The Peak of Rising Heroes

And as usual, there is the end of the Pokémon Go season to deal with. As has always been the norm, I consider it a "peak" rather than an "end", and I always look for reflections not just from Pokémon Go but also from other aspects of Pokémon where relevant. Now, I had earlier mentioned the two elements of enigmas and dynamics that might just become relevant to those happenings way back at the season's beginning, and in a way, they have; if this season's theme has some relationships to comic books, it may then be considered that those elements play into the season's "plot" and "drama", in both Pokémon Go and beyond.

Those who have played Pokémon Go will already have recognized the "plot" and "drama" that has occurred throughout this season with the changing of certain mechanics - not necessarily for the better - and how that has resulted in a certain enigma and dynamic, one of which is certain to change the face of the community. Some have even dubbed the season as "Rising Prices" instead, which may be regarded as true within and outside Pokémon Go. It seems that as Trainers in here had to rise up with what was presented, they also had to rise up against what was presented, and that took the essence of the season in a quite different direction.

In other aspects of Pokémon, some of the enigmas and dynamics - still related to the concept of heroes that rise up - have been elucidated through the edition of Pokémon Presents that in a way also heralded the season, and have occurred as such. Yet, some happenings that then occurred within the bounds of this season had not been elucidated at that time and instead happened as the season unfolded. They also had to happen as other things fall, which evokes the "against" part as with Pokémon Go above. Still others will need to wait their turn in order to be able to rise up, and thus it seems the spirit of the season will continue outside it.

(With the above, it seems that heroes have to rise in both the best and the worst cases, and that prompts me to think of a certain related song - though I'll save it for a separate discussion since it goes so deep.)

Now as the season ends, it has become evident that what is (was) supposed to be a season of people and things rising to heroic supremacy also involved some tumultuous and even declining affairs. That seemingly may demand people to try to make the best of it, even to search for the little things that make it as such. This spirit, along with the main "rising" affair, seems to have to go on as well, and in fact, the next season's offerings could be rather evocative of that. At least, Pokémon is still to be had wherever one may be in the current state of things, particularly with the "plot" and "drama" that has unfolded and will unfold.

One year ago: The Peak of Alola

Two years ago: The Peak of Legends

Three years ago: Tournament: Raid Group Forest Cup

Four years ago: A New Pokémon "Wave"

Five years ago: Off We Go... to Alola!

Six years ago: I Need More Rumble World Players

The State of Nominations, Part 22

Of course, after two months, I have to update on my progress on PokéStop nominations. This time, the update is not only on what has happened to them since two months ago, but also on how I keep track of them. It's something that I've always done since the beginning with a certain method that served its purpose well at the start, but has become unwieldy at this point. Thus, I sought to change that method, and the change has worked so well that it has made me slightly more active in both the nomination process and the use of Wayfarer to observe them. And that is a good thing for these updates.

Earlier, I had used a text file to keep track of nominations, but I've since changed it to a spreadsheet. The former was fine when there were few(er) nominations, but now it had just gotten too long and too much, so it was definitely time to change to the latter. In doing so, I'm also able to keep track of their states simultaneously, both as I regard them and as Wayfarer regards them; it also helps me to count them in different ways, something that has become way too hard with just a text file. Furthermore, during the conversion, I also had found that I had duplicate records for different nominations, which were resolved as the conversion was made - obviously an important discovery. It's a wonder how I ever got by with just the text file and its complications therein.

With that out of the way, now I can present the numbers definitively. In all, I've made 170 nominations that I consider distinct, not including renominations without significant changes, or errors like accidental double submissions (which have happened); this is an increase of 10 from 160 at the end of March. Of these, according to Wayfarer, I have 90 Accepted, 43 Not Accepted, 11 marked as Duplicate, 4 Appealed, 6 In Voting, and 16 In Queue. Notably, since last time, I managed to win the appeal for one of my appealed nominations, allowing it to become Accepted. Although these do not completely reflect the entirety of nominations as they are on Wayfarer, it is simpler to discuss them as such, but still with their Wayfarer status.

As for my own status on them, I have 89 approved, 33 rejected, 22 superseded, 4 appealed, and 22 submitted. While the appealed and submitted nominations correspond as above (In Queue + In Voting for the latter), the other three have different correspondences. A Duplicate nomination is certain to be superseded, but 10 of the superseded ones are actually Not Accepted, and 1 is actually Accepted. This continues to show that my considerations for statuses are quite different from those of Wayfarer, but there are still rough correspondences between them and thus the statuses.

Thanks to the spreadsheet, I'm also able to evaluate the "turnaround" of the nominations, as the number of days between the date of the first submission and that of the latest decision that applies to them. By far, the shortest is 2 days for 3 nominations, 2 becoming Accepted and 1 becoming Not Accepted. As for the longest, that would be 1119 days (3 years and 24 days, just shy of another month) for a nomination that was initially Not Accepted around a month after its nomination three years ago and remained as such due to the condition of the object, but then was able to be nominated differently and became Accepted, thus leading me to consider the original nomination superseded. This is just one example of the different considerations that I apply.

Changing the way I keep track of my PokéStop nominations from a text file to a spreadsheet has proven to be a significant step, but it also has implications that are as equally significant as that change. One of these implications is the improvement in the visibility of nomination progressions through the way the data are presented, and another is the easier manipulation of the information I have regarding them. Ultimately, it was an update that was absolutely required just as much as making this progression update in general every two months, and that's not something that is likely to change, for as long as Pokémon Go still has a place and there is a need to expand its overworld through nominations.

One year ago: The State of Nominations, Part 16

Two years ago: Quickies: Ice, Pokémon, and Chilling Out

Three years ago: Team Rocket, Minus Motto

Four years ago: Woodblock Art with a Pokémon Twist

Five years ago: Old Adventure, New Sensibilities

Six years ago: Ad Astra per Aspera... and the Third Games

Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 5/29/2023

This month in the events for Pokémon Go, the events are unique in that they became linked with a raid of some sort. It's true that the raids themselves may be considered (and have become) full-fledged events, but for this month, it is just as apt to consider them as part of the events rather than as events of their own. Furthermore, this month is also the last month of this season, the Season of Rising Heroes, so it has to tie up the loose ends, and that becomes evident in some ways through the events and what they featured.

Since last month brought about the season's first "signature event" featuring Blanche, it is natural to follow it up with the other two team leaders. That happened this month starting with "An Instinctive Hero" featuring Spark, from May 2 to 8. The running theme for the event was hatching Eggs, so for this event, the Special Research set dealt with doing that and rewarded a special Elekid with a band. Also hatching anew were the Larvesta family in regular (2 km, 5 km, and 10 km) Eggs onwards, as well as Shiny Mantyke from 7 km Eggs; the process came with increased Shiny chance and double Stardust and XP. Field Research also brought about some of the "grown" baby Pokémon. It was also during this event that the first special raids occurred, as the Kleavor Raid Day on May 6. As has been the recent norm, Kleavor (with increased Shiny chance appeared in all Gyms twice over from 11 AM to 2 PM and additional free raid passes were given, and for this event, remote raid limits were temporarily raised. Kleavor seems to be a fine choice to suit the Spark event, even if it was totally coincidental.

Afterwards, that just left the "signature event" featuring Candela, which would be "A Valorous Hero" from May 11 to 17. Candela specializes in (has a knack for) battling, and so the associated Special Research set dealt with battling and rewarded a special Ponyta with a necklace. This event also featured a handful of characteristic regional Pokémon in raids, the debut of Mega Pinsir in Mega Raids, as well as doubled Candy capture, Candy XL chance, daily free raid passes, and Mysterious Components; special Timed Research and Field Research tasks were also available. For this event, the special raids took the form of repeated Regidrago Elite Raids on May 13 as a second take because the first one back in March was riddled with problems for many around the world. Technically, it wasn't a scheduled part of the event, but it still makes sense to include it as such, with all the other battles that went on.

