As The Pokeball Turns
A Pokemon interview podcast where Pokemon Trainers share their experiences from the world of Pokemon! Each journey started with a choice and are as different as the number of Pokemon. Listen to the different ways Pokemon Trainer's interact with the Pokemon franchise ranging from Pokemon GO, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon TCG, and much more!
As The Pokeball Turns
TRAINER'S EYE #46 - "Lucario's Quest To Be Yourself" ft. TrainerRem
In this Pokemon interview, we are joined by TrainerRem, a Pokemon GO Trainer from Michigan who initially found his interest in looking for and catching rare Pokemon, but eventually transitioned toward battling in PVP and streaming Pokemon GO PVP on Twitch.
Growing up, TrainerRem had the pleasure of playing Pokémon with his brother, creating cherished memories and a deep-rooted love for the franchise. He also shares the struggle of trying to quit Pokemon as he grew up because he felt he was too old to continue playing.
TrainerRem shares the many trips he has taken because of Pokemon GO ranging from NAIC, Safari Zone, to Go Fest Chicago. He shares different stories from each event and why he was motivated to attend and meet with the Pokemon GO Community at different events.
Finally, TrainerRem takes us into the world of streaming on Twitch, sharing his unique perspective as a Pokémon GO PVP streamer. He shares both his motivation and the challenges he has faced streaming Pokemon GO and Pokemon on Twitch.
Trainer's Eye is a series where the stories are real and people still play this game. From PVP to Shiny Hunting, each person's Pokemon GO journey is unique and we dive into each journey here on As The Pokeball Turns!
Sources
Opening Song: "Forget You" by Alex_MakeMusic from Pixabay
Connect with TrainerRem: Linktree
Connect with David Hernandez: Linktree
E-mail Me: asthepokeballturnspodcast@gmail.com
Join Our Discord Community!
https://discord.gg/AqAbD7FbRt
My name is David Hernandez and you're listening to As The Pokeball Turns. Welcome to As The Pokeball Turns, where the stories are real and people still play this game. Back when Pokemon first arrived in the States, it was immensely popular and everywhere. People were playing the games, collecting the cards, and the merch for Pokemon was nonstop. Eventually, the initial popularity faded and Pokemon Belonged to a very niche group. It became uncool to still be into Pokemon for any people old enough, usually you were made fun of for still being into Pokemon. You fast forward to 2016 and history repeats itself. Pokemon Go debuted and the craze was Worldwide. Businesses would advertise deals in some places if you played Pokemon Go or if you were on a certain team and everyone was playing it. However, just like Pokemon, Pokemon Go, went through a similar phase where sometimes you get asked, you still play Pokemon Go and I personally struggled with this question. I didn't know how to answer it. I loved the idea of going around and collecting Pokemon. it's a childhood dream come true even if it wasn't mainstream or popular as it was back in 2016. It wasn't until I noticed a former coworker playing Pokemon Go. Of course we geeked out over the game and the different Pokemon, but I asked her the question, why do you still play Pokemon Go? Little did she know, her answer would be how I approached not only Pokemon Go, but any hobby or interest I had moving forward. She answered. Because I like playing, why would I not do something I enjoy doing? My guest in this episode talks about the struggle of looking for other people's approval with Pokemon. He shares his journey from playing Pokemon when he was younger to Pokemon Go when he grew older, to eventually becoming a streamer on Twitch for pvp. Here's his origin story into the world of Pokemon Go. This is Trainer Rem. Now today I'm joined by the man on a Master Quest Trainer Rem, welcome to the show!
Trainer Rem:Hey, thank you for having me, man.
David Hernandez:definitely trainer rem, and it's been a long time coming. For those who don't know, we've been trying to work on this for a couple months and a lot of it just comes down to, you know, we're both for busy people, but you are definitely busy because you go to school. You going full-time or part-time,
Trainer Rem:part-time.
David Hernandez:so you gonna school part-time. You work two jobs, right?
Trainer Rem:Yes, I do.
David Hernandez:So you're going to school part-time. You work two jobs. You're also a content creator doing TikTok and Twitch and all that. And you also have a girlfriend.
Trainer Rem:Yes, I do.
David Hernandez:So like that's a lot on anybody's plate? So how do you balance it?
Trainer Rem:Honestly, I didn't think that my life would get this busy, so it's been, back and forth figuring it out as I go along, but it's just remembering that, just take each day at a time, making sure that if something gets too difficult, making sure that I have my schedule and my to-do lists, which have been a huge help. And also just making sure that I know everyone's schedule, like my family's schedule, my girlfriend's schedule, they know my schedule as much as possible. But just being able to manage all that, it's very helpful with the schedule, making sure that we communicate what we need. I communicate what I need and that's pretty much how I've been doing it.
David Hernandez:I gotta say this like you gotta have some kind of drive or motivation to try to balance all that cause it's a lot, it's a lot on the plate, so what's your motivation? what drives you to keep trying to hold all that together?
Trainer Rem:The future. Just trying to think about what would I want my, what do I want my life to look like and what kind of person do I want to be? And do I wanna be the kind of person that has to take one thing at a time and making sure that I take a single step at a time, or do I want to be able to multitask and, how to prioritize tasks, figure out which one I need to do first and which one I can leave for later on or you know, leaving free time, just me time basically and scheduling it out. That's been really helpful and I just love being organized like the motivation for organization is huge, it's been a game changer since, I wanna say I turned at least 21 or 22, cuz I've usually, I grew up a very disorganized person, but seeing the organization, like seeing that I have my to-do list in front of me, seeing that, oh, this is what I need to get done this week and then I can, and I can plan ahead for next week. That's what keeps me motivated too and just kind of like seeing in real time, I'm becoming the person that I wanna be.
David Hernandez:you're ahead of the game for me cuz I didn't learn organization till probably two years ago cuz like you, I would just go with the flow of things and that works for a while, but eventually you have to have some structure in your life.
Trainer Rem:Exactly man.
David Hernandez:I Look forward to hearing what your future is like, but let's go back to the past a little bit. So when did you first start playing Pokemon Go?
