; A; OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!! I FINALLY SENT MY SWAMPERT UP TO POKEMON Y LATE LAST NIGHT AND I AM SO HAPPY!!! I SPENT ALL NIGHT PLAYING WITH HIM AND BATTLING WITH HIM!!
I’VE HAD THIS SWAMPERT SINCE 2004, SO OVER 10 YEARS. HE’S SO SPECIAL TO ME BECAUSE HE WAS THE FIRST POKEMON THAT I GOT AFTER MY RUBY VERSION FILE CORRUPTED WHEN I WAS 11 AND I CRIED SO HARD UNTIL I GOT MY NEW LITTLE MUDKIP IN THE NEW FILE AND THINGS FELT BETTER. I ALWAYS TRADE HIM UP TO MY NEW GAMES AND PUT HIM ON MY TEAM. HE DOESN’T HAVE ANY PERFECT IVS BUT I DON’T CARE BECAUSE I LOVE HIM AND THINK HE’S GREAT AND STRONG AND AMAZING ANYWAYS ; A;
AAHHH I LOVE MY SWAMPERT!!!
So, I finally got around to sending my Swampert over to Omega Ruby! I meant to do it sooner, but life got in the way and I hadn’t really had the chance to pick up the game much until recently. I am so happy that he is back in Hoenn now, though! ;w; He’s finally home!
Swampert and I have been having a lot of fun playing together in Pokemon Aime in some of his favorite spots in Hoenn (Lilycove City, the Slateport Beach and Route 101)!! I showed him all of the new spots that Omega Ruby has to offer and we even took a flight on Latios! After that, I showed him my new secret base where we got a certificate for being friends for such a long time!
Once that was done, we headed over to the contest hall in Slateport City. Swampert got to eat tons of PokeBlock until he was bright and shiny! Once he was ready, we entered some Pokemon contests.
Swampert did really well and won the entire toughness category all the way through Master Rank and got a ribbon!
Then it was finally time to do some battling. Swampert and I headed over to the Hoenn Pokemon League so that he could enter the hall of fame there. He fought alongside some of the new PokeFriends he’s made all the way to Steven. By the time we got to his last Pokemon it was time to Mega Evolve for the very first time! Mega Swampert dominated Mega Metagross, and was entered into the Hoenn Hall of Fame once more!
And then the credits rolled! I have to say, watching the credits made me kind of emotional. It wasn’t like I hadn’t watched them before, so I knew what was coming–and yet they still got me. The still shots that were shown of my trainer and my Pokemon were obviously all highlights from my adventures in Omega Ruby, but they ended up taking me back all the way to my original Ruby version.
Every time I would see my trainer beside Mudkip or Marshtomp or Swampert facing one of the Hoenn region’s challenges, I was reminded of the very first time I played through the game alongside this very same Swampert almost 12 years ago. I think that was why it really hit me when the credits rolled. I was given the chance to reflect on the very first moments I spent with this Pokemon who has been my partner for such a long time. Seeing that shot of May battling the Poochyena with Mudkip for the first time brought me back to the moment where I was sitting in my bed at the age of 11, crying, because my previous Ruby Version file had corrupted and I had to start all over. I was frustrated and upset because I had lost all of my progress. But as soon as I was allowed to pick my first Pokemon and saw that Mudkip staring back at me, I just got the feeling that things were going to be fine. I picked my new partner and decided that this time around, we were going to do even better.
I know this all probably sounds super silly to a lot of people because obviously it’s just a game and this Swampert is just a bunch of pixels and coding within said game. But this Swampert is a lot more to me than just that. Like I said, I’ve had this Pokemon for over 12 years. He’s more to me than just a part of a game. He carries memories of long car trips, playing on my Game Boy Advance with my sister. He reminds me of the days I would sit in my grandmother’s living room–trying over and over to capture legendary Pokemon and then freaking out when I finally did it. He reminds me of time I would spend with my friends in the band room after school, all of us with our DSs out while we waited to be let on the bus. He reminds me of anime conventions where everyone was yelling “POKEWALKERS” and standing around in circles to exchange items. He reminds me of late college nights where I would get so frustrated with my school work and grades that the only thing to keep me from crying was taking out my 3DS and opening up Pokemon Amie.
This Swampert is a lot more to me than just a piece of a game–he’s a valuable part of my memories. He’s a Pokemon I’ve raised, and trained, and played with, and battled alongside since I was a kid. He’s been there with me through good times and bad. I think that’s why I like the concept of Mega Evolution so much. Besides having a Key Stone and a Mega Stone, you need to be able to share a powerful bond with your Pokemon. Your hearts have to be linked as one, and with that you can achieve your greatest power. I’ve been with this Swampert for so long and been through so many different experiences with it, that getting the chance to see him Mega Evolve made it so much more special to me. Just a game or not, Swampert is my precious partner, and I’m so glad that Omega Ruby has given me the chance to look back on all of the time we’ve spent together.
Thank you for 12 years, buddy. And may we have an adventure-filled 12 more!
These sort of stories about Pokemon always make me tear up, oh my gosh. I miss my old mons, lost due to moves or family selling my copies. Only one that I still have that I have a close bond with is a Shiny Weavile, I love her and will carry her everywhere I go. These sort of memories are so important.
