Tips and Tricks for New Café Remix Events

Lately, two new event types have gained prominence in Café Remix, which would be Café Pop-Up and Full-Belly Adventure, using the Slow Cooking and One-Minute Cooking frameworks respectively. So prominent they are that they have almost completely displaced the original events where the frameworks first appeared (Outdoor Tea Party and Pokémon visits). Given their prominence, it seems important to try to provide helpful tips and tricks for playing through these events, in a way similarly to each other.

As explained, both of these events use the "food storage box" item, of which five are earned each day. The ones earned for each day of an event instance don't have to be used on that day, meaning that they can accumulate, but like certain efforts, it's best not to delay using them until the end, for it would mean a lot of effort when that comes. The ones earned (also exchanged) for an event instance are also lost when the event ends, so it means having the commitment for their usage as an event progresses.

For Café Pop-Up, the strategy is pretty much the same as an Outdoor Tea Party: fill the points of the other guest Pokémon until the feature guest appears, then fill the points of the feature guest to earn as many rewards as possible for it. After that, the other guest Pokémon can have the rest of their points filled up as well and their rewards obtained. Since Pelipper becomes an additional guest for those who purchase a Mighty Menu, those who do so should also try to prioritize filling its points up as well along with the guest.

Then, for Full-Belly Adventure, earning points continuously is an effort in the same vein as a regular Pokémon visit, as is purchasing a Mighty Menu and/or High Score Skips (the latter also applying to the above). It often takes a while to earn enough coins to exchange for the feature visit and its associated resources, including cookies, but ideally, it's the first thing one should exchange for. After that, it's all about exchanging for all other necessary and useful items, which definitely depends on one's status for those items.

Even if the new Café Remix events are not all that different from their previous (particularly, non-paid) iterations, a lot of their underpinnings remain the same, so some tips and tricks apply equally well. For their other aspects - especially the limited play and payment aspects - there are other applicable tips and tricks to make the best of time and any payment that has been made. Following that, it's still a matter of continuing to do one's best with the staff Pokémon and to maintain their prominence alongside the events.

One year ago: For Pokémon and Nightmares

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Classic, 1/20/2024

Three years ago: Getting Refreshed with Pokémon Drinks

Four years ago: Pokémon and the Multiverse

Five years ago: Living Amidst Creatures... or Pokémon

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 1/19/2020

Seven years ago: Cosplay: Toys Week Season 2

Eight years ago: Cosplay: AsiA Cosplay Competition 2018, Day 1

Nine years ago: All in the Cards

Changing Club Campfire Rewards in Pokémon Go

From one overdue post on Pokémon Go comes another one, this time on a more social aspect pertaining to the game. As I had presented around a year ago, usage of the Campfire app alongside Pokémon Go can also beget in-game rewards under the Club Campfire banner by checking in to various community meetups within the Campfire app. Some months after I had made the discussion, however, the rewards were expanded and furthermore changed, which rendered a few of my points obsolete. Since the rewards have been pretty much stable since then, now it becomes rather imperative to make a discussion about them.

Now, the player can no longer manually choose rewards; instead, they're determined by the meetup (as the event it's associated with). Community Day, as a highlight, has a page of Party Play tasks and a second page of catching tasks, while others are composed of just a single page - although Community Day also had just one page for some time. The meetups can now be for Spotlight Hour, Research Day, Hatch Day, Raid events, Max Battle events, PvP events, and "other" events in addition to Community Day, all having their own tasks (certainly) along with the specific rewards that are furnished, which may be lucrative.

To obtain the tasks for the rewards, one needs to check in as usual and then claim the 500 XP bonus - technically a completed Timed Research page - within one hour (an important point, lest they are lost), which also serves as a "check" for participation in the meetup. After that, again as usual, the tasks need to be completed within eight hours, which should be sufficient, moreover if there are no Party Play tasks to deal with. The tasks are made complementary to one's objectives, and it should be possible to make good on completing the tasks.

Since the tasks and rewards can no longer be chosen manually, though, a player has to be rather proactive, especially for the Party Play tasks. They're supposed to be for meetups after all, so a friend or another player should be handy for that purpose. At any rate, the expanded tasks and rewards become further incentives to attend supported meetups (of which there can be even more of them now) and increment the Community Member medal. In doing so, the effort might just pave the way for other achievements.

