I had an idea for a post on a certain Pokémon Go topic (not the one I'm about to discuss), but I kept losing my mind before I was about to make the discussion. As such, I decided to settle on making the discussion around another topic, but still related to the game. Those who have been to certain special live events for Pokémon Go - or participated in the raids up to and for Pokémon Go Fest earlier this month - might have discovered that some Pokémon could be captured and they would have special images behind them on their information page. These Pokémon are recognized as having "backgrounds", and since the feature has recently been expanded in scope and reach, that becomes another good reason to make the discussion.
For the ones from special live events, those backgrounds would be comprised of pictures that distinctly represent the location of the events, and are as such called "location backgrounds" (also called "location cards"). As an example, the ones that I got - well, the ones that Ash got - from the Bali event were of the monument at the park where the event was held. Obviously, for each event, the image would suit the live events, and those who frequently venture to them in different parts of the world (like *ahem* BT91) would possess quite a few - or more than a few - of these, making them the highlights of one's Pokémon collection in the game.
Meanwhile, those from the earlier Pokémon Go Fest are called just "special backgrounds", and... they're just special that way, containing just generic but distinctly representative images. For the ones from those raids, they're of an Ultra Wormhole, befitting the origins of the Pokémon: Ultra Beasts from the Ultra Space. Those who paid for the event received another one from Special Research: a Solgaleo or Lunala with sun or moon designs, identifying the entities they are associated with. This is essentially an expansion of the previous concept, involving just the significance of the event rather than a location, and indeed, for many Trainers, it is effectively their first taste of the feature in general.
A few things are notable about either manifestation of the feature. They are obtained by chance (save the one from Special Research as above), so not all Pokémon caught from a raid might have the background; this in effect increases their valuable quality and the effort to find them - especially for those that can be Shiny, resulting in the exceptionally rare Shiny Pokémon with backgrounds. Those that do have them will have a flash after capturing as an indication before clearly showing the backgrounds on their information page. These will then transition in and out with their regular type identifier background, and attempting to transfer them will yield a secondary confirmation warning that they have a background, reminding them of their value.
What is also important to keep in mind is that they can be traded and they won't lose the backgrounds, so one can conceivably keep a few (read: get a few more) to share to others, or else trade away the ones they are less interested in keeping, perhaps to complete the collections of oneself and other Trainers. As such, they can also become Lucky Pokémon (regardless of involvement in a Lucky Trade, preferred but not required), and as such their backgrounds will transition in and out with the orange Lucky background instead. Any or all of these might be sought after by certain Trainers, and thus there is an incentive in keeping them - the Lucky ones regardless.
Overall, though, aside from the special qualitative aspect of the background images themselves, the biggest qualitative aspect to this feature is the memento that the backgrounds carry. Therefore, Pokémon with backgrounds become good memento of whoever, whatever, and/or whenever they are associated with, be it special people, certain events, or specific times, not all of which may necessarily be direct experiences. I can say much less about the memory of the original topic I was going to discuss and write up instead of this one - and I'll possibly keep on looking for that one - but the Pokémon with backgrounds serve as a useful aside for my memory at the moment.
One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Classic... Repeat, 7/23/2023
Two years ago: Cosplay: SUCOFEST 2022 - Multiverse
Three years ago: More Pokémon Fun with Soccer Players
Four years ago: Preparing for (Everyone's) Go Fest
Five years ago: Making Things Simple
Six years ago: The Greatest, Everyday
Seven years ago: Pokémon School
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