30 Lou Akcoş-Cromie - Pokémon VGC & GO Caster

Chazingdra Chats (A Pokémon Podcast)

#6Pokemon1LifeStory

The 30th episode of Chazingdra Chats presents, as ever, an incredible guest: Lou Akcoş-Cromie, veteran caster for the Pokémon Video Game Championships Series & more recently for Pokémon GO too - and what a fascinating story she has. She’s traversed the globe since childhood, her parents having been in the military, and she’s competed at the World Championships for Irish dancing; a 30-second interview at a Pokémon tournament she was playing turned out to be life-changing - she even arguably has a starring role in Pokémon Sword & Shield… You’re in for an inspiring time as Lou opens up about all this & so, so much more - as well as takes us through her 6 Dream Team Pokémon, the ones that have been the most special to her over the years. Don’t miss your chance to get the insight of a figurehead of the Pokémon community: kick back and have a laugh with Lou & me, and let us #MakeYourDayMerry!

Want to get to know Lou even better? Head to my Patreon for her Rapidash Round! Bonus quickfire questions she hasn't prepared for: What's the biggest thing she's learned from casting? What's her favourite item out of all the Pokémon merchandise she's accumulated over the years? What advice would she give to aspiring casters? These questions & so many more lie in store - let the merriment continue! https://www.patreon.com/Chazingdra

Keep up with Lou's latest on X and check out her stunning artwork on Instagram!

https://x.com/louthepikachu

https://www.instagram.com/louthepikachu_paints

And my name's Charlie Merriman - Merri by name, merry by nature - a pleasure to meet you! I'm a host & commentator for the Pokémon Video Game Championships Series and a content creator. You can find me as @Chazingdra on YouTube, X, Instagram & TikTok - I stream Pokémon games, vlog events I cast, make comedy skits and loads more! Come join in the merriment!

https://www.youtube.com/@Chazingdra

https://twitter.com/Chazingdra

https://www.instagram.com/chazingdra/

https://www.tiktok.com/@chazingdra

And you can follow the podcast itself on X too @ChazingdraChats:

https://twitter.com/ChazingdraChats

If you enjoyed, do give the show a rating & review and drop a comment - it really helps! You can also watch the episode on YouTube (link above), where you can see Lou's Dream Team Pokémon - & her cats! - and share in the smiles! Leave a comment over there too as I'd love to know your thoughts on what Lou has shared with us - and what your own Dream Team would be... Any feedback you have and any suggestions for guests, from competitive to casual Pokémon players and beyond, feel free to get in touch - [e-mail]

And why not join the friendly Merrifolk! Become a member of my Discord community Chazingdra's Chocolate Factory here - if you enjoy all the treats that the Pokémon video games have to offer, competitive & casual, then it's the place for you. It would be a pleasure to welcome you :) https://discord.com/invite/f2ssjED4ke

(N.B. Music for the show coming soon!)

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Welcome!

01:51 Childhood in Cyprus with parents & ‘sister’

12:19 Lou’s 1st Dream Team Pokémon

15:53 Creativity in England; dance & dyslexia

28:44 Lou’s 2nd Dream Team Pokémon

32:18 A Fateful Encounter with Pokémon in Wales

40:04 Lou’s 3rd Dream Team Pokémon

42:17 Worlds 2016 in San Francisco and an epic 2017 season

50:23 Lou’s 4th Dream Team Pokémon

52:16 From Alola to Galar: the 30 seconds that led to a casting career

59:22 Lou’s 5th Dream Team Pokémon - and cats!

1:07:01 Settling & Teaching in Germany - ‘Never the intention’

1:13:34 Lou’s 6th Dream Team Pokémon

1:19:42 Lou’s Complete Dream Team & Partner Pokémon

1:21:33 If Lou were a Pokémon, what would she be?

1:23:04 Community Questions for Lou

1:33:06 What’s next for Lou?

1:35:37 What advice would Lou give her younger self?

1:37:22 Lou’s Rapidash Round Teaser

1:37:55 Get involved and see you next time!

*Notes:

To explain a few of the things Lou talks about in the Pokémon in Wales section…

- ‘Adamant Xerneas’: From the Generation III games (Ruby & Sapphire) onwards, each Pokémon has a Nature, most of which impact one stat positively and another negatively. The ‘Adamant’ Nature boosts Physical Attack & reduces Special Attack, but Xerneas’ Special Attack stat is naturally higher than its Physical Attack - so basically, the Adamant nature of Lou’s Xerneas was hindering it massively!

- ‘Non-Same Type Attack Bonus Kangaskhan’: When a Pokémon uses a move that shares its type, the power of the move is boosted. Kangaskhan is a Normal-type Pokémon but Lou’s did not have any Normal-type moves, when you’d expect at least one in order to take advantage of this power boost.

- ‘Scald Burn Focus Sash Hitmontop’: Scald is a move that has a chance to Burn the foe, a status condition that reduces the power of physical attacks. The Focus Sash item enables a Pokémon at full health to withstand an attack with at least one hit-point remaining. So, Lee’s Hitmontop had its Focus Sash broken by Scald and then the Burn nullified its damage output, putting Lee at a huge disadvantage in the match.

Disclaimer: This podcast is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by The Pokémon Company or The Pokémon Company International.