Meanwhile, Team Go Rocket prepared their time in the spotlight, and that came with the Rising Shadows event from May 22 to 28. It was also during this event that Shadow Raids and its related aspects came about, starting with one-star and three-star raids, and this culminated with raids for Shadow Mewtwo for only two days, on May 27 and 28. Other features of the event were more frequent Grunts in PokéStops and balloons, a handful of shady Pokémon in the wild, Field Research tasks rewarding Stardust and Mysterious Components, and a special avatar pose available for purchase. With that, Team Go Rocket really did have some time in the spotlight, as has been Professor Willow's teams and their leaders.

If anything, the few events of this month in Pokémon Go had a lot going for them (including the raid aspect), being that the month concludes the season. After all that has happened during it, it can be said that everyone and their Pokémon really rose up in some ways, and at least some of that should be considered fittingly heroic.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 5/29/2022

Two years ago: The State of Nominations, Part 10

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 5/29/2020

Four years ago: Lure Modules Evolve

Five years ago: The "Attractors"

Six years ago: A Hero Looks to the Sky

Master Ball, Now in Pokémon Go

Along with Shadow Raids, something new has also appeared in Pokémon Go. Actually, it's something old for long-in-the-tooth fans of Pokémon in general, but it's nonetheless new for Pokémon Go; it's also something that some may have waited a long time for. For those who have decried missing an important capture - perhaps a Legendary raid boss with (close to) the best IV - or have concerns of such a situation, the answer is now present, in the form of the Poké Ball that never misses. And yes, it's the Master Ball.

Since last week, Trainers are now able to earn their first (and thus far, only) Master Ball by completing the "Let's Go!" Special Research set - which should have been obtained since two months ago and can be obtained until the end of this month - to the fifth page, which then rewards the highly coveted and very important capture ball. Once obtained, it can then be used as necessary in any situation where capturing Pokémon is necessary, including bonus encounters after raids or Team Go Rocket battles. This situation also makes it the first capture ball other than Premier Balls that may be used in those circumstances.

Using the Master Ball is simple. The capture ball drawer is pulled out and the Master Ball is selected, at which point a confirmation prompt (and the only one) is displayed to ascertain its use. Selecting "Use" will put the ball at the ready position to be thrown; when thrown, it displays a "galactic" cutscene of several seconds that ends with the ball definitively capturing the Pokémon. Any throw may be made for this purpose, even if the throw were to end up missing the Pokémon in any direction, and essentially, this throwing gesture is the final affirmation for its use, as it will never miss no matter what one does.

Yet as expected, circumstances regarding its "misuse" has come to light, even with the only failsafe above. There have been reports that the ball has been used to capture common Pokémon by parties that don't understand its purpose, while other reports indicate that it may conflict with the usage of a Go Plus device of any sort, especially for Pokémon that have already fled without this situation being known. Of course, by this point, still others have sacrificed their Master Ball for a common Pokémon... but this was done knowingly and for the purpose of documentation, so it's less of a "misuse" than the other two situations above.

In light of the above, some precautions and guidelines may need to be established. If possible, it may be best to defer completion of the Special Research for as long as possible; once the Master Ball is obtained, it may be necessary to exercise caution in all capture circumstances - especially when a Go Plus device is in use - and not to entrust capture to external parties, particularly those unaware of the Master Ball. As for usage, two candidates are already obvious: good raid bosses with the best stats as well as the Galarian birds that seem to run away no matter what one does... or one can just save it (carefully) for future shenanigans.

There's an old adage that states that great power demands great responsibility. In this case, that great power is the godly Master Ball, now available for use in Pokémon Go, while the great responsibility is making sure that it is preserved well and used appropriately. It's an "old new thing" that has finally made it into Pokémon Go, and it may just make good situations better (and hopefully not bad situations worse). Certainly, like the other games it has appeared in, the Master Ball in Pokémon Go should take things one step closer to "mastery".

One year ago: Chasing Competitive Dreams

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 5/28/2021

Three years ago: Pro Job, Fun Job

Four years ago: Memories of Sinnoh

Five years ago: Helix Fossil Understands

Six years ago: Takara Tomy Pokémon XY Pikachu Plush Doll

Introducing Shadow Raids

For the longest time, Gyms in Pokémon Go have been free from the influence of Team Go Rocket (or the possibility of falling under that influence). That has recently changed, as it is now possible for Team Go Rocket to invade Gyms for a time, set up operations, and unleash a strong Pokémon influenced by the darkness. The task of Trainers then becomes to counter these Pokémon in battle and ward off the nefarious team. This comes in the form of a new kind of raids: Shadow Raids.

As can be inferred, these raids involve Shadow Pokémon, this time as raid bosses. A Shadow Raid will occur when a raid boss egg appears but is enveloped in the fiery darkness that is characteristic of Shadow Pokémon in general. Once the raid starts, Team Go Rocket takes control of the Gym and the Shadow raid boss appears to be battled. Successfully defeating the raid boss will result in a Pokémon encounter as usual, only as with defeating members of Team Go Rocket at PokéStops, it will be of a Shadow Pokémon. Overall, it's more or less like a normal raid... but there are a few exceptions.

The primary difference is these raids are local (in-person) only, which means remote passes cannot be used to battle in them, no one can be invited to them, and private groups cannot be created, forcing Trainers to battle on the spot with whatever consequences that might bring. Raid bosses of three stars or higher will also become "enraged" in the middle of battle, which makes it harder to defeat them as this happens. There are also no Mega Raids with Shadow Pokémon (as they cannot Mega Evolve), and the Gym Control ball bonus is not awarded due to the Gyms being under Team Go Rocket.

In order to "subdue" the enraged bosses, Trainers can use a Purified Gem during the raid battle, which is obtained by collecting four Shadow Shards by defeating Team Go Rocket in any capacity, including Shadow Raids themselves. These along with the raids themselves had been introduced for a few days at this point, and the Purified Gem is effectively the first mid-battle item in Pokémon Go, at least discounting Potions and Revives that can be used in battle but not while it is progressing. In effect, these raids introduce themselves and other facets as novelties for friend and foe alike.

However the case, this is undeniably Team Go Rocket's biggest undertaking yet since they started operations in Pokémon Go a while back. And now they and their Pokémon have encroached upon what is considered a "sanctuary" of sorts for Trainers, even with them not directly affecting the Pokémon in them. Regardless, the task of Trainers remains the same in this situation: to defeat Team Go Rocket and detach their influence from the Gyms and the Shadow Pokémon while getting something useful out of it.

One year ago: Living in the "City on the Trees"

Two years ago: Electrify Your Power

Three years ago: Coffee in My Coffers?

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 5/27/2019

Five years ago: Long Raid's Journey Into Night

Six years ago: A Test of My Resolve: I Still...

Silph Arena Factions Postseason, Season 2

I actually had a topic lined up for today to be discussed in today's post, but at the last moment, I decided that it's better to wait a little bit more before discussing it to gain some further perspective. Instead, I've opted to discuss something that is mostly ready to be discussed, which would be the Season 2 postseason for Silph Arena Factions, which also happens to be the last due to the impending closure. It's all the same as the postseason for Season 1, but it's also starkly different from that. One way or another, that is still a prompt for discussion, and that can be done even now.

