What is PokeTwitter? Is it a place where our favorite Pokemon characters come to life? Do Pokemon simply pick up a PokeGear or cellphone and simply make tweets to Twitter? Do steamy romances happen that have never been imagined? Does silly and random things happen there?
The short answer is yes. You can find all kind of Pokemon characters there ranging from gym leaders, heroes, villains and even Pokemon with Twitter accounts. Somehow they all get along but sometimes they do not. I guess that what happens when you live in a world filled with powerful creatures who can fit in a grapefruit size ball.
The purpose for PokeTwitter Interviews is to talk to these colorful characters in a media that has not been done before. Today we have the original villain of Pokemon, the Leader of Team Rocket and first human account of PokeTwitter. The man who runs things like a mob boss while at the same time has learned the secrets of the earth. He is the “Self Proclaimed Strongest Trainer” and can make the ground swallow you whole- Giovanni Sakaki (@RocketMafia)
Why did you join Twitter?
Giovanni: As a way to maintain good public relations. Shortly after, I found quite the interesting cast to speak to regularly…
Why or how did you pick your username?
G: It’s a bit embarrassing to admit this, but: ‘RocketPower’ was taken. Otherwise I likely would have gone with that one.
I’ve thought about changing my Twitter handle a few times, but ‘RocketMafia’ has become iconic over the years. It’s what people think of when they think of me, it would feel odd to change it after so long.
How long have you been on Twitter?
G: As of this interview, four years and thirty-five days – which is 1,497 days, or approximately 35,928 hours, or 2,155,680 minutes, or…
How does it feel to have been here this long?
G: It has been… Interesting, for a word. I’ve seen many people come and go. I’ve seen organizations rise and fall. I’ve been here since this “Pokétwitter” began and will continue to be here after it’s gone. I’ve made many friends and even more enemies. I do so hate to wax poetic, but this is my home and I am very much fond of it.
What has made you stay on Twitter for so long?
G: The people I’ve met, the relationships I’ve formed, the things I’ve seen.
What has been one of your favorite Twitter-related moments or events?
G: Ah, that would have to be the ‘Rocket Takeover’, as it’s come to be known. Early in the first year of my presence, Rocket intercepted a shipment of goods to Orre – call me a villain all you’d like, dear – and in it was contained Snag Machines. We confiscated this technology and learned to replicate it, building funds to further replicate Cipher’s “Shadow Pokémon” machines.
While this was going on, I had previously regained my standing in Tohjo’s Pokémon League – that is, I was the leader of Viridian Gym. (Due to the unpredictable nature of the multiverse, Blue (@Trainer_Blue) was as well.) I used this position to maintain good standing with the population of the region. When the time came and our forces were strong enough, I challenged Lance (@Champion_Lance) to a battle and won, assuming the title of Champion.
It was a glorious two months.
Lance and much of the League hid in Hoenn, I learned from later reports, and the resistance to Rocket’s power rebuilt their strength. This culminated in a region-spanning “final battle” – a confrontation that lasted hours and blacked out Twitter’s servers with the amount of people locked in battle. Lance defeated me, and I fled for my life.
There is no shame in regrouping, hahaha…
So what does a crime boss does after all of that? I am going to guess not many people trust you after that incident.
G: I can’t say they did. And so ‘Giovanni’ ceased to exist for… Some time. I went by a pseudonym, I constructed a false identity, and I watched. I waited. I became very good friends with my enemies. Almost a father-figure to Red (@FighterRed), an acquaintance to Agatha (@EliteFourAgatha), an on-again-off-again boyfriend to Lorelei (@LoreleiElite).
And I continued being myself, as well. Leading a double life was quite possibly one of the most interesting challenges I’ve faced, and I have faced more than I would like to recount.
It was August 8th, 2012, that I revealed the man I had become. Isaac Sage, @TravelerIsaac, was also me. It was… Quite shocking, shall we say.
How did people handle that?
Not very well. When I say ‘shocking’, I mean that literally – @FighterRed, who I was facing at the time, had his Pika use Discharge – on me. It was… Painful. I had to ‘play dead’, again literal, or he likely would have killed me.
That simply wouldn’t have done. I am a very strong advocate of doing things entirely on my own watch.
Later, Lorelei attempted to stab me. In front of the younger Silver @SilverMerit. That left a lasting impression, I’m afraid.
People simply don’t take double-crossing well, it seems! Who would have thought. Hahahaha.
Who else on Twitter do you feel close to?
G: Ah, there are almost too many to name. All of my sons, for one – and the occasional daughter. Many of the Pokémon on this site. My Executives, of course, and the representatives of Rocket loyal to my word. I’ve over 3,000 followers, telling you of them all would take all night.
Speaking of Silver, how do you feel that there are so many of them on Twitter?
It’s become a joke, by now. Everyone seems to know about “The fifty million Silvers”. There are so many, from so many different timelines and worlds – really, I would like to get to know every one of them better.
I, ah. In my ‘home’ timeline, shall we say, my son was kidnapped by the Mask of Ice. I never had the chance to be there for him. After ten years of searching, @SalveAlRe and I were united in a trial by fire – and after that, we lost contact for a little while… Until he came to me and asked to join Rocket. It’s been a rough battle since then, but I’m glad we went through it together.
