Profs and Comrades: Professor Kukui

The previous Pokémon Professor I discussed as part of my "four fours" posts this month admittedly carried the quality of being "understated", even compared to his predecessor, who instead carries a "quintessential" quality. This would also apply to some of his successors, though there are exceptions... the one about to be discussed being one of them. Professor Kukui (for which his name means "candlenut" in Hawaiian) is of course the one representing Alola, and he is by no means "understated"; in fact, there is particular emphasis on the "comrade" aspect, as something that I've carried throughout this month's discussions.

For those who played the seventh-generation games, they'll note how involved Kukui is (was) in the affairs of the region beyond the research aspect, though this last bit is still involved through the player Trainer in some ways just like in other regions. Going back to those affairs, the involvement is from the beginning - also like in other regions, with the selection of a "first partner - all the way to the end, not only setting up the pinnacle that is that "end" but also becoming a part of it, which somehow I consider to be still pertinent for others to discover by themselves. That's still plenty of involvement in the "professor" aspect.

And then, for those well-versed in the anime, they'll know how close Kukui is (was) to Ash during his time in the region. The involvement could be said to parallel that in the games as above, although in one important sense it is more personal and somewhat deeper, as Ash was literally living alongside him. In this sense, the "comrade" aspect is more emphasized, and this even includes a certain "personification" of Kukui himself, which is actually also indicated in the games. There is still a true "comrade" aspect involved here.

It seems the aspects of "professor" and "comrade" are very much evident for Professor Kukui, in a manner that seems unlike other Pokémon Professors, save from (and second to) the first and original one for whom the aspects are also evident in many ways. Emphasis ("emphatic") remains the best descriptor in many ways considering both aspects, and like the substance represented by his name when set alight, both aspects heat up and light up the soul of this rather emphasized Pokémon Professor in all his ways.

One year ago: My Personal PvP Preferences

Two years ago: Cosplay: ChibiCon 2022

Three years ago: Let's Talk About (Im)Perfect Timings

Four years ago: BEMANI-Pokémon Connections

Five years ago: The State of Nominations, Part 2

Six years ago: A Raid Group Gathering

Seven years ago: On Cosplay Props and Prop Makers

Pokémon Made Up of Other Pokémon

Over the many years that Pokémon has been around, there have been many fascinating aspects to the species represented by that name. One of them is how it is apparent that some species seem to be apparently made up of other species, in whole or in part. It's something to highlight and discuss, given how there have been many more examples of them since that time, seemingly making this an "ingrained" design of sorts.

A noticeable one for many fans is how three Magnemite make up a Magneton, virtually unchanged in appearance and seemingly only held by the power of magnetic attraction. The latter species still has a single mind and is therefore united as such, not to be considered as the separate components that it seems to be made up of. It is an exemplary representative of this aspect and possibly the oddest as well.

Similarly but less odd is how three Diglett appear to make up a Dugtrio, with a similar case applying to the later appearing Wiglett and Wugtrio. The case may be deemed to be less odd here since they seem to share (and be connected to) the same internals - much like Beldum and its family, which are not under consideration here - rather than being simply "attached" as in the previous case of Magnemite and Magneton.

More recently, there is the Dreepy species family, whose later evolved forms (Drakloak and Dragapult) also contain a "mini-Dreepy" - two in the case of the latter - that are as much a part of them as their expected main bodies are. The lore states that these "mini-Dreepy" are being reared until they can stand as real Dreepy on their own, which does seem to make sense given that they are partial Ghost types and thus developmental "apparitions".

In a sense, the evolved forms of Slowpoke can be considered to be made up of two different Pokémon, as the shell part according to lore is a highly transformed Shellder, for which the appearances are different according to form and species. The role of that Shellder had been "planned" to be "fleshed out" according to the beta version of the second generation games, but that didn't happen, so at least for now the lore still serves the explanatory purpose.

Whether or not the apparently disparate parts of certain Pokémon species, which look like other and/or related species, have a bearing on the constitution of those species as a whole, having them seemingly integrated into those species makes for an insightful consideration of how the species manifest themselves in design and appearance - not to mention lore. Even such a repetitive design and appearance seems to have much to convey.

