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EelamStyleZ has been playing the handheld main series Pokémon games, as well as a few of the Pokémon console games, since 2000. Debuting with Pokémon Silver Version for the Game Boy Color, he has fully played at least one game in each generation.
As he was introduced to the world of Pokémon during the franchise's second generation, he considers himself to be native to the Johto region and has a nostalgic and sentimental connection with the Pokémon and games that were created in that generation. In total, he has played seven Pokémon handheld games and three Pokémon console games. He also owns five Pokémon books and a few Pokémon trading cards.
History
Early association
EelamStyleZ's debut in the Pokémon world coincided with the ownership of his very first Game Boy. However, both the world of Pokémon or video gaming were not new to him at that time.
EelamStyleZ was well aware of the growing nature of the Pokémon franchise during the late 90s; the Pokémon Trading Card Game was the fad in his elementary school at the time. After finding an abandoned pack of Pokémon trading cards in 1999 in his school, he decided to keep them and later won many more trading cards in duels with schoolmates, with the help of an older student who was proficient in the trading card game. The exact cards that were contained in the set could not be remembered, but it is believed that a Poliwag card was used to succeed in duels, one after another, winning many additional cards for EelamStyleZ. The pack of Pokémon cards was later lost, but EelamStyleZ would purchase cards during later years. Thanks to his association with the cards, he was familiar with a few Pokémon characters.
Generations II, I, and III
In 2000, EelamStyleZ was presented with a Game Boy Color along with a copy of Pokémon Silver Version. He began the game choosing Totodile as his starter Pokémon. After restarting the game many times (due to frustration when he did not know where to find the next gym leader after Falkner or often having his Pokémon faint from poisoning in Ilex Forest), he finally progressed in the game and through a few struggles (especially at the Pokémon League), he completed the game (defeated Red) in 2001. One of his most memorable moments during the gameplay of Silver was when he hummed along with the Champion Lance/Red battle theme and the theme played in Saffron City.
EelamStyleZ began to own a Nintendo 64 in 2001 and purchased Pokémon Stadium 2 for it, which came with a Transfer Pak. His growing addiction to the games prompted him to purchase Crystal. He purchased an extra Transfer Pak later, which helped him trade Pokémon between Silver and Crystal via Pokémon Stadium 2, and after making his first step into Generation I with the purchase of Blue, he was able use the two Transfer Paks and the three versions to reach his highest number of Pokémon caught yet in a single game, just over 220, recorded in his Pokédex in Crystal. He also purchased Pokémon Stadium and enjoyed playing a friend's copy of Pokémon Snap.
Two years later, EelamStyleZ was surprised to learn about the release of the successors of the Generation II games, Ruby and Sapphire, bringing with them the third generation. Since he had not owned a Game Boy Advance, yet had the urge to see the changes from Generation II in the new games, he downloaded the VisualBoyAdvance emulation software on his computer, along with a ROM image of Ruby and ultimately played the entire game on his computer. He continued to use the emulator to play LeafGreen and Emerald as well. In 2004, he was able to purchase a Game Boy Advance SP and the following year, he purchased Emerald and played it again.
As of 2006, he gave away his Nintendo 64 and its two Pokémon games and sold his Blue, Silver, and Crystal versions. The whereabouts of his Game Boy Color went unknown. After he was presented with a PlayStation Portable, marking his first non-Nintendo system ownership, he traded in his Emerald at EB Games for Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (the series being his second most favourite after Pokémon). He also gave away his Game Boy Advance SP and later purchased a PlayStation 2, leaving him with no further Nintendo-branded products.
Generation IV and V
With the opening of Generation IV and release of Diamond and Pearl, he continued to rely on emulators. He used NO$GBA to play Pearl. Later on, he was able to borrow a friend's Nintendo DS that came with Pearl and Ruby versions. Along with many other die-hard Pokémon fans, EelamStyleZ also widely speculated Generation II-remakes, and his dream became a reality with the official announcement of HeartGold and SoulSilver in 2009. Since the Japanese release, he enjoyed listening to the games' remade themes posted by fans on YouTube and followed up on new information reported about the games on Bulbapedia. Initially insisting on playing the games via emulator, he instead purchased SoulSilver after its North American release in 2010 (marking his first Pokémon purchase since 2005) and relived his past adventures using his friend's Nintendo DS.
After enjoying rigorous gameplay of SoulSilver, EelamStyleZ sold it later that year and also returned Ruby and Pearl. Like other Pokémon fans, he eagerly awaited the North American release of the Generation V main series games, Black and White, and finally began playing the latter version. As life with university got tougher, it took about a year for him to finish the game. He later continued his adventures in Pokémon Black 2 and finished it before returning the Nintendo DS to his friend.
