Volcanion Erupts Into ORAS/XY

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Every month of this year Nintendo has been releasing a legendary Pokemon to celebrate their 20^th anniversary of the franchise.

For October, Keldeo is available to download from the Nintendo Network via Mystery Gift to Pokemon XY or ORAS. With Keldeo only being available for three more days, we have a new legendary to collect.

Until 10/31/16, Volcanion will be distributed via code from Gamestop. A level 70 Volcanion can be downloaded onto Pokemon XY or ORAS and will unlock new dialogue throughout regions in the game. It will also come with the item Assault Vest that increases Special Defense, but prevents use of status moves. Volcanion will also have the ability Water Absorb as well as the moves Steam Eruption, Hydro Pump, Overheat, and Explosion. These moves coincide with its unique typing and will demonstrate its strength on the battlefield.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what do you think of Volcanion’s unique typing?

Alola: Trials, PokeRiding, and Adventure!

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Every week we seem to receive more information regarding Pokemon Sun and Moon. Needless to say this makes me thrilled for the new game. Here’s what we have this week:

New Pokemon:

                -Gumshoos – Normal type. The evolution to Yungoos, ability: Strong Jaw (or) Stakeout. A stakeout Pokemon with a tenacious personality that waits for prey to approach without wavering.

                -Mudbray – Ground type. The pre-evolution to Mudsdale, ability: Own Tempo (or) Stamina. A donkey Pokemon that loves playing in the mud and has a small body that bears super strength.

                -Minior – Rock/Flying type. Ability: Shields Down (which gives way to its true form). A meteor Pokemon whose core is based on what debris it has absorbed in the stratosphere.

                -Fomantis – Grass type. The pre-evolution to Lurantis; ability: Leaf Guard. A sickle grass Pokemon who will fight anyone in its path to retrieve its dire needed photosynthesis.

                -Lurantis – Grass type. The evolution of Fomantis; ability: Leaf Guard. A sickle grass Pokemon who lures opponents to them with its sweet smell before taking them down.

                -Oricorio – Fire/Fying (Baile Style), Electric/Flying (Pom-Pom Style), Psychic/Flying (Pau’u Style), Ghost/Flying (Ghost Style). Ability: Dancer. The different styles reflect the typing of this dancing Pokemon whose style changes from island to island.

Alolan Pokemon: classic Pokemon from the original 150 that adapted to Alola’s vast and different environments.

                - Alolan Vulpix – Ice type. The pre-evolution to Alolan Ninetails; ability: Snow Cloak. Avoiding the normal habitats of other Pokemon, Alolan Vulpix took their place in the snowy mountain packs. It came to the region with humans.

               

 -Alolan Ninetails – Ice/Fairy type. The evolution to Alolan Vulpix; ability: Snow Cloak. Regarded as emissaries who live on the snowy mountain peaks, this Pokemon can be a blessing to those in need or a curse to those who wish to destroy.

               

 -Alolan Sandshrew – Ice/Steel type. The pre-evolution to Alolan Sandslash; ability: Snow Cloak. Frequent volcanic eruptions caused this once considered desert Pokemon to move into the snowy peaks where it adopted its new appearance. Albeit, its new form has made it sluggish, but it can slide on the ice using its stomach.

               

                -Alolan Sandslash – Ice/Steel type. The evolution to Alolan Sandshrew; ability: Snow Cloak. The spikes on its back cause it to be slower, but they are not to be messed with.

-Alolan Exeggcutor – Grass/Dragon type. Ability: Frisk. The strong sunlight has changed Exeggcutor’s normal form into what the Alolans call the true form of Exeggcutor. It has a fourth face on its tail.