Yet after all, Pokémon Go is still a game of people-linking as much as it is about Pokémon catching (and battling, caring, and so on), so the expansion of the Club Campfire meetups and the associated rewards is only natural and could be considered somewhat necessary. Beyond that, players (Trainers) can and should enjoy the increased flexibility that comes along with them for whatever Pokémon accomplishments they can muster when they gather in groups.

One year ago: Cosplay: TP & VV Cosplay & Photo Contest

Two years ago: The Meaning of "Pokémon Master"

Three years ago: Loot from Pokémon Festival Jakarta

Four years ago: Pokémon and the "Metaverse"

Five years ago: Let's Talk About Homes and the Place to Be

Six years ago: Cosplay: Cosplay on the Street

Seven years ago: Peace

Eight years ago: Suspending My Disbelief

Nine years ago: Ash, Satoshi, or... Ali?

Pokémon Go Community Day, 1/18/2026

So, that familiar "togetherness" thing is this month's main edition of Community Day in Pokémon Go. Something that may be indicated for this year's editions is that they will encapsulate variety, including a few things that the game really needs to get on. The latter may be especially true for the featured Pokémon of this edition because of its possibly immense power and extreme musical ability courtesy of some sticks.

Those sticks are drumsticks, of course, for the featured Pokémon is Grookey, the Grass-type first partner from the Galar region, also making it likely that the rest of its friends will also make themselves present later this year. Being a first partner, the move of Frenzy Plant as its special move should have already been a given, though it also has the opportunity to learn its signature move of Drum Beating by TM. This is complemented by the bonus of triple catch Stardust, which is always wonderful to have and earn.

For the rest of the bonuses, they're as regular as regular can be. They are double Candy and Candy XL chance, three-hour Incense and one-hour Lure Modules (with its extra appearances), trade discounts and extra Special Trades, photo bombs, and special backgrounds in the wild (since the Classic Piplup edition) and from Research. Speaking of which, Field Research is of the usual sort, and there is also the paid Special Research with the title of "Grooving with Grookey". The "groove" also applies to the rest of the bonuses.

Being that it was my "special day" the other day, I decided to do something special and visit a faraway community to interact with them... though their place remains familiar for other purposes, which also became a part of my day today. I caught just enough Shiny Grookey to have a stock, and I caught a few special ones with the special background. The main purpose of evolution today was just to obtain a few that needed the Frenzy Plant move, while others (as the G-Max Rillaboom I already had) could use the Drum Beating move.

With regard to variety, as far as that goes, first partners that not only have their "super" moves but also signature moves of their own presents a good kind of variety, as shown in editions of Community Day in the past few years and even today. This year will surely have that and more - which are to be determined soon - and the sticks that Grookey and its species family wield are the lead-off for that variety and all the ways it may be realized.

One year ago: The (Android) Back Button and Pokémon Go

Two years ago: Memories of Kanto

Three years ago: 1000 Species Is Real!!

Four years ago: My Pokémon Identity

Five years ago: Pokémon Body Pillows

Six years ago: Tournament: Raid Group Fusion Cup

Seven years ago: Rivalries

Eight years ago: (Almost) A Pokémon Party

Nine years ago: Pokémon Art Academy - More Than Just Pokémon Art

In Solitude and In Togetherness

Thanks to Ash yesterday, as well as the context of posts from past years below, today is indicated as my "anniversary" - that is, my birthday. It's a happening that has had its own dynamics, especially with Pokémon, if those past years are of any indication. That seems to want to apply to this year as well, given the circumstances that surround it; one of them was the thing yesterday, and the other... well, that's tomorrow, and I'll save that for then. Right now, though, there is another circumstance that when taken together with those other ones becomes the state of matters for today.

For that, celebrations can and do occur whether one is in solitude or in the company of loving people, whoever those loving people may be. That's something that people may choose to have happen, or might happen to people regardless of what they do. Even for celebrations centered on Pokémon - or at the least ones involving its most fervent fans - this may still be the case, and all that they can do is to "go with the flow" for how those celebrations play out. With that, the current occasion of my own birthday seems to have to play out to both celebrations of solitude and togetherness. 