As with last year, there are two concluding tournaments: a top-flight global tournament and a second-level global tournament. For the former, this time it's called the Worlds Championship. The best of the best Factions from around the world (the usual four conferences - NA, LATAM, EMEA, APAC) and the highest tier (Emerald according to the new structure) are invited to compete in a two-stage tournament comprising a group stage and a "knockout" single elimination stage, much like that of the World Cup for soccer. Originally, this was only to involve 20 teams (five per conference), but with the closure imminent, the decision was made to expand it to 32 teams and even include a best-performing Diamond Tier team. This will play out over seven Bouts, three for the group stage and four for the "knockout round".

For the latter, instead of separate tournaments for each tier like last year, there is only one tournament, called the King of the Hill tournament, which takes the form of a grand single elimination tournament with many contenders. Factions that don't qualify to enter the above top-flight tournament can enter this second-level tournament, with priority given to Factions in non-Open tiers followed by Open tier champions and all other Factions therein on a first-come-first-serve basis by RSVP. Only 256 slots are available, so Factions need to act (get it together) fast in order to participate in this "last dance" - and it truly is that, as with one loss, the journey here ends immediately. Eight Bouts are needed to bring this tournament to its ultimate conclusion.

Meanwhile, in the meta or format realm, no highly specific details have been announced yet for either tournament, although Great League and Ultra League will have an open format, Master League stands to keep its current format (but with further adjustments), a novelty changing format will be instituted, and the "bring 8, ban 2" system will be in play. It stands to be more complex than what was faced in the regular season, but that's just another challenge. Teams are given leeway to face that challenge by being able to bring in a completely new Trainer for their teams and/or two former Trainers that have played before; it is as much a "second chance" for some as it is a true "last dance" for many.

While it will still take a little time before things are all ready for the teams of Factions to have their respective "last dances", much of the details are already ready and out in the open that it can still serve to make a good discussion and a preview of the ordeal or the task to come. And that's something that Trainers will have to prepare and get ready for at this very moment, now that the moment of Silph Arena's conclusion is at hand. This is the currently prevailing perspective for Factions as it and the Arena approaches their end, and one that at this point needs to be disclosed any day, even today.

One year ago: The Advancement of TMs

Two years ago: Road of 25th Anniversary: On with the Show

Three years ago: Friendship and Community

Four years ago: Gatherings for Blessings and Success

Five years ago: Reconsidering Trade Evolutions

Six years ago: What's Appenin' (Mobile Games)

SA Factions: The First (and the Last) Cycle

Cycle 4 of Season 2 of Silph Arena Factions has come to an end for me and my participating Faction, SWEEP JR. Yet it is a bittersweet end, because for some, this marks the end of their dealings with Factions, as the end is also nigh for the Silph Arena in general. As stated in the recap for the last Bout, I intend to make a recap of its happenings, and I want to take this post to do just that. It still had been a whirlwind of a Cycle for my Faction, and now that the whirlwind has dissipated, it's time to see what it brought about.

After nine Bouts, some great and others not so great, my Faction ended up with 15 points, a 5-4 win record, and 99 battle wins (and a win percentage of 52.38%, according to Silph Arena). That also means no less than 10 battle wins per Bout and an average of 11. As for rankings, my Faction ranked 11th out of 37 Factions in the APAC Open Tier; among Factions from the same country (Indonesia), it ranked 2nd, just below the senior Faction that handed out a stinging loss. This is rather impressive, considering that the Faction had only been formed this year, and as such it is the best among that group of debutants as well. 

In those nine Bouts, three Trainers managed to play in all of them: riman12, RaymondHrtwn, and Orioo16, all of whom happen to be League Specialists and I've fondly referred as the "Triple R Squad" (Riman, Raymond, oRioo). From them, the best has to be riman12, who contributed the most battle wins, 18 in all. After that, there were the Field Specialists who handled seven Bouts (Almujha and Kucingimutt for Arcana, and Wina1403 and YukiXCyz for Catacomb [the last mostly, with an extra Bout]) as well as me (PokeMasterBP348) and bakalikur as the "Alternate duo" with varied minimal participation.

The average number of battles won as above implies that we could have and should have won a few more Bouts, but evidently some of them were marred by technical or silly issues, some of which shouldn't have happened in the first place (like failure to report leading to a battle loss that effectively cost the Bout). By the time we "got our game back" in the second half of the Cycle, it was already too late, although the announced impending closure of Silph Arena meant that any result that we gained effectively has no bearing... at least presently and unless it may be used in a Factions revival in some form. Much remains to be seen.

Speaking of "revival", for those whose Factions dealings are not quite over, there is one thing to consider: postseason tournaments. I'll explain that in a separate post with all the details later on, but the point as it applies to this personal recap is that there is the possibility that my Faction can stand to participate in some way, which means that our dealings with Factions in its current form may not be over quite yet if that's the case. Furthermore, that will truly be the "last dance" in a certain way, especially if we can't bring out our very best, but it's something worth taking part in as we've "gotten our feet wet" - again, if it's truly possible. 

How this first (and last) Cycle turned out for my Faction may have left a little something to be desired, although the sudden "entry" of the "exit" of Silph Arena does mean that any result just needs to be taken as it is, as there is no guarantee that it may be usable later on. As for later developments, that may not be something I would personally state or establish. What remains established is that my teammates and I have essentially bonded through this effort; it's a bond that certainly will outlive this Cycle and into whatever we do next.

One year ago: Pokémon in 1995?

Two years ago: Pokémon SM KFC Toys: The Rest, Part 2

Three years ago: Safe, Pleasant, and Beneficial for All

Four years ago: Best of the Rest: T-Shirt Contest

Five years ago: Read, Play, and Enjoy

Six years ago: A Camera and a Pikachu Doll

Tournament: SWEEP JR vs. Budak_Korporat.ID (SA Factions)

The final Bout of the final Cycle of the final season of Silph Arena Factions came and went for my team, SWEEP JR. For others, this final Bout might be the tensest moment yet (depending on how high they are and how they do in the standings), but at least for my team as well as our opponent this time - and possibly others - it might prove to be relaxing instead. That's because my team ended up facing another Indonesian ("local") team, who goes by the name of Budak_Korporat.ID. Translated, the team name means "corporate slave", and that might just describe some of our members' relationships with Pokémon Go as the game we play.

Like my Faction, this is another debutant of the Cycle; it's actually a "splinter" Faction of a previous Faction called Garuda Go, which has since become defunct due to its members going different ways, one of which resulted in the creation of this Faction. Similarly, they hadn't been doing well either. Uniquely, this Faction also "employs outside help" for one of its members - which will be evident shortly - in contrast to most Indonesian teams that prefer "local pride" and thus members from within the country. In any case, one part of the "relaxing" aspect is that I as the Captain don't have to worry too much about making sure that everyone battles, much like that other time my team went up against another "local" team.

For the battle results, they happened to be quite fascinating. On Friday, riman12 vs. Andridwp in the Open Great League started off things with a 1-2 loss, but then RaymondHrtwn vs. Mewonggo (Justicar Field for Ultra League) and YukixCyz vs. SenzseiGo (Catacomb Field) both delivered stunning 3-0 wins, suddenly putting my team well ahead at that point with a total score of 7-2. In most previous Bouts, we were often behind at this point, but this time it was different.