Z Dance: Z Moves need a Z Crystal to help your Pokemon unleash a powerful move once per battle.  For special Z Crystals, some Pokemon may need to learn a move correlating with the Z Crystal’s type. Ex.: If Pikachu wanted to use Bloom Doom (a grass Z Crystal move) it would need to know Grass Knot. Some of the Z Moves are: Bloom Doom (Grass), Inferno Overdrive (Fire), Hydro Vortex (Water), and Gigavolt Havoc (Electric). Nintendo will be selling a Z Ring to players, when the Z Ring is activated in the game it will vibrate, light up, and play sounds.

Island Trials: These are small quests given by Trial Leaders of each island. There are four Trial Leaders: Lana, Mallow, Sophocles, Kiawe. After each trial is complete, trainers will fight against Totem Pokemon that can call upon other Pokemon to help them fight you. The only Totem Pokemon that we know is Tapu-Koko (Mele Mele Island), Lurantis (Akala Island), and Gumshoo – though their island hasn’t been specified. Lastly, there’s the Grand Trials wherein you fight against the Kahuna of the island which will grant you access to the next island. Hala is the only Kahuna that we know thus far.

-PokeRiding: Finally we can ride Pokemon – but it’s the ones that Nintendo has presented to us, which is still cool. These Pokemon can be summoned at any time for our aid and I strongly believe they may replace the HMs. We have Charizard for flying, Lapras for surfing, Sharpedo for surfing/breaking water based obstacles like rocks, Mudsdale for walking on rocky terrain, Stoutland for finding hidden objects, and Tauros for running through and breaking blocks.

Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, critique, share, and subscribe.

So tell me, what Pokemon Sun/Moon information do you like the best?

Pokemon Go-ing Through Tests

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Yesterday, Nintendo announced that Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem would be receiving mobile gaming apps this Fall. The gaming company also declared that they would focus on a new Legend of Zelda game at this year’s E3 and that the NX, a gaming console, will be released March 2017.

All this news is fantastic, but where exactly does that leave Pokemon : Sun and Moon and Pokemon Go? We haven’t necessarily heard anything from them in a while, especially the former. Thankfully, we have some information regarding the latter.

Yesterday, test footage of Pokemon Go leaked from Australia. While nothing is set in stone, here’s what  I managed to discover:

·         They’re only using the original 150.

·         To evolve Pokemon, you have to collect ‘Evolution Shards’. From how it appears, there are four sections to an ‘Evolution Shard’. I’m honestly on the fence about this feature, because I feel it takes away the anticipation we have when waiting for a certain level for our Pokemon to evolve.

·         The camera plays a heavy role in this app. The camera allows you to see the Pokemon (which randomly appear), capture said Pokemon, and change the background from a pixelated green field to your actual surroundings. If you pass by something, it may appear on the app as an icon that you can click and receive items from. You can also receive items from Pokemon stores which haven’t been implemented into the game as of yet, but have been confirmed by game creators.

·         Capturing Pokemon is rather unique in this app. When a Pokemon appears it will have a colored circle around it – each Pokemon’s circle is different.  Touch the circle and your ball will be thrown, resulting in a hopefully successful catch. Touch outside the circle and the Pokemon will most likely not be caught.

·         As a trainer you level up by catching Pokemon, fighting, and bumping into circles that level you up automatically. 

·         The fighting system appears to be the same, however, Pokemon only have two moves. An example of this was Porygon only having Thunderbolt and Quick Attack.

·         You can also obtain Pokemon by receiving eggs. From how it appears, you can have more than one egg with you. These eggs hatch into Pokemon from the original 150.

·         The gym is something I’m still trying to wrap my head around. From what I understand, you enter a gym and proceed to join a team (Red, Blue, or Yellow) to fight the gym leader. You select a Pokemon to fight with. Once that Pokemon is fighting in the gym, it cannot be taken out until the match is won.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what are your thoughts about Pokemon Go?

Pokemon Sun and Moon: Theorizing Everything!

Good evening everyone and welcome  to The Magical Mystery Blog.

With Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon announced for the 3DS this holiday 2016, Pokefans rejoiced over the new installation to the popular franchise. While we don’t know much about Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, we can still theorize a few things about these upcoming games.

