Want to know why Nintendo fans are so loyal? Because of touching stories like this.
It’s hard to find a video game company with a bigger reputation for warm and fuzzy feelings than Nintendo. Part of the credit goes to the company’s huge library of kid-friendly yet superbly high-quality titles, but Nintendo also regularly distinguishes itself with heartfelt gestures that please fans and honor the company’s internal icons.
So set down that Switch and grab a box of tissues as we delve into the tale of Japanese Twitter user @Piepoki, whose status as a lifelong Nintendo fan was cemented when the Kyoto-based video game publisher, and the Pokémon Company, helped him get over a painful bullying incident from his childhood related to the 2004 video game Pokémon FireRed.
Like other games in the series, FireRed allows players to trade Pokémon they’ve captured with other players, which caused a problem for @Piepoki when he was in elementary school and had captured a rare Deoxys Mythical Pokémon.
▼ Deoxys
https://twitter.com/pkmnstatus/status/950754259628429312@Piepoki’s story begins with:
あのときまだ小学4年生くらいのことだけど、友達とファイアレッドを取り違えたことがあって、その時俺のカセットに入ってたたんじょうのしま産のデオキシスを抜き取られて6年生に横流しされたことがあったんだ。俺はそいつと絶交して、デオキシスを返してくれと6年生に言ったんだ。#任天堂を許すな
— ぴえーる 天津石 (@Piepoki) January 11, 2018
“Back when I was in the fourth grade, my friend and I got our copies of Pokémon FireRed mixed up. I had a Deoxys I caught on Birth Island in my save data, but my friend gave it away to a sixth-grader. So I stopped talking to him, and told the sixth-grader to give my Deoxys back.”
However, the older student decided to hold the coveted Pokémon hostage, and demanded an Arceus, another rare and powerful Pocket Monster, in return. There was a big problem with this condition, though. While Arceus was known about in the Pokémon multimedia franchise at the time, it wouldn’t make its video game debut until 2006’s Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Arceus doesn’t exist in FireRed, and so the bully’s impossible demand was the same as flat out refusing to return @Piepoki’s Deoxys.
それで6年生とケンカになったんだけど、力も身長も上の6年生に勝てるはずもなく、涙と汗と泥で顔中ぐしゃぐしゃに汚れたまま自転車に乗って帰ったのを覚えてる。家に帰ったら当然母ちゃんに心配されて、経緯を話したら母ちゃんが任天堂にかくかくしかじかと電話してくれたんだ。#任天堂を許すな
— ぴえーる 天津石 (@Piepoki) January 11, 2018
“So the sixth-grader and I ended up getting into a fight, but obviously he was bigger and stronger than me, and there was no way I could win. I remember riding my bike home after getting beat up, with my face dirty from tears, sweat, and mud. When my mom saw me, she was really worried, and after I explained what had happened, she called Nintendo.”
そしたら母ちゃんが俺に受話器を差し出してきて、自分の口から伝えろと言った。何を言ったかまでは覚えていないが、とにかく「デオキシスを取り戻すためにアルセウスの捕まえ方を教えて」みたいな事を言ってたんだと思う。保留で少し待たされたあと、ポケモンの会社に繋がったんだ。#任天堂を許すな
— ぴえーる 天津石 (@Piepoki) January 11, 2018
“Then she gave me the phone and had me tell the Nintendo employee what had happened. I’m not sure exactly what I said, but I guess I must have said something to the effect of ‘To get my Deoxys back, I need to know how to catch an Arceus, so please tell me how.’ The Nintendo employee put me on hold for a while as he transferred my call to the Pokémon Company.”
すると優しい声のお姉さんが電話に出て、「『アルセウスはよく分からないけど、君のためにデオキシスをあげても良い』って言うお兄さんがいるよ」と教えてくれたんだ。俺はその時に泣きながら「ありがとうございます」と繰り返した。今思えばすごい迷惑なことをしたと思う。#任天堂を許すな
— ぴえーる 天津石 (@Piepoki) January 11, 2018
“A woman with a really kind voice came on the line, and she said, ‘I don’t know much about Arceus, but there’s a guy who works here who’d like to give you his Deoxys.’ Through my tears, I thanked her over and over. Looking back on it now, I really caused a lot of trouble for all of them.”