One year ago: Cosplay: Seishun! Japan Fest

Two years ago: Pokémon Emblems in Pokémon Unite

Three years ago: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Unleashed

Four years ago: Till Death Do Us Part

Five years ago: A Theme Event Dream

Six years ago: Fans of Fans

Seven years ago: Cosplay: MINORI 5

Immersive Cards in TCG Pocket

I've already explained pretty much most of the core content of Pokémon TCG Pocket, so now I can take different posts occasionally to deal with other aspects of the game, one of which is for today. As previewed earlier in Pokémon Presents, a defining feature of the game is what are called "immersive cards", and given the electronic or technological aspect of the game, it's a natural way to enhance the quality of the game with that aspect. Based on the current manifestation of the feature, that seems to have been realized excellently.

For the currently available Genetic Apex expansion, three cards - Pikachu, Charizard, and Mewtwo, all of the ex kind and representing the "branches" of the expansion - are of the immersive kind; they have a rarity of three stars and are naturally full art themselves. Upon earning them, the immersion is activated, showing the image of the card in full screen, along with aspects of the environmental art setting and even just a little beyond that; notably, the Pikachu and Charizard cards also show several other Pokémon in their immersive display. This can also be viewed at any time by viewing the card in one's own collection and tapping and holding on the cards, or if one hasn't earned them, in other people's (friends') collections.

Apart from the special imagery and the rarity level, these cards function as any other cards in battle - particularly the plain ex cards - and the immersion can be considered to be purely for aesthetics more than anything else. The rarity level, though, suggests that they may be somewhat difficult to get, and I've only gotten one (of the Charizard ex kind) since I've started playing; even so, some people I know of have earned either all three or multiple copies of any of the three or even both, making them either very, very lucky or the rarity not as apparent in getting the cards. 

Because of the above and the (expected) space that the animation takes up, not to mention the effort that goes into making them, future immersive cards are likely to be limited to a few per expansion. If more can be added, it would likely be because of a matter of convenience rather than possibility, although players would be happy to collect them all the same, especially if they can happen to be less rare.

Technology makes a lot of things possible, and for the Pokémon TCG in its Pocket incarnation, it allows one to look within and beyond the imagery of certain cards through the immersive aspect introduced as part of the game. That alone makes it an excellent feature of the game, alongside other implementation of its current (and future) implementation.

One year ago: Focus and Control: Two Keys to Pokémon Power

Two years ago: Scarlet and Violet Unleashed

Three years ago: Living Further with My Buddy

Four years ago: Pokémon "Genealogy"

Five years ago: Drafts Piling Up

Six years ago: Trough of Disillusionment

Seven years ago: A Little Teaser... and Guessing Game

Cosplay: Toys & Hobbies Week 2024

Ash: Oh, Toys & Hobbies is back!

Me: Sure!

Goh: Nice! Is this going to be like last year, to meet our friend's friends?

Me: Well, my local friend, why not. But my faraway friend, surely not this time.

Goh: I guess that's understandable. 

Ash: And uh... this is close to the time many years ago we connected - can I wear my Unova outfit?

Me: Of course. It just so happens that I still have it at the ready from last week.

Ash: Thanks!

Goh: So, did you get to meet her?

Ash: Yeah - just after I got there. 

Pikachu: Pika pika pika! ["Almost right away!"]

Goh: OK, so you must have spent almost the entire time with her. 

Ash: Pretty much.

Goh: But then there was the festival, which was...

Me: A week long, and this was its final day. 

Goh: OK, well, I'm looking at the schedule, and most of it wasn't quite what it looked like last year.

Me: Nope. Most competitions from last year are gone, but there are still character competitions (performance yesterday, parade today).

Goh: And the performance one you couldn't fit in because... oh, I see. It's in the evening and Ash cannot possibly make it for that.

Me: Right. And no singing or other kinds of performance either.

Goh: Ash and our friend's friend must have been bummed out.

Ash: A little. 

Pikachu: Pika pika. ["Just a bit."]

Ash: But I know we can make it happen some other time.

Goh: The only thing left is the parade. How was that?

Ash: It went by so quickly! But I didn't get anything. 

Goh: Knowing the place, there must have been tons of characters in it.

Ash: Yup. And some of them knew me! 

