Friday, July 31, 2026

Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 7/31/2026

Then, there is the rollup of events in Pokémon Go to deal with. This month moves forward the season that also aptly has the same theme ("Forever Forward"). It also moves the game into its prime celebratory season, being the time surrounding its anniversary, as detailed earlier in this month. And it is a prime celebration, which as I've said is its 10th year for this year. All the details would then lie in the surrounding events, which is the purpose of this rollup to cover and present them as they are (or were).

The actual celebratory event would be the aptly titled 10th Anniversary Party from July 4 to 6, also covering the monthly Community Day up to the actual anniversary day. It brought about a slew of past celebratory costumed Pokémon in the wild, as well as a new one for Gimmighoul with a 10th anniversary coin from its usual sources; some might also appear in Field Research encounters. A paid Timed Research set provided premium niceties, and a new avatar item and new stickers made things festive. All this was supplemented by bonuses of evolving Kanto starters to get their special moves, as well as increased catch XP and Stardust as well as Shiny and background (for Gimmighoul) chances. It was a short celebratory event, but that was needed since the party would continue in a longer form in a different way.

Following the celebration, things led up to the Global edition of Pokémon Go Fest with the Road of Legends event from July 6 to 10. This event served as the accompanying event for that, for which its Go Pass of 200 ranks furnished all the niceties for and through the grand weekend event, including in its Deluxe track. As for its other features, true to its name, it had a lot of Legendary Pokémon, from an all-out raid-able bash on Monday, Fusion selections on Tuesday and Wednesday, Crowns on Thursday, and Origins and Primals on Friday, plus complementary Mega Raids for each save Primals. All of them might also have a special background celebrating raids when caught, and they might have Fusion moves if applicable. Other complements to this event were special 2, 5, and 10 km Eggs, as well as bonuses of no remote limit (through Go Fest), stickers, increased Premier Ball catch rate, increased Party Power, and an extra free raid pass on the specific event days. In a way, it was even more of a celebration because of the lead-up to the prime event, which is (and was) a total "fest" in itself.

Fittingly, a Pokémon celebration has to involve Pikachu, and that was the Special Anniversary Pikachu Celebration from July 13 to 20 was all about. It featured the return of many past costumed Pikachu (from special events, anniversaries, and the like) in the wild in roughly two-day periods with different selections in each, as well as a constant selection in raids of one star, and certainly encounters from some Field Research tasks. Pikachu was also easier to catch during the event. Meanwhile, its Go Pass of 60 ranks featured the return of Cosplay Pikachu with glittery items and lots of XP, as well transfer Candy (XL) and catch Stardust bonuses. A Super Mega Raid Day for Raichu - both X and Y forms - coincided with the event on July 18 with all the usual perks, so its evolved (and further evolved) form didn't miss out on the celebration as well, making it inclusive and quintessential for the event.

Last up for this month's prime celebration was the first Ultra Unlock bonus from Go Fest, as the 10th Anniversary Edition from July 21 to 27. It featured the debut of a costumed Pikachu that resembles Professor Willow on its first day and then throughout the event; the first partners of the various regions were also present in the wild (and Field Research encounters) in three-day periods, which when caught could also have backgrounds depending on one's team; all of them could also be evolved to get their special moves. Lure Modules had some powerhouse Pokémon while a few with party hats appeared in raids. Each three-day period also had even more catch XP (up to 10 times), and new Professor Willow avatar items made things lively, along with the stickers from the earlier celebration event. The Masterwork Research for Shiny Shaymin could also be gotten if one hasn't done so. Finally, this event's Go Pass of 60 ranks had some unusual premium goodies like the Golden Lure Module, a T-shirt, more encounters, and Candy (XL) bonuses at each of its milestones to make the celebration more worthwhile.

Lodged in the weekend of the previous event was the Ozone Ascent event from July 25 to 26, which simply had a Timed Research set to be completed to encounter Rayquaza and get its Mega Evolution niceties, a kind of appeal in itself. Then, there was the make-up (as mentioned) for Day 2 of Go Fest on July 26, which in a way was appropriate since the former needed raids, and players needed the best experience.

July will surely cement itself into Pokémon Go as its anniversary month and celebration, and for the tenth iteration as above for this year, the celebration really kept on coming on. Yet that is certainly something players (Trainers) can benefit from in very many ways, perhaps as many as the game's current and future years.