Trainer Rem:I started pretty much when the game was launched, like a lot of people that we know, I started back in July of 2016. I just graduated high school the year before, so I was literally, as I was going into college, Pokemon Go started and I remember seeing the first teaser trailer for it. I was like, oh my gosh, Pokemon in the real world. That's gonna be insane. This is like literally what I wanted as a kid. And it was still during that time where I was going through the traditional stage of being a kid, being a teen to an adult. and I still have my hobby, still have my interests, you know, in Pokemon, honestly, I was a bit out of it at that point, like before Pokemon Go was announced, I was in that stage of like, well, I like Pokemon, but I don't think I wanna take it with me into adulthood because even though I like it and it's one of my hobbies, I feel like I kinda should leave it behind cuz I wanna see where I can go if I just leave the stuff that I used to like as a kid behind. But, a lot of people growing up, going into college, you realize that a lot of people just don't care about that. you're able to be yourself, you're able to be who you are and, being in that environment plus learning about Pokemon Go, that helped a lot. And I ended, actually ended up meeting a lot of people and made a lot of local friends because of Pokemon Go in the first couple of days. I went out with, my friend Noah, and we went biking all around the neighborhoods, trying to learn how Pokemon Go worked. We were just recording on Snapchat, like it was the hottest day of the summer. We would just be riding up and down like the different neighborhoods and streets, like spent hours. We went up and down Woodward Avenue, on our bikes like hunting Pokemon, we went to downtown Royal Oak. The, like streets were crowded with people playing Pokemon businesses had the, oh, come in and if you're Pokemon trainer you can get this deal on Pizza, this deal on bubble tea, there was even the tea shop that had hypno art, saying set up a lure here and you guys get 10% off, your next purchase. it was crazy.
David Hernandez:And that was the fun part about Pokemon Go is that it was embraced not only by the player base, but the community itself, like you saw businesses advertising, just having a Pokemon Go account and stuff like that. It was just so surreal.
Trainer Rem:Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Just seeing how people were interacting with each other and it felt honestly, I do see the tweets and like TikTok and whichever, like whichever social media form resurface every couple of months and be like, Pokemon Go in 2016 was when the world genuinely felt like it was at peace for a given length of time, even though the servers were dog crap, like we all remember like the servers, they were not working every once in a while and there was no battling aspect like there is now. it was only like use the footprints to find Pokemon. explore the Pokestops, go out in the world and see where you can track Pokemon. they could have been anywhere, like back then they were pretty much just placed in random spots there, like random spawn points throughout the world. So it could have been like, oh, there's a dragonite at the church down my street Oh, there's a charmander inside this business like that's, an office building. And it got even to the point where my friends and I, in like 2017, I think, we actually used to go to downtown Ann Arbor, and it would be 3:00 AM like 2:00 AM. My boy Jacob would just be driving us around in his, sports car and even though like University of Michigan, basically during the day at night, there's almost no one in the streets. So he was just like zooming up and down the streets. I ended up getting a little bit carsick sometimes, but like, but it was worth it because there was one time where we actually were tracking Dragonite, for the whole night and then there was a point where we actually ran into an intersection that had two dragonite spawning at the same time.
David Hernandez:Oh wow.
Trainer Rem:like everyone was inside. It was dark, it was late. And we like, and I was tracking one on my Ann Arbor tracker and my buddy was tracking another on his phone, but they actually happened to be at the same intersection, so missed the bigger one, that was like 2,500 something and then the other just happened to be 25 cps. So like I ended up catching that one, but it was an experience I'll never forget just because that kind of was the epitome of Pokemon Go at that time for me.
David Hernandez:You spur up a memory from me, so we actually had, in Dallas, there's like this section of Dallas that always spawned Dragonite. We had a scanner. So we were able to keep track of where the spawns were. It always, it was West Dallas. It was just this part of West Dallas had always spawned Dragonite and I'm wondering that obviously it's different now cause we don't see that. We don't see those around anymore. wonder that maybe back in the day there was like specific, I don't know what to call it, areas to where like these rare Pokemon would constantly spawn I forgot all about that when you mentioned, I was like, oh, we had the same thing here.
Trainer Rem:Yeah, because I think at one point, well, a lot of people in 20 17, 20 18 started developing scanners for certain areas and people would suddenly find the spots where the rare Pokemon spawn the most. for us, that was either downtown Detroit in the surrounding area of metro Detroit, or that was downtown Ann Arbor. And the hotspot was definitely Ann Arbor the most, because every time, like every time I would be, in my room late at night, I'd just be watching the scanner just for fun and all of a sudden I would see, like, I remember gen two came out and people were hunting Pupitar, Larvitar, Tyranitar, and like Unown. I was seeing so many Dragonite, Unown, and second stage evolutions and Tyranitar, like all these random spawns that are super rare pop up in downtown Ann Arbor. And I'm like, I think it is because, you know, college town, there's a lot of cellular traffic down there and it's also a touristy side for Michigan, so I'm thinking maybe, maybe because there weren't that many spas like that anywhere near me, but luckily for me it's like a 45 minute drive to downtown Ann Arbor, so I'd actually sneak out some nights just to like, oh, it's an hour long Spawn, a Tyranitar, let me go catch that and it's like 30 to 40 minutes away. And then I would just sneak back in the same night just to go back to bed and, and the same thing the morning. And I'm like, this game has a choke hold on me man. And it's terrifying to think about, but it was totally worth it.
David Hernandez:were you trying to keep it hidden from your parents? I assume?
Trainer Rem:N I mean, like, honestly at this point, telling the story, I don't mind it, but keeping all of that, like, hidden, cuz I know that they knew that I was sneaking out at some point, so they're like, you're gonna run your car ragged. And it was already, it was already 2002 Ford Explorer. So like,
David Hernandez:it's had some good years.
