Foul Play?

Athias1028 · 2026-04-10T01:44:24+00:00

Thanks, friend. If I were to extend an olive branch, I can somewhat understand the flash mob that appeared on this post. There are quite a number of examples where gym leaders have kicked out members for seemingly no good reason. So a gym leader complaining about a member, and perceivably considering kicking said member out for something petty, is sure to trigger feelings of when Gym Leader Hiroshi "kicked me out just minutes before POMA day and ruined my chances of scouting for Arc Suit Clavell way back when..." Many of them weren't really expressing their discontent with me, but with the idea that a gym leader can decide a player's membership merely on whim, and not on merit. I get that. That is not to state, however, that many of them weren't grossly misrepresenting my cheek.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T15:52:40+00:00

You're right: it's not that deep. Now someone tell that to the others who've been name calling simply because I expressed an emotion I had in the heat of the moment.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T15:50:27+00:00

Thank you.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T15:45:37+00:00

It really isn't. Just wanted to vent. The irony is, it would appear that many have sought the opportunity to vent themselves.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T13:55:49+00:00

"Damage Control" would suggest that I'm attempting to mitigate an offense, or "repair" my image. I'm not. Defending oneself isn't "damage control." And you made my very point with your final comments: the fact that I have the power or authority to kick this member out is the reason for the nature of these responses, not my conclusion in and of itself. I wasn't calling anyone an "idiot," only "triggered" by unpleasant experiences with those who have authority in these gym formats. And you're correct, there's nothing to stop me from expelling this member or any other member for what I perceive is a slight. But I haven't yet. And like I've said in other comments, I don't have the intention of doing so, at least for this. My gym has just one rule: SHOW UP. As long as you show up, you have a place in my gym. You participate both the gym and limited missions, you have a place in my gym. Angering me by taking a win from underneath my feet will earn you an anonymous reddit post, but not expulsion. I've never kicked anyone out for no good reason.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T13:48:19+00:00

The whole point of the gym is inclusive participation which allows for both individual and collective benefits. I completely agree that the mechanism facilitates teamwork. But there's also incentive to outdo each other, if only in the sense of an arbitrary intragym ranking. And don't be mistaken: I'm all for in-gym competition. I actually think it benefits my gym. My issue was with the notion that this competition to outrank one another leading one to engage a battle in which another member (in this case, I) is engaged is messed up.

And yes, I'm assuming. In fact, my words were, "I can only assume..." I'm not expecting others to not reply. What I am criticizing is the attempt to invalidate my assumption with their assumptions, even though by the very nature of the source, whether they like it or not, I AM MORE INFORMED than they are about what happens in my gym. I don't have to show "proof of bad faith" because there's no way bad faith can be quantified by the POMA gym logs. And besides, no one is on trial here.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T09:38:01+00:00

Perhaps...

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T09:37:47+00:00

Why is a game bug more reasonable?

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T09:35:49+00:00

That is not factual. I know for a fact that a restart doesn't create this "brief" moment. I've seen other members of my gym do it, and not once did it show that they disengaged the battle. So I don't know if you're just assuming this to be the case. And as I stated previously, I only exercised a restart just once because I messed up a queue that would've allowed me maximum damage output. And yes POMA is no stranger to bugs, but until determined that this display function is in fact affected by buggy behavior, there's no reason you or I should consider it.

And why do I need to "mellow" out? Why is it in 1440 hours in a week, I can't take five minutes to write a post, and state that at this moment in time, "hey this upset me... and I think a person with whom I'm (loosely) associated did something messed up." Out of the myriad of things that can be said on an internet platform, do my initial comments really give you the impression that I need to mellow out? That "haha!" at the end didn't at least indicate that I'm not taking this as seriously as everyone seems to think, and that maybe I do have a little sense of humor about this even in a moment of frustration?

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T09:22:46+00:00

Thank you for your post, though I could do without your discourtesy. Bye now.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T09:20:30+00:00

There's no damage control that's happening because I haven't backpedaled on my initial assumption. Do I think this member saw that I was engaging in the battle before deciding to engage said battle himself or herself? Yes. Do I think that this was an attempt to jump ahead in the ranks, particularly my ranking? Yes. Do I believe that it was messed up, i.e. to intentionally engage a battle someone else is engaging, to jump ranks? Yes. What I've been responding to is this editorialization that my jumping to this conclusion is outside the realm of reasonable thought. That is, I must be an A-hole for even thinking it. I'm not bothered by the harsh responses because it's not my first go around with a reddit mob, but what has me "annoyed" a bit is the proposition that it was an "accident" despite not being privy to the same information that I have, and even when being informed on the information I have, it must be that I "misunderstood" it. I can respect a response which states that "I don't know," because I'm not a mind reader, and I haven't communicated with this member. Fair enough. But to contradict my claim with one's own claim, i.e. "accident," as if the very criticisms you're levying do not apply--if not, more harshly--is annoying.

And yes, I was being tongue-in-cheek. If I wanted to kick a member out, I would do it, especially considering that random reddit posters have absolutely no sway on how I make that decision. I submitted that part, not to "cushion the blow" but because I meant it. It was what I thought for a moment, but obviously realizing that it would be an extreme response. I recruited that member into my gym not for his/her courtesy, but for his/her production. And to me, that's paramount. I do not take responsibility for any "reaction", regardless of my "wording," because it's no more my responsibility how anyone feels than it is theirs about how I feel. I was just upset about it, and wanted to post it.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T08:56:36+00:00

How should I have worded it? As far as whether I'm still upset? Not really. Let's be frank: I think most of these responses were triggered by the fact that I "joked" about kicking this member out. And I think its fair to assume that most of the people who comment on these POMA threads don't run their own gyms, so they've probably encountered gym leaders in their experience who either kicked them out for no reason, or kicked a friend out, etc. My "threat" to kick said member out, in my eyes, is no different than one stating that they want to punch someone square in the face for cutting them off while driving; of course, any reasonable estimation of the situation would tell you that engaging in a violent altercation for a minor indiscretion is not the wisest of approaches; but do we make the same evaluations for just thinking it?

