The Peak of Tales of Transformation

This season in Pokémon Go was billed as a transformative one - more specifically, the most yet as such - and by many accounts (to be detailed shortly), that became rather evident. Yet like all seasons, and specifically ones in Pokémon Go, it has to come to an end at some point, and the end for this one is already here - or rather, it's nearby around this point. With that, it becomes time to wrap up things up, as always with consideration of happenings in both Pokémon Go and just outside of that within Pokémon in general.

As a whole, the Pokémon Go happenings delivered on the transformations pretty well, with the big paid event of the season (Go Wild Area) for adding new Pokémon and forms, as well as the level cap increase for showing differences among Trainers, being the primary drivers. The usual assortment of events throughout the month are par for the course as far as the game and its seasons go, but a great deal of transformations - many as new forms - were evident through them as well. As presented, they make their own stories (tales).

For other, general Pokémon happenings, it may be said that the "seeds" of further dealings  with other transformative tales are being sown. This would include the big new game released during the season's time (Legends: Z-A) as well as games that would appear later on in the next year. Remarkably, a lot of games also did move in sync with Mega Evolution thanks to the former and its inclusion and expansion of the concept.

One implication of this season's title is that every transformation is a story or tale to be told, if the post that marked its beginning hasn't made that clear. Things are always needed for those transformations, and the progression of obtaining those necessary things makes for a great tale, as does the process of having the transformations take place. As fans and Trainers deal with them, they then tell the stories or tales by the related actions.

It may be the end of the Pokémon Go season and its path, but the path of the dealings with Pokémon and its various aspects will certainly continue for the times ahead in that game and other related things. Many fans will certainly consider that as precious and valuable, and that too is a story worth telling in the subsequent season and beyond that.

One year ago: The Peak of Max Out

Two years ago: The Peak of Adventures Abound

Three years ago: The Peak of Light

Four years ago: The Peak of Mischief

Five years ago: The State of Nominations, Part 7

Six years ago: Cosplay: UC Bunkasai

Seven years ago: Local EX Raid (and Rain, Again), 11/30/2018

Eight years ago: Feature Film 20 - "Pokémon The Movie - I Choose You!"

Cosplay: Cosnight @ "It's My Town" Festival 2

Me: And hey, let's close off this month (almost) with a festival!

Ash: This one looks nice.

Goh: Hey, yeah. You know, I recall something like this a couple of years ago.

Me: That would be it. So this would be the follow-up to that.

Goh: Sounds awesome! But it's been a bit of time since that one.

Me: But the essence isn't that different. Except...

Ash: They have one night (day) just for characters! 

Pikachu: Pika chu! ["Very neat!"]

Goh: That's why the "Cosnight" thing.

Me: Sure enough. So, like back then, we have...

Ash: Lots of food in the stands! I got to try a bit - well, since I was hungry too after a few Pokémon battles with friends. 

Goh: I'm intrigued - and I hope you didn't go overboard. 

Ash: Nah, just enough. But a few did taste a little funny.

Me: Oh. I hope you ate a good bit of the food.

Ash: I did. I know you don't like wasting food.

Me: OK, that's fine. So today, we have characters, which means...

Goh: A character parade?

Ash: Yeah! My friend brought my special journey outfit today.

Goh: I hope you did well. 

Ash: Oh, I did great! That's because... I'm a judge for this one!

Pikachu: Pi pika pika! ["So awesome!"]

Goh: Oh wow! That hasn't happened in a long time.

Ash: That's right! It's also for our friend to get a little something out of this one.

Me: Which I really could use right now. Thanks so much for that.

Ash: Anytime! 

Goh: Hey now, so who did you choose to win? 

Ash: I picked one who had a big knife sword. I heard he's a spirit battler. 

Me: Ooh! I like that one too.

Ash: And then I picked a few others to win for a few other categories. Most everyone won something, with the help of the other judge too.

Goh: Well, that's great, and everyone's happy somehow. Especially you two.

Ash: Haha, yeah.

Pikachu: Pika chu. ["Uh-huh."]

Goh: Were there entertainment?

Ash: Just a few singers, a dancer, a magician, and a game.

Goh: Oh, it's all little things.

Ash: All in a few hours too.

Me: Of course, being a night thing. The festival has other things tomorrow, but not for characters.

Goh: Also, it seems our friend stood by his word from last time. I think this is great for both of you, and you made it that way.

Ash: Hey, that's true! It was a really good day (or night) for that.

Me: Well, there you go. So this is "my town", and it's my (our) story to tell.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 11/29/2024

Two years ago: The State of Nominations, Part 25

Three years ago: The State of Nominations, Part 19

Four years ago: Road of 25th Anniversary: Sparkling Steps

Five years ago: The Catch Cup of GBL

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 11/29/2019

Seven years ago: Multiple Pathways to Evolution?

Eight years ago: The Words of a Pikachu

Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 11/28/2025

It's almost the end of the month, so I've got to deal with the rollup for events in Pokémon Go during that time - moreover since many of the past ones have been on this day. This one also becomes the final one of this season that has been billed as one that is quite transformative. For this month, it seems appropriate that the events for it represent a "tour de force" of transformation as the last batch of events for the season with all their manifestations.

While still within the confines of an event that started last month, November 1 played host to a Max Battle Day for Gigantamax Garbodor with all the usual perks (more Max Particles from Power Spots and walking, more of its appearances in Power Spots, a lead-up Timed Research from the start of the week, and an extra paid ticket among others) along with a Special Trade bonus. With the way that the Pokémon form is, it was a scary good addition (or adjunct) to the scary things that were put in place last month.

Moving into the heart of the "tour", the Enchanted Hollow became present from November 4 to 9. The event was the debut of the Tarountula family, one of the Bug type; naturally, there were also more Bug types (and other "forested" species) in the wild, raids, Field Research, and even Mossy Lure Module encounters, also for the new species. Paras and Stantler had Shiny boosts, and PokéStop XP and Lure Module lengths were doubled. Collection Challenges gave an impetus for the event, further for the debuting species, and the paid ticket with its Timed Research gave more encounters and a spread of beneficial items. As the event started, PokéStops became decorated with a soft forest glow, and this continued into the next event, as this event is also in some ways the complementary event for the "Live" edition of Go Wild Area that took place over the weekend of the event.

For the Global edition, the accompanying event was Into the Wild from November 10 to 14. This event featured Pokémon of the Fairy and Dark types in the wild, Field Research (amidst item rewards) and Power Spots (plus Dynamax Toxtricity), while there were bright and dark raid bosses throughout the week with Raid Hours in each day. The captured raid bosses could also have a special background, the same as would be for Cresselia and Darkrai in the big event itself. Remote raid limits were increased during the week and lifted in the weekend, while Frustration could be removed with a Charged TM. The event's Go Pass, also serving as the one for the big event, had the expected item rewards plus new avatar items and the Silver Bottle Cap for those who paid for its Deluxe track. Other paid novelties of the event were other avatar items and a ticket with a Timed Research with premium bonuses of lightness and darkness.

