Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Cosplay: Weeb's Break Party 2026

Goh: Oh, did we miss something?

Me: More like, we couldn't deal with it until now.

Ash: It's a "break party" like last year!

Me: Indeed, with almost all circumstances the same... except this time it was with Go Tour instead of Community Day. 

Goh: So that means Ash handled a few things for Pokémon Go Tour that day.

Ash: Yup, but just in the base for my Unova outfit.

Goh: But it's Kalos this year!

Pikachu: Pika pika? ["So, how?"]

Me: Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. It's the only outfit I have that isn't broken out for Ash at the moment.

Ash: I see. You didn't want to make it too hard on yourself.

Me: Right.

Ash: Yeah, so after what I could do that day, I went to the party. They were really separated this time.

Me: Oh, yes. I hear that's by the whims of the others. So there's not much I can do about that.

Goh: Well, if you said this one is almost all the same as last year, then Bocchi Noizu has a hand in it.

Ash: They did!

Goh: So, the games, performances, and a character parade.

Ash: Plus the "break" in the middle!

Goh: You saw all that.

Ash: Yeah, pretty much.

Pikachu: Pika pika. ["Like you say."]

Ash: The games were neat, the same and different.

Me: I hear they do want to try some things, like at the anniversary.

Goh: That makes sense.

Ash: The performances were great.

Goh: Even if you weren't in it.

Me: If that happened, I'd still try to juggle it in somehow.

Goh: And... there's the character parade.

Ash: It was free, so nothing to lose.

Me: And that went...

Ash: No dice.

Goh: Well, yeah. It can't always work out.

Pikachu: Pika chu. ["Well, yeah. (shrug)"]

Ash: After that, I went back with a friend, but we got soaked in the rain.

Me: No kidding. At least it's not the first time that happened.

Goh: Hmm?

Me: It was a long time ago.

Goh: Oh, OK. So it's an experience thing.

Me: Yeah, pretty much.

Goh: So, are there going to be more of these in the short term?

Me: There was one the next day... but I handled Go Tour myself instead.

Ash: Aw.

Me: But you never know. At least I don't know yet.

Pikachu: Pi pi pika? ["Maybe soon?"]

Ash: But today was still great - Go Tour and all.

Goh: Seems like it from the sound of things.

Ash: A good break for a "good break"!

Me: And yet there's never rest for the weary... but that's for me in it. 

Three years ago: Matters of Cosplay Teasers
Four years ago: Recent New Unite Facets
Seven years ago: A Mew Pouch
Eight years ago: How Do I Live, Without You?
Nine years ago: Two Pokémon Notebooks
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Tuesday, March 3, 2026

One by Air, Two by Sea: Pokémon Presents, 2/27/2026

Where February's Go Tour follows, Pokémon Presents does too - although that's more of a consequence of Pokémon Day rather than the mentioned game event. My discussion on the matter, as in many of the past years, has been tied to a certain theme that may or may not directly pertain to the contents of the feature, but it's still useful anyway as a guide to some of those contents at the very least. This time, the theme may be construed as means that some things may be delivered, but it's also relevant to a very important part of the feature.

That important part can be saved for later, so as usual, the discussion starts with updates to some current games. Pokémon Go had the festivities for Go Tour as well as on the road ahead, which promises to be exciting. Pokémon Unite had the three Legendary birds of Kanto as well as the first partners of Johto coming as Unite Licenses, which will surely fill up the field further. Physical TCG has something special on tap given this Pokémon anniversary, but that is a matter that will take more time to deliver and determine. 

For lesser games, Café Remix is on a celebration of first partners, TCGP has a new Themed Booster Pack (like clockwork, and for a few days now - something that I may need to get on soon), Masters EX is going back in time to deliver Trainer characters from bygone eras, and Pokémon Sleep is bringing in a famed Mythical Pokémon of origin and two Legendary Pokémon of sibling attachment - something that should be very clear. They're all delivering in drops and rounds, almost as if by the above means.

Next up was some news on the rather expected "battle client" game of Pokémon Champions. The game is shaping up, and in fact its release on Nintendo Switch has been set for April this year, with the mobile version to come later. Furthermore, once it's released, it's also set for use in the World Championships... which will also be the case this year (the World Championship preview itself, as usual, will come when it comes close at the end of August). This has many, many implications that can't all be covered here.

Meanwhile, this coverage continues with some upcoming content, both partial to an existing game and for a new game itself. Mega Garchomp Z is coming to the Legends: Z-A game by way of the DLC and Mystery Gift, another exciting addition to the main series "alternate". Then, Pokémon Pokopia is set for release on March 5, and more of its content continues to be divulged, including DJ Rotom and a Greedent chef named "Dente". Its "timesink" quality seems to be shaping up even shortly before its release.