-New Pokemon: We already have Magearna and during the announcement video of Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, we saw a digital rendering of a new Pokemon. At first I thought it was Fletchling due to its body shape and colors, but upon closer examination it wasn’t Fletchling. It was bird Pokemon I had never seen before. Come to think of it, with every generation release isn’t there a new Eevee type? I wonder what it will be this time; perhaps a space type given the celestial theme of this new generation?

-New location: This time our adventure takes place on a tropical island. One of the game’s screenshots revealed what appeared to be a hotel decorated with various water Pokemon and surrounded by palm trees. It would make sense for this new venture to take place in a tropical location because there hasn’t been an entire adventure devoted to any part of the tropics.

-New features: Yes, we will be receiving a new Pokecenter as well as vehicles designed to fit Pokemon for various purposes (ex.: There’s a firetruck with Blastoise seated on the back). There’s also a pickup truck and an ambulance, but what does this mean? Will we be driving now or incorporating vehicles into the game?

-The Logos: Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, we already have a slew of Pokemon that feature traits regarding the Sun and Moon. Solrock and Lunatone, Espeon and Umbreon are just a few. With every new Pokemon generation release, there’s a new legendary Pokemon incorporated with the title. Pokemon X and Pokemon Y had Xerneas and Yveltal, Pokemon Sapphire and Pokemon Ruby had Kyogre and Groudon. So what Pokemon will represent this generation? Already released Pokemon or new Pokemon? Or perhaps even a mega evolution of Pokemon we know like Solrock and Luantone?

-The Theme: Pokemon Sun and Moon sounds cosmic to me, which means we could have another Team Galactic type of opponent. We could also have towns named after celestial bodies or planets; we could even have space exploration like in ORAS. The possibilities are endless as they are exciting and I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Thank you for reading today’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what do you think Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon will feature?

WE ARE FINALLY GETTING HOOPA

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

What are the five words you want to hear in life? 

For most people it’s, “(whatever your name is), will you marry me?” for others, it may be, “(whatever your favorite store is) is having a blowout sale!”. For me, the five words I definitely want to hear in my life are, ”WE ARE FINALLY GETTING HOOPA.”

Well, I think I’ll be hearing those words soon just like everyone else in the Pokemon community.  The Hoopa distribution for the United Kingdom will run from October 23^rd to November 5^th of 2015 in GAME stores. Germany will receive Hoopa from October 16^th to November 7^th of 2015 in Gamestop stores. The Netherlands will be able to get their hands on Hoopa from October 10^th to October 11^th of 2015 at the First Look Festival. Lastly, French, Spanish, and North American dates will be announced in the future, but we will most likely be able to obtain Hoopa later this year. Hoopa is obtainable by a serial code available for Pokemon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire.

So yes, we will finally be receiving Hoopa after all this time. Now here’s hoping that Hoopa comes with the Prison Bottle so that we may unleash its Hoopa Unbound form and wreck all of the battles.

To add onto this awesome event, we will also be able to receive a shiny Xerneas, a shiny Yveltal, and a shiny Zygarde in the near future. Serial codes for each Pokemon will appear in episodes of the Pokemon XY & Z anime. Shiny Xerneas’ code will be available on October 29^th, 2015, followed by shiny Yveltal’s code on November 5^th, 2015, and finishing up with shiny Zygarde on November 12^th, 2015.

Thanks for reading today’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what distribution are you most excited for?

Pokemon Go!

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Pokemon Go was announced for 2016 for the iPhone and Android devices. Pokemon Go is about as close as we’ll get to capturing Pokemon in real life. The app uses real life locations to help you capture wild Pokemon such as Pikachu, Snorlax, and many, many others. This app allows you to trade with others who have this app and battle them as well.

Since this is something incredibly massive to Pokemon fans, including myself, I’ve decided to list some of the things I would love to see from this app.

