Not a Day Without Pokémon: Cosplay: Pokémon Festival Jakarta

Me: And... Here we go!

Goh: Wow! You actually made it!

Ash: This is beyond awesome!

Pikachu: Pika chuu!! ["Awesome!!"]

Me: But first things off: I'd like to say that I sent you on Sunday, New Year's Day, so this is a report of what happened that day. It's also not a strictly character [OOC: cosplay] event for us, but I did send you in character, which is entirely the purpose of going here. But I'm sure you're fine with that, because we did the reporting later last week too.

Ash, Goh: Yeah!

Me: OK then, let's start off with what you saw there. I got you there with your Kanto outfit, the new version, and then...

Ash: I saw a lot of things! There was a place to play the cards, a Christmas tree with lots of Pokémon on it, huge Poké Balls hanging from the top, a place for catching and battling Pokémon, a place for kids to have fun and watch the action, a store with lots of goodies, and even an ice skating rink!

Goh: An ice skating rink?!

Me: Well, it is the "winter" holidays after all, so that's quite expected and plausible, even where we are.

Ash: You needed to pay to skate, but everything else was free.

Me: That's OK - I didn't send you here to skate, and we can't fluke it anyhow. What did you do then?

Ash: I got a sheet of paper to fill out - it asked me to do all kinds of things.

Goh: Like what?

Ash: It told me to catch a Pikachu in the area...

Pikachu: Pi-ka pika... ["Interesting..."]

Ash: ...then to battle Pokémon in teams, and to try out playing the cards - but this last one I had to wait later on for my turn with other people.

Goh: What did you get after all that?

Ash: I got a special card! It looks so neat.

Me: I'm looking at the sheet, and it seems if you had more time and could try out playing the cards twice more, you could get another special card - but we don't have that much time. The same also goes for finding Pokémon in three different areas outside the location but farther away.

Ash: The traffic was bad. I wouldn't go there, and in the end, I couldn't.

Me: I thought you could get to my other friends there, but it turns out it's not possible. But that's OK. What else?

Ash: I got to keep the cards I used to play. It kinda helped that you already got me to know some of the things I needed to do.

Me: It helped, didn't it? But let's let that slide.

Goh: Anything else that you saw?

Ash: I saw six really big Pikachu dancing! Later on, I saw them with Eevee also dancing to different music.

Pikachu: Pika chu, pika! ["Looks neat, really!"]

Goh: That is entertaining.

Ash: I took a picture with a Pikachu and... hey, it's a totally new Pokémon!

Me: That is what's called Fuecoco.

Goh: I've just heard of this Pokémon - it's from the Paldea region. But I guess... we might not have time to deal with that?

Me: That's a discussion for another time, but the point seems to be made. Speaking of pictures, usually when I send you to places, there would be people asking for pictures with you. How was it this time?

Ash: Not a lot of people did that.

Me: Well, I guess that's understandable, given that the event is not a character event. Also my friend tells me that we may not have decided on the appropriate outfit for the occasion, and part of the blame might be on me.

Ash: But I did get this one:

Me: Hey, a friend tells me that the person beside you here is very important around here!

Ash: What? I can't believe it!

Goh: This could lead to something big.

Me: There's always that possibility. Speaking of friends, you came here with one of my friends to make sure you weren't lonely - I helped to do just that.

Ash: Yeah! We then met his friend who's in the area and then your other friend. The first two left early to do other things, but I had a great time with your other friend.

Me: Nice, huh? It was the first time in years we met physically, so this time is significant since we now know each other very well. And in this case, you also represent me, so things have to be great.

Ash: It was! The rest of the day, we just took pictures together and chose a few goodies to bring back to you.

Goh: A few, huh? This looks more than that.

Me: I'll take care of the goodies in a separate discussion. So, I think that's pretty much it - overall impressions?

Ash: It was different than what you usually send me to, but this one really had Pokémon all the way! It's fantastic. I feel really great with it.

Goh: If they could include characters, it could really accommodate more people.

Me: Maybe, but that could be hard. Still, we did our best...

Ash: ...and we had no regrets!

Pikachu: Pika! ["Right!"]

Me: They say if you enjoy something you spend, then it's not a waste of that. It's different, but it's still great.

Goh: Most importantly, it involved Pokémon completely, which is important for all of us.

Me: I agree, and that matters very, very much, even if it's far away. Great job!

Ash, Goh: Nice one!

Pikachu: Pi pika chu! ["Very nice indeed!"]

One year ago: Two and Two Together

Two years ago: A Dream with Partners

Three years ago: A Clear Vision