Goh: OK, so it was just for sightseeing today.

Me: Almost. Did you get a certain thing promoted?

Ash: I think I did. At least a little bit.

Me: A little is better than nothing.

Goh: I'm intrigued.

Me: You should be. It's familiar... but I can't say much more about it now.

Goh: I trust you. So it wasn't all a waste of time today.

Ash: No - I got to meet my friend's other friends and even played a game (tile game) too.

Goh: Well, sure. Just like the festival's name. 

Pikachu: Pika! ["Well put!"]

Goh: By the way, it was crowded, yes?

Ash: It was! And... I think I knocked over something...

Me: If whoever owned it didn't make a fuss about it, then that's fine.

Ash: Luckily... I think.

Goh: So, I think the people tried to make things simple compared to last year.

Ash: I think so! There was a zone each for toys, hobbies, and "e-sports", and they all had place names.

Me: Taken from Japan, I might add.

Ash: Everything seemed to work out for them, so I'm happy.

Pikachu: Pika chu. ["Same here."]

Goh: Why not? Even without many competitions, working out is the most important thing.

Ash: Maybe they can bring some back next time.

Me: True. I think it also worked out for me - I wanted (you) to "get away" from some sources of recent bother.

Goh: That's a nice plus.

Me: Sure thing.

Ash: It was definitely more.

Me: And after all that, we hope it definitely won't be "less".

One year ago: End of Main Orders for Café Remix

Two years ago: Fun Pokémon Memes by a Fun Tortoise

Three years ago: Loyalty

Four years ago: Matters of Cosplay and Current Conditions

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/16/2019

Six years ago: PikaPool

Seven years ago: Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Unleashed

Encroaching Upon the Wild Area

It is known that by now, Pokémon Go has two "big-ticket" events (figuratively and literally) at certain points in the year: Go Fest in the middle of the year (Northern Hemisphere summer), and Go Tour at the beginning of the year (Northern Hemisphere winter). The seasons in between (spring/fall) don't seem to have any for certain reasons, though there seems to be no harm in trying to fill them with one as well. Now, there might be one such way to do so, and in a manner that befits new things added to the game.

The new event is called Pokémon Go Wild Area - shortened as "Go Wild Area" hereinafter. This short form also makes sense because the event itself is obviously based on a particular facet of some recent installments of the main series games, particularly those of the eighth generation. True to that, its features have also been disclosed, with rough correspondence: one of them is the particular debut of a Pokémon species and its Dynamax and Gigantamax forms, but I'll have more on this when the event takes place.

Actually, to be precise, it is taking place now: in parallel with Go Tour, there is a Live edition of the event, and it's taking place this weekend (today and tomorrow) in Fukuoka, Japan. Thus, Trainers in Japan have the privilege of "beta-testing" the event for when its Global edition takes place the very next week(end) for everyone around the world. The Live edition is predictably already sold out by now, but the Global edition is still available... though some Trainers will already have purchased its Event Ticket at this point.

Like Go Tour furthermore, the other features - besides the obvious one mentioned above - will also define this brand-new paid event. In fact, it seems this event may have an overload of new features even for the most seasoned Pokémon Go veterans like me, and it will prove to be challenging for everyone (if Gigantamax itself hasn't already reared its ugly head). This also prompts the question of whether the event might be repeated in six months with all the same features yet certainly different Pokémon, given its focus.

Years pass on, and paid events in Pokémon Go have risen to prominence at certain times of the year, though not in others. The new Go Wild Area event may just provide the event to take prominence in those other times and exemplify current developments in Pokémon Go. As its inaugural edition takes place with a current Live edition, which will also encroach upon its Global edition very soon, some very wild things are being encroached upon as well, and that may be considered the course of things to come in the game in much of the times ahead.

One year ago: A Fascination for Noctowl

Two years ago: To Cart or To Download?

Three years ago: Connectivity

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/15/2020

Five years ago: Cosplay: Mini Futsal Cup 2019

Six years ago: The Detective Goes Live!!