Certainly, it was evident that yesterday's anniversary party could be construed in part as an "early" birthday celebration. As always, I'm bringing - or technically I brought - my Pokémon flavor to the celebration, which is something I chose to do. As for today being the actual day, the weather dictated that I wouldn't be able to find togetherness even if I wanted to, so it was a "forced" solitude in some ways. Meanwhile, as a preview for tomorrow, there is a familiar kind of Pokémon togetherness to celebrate, even if it may not exactly re-warrant my birthday to come up. Yet it still may be OK.

After all this time, Pokémon still has a way of making togetherness and solitude enjoyable in either circumstance and however they're (forced to be) chosen. The circumstance of my birthday might make realizing that more important, especially given how long I've been around and how long Pokémon has been around. Following that first step, the next step is ensuring that all my Pokémon and other dealings reflect just that.

Every day is a good day for all things that are one and many (people included), and if they happen to be Pokémon things that can be enjoyed by the same number of people, then that's fitting for me and others in our singularity and multitudes for them.

On that note, I've got one and many things to do. Happy one-and-many birthday to me.

One year ago: My, How Time Flies

Two years ago: Starting (Anew on) a New Day

Three years ago: A Legendary Existence

Four years ago: Unique Touches

Five years ago: Wishes for Good Days

Six years ago: Always Together

Seven years ago: Wonderful Opportunities

Eight years ago: 30 Going on 10... Or Something Like It

Nine years ago: A Pokémon Party?

Cosplay: Bocchi Noizu 3rd Anniversary

Me: OK, now here's something different.

Goh: It's a Friday! You don't usually have something like this going on today.

Me: That's true, but today also happens to be an off day, so it kind of makes sense to schedule something for today.

Ash: Well, I'm all for it!

Me: Sure! In fact, our friends from Bocchi Noizu have asked us - you - to perform (that is, sing).

Goh: Nice!

Ash: So, whatcha got?

Me: Well, I'm thinking about our (Pokémon) anthem, a pirate anthem, and... something a little different - it could be the "childhood" anthem of some people.

Ash: That's a lot. But I can do them all.

Pikachu: Pi pika! ["Should be nice!"]

Me: We should know the first two by heart. The third... that's my call to make it even more different.

Ash: Hey, it's in English!

Goh: OK, that's unique.

Me: But it does help our case a bit. How'd you do? 

Ash: I did mostly great! But... maybe the mix was a bit of a problem on the "pirate anthem"?

Goh: Well, maybe you can have Ash do it again.

Ash: I think that's a good idea! One of the other performers said I could do that.

Me: Let me think about that - if and when we get the chance, I think that could happen.

Ash: Awesome! 

Pikachu: Pika, pika chu. ["Seems a good idea."]

Goh: So, this is a Bocchi Noizu festival. It's got everything we'd expect, right? 

Ash: Performers - one of them me, of course.

Goh: Check.

Ash: Games - I even got to try one.

Goh: OK, we know that's not our thing, but we can always try.

Me: The result was probably not what we'd expect.

Ash: Yeah. And then there was the character parade.

Pikachu: Pika pika. ["As usual."]

Goh: Sure thing. How'd that go?

Ash: I didn't win anything. It was an "off" day, but all the other characters were "on".

Goh: Shoot. At least you got something for your performance, right.

Ash: Just a little, for our friend. I hear it'll be special for him soon.

Me: Hehe, you're right about that - but I'll deal with that on my own.

Goh: I guess it's a special "off" day too where it's a bit "on".

Me: You can say that again.

Ash: Happy anniversary, Bocchi Noizu! [whispering] And happy your "anniversary".

Goh: Oh!

Me: Certainly, thanks. 

One year ago: My "Missing Pieces" in Pokémon Go in 2025

Two years ago: Let's Talk About Endings and Beginnings

Three years ago: I'm a Legend!

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 1/16/2022

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 1/16/2021

Six years ago: Only Women Like You

Seven years ago: Pokémon Conversations

Eight years ago: Be the Best... or Be Different?

Nine years ago: My Pokémon Anime Epoch

Lego Pokémon: Breakout Sets, Breakout Prices

It was only in the second year of this blog that I discussed about Pokémon in toy block form, although at that time I did not "name names" to keep things fair. Many years later, now I can finally name one name, and it would be the most renowned one of all the names in this field of toys, which would be Lego. The famed toy block maker has finally collaborated with Pokémon and produced a few "breakout" sets for that collaboration. Yet that also comes with another "breakout" concern, which would be for the price - but that's to be discussed later. What matters first is the initial scope of this collaboration, as the way it's manifested.