After a little bit of a break from Go Wild Area, Trainers needed to keep their spirits up with the High Voltage event from November 18 to 22. This event focused on the debut of Shiny Morpeko, which could be obtained from various ways throughout the event. In line with the event's title, Electric-type Pokémon were found in the wild (and Field Research), though Emolga, Dedenne, and Togedemaru also had partial focus with increased Shiny chances, augmented by bonuses of double XP for good captures and double Stardust for all captures. A Collection Challenge upped the ante for capturing, and the paid Timed Research had supreme bonuses. Some Trainers might have been totally "electrified" during this event.

Keeping things going in the weekend as the final days of the above event was a Dynamax Eevee Max Battle Weekend from November 21 to 24. Similar to this month's earlier Max Battle Day, Eevee appeared in more Power Spots and more frequently, and more Max Particles from Power Spots could be earned. Eevee (regular) also appeared in the wild and two Collection Challenges got Trainers going to battle the Pokémon and evolve it as necessary. Though the Pokémon may not see much use, its appeal is still very nice.

The big finale of the month and season is the Final Justice event that started on November 25 and will end on November 30. That "final justice" involves the debut of Resolute Form for Keldeo, an opportunity to get Shiny Keldeo by purchasing a new Masterwork Research, and uniting it with the three "musketeers" in raids, for which an extra free raid pass each day is at hand. Complementing all of these are species of the Fighting and Water types in the wild, other raids, and Field Research task encounters. Collection Challenges involve collecting triads and the paid ticket furnishes other premium bonus items that really might help in delivering the "final justice" with the Pokémon.

Over the past three months, the transformations in Pokémon Go have really become evident, but especially so with the above "tour de force" involving this season's big paid event, a couple of interesting Max forms, some Shiny additions, and a fascinating combative change of form. In the final moments of that "tour", some added transformations may still be in order to keep things going within the season and even beyond into the next one.

One year ago: Gobbling Down and Quacking Up

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 11/28/2023

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 11/28/2022

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 11/28/2021

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 11/28/2020

Six years ago: Keeping Gratitude in Mind

Seven years ago: Sinnoh Stone: Agglomerating Evolution

Eight years ago: Journeys and Adventures

Thanks for the Memories

Today happens to be the fourth Thursday of November, which means that for those who are familiar with Americana, today would be Thanksgiving. As in past years (this would be the one for last year), I'm interested in taking the spirits that pertain to the day and discussing it along with Pokémon, usually involving a theme of some kind. Thankfulness is a given, of course, with it having been discussed when the occasion first came up, but other things may have to do with sentiments that are at hand for this particular day.

For this year, those sentiments pertain to memories and being thankful for them. Some rock music aficionados will surely recognize the sentiments as being cited in a particular song, but I'm not too familiar with it, so I'm not going to deal with it. Overall, however, the sentiments present a nice idea, and they are quite fitting to be discussed on this very day, moreover to be linked with Pokémon as the central and overarching theme.

All fans have their own memories associated with Pokémon, and so do I. Some of the ones that pertain to me have been discussed in the "Memories of..." series of posts on this blog. Then, there are various others that are strewn across the posts of this blog in some way, shape, or form. (Even this entire blog could be construed as a single one.) It is certain that fans have to be thankful for all of that, and that includes I myself personally.

Memories can also involve people who are connected with them, and in the case of Pokémon fans like me, the people might be in connection to how Pokémon things or the memories that are linked to them are furnished. I too have some people who qualify in this way, including a kind-of special person... but I'll deal with this one when it's pertinent.

It's a matter of fact that thankfulness or gratitude is necessitated for all things in life and even beyond this particular day. Yet some of those feelings remain strong for this particular day, including for the current sentiments in relation to memories. Given Pokémon as an associated topic, it's a great thing to be thankful for it and all the related memories.

Whatever memories are associated with Pokémon for me and my fellow fans, remembering and being thankful for them is also important in the grand scheme of things. On that note, I wish a Happy Thanksgiving for those celebrating, perhaps also with Pokémon.

One year ago: The State of Nominations, Part 31

Two years ago: NYT Games, Pokémon Editions?

Three years ago: Pokémon Loot from ChibiCon

Four years ago: The State of Nominations, Part 13

Five years ago: Go Onwards to Home

Six years ago: Herding the Last: Wooloo Sticker

Seven years ago: Poké-Pareidolia

Eight years ago: The Pacing of Types

The State of Nominations, Part 37

Another two months have come and gone, and it becomes time to update my progress on nominating PokéStops. As always, the November edition is by nature the last one of the year since in two months it'll be the next year, and more things (and nominations) will happen then. But for the "now", there are a few things to be gleaned from the updates to the nominations that have been made and what they (may) mean for the ones to be made in the future.

The numbers are always a good way to begin and illustrative of the situation. The nominations that became Accepted are now at 191, an increase of 8. However, so did the Not Accepted nominations, increasing by 2 to 69. At present, I also have no new nominations in line (whether In Queue or In Voting) nor in the Appeal process. Meanwhile, the Accepted ones have been realized as both PokéStops and Power Spots, fulfilling their intended objectives.

What can be seen is that the nomination process in recent times has gone a lot faster, where in the past it tended to leave "backlogs". As such, it may be that sometimes I may not need to update the status of the nominations in line unless they happen to be there - as in, they were put into the system within a few days (or even mere moments) of making this update post. That, in a way, streamlines the process (or did so) on both sides.

Recent rejections also highlight (also in a way, remind) that it may be of better interest to me to repeat the process of nominating a waypoint - that is, making a re-nomination - in certain circumstances, rather than risking a wasted Appeal in the process. After all, I can make many more nominations in a single day, more so than an Appeal, which only comes about once every month. The task now may be to create an inventory for these nominations.

Over this past year, the nomination process can be described as having taken place rather swimmingly with many more nominations becoming Accepted and fulfilling the two roles of PokéStops and Power Spots, which definitely should make a difference. With that, my next efforts may just have to involve applying little differences to the nominations to come and ensure that they result in big differences across the world of Pokémon Go for everyone.

One year ago: Profs and Comrades: Professor Willow

Two years ago: Cosplay: We Are More Project

Three years ago: Cosplay: Loading Costume Party

Four years ago: The Joys and Sorrows of "Stealing the Lords"

Five years ago: Simply, Thanks

Six years ago: Going Deeper into Team GO Rocket

Seven years ago: Individual Appearance Variations Among Pokémon Species

Eight years ago: Popularity

Journey with Empathy

If many of the past years are of any indication, it is that I like to take the anniversary theme of a local TV channel (to me), break it down, and apply it to Pokémon. And today's that day, so it's great to just go on with it. This year's anniversary is very much a special one, for reasons to be detailed shortly, so its theme has to be somewhat special too - and it is. For many Pokémon fans like me, the theme this year could possibly resonate very much with them (even more than last year, see below) due to all that it illustrates, implies, and intrigues.

This year's theme is "Journey with Empathy". Pokémon fans will no doubt be familiar with the "journey" part, since it is something that all Trainers in this world undertake for their battling affairs. Even the people who are not Trainers - or perhaps more appropriately, were once Trainers - have undertaken a journey of some sort to further all their affairs, for and beyond battling. I had briefly illustrated this with another external element, but it helps to expound on it a little more because it's so important and remains as such.

