TRAINER'S EYE #2 - "When Pikachu is Life" ft. Miemiebunni

TRAINER'S EYE #2 - "WHEN PIKACHU IS LIFE" FT. MIEMIEBUNNI
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David: [00:00:00] Hello everyone. My name is David and you're listening to, As the Pokeball Turns.

Welcome everyone to, As the Pokeball Turns, a PokemonGo podcast, where we discuss news, events, and other topics around PokemonGo. Today we have another episode of Trainer's Eyes, a segment where we get to hear from you, the community, on how your PokemonGo [00:01:00] journey started, where it has been, and where it is currently going. Before we begin, when I say Pikachu, what comes to mind? Do you think of Pokemon Yellow? Maybe you think of Ash Ketchum? Do you think of Pikachu as the mascot of the franchise? Do you maybe remember chubby Pikachu back in the original day? #BringHimBack 

For my guest today, Pikachu is not only her favorite Pokemon, but has been the catalyst and inspiration for how her journey started in PokemonGo. Why is it her favorite? How far can a fandom for one Pokemon go? There's only one way to find out,. Allow me to introduce to you Selena, AKA MiemieBunni! 

Welcome to another episode of Trainer's Eyes, a segment of the podcast, where we have trainers come onto the show and share their story and how they got involved in PokemonGo, what they do while they play and where they're going from here. On today's episode, [00:02:00] we have a very fanatic Pikachu fan Miemiebunni, A.K.A Selena. Welcome to the show, Selena, how are you doing? 

Miemiebunni: I'm good. How are you? 

David: I'm doing pretty good. It's Sunday while we're recording. So we have to go back to work tomorrow. I know that's not a good thing we have to talk about, but it's all I had.

Miemiebunni: Uh, yeah, I'm not looking forward to going back to work. 

David: Not a lot of us are, but Selena, a lot of us come into PokemonGo, there's you even fall into two camps: you either play Pokemon beforehand, or this is your first experience, you know, which one do you fall under? 

Miemiebunni: PokemonGo is the very first Pokemon game that I play.

David: Okay. So you didn't play pokemon at all beforehand?

Miemiebunni: No. 

David: Did you ever hear about it when back in the day?

Miemiebunni: Yeah like growing up, I, I heard my cousins talk about Pokemon and stuff, but like, it never interest me until like PokemonGo came out. 

David: Okay. And what, what about PokemonGo got you hooked or got you interested?

Miemiebunni: So like back in [00:03:00] 2016, when PokemonGo first came out and the world was crazy about it. So at that time, my boyfriend like downloaded the game and told me how fun the game was, but I was like, nah, I'm not a gamer. It doesn't sound interesting to me, but he kept insisting that I had to like give the game a try. So he kept nagging and finally I gave in and downloaded the game and the rest is history. I got like. So attracted to the game and it was so much fun and I just like kept playing and playing until now. 

David: Well, that's pretty cool. So did y'all like go out together to different places to play out? Did y'all play like specific spots?

Miemiebunni: Uh, in the beginning we play mostly in the neighborhood, just like walk out and you saw Pidgey, Rattata, and the time it was so fun. Like, I remember getting so excited to see like little mouse or like little bird spawning on the street. And I was like, oh my God, it's so fun. 

David: It sounds such an innocent time back in the day nowadays, it's a lot more going [00:04:00] on with the game.

Miemiebunni: Yeah, yeah. And I was never the one who liked to workout and stuff, but like when I played the game back then, like it really motivated me to go out and walk any hours because I was so excited to catch, to fight and catch those Pokemon. 

David: Well, that's very cool. So what team did you end up choosing?

Miemiebunni: Valor!

David: And why'd you choose Valor? 

Miemiebunni: Because red is my favorite color, so I chose Valor at that time. I didn't know that once you chose the team, you couldn't change it anymore. So I just went, "okay, I like red, so I'm gonna choose the red team," but I ended up being happy about my choice though, because I didn't talk to my boyfriend at that time about my choice, but we both ended up choosing the same team.

Sound Effect: Awwww, 

David: Aw, that's so cute. So, now of course you can change the team, but did you have like second guesses? Like, did you wanna switch to different team at the time? 

Miemiebunni: No, I was very happy with, Team Valor. 