The "breakout" sets involve a few facets from the first generation. Specifically, they would be block models of Pikachu on a stand (also featuring the Poké Ball), Eevee with movable parts, the fully evolved first partners, and even the Pokémon Center building (where Pokémon get healed, of course). Those who pre-order the evolved first partners set will also get the Kanto badge case set, including all its badges. As for piece counts, the sets for Eevee, Pokémon Center, and the badge case only have a few hundred pieces, while the Pikachu set has around 2000 pieces and the first partners one has close to 7000, so these need some commitment.

"Commitment" also applies to the price, the other "breakout" concern I mentioned. The sets go for hundreds of dollars, almost in line with the investment for a Nintendo Switch 2. Being that Lego is renowned for its toy blocks, the price point seems to justify that; yet even so, it still seems to be absurdly expensive, and the fact that it's with Pokémon - which lately has some expensive things of its own - doesn't help matters much. As such, some fans have taken to complain on social media regarding the affordability of these novel toy block sets.

For those who can afford the prices of the sets (that is, have some money to throw around), they'll be looking at a unique take on the featured facets as above. As with any toy block model, they're a bit "rough around the edges", but that's part of their charm. The selected facets by their ties to the first generation are quite nostalgic for older fans yet remain of interest for newer ones. Personally, I'd want to have the Pikachu set and build it regardless of the cost or commitment needed to obtain and process it as such, but that's quite a dream.

After being in the shadows for many years, Lego finally coming out with collaboration sets involving Pokémon is a welcome sight to see, even if the prices for the sets aren't exactly "welcoming". But for what could look like the first batch of such sets, the "breakout" aspect is also still welcoming regardless. It makes for a great toy block Pokémon future with the ones of renown being included in that picture and presenting their offerings for the franchise.

One year ago: My Team Status in Café Remix

Two years ago: The Ultimate Journey: A Journey's End

Three years ago: Tournament: Trainers' Sparring Battleground Ember Cup

Four years ago: Let's Talk About A Fourth Party

Five years ago: I Need Good Energy

Six years ago: After Tournament, Because of Tournament

Seven years ago: Keeping Up with VGC

Eight years ago: Here Comes an Ex-Raid

Nine years ago: Cosplay: AsiA Cosplay Competition, Day 2

The Challenge of Using Excess Stamina in Café Remix

As I had discussed a long time ago when I started getting my efforts in Café Remix going, the way that most puzzles are played in the game is through the use of Stamina. Fast forward to today, and that still remains true... except now it seems there's so much of that to go around, and yet it might be hard - thus, a challenge - to use up all of that. This situation might also apply to other players, so I thought I'd bring it up and make a little discussion out of it.

The easiest and simplest way to use up a lot of excess Stamina is by using them in and for Staff Training, where they can be used three at a time to make the staff earn lots of EXP at once. Of course, this now faces stiff competition against Tarts, which are now plentiful (and excessive) due to the game events and Daily Training. The challenge then becomes how to use enough Stamina for the staff Pokémon as needed and then filling up the rest with Tarts to use those.

Meanwhile, those who have been neglecting to play the Extra orders will likely need to not neglect them now, for the Stamina can also be used quickly there as well. In particular, some of these may demand to be replayed (thereby using up more Stamina) if one doesn't have the right staff member and/or they're not capable enough. But once that gets cleared out, more of them can certainly be cleared, and that makes it a useful way to dump excess Stamina.

It is certain that players will have to use at least some of the Stamina in the main orders if they haven't done so, although for some players (like me), this might still get a little divisive due to certain progresses. Yet it may be that what awaits them after completion of the last main order (#2400) could also be attractive, and that may just be reason enough to keep dumping Stamina into the main orders and get them cleared out and done for other possibilities.

Given the way that things work now in Café Remix, quite a bit of effort in the management of game items, including Stamina as the focus of this post, is needed to make sure they don't pile up too much and/or become unused. With the three sub-focuses as above with regard to Stamina, the challenge of its usage presents itself to me and other current players of this game, and we'll just have to tackle that challenge head-on as we get more things going here.