As for the "empathy" part, it's also important - and evident in its various media forms - that people and Pokémon species need to understand the feelings of each other, in order for them to be able to do great things for each other. And when journeys are involved, that means being able to make significant progress on them, wherever and however people and Pokémon species are part of them. A lot of feelings are in play amongst everyone, and bridging them becomes the way that empathy is realized.

Now, this anniversary is special because it is the 25th for it, the silver anniversary. Pokémon of course had its silver anniversary first, so it's definitely older than the TV channel. Remarkably, this year's theme is also directly stated in English rather than being in the local language (meaning most of my earlier discussions were based on the themes as translated into English), but that doesn't really matter. What matters most is the spirits of the themes, and of course the perspectives from Pokémon and me.

On the side of the TV channel, it's been a journey that is a quarter century long of finding and discovering truths, and then presenting those truths to the viewers. Some of those truths may or may not (perhaps mostly the latter) have involved Pokémon in some form, but the hope is that empathy is created through their presentation, including where and when Pokémon becomes relevant, which may not be all that common. What could be common is how what is presented might tie into the emphatic journeys of Pokémon fans.

Both Pokémon and the TV channel now have surpassed significant age milestones - the former soon with another - and that means a lot of journeys for all who are involved in either or both of them. In all of that, there ought to be a great deal of empathy to be found for both human and beastly relations, and that would keep all of them going in their respective fields. The truths of the world and all things that are essential for Pokémon and people to live by are to link everything and everyone along the way, which makes for great journeys.

One year ago: Leading the Transformation

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Classic, 11/25/2023

Three years ago: Rise Up and Move Together

Four years ago: Togetherness Brings Meaning

Five years ago: Road to 25th Anniversary: 25, Anniversaries, and More

Six years ago: Spreading Inspiration

Seven years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 11/25/2018

Eight years ago: Late Launch Party... Minus the Party

Competitive Friends as...

I've discussed about competitions with a personal take that I'm also able to include Pokémon with my participation in them. To even things out, now I'd like to discuss actual Pokémon competitions (tournaments) and a particular personal aspect that applies to them. That aspect is related to having friends - certainly who also like and enjoy Pokémon - participating in them, and in fact could participate in them in more than one way. There is a certain intrigue to the aspect as I've described, and that makes it fitting for the discussion.

Those friends could certainly participate as competitors, meaning that I'd be going up against them sooner or later. It's obviously a universal problem: even my TCG friends (from the same group) go into major tournaments together and sometimes invariably meet one another at some point during a tournament's progression - both preliminaries and finals. And then there was me in the past with Pokémon Go PvP tournaments, though this was also helped by most of them being local tournaments.

Meanwhile, some friends may have the enterprising chance of becoming referees or judges for the competitions or tournaments in question. That has been the case for the Pokémon Go PvP tournaments, again thanks to some of them being local ones. More recently and going back to the TCG again, a friend of mine and others in my local group passed a test for becoming one and was drafted to become one for a major faraway tournament... which then someone else in my group attended. The expected encounter happened, and the rest was history.

Other friends may not participate directly in them, whether as competitors or moderators, but they do so indirectly by providing support for them. I've known friends who own the venues where tournaments are held, or are otherwise involved in a certain element in the venue (such as being a food vendor), and they're only happy to serve the people involved when the tournaments occur. Still others are just happy to be able to facilitate the happenings of the tournament, and that may be all that they need.

What can be abstracted from the above is that participants of competitions or tournaments - in particular related to Pokémon - like me are surely in the company of friends and other  cordial people. Some of these people may just be as competitive in taking part in the action, or as happy as competitors are happy by providing the facilities for the happening. Both kinds of people are surely needed in the great big world of Pokémon competitions or tournaments, and continued Pokémon presence will keep their supply.

One year ago: Closure: Pokémon Go Wild Area 2024 (Global), Day 2

Two years ago: Circular Species of My Heart

Three years ago: Chow On, and Thank You

Four years ago: Challenging New(ly Returning) PvP Happenings

Five years ago: Contemplating Abilities (or Their Absence)

Six years ago: Cosplay: CHoCoDays 2019

Seven years ago: Cosplay: Art and Culture Exhibition 2018

Eight years ago: Catching Them All

The Hardest Parts of Festival or Convention Competitions

Well, I don't have a scheduled festival or convention for me (to send Ash to) today - and if there are, they're beyond our means and efforts - so I don't have to frame things in a "Let's Talk". All the same, it looks like the next month may be quite the busy one for them, so it may be interest to discuss them but still with a Pokémon light. For that, I always bring my dealings with Pokémon into the competitions that are featured in them as well, as a way of expressing myself. They're also not as easy as they look, so I thought about discussing the parts that make them hard, at least for me. 

For the ones involving cosplay (IC: characters), like the ones I explained a long time ago, the hardest part would be deciding my movements on stage. Sure, if the competition is a longer performance, then my movements are dictated by the story of the performance, which in my case would likely be a scene from the Pokémon anime. But if the competition is of the "walk" or "parade" type, then some abstraction of movements is involved, which presents its own difficulty. Either way, it's still a hard thing because of the necessitated planning, whether way before or on the spot.

Meanwhile, singing competitions have been the norm for many years now, and the hardest part would be keeping myself together to sing the lyrics as intended. Even after memorizing them well ahead of time - including for the English and Japanese parts, for which the latter is definitely harder than the former - there's always the chance that something rattles me, and then that affects my recall. Of course, the memorization is still the hard part that ideally has to be done even well before, but the execution could be just as hard.

Competitions are arguably hard, no matter what field they are in or what it takes to bring something to them. Even harder still might be my leveraging of them to bring in something that would demonstrate my appreciation of Pokémon and displaying that within the realm of festivals or conventions - and possibly when I'm unable to partake in them as well. But when I am able to participate, there are the associated difficulties that I just have to get over, which would pave the way for showing my Pokémon appreciation.

One year ago: Entry: Pokémon Go Wild Area 2024 (Global), Day 1

Two years ago: Celebrating Togetherness

Three years ago: The Willpower Cup of GBL

Four years ago: Quickies: Meowth for Pay Day

Five years ago: The Kanto Cup of GBL

Six years ago: Make a Wish for the Little One

Seven years ago: The Amazing Pokémon Race

Eight years ago: Thankfulness

Item Collection Limits in Café Remix

Something I mentioned earlier this year when I discussed the Presents feature in Café Remix is the "collection limit" of items in the game. More recent or less active players won't have to worry about this aspect too much, but frequent and longer-term players will find that the aspect becomes relevant - particularly as I have, in more recent times. With that, the aspect makes for a good discussion, especially to close the gap that I presented by having mentioned the aspect in the previous discussion. 

For that, most items other than Pokémon cookies have a collection limit of 999 items, which sounds like a lot. However, frequent play will make it evident that the limit can be reached rather quickly; a case in point is the Daily Training, which when fully completed and/or skipped awards 18 Tart XL of a specific type, and over many days, this can add up quickly if not used. Even the Skip Tickets for this accumulate in the same way and can't be used very quickly, over time allowing the limit to be hit.

Pokémon cookies meanwhile have a limit of 23 for each species, reflecting the number needed to uncap its level to Level 20 (3 at 5, 10 at 10, and 10 at 15). If a Pokémon has a Shiny variant, more can potentially be earned, but usage of existing cookies is also needed. For other items of relevance as Macarons and Kitchen Notes, it's likely that one will use them before reaching an imposed limit, so the "practical" limit may be how many one can stand to earn as they play regularly or not so regularly.

