Vol. 1, Issue 42 - Rikki Kitsune's Pokémon Memories
We share another Pokémon memory, this time from Rikki Kitsune who discusses his personal Pokémon stories and photographs from moments in his life. We have more from our mailbag and some Pokémon news!
Welcome to issue 42 of the Johto Times! We always love sharing the memories of Pokémon fans, and today we have another great addition to our collection from Rikki Kitsune, who talks about his Pokémon-themed party, meeting the legendary Rica Matsumoto, and sharing the Pokémon items that mean a lot to him. We also have more Pokémon news, and take a dive to the bottom of our Johto Times mailbag to read more of your letters!
Additionally, we want to wish all of our American readers a happy Thanksgiving!
News
The Pokémon Company have announced the next Pokémon TCG set: Scarlet & Violet Paldean Fates, which launches on January 26th 2024. Paldean Fates includes over 240 cards and over 100 Shiny Pokémon, and 6 hyper rare cards. Full details on the upcoming set are available in the source link below.
Source: Pokémon
Pokémon are celebrating the holiday period with an event called Poké Post, a pop-up Pokémon Post Office (that's a lot of P's!) where you can obtain a Pokémon TCG pack for yourself, and one that can be mailed to a friend, completely free of charge! The one-day event will include photo opportunities, Pokémon GO bonuses, and an opportunity to meet Pikachu and Eevee themselves! The Pokémon Company advises that people arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Visit these locations between 10:00 and 19:30 on the following dates:
Saturday 18 November: Castle Street, Edinburgh (Completed)Wednesday 22 November: The Hayes, Cardiff (Completed)Saturday 25 November: Place de La Défense, Paris (Cancelled, new dates TBC)
Saturday 2 December: Westfield La Part-Dieu, Lyon
Wednesday 6 December: Pasing Arcaden, Munich
Saturday 9 December: Mercedes Platz, Berlin
Saturday 16 December: Ruhr Park, Bochum
Tuesday 19 December: Queen's Walk, London
Full details on the event, including any changes to the schedule, can be found at the source link below.
Source: Pokémon
Feature: Rikki Kitsune's Pokémon memories
We love to hear memories of individuals who grew up with Pokémon! For this feature, we are highlighting the memories of a fan called Rikki, who tells us about an early birthday party, his involvement in an online Pokémon community, and meeting a famous face from Pokémon!
Hi! You can call me Rikki and I'll talk a little about my Pokémon memories.
This is my 7-year-old birthday party circa 1998. I was very obsessed with Pokémon as a kid and I asked my parents for it. I can't remember it quite well but I remember I had lots of fun! The first Pokémon CD was playing and I got some Pokémon related gifts. One that I remember well is a Pikachu plushie that I kept for a very long time. The Pikachu cake was also something I asked my mom because it was important to me, and I think a friend of hers made it.
Pokémon has been a huge part of my life since forever. As a teenager (circa 2005), I was a member of Pokémon fansites in Brazil like Pokémon Village and Poképlus and helped translate the Pokémon Adventures manga to Brazilian Portuguese. That time, I made wonderful friendships that I still maintain today as some of my bestest friends!
I've been playing every main series game since forever and those are always games I look forward to. And I've always watched the anime too. Even though I didn't watch every single episode, I'm always taking a look at the most important arcs and episodes.
One of my greatest feats as a Pokémon fan was getting to meet Rica Matsumoto in 2012. She attended a convention and I could see her concert and even took a picture with her in the meet and greet! Unfortunately we didn't talk much, but she was very adorable and gave me an autograph. The convention was [called] Ressaca Friends in São Paulo, Brazil. It happened in December 2012. Among Pokémon songs, Rica performed Mezase Pokemon Master and Best Wishes! I recorded both at the time but it didn't come out very well hahaha.
Pokémon is so important for me and it even helped make [me] who I am today. I'm very grateful to everything Pokémon did for me. And as one of my favorite [episode] titles say[s]: Memories are pearls, friendship is a diamond!
A huge thank you to Rikki for sharing their memories, photographs and feelings about Pokémon. We hope that passion will continue to hold a special place in his heart.
Mailbag
Want to be a part of our newsletter? You’re welcome to submit content including (but not limited to) questions, fanart, short stories, your cherished memories, photographs of your collection, and anything else you think you want us to see. This week, we are sharing three pieces of artwork by one of our readers, Starwolf!
Here are my Pokémon pictures (Porygon, Snorlax and Honedge)
Starwolf, United Kingdom
Thank you so much for sharing your art with us, Starwolf! It’s always great to see Snorlax, but it’s equally great to see artwork of overlooked Pokémon such as Porygon and Honedge get some love. My personal favourite here is Porygon. Keep up the good work!