We’ve made it almost half way through the 18-19 season of Pokemon but there are still many tournaments to be played. The World Invite structure has been announced and we have a few competitors who have already secured their spot at the big table. I myself sit at 361 out of the needed 550, very much on track to wrap this season up with little to no effort on my end.
I traveled to Oaks, Portland, Memphis and Portland Regionals so far in this season, missing only Anaheim due to traveling for family. For all of these regionals I stayed true to my promise of not preparing or worrying about Pokemon but rather just showing up and hoping for the best. For those of you following me you know that it has not been a very successful season trying to do those things. I have lost some of the passion I have playing the game but that is a byproduct of seeing a lot of my friends taking a season to simply enjoy their weekends off and sleep in and enjoy themselves. As someone in his final year of college I have a lot on my plate with Job hunting in full swing and taking a whopping 19 credits in my final semester, but only a busy man always finds time is a proverb that has long been preached in my household and is true in my life.
I won’t lie to you when I say I find a certain joy in traveling and playing this game at all these exotic and wild locations I otherwise wouldn’t have seen till later in my life. After traveling to India and Singapore this winter break with no ulterior motives but to spend time with my family and have fun I realized that I love traveling more than I thought. Sitting at home and playing video games has its perks but I recently have no real game that I am into enough to just sit and play for hours, I constantly find myself wishing I was out doing things like going to Universal or Disney and hanging out with friends. I find no pleasure in doing things alone for the most part, I am somewhat of a person that draws their energy from the people around them.
I am still not chasing Top 16 because of the time constraint and pressure that it poses on a player and their mental health but rather doing all the tournaments that I want to do for the sake of having fun and exploring with some amazing people. My upcoming tournament schedule is more rigorous than I had previously hoped but each one has an ulterior motive besides playing the game for me (except St Louis).
Dallas – It’s one of the biggest regionals of the year so naturally a lot of the people I don’t see all year will be there. I love the fact that everyone is in one place all weekend and it’s my birthday the Friday before so I want to spend it with my closest friends
Mexico – This event holds special memories for me and everytime I go there the food is insane and it’s just a lot of fun. For the price and the experience I can’t say no.
Costa Rica – This was one I thought I would never go to, but having never been it seemed like an interesting opportunity to travel to. The group that I am heading out there with has planned a day of Hiking, Ziplining and other fun adventures that I normally don’t get to do and enjoy, which put me over the edge while making my decision.
Melbourne – ICs are the most fun I can have without taking my clothes off. All jokes aside they really are a completely different animal when it comes to having fun and exploring so I don’t want to miss any of these if I can, but will miss Germany due to graduation and final exams. This made booking this easier in my mind because it’s a mini vacation to an amazing part of the world.
St Louis – Well I already have it booked so I guess.
I am playing only as much as necessary and as much as I am having fun this season and my mental and physical health have both improved tremendously. You may not see me at everything, but that’s because I am only going to whatever events I want to go to. I don’t feel the pressure of T16 weighing me down, forcing me to travel to places I don’t want to go to and put the added weight of an exam on the day I get back. I just want to have fun, I will attain my worlds invite and if anything more happens then so be it. But this season is just about having fun and using my weekends in a way that I best see them fit.
Rahul's Ramblings 