And different it continued to be. There was still the concern that things could turn out to be close again, as Almujha vs. NadhifPutraAbi (Arcana Field) on Saturday and bakalikur vs. OrangVenus (Catacomb Field, against the opposing Captain) on Sunday led to 1-2 losses and the other team inching closer. But then, the deciding point of the Bout came with the Arcana Field match of Kucingimutt vs. GundulmuYurhed, which led to a 2-1 win and a total score of 11-7 at that point, assuring victory for my Faction, as in normal cases 11 points or battle wins will do just that. That meant that the one remaining match of Orioo16 vs. Red5saru (Open Master League, against the "outside help" from Japan) no longer had a bearing on the final results, though it was still played for points anyway and resulted in a 1-2 loss. The final points came to be 12-9, still a satisfying victory.

Effectively, this was the first and (possibly, likely) only time that my Faction was able to clinch victory for a Bout with any number of matches remaining, which at minimum requires four matches, three of which are sweeping victories. The fact that the situation has occurred speaks of the caliber that my fellow teammates have and should have become evident over the course of this Cycle. Unfortunately, there may or may not be further opportunities to display that, with the way that Silph Arena is winding down. As I did near the midpoint of this Cycle, I'll have more to say in this in a post that recaps what has happened, only this time it's for the conclusion of this Cycle and possibly my team's efforts in Silph Arena Factions; everything ought to be made clear in due time.

Something novel at least manifested for this Bout against two teams of (mostly) fellow countrymen, whether or not we may be "corporate slaves" as that team's name might suggest. We did realize some good battles at the tail end of our debut - and unfortunately, only - participation in Factions. It has been a tense moment to be sure, but with the conclusion of the Cycle, there is now at least some moment of peace for all of us.

One year ago: Sensitive Parts of Pokémon

Two years ago: Pokémon SM KFC Toys: The Rest, Part 1

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 5/24/2020

Four years ago: T-Shirts in Distress

Five years ago: Trading Items?

Six years ago: Retro Rendezvous

Pokémon Go Community Day, 5/21/2023

Me: And then there's that one Pokémon matter as an aside from the festival on Sunday.

Goh: Of course. It had to be Community Day.

Me: You'd better believe it. This is the first one in a long time that conflicted with a festival or convention that I had wanted or needed to send Ash to, and the first since the regular supported meetups began.

Ash: But hey, we got off easy this time! I could just go to the meetup with no problem.

Pikachu: Pika! ["No prob!"]

Me: Luckily. If things were different, Ash might not have been able to go at all. Although... the festival had tried to be scheduled the Sunday before that, but it got shifted to last Sunday due to the venue schedule. If that had happened, we wouldn't be discussing it today, nor would there be the conflict.

Goh: We can only be glad that things worked out.

Me: All right, enough of that. Anyhow, this edition's featured Pokémon is Fennekin, which Ash should recognize.

Ash: Haha, it's one of Serena's Pokémon from Kalos!

Me: Yeah, that.

Goh: It's a starter Pokémon and a Fire-type, so it had to get Blast Burn as a special move when it was evolved to Delphox after Braixen.

Me: Indeed, but there's also a twist this time. So, I'm sure you know that Delphox has a "signature move" of its own, which would be Mystical Fire. The moment of this Community Day also became the debut of that move, but you don't get it during the event.

Ash: So how do you get it?

Me: You get it by evolving it outside the event, so once the Blast Burn "move window" is up, you evolve it then.

Goh: OK, so in other words, you wait until the event is over, then you evolve it.

Me: Exactly. But I'm sure Blast Burn is still needed, so you'd still need to have evolved some during the event.

Goh: Any other things that we have to know about what happened then? 

Me: Well, as usual, there were bonuses to be had. Tripled Stardust was the big thing, and Candy and Candy XL chance was doubled. Of course, you had to use Incense and/or Lure Modules to get more Fennekin to appear, which were extended... and you could take pictures too. And if you needed to trade, they were discounted and you could make another Special Trade if you needed.

Ash: I got to work with Professor Willow again - it was a bunch of tasks called "Fur and Flames". I saw some Braixen raids that you could raid to get more Fennekin, and someone did raid at the end. I also did a few tasks from PokéStops and got a lot of Fennekin stickers.

Me: Excellent. Now, I'm sure the meetup was a success.

Ash: It was! It was in the same place as February and March. But some had to leave early for different reasons...

Pikachu: Pika chu! ["Looks nice!"]

Goh: What did you evolve for our friend?

Ash: There was a really good one that our friend already had, and as a Buddy too, so I evolved that one. I also evolved a Shiny one that looks like it might be good for battle, so I evolved that and another one. They all just had Blast Burn.

Me: That's pretty good. I'll take care of the Mystical Fire bit myself later on.

Goh: How did the others do?

Ash: Some people got the best one they could from tasks, but l wasn't lucky.

Goh: Well, it does depend a bit on chance, so that's not to worry about.

Ash: I did get lots of Fennekin Candy and Candy XL, and some Stardust. 

Me: Hey, that's all that matters. And as usual, connecting me and other people - both here and at the festival.

Ash: It was a hot day at the festival and now here, but it was great! I got back to the festival after things were done.

Me: Good - that's what I expected. Won't Serena be proud herself.

Ash: I'm sure she'd like it! 

Pikachu: Pi pika! ["I agree!"]

Goh: It's been a great three days in conversation. Looking back, lots of things really did happen.

Me: At least it's a great way - and a different way - for us to present things.

Ash: I wonder if it can happen again.

Me: Well, you never know, you never know. We might have to consult Delphox about that.

Ash, Goh: Haha!!

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Goodies

Two years ago: The Laissez-Faire Approach to Pokémon

Three years ago: The State of Nominations, Part 4

Four years ago: A Friend and Fellow Pokétaku

Five years ago: Favorite LINE Pokémon Stickers, Again

Six years ago: Becoming a Connoisseur

Let's Talk About Perpetual Connections

Me: And... the second part of the three days of conversation is a special occasion - at least something that we (mostly I) personally believe as such, and has been for a few years now.

Ash: It's my birthday!

Goh: Happy birthday!

Pikachu: Pika chu! ["Happy day!"]

Me: So, there's that. As with the past few years, we're tying the discussion with a choice topic. This year, I've chosen the topic of "perpetual connections".

Goh: "Perpetual" - so it's like "everlasting" or "a really long time".

Me: That's the gist. In relation to what Goh just mentioned, I don't know if you know this or not, but Pokémon has been around for a long time - at least for me. For you two, it might seem more like a blip in time even though a lot of things have happened.

Ash: I get what you mean. I've been there, done that - and a lot of things have happened. It feels like a really short time.

Goh: I haven't been around as long as Ash, so my time has been shorter. But I can see how that would be for you two.

Me: The point is that no matter how long it's been, I just can't see myself disconnecting from Pokémon. It's just that important - and in that case, it's almost effectively a "perpetual connection".

Ash: I mean, I feel the same way with Pikachu. We've always been together, and it's hard for anyone to break that.

Pikachu: Pi pika. ["Surely."]

Goh: I don't want to be the one either! But seriously, it's also like trying to separate me from Mew. It just can't happen. So that is a "perpetual connection" too.

Me: See, we're getting to the point of this. And then there's all the people we've met that are related to Pokémon. I'm sure Ash can name a lot already.

Ash: Sure, there's Brock, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Serena, Lillie... 

Goh: This can go on forever. In my case, it would be similar to Chloe, Professor Cerise and his assistants, and others.

Ash: Oh, sorry. Yeah, it's quite a lot. 

Me: Then, for me, there are those who play with me, enjoy with me, connect with me... I can only describe the specifics and cannot name each and every person individually - trust me, there's a lot as well in this regard.

Goh: You don't need to go in details. I'm sure we already understand, and so do everyone who's paying attention to us.

Me: Speaking of paying attention, there is actually one matter that has come to light in connection to all of us by now very clearly, and it actually should have affected us and how we do things like this even today.

