"But why?" /tg/ asked, exasperated. "You've seen how slow that game can be, right? It's fun, but...."
 
"Yeah, bro, chill. I know." /vr/ waved his hand to calm down /tg/, but was still shaking his head. Tre/vr/ stopped to put his 3D glasses back on and leaned back on the couch. "It's just, well, those are The Rules. The squirts take that very seriously."
 
"Oh, come on now." Teej said with a groan. "You don't mean to tell me that there is a code in that game that won't let me play it unless I want to catch them all, do you?"
 
"Nah, bro, it's more like....A matter of pride." Tre/vr/ scratched his chin for some seconds, thinking. "It's part of the theme of the game. Shut up, I'm not finished." /vr/ rose one finger to stop /tg/ from interrupting when he saw Teej getting worked up. "Look, we don't really hang around all that much but I know my stuff about your stuff, right bro? And I'm kind of their older brother, so I know THEIR stuff too. You know when you play one of those dice-y games you love so much and there's that one guy that just doesn't really get how to be chill and play properly? The guy picks up the strongest class or whatever it is, makes it the strongest possible thing and then just does the rolling thing. That's how it goes, right?"
 
/tg/ had a small nervous tick just thinking about the situation, but the painful sting didn't last. He nodded and crossed his arms, paying more attention to the explanation.
 
"Okay, so. There's, like, nothing WRONG with what the dude's doing. Your games can be played like that, it's his problem, eh? But he's doing it "wrong". /vr/ did air quotes with his fingers.
 
"You're telling me that's what not catching them all means to pokemon?" /tg/ said, unwilling to believe it.
 
"Nah, bro, you have to go deeper. It's like...Megaman!" /vr/ grinned to himself and snapped his fingers and he finally found a footing he understood about. /tg/ stared at him blankly. "You've played Megaman, right?"
 
"Not really. Well, a bit, but mostly so I could run a few campaigns in the setting." /tg/ admitted.
 
"What? Dude, once you're out of this mess, you're coming to my room and marathoning some Megaman X." Tre/vr/ said with a grin. "But yeah, anyway. On Megaman, you beat the bosses. You get their abilities, you get stronger. You know what I'm talking about, right?" /tg/ nodded. "That's kind of the game's thing, growing stronger. Not only you can get the power from the bosses, but you also find upgrades hidden around, or buy some, it's good shit. That's megaman's thing, you grow stronger by getting more power."
 
"And what's does that have to do with /vp/ and me, Tre/vr/?" /tg/ was getting impatient by now, tapping one foot repeatedly on the floor.
 
"Everything! I've played some Megaman with them, and I played pokemon with them some times too, and it's the same thing. Pokemon's thing is to grow stronger, it's what the franchise has always been about. Only it's a lot less straight-forward, and the aim is higher." Tre/vr/ exemplified his speech by holding out one hand at elbow level, and then holding the other one over his head. "Pokemon is not about just becoming stronger, it's about becoming the very best. Like no one ever was. Those kids have real fire on them, and this is why they take it so seriously, the game is perfect for them."
 
/tg/'s mind was working faster and faster by the minute. While te explanation didn't quite get completely through his head, he was starting to understand what /vr/ was trying to say.
 
"So, you become the very best by catching them all?"
 
"That's the thing. Nobody really knows what the fuck you need to do to be the true very best, a pokemon master." /vr/ said. "You can have every pokemon, but then be shit at tourneys. You can be the world champion, but the other guy has a shiny collection. You can have a full living pokedex, but the other has traded with people all over the world. You get what I'm saying, bro? Eventually most people just kinda quit and do whatever. The squirts didn't, they really love that game. Now, me, I like some pokemon now and then. But it's not my thing like that, so it's not like I can stick around on that journey of theirs forever."
 
/tg/ stared at /vr/ in silence for a few minutes, with his eyebrows raised. His mind had come to screeching halt, but he was still trying to process the information that had been dumped on him. Tre/vr/ adjusted his glasses.
 
"If I had to guess, I think that they really hoped you would get into it with them because they really got a liking to you. You're a cool guy, Teej. Now, I know that they're probably overdoing it." /vr/ said with a grin. "But that's how the kids are, they're passionate. And, come on, you've seen what /v/ is like, they had to take SOMETHING from him."
 
"I see." /tg/ said, sitting down on the couch again, frowning. "So, "catching them all" kinda encompasses everything else that they like about pokemon?"
 
"Yeah, kinda. It was the game's first motto, so everything that came afterwards got included. You don't have that stuff on your games, bro?"
 
"Well, kind of, but mostly they're about doing anything you want. Usually you strive to get stronger and conquer the world, or save it from some lich or wizard, but anything goes. Just always sticking to one single goal is kinda weird, don't you think?"
 
"Hey man, if it's what makes them happy, I don't see a problem. Don't get too caught up on being able to do anything that you forget some people don't want to do everything."
 
There was a lenghty pause afterwards, as /tg/ tried to absorb all the information. /vr/ leaned back on the couch, letting his throat rest for a while while /tg/ put his mind's gears to work.
 
"By the way." /vr/'s voice interrupted his thought. "Maybe you should ask them about what there is to pokemon aside from the handhelds, if you think that they only ever focus on one thing. Gale of Darkness is the shit."
 
"Well, I gotta make up to them first. I kinda said I didn't care about their passion for the hobby, right?" /tg/ rubbed his chin, now finally aware of how much he had fucked up. "But how?"
 
And then it came to him. Yes. It would be perfect. /tg/ grin spread accross his face and he stood up.
 
"/vr/, I gotta go set up some stuff. Wanna help me out making up to them? Just drop by my place later."
 
"Sure bro, good luck. I'll go get my batteries first though, but what are you--" Tre/vr/ raised his eyebrows when he noticed /tg/ had already dashed out of the Vidya mansion. With a grin and a shrug, he stood up and got out as well. Those batteries weren't gonna buy themselves.