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Thursday, July 30, 2026

The State of Nominations, Part 41

Looking at previous years, see below, this day and the next day - the latter to be dealt with tomorrow - have been alternating in their coverage of nomination updates and event rollups. This year, that will continue, with today being devoted to the former (which also means that tomorrow will be the latter) to maintain the pattern. That's also perfect since I've got something good this time for that update and it deserves to be discussed as soon as possible - as in, now.

For that, now I'm able to update on its actual progress, something I haven't been able to do since January. Since then, I've made four nominations and I've had all of them Accepted, bringing the total to 195. Since they are "four for four", my Not Accepted nominations remain at 71 for its total. This is good progress - even if I'm still not able to determine some of their status definitively - and I can stand to make a few more of these nominations soon enough with certainty.

Then, there are the monthly impact numbers that have been going since the end of last year. The numbers are in for June (21771 visits by 1653 players) and July (32591 visits by 1791 players), and they're extremely satisfying. July being the big Go Fest month correlates well with these numbers, and that will definitely make them hard to replicate in other months. Of course, there isn't a special event in Pokémon Go every month, so that much is also key to these numbers.

Now that I've regained some confidence in making more nominations, that will become exactly what I'll do in the next two months. Still, as with what happened since the beginning of this year, I will still keep some sensibility in mind for many of those future nominations. Though I'm able to make even more nominations than ever (the limit has been recently increased to 60), I'm surely not going to use all of them, and only the ones that matter to me will be used somehow.

While there's no telling if or when I'll have to break the alternation pattern of the posts - even though there is also a history of them also being inconsistent somehow - they will still be consistent in the topics, given their importance to Pokémon Go. This edition of the nomination updates highlights that in a way, with the return of some of the ways I've done things previously along with some new aspects. After that, it's only a matter of how the process has manifested in the game.

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Wednesday, July 29, 2026

A Pokémon Scooter Dream

As I've mentioned time and time again, dreams are fleeting, whether they're mine or others' as well as whether they're related to Pokémon or not. Accordingly, many of them tend to just drift away as soon as they end, unless I'm fortunate to record their details immediately. However, some days ago, I had a Pokémon dream that was much less fleeting than most other dreams I've had, and I could recall most of its details even now just by thinking about the core aspect of the dream. Now I'd like to preserve it in greater detail with a post here.

Certainly, the core aspect that appeared in the dream was a scooter. It was not an ordinary scooter, though; when a special module was equipped, it could play Pokémon music - in particular, the soundtrack to the first-generation games. From a technical standpoint, perhaps it could also play other kinds of music with other modules, but for this particular dream, the detail of the Pokémon music module became the aspect that stuck out and made it what it is.

In the dream, I was also using the scooter to get around places I rarely get to and even times I wouldn't even think I would do that in, being early to mid-evening. And this happened while the Pokémon music was still playing, which became a nice touch to the dream. Of course, all dreams also end, and this happened as I was approaching one of my intended destinations while riding the scooter. After that, it became a matter of remembering it, which came easily.

This dream can be said to highlight the lasting effect of Pokémon music for a Pokémon fan like me. It can make things lively even if the situation is out of the ordinary, in this case a scooter that allows it to be played... and I don't even ride one in real life, at least not by myself. Yet no matter how oddball things seem, the Pokémon aspect seems to make it make sense somehow as well as pleasant to be enjoyed within the context of this particular and quite realistic dream.

Even now as the dream has passed many days ago and I'm writing up this post, I still feel a sense of being attached to the dream and would be pleased if it somehow could be realized. In that way, it's a Pokémon dream that is truly lasting and not as fleeting, and it may just be quite fascinating for other Pokémon fans, who can now share the dream.

One year ago: Under a Cloudy Sky
Two years ago: Crossover Holowear?
Five years ago: P25 Music for Life?
Six years ago: The Values of Posts
Nine years ago: Under 100 Hours?
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Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Hunting for Souvenirs in Pokémon Go

Earlier this year, I discussed some of my favorite souvenirs that sometimes Buddy Pokémon in Pokémon Go will bring back to their Trainers and put in a review of what they are just in case that may be helpful to a Trainer. Also as stated, they might be necessary to collect at times - a more recent example being a task in the Special Research set for Shiny Diancie - so this time I would like to discuss that collection aspect. It could perhaps be described as a "hunt" for them, so I'm framing this discussion in that manner.

For those Trainers whose Buddy Pokémon are typically stuck on one or two Pokémon (like me - I confess), especially for the purpose of bringing them up to at least Ultra Buddy level as the requisite level for hunting souvenirs in the first place, they'll still get some souvenirs when that happens and in the days after. Granted, the going might be slow, but the souvenirs will present themselves in those days, even if it won't happen every day. It makes for a passive kind of hunting, but it may sometimes be necessary.