Goh: Oh, um...

Ash: We...

Pikachu: Pi... ["Um..."]

Me: Rest assured that regardless of the matter, you two, Ash in particular, will have a "perpetual connection" to everyone and especially me. I'll deal with the matter when it becomes pertinent. 

Ash, Goh: We'll wait for you!

Me: Thanks. For now, today's occasion is always a heartfelt one even if it may not be all that evident anyhow. But who cares?

Ash: Don't worry about it.

Goh: We understand.

Me: That's what makes "perpetual connections" so important, even on a day like today.

One year ago: Let's Talk About Meaningful Things

Two years ago: Let's Talk About Filling in Things

Three years ago: Let's Talk About Some Moments

Four years ago: After All These Years

Five years ago: GiRL (Gyms in Real Life)

Six years ago: To Japan and Beyond

Cosplay: Harusaki no Matsuri - COSMO's 9th Anniversary

Me: Heads up, it's gonna be a busy three days, all of which will be evident in conversation. And it begins with... this one!

Ash: Wow, this should be great!

Pikachu: Pi pika! ["Hey yeah!"]

Goh: An event! A festival, it seems?

Me: That's the gist of it. The title means "early spring festival", so you're on the money. It's also the anniversary celebration of a group of friends I know very well.

Goh: So it's obviously special for you.

Me: And Ash, of course. Today is also very special in another way - or make that two ways - but we'll get to that as the day unfolds.

Goh: So, what did you see there?

Ash: I saw the usual stuff - communities, goodies, and food. But it looked a bit tight.

Goh: Many people? Many booths?

Ash: I think it was both!

Me: Wherever I send you, it's always a squeeze, it seems.

Ash: Oh yeah, I saw lots of characters too... but lots of them were from a really far land.

Me: Sorry about that. It seems like this festival was in a way a validation for them. 

Ash: Your friends even performed a stage play as those characters! I saw a little bit, but just enough.

Me: Yeah, see, there you go.

Goh: They must be incredibly popular, just like how Pokémon is popular... not in this place, but elsewhere.

Me: Goh is absolutely right. Down in my neck of the woods, characters from that faraway land are very popular - but only for a time. Who knows how long it will be before the next set of popular characters.

Goh: I'd love to see Pokémon more popular!

Me: All of us do. That's why I consider it our mission. Now, also as usual, there are competitions. How are or were they?

Ash: There were three: singing, character performance, and character parade. The singers were good, but some were really good, and those were the winners too.

Me: That's always to be expected.

Ash: For the character competitions, I didn't get a chance to see them, but I got to see the list of everyone in them. That was because you had me do something else with a lot of Pokémon for a few hours.

Me: I have to say that we'll handle this later, but it's a good thing this can still happen.

Ash: And then I got to see who won. They were all really good.

Pikachu: Pika pika. ["Very good."]

Goh: Wait a minute! So... you weren't in the competitions?

Me: No, he wasn't. Instead, he was asked to be a "guest performer", to open the festival nonetheless, so he couldn't possibly be in them. I probably should have said this right away, huh.

Goh: Woow! It's just like that Christmas Day event. What song did you sing?

Ash: I sang two songs: "Saikou Everyday" and "Mezase Pokémon Master". The first one was why you sent me with my Sinnoh outfit.

Me: Indeed I did! How did that go?

Ash: I did just great! But the sound person...

Goh: Did that not go too well?

Ash: The first song was a little quiet in the beginning, even after I checked it way before and it was fine. And I think the fast parts were a bit fast for me today. But I kept singing!

Me: That is very good. That is what is expected not just as a guest performer but when you get back to competitions.

Goh: I have to agree with what our friend said. This is the first time for the first song for you both, right?

Me: Right you are. I've always wanted to include this in a performance by Ash, and that finally happened.

Ash: I'm touched. Thank you!! Let's see if we can do the first song again for a future competition.

Goh: By the way, where is this?

Me: You won't believe it - it's at the same place where one year Ash was a judge and another year he first performed with a band.

Ash: Yeah! So you could say I got to do something really special again in this place.

Goh: That's impressive! Anything else I and others should know about?

Ash: The entertainment was good even if it was the usual - bands, dance groups, and so on. I just saw some parts.

Goh: I bet you'd like it if you had been able to collaborate with one of the bands like other times.

Ash: Yeah! I hope that can happen.

Pikachu: Pika, pi pika! ["Yeah, let's hope!"]

Me: Overall, though, what did you think?

Ash: I think your friends really pulled off a good event! I heard they sold out the tickets.

Goh: That's something you rarely hear. That has to be very, very nice.

Ash: And I'd love to sing again!

Me: Why not. You're continuing to prove your worth - and mine. I think it will happen.

Ash: Today was a great day! It was tiring, but it was really good.

Pikachu: Pika chu! ["You bet!"]

Goh: It seems like it was not only a good but bright day with this event - and that Pokémon thing you made Ash do.

Me: I think this day of the "early spring festival" really does scream "early spring" in more ways than one.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 5/21/2022

Two years ago: Anime with Mixed Language Content?

Three years ago: More Virulent Impacts

Four years ago: Respect for Rica Matsumoto

Five years ago: Throwing Poké Balls

Six years ago: Cosplay: East and West

Tournament: Arcaviary Tournament - Arcana Cup

The Arcaviary series of tournaments return... at least for me personally. There was actually one for Polkadot last month, but I didn't partake in it due to other concerns. With Arcana being this month's themed cup - a derivative from the current Cycle of Factions - I just had to participate in it, moreover with the impending closure of Silph Arena. Both of these are certainly very strong reasons to take part in this tournament (and other tournaments featuring this month's theme), and this happens to be a convenient one in my case.

Like the previous two tournaments, this one was a day-per-day affair for its rounds, with seven rounds in all. It started last week Saturday and just finished up tonight, enabling me to cover it as today's post. Even so, this one had comparatively fewer participants: 83 checked in at the start, but two had to drop for certain reasons, leaving only 81 participants. Whether this was an effect of the theme being part of Factions or some other happenings that I'm not privy to, I cannot say for sure, but at least the chance to participate before Silph Arena's closing (and a retained giveaway from last month) may have played efforts to retain participants.

As for my personal results, this was still not my best one yet. I ended up only winning three matches out of seven, finishing in the lower middle, third from the bottom of those with three match wins. I got swept in the first three rounds and only managed to steal a win in the fourth, before winning the rest. Even then, the fifth round win was because my opponent had to forfeit the match, though the rest were decided squarely with 2-1 wins. If anything, this is proof that Factions is one thing, and the individual competition is another; what happens in one is not necessarily reflective of the other. In my case, it was in stark contrast to my Factions record, which stands at two match wins out of two played.

Since this tournament is tangentially relevant to Factions, mine nonetheless, I have to cover how my specific teammates did. Besides me, there were four others who participated: riman12 (four wins, seventh in the group), YukixCyz (four wins, fourth in the group), Almujha (two wins, fifth in the group), and Kucingimutt (five wins, tenth in the group). My manager, TendouXForce, also participated - knowing that Silph Arena will be no more soon - and had four wins, ninth in the group. It's a bit of a wonder how we came together as a Faction with the range of skill levels we have, mine included.

I have mentioned that the Factions Battlefield doubling as a themed cup has a little bit of "mystery" to it; given the results of this tournament, we (specifically my Faction teammates and I) may or may not have been able to comprehend completely the nature of that "mystery", but at least some efforts have been made. For me personally, through the results of this tournament, there is still some ways to go before I can show thorough mastery of PvP, but even that may still have to be shrouded in "mystery", much like the theme.

