Miss You, Brandon

Trainers of Pokémon Go, particularly those in Southeast Asia, will no doubt be familiar with a certain Trainer figure. That figure needs no introduction: he's the one and only Brandon Tan. Last year, as I've partially documented on this blog, he went on an "Indonesia tour" to visit communities of players around the country - including mine - after a major (and majorly fun) Pokémon Go tournament which I attended, though not without problems. Since those happenings, a little fondness has remained in my heart, and it seems worth it to discuss about that.

Of the two instances when I met him, the first time during the tournament was the one that left the best impression, partly because I got to interact with him for longer than I did during his community visit. The evidence is of course the picture with him, yet I must admit it is bittersweet, for it is the only surviving copy after an up-and-down weekend. It was still an ethereal tournament due to my (non-) achievements, though, and I'm sure he witnessed everything. I do regret not being able to converse further while I was free and had the chance.

Then there was his community visit, which was short and conflicted with a few of my other agenda. It was still great to meet him briefly in the morning prior to the local tournament; the people in my raid group could perhaps say the same - it was one of the largest gatherings of them outside an anniversary celebration, and even now as I write this post, the profile picture of the chat group for my raid group is the group picture taken during this occasion. Though I didn't miss much because of our prior meeting, missing much of this second one was still regrettable in some ways.

Those who have read some posts on this blog early on this year might have noted for a certain occasion that there was evidence of him wanting to be a part of it, but then it just couldn't happen due to one thing or another. It can be taken to mean that he misses us, and without his presence, we would be missing him as well. Now with the global situation at hand, everyone who have met him here, including me, will likely miss him even more, and the situation is likely reciprocal.

The point is that fondness is in the air in some ways. Those who have been able to interact with him can be considered incredibly lucky, which also might mean incredible fondness. At this point, he is inextricable from Pokémon Go no matter what happens, and though there may be a certain longing, playing the game might alleviate that. Still, it is no substitute for the real person, and the greatest expectation might just be another encounter.

Hope to see you again soon, Brandon.

One year ago: Cosplay: COSTHNIFEST

Two years ago: Spending on Pokémon

Three years ago: A Pokémon Forum Persona