Then, there are items from Cook and Collect that have their own limits. For the Gholdengo event that has continued to persist, its limit is 4995 Gimmighoul Coins - which is quite more than the typical limit - and if one has earned all of that, then Gholdengo also has its max outfit grade. Meanwhile, a new event has started featuring Zygarde, and at the present time, one is limited to having 10 Zygarde Cores while they continue to earn Zygarde Cells up until February next year, something to look forward to.

"Maxing out" the items that are mentioned above is by no means a primary goal, at least for the usable items; for those, it is certainly preferred for players to use them before they hit the limit and cannot possibly earn any more of them. The general limit of 999 items is just that - general - and player activity will certainly determine how quickly or slowly they'll get there. At that point, the usage of the earned items on the staff Pokémon may break their own limits, ones that aren't imposed on them like these are.

One year ago: Preparing for Pokémon Go Wild Area

Two years ago: The Incredible and Vivid Art of Pokémon Trainer K (Kelvin)

Three years ago: How Long for a Cosplay Walk (or "Character Parade")?

Four years ago: Non-Trademark Substitutions for Pokémon Names?

Five years ago: Sword and Shield: After One Year

Six years ago: Everyone's Contributions

Seven years ago: So Little and So Much

Eight years ago: A Pokémon Menu

Unite "Currency Reform" On the Way

The information in this post is a bit early, but it's also in the progress of happening, so I need to "get it out" and write about it; it also doubles as a "public service announcement". So, since its inception, Pokémon Unite has pretty much maintained its currency system, but that is about to change within a couple of weeks, as one of its pillar currencies is about to change - more specifically, it's about to "bow out" and disappear.

Aeos Coins would be that very currency, which as explained has a few roles to play. Many players will currently use it to purchase new Unite Licenses at the shop after they were made available initially with Gems. It can also be used to upgrade emblems in one's collection, which is also a frequent present action for many players. Apart from that, its other uses may be considered to have become "niche", which might explain its retirement.

On December 4, the currency will no longer be given out, and its related boost items will also become unusable. An exchange center will then be opened up to allow exchanges of the remaining currency (and boost items related to the currency) for certain items up until early next year, after which there will be no trace left of the currency. As such, particular efforts to use the currency before that happens is certainly in order.

Its usage to purchase Unite Licenses is a big one. Before the retirement, it is highly suggested that players use the currency mostly for that purpose; that's also because Unite Licenses will then be able to be obtained through a different way, aside from paying Aeos Gems. Its details are still scant and will be explained later on when it actually comes to fruition, but it's clear that there is the necessity to use the existing currency prior to the transformation.

Retirement of the currency also carries other implications. One of them is that the other pillar currencies will certainly take up the role of the currencies, for which Aeos Tickets are being used in lieu of the currency for a present event. It also means that the game is now simplifying its currencies, for which the complexity may have been apparent then and now, which makes this change a welcoming one.

With the way things are and will be, the retirement of Aeos Coins is definitely an important matter, given all the aspects that are attached to it. Particularly, the looming deadline of only a couple of weeks away as of this post makes it necessary to be announced now so that players (like me) have the time to plan things out. Meanwhile, the planned "currency reform" could just be the start of a more "united" future.

One year ago: YouTube Pokémon Highlights: Even More Pokémon Parkour

Two years ago: Days of Specific Pokémon

Three years ago: Pokémon Outfits in Café Remix

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/21/2021

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/21/2020

Six years ago: The Hype Cycle and Pokémon

Seven years ago: Traveling All the World

Eight years ago: Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Uptake

Let's Talk About Helping Out Officer Jenny

Goh: Wait, wait... what's this about?

Me: Oh, it's a bit special, so I'm framing it in a "Let's Talk". 

Goh: Well, OK. So now we're talking about...

Me: Officer Jenny - and our dealings with her.

Goh: Isn't that kind of sensitive to you?

Ash: But I think it's also fine when it's about and with us.

Me: That's right. I mean, you two did deal with her once, to help her out.

Ash: I was thinking about that. That was a fun time!

Goh: You have to admit that's true - and kind of needed for our research.

Ash: Yeah, and we got to make good and everything.

Pikachu: Pi pika! ["All neat!"]

Ash: So, what's the sensitive thing for our friend?

Me: I guess it's just that so many things have been happening lately that make other people (and me) uneasy with people like Officer Jenny - in my world, that is.

Ash: They have to do good work, don't they?

Me: I wish it seems that easy to say that for all the people like that.

Goh: But you know, people are all different. So I'm sure there have to be ones who do good work.

Me: You know, that could be true for at least some people.

Goh: You don't have to get involved all the time - just when you need to.

Ash: And you could help them out somehow.

Me: Well, sure. On that note, I did receive a request that we could help them out somehow.

Ash: See?

Pikachu: Pika. ["Nice."]

Goh: OK, so now we have a context. Where'd you get sent to this time? 

Ash: A little far-off town - with one of our friend's friend.

Goh: And this had to involve "Officer Jenny" somehow.

Ash: The person was just like what our friend said, almost like her.

Me: What did you end up doing, for helping out?

Ash: I got to hand out flyers to people and meet students at a school.

Goh: Oh! A little like my school?

Ash: Sure, it was like that.

Goh: That means you did this in the daytime.

Ash: Yup, in the morning.

Pikachu: Chu pi pika. ["Very early on."]

Me: I'm told no other characters were available for this... so we got picked for this.

Ash: And I got something for you for doing it.

Goh: That's pretty nice!

Me: It is. So, after all this, maybe I have less qualms about dealing with them when I need to.

Goh: There you go, when you need to.

Ash: And then we can always do things to help.

Goh: But I guess I can tell if it's still "sensitive" for you.

Me: That. But hey, Officer Jenny is a good foundation for real people like her in my world.

Ash: I'd say yes! 

Me: And after all that, the good in helping can become good things later on.

Ash, Goh: Yeah!

One year ago: Profs and Comrades: Professor Kukui

Two years ago: My Personal PvP Preferences

Three years ago: Cosplay: ChibiCon 2022

Four years ago: Let's Talk About (Im)Perfect Timings

Five years ago: BEMANI-Pokémon Connections

Six years ago: The State of Nominations, Part 2

Seven years ago: A Raid Group Gathering

Eight years ago: On Cosplay Props and Prop Makers

Chasing After Platinum Medals

As noted, the new leveling journey of Pokémon Go involves collecting platinum medals for the Trainers who have reached the lofty milestone of Level 70 and are working on the tasks to level up in the "final stretch" to Level 80. As such, they would be chasing after those medals when they get to that point... or possibly even well before, in preparation for facing the tasks once that point is achieved. It makes for a fascinating discussion for any or all Trainers in those situations and their pertinent conditions, including mine and others close to me.

The other day, another Trainer and I were comparing our platinum medal progresses, and as can be predicted, we have mutually exclusive progressions - I have ones the other doesn't and the other has what I don't, including for partials toward platinum medals. In a way, our focuses are different due to our conditions, so we're chasing after (and thus have) different medals accordingly. Some commonalities were also evident, though, and that's something that other Trainers can also consider to take advantage of.

