>>18615258He never had a video game system of his own before, and his parents had recently moved and gotten great jobs that allowed him to fit in better with the new kids by dressing cool and whatnot. I told him about the games and even showed him my Gold and the Pokemon in it, and he decided he was going to save up for a GBA and buy his first Pokemon game, and asked that I battle and trade with him when it happened. The two of us talked about the games a lot while we waited for the launch, and it refueled my love of the franchise. I even gave him a lot of spare cards I had. He was always happy to just be around and talk, no matter who he was talking to, and he was my best friend in that dark time. We both got our games and started playing them, but within about a week, he came to school and told me that he was moving again. We never got to battle or trade, but all the same, he thanked me for showing him the fun of playing Pokemon.
After that point, high school came, I played some Diamond, had a few friends that knew and were pretty chill about it, bullying really stopped happening altogether, but I continued to be a defensive little splurge about everything, and Pokemon just remained something I did.
I'm in college now, and I continue to meet people who love Pokemon and who impact my life. I've recently gotten back in to the TCG and play competitively, going to tournaments with friends. I've had some setbacks and generally growing pains, but my friends and Pokemon have been there for me.
My cousin recently got married, and as a wedding gift to her, I gave her a set of really old Pikachu figures still in the packaging, to show my bond with her and the memories we have together over Pokemon.
Additionally, my brother has gotten married and had kids, and his eldest is 7. In grand tradition as an older family member, I passed on my old DS Phat to her, and helped get her a new 3DS, and I've been buying her Pokemon games.