Generation VI and retirement
The decision to step into VI after EelamStyleZ graduated from university and had begun his career. Despite the lack of time, he figured this generation would be his final journey in the Pokémon world. He purchased a Nintendo 3DS and immediately became impressed with the dramatic aesthetic changes in Pokémon X, however found the game's storyline to be not as good as previous games. In the midst of the disappointment, the announcement of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire brought him profound excitement, just as how he felt when he heard about the Generation II remakes a few years back. EelamStyleZ figured Omega Ruby was the right game to end his 14 year memorable adventure. The nostalgia elicited exploring through Hoenn, hearing the recomposed tunes, battling with the same party he used in Ruby, and enjoying the thrilling and emotional cut scenes between the characters in the game was both moving and heartwarming. Totally impressed with playing the best Pokémon game ever made yet, EelamStyleZ signed off with two final rounds of battles with the Elite Four using Feraligatr, Charizard, Blaziken, Samurott, Empoleon, and Delphox; and Typhlosion, Blastoise, Swampert, Infernape, Emboar, and Greninja, respectively.
Pokémon
EelamStyleZ has kept a party six unique Pokémon in each region. Each party includes a starter and five other non-legendary Pokémon. Each Pokémon is raised to its final evolution in a timely manner. For instance, the goal is often to raise each party Pokémon by five levels after obtaining each gym badge or after crossing a couple routes during the journey. This often depends on the average level of the Pokémon used by trainers that are located on the route being explored; EelamStyleZ trains his party Pokémon ideally about 5-10 levels above that average level.
Each party contains Pokémon that are native to the region being explored and mostly consists of the newly introduced Pokémon of that region. A maximum of one Pokémon in some parties are native to a previously-explored region (for example, Rapidash in the Sinnoh crew). This is often due to type-availability, a special feature of that certain Pokémon, or the need for using certain HMs. Apart from the obviousness that starter Pokémon are also part of his party and that none of the Pokémon are legendaries, other similarities between each party is the presence of a region's local "bird" Pokémon, the presence of just one starter Pokémon, and the fact that no parties share the same Pokémon. One deviation to these general rules occurred in Kalos, where EelamStyleZ was offered the chose of a Kanto starter and officially included Blastoise in his Kalos squad.
Of course, EelamStyleZ has raised much more Pokémon and are not limited to just the six party Pokémon in each region, which are otherwise considered his "mainstream" Pokémon used in common settings, such as battling regular trainers, Pokémon Gyms, and Pokémon League matches. Also, the starter Pokémon can also be a different one of that region. EelamStyleZ has also raised legendary Pokémon the same way he has raised his party Pokémon, but never considers legendaries to be part of his mainstream. Legendaries and other Pokémon raised like his party Pokémon are kept in the Pokémon Storage System in specially customized boxes.
Trivia
- Since he chose Totodile as his starter when he first played Silver, EelamStyleZ has a convention of choosing a Water type starter whenever he plays a main series game for the first time and has done so for every new main series game he played.
- Because he played Silver first, EelamStyleZ choses to play the "second" of the paired versions in each generation rather than the "first" (for example, Blue in Generation I). This was not the case in Generation III however, because of the unavailability of a working English-language Sapphire ROM at the time.
- Despite his prior use of emulators and ROMs, he later understood that this method of gameplay is a violation of Nintendo Terms of Use and does not endorse this sort of activity. Players must purchase video games and avoid piracy!
- EelamStyleZ has never completed a game with a Grass type starter.
- Due to the lack of Nintendo events in Canada, EelamStyleZ has never attended a Nintendo event, and as a result, never owned an Event Pokémon (not even using cheats).
- On that note, he has never used a cheating device like GameShark or Action Replay, but that's not to say that he has never cheated. The only cheat he has ever performed in a Pokémon game was cloning in Generation II, which was very popular at the time.
- EelamStyleZ performs a ritual while capturing Pokémon: he presses Up and B simultaneously immediately when the Poké Ball closes. Nonetheless, he does understand that pressing those buttons has no effect on catch rates.
- In the games, he is known as Kamon, despite it being another name for Silver, the rival. This is due to the rival's names being listed as alternate player names in Pokémon Silver Version and it is very important that one does not consider him a rival!
- If you read his history carefully, it does not mention EelamStyleZ watching the Pokémon anime. Actually, he's only seen a couple episodes (sadly). Furthermore, he has never read the Pokémon manga.
- EelamStyleZ does not nickname his party Pokémon. Of course he's tried it before.
- He finds this article especially interesting.
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