1.Event Pokemon

In the trailer, we witnessed Mewtwo fly about Times Square with a time limit so that everyone present could capture the Psychic beast. This appeared to be an Event only Pokemon, which is something that has happened in many Pokemon games from Red to ORAS. Personally, I’d love to see more Event Pokemon and Pokemon that release on the holidays or month of. For example, for October they could release a shiny Ghost or Psychic type (because if they’re making Pokemon real, chances are shinys will be real too). For December, they could release a shiny Ice type (preferably Delibird because it has the move Present and the colors of the Christmas season).

2.Event Items

Now automatically in the game we have Pokeballs to catch em all, but from how it appears we gain more balls the more we play. Yet there are special tools used to catch Pokemon or summon them. We see a Snorlax in the trailer and the only way for Snorlax to awaken is by the Pokeflute. This makes me wonder if there will be an Event Item distribution to receive the Pokeflute and use it to catch Snorlax. If Nintendo plans to include Pokemon from other generations, then there are some that need special items. Hoopa needs the Prison Bottle to change into its Hoopa Unbound form and obviously the Mega Stones exist to make other Pokemon like Gardevoir and Blastoise to Mega Evolve.

3.Pokemon Amie

When Pokemon X & Y were released, I immediately fell in love with Pokemon Amie. The ability to play with your Pokemon and in return, that Pokemon would show its loyalty and love for you in combat. It was a wondrous notion that stole my heart. To have this experience in the games was fantastic, but to have it in real life? That would be absolutely outstanding.

4. Implementing Other Tech

Let’s say you just got into a battle with a fellow trainer and they completely annihilate your team. By charging your phone (regardless if it’s fully charged or not (though I can imagine this game would drink a ton of battery juice due to its use of maps and location)), your team would regain their health. 

5.  Mega Evolution

Going off my point earlier with the use of special (possible Event) items, this would be a neat concept. The idea of Mega Evolution seemed Farfetch’d at first, but it’s evolved into something incredible. The thrill of activating your Pokemon’s Mega Stone to cause them to transform into an even more powerful, tremendous beast – it’s intense. Wouldn’t it be even more fantastic if we could replicate it on this new app?

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what do you want to see from Pokemon Go?

Pokemon: A Sequel to a Classic

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

This past week we have received some extremely exciting news which can be summed up in two words:

Hoenn. Confirmed.

This November, Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby will be hitting the shelves just in time for Christmas. According to the released teaser trailer, they will be set in a new dramatic world, and feature a new adventure. Based on these words, it seems like these new games will be like Pokemon Black and White and Pokemon Black 2 and White 2. Where Ruby and Sapphire will be the original and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will be the sequels, based in new lands with a new plot.

This trailer also shows us the covers for the games, displaying a newly made over Kyogre and Groudon. Could these be the mega evolution forms of the legends?

Along with these two mythical beasts, there is a theory circulating around the web which recalls that when Pokemon X and Y debuted, someone discovered the mega evolutions of Latios and Latias. Along with Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Groudon, Latios and Latias were the legendary birds of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. It could be possible for Latios’ and Latias’ mega evolutions to appear once more, not just in Pokemon X and Y, but Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby as well.

I am elated about this news because I grew up when Pokemon first came out. I followed the series all the way up to Ruby before calling it quits because I thought I was getting too old for Pokemon. However, Pokemon Y reminded me of how much I loved the game and it showed me that it too grew up.  It’s more than likely I’ll be picking up Alpha Sapphire as a Christmas present to myself. I just hope that they keep the secret base building that the original Ruby and Sapphire offered.

Feel free to leave your comments below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed. Tonight’s question is:

What are your thoughts on Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby?

Gonna Fool em All

Good evening everyone and welcome to a late night edition of The Magical Mystery Blog.

Today is April Fool’s Day, a day where we prank others for fun. Some tend to go to the extremes with pranks, while others go for classic tricks or stay simple. Every year, Google has performed pranks that blew many Internet users’ minds. However, this year’s prank takes the Pokepuff.