One year ago: My Pursuit of Unite Licenses Thus Far

Two years ago: Laughing with Pokémon (Species)

Three years ago: More Insights (and Strides) for the Daily Adventure Incense

Four years ago: Pokémon Asia Pikachu Mug + 2 Promo Cards

Five years ago: "Post-Shuffle" Activity

Six years ago: Fusion without Confusion

Seven years ago: Pokémon Theme Park Ideas

Eight years ago: Playing the Meta Game

Nine years ago: Cosplay: AsiA Cosplay Competition, Day 1

App Notifications of Pokémon Go

Being that Pokémon Go is an app on a smartphone, it can (and does) leverage the functionality of said device - certainly if one has allowed for that to happen. One way that it can do so is by periodically generating app notifications (through the system OS) for in-game happenings, which appear when the game is not actively running and/or when one is in an app other than Pokémon Go. It's a fascinating part of the game and it actually has come somewhat of a long way, which has now become the prompt to make a discussion of it here.

In the beginning, the notifications were somewhat rudimentary. They would mostly consist of Pokémon returning from Gyms and friends sending Gifts - even for the latter, the sender was not identified. Later on, it was finally possible to identify these senders, and there are even ones for Egg hatches, which began to show the possible diversity of these notifications. By tapping on these and the other kinds of notifications to be mentioned, the game is opened and if possible, the screen relevant to the notification is displayed.

More recently, there have been lots of notifications for the various in-game events. One of these is often generated just as a certain event starts (within a few hours) and the Trainer doesn't have the game open. In similar fashion, another one is generated at the tail end of certain events (again within a few hours, this time before the events themselves end), often with a reminder for them to catch a debuting species or form, or to complete Timed Research and/or Collection Challenges. These may become rather useful for some.

Other notifications that have appeared include those for weekly progressions, as one for the weekly Adventure Sync after it's been completed (Mondays after 9 AM) to remind the Trainer to collect the rewards from the feature. Then, the recently (re)implemented Weekly Challenges have periodic notifications as well at every quarter milestone, gently nudging the Trainer to help make progress on and complete it. These progression notifications illustrate just how helpful and varied they can be for a Trainer to keep up with things.

Like other apps on the smartphones the game is on, Pokémon Go can extend its reach to some key aspects for dealing with the apps on the devices and the devices themselves in general. The usage of notifications is a particularly clever one to keep its player Trainers in the loop of what is going on, has gone on, and could possibly go on as well, given the ones detailed above (and more that haven't been detailed due to the scope of this write-up). With the notifications, they can stand to do much more just as the game does more. 

One year ago: My Next Pokémon Figure Targets

Two years ago: Cosplay: MCP Creative Festival

Three years ago: Transfer Soon, or Forever Hold Your 3DS

Four years ago: Goh's Workstation Setup

Five years ago: The Rain and Pokémon

Six years ago: Premier Ball Hanging Ornament

Seven years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day + Local EX Raid, 1/13/2019

Eight years ago: My Pokémon Show

Nine years ago: Pokémon and Cosplay

Quickies: When Trees Have Memories

A certain myth states that trees possess memories and stories of the past. This myth has the implication that trees are not only alive biologically, but also spiritually in a way of speaking. Meanwhile, the people associated with the trees would keep track of what they know by a writing system that is evocative of the spirits of the trees, given their paramount importance. All this sounds like an elegant myth, and it seems it could also be applied to Pokémon in an equally elegant manner with its certain species that are pretty much sentient trees.

I'm of course talking about the likes of Trevenant, Exeggutor, and Sudowoodo (even if the last of these is just a "fake" tree), which are somewhat capable as far as trees go in battle, and their sentience is a given. In this way, they definitely do hold memories and stories, especially if they - the Pokémon - are associated with Trainers who are dear to them. Their related humans may only use a script that resembles Unown script to communicate with each other, but for the trees, at least some spiritual connection may be evident.

Now, the myth I mentioned above is from Ireland, which happens to be the land from where the singer Enya hails from, who happens to have an album entitled "The Memory of Trees" with the album's title track being the first. It's an instrumental piece that to me sounds like a spiritual journey through a forest of sentient trees, which could be a wonderful thing. The trees may not be any or all of the Pokémon species I mentioned above, but the same journey could conceivably apply somewhere in the vastness of the Pokémon world.

Whether trees are actually sentient could be considered up for debate, but there is no doubt that they're alive in different ways. The same is true of the Pokémon species that resemble trees in their appearance, although these trees are definitely sentient given the way they are and do their things in that world. Either way, they might just have certain capacities for holding memories, and thus the myth and the associated musical piece above may just ring true for all regular trees and Pokémon trees.