Seven years ago: Go My Dear One, and Pursue Your Dreams

The World According to Ursaring

As I've mentioned a real long time ago, I enjoy delving into (portions of) my past for pure enjoyment as well as the simple reason of not forgetting them, as roots that contribute to my Pokémon-filled present. This applies even for some sentimental things that I've chosen to detach - or more appropriately, had to detach from - because of them being associated with areas that I do not wish to explore. In pure isolation, though, they might be worth exploring, and one such thing that I've recently delved into is something that encapsulates the world... for which in Pokémon terms, that would be (partly) through the view of an Ursaring.

For those who know what I'm referencing, the choice of representation by Ursaring might be an odd one, but it is known that even Pokémon with a gruff countenance (Ursaring included) might have a pure and kind heart, and that is exactly what the Ursaring I'm thinking of has. The Ursaring tells things like they are and presents things in ways that make one think to make the best sense of the situations involved. It's a novel thing to do for an Ursaring - at least compared to others of the same species.

That Ursaring is also technically not alone, as other Pokémon are there to make sense of all their world. By practical species correspondence alone, as with Ursaring, there could be a Pikachu, two Oshawott (perhaps one of which is Shiny), a Chimchar, and a Teddiursa living with and around the Ursaring. Then, there is a Solrock that greets as a new day begins and a Lunatone that does the same as a day comes to a close, both of which also prompt the deep exchange of thoughts. There might be others too, but that's for their wider world.

With all of these Pokémon, they seem to always have many things to take into account in their lives, and they do. Again, it's the Ursaring that guides everyone, especially when there's a sort of stagnation in things. The result of that guiding is likely to be just what everyone needs in their situations. And at the end of the day, there is something to be taken; after that, everything starts all over again for Ursaring and crew.

It seems funny how some things can be made to have a Pokémon correspondence, but that's my point of view at work. That could be considered the case for the sentimental thing I've been referencing for and throughout this post, and it carries a feeling that remains even if the thing has to be detached from me for certain reasons. Perhaps that's what it would take right now: an Ursaring to make sense of my greater and Pokémon world.

One year ago: Pokémon Monuments of Our Hearts

Two years ago: Preparing for Scarlet and Violet

Three years ago: Pokémon Cafe Delights

Four years ago: Cosplay: The Bros Contest

Five years ago: Sword and Shield Unleashed

Six years ago: Seeing Red: Cosplay Teaser for 12/2/2018

Seven years ago: Ma? Ma? Ma? Marshadow...!

Profs and Comrades: Professor Elm

Pokémon Professors are people too, and like them, they can be popular or not so popular. The latter seems to be the case for the next Pokémon Professor I'm about to discuss as part of this month's "four fours" on the topic, and it concerns the next one in line, as Professor Elm of Johto fame. The professor can be considered "understated" as he is encountered at the start of the journey in the region but scarcely after, and this situation would also similarly apply to some of the professors that come afterwards. Still, considering the title, there is something to be said about this (and those other professors) being "comrades" of sorts.

The journey role of the professor - and the others like him - is still crucial, being there to start out the journey of Trainers in the region with the "first partner" (here Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile). While the role might be minimal, there is a sense that the professor defines the region maximally (again here, Johto) in that it is not possible to distance him from the region. His English name - Elm, of course - seems to be a "chip" off of the tree name of his predecessor and slightly more eastern colleague, also suggesting that distance is not a matter.

What seems to matter most is the "comrade" status, whether for Trainers who originally hail from this region (Ethan/Hibiki comes to mind) or other Trainers (Ash, of course, as the prominent example). Handily starting off their excursions in the region is at the very least indicative of that "comrade" status even if later showings are scarce. While it could also be argued that this is a result of being distant from them, the initial showing may be considered sufficient.

Similar states of affairs may be considered to apply to some of the later Pokémon Professors, so Professor Elm can be considered to be initially indicative (and representative) of them. Yet that's not something to be discounted, and as "understated" as they may be, Professor Elm and the others are still comrades for each other, any Pokémon Trainer, and certainly faithful fans.

One year ago: Doing What's Necessary: Transferring (Releasing) Shiny Pokémon

Two years ago: Tunnels of My Heart

Three years ago: The Shops of Unite

Four years ago: Graduation of Regionals?

Five years ago: The Music of Shuffle

Six years ago: GTS and Wonder Trade in Pokémon Go?

Seven years ago: 1000 Episodes!!!