Google Maps houses this year’s April Fool’s prank, which is only available for mobile devices. By clicking on the app and hitting “Press Start”, you can search and capture Pokemon throughout the world. It’s even rumored that if you catch all the Pokemon, you could achieve Google’s official “Pokemon master” status.

This feature will run until April 2nd, when it will disappear from our lives. Until then, let’s enjoy one of the greatest April Fool’s pranks Google has ever had. So far I’ve managed to capture Samurott, Pikachu, and Pichu.

Feel free to comment and reblog, and as always feedback and followers are welcomed. Tonight I leave you with a question: What was the first Pokemon you captured using Google’s Pokemon feature?  

Gaming in the New Year

Thank God it’s Friday here at The Magical Mystery Blog.

A new year is upon us to accomplish many things, do activities we always wanted to do, and make our lives as interesting as possible. Yesterday I managed to achieve something I've wanted to do since Christmas Day: defeat Pokemon Y. Pokemon Y is the latest game of the Pokemon franchise and hosts the sixth generation of Pokemon. This new generation includes Pokemon you grew up with as well as seventy new creatures which is a total of over 700 pocket monsters to capture, train, and play with.

I honestly wanted this game for nostalgia, the incredible graphics, the fantastic gameplay, and to see how my favorite childhood game has advanced over the years. This game did not disappoint me on any of those levels and I was satisfied through and through. Here are a few things I specifically love about Pokemon Y.

5) Music

At first, the music for this was all right. It was your typical battle jingle and victory music. But as you face the gym leaders, Team Flare, and the Elite Four, the themes transcend and evolve into excellent tunes. From what I’ve seen and heard, tons of fans seem to enjoy Lysandre’s battle theme the best. Frankly, I can see why: it’s a mix of wayward insanity, jarring evil, and badassery.  As for myself, I enjoy the Champion’s combat music because it pumps you up for the battle to end all battles, it beckons you to strive towards victory, and it fits the Champion’s character perfectly.

4) Mega Evolution

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Behold the ultimate power of Blastoise with three cannons!

One of the most anticipated features of this game prior to its release was mega evolution. This concept is given to only a few select Pokemon in which they hold a stone that temporarily enhances them. In this advancement, they have the power of a t-rex tearing through an enormous cube made of titanium bricks and bacon (which is epically powerful). They also get a new look so Blastoise becomes Mega Blastoise, Gardevoir becomes Mega Gardevoir, and so on.  As a long awaited feature of the game, it made me feel like I had the power of the Pokeworld in my hands and nothing could stop it.

3) Pokemon Amie

In the Pokemon movies and shows we see trainers interacting with their Pokemon outside combat. As a child, we probably wished for something like this to happen to us. To be able to play with a Vulpix or surf on the back of a Lapras, it would have been excellent. Some of us to this day still wish for that fantasy to become a reality. In Pokemon X and Y, we are presented with Pokemon Amie, a program that allows us to play with our Pokemon. The more you play with your Pokemon, the more they will interact with you in combat. This is the closest we have ever gotten to fulfilling our childhood wishes and it’s heartwarming. We get to pet our Pokemon, feed them, and even play mini games with them.  We are given the opportunity to see our Pokemon smile and feed them as they cry in content.  What’s even better is if you have Lapras use Surf, you will actually ride a Lapras on the water, and not some cluster of pixels.

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Surfing on Lapras before....(Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire)

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Surfing and fishing on Lapras after....(Pokemon X/Y)

2) The Graphics

These aren't your 1996 graphics where everything was one primary color in variant shades. Pokemon’s graphics changed with the years and for their new game, they took no chances. They spent hours creating 3D models for each Pokemon and making them move. On top of that, the settings they had to design for this game took days, hours, minutes, and nanoseconds. The results are utterly beautiful and by far, some of the best graphics I've seen. 