One year ago: Cosplay: Atarashii Sekai

Two years ago: #25 Makes a +62 Journey

Three years ago: A Solitary Pokémon Fantasy

Four years ago: (Dis)Engagement in Silph Arena Action

Five years ago: To Spotlight or Not to Spotlight?

Six years ago: Cosplay: Nihon Matsuri 2020

Seven years ago: These Sides of Paradise

Eight years ago: Another Big Shuffle Update

Nine years ago: In-Game Trainer Name Inspirations

The Year of Plush?

It has come to my attention that Pokémon is also wanting to try out a little something new for this year, much like as they did last year with the "Year of Eevee". This time, though, it seems to be more specifically focused on a particular area of Pokémon, being merchandise: according to Pokémon Center, this will be the "Year of Plush", which could mean a lot of things given that the subset of Pokémon merchandise (and itself as an area of merchandise) can be broader than one might think it is. That's the reason for the added question mark in the title, which also becomes the prompt for further exploration of the topic in a post.

The announcement should also have come to the attention of a great deal of fans, since those who subscribe to the e-mail newsletters for all things Pokémon (which includes the one for Pokémon Center) should have received an edition of the newsletter containing that very announcement. Something prominent within this edition, one that comes up when one opens it, is the illustration containing a number of Pikachu and Ditto prominently along with a few other Pokémon in different moods and situations. For those who don't subscribe, the same illustration may be found on different social media accounts for Pokémon.

As far as merchandise content goes, the e-mail newsletter edition suggests that in fact Ditto and Pikachu will figure in prominently, given the associated promotion for Pokémon Natures plush featuring the two Pokémon species, including how they appear in the illustration. Then there's the new entry of a Pokédex Plush for Mimikyu, which of course means a life-size edition of this niche but highly appreciated Pokémon species (ahem) for fans to appreciate as well. The present offerings are quite fascinating and are surely to be accompanied by others throughout the year, given that the announcement is for that very period.

Plush dolls for Pokémon are pretty common by now, so technically there doesn't need to be a full, entire year for celebrating them. Still, the upcoming Pokémon anniversary of this year, as I've already hinted about in my actual "yearly theme" post, actually has something special going for it, so it seems to be quite pertinent to celebrate that alongside even the most common matters for Pokémon... which include plush dolls. With that, the "Year of Plush" can be construed to be a totally ambitious premise of a common matter that is made even more special by all kinds of circumstances for Pokémon and all its fans.

One year ago: Searching for New Pokémon Meetups

Two years ago: Adapting More of Ash's Outfits?

Three years ago: The Present Trouble with Indonesian VGC

Four years ago: My Superstar Type Teams in Pokémon Shuffle

Five years ago: Getting Measured for Costumes

Six years ago: Faults in Some Stars

Seven years ago: Pokédex Texts and Information

Eight years ago: A Song for the Lonely, et Cetera

Nine years ago: My Path Through the Main Series

On Timelines That Float

Certain universes have what's called "floating timelines", where the characters in said universes don't change in age and/or appearance even though they progress just as the world around them does, which includes the coming and going of other characters. The "timeline" thus "floats" because the characters progress on their own, like they are on a vessel floating upon the "sea of time". It becomes clear that some perspective shift is involved here.

Now, if this sounds like something that does occur in Pokémon, that's because it does (or did): the anime is said to do this when Ash was still around. The change in the regions and the addition of more Pokémon species were indications that the Pokémon world continued to progress, despite that Ash and other people in connection remained pretty much the same. Their progressions "float" and "cruise" upon that of the world itself.

The "floating timeline" aspect in turn contributes or gives rise to a "relevance" aspect, by which the stories and adventures remain pertinent to both old and new fans. This has obviously worked quite well for the Pokémon anime during the time it had Ash - perhaps a bit too well, since he is still quite cemented to the anime even well after his departure. It only means that the connection to the character and related adventures is extremely established.

Speaking of all this matter about time(lines) and how they float, it is also known that time itself may be the only thing that can provide answers to its progressions. That's the essence behind a certain popular song by one of my favorite artists (nonetheless), which I also thought about as I examined the matter about "floating timelines". With that, the discussion becomes the perfect entry point for finally mentioning the song on this blog:

Who can say if your love grows

As your heart chose?

Only time

And who can say where the road goes?