One year ago: BJ Podcast: The Varied Nature of Japanese Fans

Two years ago: Reminiscing Pokémon Karaokemon... and More

Three years ago: More "Countermeasures" for Pokémon Go

Four years ago: Performance Critique: Bunkasai 2019 J-Song

Five years ago: Shiny Obsessions... Again?

Six years ago: Oddest Things with Pokémon

Need Some Help, Niantic?

If last year I posed that Game Freak as the epicenter developer of Pokémon may be in need of some help, now it seems I have to pose the same for Niantic as the developer of the mobile installment of Pokémon Go. This is especially after the debacle caused by the not-so-well-received changes to remote raids, and furthermore, this is compounded by a few other problems that have come to light. As such, the rhetorical question has to be posed once again for a different subject - Niantic, in this case.

Since those changes were implemented, Niantic experienced a major dip in profits, which is expected whether or not players (Trainers) had protested. Perhaps as a response, discount offerings on raid passes were implemented as item boxes, particularly on Raid Hour Wednesdays when more people are likely to raid. It may be that in order to restore at least some revenue, this discount may have to be implemented on a more regular basis, permanently if necessary. Yet it seems that this may require money to talk to show what's happening, likely if Niantic sees that the situation I mentioned continues to happen.

Then there are the other problems. Lately, there have been reports that the AR scanning feature is causing a great deal of problems, from those who rarely use it to those who use it frequently. It appears that some scans, even with honest efforts to make them as properly as possible, are regarded as improper, and based on this, Niantic has been handing out suspensions. While it may be appropriate to flag down some improper scans, if even proper scans are improper, then this feature may be considered to have too much of a "fudge factor" and it continues to affirm a stance I took a couple of years ago. It's just not worth the risk, with current and past problems and possibly more in the future.

"Risky" also describes the next problem. Niantic has recently come out with an original virtual AR pet game (Peridot), and it has a dark side to it: deleting the server data for that game also deletes the associated Niantic account and along with it progress for other games, including Pokémon Go. Scary stories of people losing progress as high as level 50 have been reported, and that's not good. The situation has been stated to be an "accident", but even so, it's a pretty big "oopsie". While I'm not interested in the game, there are others who are; yet if they lose interest in it and decide to "purge" its traces, then this is a huge problem just waiting to happen - or in fact, it already has... so it is, fait accompli.

With all of the above, the rhetorical question is practically demanded for the situation. Niantic seems to be bombarded with one problem after another for Pokémon Go, some of which may be considered the results of their own doing. There is no "industry pressure" involved as with Game Freak, but there is "technical pressure" to rectify the errors. As with the previous discussion, supposing that the rhetorical question isn't as such and Niantic does need help, it may have to be for quality control and some more openness, which are things that are present at times and absent in other times.

For a game that has become such an integral part of the franchise, Niantic nowadays seems to be more interested in driving Pokémon Go to the ground by the parts that make up its whole, if the above problems are of any indication. It is then no wonder that some have begun to leave the game for other (Pokémon) games, at least less problematic ones. While the question I posed above is rhetorical as I did for Game Freak, it has perhaps become a reality that Niantic may need to affirm and act on rather than deny and ignore.

One year ago: Bits and Pieces of Pokémon Merchandise

Two years ago: The Hum of (Pokémon) Life

Three years ago: Better for the World

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 5/19/2019

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 5/19/2018

Six years ago: On the Mystery of Dungeons

Every Day Is a Grind

The topic that I'd like to discuss for this one may not be specifically related to Pokémon and is rather general, but it has links to Pokémon regardless and deserves to be discussed. Any gamer ought to be familiar with "grinding", the (repetitive) process of developing something of great use for games, usually involving the generation of resources. It's a typical process for games, and even Pokémon games are included. What's more, it's something that can and does happen each day - needless to say, also with Pokémon games.

When it comes to Pokémon, the most common objects of daily grind are the species themselves (in games with individual instances like the main series and Pokémon Go) and/or accumulated resources like Stardust (Go) or Golden Acorns or cookies (Café Remix). The grind most likely has to be performed each day, or else it may become impossible to catch up if preparations, particularly if they happen to occur within or by way of specialized periods. Either way, each day provides an opportunity for these to be built up.

Of course, the grind each day also depends on what game(s) a Trainer may be involved in, which may be few or many. It is likely that Trainers will be divested in certain Pokémon games, making them primary targets for grinding efforts, while others are more secondary in nature. Whatever the game(s), involvement in them might also involve scheduling to allow certain durations of certain games on certain days, which could likely lead to certain complications. Yet that may be how it is when grinding occurs each day. 

For example, with my dealings in Pokémon Go, which could be considered my primary Pokémon game these days, a good few hours spent on the game for daily tasks and building up Stardust are in order, while the puzzle Pokémon games necessitate a moderate amount of hours spent just to keep up with progress on the events there and to make sure that the Pokémon keep up for those events and others that may be on the horizon. As for other Pokémon games... they'll receive the grind when it is necessary to grind.

Something that becomes clear is that efforts to make progress ("grind") are clearly needed in any game, even each and every day. With the scope of Pokémon games today, that becomes more true than ever. There are always things that need to be put in the grinding process, which will require time to be spent on them within the day. Nevertheless, for gamers, that should be oddly familiar with all the games that they play, including those whose devotion lies in the great big world of Pokémon and all its games.

One year ago: New Factions Battlefields and More

Two years ago: One-Day Pokémon Adventure

Three years ago: Trivia Questions and Answers

Four years ago: Trainer Image Cards

Five years ago: Marathons...?

Six years ago: Pins and Pins

The Sunshine Cup of GBL

The eventual closure of the Silph Arena means that Go Battle League or GBL will likely become the most prominent furnisher of PvP formats for a good amount of time, at least until something else that most of the community can rally behind comes up. For now, GBL has done just that - furnished another format - as the season in Pokémon Go carries on. And it seemingly brings at least a little (more) light into what seems to be a gloomy time.

As in the title, the format is called the Sunshine Cup. The Pokémon that are allowed to be used in this format have to be of the types of Normal, Fire, Grass, and Ground. This is equivalent to the types that are boosted in Sunny weather plus the Normal type... or to make an analogy to Silph Arena, it's the Ember theme with Normal in place of Electric. There is also one small restriction: Charizard is banned, obviously as its "firepower" has been proven too great.

Unfortunately, it seems that Fire types in general are not having a strong showing in its rankings either, with only two species breaking the top 20 and the rest being below that. Instead, nearly half of that top 20 is occupied by Normal-type Pokémon, many of which have the Flying type. That automatically casts out most Grass types as well and necessitates the entry of Ground types (some with Rock types) to hold back the Flying cavalcade.

Furthermore, the above situation is also reflected in the teams. Nearly all of the top teams have at least one Flying-type Pokémon, with the greatest offender being Noctowl (#2 in the rankings); the rule of thumb seems to be "pick Noctowl, then pick two counters". Thus, some have taken to call this format the "Noctowl Cup" in stark contrast to its bright intent. All of the teams follow a design both to include and to counter Noctowl.

Looking at the above, it seems that the format attempted to "shine" but it instead became a "flop" in the same way that Fighting Cup did, except this time with a restriction that should have been present, that of eliminating Flying types. This would obviously include and still allow the Charizard ban to be fulfilled as above, while allowing the other types (especially Grass) to have time in the spotlight against other species.

While the Sunshine Cup does coincide with a less-than-bright happening, as the start of the demise of a popular community PvP furnisher, it does attempt to introduce its own brightness, even if that brightness seems dulled by the situation and its own quirks. Yet it may be the hope that both can shine again brightly at another time, perhaps even in some modified form, as they are and were meant to be.