1) The Memories

As I've mentioned before, I bought this game for nostalgia. I’m a nostalgic and sentimental person even though I know it’s unhealthy to live in the past and that life only goes forward.  While I do move on with life, there are just some things that never leave me. One of those things happens to be Pokemon. The games always intrigued me because they drew me in, allowed me to combat without the sight of blood or be extremely violent, and gave me some wonderful memories. When I play Pokemon Y, I’m reminded of all the reasons why I fell in love with Pokemon.

How do you feel about the new Pokemon X/Y game? Love it? Hate it? Would never play it? Feel free to leave your thoughts below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.

Also if you like what you see here and want to get to know me better, check out my tumblr at #vannillafudge or this link: http://vannillafudge.tumblr.com/. 

Gonna Catch 'Em All

Along with Futurama ending this past week, we have received some other nerdy news. This tidbit of information has excited gamers everywhere, sparking nostalgia, and causing a tsunami of elation.

In approximately a month, the world will be obtaining the latest Pokemon game, Pokemon X or Y. This is the sixth generation of Pokemon, complete with creatures never seen before, and many others we've grown up with. This past summer, we've had great chunks of exciting news about this game including mega evolutions, Pokemon Amie, trainer customization, and the new fairy type.

However, on September 4^th, 2013 we have been greatly informed about something completely different in the new Pokemon world. We will receive our new starter (our choice of Chespin (Grass), Fennekin (Fire), and Froakie (Water)) along with a first gen starter. That’s right, you’ll be able to get your hands on Charmander (Fire), Bulbasaur (Grass), or Squirtle (Water). Not only that but if you purchase the game before January, you’ll receive a free Torchic with a mega evolution stone. So technically, you get three starters. 

But wait, there’s more.

Your first gen starter can now mega evolve. So Blastoise is now Mega Blastoise with three cannons, crafted for being invincibly epic. 

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Charizard is now Mega Charizard with dragonesque details, made for dominating the Pokemon world. 

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Venusaur is now Mega Venusaur with a flower for beauty, designed for ruling the battlefields.

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I feel as though this is the most prominent information because we not only receive a whole new world of Pokemon but we are joined with our old friends from the very first game. We can relive the adventure we had experienced when we first played this excellent game. Not only will we gain new memories of this brand new Pokemon experience but we will do it with nostalgia by our side, reminding us of what we grew up with, and how the past combines with the future.

As for myself, this new knowledge has made me even more excited to get my hands on Pokemon X. For me, Pokemon is a trip down memory lane and a treat for my inner gamer.  Over the years, I've watched this pixilated game premiere and evolve into tons of generations.  With every release, I've witnessed new creatures form and more features added to game play. Throughout my life, I've crafted a collection of Pokemon games that I’m glad to call my own. Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, and Fire Red.

In my twenties, I started to sample the adult life. Bills, jobs, and responsibilities tumbled onto my plate like a mountain of waffles throughout my college years. However, the memories of Pokemon lived on through conversations and friendship.Yet in the midst of laughter and Pokemon teams, a fire flared up. This flickering flame made me question if I was too old for Pokemon; if it was time to put away childish things and grow up. So I packed up my Nintendo DS, stowed away my games in the basement, and carried on as if Pokemon never existed.

When news of Pokemon X and Y came to light, my inner gamer bounced in delight. With every new morsel of information, my internal gamer was filled with more excitement. A new Pokemon game where you could interact with your Pokemon like it was your pet, an even further evolution, and more new beasts to capture and train. It was as though my childhood got an upgrade and my gamer wanted in. I dug out the old DS, brought out my old games, and picked up where I left off.

As I played through my games, I realized I couldn't abandon this series. It had been with me since childhood, adolescence, and now, adulthood. On Christmas Day, I’ll be picking up a Nintendo 2DS and Pokemon X. With a flick of the switch, a smile will appear on my face as the nostalgia will come crashing down. I’ll embrace every moment of it and do my best to catch ‘em all while preparing myself for a long life of work, happiness, and no regrets. I’m going to be the best that no one ever was and no challenge is too great to stop me from becoming just that.