If you meet someone who introduces himself as a Pokémon Master, do not be alarmed. And if you remember Google Map’s April Fools’ joke that took the world by storm, you would recall the promise of a ‘special reward’ at the end of capturing all 151 Pokémons scattered across the Google Map world. This reward has now come to fruition, with Google bestowing the title of Pokémon Master through personalized name cards that have found its way into the mailboxes of those who managed to “catch ‘em all”.
Also read: [COOL] Google Maps now lets you find and catch wild Pokémon!
One such Pokémon Master, Yi Liang Lee, a local law student waiting to take the bar course, explains that the honour bestowed was no simple feat. “Google was very devious about this,” says Lee, “and different devices had Mew registered at different locations, much like its original status of being the elusive final Pokémon.” His efforts included tapping onto crowdsourcing efforts in Reddit and IRC chatroom called #FindMew, where many shared their findings and shared tactics.
After catching the elusive last Pokémon on the third day of the challenge (and tweeting about it), Lee was then contacted by Google via a Twitter private message, prompting him to fill up the details of his capture. That was the last he thought about the challenge, until June 27th, when he received the package that would give him the true right to be called a Pokémon Master.
Because name cards make everything official.
We should be expecting more Pokémon Masters to be announcing their success on social media, as the packages start to arrive to their respective owners in sunny Singapore. I, for one, can’t wait to receive one of these cards myself.
On being asked on what is next for Pokémon Master Yi Liang Lee? Guess what did he say?
“To continue to be the very best that no one ever was, as are expected of all Pokémon Masters.”