"Milotic Was Worth the Wait" ft. Professor Rosemary | TRAINER'S EYE #188

TRAINER'S EYE #188 - Professor Rosemary

Professor Rosemary: [00:00:00] Professor Rosemary here, and this is my Pokemon story

David Hernandez: Welcome to As the Pokeball Turns, where every trainer has a story. I'm David Hernandez, and I'm joined by Professor Rosemary, a sweet-toothed visionary and Pokemon enthusiast. Professor Rosemary, welcome to As the Pokeball Turns

Professor Rosemary: Hello. Thank you so much for having me

David Hernandez: You know, [00:01:00] Professor Rosemary, every Pokemon professor has their own field of research. You think about Professor Oak studies Pokemon habitats. You think about how Professor Elm studies breeding. And I wanna start with this question just for fun. If your research in the kitchen were officially recognized in the Pokemon world, what discovery do you hope your name would become famous for?

Professor Rosemary: Well, I wouldn't call it that much of a research, it's more like finding out how each Pokémon has their own, you know, general personality and also dispositions, and how you translate those into something that connects with people on a culinary level. Not just flavors, but also in a cultural term. If you're talking about in the Pokémon world, perhaps, things of a certain region that give people who are familiar with that culture a certain sense of nostalgia or a sense of home. So beyond flavors, I would say

David Hernandez: You know, that kinda reminds me of how there's certain, anime Pokemon that have their, like, signature, way of presenting themselves. You [00:02:00] think of Psyduck always coming out of Misty's Pokeball and going, "Psy," trying to get in the center of attention kinda thing. You think of Totodile trying to dance.

Is that kind of what you're alluding to? Like how each Pokemon personality is different and calls cultures

Professor Rosemary: Oh, yes. Correct. Correct

David Hernandez: You know so much about Pokemon. Let's start from the beginning. So where did your experience with Pokemon first begin?

Professor Rosemary: It was Pokemon Sapphire when I was, seven or eight. I was playing on my brother's, Game Boy, not even a Game Boy Advance at that point. I think it was a Game Boy Color? But yeah, I remember it was on a little pirated cartridge with a ton of other games inside, but I started my Pokemon journey there. And actually, a lot of the games and franchises that I'm into today, I would say are because of my brother. one that stuck the most was Pokemon Sapphire

David Hernandez: With your brother introducing you to Pokemon, would y'all like share the cartridge, What'd that kind of dynamic look like between y'all two with Pokemon?

Professor Rosemary: Oh, we only had one Game Boy at the time, [00:03:00] so we did have to share the Game Boy But,

David Hernandez: Okay. Well, go ahead

Professor Rosemary: oh, sorry. But other than Pokemon, the actual Pokemon game, he did introduce me to other trading card games like Yu-gi-oh! especially, and also the Pokemon Trading Card Game at the time.

So it wasn't just the main line Pokemon games. My brother also introduced me to, the Pokemon TCG at the time. 

David Hernandez: When you played Pokemon Sapphire, what do you remember most about those games? What sticks out to you even today?

Professor Rosemary: It's a bit hard for me to pinpoint one exact thing that stuck out, but I feel like it's the entire experience that's kind of ingrained into my brain. So even nowadays, if I play, let's say Emerald on an emulator or even ROM hacks using the Ruby Emerald Sapphire sort of aesthetic, it tickles a certain part of my brain that just feels very homely, very comforting, you know, back when [00:04:00] times weren't so complicated.

David Hernandez: I think that's how I feel whenever I go back to playing Hoenn.

You know, Hoenn's one of my favorite regions of all time. I love the aesthetics, I love the world building and everything, but every time I went back there, it just feel like if I ever wanted to go on a vacation in the Pokemon world, that'd be the place I would wanna go to, right?

Like, I just always enjoyed that area

Professor Rosemary: For me, I always thought of Hoenn as a really nice vacation place as well, but then I was like, "Oh, wait, I already live in a tropical country," so Hoenn would probably be where I'm from if I'm, I'm from the Pokemon-- I'm actually in the Pokemon world.

David Hernandez: Well, let's ask this. So if you were gonna go to anywhere in the Pokemon world, where would you wanna go, if it wouldn't be Hoenn?

Professor Rosemary: Probably Sinnoh, because I think there are a lot of pretty nice ice types there, and ice type is my favorite type, so that'll be a nice place to visit. playing the fourth generation, I do have a few memoral- memorable ice types on my team

I remember my Abomasnow. I don't know why. Like, it's not at all my favorite Pokemon [00:05:00] in any sense, but

David Hernandez: Mm-hmm.