David: Oh, okay. It sounded like you had like a little second guesses. I just wanted to ask about that.

Miemiebunni: Nah, nah, nah, like Team [00:05:00] Valor through and through! 

David: So what's been your favorite part about the game so far?

Miemiebunni: My favorite part about the game is the ability to play solo as well as, group play. So, you know, like when you, catch Pokemon or like raid for like one star Raid bosses, you can do on your own. But then there's a group aspect, you know, Legendary Raids or like go do events, Safari Zone or GoFest, Community Day. You play with your friends and stuff. 

David: So have you ever been to any of the events at all? 

Miemiebunni: Yeah. I went to GoFest event, not this year though, but like the past GoFest in Chicago.

David: 2019?

Miemiebunni: Yes. 

David: What'd you think of it? 

Miemiebunni: I mean, I love it. I had so much fun back then. 

David: What did you do? Did you like get to sight-see or was it just mostly just for PokemonGo? 

Miemiebunni: Uh, for both for PokemonGo and for sight-seeing, and then I made a lot of friends in Chicago at that time. So it was very fun. I remember, during GoFest event, at that time there was [00:06:00] an area in the park dedicated to trading. If you go there, the Niantic staff gonna hand you the, the sign for you to write which Pokemon you are looking for and which Pokemon you willing to trade. And you write on the sign and then you hold the side and walk around to talk to people. If they have the Pokemon that you are looking for. So like, I have always been a shy person that get very anxious whenever I go in public, but like in 2019, I, made a commitment to myself that I'm gonna get outta my comfort zone and try to make more friends. So, when I was at the trading area and walking around, like trying to interact with strangers and ask them about Pokemon and try to negotiate and stuff. It was me pushing myself out my comfort zone and at first I thought it would be scary talking to strangers. I don't know how they are, how they're gonna interact with me, but overall, everyone was so nice and friendly. It was really fun. It was [00:07:00] one of my favorite memories, of PokemonGo.

David: That's so awesome to hear because it's not easy trying to get outta your shell, especially when you're introverted. Cause I'm honestly the same way. I don't really do well around crowds or new people. I'm very to myself and I have to push myself to just say hello to a random stranger. I just feel very awkward.

Miemiebunni: Yeah. I feel you, but like once you do it, you, we realize, oh, people are not scary. Like, people are generally very friendly to you. You just like need to open up to people. 

David: Definitely! Especially when it's around a game, we both enjoy, like, you went there for PokemonGo. So I'm assuming most of the people you got to talk with were from PokemonGo.

Miemiebunni: Yeah. 

David: Do you remember, what you put on your sign to trade for?

Miemiebunni: I remember I put Aron 

David: Shiny Aron? 

Miemiebunni: Yes, Shiny Aron and Shiny Flower Crown Pikachu. I only remember those two. I forgot what the rest I put there. 

David: Well, let me ask this. Did you ever get the flower crown you wanted?

Miemiebunni: Yeah! Like it was the hardest to get, because at that time, a lot of people had only one Shiny Flower Crown [00:08:00] Pika, so they would not be willing to trade to me. It took like almost an hour to find someone who was willing to give me his only Shiny Flower Crown Pika. 

David: Yeah. Cause I think at that time, I think the flower crowns were only maybe that was either their first or second time that Pikachu was available as a flower crown, if I'm not mistaken. 

Miemiebunni: Right? Yes. 

David: So let's go ahead and get on to a big reason why you're here. So what is your favorite Pokemon? 

Miemiebunni: Pikachu! 

Sound Effect: Pika! 

David: Pikachu, so how did that became your favorite. 

Miemiebunni: So like back in 2016, after I played PokemonGo for a while. So my, then boyfriend suggested that I should watch the Pokemon anime series ,the first season to get to know more about the Pokemon world. As I watched the anime series, because like Pikachu is one of the main characters alongside with Ash, right? Like Pikachu in the anime has so many cute and adorable actions and facial expressions. And the more I watch the anime, the more I [00:09:00] fully loved Pikachu. And I'm like, " oh my God, he's so cute." So, that's how my love for Pikachu get different and different. 

David: How far does your love for Pikachu go? 

Miemiebunni: I'm now collecting a lot of Pikachu merch. 

