Tell us about your favourite social Pokémon memory!

At the hight of Pokemon go, my best friend, girlfriend (now wife) and I were at our local beach eaing chips and catching pokemon as you do.

There were quite a few people wondering arround and word got out that there was a Charizard at the other end of the beach. I jumped up on to the car bonnet as my friend drove (slowly) toward the spawn site. I stood on the front of the car Captain Jack Sparrow style, sheperding everyone to the end of the beach.

It was great, until my friend slammed the breaks on 🤣 I was fine.

My fondest Pokémon memory was when I played Pokémon Go with my girlfriend. We walked around the square looking for a 3-star Charmander that could evolve well because there was an event that gave away the 3 starter Pokémon from the first generation. She ended up not being able to catch a good one, but I got lucky and evolved it into my almost perfect Chalizard, which is my favorite Pokémon and hers too. On the other hand, 1 month later she managed to catch a perfect Charmander. That day was magical, everything was great, the weather, the people around. I spent one of my best days with my girlfriend. We even ate a lot of ice cream and had a lot of fun.

This summer, I was at a public beach. A few people were around, going about their usual activities. Out of boredom, I pulled out my phone and launched Pokemon Go. At a nearby cafe, I noticed a gym with an ongoing 3-star raid. I decided to jump in to solo it - and moments later, someone else joined!

Curious, I scanned the area to spot the other player and realized they were doing the same, so we made an eye contact. It turned out to be a woman about my age, also there with her family. I smiled and gave her a quick "o7" gesture, and she responded with a knowing smile.

That was the extent of our interaction, but it still felt amazing to find another Pokemon Trainer in a rural part of the island - eight years after the game’s launch.

When Pokémon Go first launched. There was something so special about seeing people of all ages, from different backgrounds, coming together in parks and on city streets, all excited to catch Pokémon. I went to a local Pokémon Go event, and it was such a blast, everyone was chatting, swapping stories about rare catches, and teaming up for raid battles. You could really feel the sense of community. It wasn’t just about the game itself, but about the fun, the friendly competition, and the shared excitement of discovering new Pokémon together. That whole experience of connecting with so many people, all drawn in by the same thing, is something I’ll always remember.

One of my favourite memories are going to the local TGC meet at a game/movie rental unit with one of my friends who lived nearby.

We would walk into town, buy some sweets then head to the shop to meet some other budding Pokémon trainers for Pokémon battles and some card trades.

It wasn't a Blockbuster store but it was as big as and had plenty of space for hangouts and social buzz without ending up cramped with no space to battle.

I remember one new guy appearingat one point and trying to trade with a lot of the different regulars. He looked shady and his cards were even shadier. He tried to fob off fake rare 'shiny' cards in exchange for anything he could get his hands on. He eventually got asked to leave, to a crowd of ironic cheers.

I used to love the atmosphere at these things and everyone just enjoyed being there- no egos, no arguments, just a great social environment for all. the shope shut down not too long after and the relocated meet was too far away to go without a car or the ache of public transport so i fell out of love with collecting. Very grateful TGC Pocket is now in full swing to help scratch the collecting itch that never really goes away fully!