But with no way to send the data to @Piepoki remotely, getting his replacement Deoxys took a little more help from Mom.
その後母ちゃんに電話を代わるように言われて、デオキシスのデータを入れるためにはどうしたら良いかを聞かされていたみたい。後日母ちゃんはポケモンのお姉さんに指示されたとおり俺のファイアレッドが破損しないようにクッション付きの封筒を買ってきて、ポケモンの会社まで送った。#任天堂を許すな
— ぴえーる 天津石 (@Piepoki) January 11, 2018
“My mom took the phone back, and asked what we needed to do to get the Deoxus data. The next day, following the woman’s instructions, she bought a padded envelope, put my Pokémon Fire Red cartridge inside, and mailed it to the Pokémon Company.”
その後どれだけ経ったか覚えてないけど、朝学校に行く前に新聞を親に渡す習慣でポストを開けたらクッション付き封筒が入ってたんだ。冬の朝だったからか、すごい冷たかったのを覚えてる。俺はランドセルを投げ出しては封筒を破って、ファイアレッドを差したDSの電源を入れた。#任天堂を許すな
— ぴえーる 天津石 (@Piepoki) January 11, 2018
“I don’t remember how many days later it was, but one morning before school, I looked in the mailbox where the newspaper was always delivered, and there was a padded envelope in there. I can remember that it was winter, though, because it was really cold outside. I threw down my randoseru backpack and tore open the envelope, took out my returned copy of Fire Red, and put it into my DS.”
Pokémon fans with sharp memories are probably ready to point out that FireRed was actually released for the Game Boy Advance, the DS’ predecessor hardware, but we’ll cut @Piepoki some slack for forgetting that detail on account of the heightened emotions of the tale, which got even higher with what happened next.
見てみると、1番後ろのボックスの左上に、デオキシスがいたんだ。もうその時は嬉しくって、跳んではしゃいだ。親に学校に行けと言われて仕方なく登校した。この事をみんなに言いたかったけど、自分だけが特別扱いされてるような気持ちになって嬉しくって、秘密にしていたんだ。#任天堂を許すな
— ぴえーる 天津石 (@Piepoki) January 11, 2018
“There, in the most recently filled slot, was a Deoxys. I literally jumped for joy. My parents told me to hurry up and get to school, so I turned the DS back off and left. I wanted to tell all my classmates about it, but it felt so nice to know the employees’ had done something special just for me, so I kept it a secret.”
That use of discretion turned out to be the right call, too.
その日家に帰ると、母ちゃんから封筒に手紙が入っていたことを教えられて、そこには「みんなには内緒だよ。byポケモン大好きなお兄さん」みたいな事が書いてあったんだ。この時つくづく秘密にしておいて良かったと思ったよ。#任天堂を許すな
— ぴえーる 天津石 (@Piepoki) January 11, 2018
“When I got home later that day, my mom told me there had been a letter in the envelope too, which said something like ‘Keep this a secret, OK? – From a guy who loves Pokémon,’ so I was really glad I hadn’t told anyone at school.”
今思えばなんてちっぽけなことでガキンチョが迷惑をかけたんだとか思うけど、こういう些細な事でも対応してくれるポケモン、そして任天堂には今でも深く感謝していて、10年以上経った今でもウルトラムーンを楽しくプレイしてる。
— ぴえーる 天津石 (@Piepoki) January 11, 2018
任天堂、本当にありがとう。これからも遊び続けます。#任天堂を許すな
“Looking back on it, I can’t help but see myself as a brat who caused a lot of commotion over a tiny little thing. But even now, I’m deeply grateful to the Pokémon Company and Nintendo for doing so much to help me with such a silly problem. It’s 10 years later, and now I’m still enjoying the series with Pokémon Ultra Moon. Thank you so much, Nintendo, and I’ll keep playing your games in the future.”
With a prized Deoxys back in his Pocket Monster stable, @Piepoki wanted to challenge the bully to a Pokémon FireRed battle. By that time, though, the older student had already moved on to middle school. Still, all in all, @Piepoki considers it a happy ending, and the unnamed Nintendo and Pokémon Company employees who helped him out should be very, very proud of themselves.
Source: Twitter/@Piepoki via Jin
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