David: Really? How much do you have? 

Miemiebunni: Not much. Not much. 

David: You're being modest. Do you remember your first Pikachu plushie you by chance? 

Miemiebunni: Yeah, my first Pikachu is called The Scream Pikachu Plushie. It was a limited release in 2018 by the Tokyo Metropolitan Musuem and the painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch. "The Scream" Pikachu is basically Pikachu is like screaming and holding his face. 

David: Aw, that's very cute. And ever since then, you've been slowly building your collection?

Miemiebunni: Yeah, yeah. 

David: Besides the plushes you've gotten, what's been your favorite Pikachu merchandise that you've bought or that you've obtained?

Miemiebunni: Besides the plushes, I would say, the Funko pop.

David: That's pretty cool. So for the audience who doesn't know, she's being modest. She has a full collection of Pikachu, like shelves of Pikachu plushies But my [00:10:00] favorite of yours is actually the Pikachu waffle maker. Right? Was that the waffle maker? 

Miemiebunni: Yeah, yeah. 

David: Yeah. It's so cool. It gives, Pikachu imprint on your waffles. I didn't know that existed, but I guess, Pikachu being the mascot of Pokemon. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. So, how has, Pikachu being your favorite affected your gameplay for PokemonGo?

Miemiebunni: Well, it affected a lot because of my love for Pikachu. So I made a goal in PokemonGo to collect at least 200 Shiny Pikachu so that I can be best buddies with them for the Best Buddy Platinum Badge in PokemonGo. 

David: Really? So you're trying to get the best buddy platinum. It's 200 for platinum, I believe. 

Miemiebunni: Yes. 

David: And you're trying to get that by best buddying all 200 Pikachu, 200 shiny Pikachu.

Miemiebunni: Yes. 

David: Wow. 

Miemiebunni: Because besides Pikachu, I don't think I wanna be best buddy with all the Pokemon. I would say like other Pokemons are cute too, but like, because I'm so in love with Pikachu, I only want Pika to be my best buddies and no one else. 

David: That's so adorable. Do you remember how close are you to that goal? 

Miemiebunni: Right now? I [00:11:00] only have around 50 or 60 Shiny Pika, still a long way to go.

David: All together. 

Miemiebunni: Yeah. 

David: Do you remember how much best buddy you have? 

Miemiebunni: I have 27 Best Buddies right now. 

David: Oh my gosh. We gotta give you more shiny Pikachu at that point then. 

Miemiebunni: Right? Give me all your Shiny Pikachu. 

David: I have respect for your Pikachu grind because that's really impressive. That's a very good goal. Like that's the part I love about PokemonGo, is that each person has different goals. Something I would never imagine, I'm listening to right here. Somebody trying to get 200 best buddies, all Pikachu and that's the beauty that I love about PokemonGo is that people play this game for different reasons, they have different goals, and until you start hearing these with your own two ears, you don't know that it's out there.

Miemiebunni: Right. 

David: So, I know Pikachu is your favorite. So in the original anime series, I know that's what you watched or the manga. It was actually-

Miemiebunni: The anime. 

David: The anime. Yes, the anime. So originally it was actually supposed to be Clefairy that was supposed to be original starter for Ash.

Miemiebunni: Right. 

David: But Pikachu was a last minute addition or change I should say. 

Miemiebunni: [00:12:00] Right. 

David: Do you think you would still like Pikachu as much if that happened? 

Miemiebunni: To be honest. I think I would still like Pikachu that much because I'm in love with Pika's features, the expression, the shape of Pikachu at that time. So even if Clefairy was the starter, I think I would still fall in love with Pikachu 

David: Well, that's very sweet. So going back to PokemonGo, what's been your biggest accomplishment in PokemonGo so far?

Miemiebunni: I wanna say my biggest accomplishment through PokemonGo is that like, I'm able to put myself out there and meet people and find the community that I really thrive in. And everyone is really nice to each other. And like, It's very hard to make friends when you an adult. But like through PokemonGo, I was able to meet a lot of awesome people, make friends with a lot of nice people. And because of that, I'm very thankful for the game and I can see it. Like, it's a very great accomplishment.

David: So you've noticed a [00:13:00] difference from when you first started PokemonGo to who you are now. Just thanks to PokemonGo being a part of your life. 