Trainer Rem:Like legit, legit. It's taken me from point A to point B for a long time, actually this recent year I told you, it started crapping out on me a little bit. So I'm like, oh, I guess I can't really do that anymore. but back then it was super worth just like seeing people that I knew at those random spawn points like I remember sticking out for a Tyranitar spawn that wasn't like 20 minutes for me. it was like 1:00 AM and like all of a sudden you see this line of cars just pulling into this neighborhood and I'm like, really gonna get the cops called on us or someone's gonna come out and start like shouting, saying get away, get off my lawn, or something like that, but it was a Tyranitar spawn, so seeing like at least 15 or like to 16 cars on one street pulling up like one by one and then it's me seeing a group of my friends all the way from Detroit who came out to get it. I'm like, this is what Pokemon Go was meant to be at that point.
David Hernandez:So you've talked about your area a couple times, so can you gimme some insight, like what is it like to play in your area? Like where do people go for like raid hour, community days, stuff like that?
Trainer Rem:being in Michigan, it's definitely, it's a good place for, I would say mostly water type spawns because even if you go near, cuz we, since we have a lot of bodies of water here, anytime you go near a lake that has like a, cities on the water or city on the Detroit river, like if you go to the river walk in Detroit, you'll see a lot of pretty good spawns in general, depending on the time of day that you go. the main hotspots I would say are downtown Detroit because plenty of Pokestops, plenty of gyms, plenty of like cellular traffic. So you're likely to get any type of spawn, that you really want there as long as if you spend like at least a day. back in 2016 through, I wanna say at least 2019, the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit used to be the big hotspot because during community days, during certain events, like that place would be lured up. like nobody's business, everybody be there, like walking in groups, walking the rotunda, sitting on different floors and just sometimes people just sitting with their phones plugged into the wall, just like sitting cross-legged, leaning on the wall, talking to each other. during the Youmacon, like people would be playing during the convention while they're in cosplay and I would sneak in there just with my very poor Pokemon Go Trainer cosplay, just to act like, Hey, I'm cosplay. I got a Pokemon ball in my hand. I got my, I got my, my yellow shoes, my windbreaker, my team instinct hat. I'm cosplaying so I'm sneaking
David Hernandez:you were decked out.
Trainer Rem:Yeah. Oh yeah. Like ever since I was a kid, I love dressing like a Pokemon trainer for at least like either Halloween or any kind of cosplay event. Now it's died down cuz they either would kick out Pokemon Go players or the g p s signal would be wonky. like with everything changing and go to like the crowd dissipated. some places are still hotspots on given days, like it would like mostly like the downtown areas like Royal Oak, Birmingham, Dodge Park and Sterling Heights, rochester Municipal Park in, of course Rochester in Auburn Hills. Like those were the hotspots, like Ann Arbor and I'm pretty sure msu, but it was mostly the metro Detroit area and surrounding areas that was the hotspot for Pokemon Go.
David Hernandez:so earlier you mentioned about how, I think you said you went to college you were trying to put Pokemon away cause you thought like, eh, you know, I'm older now, maybe I should grow out of it. What made you switch back to falling back in love or coming back to Pokemon?
Trainer Rem:I think it really was more of me going into college and then, because my family, growing up they would be like, you gotta leave yourself behind. growing up for me, when I was a kid, I liked Thomas 10 engine a lot. so I loved collecting Thomas toys and then up until about, I wanna say midway through middle school, like I was in seventh grade, not even gonna lie to you, I still, I got into model trains, so I was collecting those more and then at the same time I liked Pokemon still like Pokemon was that constant factor throughout my entire life that was always there. ever since I was a kid, my brother introduced me to Crystal and I was too young to know what I was doing, so all I saw was like, just noises, people throwing out Pokeballs and just like little pixels battling each other and then as I got older, like when I was at least six, I think, I remember the first game I played consciously was Pokemon Sapphire. Gen three will always have that special place in my heart because that was the first game that I knew how to play. But then, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is where it's like, oh, okay, I'm older now. I know how to actually beat the game by myself. And then Gen five is where I had the best time. after that I noticed okay, I'm still playing Pokemon games, but I'm not really into as much as I used to be and then as I got through high school, not many people were talking about Pokemon, so I was like, maybe it's time for me to leave it behind? as I got into college, I saw people just letting go and just being like, I love Pokemon. I love Weeb stuff, I love anime, I love like hobby, I love gaming, blah, blah, And people not putting them down for it. I was like, oh, maybe I actually can enjoy it. Then Pokemon Go comes out and I go to town, I'm like, okay, so we can finally hunt Pokemon in real life, we can play with our friends, maybe there'll even be a battling aspect where you can battle the gyms and then you can battle other trainers, which did happen, just getting older kind of meant like, Hey, I can still love the things that I love, it doesn't make me any less of a person. So letting go and being able to play Pokemon go, getting back into games, finding online communities, finding Discords, and then going into Birmingham communities and everything, seeing Grown adults play Pokemon Go, who hadn't played Pokemon at all, like it was a game changer.
David Hernandez:you pointed it out as you get older, learn to just enjoy the things you do, you don't have to do things just because other people do it. I think that's the important part about growing up and even what Pokemon Go allowed is that it allowed it to be acceptable to be a Pokemon fan as an older person. people now of all different ages of all different races and everything come and play Pokemon Go and I think that's just a very motivational factor that I'm glad maybe people who are even younger than myself and maybe even younger than both of us, get to experience.
Trainer Rem:for sure. like my parents they indulged my hobbies. Pokemon has always been that constant factor in a lot of people's lives. Like where they say, oh, I grew up playing like the original red and blue and then yellow. my brother, he didn't get a chance to play those games, but like I said, the first game that he got was Crystal for our Game Boy, SP and him teaching about how the game works and he stopped playing the games around Gen four cuz I was like, I told him, you should get, pearlized should get Diamond and we should trade, and then you could teach me how to play the game better. He's yeah, sure. And that was his last generation with Pokemon, but he still loves the original Pokemon like Gen-1-er, you know. But, um, he taught me everything. But then every once in a while, I'll talk to him at Pokemon and they'll be like, dude, that looks sick, that looks awesome, so Pokemon is that one franchise that if people grew up with it, they're never gonna forget it.
David Hernandez:And you know, with all your experience with Pokemon, do you have a favorite Pokemon at all?