Lastly, it's time to make the "delivery means" clear and to fill in the blanks I left in Pokémon Day. "Blowing air" refers to the winds and "riding sea" refers to the waves... and they'll be the subtitles of the next main series games, Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves, which are due out next year. The "first look" or teaser shows an island region (name coming later) with vibrant islands and seas, and the first partners of the region and games have also been revealed alongside to start the hype for them.

Delivering new content updates is definitely the role of an edition of Pokémon Presents, and this particular edition for the 30th anniversary of Pokémon delivers (ahem) on that with what is set to be a fun-filled time with current and future Pokémon games and experiences. With that, the delivery means may not be all that important so much as it is the (essence of the) content that is important; whether they come by air or by sea, the best Pokémon happenings are those that will stoke and delight fans, and those from this edition may be some of the best yet.

Two years ago: Cosplay: Utsuru 8.5
Eight years ago: Investing for PokéCoins
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Monday, March 2, 2026

Pokémon Go Tour: Kalos

With the usual late February and early March highlights out of the way, now I can cover the major Pokémon Go happening of the previous season... which in fact is actually still the current season for today, at which point tomorrow becomes the next - but I digress. Going back to that happening, as previewed, the happening involves the Kalos region, which has the claim to fame as the homeland of Mega Evolution. That makes it a big (Mega) time happening, so now it's time to unfold how big those happenings really were in their overall light.

Like in past editions, rotating habitats were the norm on both days of the Global edition. There were only three this time: Central Village, Mountain Manor, and Coastal Laboratory, with one more as a superset of these three, occupying hourly spans with one repetition. They contained thematic species of certain types, as well as Pikachu with Trainer caps and Unown forms that are of the region's letters (if one activates an Incense); and of course, all of them can be Shiny, if one is truly lucky. As with past years, no Collection Challenges means no catch pressure. 

Yet there is still pressure to raid, as the main feature was Mega Raids for Mega Victreebel (on Saturday) and Mega Malamar (on Sunday) plus the surprise entry of Mega Dragonite (on both days), the latter itself also having been a surprise entry in the Live editions' Mega Night feature. These Mega Raids were also not ordinary ones as well... but their technical details are best left for a separate post. Other Mega Evolution forms were present in "hourly special" (regular) Mega Raids on both days, while the "box Legendaries" of Xerneas and Yveltal were present as usual on the five-star slot, and one-star raids had the Pikachu with Trainer caps and Honedge, making for a rather massive range of raids.

Research had Field tasks for Bellsprout and Inkay as the evolutionary precursors of the above as well as Unown based on version selection. For that, version selection is accomplished by a Special set for those who paid for the event ticket, to go through tasks characterizing Mega Evolution and the Legendary Pokémon of the region, after which the Masterwork Research for Shiny Diancie follows. In the Timed realm, there is a set (for ticket holders) that deals with changing Furfrou trims by selecting a trim that one doesn't usually get to change toward, plus a free set (by a code revealed through Pokémon Day) featuring selection of a first partner from the region and completing daily tasks to get ones with special backgrounds.

Speaking of which, special backgrounds were also all the rage, with three in play: one based on each of the game versions, and one for Mega Evolution. Obviously, the latter was for all Pokémon caught through Mega Raids of any kind, as well as the Lucario caught from the Go Pass by the prelude Road to Kalos event earlier in the week. The "box Legendaries" get the backgrounds of their respective versions, and all others from raids can have either version background. Like in the prelude event, the stress is on "can", as Trainers may have had to put in effort to get any or all of these Pokémon with the respective special backgrounds.

Then, other bonuses involved Eggs with powerhouse species (2 km), Flabébé of any and all colors (5 km), and regional species (10 km), along with half hatch distance; CP boost for Mega Evolution; six Special Trades and halved Stardust costs for them; more Routes with Mateo and Zygarde Cells; and increased Shiny chances for a bevy of featured species, plus increased Shiny encounter chances in general (and an Eon photo bomb surprise each day) for those who bought tickets. After the main event hours, Hoopa brought back other Legendary Pokémon from earlier in the week (in the prelude event) for a massive "Raid Night" conclusion.

For my experience, I spent Saturday with the local Trainers (actually, not just myself - more on this soon) and Sunday with faraway Trainers (also looking for Special Trades with a few Lucky Friends among them). I got through the raids in order with sizable Mega Energy for the ones that were featured, and I got the most important ones with special backgrounds. Along with some extra Shiny Pokémon, it seems I had a mostly good turnout for all of its offerings.