And the other Silvers, well… I’ve gotten a reputation for adopting timeline-displaced versions. @FortitudeSway joined Rocket during the Takeover and we became close. I’m not quite sure where I stand with @SilverExchanger, but I would like to think things are… Beginning to smooth out. Hopefully. It would seem that @TsunSilver may or may not like me, but she tends to say precisely the opposite of what she’s thinking at all times. @LeontioSilver is continually amused by the fact that I’m not a cat – he comes from a universe where everyone is, apparently, non-Pokémon animals. @SilverMerit, who currently lives with me, is a young child still, as is @EscapedTheMask and @LittlePast. And there are many more of them that I haven’t interacted with often enough to say much about. That is saddening, really.
Have you met anyone you consider close through Twitter? Tell us how.
G: I suppose I’ll choose a single story, however long it may be – that of @Linoone. Both holders of the account.
I met Adel, the first Linoone who tweeted from it, and we became very friendly. He would occasionally visit Viridian Gym and we would talk frequently. Adel was a speed demon – he took pride in being very fast, going so far as to ask me to assist in helping him run faster. Unfortunately, the metabolism boost administered by the science crew caused him to age far more rapidly than he should have, even by linoone standards. He developed macular degeneration and eventually went blind because of it. During this time, he sought out his children, Rhubarb and Butterscotch, and attempted to bond with them. It had varying degrees of success.
The last time I saw Adel, I offered him a place to stay. It had been a joke between us that he could sleep in my desk, and I had cleared out a drawer for him to do so in. So long as I was around, I promised, he would always have a home to return to.
I never saw him again.
When @Linoone began to tweet again, the account had been taken up by his son, Rhubarb. Rhubarb was a young linoone, and very mistrustful of me at first because I had inadvertently caused his father to age rapidly, thus cutting his life short. Very recently, following a series of scheduled tweets Adel had attempted to post a week after his death, Rhubarb forgave me for the injustice. I’m not quite sure I’ve forgiven myself.
Rhubarb currently stays with me in Viridian, as a playmate to @SilverMerit. He comes and goes as he pleases.
Why did you choose to specialize in the type of Pokemon you train?
G: The Ground type has always fascinated me, really, since I was a child. My first Pokémon was a shiny rhyhorn, passed along because my mother believed it ill – not many people had put research into the different colourations at the time.
If I may mention, I quite literally wrote the book on Ground type research. I believe it’s still being circulated, if you’d like to pick up Secrets of the Earth at your local bookstores.
If you could be a gym leader of a different type of Pokemon, what would that type be and why?
G: … Hm. I can’t say I’ve put much thought into it. Very likely Poison or Dark, and simply because they appeal to me.
Is that why a majority of Team Rocket uses Poison and Dark types?
G: No, actually. Poison-types were abundant – walk into any cave and you’ll be bombarded by Zubat – and easy to capture. My mother assigned them as “beginner Pokémon” to her recruits, then they passed into the realm of becoming standard-issue. By the time I took Rocket from her control and she passed on to “more profitable ventures”, they were almost tradition. My higher-level officers are competent enough to be allowed to train what Pokémon they wish, but the grunts are generally issued Pokémon that would be useful to them. Zubat and Rattata can both be trained to be efficient messengers.
Where would you like to travel for a vacation and what would you do there?
G: I’ve been all over the Regions, actually. I think my favorite vacation spot would have to be Unova, thus far. There are many Pokémon unique to the region that I wish to study more, if given the chance.
What is your favorite Pokemon and why?
G: Oh, must I choose? Very well. I’d have to say the Rhyhorn-line of evolution. They’ve a special place in my heart, considering what I’ve already said to their favor.
What’s your favorite region (to visit or to live)? Where do you consider ‘home’?
G: Tohjo – Kanto and Johto have always been and will always be my home. Viridian City, in particular.
What would you say motivates you?
G: … Hahahahaha. Really, dear, everyone knows this answer. Or they like to think they do.
Will it be safe to guess that it is power and profit?
G: One could say that. I certainly would not deny it. But there is a lot that one will miss when they look at a single side of the equation alone.
Okay. I guess you can’t share everything. Every person needs a bit of mystery.
G: I do not lie, dear. But that does not mean I don’t speak between the lines.
Do you have any hobbies?
G: Many, and varied. Pardon me if I do not divulge too much of my personal life to the masses.
You do not want to share any hobbies but would your bead sorting with Lance count as one or simply just something you do with him from time to time?
G: … Hahaha. You caught me.
Due to, ah, past events, I’ve been stricken with obsessive-compulsive tendencies. I wouldn’t classify it as strong enough to be the disorder itself, mind, but ‘tendencies’. When things are out of place, it rubs me entirely the wrong way. Causes anxiety, even. I’ve spent hours reorganising bookshelves in my spare time. Sorting beads, making sure things are filed correctly, counting. I wouldn’t call it a hobby so much as a compulsion. However, it has little sway over how functional I am able to be in day-to-day activities.
What’s your opinion of your author?
G: They are… Well. They are something, at least. Though I am given mostly free reign, which I cannot complain about in the least.
Any last things you wish to say before signing off?
G: We will never die.
Thank you to Giovanni for stopping by and talking with us. There are many characters in this vast thing called PokeTwitter and we hope you enjoy each interview from them!