Professor Rosemary: it, he was quite fun to use. And definitely Froslass and Glaceon was quite fun to use as well

David Hernandez: You mentioned how ice type's your favorite type. What is it about that type that kind of resonates with you? Like, what makes it your favorite?

Professor Rosemary: I've been asking myself that for the longest time. still don't have an answer for it 'cause, since young when we're talking about, fantasy elements, I've always been more inclined to an ice element, not even like a water element, but ice element.

I don't know, something about it is just so cool. unintentional pun. But personally I am the type of person that would rather freeze to death than to die of heat stroke.

David Hernandez: That's a good way to look at it. I like it.

Professor Rosemary: But yeah,

 I would say the overall vibe, the general color scheming of the ice elements and ice-type Pokemon. I don't know, something about it just draws me to it

David Hernandez: That's fair, 'cause I remember how you mentioned Snover [00:06:00] and Abomasnow of course when it evolves. That was actually a Pokemon I used when I played Pokemon Diamond.

Professor Rosemary: Oh,

David Hernandez: I loved, loved, that Pokemon when I first saw it. I don't know why. It's a very simplistic design.

It's just abominable snowman with, you know, a tree with, arms I guess. But I loved using it. It was just such a weird Pokemon but it was so cool in my opinion

Professor Rosemary: And I think that's the wonder of Pokemon as well. Like sometimes there are just things that you can't explain why you like it, but you just do. There's like something for everyone

David Hernandez: Now, I know that your favorite Pokemon, I believe, is still Milotic. Is that correct?

Professor Rosemary: All correct

David Hernandez: And there's something, 'cause you made a post on Instagram, and it's resonated with me. I kinda wanna talk about it. Because you couldn't find a Feebas or a Snorunt when you played Pokemon Sapphire as a kid.

And you finally caught them years later, and they felt like a childhood accomplishment. And I wanted to ask, like, why do you think finally finding those Pokemon meant so much years later?

Professor Rosemary: Oh, That was a very interestingly introspective post

'cause it got me reflecting on

not just my interests, but a bit of life as well. But yeah, like you mentioned, Feebas [00:07:00] is, like, notoriously hard to catch, especially in its debut generation, debut region. And Snorunt, I think by the time I got to Shoal Cave back in Hoenn, the cave was, like, locked in high tide mode since the internal clock can stop at some point. So I never knew that there was a low tide area where you can find Snorunt And then It's like years later after knowing this information and then going back in, whether it's like through emulators or catching them in other games, that sense of accomplishment just comes from growing as a person in general, ' cause it's like I'm more equipped now to deal with a lot more situations, including things that I couldn't get before.

 But yeah, with proper growth and a bit of time, I can finally get things that I could never get, you know?

David Hernandez: I think I can resonate with that, 'cause for me, Gen 2, there was the ice cave. I always hated that [00:08:00] cave. It just to me was difficult. It was the difficult puzzle as a kid. But whenever I come back to it as an adult, it makes more sense to me now. There's some things in Pokemon that not only just the puzzles side, but also things I wouldn't notice as a kid, I notice more as an adult.

And that's just the fun part about Pokemon is that it grows with you, whether you stick with it throughout the years or whether if you leave and come back. You always find something new whenever you revisit the world

Professor Rosemary: Oh yeah, I totally agree. Like, one core memory for me was also the braille puzzle with the Reggie trio in Hoenn.

When I first discovered that cave that was supposed to tell you the entire alphabet in braille, I did not understand at all. I thought it was just random dots, my seven or eight-year-old brain thought. But it's only, like, a lot of years later that I understand, oh, they actually translate into something. And then, yeah, following guides and everything, I could finally solve the puzzle for myself. It's like [00:09:00] something that I never even knew existed when I was that young, and To discover something new in this game that I've grew up with, it's quite an amazing feeling

David Hernandez: Now, we talked about how Milotic was your favorite, but you never said why. So what is it about Milotic particularly that makes it your favorite? Like, "Yo, this is my Pokemon," kind of thing

Professor Rosemary: All right. I forgot how and I forgot it was-- if it was on the same cartridge, but I did get a Feebas and When I was young, I remember that I was able to play a copy of Pokemon, Emerald or Sapphire. And this one I could cheat on it, so I cheated myself a Feebas. Yep. then I did read online that, oh, to get it to evolve, you have to max out its beauty. So how I interpreted it at the time, I was still quite young, was to win the master rank beauty contest. So that's what I did, and I actually did it. And since I I could cheat on the game, I also got myself a lot of rare [00:10:00] candies. So I have a Feebas that I did manage to, to win a master rank beauty competition with him, but he still didn't evolve. I leveled it all the way up to level 100. It still didn't evolve, and I was quite baffled at the time. And it was only much later that I learned that it's not about winning the contests.