For that, it is likely that many Trainers will have a significant progress on their type medals for catching specific types, and they can take advantage of them to elevate them to the platinum level. The regularly occurring Community Day as well as the frequently occurring thematic events can be used for this purpose, particularly for the specific medals that aren't already at the platinum level. Some amount of time is also still needed - for most things don't happen in an instant - but they can and will get there.

Meanwhile, for the medals that involve specific objectives, the most sensible effort would certainly be to finish the ones that are closest to completion (region Dex medals could be a contender) and start chipping in effort for longer-term medals (like the Rising Star Duo and Ace Trainer medals) - all of these based on the comparison as above. By the time Level 70 and up comes about, the efforts can then be directed to the other tasks, and the platinum medal task won't be a burden.

It's a given that those who are serious and/or routine about Pokémon Go will think about the upper levels and how to approach them as they approach them. That has been true in the Level 50 past and now again after the level cap change, which resulted in the addition of tasks concerning platinum medals in order to level up in the "final stretch". The result is a chase for those platinum medals - whether they're already in the thick of it or approaching it - and sensible efforts will likely be needed as the chases begin or continue.

One year ago: Pokémon Made Up of Other Pokémon

Two years ago: Cosplay: Seishun! Japan Fest

Three years ago: Pokémon Emblems in Pokémon Unite

Four years ago: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Unleashed

Five years ago: Till Death Do Us Part

Six years ago: A Theme Event Dream

Seven years ago: Fans of Fans

Eight years ago: Cosplay: MINORI 5

The Currencies of TCGP

This is one post that probably should have come a lot sooner, but it's perfectly fine to be made now with consideration of the understanding gained for the aspect. As with other mobile Pokémon games, TCGP also has a set of currencies for many of its usual functions, or at least items that act as such and in one case can be procured by exchanging real money, making them a "proxy" for it. These items and currencies as such deserves a bit of discussion.

Players would surely frequently encounter the shop tickets, since they'd earn them through Wonder Picks, certain missions, and "thanks" received from other players for various actions. They can be used to purchase Wonder Pick and pack hourglasses at the shop as well as some cards and card accessories, and they can also be exchanged for special shop tickets to obtain "luxury" items, which also command "luxurious" prices. Their usage would also be as frequent as the ways players would receive the currency.

Meanwhile, the "shinedust" item and currency has recently gained prominence as well. This is gained from duplicate cards and certain missions, and was initially used (along with exchanges of those duplicate cards) to obtain "flair", as special effects for cards. Further, it is also what replaces the trade tokens that were formerly used as trading "currency", and existing tokens can be converted into this currency and pack hourglasses as well. Fans will also note a certain parallel of this item and currency to the Stardust of Pokémon Go that fulfill nearly the same role, which is brought about by the simplification as above.

Earlier in my discussion about "warping time" with hourglasses, I had also mentioned the Poké gold item, and this item too in effect acts as a "currency", since putting in money into the game means purchasing the item through the shop's "Purchase Poké gold" section. Besides for recovering pack and Wonder Pick stamina, they can also be used to recover trade and battle stamina at different rates, but they will certainly be used more for the former, since those would be considered primary and frequent actions for many players.

Arguably, there is a currency item for all kinds of functions in TCGP, and the earning and exchanging of them can be considered very much a part of the gameplay, as is using the cards in actual card battles much like in Pokémon TCG proper. Like real currencies and those in other games, understanding their necessity and wisdom is part of the key to many endeavors, even in this game that is a take on the Pokémon TCG and its associated exchanges. 

One year ago: Immersive Cards in TCG Pocket

Two years ago: Focus and Control: Two Keys to Pokémon Power

Three years ago: Scarlet and Violet Unleashed

Four years ago: Living Further with My Buddy

Five years ago: Pokémon "Genealogy"

Six years ago: Drafts Piling Up

Seven years ago: Trough of Disillusionment

Eight years ago: A Little Teaser... and Guessing Game

"Timesink" Pokémon Games

A "timesink" is something that takes up much of someone's time, sometimes with no apparent results, but not necessarily. Games take up people's time as well, although the modern ones do have certain productive results while others are just plainly for pleasure - and then there are Pokémon games, which are popular among many people nowadays. With that, I thought about discussing how certain Pokémon games are or can be a "timesink" for their fans to deal with, including myself as a fervent one.

In the past, when the main series games were pretty much the big and only thing for the Pokémon experience, they can be quite the "timesink" for the most devoted fans, especially once competitive VGC really got rolling. They can still be as such today with the continued presence of both and especially the latter, but they also face challenges from other Pokémon games and competitive endeavors, some of which might be their own "timesink". In any case, that is still the original and major one of its kind.

For the more modern "timesink" games, they'd be Pokémon Go and Pokémon Unite as those competitive endeavors. With their daily play demands, the "timesink" aspect can become rather highly evident, and even more so if competitive endeavors are in play. The puzzle spinoff games - as Café Remix and the earlier Shuffle - could also be considered to have the "timesink" aspect, especially for me personally and if this blog may suggest anything. Things will certainly be different for different players.

Meanwhile, the future holds another potential "timesink" game. The recently announced Pokémon Pokopia has announced more of its unique aspects, as Pokémon that are different from their regular counterparts. This adds to the mechanism of the game itself, which for other similar games also represents a "timesink". Therefore, the new game has a rather high potential in this regard, if it hasn't already been suggested as such. It might be the "timesink" of all other Pokémon games by its inherent nature.

With the way all of these Pokémon games furnish their content, players will certainly have a way of getting "caught up" with them and falling into the "timesink" aspect. Of course, any game can become a "timesink" if players let them become as such, and considering this fact and again the content, Pokémon is no short of example games, both demonstrated and potential. What becomes of these games for players' times is up for them to decide - and make them less or more of the key aspect.

One year ago: Cosplay: Toys & Hobbies Week 2024

Two years ago: End of Main Orders for Café Remix

Three years ago: Fun Pokémon Memes by a Fun Tortoise

Four years ago: Loyalty

Five years ago: Matters of Cosplay and Current Conditions

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/16/2019

Seven years ago: PikaPool

Eight years ago: Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Unleashed

...And Whimsy: Pokémon Go Wild Area 2025 (Global), Day 2

If the operative word for yesterday in Go Wild Area was "darkness", then today's would be "whimsy". For that, I've decided to bring in a little familiar "whimsy" of myself...

Me: ...along with two other people, of course.

Ash: Why not? This sounds like a fun one.

Goh: And shady. Grimmsnarl, huh?

Ash: Hey, I remember the time when Gengar went up against it.

Pikachu: Pika pika! ["What a time!"]

Me: We sure do. It can be said as a "turning point".

Goh: Absolutely. So you battled it yesterday, and now Ash gets to have a go again in your way... right?

Ash: Sure did! I battled it a few times. But I didn't get a Shiny one.

Me: That's OK. I already got one yesterday.

Goh: What else did you battle today? 

Ash: Shadow Darkrai and Bewear! That was quite a bit too. And I got two Shiny ones for the first one!

Goh: Neat! I'd say so myself. 

Me: Today, you're also finishing up a few loose ends, like some tasks with Professor Willow.