Miemiebunni: Right.

David: It's interesting how you said you had to break outta your shell to be able to push yourself out there to be able to meet people.

Miemiebunni: Right. 

David: And that takes a lot of courage. It's not easy for everybody. So if somebody was listening and they went through, like they had the same kind of struggles to where they feel nervous being around new people, or they go nervous saying hello to random strangers, what would you tell them? 

Miemiebunni: I would advise them. What I did back then is like, if you feel too nervous to talk to a group of people, just start with one person. So like when you go out and you don't know how to jump into group conversation, just find someone, just that one person and say hi to him or her and then just focus the conversation with that person. Don't try to like talk to many people at the same time, because like, at that time I was very scared of group talk, so I couldn't do it. So I only focused on one person at a time and it worked because one person is [00:14:00] less intimidating than a group of people, at least to me. So that is why I was able to build up conversation with different people at different times. And eventually when I get used to talking to strangers, then I talk to two people at a time and then three people. And then eventually I was able to do a group talk.

David: Definitely. Now you're on a podcast. So welcome! 

Miemiebunni: Yay.

David: It's been lovely chatting with you. I have one last question before I let you go. So I know you said that you have the goal you want to, I think 200 best buddy shiny Pikachu, right?

Miemiebunni: Right. 

David: Do you have all the shiny Pikachu that were in game or are you missing some?

Miemiebunni: Right now I have all the shiny Pika that is currently in game.

David: Really? 

Miemiebunni: Yeah. 

David: Even, even, the most hard ones I think are the, uh, fragment hat.

Miemiebunni: No, I have it. Yeah. 

David: And what about the shiny Pikachu Libre? 

Miemiebunni: Oh! Yeah, I don't have it yet. 

David: So you're missing one. Okay, even still though, if you're just missing that one, that's pretty impressive. So even got the recent shiny one that's current at this event, the World [00:15:00] Championship?

Miemiebunni: Yeah, I have it. 

David: Wow. I think real quick, whenever Niantic announces a new shiny, how does that motivate you as a player? 

Miemiebunni: I get more excited playing games.

David: Mm-hmm 

Miemiebunni: Whenever they announce a new event that has a shiny Pikachu, it motivates me to open the game and play more hours daily until I get the shiny Pika.

David: Very cool. Everybody has their different preferences and it's cool to see how Pikachu itself motivates you to play PokemonGo, which helps you get more social and get meet more of the people. So it's cool that Pikachu is you're silent partner, if so you will, on your PokemonGo journey.

Miemiebunni: Right. Oh, also I love it. That there's buddy features in PokemonGo where I can play with my buddy, feed it, battle with it, interact with it daily, like it's so cute like being able to interact with Pika and see Pika get excited to see me every day. That's one of the aspects that I like about PokemonGo.

David: You like it also when Pikachu walks around with you as a buddy? 

Miemiebunni: Yeah. Yeah. 

David: If you ever get a chance to, uh, yeah. You've, you've never [00:16:00] played any of the games, right?

Miemiebunni: The main series game. 

David: Yes. Any of 'em? 

Miemiebunni: Oh, I play a few, but only after I played PokemonGo. 

David: Which ones do you remember?

Miemiebunni: I played Ultra Sun, Let's Go Pikachu, Legends Arceus

David: Okay. I was gonna say you gotta play Pokemon Yellow b ecause that would literally be your perfect match right there because Pokemon Yellow is based around Pikachu it's yeah. I heard that you've played it before?

Miemiebunni: No, no. Uh, I haven't played before, but I heard that. 

David: I would definitely play it. I mean, you got let's go, which is kind of similar, but I'm a oldie. I grew up in Pokemon. So that's is what first name came to mind since you're such a Pikachu fan. So, if you ever get a chance to definitely recommend playing it, 

Sound Effect: Pika-Pika! 

David: And that's all I have for today. Thank you all for joining me for the episode of, "As the Pokeball Turns!" As a reminder, you can subscribe to this podcast on apple, Spotify, or your podcast streamer of choice. If you wanna listen to more, please check on my episodes. You can also follow me on Twitter @The1stHamtaro. That's the 1-S-T [00:17:00] Hamtaro and I'll see you next time.