Trainer Rem:Shiny Lucario, straight up. it's it's actually what my whole entire brand is based on, just because I never had a favorite shiny, I didn't even know about Chinese until I was much older. so I was like, Ooh, wait, what's a shiny, and oh, it's a random, like Pokemon, like type of Pokemon, like certain variety you can encounter in the wild, et cetera, et cetera. I didn't have much interest in them because I was like, oh, if they're a random chance then I'm not really interested in hunting them, but as Pokemon Go became popular, I think that's actually where I started seeing oh, I want more shinies. Or like thinking about oh, I want more shinies cuz this is kind of what's introducing me to that aspect of the game. And also learning more about type advantages but like I said, favorite Pokemon, shiny Lucario, just because I liked Lucario to begin with. It wasn't my favorite. My favorite used to be Swamper, because like I said, gen three, but then when I saw shiny Lucario for the first time I was like, that one right there, that's my favorite right there.
David Hernandez:you said you built your whole brand around Lucario or shiny Lucario like what do you mean? that's just your mascot or is that kind of the meaning behind your name as well?
Trainer Rem:It that is pretty much the mascot. trainer rem actually stemmed from Trainer Ramco, which is like my full name. So my like, actually it's funny that my mom came up with, when I was a kid for my email, I was like, lemme just use it for my game username and everything, but then people could never pronounce it correctly. So I was like, you know what, let me just go ahead and sh and shorten it to trainer rem because that rolls off the tongue much easier and it's easier for people to remember and then, hearing people mention it, like I've heard my name mentioned on streams. I heard my name mentioned, when I went to, N A I C, I like trainer rem with the shiny Luc Carrio. like Lucario, just is more bold because most people, like most people like Lucario. Lucario is a fan favorite, right? that's like saying, oh, like I like Charizard. I was like, well, I don't wanna be basic, but, but like but like your favorite is your favorite. again, Lucario wasn't my favorite until I saw Shiny Lucario and I was like, that right there, it stands out from any other shiny that I seen, and Lucario, like still at its base, it's a cool Pokemon, it's a very, it's a very agile, strong mentally and physically strong Pokemon, and it's always a symbol of a strong trainer in Pokemon. it's like the symbol of what I'd like to be like mentally and basically strong and resilient and that's what Lucario is to me. it's strong and resilient. And then the shiny aspect of it being bold because a lot of people don't like it shiny and I'm like, maybe I do because it stands out more than any other shiny that I've seen. So I think it resonated with me to the point where I'm like, that needs to be what I make my entire brand around like the brand colors like it's the neon yellow with black and gray. It, stands out, it's bombastic and, that's kinda what I wanted to be noticed for I feel like I'm more bold. I feel like I'm more confident in myself and I feel like if people need to ask me questions about PVP or about any aspect of Pokemon Go p or my opinion on the game in general, then I kinda wanna be the person that they go to for that.
David Hernandez:So Lucario's not only your favorite Pokemon or your favorite shiny, it's also an idea of who you want to be as a person as you grow older, it sounds like?
Trainer Rem:Yes,
David Hernandez:That's such a good parallel. I've never like when you're say that, I'm like, man, this is this guy's going pretty deep. Let him cook. I like it.
Trainer Rem:He's the goat. The goat. Well, yeah, like Even then, like I didn't know cuz when I first started streaming I was like, well I don't know what I want my brand to be, but I remember when I started streaming in 2019 using only my phone, I remember like making my brand almost immediately based around, it was first shiny Riolu cuz when I got my first shiny loo from the Easter event a couple years back, I was just sitting at my desk like eating my Wendy's late at night. my final egg from the event hatched like a week later and I was like, I wanted it. It was like, it was, it was like, oh, it's a nice shiny, I really do want, it's like, probably gonna be my favorite if I can hatch it. And then literally the first shiny Riolu that I hatched was that same Lucario that you saw at N A I C. It's like the best PVP IV Lucario I've hatched. it is like, of course I best buddy it, it evolves straight to 1500. I was like, that's my main Pokemon right there.
David Hernandez:as Pokemon Go has progressed, what's your way to play Pokemon Go?
Trainer Rem:around 2016, my first drive was just to play Pokemon in real life, you know being able to challenge gyms, hopefully battle, because like seeing that we didn't have the battle aspect until much, much later in the game. I was kinda like, well, that's all right. I don't really have to worry about battling for now. I just like thinking about the Pokemon journey because growing up I always had this, I was always one of those kids where they like to imagine that I was in a certain scenario or like, I would be going on a journey with my Mudkip. I always made, I loved Pokemon to the point where I loved making my own Pokeballs out of like either a tennis ball, and I colored on it with permanent marker and aluminum foil, just so I could throw it up in the air, like to the sun, like how Ash did in the first movie where like, you know, like, I wanna be the favorite best
David Hernandez:best, like, no
Trainer Rem:like man, like, like, I think that's always like an iconic moment for me because seeing the Pokemon battles, even like growing up was just always so inspiring to me and then watching Gen One through all the way through Gen four like at the time was like really, it was like one of my lifelines. Just because hearing the music, seeing the characters and every story about like friendship and growth and training with your friends and everything, just becoming stronger and being a better person And then once 2019 rolled around and These teasing of trainer battles like I remember seeing the first picture was of the battlefield and suddenly seeing the exclamation point, like how we see in the main series games, just like above their head as if a trainer's challenging another trainer to do a battle. I freaked out, I was like, oh my God, this is finally it. We finally get to use the Pokemon that we've caught and powered up for Pokemon battles and this is what we've wanted in Pokemon Go for so long. just having that aspect be implemented into the game. I was like, I'm like, this is probably not to be cliche, but it's like my calling because if we're able to do this with our augmented reality game with other people, I'll have so much fun with this. that's how we got into Silph Arena. and like the first tournament I actually ended up losing not badly, I was doing pretty well for the most part. But I ended up making a wrong switch that the kid that I battled against like he gave me so much crap for and I'm like, yeah, I'll show. Yeah, sure. But um, But, but, um, it was, just knowing the potential because just seeing how many people, even people who hadn't played Pokemon growing up and Pokemon Go was their first exposure to the entire franchise, they came in and participated and they brought like really random teams, some people brought three Skarmory's, three Whiscash, and I'm sure a lot of people would remember that because, we had all balance teams. People who knew about team building had balance teams, other people just built whatever in, that was the fun of it. You could battle, that's what we wanted. I was like this has so much potential, like I wonder what it's gonna change into and then Go, battle League came along and that's where everything took off, right? before we saw self, like in the championships, regional championships, world championships. we also had Go Battle League, which was of course it's the official ranked format for battling in Pokemon Go. but having that blind pick three and go in type of format, it's not, still not very satisfying I wouldn't say at all, but it's still like that aspect of oh, we have a ranked format and I get to play with Pokemon that I've built in real life. So that's where it's fulfilling to me because it's like my childhood dream to become a Pokemon trainer, a Pokemon master, or like at least one of the best. And being noticed for that at least a little bit now is very, very fulfilling.
