22/06/2024
I still remember back in 2022, when I was still a complete noob in competitive Pokémon. I dreamed that someday, I would be able to participate in tournaments in the Philippines.
2023 was the year when I started to play every single day to improve. At that time, I was just a casual player and I could only play on Pokémon Showdown and Battle Frontier due to financial constraints preventing me from buying a Switch. I was also struggling on my FB page to get donations. To be honest, I even begged my parents to buy me a Switch because I was really confident in my skills in this game, but they didn't want to buy me one since it was way too expensive, left me anxious about never achieving my dreams.
By the end of 2023 (which I think was the start of Reg F), my passion for the game returned. I decided to join my very first tournament hosted by Racka. I was happy because the tournament was played on Pokémon Showdown. I wanted to show them what I was capable of. But then, I was really nervous going into the tournament because there were strong PH players who joined. Luckily enough, I managed to get a respectable 2nd place despite being the underdog in the entire tournament. Because of my strong showing, I said to myself, "2024 is going to be my year."
I can say that my 2024 has been a rollercoaster ride so far, with a lot of ups and downs in my life. This is also the year when I started to take the game seriously. I joined my very first Limitless tournament at the start of 2024, and it was an "International Tournament." To my surprise, I managed to get 4th place out of 40+ players in that tournament. At this point, I was really confident that my hard work and dedication would pay off if I continued to grind. But in mid-February, things started to get really difficult for me. I opened up to my parents about the tournaments I had participated in Limitless, and I was happy because they supported me. Yet, they apologized to me at the same time because they couldn't buy me a Switch... My parents really knew I had talent in this game, but they had to prioritize our needs, especially since I was a college student. Luckily enough, I saved diligently from my allowance and streaming income to eventually buy a second-hand Switch. Unfortunately, my decision to purchase a defective unit was a costly mistake. Though it initially worked, the Switch malfunctioned within a week, wasting my savings and donations. This setback left me devastated and demoralized, prompting me to quit. Despite this, I still joined in multiple Limitless tournaments, achieving several top 8 and top 16 finishes. However, the motivation to pursue my dream of becoming a pro VGC player dwindled after this setback.
By the end of March, I actually took a break from playing and watching competitive Pokémon because it always reminded me of that defective Switch I bought. But I'm really thankful because I was surrounded by my friends and they always told me not to give up. My love for Pokémon was still there, but because of the continuous bad events that happened to me, I told myself that I should stop. When I was at the lowest point in my life, Enzo encouraged me to join the Anistar Discord Server. But I was reluctant to join because I felt like I was just "tagging along." But he really wanted me to join because he saw something in me that I didn't see in myself, so I joined. And I was shocked that his community was extremely friendly.
April 9, 2024, when 楊文里 completely changed my life. At this point, I really didn't know what my future plans in competitive Pokémon. She asked me what my future plans were, and I said that my dreams of becoming a pro VGC player wouldn't happen anymore because of the bad things that happened to me in the past few months. I was shocked that she was going to provide the things I needed to pursue my dreams. At this point, I didn't know what to say. I was extremely emotional because I thought I wouldn't achieve all my dreams... But she gave me the opportunity to continue my dreams.
Until I joined PPTL S9, which is my rookie season. I was really thankful that the Anistar Assassins adopted me on their team.
I realized something, that my dream is finally at full circle. Because I was surrounded by very kind people who trusted my talent and helped me reach this dream of mine. As of now, I'm doing extremely well in my rookie season (currently tied at #1 in Individual Player Standing) and I'm slowly getting noticed on Twitter because of my skill and talent in this game. I just want to share that I'll also have a collab with a VGC YouTuber in the future, so stay tuned, HAHAHA.
I just want to thank everyone who gave me the opportunity to show my talent in competitive Pokémon to the whole Philippines. I would like to give special mention to these people who were the reason I stepped into the PH VGC scene. First of all, Thank you to my parents for letting me join the PPTL and for their support in my hobby. To King Iverson, the one who introduced me Competitive Pokémon. To my very first mentor, Ram. For those who don't know, he's the very first person who discovered me, he played a big part in why I became known in the PH VGC scene. To Lorenzo, he helped me so much during the times I struggled so much. To 楊文里, for helping me reach my dreams. To my AA Teammates, for helping me improve every single day. And to all my followers in Pkmntrainerrod, for the continuous support.
Thank you all, thank you so much...
"Hardwork pays off."
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