One year ago: The New Structure of Factions

Two years ago: Quickies: Bike for Pokémon

Three years ago: Everything Is Electric

Four years ago: A Wonderful PikaWorld

Five years ago: Beyond Gyms and Trials

Six years ago: A Pokémon Pencil Bag

More Available Regular Formats for General PvP?

Outside of the Go Battle League, Pokémon Go allows for the three common leagues (Great, Ultra, and Master) to be chosen in general for battling against other Trainers or even team leaders. These ought to work well for most cases, yet at the same time, it might be good to have some other formats to help enforce certain restrictions, especially to assist the creation of other derivative formats. As such, it might be good to discuss the additions and their possibilities.

Some basic criteria seems to have to apply for the additions. Because the formats to be added may be considered an extension of the general leagues, they arguably have to be simple in restrictions as well, further if more restrictions are to be added. This means that complex restrictive formats like Kanto Cup or Color Cup would be just that - too restrictively specific for this purpose. Some closer-to-general formats would be better in this regard.

Another criteria is that the additional formats ought to not make selection of formats seem overwhelming. In other words, they shouldn't make Trainers feel that there are too many formats to choose from nor should they become confused. From this, it can be reasoned that there also shouldn't be too many formats added on either, and things should be kept as simple as possible. This is even more so, given that the common leagues are already a good start.

Based on the above, the best possible addition that satisfies the criteria is a Premier format (no Legendary, no Mythical) that is a derivative of one of the common leagues. The best candidates to receive the treatment are Ultra League and Master League, the ones where the Pokémon to be restricted above are often present, and accordingly for their most common implementations in Go Battle League; they're also rather sensible and still open.

Though it does seem like a simple thing to consider, a few things do make the addition of general PvP format selections not so simple, as may be the idea itself and how that reflects the current state of PvP in general for Pokémon Go. Even so, the formats to be added may make it simpler to apply restrictions, at least some general ones that most Trainers can understand and that may make it simpler to be expanded into derivative formats, in turn still including some simplicity.

One year ago: How Far Should Pokémon Be Translated?

Two years ago: Command and Conquer, PvP Style

Three years ago: A Multicultural Cast

Four years ago: Carry On Carryin' On

Five years ago: The Living Dex

Six years ago: Pastrana and Pikachu

Tournament: SWEEP JR vs. Foul Noctowls Elite (SA Factions)

As stated, Silph Arena and The Silph Road are on the verge of closure, but its competitions have to proceed and then wrap up, including Factions. Even with this, my Faction, SWEEP JR, still has to get things going. For this eighth Bout, it was back to being paired up with yet another Indian team from the Elite family, Foul Noctowls Elite [sic]. It too has a funk of its own, not to mention because it adopts the mascot of a "dark" (maybe "Shadow") Noctowl for its representation, and it too is a debutant of this Cycle, likewise with mine.

Like the other Elite teams my Faction has faced, its members come from all over the place on the globe. The only Indian on the team and the Captain of the Faction, chiragcr, happened to not be playing for this Bout, although the Captain had been playing in five other Bouts of this Cycle and previously as part of another Faction. We also had a rather lively communication during coordination, so that was a good thing. Another good thing is that I stepped up to play again for this Bout due to someone else needing time off, in contrast to the above.

The run of matches for this Bout began on Friday my team time. Leading off things in the afternoon was Wina1403 vs. Larry612108 (Catacomb Field, opponent from Taiwan), who had a 1-2 loss that could have become a 2-1 win if it had worked out in our favor. This was followed at night by Almujha vs. 9now (Arcana Field, opponent from the United States), who delivered a 2-1 win to equalize things. One match, that of riman12 vs. MasterNirob (Open Great League, opponent from Bangladesh) was supposed to take place on Friday afternoon before that first match, but got shifted to Saturday instead; it also led to a 2-1 win and a minor lead for us at that point.

My match, PokeMasterBP348 vs. NAVEEN2878 (Arcana Field, opponent from France) came in the evening on Saturday. A few earlier practice sessions with my teammates showed that I may have very good results for this match, but it ended up just being a 2-1 win, good enough to bolster my team's lead. I also did something different for this match: I recorded all the battles just in case issues came up and for analysis purposes later on. The last battle, which was the losing one, received some color commentary from a teammate, and I have reason to believe that my teammate is right. Alas, I did end up losing my perfect record, but that was something to happen eventually (in fact, now).

For the rest of the matches, they turned out over the course of the rest of Saturday and Sunday. RaymondHrtwn vs. Milkodromeda (Justicar Field for Ultra League, opponent from Turkey) battled on Saturday night and led to a 1-2 loss. As night turned into morning, YukiXCyz vs. Kublsuby (Catacomb Field, opponent from Canada) gave a 2-1 win, and that night, Orioo16 vs. AtmokShiny (Open Master League, opponent also from Canada) delivered a 2-1 win and decided things. The end result was a 12-9 minor victory for our Faction, the fourth one overall and the second not to be decided by a one-point margin. It wasn't as impressive as the win from last month, but a win is still a win.

While I wouldn't go as far to say that my participation in this one led to rather good results, it does seem coincidental that this Bout and that previous one turned out great, even with my participation in them. What may be more coincidental is that this Bout only had 2-1 or 1-2 results for all the matches, which rarely happens - but that's not something to complain about. Yet we may still be wondering how we just couldn't convert all those previous times we lost - close as though they may be - into wins. 

One more Bout is left before this Cycle of Factions ends... and unfortunately so does Factions, for many, due to Silph Arena's impending closure. That means one last chance for my team to prove our skills with our current composition and the current format. Whoever our next opponent may be, they may be up to do the same, so the members of my team still need to be on our toes for this last Bout. The results may just prove themselves once we duke it out with the Pokémon we possess and the skills we have.

One year ago: Steering and Nearing with Tsunekazu Ishihara

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 5/15/2021

Three years ago: Coming Full Circle

Four years ago: Everything Old Is New Again

Five years ago: 15 Minutes of Fame

Six years ago: Fallen Comrades

Consolidation: New Café Remix Updates

Pokémon Café Remix is not shy on updates, which it has to have for every Pokémon event that comes its way. But the updates can also bring changes to the interface, and that has been evident with some of the more recent updates. Those recent updates can also be described as updates that offered "consolidation", a "bringing together" of sorts, and they're worth exploring in some way for what they bring.

The first consolidation occurred with news and event tidbits, which were "consolidated" in a new graphical interface some time ago. The interface has the relevant tidbits organized in a sidebar of buttons on the left that when tapped display the relevant content on the right panel, while news and event tidbits are separated by category selection buttons on the top. This interface makes it possible to move to certain tidbits to go through and read them quickly, at least far more quickly than with the previous popup interface, so the change has been welcome.

More recently, access of the main gameplay areas have been "consolidated" with just a single "Order" button on the lower right. When tapped, this brings up a screen that displays currently active main events, progress on main orders, and buttons to access past orders as well as menu development, which means that the latter two (three) have been integrated in this manner. The active main events themselves - which often involve One-Minute Cooking - for some time had been promoted alongside accessing main orders in general, so it seems to make sense that all of these are "consolidated" as such.

Another "consolidation" occurred with the Cookie Shop and Pokémon leveling. Now, the Pokémon whose cookies could be bought in that shop with Milestone Cookies can have higher levels uncapped by spending Milestone Cookies proportional to their cookie prices directly at the Pokémon information screen, and thus the Cookie Shop was rendered unnecessary and removed altogether. While only Delivery-gained and certain non-event Pokémon apply for this treatment, at least this removes a disjoint in the necessary effort and simplifies things.