David Hernandez:Do you have a favorite league you like to battle in?
Trainer Rem:At this point, it's very back and forth because of course, when PVP started, great League was, and is the most accessible league for all trainers because of how small the CP limit is at 1500, but with how diverse the metas become, like there's so many Pokemon you can use now, but of course there's same, still the same consistency of like things like Registeel, Galarian Stunfisk, Noctowl, Lanturn, Medicham, et cetera, but that's what happens in any competitive format with any kind of game where you have to battle each other using teams or a certain deck or anything like that. but Great League is still, it's still pretty special to me, but I think I actually might be switching more towards Master League despite not having that many Pokemon ready for it just yet. I'd like to keep battling or if I can keep battling with the Pokemon that I built, I'd sure love be able to do that in Master League at least.
David Hernandez:So when you started, content creation, it was around 2019, which is around the same time PVP debuted. When you started doing content creation, did you like base your content around pvp or was it something entirely different?
Trainer Rem:it was actually gonna start off as let's say back when PokemonGo started, I actually saw other content creators on YouTube. That's where I started, learning more about it because growing up I was like, I had a digital blue, that I used to record videos on, it was like a little recording software for kids. and I remember editing videos in there, editing clips together. and I used to film myself, doing fake Pokemon battles and everything and outside of my backyard. getting older, I was like, maybe I do wanna become a YouTuber at some point. I just don't know how I do that. then when Pokemon Go came out and I saw people like trainer tips and, ZoeTwoDots, And even my boy Tru Inferno here in Detroit. I started getting more inspired. Hey, maybe I can, and hybrid mongoose, he doesn't do Pokemon Go content anymore, but he used to be a pretty big creator here in Detroit too. like just seeing people make official videos based around this real life Pokemon game, it was game changing and I did wanna do something like that. I just wasn't sure how to go about it. And then I learned more about recording. I learned more about editing. I'm like, this is gonna take a while if I do wanna become a content creator. I did some recording with my GoPro and Microphone every once in a while, but it wasn't consistent cause I was like, I don't know if I really wanna do this. going out every day, like recording footage, having to screen record and vlog at the same time in person, first of all, because super self-conscious in public doing that, but being able to do it from home with PVP was where everything changed. I remember when Pokemon Go was launched, I actually started my Instagram account around that same time for Pokemon Go. it was a lot of charting the progress that I had, in Pokemon Go, it's mostly to catch the memories and like I screenshot me choosing Charmander as my starter and then screenshotting my start date. And like my Pokemon journey begins That was like July 9th or July 10th that I posted that. Um, and then I would, and then I posted pictures almost every other day of, this is where I went today, this is what I caught today, new Pokedex entry. Oh, look at this place. And then I slowed down around like 2019, I believe because I went to Go Fest and then people were asking to meet me And like other creators on Instagram who were like other people who also wanted to document the Pokemon Journeys in Pokemon Go. they were like, oh yeah, shoot. Oh wait, I met up with trainer rem, I met up with trainer rem like, oh. And then I was like, oh, shoot, what's going on? it wasn't like people were rushing to beat me, but like being recognized, I was like, that's weird, man. What is happening? And I'm like, oh, shoot, is this creation thing actually happening now because I am being consistent with creation on the platform. Maybe this can go somewhere?
David Hernandez:it must have been very surprising when you went to Go Fest and people wanted to meet with you, right? it's oh my gosh, I actually have an audience who wants to meet with me.
Trainer Rem:and it wa it was crazy because it wasn't, like I said, people rushing to meet me at all. Like, I didn't expect that. And I didn't like, not like I didn't want that, but I thought it was cool cause I remember actually like one of the friends that I made, he's also from Michigan. he's mostly from Kalamazoo. back then was doing a lot of recording, posting videos on Instagram and some videos on YouTube. Same with me posting a couple things on YouTube, but not like it, not really growing that much. So I wasn't too worried about it, but being able to meet in person, like I was sitting in line and it was like the morning of Go Fest and it was in Chicago, it was a bit rainy. so we had Ponchos on and everything and then he walked, he's yo, REM, what's up bro? I was like, oh my goodness, bro, what's going on? seeing people in person and then some people recognizing me, and then at some events, at some PVP events that I went to later on in years, people recognized me and I'm like, that is crazy. I feel like, if I hadn't gotten into Pokemon Go, none of this would've happened,
David Hernandez:what was it like going to the Go Fest? Was that your first one?
Trainer Rem:that was the first go fest and my first one. and of course like we'd all know what happened like the cell towers, like servers weren't working, people chanting, we can't, we can't play. And people were hot. My phone was hot. I was hot.
David Hernandez:Everybody was hot in that field,
Trainer Rem:Literally hot in more ways than one man. people heated cause the game wasn't working, the grass was dry because people were trampling, like huge mobs everywhere, but it was so much fun because people were all gathered in one place to play Pokemon. and just being able to see so many people celebrating, like something that we all love in and just a simple mobile game turned out to be such a huge game changer for so many people and even seeing friends from Michigan that I didn't know were coming, like we were all like, yo, yo, you're here too, it's cool, But then like I had to, I went there with my brother and my dad cause I still wasn't old enough to drive myself. so like we all stayed in a hotel room. I ended up leaving for the park by myself early in the morning just so I could get there because we weren't far, it was like a simple walk. but we actually had to leave before they released Articuno and Lugia into raids that day. So,
David Hernandez:no.
