As part of our celebrations, we reached out to Pokémon YouTubers to answer some questions we received from some eager fans at Hillborough Junior School!

They were extremely excited to ask YouTubers Bird Keeper Toby and CandyEvie about their job, some of their favourite Pokémon characters and why they got into it. The Q+A started off strong with the first question from Yusuf (aged 8) being 'Who was the first Pokémon?'. Bird Keeper Toby suggested this was a highly debatable topic among Pokémon fans, choosing between either the first Pokémon in the Pokedex, Bulbasaur, or the first Pokémon that was ever designed, Rhydon. He, however, has a different view and instead believes it to be the Unown Pokémon who are said to be extremely mysterious as no one actually knows where they came from! CandyEvie also agreed but added that it could be Mew, as every Pokémon came from this species.

Another fantastic question came from Lilianna (aged 9) who asked 'Why are there so many Pokémon?', which we know can be frustrating for those trying to catch them all! Bird Keeper Toby interestingly pointed out that whilst there are over 800 different species of Pokémon, this is no where near the amount that exist in the real world. CandyEvie seems to think that with the amount of species that we have in the real world, there probably are so many Pokémon that we don't even know about yet! Speaking of catching them all, Aariz (aged 8) asked 'Who was the first Legendary Pokémon you caught?' which our YouTubers loved answering! CandyEvie first caught Groudon in Pokémon Ruby and Bird Keeper Toby first caught Zapdos in the Pokémon Yellow version which, fun fact, is why he uses the name Bird Keeper Toby!

We were just as excited to find out their favourite Pokémon after Levi (aged 8) asked this question! Proving to be a difficult answer as he changes his mind daily, Bird Keeper Toby has a couple of favourites but tends to gravitate towards Snorlax. Why? They share the same interests, sleeping and eating! As CandyEvie's favourite hobby when she was younger was collecting bugs, Yanma is her favourite Pokémon, and she loved catching every Yanma she could find in the FireRed game.

The topic then moved on to talking about their job as Pokémon content creators and what they enjoy the most about it, asked by Miss Augustine at Hillborough Junior School. This was a fantastic question as it provided kids with some further insight into what it's like to become a YouTuber but also the excitement of sharing a passion with so many people! As CandyEvie didn't have a lot of friends who played Pokémon, she loved seeing how much it has developed as an online community over the years and being able to share her Pokémon experiences with people across the world! From a young age, Bird Keeper Toby was inspired to be a Pokémon trainer so having the opportunity to play Pokémon games, collect Pokémon cards and research Pokémon every day is a dream come true. 

After talking about their role as a content creator, it was time to get strategic! Sohana (aged 12) asked 'Which Pokémon would you choose for your team?' along with Holly's (aged 15) question 'Which Pokémon move is your favourite and why?'. Travelling around the Pokémon world, Bird Keeper Toby would want a good combination of Pokémon he could use in battle but also fun Pokémon who would keep him entertained along the way! For the powerful Pokémon he would go for Snorlax, Frosmoth and Metagross and for the Pokémon to provide good company, Totodile or Stufful. His favourite move is from Pokémon Sword and Shield, where there is a character called Flapple who uses the move Grav Apple! When CandyEvie plays, she is always drawn towards Crobat as it is the fastest Pokémon in the game and she loves having that edge to get the first move in!

To finish off this fantastic Q+A session, we loved hearing about their favourite Pokémon memory asked by Jack (aged 13). For Bird Keeper Toby, it wasn't a memory about him physically playing Pokémon games but instead getting together with his friends, talking about Pokémon, who was going to use which Pokémon starter and just having fun! One particular memory that sticks out for CandyEvie was going to London with her sister and friends to watch Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions. She even shed a few tears during the show itself!

Check out the full list of questions below from the kids at Hillborough Junior School and don't forget to watch our YouTubers' repsonses, you won't want to miss it!

Questions

Who was the first Pokémon? - Yusuf aged 8

Why are there so many Pokémon? Lilianna aged 9

Why did you get into Pokémon? - Tiffany aged 9

Who was the first Legendary Pokémon you caught? Aariz aged 8

Who is your favourite Pokémon? Levi aged 8

Do you enjoy being a Pokémon Content Creator? What is the best part of your job? Miss Augustine aged 27

What Pokémon type is your favourite and why? Anaya aged 9

Which Pokémon would you choose for your team? Sohana aged 12

Which Pokémon move is your favourite and why? Holly aged 15

What is your favourite Pokémon memory? Jack aged 13

Who is your favourite Pokémon Gym Leader or Trainer? Emily aged 9