i won against SoulWind, ggs
g1:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen1ou-660803
g2:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen5ou-660807
g3:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen3ou-660814
g4:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen4ou-660819
i never expected to be in this position ever again, so i'm at a bit of a loss for words. when i came back to smogon in 2018, i came back for team tournaments while i was finishing my PhD, not for individual tournaments. i met a lot of great people who would go on to be incredibly supportive, both for personal matters and for Pokemon, of course. a special shoutout in particular to
ABR,
Star,
obii,
TDK,
teal6,
elodin, and
bruno. to adam in particular, your drive, knowledge, and willingness to help friends is incomparable. i wouldn't even be here without that hp water gengar ;-)
i bounced ideas off a lot of people during this run, in particular the apex boys
McMeghan,
Mana,
GaryTheGengar,
Heroic Troller,
Jirachee, the Cabal. the only reason that i even came back to play individuals is because of a conversation with roro in 2020, where he asked if i'd ever compete again. i promised him that i'd give it an honest try after i finished my dissertation, and this was the result. thank you roro for being my biggest fan and one of my closest friends on this site.
thank you to NorthEast for taking me back after
BKC messaged me out of nowhere on facebook of all things. thank you WWDL and "The Jerk" (trademark) for all of the lovely conversations, support, and FFAF's.
normally i don't look good in white, but i think i can get used to this.