Trainer Rem:so yeah, I was like, I was like, dad, yo, can we just stay a bit longer? He's no, we gotta go home. I was like, so there I went like we were riding on the freeway back to Michigan and I saw all the raids happening around me and all the people gathered underneath them while you're driving from the road and I was like, oh my goodness man. Of course I have to miss all this now. it was still worth it just because I got to see how many people truly loved the game. I got to meet some people over the years I, cuz I've been to Montreal Safari zone, I actually got to meet, trainer tips. I met Reversal and Championship at the first Go Fest and all I wanted was just take a picture with them. I said, I know you're busy right now, you got a crowd following you. I just want one picture and then I'll leave you alone. He's they're like, yeah, sure. so yeah, I took pictures with them and it was nice to meet them. And then I met Nick again later at Montreal Safari Zone I'm like, it's cool just to see how like we're all regular people playing this game, but like we all love to be creative with it too. just being in person with friends and sometimes getting recognized for the creation that you do for it is super, super fulfilling.
David Hernandez:So what is it about going to these big events that inspires you to continue to go?
Trainer Rem:I think just like the sense of like, everyone always says it's the community and for me, it's part of that, but it's also the fact that I know my younger self, this is literally everything that I dreamed of and being able to travel, like either by myself or with people that I care about or people who care about me, we're all having fun doing this one big thing. let's say it's like people who go into cosplay conventions or gaming conventions, like you're hanging out with people that you care about and vice versa, and you're all having fun together. I feel like it's also about, making connections cuz you don't know who you're gonna meet, you don't know who you're gonna run into and potentially, it could be your, like your new best friend. It could be like someone that you work, like a collaborator that's gives you a great opportunity. and also again, going back to like just hang out with your friends at dinner, getting pizza or whatever. that's what N E I C was like for me, like making a lot of connections and, seeing people that I hadn't seen for so long and people, I finally got a chance to meet because we only met each other online and only talked online.
David Hernandez:My last question about Go Fest, so if somebody's on the fence about going to a Go Fest, what would you tell them?
Trainer Rem:I would say if you're on the fence about it, try, like, try to go if you can just because you gotta experience it at least once. Like the Go Fest have definitely improved over the years from the first one. Um, 2019 was amazing. like so many parties, so many people willing to help you get to a different location that was based around Pokemon, let's say oh, oh wait, like I was with this one random dude that I just happened to meet at the tournament and we both got an Uber together to go to the after party and then we both went home at the same time afterwards cause we're just like, oh, it went back to hotels cause we were like, yeah, like this is amazing. just like being able to meet people, being able to play Pokemon and get Chinese that you might've wanted, that you've been wanting for so long, being able to trade, being able to even do the battle arena, which was huge for me. being in the battle arena, I know that they were doing it like in a weird fashion where like you move up to the next, rank quote unquote slash step to getting to the top of the battle tower over there. you would just battle random people like someone used Entei, Zapdos, and Suicune on me and I was like, oh. So I just brought my basic qvp team up, like Medicham, Azu, and Bastiodon, I think, or Probopass, something like that. I remember it was like, oh, I gotta, you guys use one team, stick with it. So I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna run this team I got to the top, I got to the, I got to the very end of the arena and I was facing off against this guy. We were about to get our battle started and then all of a sudden they said, there's like a severe storm warning that everybody has to take cover, that everybody in the park has to take cover. And then they literally interrupted us as like it said, 1, 2, 3, go and we both, led Medicham and I'm like, oh, so this guy's also a veteran player. So I was shaking, but I was so excited too, but then, they said, you know what? Just give'em their vouchers, give'em the prize vouchers and just get them outta here, so we didn't even get a chance to battle, but we both ended up still winning top of the tower. We both got our prizes, like these fancy, like Japanese little earbuds that were Pokeball themed. my Pokemon Go Fest battle Arena medal, like some stickers. And it was really cool. But the fact that I didn't get the chance to battle that guy, I was like, Aw. He even, he was like, I kinda wish you got a chance to battle, man. I was like, yeah, me too. Shoot. But we had to go take cover in the nearby, subway station.
David Hernandez:Did you battle BuckeyeFitzy? Cuz that sounds like his story. That sounds very familiar. Cuz he had the same deal where he battled his way all the way to the top, but he didn't mention anything about a storm though, so
Trainer Rem:No, was that might have been him.
David Hernandez:You've been listening to As The Pokeball Turns. We're gonna take a quick break. We'll be right back. you started content creation in 2019. You mentioned earlier how you started recording with Twitch on your phone.
Trainer Rem:I did, so I used Stream Labs mobile back then, and I did have a Samsung Galaxy S 10 And that phone was like a nuclear reactor in my hands after like every I logged off bro. I was like, this thing is getting way too hot. I'm gonna probably need to purchase some actual streaming gear at some point cuz doing it from mobile was accessible, but I had to do so many things. Like I had to make sure that I was recording vertically, And then I would have to change the overlay to be, perpendicular with that. it was like a lot of constant reversing, like making sure that I put the chat in there and making sure that I put, the stream activity in there like who's followed, who's subscribing and everything. I would be watching it, from my laptop on Twitch, like just from the created dashboard. I'm making sure everything looks good and I used to have a green screen. I still have a green screen behind me now, but I used to have a green screen cuz my room was not much to look at back then, so I'm like, eh, like I'll just do my battles. No one really care about it and I'll choose a green screen. and then eventually that changed from me just using my phone to me. I think I was using my laptop at some point, but it didn't work too well. luckily not too long after the stimulus checks came through, so that's where everything got started. I'm like, eh, I could have saved some money, but I went to two PC bills to make my current pc. the first one, the graphics car was messed up and the case was probably a bit too small. so I actually had to get a friend who lives about an hour away and he helped me build it and we had to try, I had I had to drive there at least three times just to get him to set it up and also help with it. And then at one point, my, my pc, I brought it back and it like, of course, like the most satisfying thing was seeing the Windows screen come up and then I could log in and finally start using stuff. I'm like, okay. So finally I have everything that I might need to start creating content. I even, I used to have a webcam, and ring light. And now I have a full fledged dslr. I have an El Gado face cam. I have my Hyper X quad cast mic. and I have two monitors set up and I have my switch, my PS five, my game capture, like all that just happened just because I wanted to start streaming pokemon Go PVP.