It's, yeah, the Pokeblocks actually maxing out the beauty stat. So even though I found out how, I misinterpreted how to get Milotic. I misinterpreted the guide, and I still never got Milotic when I was young

David Hernandez: That must have been a little frustrating for you, I'd imagine

Professor Rosemary: more confusing than frustrating, but I'm glad that years later that it's much easier to get.

David Hernandez: Feebas was one of the last Pokemon I had to get for I think my Dex in Pokemon Ruby.

Professor Rosemary: Right

David Hernandez: I had to find out, like, how do I fish it? 'Cause I was, at the time I was only fishing in one spot with the, I think one of the rods. I was like, you know, "I'm not finding the Feebas."

And I didn't have internet at the time, so I couldn't look this up until one later, I go home [00:11:00] from school to the library and I look it up, and I'm like, "Feebas is only available in, like, eight tiles I think or something like... six to eight tiles." And I'm like, "What in the world? Six to eight tiles to find this one fish?"

And that hunt took me, like, months, 'cause I got bored of it real quick 'cause it's boring having to look, fishing a tile a piece and moving. And eventually a couple months later I finally found it, and then all of a sudden you have to, like, get the beauty. And you can't use the Chesto Berry, 'cause that's what I did, and I found out the hard way.

You know, you have to use like a Kelpsy Berry or a higher berry to get its beauty to max. You can't use the Chesto. And I was so done with Feebas. I still have not caught or evolved one outside of Pokemon Go since Pokemon Ruby. It scarred me for life

Professor Rosemary: I completely know how you feel. Back when I first discovered, oh yeah, you can catch Feebas in Hoenn in that specific route, in six specific spots, that's what, that's when I learned also. So that's what I did. I fished around, but I still never got Feebas. I fished in every tile a few times, but I still never got [00:12:00] him. It was then I realized, oh wait, this is a very long route, and the water tiles are, like, much more than the little area I was fishing at. So I think at the time I just straight up gave up finding Feebas

David Hernandez: As we continue on with your journey through the Pokemon games, you talked about how, you know, it started with Hoenn, you transitioned to Sinnoh. Did you stick with Pokemon throughout each generation afterwards, or did you kind of back away? Like, where does this story continue?

Professor Rosemary: I would say I played all of the mainline games, but I missed out on the 3DS era of games, namely, Gen 6 and Gen 7 because my 3DS got stolen at the time.

David Hernandez: Dude, that must have sucked

Professor Rosemary: It did and I think at that point in time, I felt like I took a step back from the franchise because it felt like I couldn't participate in it until Gen Eight came around, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and that was my motivator to buy a Switch. So at that point, that's when I hopped back into the franchise, I would say.

David Hernandez: Since you came back to the [00:13:00] Switch, you know, with Gen 8, Sword and Shield, and of course Scarlet and Violet, what do you think about those two games, I guess two generations compared to the ones you remember beforehand?

Professor Rosemary: Oh, definitely super different, a lot of things have changed because, if you take out Gen 6 and Gen 7, my last generation was Gen 5, which was still like, pixel art, a bit of 3D here and there, but it had that very specific aesthetic. And then to jump into Pokemon fully 3D, it was definitely an experience. I did enjoy, Sword and Shield. I like how fleshed out the areas are. Scarlet and Violet, I had a lot of fun, but the world did feel a little bit empty and static at times, but fun nonetheless.

David Hernandez: What do you think it was about Pokemon that made you come back? Because it's easy for you to have just said like, "Eh, the game's already beyond me." It's been, we're talking maybe four to five years since between the DS and the Switch era. What made you wanna come back to these games?

Professor Rosemary: That's a very interesting question actually. But I would say for myself and [00:14:00] perhaps for some other people as well, I guess there's comfort in familiarity even though it's something completely new, a whole new generation of Pokemon, a whole new aesthetic, a whole new way of presenting the game.

 But at the end of the day, it's still a franchise that was part of your formative years, and a certain comfort in coming back to that, I feel.

David Hernandez: Now for those who don't know, you eventually dive into baking and you kinda combine baking and Pokemon. What made you wanna start diving into baking and eventually bringing Pokemon into it?