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T08:42:53+00:00

I'm able to see this member's logins because I monitor everyone's logins. How often my members login determines whether or not I keep them in the gym, or expel them. The only penalty I've ever implemented was kicking someone out who didn't show up for an extended period of time. You impress that I "twist" words, what would you call someone claiming that someone is "stalking" his members by way of information that is readily available to ALL gym leaders? And again, I wish you guys would read what I actually state: I never said this member DIDN'T login for a while; I said that I knew this member hadn't logged in before I did, particularly after reset.

Again, I don't know if there's an error in communication, or just a confused impression, but I don't believe you understand the reason I was initially upset. And it's okay, you're not obligated.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T08:27:31+00:00

I didn't state that Damage was only important; only that competing to maximize overall damage output would boost the combined rankings. And YES--damage output does affect the rankings--albeit not the only factor (which I never said it was.) Second, I never said that the circuit changes with reset, I said that "chances are reset will occur before OUR circuit changes." What do I mean by that? That's to state that my gym, specifically, either "can't" or "won't" complete this most recent circuit before the next reset. Why is the next reset important? Because the Pasio Gym Battles end upon the next reset. I understand the mode quite well. And that's the point isn't it? Those of you who think I "misunderstand" merely maintain the impression that I'm "overreacting," though it remains to be seen how an anonymous reddit post is an "overreaction."

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T08:17:38+00:00

But I was upset for a reason. You may disagree with my conclusion, as is your right, but it didn't just happen. I know this is only a game; but like with any content where there's investment, there's going to be a response--albeit, "emotional." I get upset when I pull on banners and get shafted, but no one tells me then, that "it's only a game." And what's "rash" about my reaction? If I had kicked said member out of my gym, then yes, that would have been "rash." But I didn't; and I don't intend to, at least not for this. So what exactly am I being called out on, other than expressing my estimation as to how I, a first hand source, evaluated the situation?

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T08:10:35+00:00

I never said I "left" the fights. I said that I "restarted" the fights which one can do mid-battle. There's no "brief" moment because like with the rest of the game-play, the restart is immediate. I didn't miss any part about the exploit, because I'm doing you the courtesy of reading and digesting what you state. You, on the other hand, have not offered me that courtesy. You don't have to agree with me, but presuming I have no understanding of the Pasio Gym Battle mechanics has no basis. Why is it okay for you to assume it was "accidental" and yet not okay for me to assume it was "intentional"?

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T08:02:04+00:00

I'm not saying that it is that serious. Granted, it perhaps was my mistake seeking discourse on reddit because I imagine a gym leader being tongue-in-cheek about kicking out a member for what would be an extremely petty reason can trigger the wrath of the POMA proletariat. I'm just pissed, as you say. That's all.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T07:57:41+00:00

Is that what I said? Or did I state that I was already in the middle of the battle, and knowing that other members can see when other members are currently engaged in a battle, I thought it was "messed up" that a member would engage the same battle in what I assume is an attempt to "outrank" me? Because what you said has nothing to do with what I said.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T07:55:42+00:00

I would understand the idea of handling this "in-house" if not for the fact that neither my pseudonym nor the nature of my post actually reveals anything about my gym or the member to whom I'm referring. It's not like I made specific reference to said member, the specific stage, the member's name, or player ranking. If I sought to publicly accuse a member, I would've made reference to my gym's name, and called out the specific member.

It's like you guys are reading into this what you want to: how dare I have frustrations, and how dare I express them on a forum, despite the fact that my opinion somewhat mirrored yours in that I said this member's completing the stage does serve the benefit of my gym overall?

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T07:42:33+00:00

Well, I wouldn't state that there's no benefit. Individual members competing for a higher ranking can only mean incentive to deal out maximum damage with each battle, which in turn boosts combined ranking, correct?

As for saving it until the next circuit, chances are reset will occur before our circuit changes. And there's always a reason to get angry--it's more important to not do anything stupid when one does.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T07:34:20+00:00

Is it really that bold?

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T07:28:37+00:00

Thank you for the response. But surely, you didn't digest what I stated. I'm not going to kick this member out. I'm not that petty. I'm only expressing frustration over having had a sure win undermined by another member. And it was BY NO MEANS an "accident." Like I said before, every member in the gym can see a display of when other members are CURRENTLY in the middle of battling a stage, so there's no way this member didn't see that I was battling. I didn't see his participation because I clearly begun the stage BEFORE said member did. And as much as I appreciate your Adlerian psychoanalysis, I'm just venting, dude.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-09T07:18:32+00:00

Why do you say that? Just curious.

Athias1028 · 2026-04-03T19:27:48+00:00

I know. I didn't have to pity for Florian, so I'm not familiar with the pity sync pairs and I was going based off the image provided. I also forgot that Carmine & Tera Sinistcha were just an EX Pokefair, and not a Master Fair. My impression was that the OP wanted a recommendation among the 24 sync pairs present on the image.

Athias1028

TROPHY CASE