If more immediate service is necessary, and there is a selection of the above kind of Buddy Pokémon (hint - search term "buddy4-"), then it's possible to hunt through these Pokémon for leftover unopened gift bundles that possibly contain souvenirs and make things go a bit faster. It also affords an interaction opportunity with each of these Pokémon - by playing with (that is, petting) them - and get buddy hearts. While changing Buddy Pokémon is limited to 20 times a day, that should be enough to get the needed souvenirs from them.

Now, there is a process by which some Buddy Pokémon can be "chained" to get souvenir gifts, which could be done along with the above process. It's a bit tricky and even involves a Great Buddy as well as quite a bit of waiting; even then, the "chain" could still be broken in the process. There is the sense that if one is going to go through the above trouble, it might as well be tried. Regardless, I've never tried it and it's not on my list of priorities, but since there is a "vouch" for the method, those with the leeway can absolutely try.

Getting souvenirs from Buddy Pokémon could be described as an "inexact science", given what happens above and in general with them. Yet for the very few times (now and at some other points of time) that they are needed, there are some ways and efforts of getting them, which might ultimately depend on one's patience and the methodology itself. For all those efforts, there is still a sense of appreciation about getting the souvenirs as well as for the exemplary Buddy Pokémon to whom they would become attached.

Two years ago: Cosplay: Arto Fest
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Monday, July 27, 2026

A Pokémon Collector Exchange Idea

Something that groups of people who collect Pokémon merchandise of various kinds could probably use is an idea for making an exchange of merchandise. This could be especially true if they have large groups and want to facilitate a mass merchandise exchange among their members, also potentially redistributing the merchandise to those who seek them. For that, I thought of presenting one such idea that they can apply as a form of "collector exchange".

The idea involves gathering up all the merchandise on a table where everyone can see them, and when the time comes for the exchange, each person comes up to the table and chooses an item - likely not something of their own - to obtain for themselves. Each person would be randomly selected for this purpose, and if there are more items than there are people, then each person can go again. In any case, once the table is completely cleared out, the exchange stops and everyone goes back with the items they obtained.

What could also work would be that some people would have the "privilege" of coming up to the table more than once during the draw if they attained certain achievements - though this would have to be coupled with a really great number of merchandise items on the table. As for the draw itself, the selection should ideally be in quick succession, which would be even more suitable for large numbers of people and merchandise items. The prospect of this being viable for large Pokémon gatherings then becomes rather evident.

In fact, the above roughly describes the merchandise exchange process that takes place at Mysterium, a convention for fans of the Myst series of games (for which this year's edition just ended and I'm "shoehorning" the "annual mention" of the game series right into this post). It's growing in the number of attendees from year to year, especially at special milestones - which could also be said to apply to Pokémon gatherings in certain contexts. While the contexts are different, the exchange systems could be made to be similar somehow.

Any gathering of fans for different pop culture series might inevitably involve merchandise and its exchange at some point, especially when it gets big enough. At that point, it is likely that a system is needed for that purpose, especially if the gathering becomes systematic as well. At the least, an idea for a system like the one above could be considered, and it would allow a "collector exchange" to be manifested that reflects the massiveness of the series in question.

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Sunday, July 26, 2026

Five Creatures on a Torn Island

Just a few years ago, I wrote up a fairly imaginative post about six places that can correspond with six Pokémon types - although now that I think about it, I could have made it seven and seven, but I won't discuss that now. What I will discuss, however, is a follow-up or "sequel" to that post, since the six (plus one) places also do follow up to a sequel in a manner of speaking. It'll still have the Pokémon relation, but also in a different manner: this time I'm not bringing up specific types, but definite species instead along with the setting.

That setting, as predictable by the title, is a torn island that suffers from degradation by the environment, although in a way, there is also some human influence in that degradation. It sounds like a harsh and unforgiving environment, but both Pokémon species and their real-life counterparts (animal species) have been known to survive in settings one would not expect life to be able to persist. Of course, sometimes there may be such a thing as "too harsh", and some of these species may just fit the bill to be "saved" - more on that shortly.

Now, the five creatures - in a certain order - correspond to the Pokémon species of Mantine, 
Heracross, Politoed, Lapras, and Wailord, perhaps quite roughly in both scale and appearance. All of them make their marks on the environment as well as people (yes, there are people too) who deal with them in their everyday life. Still, it has to be said that they might be on the darker side of things in this environment, but that's not to say that there are people who revere them for all the good that they bring.

