that. I'm just

David Hernandez 32:25

and then chose

V_Iced_Mocha 32:26

I'm just

David Hernandez 32:27

go ahead.

V_Iced_Mocha 32:27

they, Like, there's a funny story, like, there's a funny saying here in the Philippines, Because usually pens never fall through. And like, there's a saying, What goes into the drawing board immediately gets tossed into the bin.

David Hernandez 32:40

Oh, okay. I can see that. Okay

V_Iced_Mocha 32:42

that was just like, a funny haha, like, what if I just, what if I just do a subathon, and just, if I earn enough, I get to fly up, and just meet all of the people that I, like, the people I met locally, and get to meet Jetty,

David Hernandez 32:58

Mm hmm

V_Iced_Mocha 33:01

and it actually happened. And, like, that, that just happened. Those few days in the convention were one of the best days of my 2023, genuinely. Just because I got to, like, I just basically got to feel how, how knit and how in touch everyone in the Philippine Pokemon community was. I

David Hernandez 33:25

it goes to show the power of You know what a Pokemon community can be Because, you know, you're fresh off the Twitch journey. You're not like a long term, you know, Twitch streamer. You barely got a switch, you know, very recently. And then add on the fact that your community believed in who you are as a person, that they'd be willing to give their money again at no cost. No, you don't have to pay it back. They gave it so you could experience PokéCon. and the regionals and i think that shows that they believe in the person they believe in mocha they believe in what you're trying to do so much and i think that that's such a very touching story to showcase what you must be feeling very you know grateful just to have people like that within your community

V_Iced_Mocha 34:18

know I'm very grateful for to my regulars who just like to just stop by and just chat even though they have their own personal things going on in life. I'm just really thankful them.

David Hernandez 34:29

Oh my gosh, and I'm grateful for them too, because if they hadn't done that, we wouldn't be able to share their story here. So it comes back full circle. So, you know, keep doing what you're doing, Mocha, because there's a lot of people who believe in you, who see kind of the potential in what you bring to the community, and we need people who are positive, who are safe spaces, especially in times when the world isn't so bright. And sometimes it isn't for some people. Right.

V_Iced_Mocha 34:56

another thing too, because back in region, like for the regionals, that was my me celebrating my Anniversary on like my Twitch journey. I'm like getting affiliated on Twitch, which basically means that You get to basically level up from like a small streamer to a medium streamer quote unquote like I was celebrating the anniversary of that and for that one I had a like it was a subathon basically where if people decide to subscribe, uh, they would extend the stream timer up to a maximum. And I had a bunch of goals there. And at the last goal of that little subathon, it was get me to regionals. And my community just smashed through that goal. And I hope that I made them proud because this girly made the Philippine competitive battling people get gagged The this person who came out of nowhere Who literally flew in six hours before the tournament started Just decimated everybody there, and managed to score a day 2 with a 4 2 ratio, with zero well, with only four deaths. This girly

David Hernandez 36:25

Yeah.

V_Iced_Mocha 36:26

up.

David Hernandez 36:27

Gobbled him down, man.

V_Iced_Mocha 36:31

And literally, I was, for that, regional, was basically arranged on your ranking. And I was num, I was on the number one chair for two matches. literally, I was at the top for a sm, a little while, or for a long while actually. It was literally sitting at the top there. I kind of, like, I know this is like a bad, uh, example, but I kind of felt like Wolfie, like, there.

David Hernandez 37:02

You feel like his power came upon you?

V_Iced_Mocha 37:05

And to the viewers who don't know who Wolfie is, Wolfie is, like, a four time winning,

David Hernandez 37:13

yeah.

V_Iced_Mocha 37:14

I think,

David Hernandez 37:15

He's the guy. He's the goat. He's the Pokemon go. He's the goat. No, he's the go go. There we go.

V_Iced_Mocha 37:19

He's the Pokemon Go Goat when it comes to battling.

David Hernandez 37:24

Just in general. TCG, BGC, Go. He he's the he's the deal.

V_Iced_Mocha 37:30

Mhm. Like, I kind of felt like Wolfion there, like, going undefeated for, like, the entire afternoon until, like, someone put Until someone finally put this girly in their place. And was

David Hernandez 37:41

my gosh.

V_Iced_Mocha 37:42

throne with my legs crossed, serving what I am. Cunt.

David Hernandez 37:50

Oh my gosh. Well, this girl, he's got more chapters in her Pokemon story coming soon, Mocha

V_Iced_Mocha 37:55

Exactly.

David Hernandez 37:56

for the Pokemon interview. I wanna finish on one last question. If people are gonna come challenge you in a Pokemon battle, What six Pokemon would be on your team?

V_Iced_Mocha 38:10

Ooh. Okay. There is no theming here. And I'm gonna assume no legendary Pokemon. Just for fairness. I'm going to be throwing out number one, a Kamo'o. Because that is basically who I am. I am a I am a furry Hakamo'o Twitch streamer. And I will throw my The person that I want to be, which is a Thedo legendary for Ola. the next team member is going to be King Gambit, which is the evolution of Bihar, a Gen five man that was introduced in Pokemon, Scarlet and Violet. The next one is s. It's one of my OGs, one of the reasons why I love Hoenn so much. I love how Salamence is. It's just a nice little story of like, a baby having dreams and doing its best to actually achieve those dreams.

David Hernandez 39:15

For those who don't know, uh, basically in the Pokedex, it says big on dreams of flying so much that actually jumps off cliffs trying to think happen if I remember correctly, right? Yeah.

V_Iced_Mocha 39:27

it's in its, it knows that flying is in its blood and it tries its best to actually learn how to fly.

David Hernandez 39:34

Yes. Yes.

V_Iced_Mocha 39:35

I'm like trying, I'm like slowly like thinking of like what else to put on here like there's so many Pokemon to put.

David Hernandez 39:43

No, it's a lot of choices. Yeah. There's over a thousand of them at this point.

V_Iced_Mocha 39:47

Oh, my girly pop staple, the diva herself, Togekiss. She is a girly, she's gonna serve, and she is going to Dynamax just like how Cynthia Dynamaxed her in the anime. metric, which is one of my og favorite ones. Just the doggy and, the one outlier. A feel no, not, not Clio. Not walin. a seal, a spiel to be exact. Get that ugly seal out of here. We're only looking at spiel.

David Hernandez 40:27

Well, Mocha, thank you for coming on this Pokéball Turns. Before you go, if people want to check out your content, if they want to connect with you, we're working to go, but Omaze, please plug away.

V_Iced_Mocha 40:36

if you enjoy the vibe of me serving here, just jokin I try my best to just low key serve, uh, you can find me at twitch. slash v underscore iced underscore mocha, and on my socials, it's usually just viced mocha, one word, nothing else.

40:57

Thank you for listening to As the Pokeball Turns. Follow all my socials and join our Discord community to stay connected by clicking any of the links in the description of this episode. Tune in next time for more episodes featuring more people, more stories, and more Pokemon. Until next time.