Pokémon Go Community Day, 7/17/2022

Me: And the occasion would be this, which I want you, Ash, to be a part of.

Ash: Whoa, it's back!

Me: It's been back for a good long time now. Years ago, when I often sent you to places for usual events and conventions, sometimes you'd deal with this occasion at the same time, like the last time you did so. But this time, I'm sending you fully just for this occasion.

Ash: All right!

Pikachu: Pi pika! ["Nice one!"]

Goh: This is an interesting one. I'd like to know more about it.

Me: So, Community Day is an event where Trainers catch a lot of a certain species of Pokémon with certain bonuses, and the Pokémon can evolve to get certain moves too. Catching's the thing, but so is the get-together part of it, as I hinted yesterday.

Goh: I get it. So it's like preparing just one Pokémon species to make it great.

Me: Essentially, but there's a lot more than just that. OK, Ash, so you're in for a real treat, because this time the Pokémon is Starly - hence, "spreading wings".

Ash: Nice! I had a Starly that evolved all the way to a Staraptor when I was in Sinnoh.

Me: And that's exactly why I've sent you with your Sinnoh outfit.

Ash: I wouldn't have it any other way.

Me: If you evolve it to a Staravia and then to a Staraptor, the latter will learn the move of Gust. It may or may not be useful, but I say evolve it anyway.

Goh: Well, at least that fits its Flying type.

Me: It sure does, for that exact reason. A few things to note: aside from the Shiny form, which you should already know you can get, the main bonus this time is tripled XP, but you also get doubled Candy and Candy XL. You might not have to worry much about using Pinap Berries, but you should use a Lucky Egg whenever you can, from 11 to 2 as the event period.

Ash: I've been out of this for a long time. The Candy XL is new - it must be for powering up Pokémon even more.

Me: You're on the money. Also new since then is that both Lure Modules and Incense are both three hours, so one or both can be used. You'll want to take pictures, because you'll be seeing Starly pop out then; you'll need to open up Gifts for items and to get stickers. And... you'll also be dealing with Rhi from the Ultra Beast Recon Squad for some tasks to do, since I paid for the set of tasks.

Ash: That's a lot of things to take in, but I'll do my best.

Me: I know, it's been such a change. Also note that if you and others catch enough Starly from a Lure Module, you can earn quadruple XP instead. If possible, you can trade with someone for half the Stardust and make another Special Trade for a few hours. And after the three hours of Starly appearing, you might see Level 4 Staravia raids that if defeated will make Starly appear again for 30 minutes around the area... but that's if you can get people to do it; don't worry if you can't.

Goh: Has Community Day ever been this complicated?

Me: It used to be simpler but also a lot less beneficial. Now there's lots of ways of doing things, and the benefits are somewhat multiplied.

Ash: We know how that feels.

Me: OK, so I sent you to a park that is not too far from my house and has hosted a couple of past editions. How was that?

Ash: There were lots of people, who I know many are your friends. You told me to come early so I can get my hands on some neat goodies, and I got them!

Me: Excellent. There's actually plenty of them to go around, but some are only available if you come early. I'll take those and discuss them later on by myself.

Ash: I caught lots of Starly for you too! They kept on coming from the Lure Modules, Incense, photos, and the tasks with Rhi - they were called "Field Notes: Starly". I got enough Candy to evolve your best Starly all the way to Staraptor, even your Shadow and Purified ones. You should be able to battle with some of them too.

Me: Incredible, isn't it? They all should have their uses.

Ash: The people who got things going held contests too with the Shiny Starly we all caught. But I didn't win any of them. The eight Shiny Starly I caught for you were all just in the middle. They wanted the biggest and smallest in all different ways.

Me: It's hard to expect anything when the Shiny ones are based on luck, so no worries. Something's got to give at some point.

Goh: But I'm sure everyone had a great time.

Ash: We did! I have a picture to show for that.

Ash: I'm holding the Community Day banner.

Pikachu: Pi pika chu! ["Nicely done!"]

Me: I'm told some people couldn't be there because they had things to do, but this looks as lively as ever.

Ash: I don't even notice anything different.

Me: In that sense, it's still a success.

Goh: I couldn't agree more. Lots of people, lots of Pokémon, and lots of great times all around.

Ash: By the way, there was something I did before the event yesterday - isn't it just this but different?

Goh: Oh, what could this be?

Me: Good question. That needs to be answered while we talk again, tomorrow.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Fest 2021, Day 1

Two years ago: Catch Me If...

Three years ago: The First Johto Saga Japanese Opening Theme

Four years ago: Rearranged Pokémon Music

Five years ago: How Far Do People Know Pokémon?