Back to the "saving" part, it would certainly take some effort to save a few of the mentioned species above that exist in this setting, particularly given that the commonly recognized (or even archetypal) forms of the above are pretty big to begin with, especially Wailord. They would also have the potential to become "regional forms" given their environment, much like what has happened in other Pokémon regions. Yet when Pokémon is brought up as a topic, perhaps there are not many things that a Poké Ball can't fix.

Many of the places I've mentioned (and far more beyond - which might be able to serve further "sequels" of this and the previous post) in fact have odd and intense characteristics that make them unique. That would certainly apply to many Pokémon species as well with their own odd and intense characteristics. Then, if they match, or at least if the species profiles match as in the above case, it makes for a pretty neat imagery of how Pokémon might just be able to relate to these places and others beyond them.

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Saturday, July 25, 2026

Cosplay: Japaniversal 2026

Me: Remember last month when I tried to send Ash to a festival and it didn't happen, so he went to Community Day instead?

Goh: Oh. This must be it.

Me: Indeed. So, this is the one that got delayed a month. But that's also a good thing, because...

Goh: No Pokémon happening today?

Me: Nope.

Ash: All right! I can be at the festival all day!

Pikachu: Pika chu, pika! ["That's very nice!"]

Ash: So, um... I've never been here before.

Me: That's right. This one has been going on for many years, but it never worked out for us for one reason or another (including a month ago) - but now we can get to it.

Goh: Who's holding the festival?

Ash: Another place of study, much like one of our friend's.

Goh: OK, that's pretty interesting. But how was it like actually today?

Ash: They had all the stands and booths out on a big parking lot. Last time there was construction outside and a little inside, so that's why they delayed it.

Goh: I see. But won't it get hot outside?

Ash: Actually... It did, huh.

Pikachu: Pika pika chu... ["Really hot..."]

Ash: Luckily there was shade in the nearby building.

Goh: Luckily. I'd love to know how many stands there were.

Ash: Not a lot. Just a few food stands and booths for goodies.

Goh: Hmm. It doesn't sound too big to me.

Me: I have a suspicion about this, but let's continue on. As for competitions...

Ash: Hey, there's a singing one! I'm sure you want me in that.

Me: Sure! And you happen to be with your Hoenn outfit, so...

Ash: "Chiisaki Mono" it is!

Goh: Would you look at that - a chance for "redemption".

Ash: Yeah. And our friend is much better now, so we can really do it this time.

Pikachu: Chu pika! ["All right!"]

Goh: I guess we'll deal with how you did first.

Ash: I did fine. Maybe I messed up slightly? But I didn't forget anything - mostly.

Me: Well, that's OK. How many others were there?

Ash: Nine others, with three prizes.

Goh: A pretty good chance...

Ash: ...but I didn't get any of them.

Me: Huh. Well, there's always next time.

Goh: By the way, was there a character competition? Usually a festival like this would have one.

Ash: There was! A parade. But I saw only four get in, and they all looked really good, and it costs double to get in...

Me: So you probably wouldn't win, and it's more effort on my part.

Goh: Oh, OK. Good thing you tried to put your Eggs in one basket.

Pikachu: Pika, chu pika... ["Yes, a lucky break..."]

Me: The rest of the day must have had some entertainment.

Ash: Yeah, a couple of dance groups and a band, plus a dance-off.

Goh: That's still not much. So... how big is this festival really?

Ash: Well, the parking lot was big, but not a lot of people came.

Goh: Maybe our friend knows something?

Me: I heard that there were two other local festivals in the vicinity, both of which also have either singing or character competitions - at the same time as this one.

Ash: I heard that too! From your friends at the festival.

Goh: Well, I think we have the answer then. Those two "stole" visitors from this one.

Me: Yeah, I think you're spot on, Goh. It doesn't help that this is the one that got rescheduled and "ran into them".

Pikachu: Pika pika chu? ["Could be different?"]

Ash: I guess I probably would have ended up in either of them too if this wasn't around.

Me: That would likely be the case.

Ash: But I think the students did a good job after all that's happened.

Goh: Maybe you'd like to go again next year?

Ash: Sure! If our friend can make it happen.

Me: Like today, if it happens to be a "free" day, then I'll surely give it a shot for you.

Goh: That could be interesting.

Ash: Right!

Me: At that point, the festival might just stand up to its "universal" name. 

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