Professor Rosemary: Ah, so I was inspired by a lot of, YouTubers. I would say maybe when I first started my Pokémon journey as well. Back when I was seven or eight, that was sort of the YouTube starting era also, I think. I enjoyed a lot of Gaming YouTubers like, let's say Markiplier, then there were a lot of other baking YouTubers that I loved to watch as well like, How to Cook That by Ann Reardon. There's also Rosanna Pansino with Nerdy Nummies. They were pretty big [00:15:00] inspirations. And I told myself at the time, "Oh, I also want to start up a baking YouTube channel." But nothing to do with Pokémon at that time. I never thought of that at the time. It was until COVID when we first started the lockdown and stuff here in Malaysia was when I decided, okay, I told myself I'd start a bit later, but if not now, then when, I guess? Since we're stuck at home, nothing to do, so I thought might as well make good use of this time. So at the time I thought, there's already a lot of other baking channels out there. Some are like super aesthetic, some go super in-depth, and at the time I thought to myself, " None of these are my strong suit yet, so what can help me stand out?" And that's when I thought, "Oh, wait. Why don't I combine two of my largest interests?" That being baking and Pokémon, and perhaps that can make me stand out a bit more. And the rest is history.

David Hernandez: And then the one thing I do love is how you describe your kitchen as a laboratory because it [00:16:00] invokes such images of, like, testing, hypothesis, precision. And you said you enjoyed the s- understanding the science behind the food. What fascinates you about that intersection between science and cooking?

Professor Rosemary: I would say what isn't there to interest me?

so for university, I studied food science, which had to do with the food manufacturing essentially. whatever you see on store shelves, the packaging, the label, whatever is inside the packaging, nutritional values, all those things, how to make the thing shelf-stable, how to make it acceptable for the public. All those we learn in food science and I took food science, 'cause at the time I was like I enjoy working with food, but then I can also be a pretty nerdy person. Like, I don't just want to understand how, I also want to understand the why of how a lot of things work. So with food science, you learn how to [00:17:00] manufacture food essentially, like everything you see on the store shelves. You randomly grab a food product, you look at the packaging, you look at the labeling, you look at the ingredient listing, nutritional, values and all those, and of course, whatever is inside the packaging. The food inside. How to make it shelf-stable, how to make it acceptable to the public, and how to achieve what you want with like the food textures and everything. We learn that in food science and although I am not exactly doing it as a career at the moment, it is something that stuck with me because it is very applicable in real life, because we consume food every day. Going through that course did change the way I look at my food. And

I've just always found it very fascinating that the most unassuming of ingredients, they do so much more than meets the eye.

For example, you take sugar, for example. So of course, sugar, we know it as a sweetener. It adds sweetness to things, but it actually does a lot [00:18:00] more than that. It can also be a preservative, like in syrups and stuff, and it can also act as a humectant, as in it retains moisture in a food product. So let's say if you have a certain cake, if you want it to be less sweet, sure, you can easily reduce the sugar. But if you reduce it past a certain amount, your cake will turn out very dry, and that's because there's not enough sugar inside to actually, like, trap moisture. So when I first found it out, I was like, "Oh, that's really interesting. So what else do I not know? What other hidden roles are all these other ingredients doing that most people wouldn't know

David Hernandez: And then one thing that, you know, coming to your Instagram to YouTube, the first thing that you ever posted was the fluffy Eevee pancakes. They are the first ever kind of quote unquote Pokemon dessert that you ever posted, and even later as you recreated them, what was it kind of like comparing both your first version as well as the one you redid it a couple years later?

Professor Rosemary: It's a bit hard [00:19:00] for me to say 'cause I still refuse to look at my first ever video. I cringe just by thinking about it.

David Hernandez: That's fair

Professor Rosemary: I believe to this date, I have recreated the fluffy pancakes thrice, and I can remember the first time I ever did it, my first ever video, the filming process, the editing process, the planning process. There's a first time for everything, so it was very clunky, took a lot of time. And then the second time I redid it, I refined the recipe a bit. I also refined my editing and everything, took much faster. And then, yeah, I did it a third time. Everything was a lot smoother. I am much more happy with the results. So looking back, It was a good sort of, milestone for myself in terms of growth, which was the reason why I chose to re-remake it twice as well. It was also for me to see how far have I gone in my YouTube journey

David Hernandez: Well, Professor Rosemary, that is gonna be an interview. But I wanna finish on a last [00:20:00] fun question, and the question's this: If somebody was gonna come battle you in a six-on-six Pokemon battle, what six Pokemon would you bring to the battle?

Professor Rosemary: Ooh. Milotic, Crobat, Hisuian Lilligant

Tinkaton Mega Garchomp maybe. You know what? A lot of people disagree with this, but Vanilluxe just for the fun of it. Vanilluxe is a

David Hernandez: I like it. It is. It needs a regional form badly. It needs a chocolate.

Professor Rosemary: It does

David Hernandez: Well, thank you for listening to As the Pokeball Turns, where every trainer has a story. If this episode resonated with you, share this episode with a fellow trainer and follow the podcast for more voices, more journeys, and more memories.

I'm David Hernandez, and remember, your next Pokemon adventure begins here