David Hernandez:you know, you talked about earlier how, you felt uncomfortable being out and about trying to record our experience that way. Was it just the privacy of Twitch that allowed you to be able to do content creation? Was that the appeal behind it?
Trainer Rem:Yes. It was also the fact that, while we were in lockdown, most people started streaming back then, so for some people, it was a way to make money. And that's like easily fair. Like so many people were just, they got into streaming because they're like, I, we're stuck inside and I like gaming. Why, or, and I like being online, so why don't I just start streaming? I was like, you know what? I think if I start streaming my battles, like I can potentially build a community and maybe even meet some new people, make some new friends. Then it'll be a fun time. streaming inside, like hanging inside is what my brother and I mostly did during 2020, and like sometimes we went out, like there was like nobody out there in the cities and everything. So it would be nice to just be able to walk around and just have privacy and just not have to worry about people getting in your space, which it's not too big of a deal for me, but just being able to not have any obligations and just have fun with streaming and just, try to reach Rank 10 back then, and then later on in seasons reach rank 24 and improve the streaming setup, solidify my brand, like making sure that people knew who I was and what I bring to the table, just from the comfort of my home Was huge.
David Hernandez:So when anybody comes into your stream, just say a random stranger comes in. What do you want their experience to be like when they come and check out your stream?
Trainer Rem:the first thing that I like to do is just say, Hey, what's going on? Like, I don't like to call them out, unless they talk in chat cause I've learned that some people just they like to lurk, they don't like to be outed. because like having the attention brought to them, you know, it may kinda makes'em self-conscious, makes'em anxious. So I was like, yeah, that's totally fair. I'm just gonna call, I'm just gonna call out People who say, who talk in chat, say, Hey, what's going on? oh, are you streaming? Pvp? I like pvp. It's like, oh yeah, well welcome in. My name's Trainer Rem and I do stream Pokemon Go pvp. And other aspects of Pokemon such as Pokemon. Nowadays, Pokemon Unites, Pokemon Violet for like some, times. but it's mostly competitive Pokemon. Like maybe you'll see some, maybe you'll see some funny moments. Maybe you'll be able to join the community in the Discord. And we got a lot of stuff going on there, so I hope you have a good time, but otherwise how you doing today? Stuff like that. but nothing too long-winded, just so I know I don't scare them away with trying to oversell myself. just because it took a lot of learning though, because I started streaming from nothing. I didn't even know really what streaming was. I just, knew about Twitch once I started seeing other people playing Pokemon Go. And then I started learning more about, oh, this is what streamers do like streamers just hop on play games and some people get sponsored. Some people like they're part of teams and it's cool. Maybe something that'll happen for me. And that's where I am now. So it's really surreal. It's actually pretty surreal to think about, oh, just like back in 20 20, 20 19, I was only streaming for my phone and now I've got like a full fledged setup and I have goals and dreams to become like a full content creator with sponsorships, maybe even only doing content creation, this work. But I know, even though I know that can be finicky sometimes for income, so I'm eh, probably just like a part-time job on the side.
David Hernandez:Hey. That's fair. That's fair, man. I was gonna say, you started, your journey basically with a phone and a dream, and now you're basically a part-time content creator where you get to stream, I think you do three to four times a week. It sounds right.
Trainer Rem:Yeah, about three to four times a week. it does, it can range because of my changing schedules with jobs, any life obligations or plans that I've made previously. but yeah, mostly three to four times a week I'm on TikTok, and then I actually stream separately, so I'm on TikTok and usually in the mornings when I have the most energy for battles. And then, later on I'm on Twitch where I stream either Pokemon Unite or Pokemon Violet. It might be some other variety game, but for now it's mostly Pokemon.
David Hernandez:Since you've been streaming for about four years, what's been the biggest challenges that you've encountered as a content creator?
Trainer Rem:So as a content creator, some of the things that I've had to deal with, of course, like back then, were most people who just come in and say random mean, terrible shit like some people would say oh, like who told you could play Pokemon? You're black and like legit. I've been told that before while I was playing Go Battle League and I was like, oh, wow, that's a band instantly. But like, on the outside, I tried to not show that it affected me, but on the inside, like I felt this sense of like my body got cold. I was like, oh God, here it comes. people are gonna start shitting on me and everything just because of what I look like, who I am, and oh, like they don't like seeing me play the game. Well, that's their problem. That's not mine. Like I'm just having fun playing Pokemon and doing my battles and everything. of course it's gonna happen cuz internet is, internet can be full of hate in some parts. it doesn't really get me down or make me nervous as much as it used to because now that I'm streaming on TikTok, I've had some people come in and say you shouldn't be playing. And like that actually, that was like the only comment that I've gotten so far. That was like, beside that was like genuinely mean spirited. Other comments are like, just microaggressions or, they're meant to be funny, but I don't find that funny. But, as a black Pokemon Go content creator, for the most part, the community's been very welcoming and very supportive. But, I sometimes wonder, like, I haven't been growing as fast as other people. I'm wondering if, I'm hoping that doesn't play a part, but you can't help but think about it sometimes. am I having a harder time with creation? or, not with creation, but just like with growth because of who I am, what I look like, or is it just the fact that I'm not putting out enough content or I'm not putting out the kind of content that people enjoy? it's also been a blessing because seeing people, like I've heard people mention oh, I started playing Pokemon because of you. I started, I like, oh, I started getting PVP because of you or I've had people say someone who looks like me playing on stream and like streaming their battles and who's getting, who's getting more well known. Like you, like it's, it does something for me. And I'm like, I didn't think I've ever hear that
David Hernandez:It's like you don't know what to do with these complimented words. Like I'll Yeah, it must feel pretty demoralizing whenever you do get those comments because Pokemon should be for everybody, right? like I said earlier about Pokemon Go, there's people from different places who play this game all over. as a black content creator, as you said, you got some people who just, for some reason they think if you're not, white or whatever, whatever they have in their imagination, you shouldn't be playing Pokemon. a, how do you handle the criticism? And B, is there a moment to where one, if you ever get those comments that you had to step away and decompress to kinda work through whatever feelings you felt whenever you saw that comment?
