Gotta Catch ‘Em All

I recently found my old Pokémon blue cartridge and, as it happens, I actually did catch ’em all! (With the obvious exception of Mew.) This segues rather nicely into the best and nerdiest thing I have ever purchased, to wit:

…a full set of first generation gym badges from Sanshee!

I actually meant to post these ages ago, but I ended up buying an extra set for Colin’s birthday and didn’t want him to accidentally stumble across the photos. I also asked if they could draw a birthday-themed picture for him and a Starmie-themed picture for me, leading to these wonderful drawings being shipped alongside the badges:

(I was ecstatic.)

Following the exhumation of my Blue cartridge, I noticed that it was actually empty save for the swarm of Rattata I’d traded when swapping my Pokémon over to Crystal. I was a little distraught, therefore, that my Crystal cartridge was missing entirely and with it, the very first Pokémon of my childhood. You can imagine my adolescent self’s relief, therefore, when I discovered that it was safe and sound; just gathering dust in my mother’s attic. Added bonus: with the exception of Mew and Celebi, it had a completed Johto Pokédex meaning that I had once again caught ’em all!

My one other victory: catching a shiny Lotad (which ultimately became my shiny Ludicolo) in Emerald. Sadly I can’t claim that this one happened in my childhood because I played Emerald when I was like 24.

And, to round out the nerd-fest, the visual representation of my epiphany that, if I were a Gym Leader, all of my Pokemon would be cats, and challengers would earn the Hairball Badge.