Given all that happened over the course of the two days of the event, they can be construed to show that Kalos is a big (Mega) region for all the features that it has, even now as reflected in Pokémon Go from the features now included from the main series games, both the regular ones and the latest Legends alternate. The traces of those features and now this Go Tour event will likely remain to accompany the game in big ways.

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Tour: Hoenn
Four years ago: Pokémon Go Tour: Johto
Seven years ago: Winds of Changing Teams
Eight years ago: Pikachu Cable Holder
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Sunday, March 1, 2026

The Season of Memories in Motion

Like in many end-of-season posts, I actually had included a preview of the next one to come, specifically in its closing. With regard to that, the key parts of the preview were the words of "remember" and "progress", which corresponds to the season's title of "Memories in Motion". The title suggests a dynamic season as well as a commemorative one, both points of which I'll get to shortly, and even its seasonal image is composed of mostly blue elements... like the sea where the blue water is constantly in motion with the waves.

Now, this year marks the 30th anniversary of Pokémon (which I've already highlighted), and it also marks the 10th anniversary of the game itself (which I'll highlight later on). Thus, the commemorative aspect still becomes rather evident, with the new season being positioned right after the former. As for the dynamic aspect, a bit of a radical restructuring is about to go on in this season, and there's as much regularity as there is change in it. The commemoration and dynamicity are to be revealed and highlighted as all things progress.

Prior seasons have also been analyzed for their relevance beyond Pokémon Go, and this one will be no different. Per the above, commemoration and dynamicity will be the things to look for in all kinds of Pokémon happenings, especially given the anniversary year. In fact, given what was divulged at Pokémon Presents, which I've still got to get to, this anniversary year might just also present a "commotion" as something beyond just regular "motion", being the obvious dynamic of this season. It even might continue into the next year.

"Commotion" might also represent the happenings outside of Pokémon, which only have a minor bearing but could still affect in major ways if the happenings are big enough, like what happened some years ago. For the present, it seems a certain dynamic is unfolding by itself - and has done so just recently - and if that dynamic continues, it too might be an influencing factor for this season and beyond. But that may be something to ignore for the most part at present, and the winds of change might still be localized to Pokémon (Go).

Based on all of the factors above, both internal and external to Pokémon Go as the relevant realm, this season might be construed as one of the most dynamic yet for Pokémon Go. In addition, as part of the greater Pokémon anniversary, there is surely going to be quite a bit of movement on that front within and outside of Pokémon Go. As for the "memories", all things from the past and present are to be remembered for Pokémon (Go), and it'll be fascinating to see how all of them pass the time of this season and beyond.

Three years ago: The Season of Rising Heroes
Four years ago: The Season of Alola
Five years ago: The Season of Legends
Seven years ago: In Living Galar
Nine years ago: Posters
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Saturday, February 28, 2026

The Peak of Precious Paths

Then, as with many of the past years (see below), it's time to send off the Pokémon Go season with the post on the season's end. Actually, the end of this season won't be for another couple of days, but also as usual, I'm covering the season's end on this day just like in previous years to keep that in line. So, the season was dubbed as "Precious Paths", and as I noted at its beginning, it has a bit of a celebratory quality to it, and that became evident in all of its happenings for not only Pokémon Go but also beyond. 

Pokémon Go brought the celebrations in full force from the expected ones in the first and last months of the season, as well as some wild ones in the middle of that. The real celebration, though, has to be Pokémon Go Tour that straddles the anniversary of Pokémon itself (and is actually proceeding today and tomorrow - more details very, very soon). They're all very great moments, and they're all meandering all over the place, so the "Precious Paths" become evident through the happenings.

In other areas of Pokémon, the paths may not have been evident, but their meandering - as with Unite's new licenses and TCGP's new packs - obviously headed to the same anniversary, and that's still something to behold. That also means that every fan, no matter what their game or dealing for Pokémon, expects the anniversary as much as any other of their kind - it's their most "precious path", in a way. The regularity involved with them may or may not have suggested precious things, but what was gained from them may have.

At any rate, for both of them, the most "precious path" would be the development of Pokémon from its other beginnings and the contributions that have shaped that and in turn these specific forms. After 30 years of that development, just about anything from that path can then be considered "precious" even though today's path is actually a branching of multiple paths from the main path. The games above then present the best parts of these paths, conjoining them into their own "precious path" as above.

Now that the paths presented as things in Pokémon Go are at their ultimate point, the things to be taken from them are the things that fans can stand to remember for the better. Certainly, because of the subtitle of the game, the remembered things can progress on their own paths and make new ones that fans will further remember. For that, the same can be regarded as being true for Pokémon itself as three decades have passed and it continues its development for many, many more years to come.