Ash: I got them. And the collection stuff too. That took me about half a day.

Goh: Were you not able to find the Pokémon?

Ash: Some of them didn't show up until later. 

Pikachu: Pika... ["Odd..."]

Goh: Hey, at least it got done. 

Ash: That's very true.

Me: And that's all that matters. Now, like last year, there had to be a lot of Mighty Pokémon strewn around...

Ash: And I caught many of them! Some of them had the best stats - with one Shiny, a Houndoom.

Goh: That's awesome!

Me: Hey, that's very refreshing. All of them can and will have their uses. But I'll still be selecting a few of them too.

Goh: And, uh... like last year, there had to have been backgrounds too.

Ash: I got ones for Darkrai and Bewear! 

Me: I didn't get one for Cresselia yesterday, so I'm a little bummed about that. But that's OK.

Pikachu: Chu pika.. ["I'll say."]

Goh: Oh, and Go Safari Balls.

Ash: I used most of them for the Mighty ones. But then I "blanked out" at the last big moment...

Me: Sorry about that. Maybe it's time for me to deal with a solution to help avoid that.

Goh: So, tasks done, battles done, Shiny and stuff done. All good!

Ash: Yeah! 

Goh: That leaves the question of you being around instead of our friend. Festivals? 

Me: Um... yeah. Again yesterday and today. But they were strangely "unavailable" for us due to location and venue constraints.

Goh: Well, Pokémon is always available, so it's a good option.

Me: And I actually sent Ash to somewhere a little far away to deal with a few Lucky Trades with faraway friends.

Ash: We got there, and that we did!

Pikachu: Pi pika! ["Very nice!"]

Goh: Neat! But I guess it was the last thing you wanted to do.

Me: Yeah... but it was kinda needed.

Goh: This year's Go Wild Area was really something.

Ash: It was really wild, like its name.

Me: I'm sure that will continue to mean good things for it over time.

After "darkness" and "whimsy", the most enthralling experience for Go Wild Area is to be had, now and later. It brings together people and things, and that is definitely the wildest it can get.

One year ago: Encroaching Upon the Wild Area

Two years ago: A Fascination for Noctowl

Three years ago: To Cart or To Download?

Four years ago: Connectivity

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/15/2020

Six years ago: Cosplay: Mini Futsal Cup 2019

Seven years ago: The Detective Goes Live!!

Eight years ago: Go My Dear One, and Pursue Your Dreams

For Darkness...: Pokémon Go Wild Area 2025 (Global), Day 1

And now, there is the big Pokémon Go thing this weekend, as the second run of the paid event that was only introduced last year. The event's progression last year was also wild, befitting its name, by introducing a lot of new things through some organized elements. This year, the paid event is to retain a lot of those elements while introducing even more new things, and that's a good reason to go through the event in order to write it up and break it down.

As with last year, there is a Max Pokémon debut to be had, and this year, that would be the formidable Grimmsnarl, the grim and dark thing I had previewed earlier. It is actually the fully evolved form of Impidimp, which evolves to Morgrem first before evolving to that species form. For this edition, Grimmsnarl appears exclusively in its Gigantamax form in Power Spots, while Impidimp itself makes its debut in the wild (and photo bombs) along with its Shiny form - automatically meaning Grimmsnarl too has its Shiny form. As is expected, many Trainers will have to group up to take down this rather formidable Pokémon, including through whatever means necessary, even by remote battling.

The entire species family is of the Fairy and Dark types, so like last year, the day is structured with alternating habitats with selected species of or related to each type. Field Research suits the alternating habitats with certain tasks and rewards for them, while this time, the Collection Challenges are based on the day with different assortments for each day - but I'm getting ahead of myself. The reward for completing one of these is a special costumed Bewear wearing a cape, which could also be Shiny. This Bewear could also be encountered as part of the Go Pass for the accompanying event (separate details on that one) or through three-star raids.

That said, the raids of this edition besides the one just mentioned are of the Shadow variety - specifically five-star ones of Cresselia (today) and Darkrai (tomorrow). It's a more modest selection compared to the previous year, and it also means that Trainers don't have to work them too hard, except for the Shadow portion of the program. Yet that also means that they're radically different, and they're of interest regardless; Trainers will still need to take them on in groups as for the Max Battles.

Meanwhile, Mighty Pokémon return in the same way as last year, though certainly with a different assortment, for this day and the next. Their "surge" also happens at the last 15 minutes of the day's event instead of after. Likewise, they'll likely need to be caught with Go Safari Balls, which will drop from balloons and can be gotten from PokéStops, or else paid with coins. One change this year is that the balls received today can be retained for use the next day, though while still during the event hours of 10 AM to 6 PM.

Most other bonuses also still require the purchase of the event ticket, including the Special Research, which branches out and guides Trainers in achieving mastery of either type of the featured species. They can get more Max Particles, spin for more 5 km Eggs and hatch them with less distance, participate in more raids, get more Candy from captures, catch more Pokémon from extended Lure Modules, and incur more Special Trades as well as trade for less cost. Further, since Shadow Pokémon are involved, Frustration can also be removed by a Charged TM today and tomorrow during event hours.

I have to say that I got through the Max Battles just fine and got good results out of them, but I also got good results out of the Special Trades with some Lucky Friends as well. As well, I got most of today's Mighty assortment, missing out on at least one; it seems I'm somehow fated to miss a few of the assortment, though I can somehow make up for them sooner or later. Like last year, Shiny Pokémon also seemed rather scant - others even said they got less than they would have expected by last year - but the background ones seem to be fine. I had perceived a certain different "darkness" today, but that also didn't completely manifest.

It's only been two editions of Go Wild Area so far, and the paid event is starting to solidify with its elements just like Go Tour did a few years ago. This year, based on its main species feature, it can also be described to solidify around the themes of "darkness" and "whimsy", which may not be a bad thing. The best course of action is certainly to take advantage of both themes for what they bring to the "wild table" for Trainers.

One year ago: The World According to Ursaring

Two years ago: Pokémon Monuments of Our Hearts

Three years ago: Preparing for Scarlet and Violet

Four years ago: Pokémon Cafe Delights

Five years ago: Cosplay: The Bros Contest

Six years ago: Sword and Shield Unleashed

Seven years ago: Seeing Red: Cosplay Teaser for 12/2/2018

Eight years ago: Ma? Ma? Ma? Marshadow...!

Favorite New Staff Colors... of Limited Pokémon

Closing off this week of "gimme five" discussions related to Café Remix, I want to discuss another set of subjective favorite things. I had actually intended to bring up "favorite outfits" again, but quite a few things from that are still applicable, so I couldn't bring it up in the same vein. Luckily, I can (could) restructure it a bit and still talk about favorite outfits... just of different colors and different applicability to certain Pokémon.

Those Pokémon have the basic staff outfit, but they have colors not from the usual leveling. In fact, they were created by Leah (the café owner) as part of certain events; according to her, she is trying out new colors for the staff outfit, and certain Pokémon - associated with the events, surely - get to try them out first. They may or may not be extended to other staff members, but in the meantime, they're still fanciful for the staff Pokémon that do get them.

