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Pokemon Tournaments and Travel Shenanigans

Call me stupid or lacking the proper linguistic skill but based on events of this last week and basically from when I started uni 3 years ago I want to buy and start my own journal. I don't mean this in a writers way, I'll leave that to my boyfriend, more the case of personal benefit and general "why the hell not". Becasue it's events like this that I want to remember, to call back on, both good and bad, as the days go by where I have nothing to do except sit in my attic for all the week days and actually do things on the weekends, it's practially the only days I feel theres a point to me. All I'll become is a story, and I'd like to remember it......ok that got far too deep, I promise the rest won't be, I'm just typing what I'm feeling atm. Back to the original story I wish to tell!

Last weekend the tournament was Leeds, this time it was in Manchester!

Going on the assumption I'd never actually been to Manchester and that it would be a few more people than the original 30-ish that attented the Leeds one, I had alot of worry and curiousity about how this would actually "go down". The original plan was that I'd be picked up by some mates up in Edinburgh, that they'd detore to Newcastle then we'd all drive down to Manchester. Much to my annoyance that plan fell through, so I had to travel down on the train all on my lonesome *sad face*. I jest, traveling solo is what I've done for years all over this tiny island, nothing new there. Oddly when I arrived in the early morn, it dawned on me I had actually been to Manchester before...and maybe more than once! As soon as I left the station I realised I've been there as a crossover point trying to get to a theme park last year and again to see a guy I'd been interested in a while back but had just ran away to as some shit had gone down in Newcastle and I wanted to be out of there for a day or two. Anyway I didn't have long to reminiscence as due to the way I'd timed the train I only had ten minutes to bolt down the the shop where said tournement was being held. Once I made it everyone was there, I unpacked, handed in my deck list and was good to go. That's when I saw the sheer amount of people that attended. Some tables had been set up in the main shop but the bulk had been setup in a large back room. Over 60 people were there to play in masters and with some internal terrification being beaten down, I dived right in.

(If you don't know or play pokemon TCG then you can just jump this paragraph but I'll make it quick) So first match was entirely plasma based, and though I was playing a tool trubbish deck I also ran two silver mirrors which, especially in the second match, kept making him pass turns. He only ran one tool scrapper which was prized in the first game and then went to time in the second match but he called it due to lack of moves. 1-0-0. Second match was a Gothitelle/Mew deck, (he'd won his last game due to pulling bye) one I'm at abit of a disadvantage against due to it's ability to stop me using items. However becasue he hadn't properly played a match yet and by focusing on knocking out his Gothitelle I won the first two matches in time. 2-0-0. Third match was against the newly formed decks that use Emboar/Rayquaza which I from what I'd heard is a very hard deck to beat. So my nerves cost me one game, but purely by pulling enough tools and exp.shares spreading my psychic energy around gave me the next two matches. 3-0-0. At this point I had no idea what was going on, I'd never done so well ever in my life! I was taken aback by the amount of congrats heading my way, but sadly all good things come to an end! Fourth match put me against my very good friend Danielle, who just had a quicker setup deck and I was completely destroyed. Well done to her though, ended up with the same ending score as myself and overall 2 places higher. My next deck will be hers! 3-1-0. Fifth game was against a random guy but was the worst deck I could fight as it contained garbodor and his ability just ruins my tool building ability. Also my back was being beaten which I will explain later so I had no focus, meaning another direct loss. 3-2-0. Sixth and final match was against a darkrai/sableye deck, one I have practiced against and never won before. My saving grace was he didn't run any tool scrappers, so the usual tact of junk hunting and reusing them non existant ment I had a shot. We each won a match just from bad draws and when time was called if I'd had another turn I believe I'd have won (but then again 'cause I'd say that!) but it was left at a tie. 3-2-1.

So my final score was 3-2-1, which placed me 21st. My personal goal was to beat my best score of coming in at 18th so I was frustrated at myself at the time. Stupidly if I'd taken into acount that coming 18th had been out of 30-ish people and this 21st HAD COME OUT OF 60+ PEOPLE I'd have felt much better. Dumb Katie >.<! Anyway the main problem (apart from silly plays) as I hinted at in my last paragraph my back. A week ago I'd had a relatively large hourglass tattoo done on my lower back and during my fourth round I'd been placed on the table where alot of people walk past, which was also very close to a pillar. So every time someone squeezed past my chair and the pillar it would knock the chair back into my tattoo and send pain shooting through my spine. Of course I was always going to lose that match but afterwards I had to find a quiet-ish corner in the front shop and just sit on the floor while I waited for my last painkillers to take hold. Thankfully some mates came over to keep an eye on me and throw cake in my direction but for the rest of the event I can tell you, it was a factor I wish I didn't have to deal with. By the time I go to Glasgow next weekend it should have finally healed, ready to be attacked again as some of the details and colour still need to be added later this month. Yay.

Now this should be the end of my tale as I was just going to catch the last train back home, however I lost track of time and had to bolt, sadly not being able to say goodbye to people, but that wasn't what screwed me over. Once I arrived at the station and had ran towards the platform, masses of people were being held up with loads of police running towards the platform I needed to get onto. Now not alot of people know but I do suffer from claustrophobia but it had been years ago, back in London, that it had effected me so badly up until that point. I can usually handle crowds (That's youtube gatherings in a nutshell) but these were shoving, screaming, alcohol throwing drunks and yeah...it got to me. Through sheer anger and panic I shoved through the crowds only to be told the train had been and gone. So I was stranded, with the vast majority of mates already travelling back home. At this point, after all the above, the only thing I could think of doing was going back to the shop, fighting the envisions that it would be dark and locked up. To my relief it wasn't, with my friends Jo and Terry (who run the Wakefield TCG) still around. I must have been terrible to deal with, but they managed to get hold of my mate Simon, who drove back and put me up for the night.

The following day, I didn't really have any idea where I was, but Simon's flatmates kindly walked me into their town centre and directed me to a train junction station that would get me back to Manchester. One exceedingly shoutly and pissed off driver wouldn't let me on as I didn't have any coins. Greatfully another passanger paided of my ticket so I didn't have to wait another hour for the next bus, and also told me where to get off as I had no clue. After another hour and £6 later I'd made it back to Manchester and based on the lack of sleep I decided to wait for a train that went directly to Newcastle as I wasn't willing to risk missing a possible change over. Another hour wait, train comes, I manage to rangle a seat on an over crowded train and grab a nap every so often when my back didn't bang into the chair. I can tell you I haven't been so glad to be back in Newcastle now!

Fingers crossed Glasgow won't be so mad, but I'm use to going to Edinburgh and I've chatted to friends about plans that hopefully won't fall through this time. All in all I still don't know why I did so well at Manchester. I want to say something stupid like I soley focused on the game and not a particualr person, but in all honesty I don't know. I haven't shaken so much playing a childrens card game I can tell you that much! Heh, but really it's a deck I enjoyed playing, and I appreciate the practice I've had in recent months, considering I only started back in August, but I'm still aiming for those higher player standings! Maybe it is focus, or self belief, or confidence......or just plain luck! Who knows!

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