Three years ago: The Peak of Mythical Wishes
Four years ago: The Peak of Heritage
Five years ago: The Peak of Celebrations
Seven years ago: The Birthday of a Hero
Eight years ago: Cosplay Poses
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Friday, February 27, 2026

Six by Five: Pokémon Day 2026 - 30th Anniversary

I say "long in the tooth" from one (personal) anniversary to another, because indeed today is Pokémon Day, and indeed it is its 30th anniversary. I've subtitled it personally as "six by five" since my yearly theme this year has a six in it, and last year's had a five, and six times (by) five makes the number you see (ahem). That's a long stretch of time, and the franchise certainly stretches longer than that, so this year's anniversary is quite special - and as mentioned last year (see below), it falls on a round number, which augments that very much.

Also as I've mentioned last year, by tradition, the number of years for this year's anniversary is considered as the "pearl" anniversary. Pearls, like the regular kind and "Big" kind, which are in-game items in the main series, are round and valuable, and in fact are attested as such in those games. For all the things that have happened with Pokémon so far, each one is a precious pearl (not to mention the main series game that bears the label) among the various segments of the franchise's fans. Strung together, they make for a wonderful piece of jewelry, and every fan will have their own version of this, including me. It's a good imagery for this year.

Closely associated with pearls is the word "wisdom". Taken together, they make an expression that refers to how some valuable sayings or advice are or can be encapsulated in little chunks of words. It may be considered that a lot of things from the Pokémon franchise carry their own weight of wisdom, and it is up to the fans to package them in whatever little chunks (pearls) they choose to have and (perhaps optionally) to string them up into a piece of jewelry they can be proud of. After 30 such years of those things, the "pearls" may end up in different sizes - or may not even be "pearls" at all - but at least they may all look pretty somehow.

Speaking of "pearls of wisdom", there are some of "those" in an edition of Pokémon Presents as is the norm for this very day in many past years. As a preview of what was highlighted in that edition before I discuss them more or less thoroughly, there are the requisite anniversary festivities in many current spinoff games, the next steps for competitive Pokémon battling (including the all-important World Championships later this year), the reminding preview of the content of the latest "main series alternate", and... something that's blowing in the _____ and riding on the _____, two fill-in-the-blanks to be filled with the later discussion.

Of the anniversaries that have occurred thus far, this one is obviously a significant one for all of its merits as above... at least philosophically. The realism of everyone's Pokémon experiences with the games, entertainment, merchandise, and everything in between is what tells the tales, stories, enjoyment, memories, and fun that are at the core of all of those things. Not everyone will get a chance at owning pieces of absolutely all of those things, but what they own might "multiply" the experiences in the same way that this year's anniversary number "multiplies".

Happy pearly and iridescent (and wise) 30th anniversary.

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Thursday, February 26, 2026

Fourteenth Cosplay Anniversary - Make the Old New Again

So, today as usual is my "cosplay anniversary", as the day I first started cosplaying formally. It certainly started with a Pokémon cosplay and that remains the bread-and-butter of my cosplay efforts even to this day. That's an ongoing effort, and it's also an old effort (especially given how long it has lasted, 14 years to this day), so that brings up an interesting point, in that a lot of my current efforts are also "old" efforts, whether it's bringing up an old character from the rich history of Pokémon or reworking an old cosplay, both of which apply to Ash as my most frequent character. Thus, I thought of discussing the "new" element that can apply to these.

Bringing up an old character in a way makes it still relevant for a cosplayer, and that would be true for me with Ash, who is no longer seen in the Pokémon anime but is still influential for me even now. I can see the same thing in other cosplayers who bring out other characters that are just as old or even older than Ash, yet they too are still relevant for them and even in this modern age. That becomes my vindication that I can still cosplay as Ash or any character from any point in Pokémon history, and that would still represent the relevance of Pokémon to me.

Then, the reworking of old cosplay represents my desire of giving them improvements so that the above process of maintaining relevance can still occur. Even if they're not completely new, at least the spirit is still new or renewed. It's a continuous process that is still occurring for as long I have the costumes, and it's also necessary in many ways in the case that certain "new developments" occur and may preclude any and all cases of my continued foray into cosplay.

What is also affirmed is that the process as mentioned is important, whether for the possibility of new costumes being made or just the renewal of old costumes. I have to keep this in mind, and perhaps others do too - both the cosplayers and the makers - so that they too can also include and experience the "new" spirits in some way.

Regardless, it is with Pokémon cosplay that I've attained many of these realizations, and on this anniversary, that seems important as I've become a long-in-the-tooth cosplayer and Pokémon itself is also "long in the tooth" for its existence.

New things are great, but giving "newness" to old things is also great in some ways, and that may be just as well for my (Pokémon) cosplay.

Happy fourteenth cosplay anniversary to me.

Nine years ago: Fifth Cosplay Anniversary
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