One of these new colors is called "stylish night sky", which is a dark navy blue color that is reminiscent of a good sky at that time of day. Rayquaza and Inkay are the representative Pokémon of this outfit color, and it quite befits them, with the former having its domain where the color is, and the latter being contemplative within that space. It may be that the color has its own intrigue in addition to interest.

Leah also made the "stylish spring" color, and its recipients are (or were) Flabébé of the Red Flower sort and Fidough of the Shiny sort. It is perhaps a coincidence that the two Pokémon are those of different sorts, but then again they may be quite symbolic of variety. The color itself is also a rather "punchy" or "highlighting" yellow-green and may be considered befitting of being symbolic of variety as with the two Pokémon.

As a last color I'm featuring, there is the "stylish plum" color. It is a dark purple that is quite reminiscent of the namesake fruit, and Maushold and Dolliv were chosen to wear it. These two are from the ninth generation, and the newness and novelty of the color stands out along with the two species as part of the latest cohort. At the very least, they also bear the "stylish" aspect pretty well alongside the other colors above.

If the "stylish" moniker is of any indication, it is that these outfits can become select favorites of players without them being different in appearance from the regular outfits, aside from the color. Such is definite for the three colors I've featured above, and it may well be true for the other colors that I haven't featured - and likely possibly to come as well. And after some time, Leah might also gain newfound appreciation for them to expand them even further.

One year ago: Profs and Comrades: Professor Elm

Two years ago: Doing What's Necessary: Transferring (Releasing) Shiny Pokémon

Three years ago: Tunnels of My Heart

Four years ago: The Shops of Unite

Five years ago: Graduation of Regionals?

Six years ago: The Music of Shuffle

Seven years ago: GTS and Wonder Trade in Pokémon Go?

Eight years ago: 1000 Episodes!!!

My Main Order and Extra Order Progress in Café Remix

As part of the "gimme five" featuring Café Remix, I also want to take the time to update on my progression with regard to the main orders and extra orders that are in the game. It's arguably somewhat more subjective compared to the other more objective content throughout this week, but at least it keeps the theme going, not to mention my writing process. It also might be revealing of other intents, but that's to be made evident as things go.

Thus far, I'm on main order #2222, which means I'm 179 main orders short of completing the entire run of 2400 main orders. Admittedly, it's been rather slow-going for me to complete the main orders since recently I'm more focused on playing through the events, which can take up their own time - and quite a bit at that. Having them available for certain Pokémon is also a concern, although it may be the time to minimize that somehow.

Meanwhile, I'm on extra order #475, which is still a long way off from the 1600 extra orders that are there. At least, this one has its own incentives for completion, as every 25 of these completed rewards Golden Acorns and Tarts; at higher numbers, a few other rewards await, including a recently added signboard for the café. The incentives may be the only thing that keeps this progress going, to devote Stamina to it whenever possible.

Considering either of these progressions, something that's key to them is having Stamina available for playing the orders - though this is less of a problem now that the recently added event modes use up items rather than Stamina. In that regard, jumping in may not necessarily be a problem, but perhaps finding the right moment to do so is, in particular right now with all the things that happen at the end of the year even for the game.

It seems that the intents as revealed by the above progressions are to advance them while also to keep them manageable for other purposes. Satisfying those intents may turn out to be the real challenge, aside from whatever the main orders or extra orders put out as they come up. That too may be a bit of a subjective matter for my own ordeals with the game, but others who play could just decide on that matter objectively by what I put forth.

One year ago: The Compact Battles of TCG Pocket

Two years ago: Finding a Diancie Amongst Carbink

Three years ago: Evaluating Elite Raids in Their EX Raid Places

Four years ago: Inspiration from Characters

Five years ago: The Spirit of Brothers

Six years ago: Shuffle Special Stage Play Limits

Seven years ago: Marshadow and Mimikyu Keychains

Eight years ago: Cosplay Assistants

Kitchen Notes, Wherefore Art Thou?

As part of the overall framework for Pokémon enhancement in Café Remix, items that are called "kitchen notes" allow some Pokémon to unlock a fourth, extra skill in addition to the skills they learn when they level up. However, for quite some time recently, there have been a dearth of them, whether for new Pokémon and old ones alike. Thus, I feel the need to make this post - a second time in a more recent timespan and for the same topic - further as a part of this week's discussion as the chosen topic for "gimme five".

The last time kitchen notes appeared, they were in a Pokémon visit event from somewhat an unfathomably a long time ago, providing just enough to unlock and slightly level up that Pokémon's extra skill. After that, they seemed to have "disappeared" for new and returning Pokémon alike in certain events. Of course, that's not to say they have "disappeared" entirely as a feature or item, since existing ones are still available, and there may be the incentive to use them instead of holding on to them.

It seems that the more recent focus has been on making use of the available skillset of both new and old Pokémon rather than introducing new skills through utilization of the aspect or feature - or in IC terms, it may be that the Pokémon haven't developed something that they can reliably use as new skills that can fit into the new challenges of the café, as in through the new play modes. In that sense, the imperative to use some of the existing kitchen notes may be justified for all possible uses in existing play modes.

Will there be more kitchen notes for new and old Pokémon in the future? The skills they unlock may certainly be significant in some usage cases, and they're not expected to disappear or be removed, so the possibility may be there. However, given the aspect or feature's long absence, it is possible that it might just be changed to something more accessible (for example, having the new skills be unlocked with Golden Acorns instead) and the kitchen notes be converted to them much like how "outfit materials" became "outfit grades" so long ago.

Having been out of the "limelight" for quite some time, it might appear that kitchen notes in Café Remix have become "forgettable" in a way. Yet it is important not to forget that they're (part of) the facility for the Pokémon to unlock greater skills in dealing with orders in the café, so things need to be done with them on both sides of usage. Whether that means keeping them and doing more with them or changing them to something else, there's a greater good that could be involved with or without them.

One year ago: The Tricks (No Tricks) to Card Collection in TCG Pocket

Two years ago: Cosplay: Foodtopia Season 2

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/12/2022

Four years ago: Perfection Under Imperfection

Five years ago: The Little Cup of GBL

Six years ago: Performance Critique: Mezase Pokémon Master feat. Maestoso

Seven years ago: Rediscover Cosplay

Eight years ago: Cosplay: Japan Pop Culture 2017

Spending (and Saving Up) Golden Acorns

This next post for the topic of Pokémon Café Remix could be considered half objective and half subjective, but it should illustrate the condition and quandary of most players, including me, about the way of things in the game. So by now, players are certainly familiar with the usage (or more precisely, spending) of Golden Acorns in the game for a variety of things, and that is perfectly fine and in some cases even necessary. Yet like real money, there is some wisdom in trying to save it for certain better uses, and these two aspects make for a good discussion on where and when they may be appropriate.

Some players, even me included, might sometimes spend Golden Acorns for Stamina Shards, including for the ever-present Stamina Pack in the shop as well as the 180 piecemeal for the purpose of Staff Training or multiples of that to top up to the max. When no leftover bundles are available and there is no time to wait, they're definitely viable, but others may be better off waiting the time and getting the Stamina Shards that way, thus saving the Golden Acorns. Some justifiability is surely subjective for this spending.