Trainer Rem:Yeah. there have been times where it's gotten, it's gotten to me like I would tell Rena, I would tell her that oh, this happened today. And I'm feeling super, super stressed about it and like it's getting to me and I know I shouldn't let it. But how do you not let something that happens to you almost every other day, like, how do you not let it get to you? And of course, this is one of the reasons why I also fell in love with her because we can also, we can share these experiences so clearly and this is the first time where, anything like this has actually happened to me outright besides thing that happened over the years. But they were super sporadic and super random, so it would happen, I would just kinda be like, that was weird. And then I'll just go about my life. Even though I, I'm fully aware of the entire situation that like non-white people deal with in general and black people in general. Legit. there would be some days where it got to me, some days where I'm like, am I being excluded from this event? Or am I being excluded from like these groups of creators because of what I look like? Or is it because I'm just not part of the group or both? it gets to me sometimes, but like I just, sometimes I remember that it's not really my fault, it's not my problem. if people who appreciate you for who you are will stick around regardless of anything like that. if people who appreciate you, people who enjoy your company people who enjoy you for you, they will stick around. The people who don't like you don't need them. you don't need to feel that sense of approval or, you don't need to be, validated by them at all. Which is perfect word for what I need to say. But some days it gets to you. Some days it doesn't. but otherwise, like I'm getting better at just plaguing off and being like, oh, that, that's gonna be a band, or something along the lines of or I just ignore the comment entirely and I just keep going with whatever I'm doing.
David Hernandez:Now you mentioned earlier how you got some comments to where people say like, oh, now I play Pokemon because of you. Right. nice to see somebody who has the same skin color as I do. My question is this, so As you continue to grow as a content creator, especially as a African-American content creator, what do you want people to see who are also African-American, who are younger, who are aspiring to be content creators? Like what do you want them to see whenever they think about you?
Trainer Rem:I want them to see someone who's positive, who isn't afraid to love what they love. and love doing it too. if I'm able to inform people. who look like me about this is what you use in Pokemon Go PVP, without them feeling like, oh, it just feels like another white person talking like, oh, she's another white person. Another, I'm not gonna lie, most of the gaming demographic that companies prefer or that certain groups prefer mostly white and Asian gaming, but more darker skin creators are on the way up. So it's more relatable to see, black casters for gaming and stuff like that like for smash. for Pokemon, I know it hasn't happened quite yet. There aren't that many dark-skinned casters just yet, but hopefully even my girlfriend said like, hopefully like maybe Rem you could do that cuz you've cast it before. And I have cast it before for, certain tournaments. for Michigan tournaments and people loved watching the stream and people said, I brought the energy along with my co casters. And I'm like, maybe this is, maybe this could be a thing. And also it could be huge for representation because I want people to not to experience what I experienced growing up, which was like, there aren't people who look like me playing this game and they're all doing it out in public and what if I do it? I look weird, right? just being able to rid people of that feeling and let young black kids or young, darker skinned kids just be able to have fun with it like even some kid the other day came into my retail job and bought, and like his mom bought him some Pokemon cards and I smiled cause I'm like, don't let that hobby or don't let this enjoyment fade cuz like you definitely can enjoy it young man. You know, kind of corny, but you know, I dunno where the young man came from, but.
David Hernandez:You're only like, what, 25? So
Trainer Rem:Literally what? Well, I like, honest to God, like, I, like, like he, he was a kid, kid, like at least six. So I'm like, yeah, like, like kid, But yeah,
David Hernandez:Rem, you've been a lovely guest. We're towards the end of the show. I do have one last question before we close this taco stand.
Trainer Rem:Mm-hmm.
David Hernandez:earlier you talked about when you first started this interview, how you always look towards the future, like your very future minded, and then you talked about how your favorite Pokemon, shiny Pokemon Luc Carrio on how, that's how you envision yourself to be that's what you wanna be. Bold, confident, strong and everything. My question's this, so what does the future Trainer Rem want to be like? what do you hope to see yourself become in say, five years, 10 years?
Trainer Rem:I'm not too sure if, honestly, because I'm not sure where content creation is going for me right now. I just wanna know what I wanna accomplish for content creation in the short term, but in the long term I'd like to establish myself as someone who contributed to the Pokemon community in general like someone who was able to inform people about Pokemon Go P v P, while representing a certain demographic that was Underrepresented in like the grand scheme of things. and people who, like oh, hey Trainer Rem, yeah, I know that guy like, bro, Shiny Lucario was so cool, just being able to inspire others, and even young kids to be able to. if they like something, they just go with it, like they don't be, they're not afraid of what people would say or people would do and then maybe even become greater because of it.
David Hernandez:That's awesome, man. And you're definitely an inspiration for many people, and I hope you grow into the person you wanna become. And unfortunately, part of life is we don't know where it's gonna take us, right? I think you just having those ideals is a very good motor for you to see where it takes you and see who maybe comes along the way. Before you do go, if people wanted to check out your content, where can they check you out? Like, please plug all your socials away.
Trainer Rem:Yes, sir. Yes sir. I am on TikTok. it's gonna be tiktok.com/@trainer rem. I'm on Twitch pretty much all my socials are the same username, trainer REM on Twitch, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. And I also do have a Discord server, The Remoraiders HQ, just for the Raiders community.
David Hernandez:Cool beans, and I'll make sure to include links to everything he said in the description of today's episode. Here's the sneak peek for the next episode of As The Pokeball Turns.