With the "consolidation" updates above, a good deal of features were not only brought together but were also simplified as a result. It is in some ways necessary for a game that becomes more complex with additions over time, for both Pokémon and playable stages, and "consolidation" serves well to tame down that complexity and make further updates all the more worthwhile, especially with new things.

One year ago: Starter Pokémon in the Wild

Two years ago: The Retro Cup of GBL

Three years ago: Going Elite with TMs

Four years ago: Detective Pikachu Burger King King Jr. Toys - Arcanine

Five years ago: Round Pikachu Keychain

Six years ago: Cosplay: Isshoni Tanoshimimashou 12

The Last Stop: The End of The Silph Road

Speaking of goodbyes, this one happens to be both apropos and ill-timed, and things had only broken out within a day. The Silph Road, and by extension the Silph (League) Arena, has decided to shutter its operations as of this year, even starting at this moment. For many of its users and/or participants, including myself, this may come as a surprise and a shock, as its "institution" may be expected to end eventually, but not this soon. As such, I need to cover it immediately, especially as it seems that there may be no turning back.

As of today, most of the resources and tracker portion on The Silph Road are no longer accessible, except for the Traveler's Card, which can still be used for personal tracking to a certain extent, including for the Silph Arena. (The check-in system for game events like Community Day will function until this month's edition, due out soon.) The Arena itself continues with the remainder of its current individual competition and Factions season, for which the latter ends this month and the former will end the next; after that, there is the postseason for both, which also will be explained in due time. Finally, after their conclusion and on August 1, the site will no longer operate.

Many have expressed their sympathies for both The Silph Road and Silph Arena, both having served the community for seven years, meaning that they (perhaps mostly the former) appeared at about the same time as Pokémon Go itself. That is an impressive achievement, and that applies to the stats as well; some had nothing but praise to give (and the resulting sadness to express). Earlier this year, I had written about the troubles that may have befallen Silph Arena - along with The Silph Road - and its functioning, but based on the above, the users and admins don't seem to have any qualms at all... at least up until the announcement of the immediate shuttering.

Yet the story also goes deep. The fact of the matter is that Niantic had actually lent The Silph Road a "lifeline" a year ago by giving sponsorship to it in exchange for being in the Community Ambassador program. The site really needed it to stay afloat, so all seemed well since then. But then the sponsorship ended, the recent quandary regarding the game happened, and in the end it led to the decision of shutting down everything, at least in some gradual fashion. Crowdfunding was suggested, but it wasn't taken because of the state of the game and declining interest from both users and admins, leaving the only option as above, which is quite unfortunate.

It will still be a while before the entire infrastructure of The Silph Road shuts down for good, but the situation and effects are already felt - if they aren't already so - by what is actually happening in the game that the site serves to elaborate on, assist with, and make competitively viable. After seven years, it seems to be quite anticlimactic and crazy that things have to end at that point, and yet things happen in time - sadly now as The Silph Road prepares to roll on down the road.

One year ago: Useless Rewards in Pokémon Games

Two years ago: The Road to Victory

Three years ago: Seeing Pokémon in Rice Fields

Four years ago: The Exclusive Detective Pikachu Promotional TCG Card

Five years ago: Cosplay: INOCHI 2018 - Yuki no Hana

Six years ago: Cosplay Photography

Listen to Our Hearts

Listen to your heart

When he's calling for you

Listen to your heart

There's nothing else you can do

I don't know where you're going

And I don't know why

But listen to your heart

Before you tell him goodbye...

-- "Listen to Your Heart", Roxette

Last month, I discussed about "the language of money" and how that pertains to Pokémon situations. Part of languages and their use, however - particularly in spoken form - is listening to them as they are used by people. And that may be something that's not happening to a certain capacity. I feel the need to discuss the relevant situations, and to do that, I've also coupled the discussion with the song above, which ought to tie in with them.

The situation last month, of course, dealt with remote raid passes in Pokémon Go and startling developments related to them. They were made without player (Trainer) feedback and even now they still don't accommodate feedback... except maybe for some recently introduced "panic" responses to what followed. At that point in time, the players campaigned with the hashtag #HearUsNiantic in hopes that the relevant party might do just that, but this has mostly been in vain, even with the evident repercussions.

Meanwhile, in Pokémon Unite, a similar situation may be occurring with its developer, Tencent. Pokémon that obviously need adjustments are not being adjusted, features stated to be modified aren't being so, events are becoming rather repetitive and show a lack of creative effort, and some profound changes were made with significant impact to play. Some players have similarly been in uproar, and the repercussions could turn from a minor turning away to full-on abandonment, which could be hard for a young game.

With all that's happened, the message of the song is circumstantially relevant. The song itself speaks to the mind of a lover who may be situated within a deteriorating relationship, and it asks the lover to consider responding (listening) to the outreach of the partner before the relationship may proceed to deteriorate further. In the same way, the two developers above ought to reassess the situation and listen to player concerns, lest the situation becomes a way of "saying goodbye" to them - yet another eerily familiar concern.

As it stands, both popular Pokémon games above are appearing to be suffering from similar symptoms - changes made that don't accommodate player feedback and have flawed execution. Like what the song suggests, the most effective solution may be to go into the hearts of everyone and listen to what they suggest. Beyond language in any form, what is in there may serve as the understanding that is truly needed.

One year ago: More Online Statuses for Pokémon Go?

Two years ago: Three Bears

Three years ago: Missed Pokémon Merchandise in Snacks

Four years ago: Watching in Style, with Friends

Five years ago: To Know the Unknown

Six years ago: You Are Blessed

Cold Appearances

There's a certain font on mobile phones that I tend to try to avoid if possible. The reason is that the font is rather standard and most importantly conveys a cold impression by its appearance, at least by my personal regard. Even so, that's something that can conceivably occur for any visible thing, and some Pokémon things could certainly be included as well, as they are certainly very much visible in different ways. As such, I've attempted to write up this discussion to see how it could be with Pokémon things.

When Pokémon is involved, there is certainly the Ice type, to which some Pokémon belong. But then there are Pokémon that do appear rather cold (literally), one of which is Cryogonal, which is just a living snowflake. Another would be the Bergmite family, including its next-of-kin's Hisuian form, the latter of which could be construed to look slightly "warmer". Then, it's also impossible to forget about Kyurem, whose demeanor is totally cold even with Dragon influence. It may be hard to dispute their coldness by their looks.

As for figurative coldness, things that have relations to other than the Ice type would apply. Giovanni, the Team Rocket boss in his various guises, may be considered to have a cold impression by appearance, not unlike the mobile phone font I described above. Even (for the parts) without snow, Mt. Coronet can have a cold impression about it due to its towering height and repute. It may also be possible to consider Metagross and its kin as cold due to their Steel typing and obvious outward appearance, even if they may not be inside.

By the above, a cold impression may be gotten not just by things that are definitively cold (evoking icy qualities) but also things that are suggestively cold by their specific features. The latter is what I saw in that mobile phone font, which is hard to be separated according to my judgment. Yet it's also not hard to look for and delineate Pokémon things that have similar impressions, even if unlike the mobile phone font, they are not meant to be avoided, but to be enjoyed as best as they can.

One year ago: Blogging on Blogs: Pokémon Blog

Two years ago: Forgotten (Event) Days

Three years ago: (Preparing for) Shuffle's Last Stand

Four years ago: Special Feature Film - "POKÉMON: Detective Pikachu"

Five years ago: Just Like a Rainbow

Six years ago: A Shout-Out to a Fellow Blogger