The sweet-shooting and bruising Mo Tautuaa of the San Miguel Beermen is quite proud to be a Pokémon Master.
San Miguel’s Mo Tautuaa has done quite alright for his basketball career being a PBA no. 1 pick, a multi-time PBA champion, and a SEA Games gold medalist.
However, the sweet-shooting and bruising Beerman is also quite proud to be another thing: Pokémon Master.
“I call myself the greatest Pokémon trainer ever, so if anyone wants to battle me you know where I’m at,” Tautuaa gamely said in a chat with
One Sports about his affinity for Pocket Monsters.
Pokémon has grown to be the biggest franchise in the world, but Mo’s journey to catch ‘em all started from the beginning.
When Poké-mania first hit in the 1990s with the release of Pocket Monsters Red and Green in Japan in 1996, and later Pokémon Red and Blue internationally in 1998, young Mo was right there.
“Since the first ones came out, 1997? 1995? Since I was a kid. I can’t even remember when that was but I’ve been playing since I was a kid,” he said.
“Of course, I have to. As a true Pokémon Master you have to collect the cards,” Tautuaa added, when asked if the cards are included in his Pokémon interests.
Mo’s love for the monster-collecting franchise has continued on to the current ninth generation of games, headlined by Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
At the moment, he seems to prefer Violet and its box legendary Miraidon, the dual electric dragon that can turn into a motorcycle to make traversal in the Paldea region easier.
It can also fly.
“Of course, I actually only play Pokemon. That’s the only game that I play, when the new ones come out I always play that one,” Mo revealed.
“The new ones now are cool, because with Miraidon, you can ride him and he flies around.”
Including all versions, Pokémon has over 30 mainline games and officially 1,025 pocket monsters, per the latest National Dex entries in the most recent The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero expansions to Scarlet and Violet.
For better or for worse, the franchise has grown up, and Mo has witnessed it all. He has grown up with the games too.
“I don’t know if you guys know the HM moves, they had to be part of your move list,” he said in a moment of glee, explaining one of many key changes in the games as quality of life improvements became the norm in later years.
“But now they allow it to be their whole separate thing so now you can set up your Pokemon to be effective [as you like],” Mo added.
HM moves, or hidden moves, used to be essentially mandatory moves for Pokémon to learn to progress in games. They were also moves that you practically cannot delete, and as Pokémon can only learn four moves at a time, they presented dilemma to players of the older games.
Since Gen 7 starting with the Sun and Moon titles however, that was no longer the case as HM moves were removed, a good or bad thing depending on which side of the fandom you ask.
For Mo, as a busy basketball player, any and all quality of life improvements are welcome.
“The first generations were so hard to play,” he said.
But as an OG, his love for the first generations endures, especially as he has Gen 1 Pokémon among his all-time favorites. Mo Tautuaa just has the great case of
Pokérus.
“My favorite, favorite all-time was Blastoise. But then now I like Bulbasaur. In the new generation, there’s too many now there’s over 1,000. But I’m gonna have to stick with Blastoise and Balbasaur,” Tautuaa said.
“The greatest training is right here, so if you guys want to battle me or to get to my level, you’re gonna have to train really hard. Once you get there trust me, it feels really good.”
(With reports from Gillian Trinidad/One Sports Digital)