For players who have gotten far in the stretch of main orders, they may no longer need to shuffle customers unless a rare Shiny Pokémon comes up, at which point spending for this is likely in order - an instance of both saving and spending. They also may not need to spend the 900 needed to continue an order after moves have been depleted, knowing that it may be better to start over on the order instead, but in rare cases, especially when one is left in a pinch, the spend (instead of save) may just be needed.

Most players today are likely to save their Golden Acorns for the Delivery function instead, which can be attested to take up lots of those. But then, the same would apply for the feeling of "disillusionment", which then leads to savings instead. With the recent addition of the two "monetized modes" for game events that use Golden Acorns as a proxy in part, there's even more of an effort to strike a balance between spending and saving to go through them, get what's necessary, and leave out the rest of their fluff.

Certainly, spending and saving are two sides of the same "coin" (ahem), whether it's for real money or game currency as in the case of Golden Acorns in Café Remix. Sometimes, it does seem it can be a real toss-up between both of those efforts to make further headway in the game of concern, but either effort can and does seem to find their own ways of becoming evident, and that may be all that most players need.

One year ago: Little Things, Little Packages: TCG Pocket

Two years ago: Cosplay: Bocchi Noizu First Anniversary

Three years ago: Changing Deliveries in Café Remix

Four years ago: Wingull Place Mat

Five years ago: PokéJournalists

Six years ago: A Story of Bands

Seven years ago: Cosplay: Manga no Kiseki & Japan Pop Culture 2018

Eight years ago: Heroes, Veterans, and Special Ones

The Full-Belly Adventure in Café Remix

Well, this week will be a puzzling week - not in that sense - for a different Pokémon realm, but I've got to be making my "gimme five" series this month somehow, and I've chosen this week in order to do just that, given its characteristic. For real puzzling matters, there's Pokémon Café Remix as the prime contemporary Pokémon puzzle game, and that becomes the main topic. The subtopic for this post is a brand-new event mode that has a lot of similarities to another recently introduced mode but also some important differences.

The new mode, as can be discerned, is called "Full-Belly Adventure". Succinctly described, it has the sensibilities of that mode while combining it with the framework of One-Minute Cooking for a Pokémon visit, becoming the "action" counterpart to the "strategy" of Café Pop-Up. One is also to play the mode up to five times freely daily using the food storage boxes, and then up to 20 more times total throughout the event period by paying 1000 Golden Acorns for each additional food storage box, forcing payment but also limits.

Since One-Minute Cooking is involved, there is no stage redraw, being that it's just one stage with cycles. As well, players are still to level up the visiting Pokémon and get more points for them than as with "normal" visits. However, some item exchanges for the earned points are now limited to the point of certain levels, so players will really need to put in effort to earn points and level up for making the exchanges, also just like regular instances of Pokémon visits without this new event type.

Meanwhile, the event type also features its own selections of Mighty Menu, which are very much directed to increasing the level of the Pokémon further to allow certain rewards to be earned, furthermore more quickly and effortlessly. Thus, the "monetization" aspect is being ingrained here as well, along with the usual Premium Pass and High-Score Skip functions that do exactly that for regular Pokémon visits as well. Whether players will use them is another matter, but some likely will.

Given this new event play mode and its similarities to another recent event play mode, it seems that the push for "monetizing" even more things in the game is becoming more and more apparent. Other than that, with or without the aspect, players can still enjoy the same gameplay as they have with the "non-monetized" incarnation of the gameplay mode and satisfy the appetites of visiting Pokémon, as the title of this mode suggests. That could be the only other puzzling thing to contend with.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/10/2024

Two years ago: The Money Deal: The Main Series Currency

Three years ago: Ed's "Starry Expanse" with Pokémon

Four years ago: Asymmetrical Friend Levels?

Five years ago: Life with a Go Plus Peripheral

Six years ago: In the November Sky

Seven years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/10/2018

Eight years ago: Mission Cards in Shuffle

Bottle Caps, Now in Pokémon Go

It was only about two years ago that I postulated and proposed that Bottle Caps could make their way into Pokémon Go, and especially if the will is strong. Fast-forward to the present, and in fact, the items have now been implemented in Pokémon Go. Unfortunately, this discussion is long overdue in one sense and right on cue in another, in part due to certain limitations. Yet the matter of fact is that they are indeed present and a discussion can be made out of them, further to elucidate what took me so long for that and their workings.

As suggested, both of its variants are indeed in: the Silver Bottle Cap and the Gold Bottle Cap. They also do what they are expected to do, with the former increasing one kind of IV, and the latter increasing all kinds. Remarkably, they are so powerful, in fact, that they can turn a Pokémon with the worst IVs into the best. Regarding their introduction, the latter was introduced in the lead-up to Pokémon Go Fest back in June, and the former is about to be live in the lead-up to Wild Area this coming weekend, which explains the discussion timescale.

Of course, raising IVs is not as easy as just giving the item; the Pokémon (and Trainer) have to work for it. The way they do so is through what is called "Hyper Training", which consists of a series of timed tasks to be completed sequentially, with each completed task raising an IV point. The time for these tasks, as for the Gold Bottle Cap, is one year. Thus, Trainers may need to be proactive when a Bottle Cap is used, more so when a lot of IV points need to be raised. Appraisal will also show a barbell mark on IVs of Pokémon that are raised in this way.

Understandably, with the way this game is, there is a price to be paid for the item as well. The Gold Bottle Cap had to be gotten from the Premium track of the Go Pass for the event that accompanied Go Fest back then (Ancients Recovered) by completing it, and then it had to be used within the week after the paid event, lest it just turn to Stardust. The Silver Bottle Cap will also be earned and used in the same way within this week for Wild Area. All this is separate from the paid events themselves and demands even more spending beyond them.

Then, as for the usage cases, the Gold Bottle Cap is recommended for use on a Mythical Pokémon, something that cannot be caught again, or at the least something that cannot be traded (since trading is more practical for "rerolling" IVs), with the exception of Shadow Pokémon that have their own "free will". The Silver Bottle Cap may have a bit of its own leeway and can be used on any Pokémon that need the IV boost. Of course, one is free to ignore any or all of these recommendations and use the items on whatever matters.

Something that's evident from all of this is that the game demands payment for attaining perfection, and a lot of that, which is why I passed up the Gold Bottle Cap's initial offering. Many will conceivably still have at least one Pokémon that could benefit from a treatment of either Bottle Cap - even me, as I had discussed previously - and a lower price for even just one instance may be helpful. Whether that can happen in the future may be up to the strong will of the people to make things happen in and for the best way.

Even with all the strings attached to them, the entry of Bottle Caps (in both forms) into Pokémon Go is still something of a wonder, but a bit of a necessary one at that. While that necessity may only be to achieve perfection on whatever species - more specifically, their instances - that Trainers deem as "perfect" or needing to be as such, it just becomes another example of their strong will. Ensuring and expanding that strong will may just be the next task, especially when the time of perfection is at hand.

One year ago: Cosplay: Kaioken Fest

Two years ago: Stuck in a Rut... or Rank

Three years ago: Running (through) the World with Pokémon Shoes

Four years ago: Pressing the B Button... Realistically

Five years ago: Stepping into the Marsh

Six years ago: Tournament: Raid Group Ferocious Cup

Seven years ago: 3D Printing and Pokémon

Eight years ago: (Mid-)Generational Updates