Where the day flows?

Only time

Who knows? Only time

Who knows? Only time

-- "Only Time", Enya 

Just like how time may hold all the answers to life - and possibly the universe and everything - the progression of people in that life and characters in adventures and stories may have all the answers for all kinds of people who enjoy them, regardless of what time they are living in. That becomes something that "floating timelines" enable, for even without apparent change, there is still something to be gained where they are of concern, for Pokémon or otherwise.

One year ago: The (Personal) Importance of In-Game Trainer Appearance

Two years ago: In Pursuit of Unite Licenses

Three years ago: The Present Trouble with Silph Arena

Four years ago: More Evolution Stages for Pokémon Species?

Five years ago: Pokémon SM KFC Family Meal Toy: Mimikyu & Ultra Ball

Six years ago: Renewed Oaths: Pokémon Direct, 1/9/2020

Seven years ago: Custom Pokémon Merchandise

Eight years ago: A Pokémon-Pikachu Balloon

Nine years ago: Where It All Started

Triangulation in Pokémon Terms

The term I mention in the title of this post - "triangulation" - might only be heard in certain advanced contexts, ones that also likely don't or won't involve Pokémon. Yet I also feel that Pokémon can somehow be involved in demonstrating how the term can manifest itself in those contexts and furthermore beyond. It's also a bit of a mental exercise for me as a blogger to try and do that, certainly then to present the results here in a post all its own. 

Basically, the term involves ascertaining things. For a possibly half-realistic and half-Pokémon example, to determine where a disturbance in the ground may be coming from, two Diglett can be employed to sense the vibrations. Where their vibrations intersect with that from the ground, that would be where the disturbance is, and that's what "triangulation" is. The realistic part of this is certainly not having to use Diglett to accomplish the objective.

Meanwhile, I myself benefit from the "triangulation" process for this blog. I'm effectively doing that when I'm gathering information for a post, like from the separate infographics for certain Pokémon Go events as well as from the official web site and from the experiences of others and my own. In doing so, I'm able to write up something with a certain weight to it, and others can benefit from the information contained in that writeup.

Now, those advanced contexts might involve research of some kind, and that definitely invokes the Pokémon Professors as something they'd do all the time, and might even require the help of aides, as Ash and Goh did for Professor Cerise. In fact, their efforts are essentially invoking the "triangulation" process, synthesizing all their data to something that would let them understand "the whole" of things, the point of the process in general.

Some terms like "triangulation" sound advanced, particularly in the contexts they're usually used in, but when they're considered to a certain depth as with that term above, they might not sound all that advanced and in fact turn out rather pedestrian and necessary for some everyday matters. Of course, a little bit of Pokémon might just help in that regard, and that can serve well for those whose dealings are always somehow linked with the franchise.

One year ago: Club Campfire Rewards in Pokémon Go

Two years ago: The Outdoor Tea Party in Café Remix

Three years ago: The Post URLs on This Blog

Four years ago: Streaming Pokémon Anime Episodes

Five years ago: Introducing Collection Challenges

Six years ago: (Finally, Another) Local EX Raid, 1/9/2020

Seven years ago: Pokémon Ceramics

Eight years ago: Hitching a Raid Ride

Nine years ago: A Tale of Two Shirts

Ranked Play Updates in Pokémon Unite

Along with the update to how Unite Licenses are procured in Pokémon Unite a while back, its Ranked play mode also received a few updates, specifically to the all-important aspect of how players would progress in it. The updates are somewhat significant to both prospective ("new") players as well as existing ("old") players, so they've got to be discussed and explored for all their worth to all of those players, including what they can do with them.

First up, the system of match win medals and Performance Points is gone... or rather, the former is removed, and the latter is reworked into a new system, just called "Rank Points". In order to advance through the ranks, a player now has to purely earn points by winning the matches (and hopefully not lose), although bonus points are still awarded for certain achievements during a match, which are quite helpful in any case.

Then, there is the addition of a new rank. That new rank is the Legend rank, which is placed above the Master rank and is earned with extremely high ratings. Players of a certain "next-door" MOBA might recognize its similarity to that game's rank, and therefore this could be an incentive for them to try playing Pokémon Unite. Of course, they surely won't be able to get there immediately, but they can keep trying with great efforts.

Meanwhile, there is also a slight but significant change to the Theia Sky Ruins map: the central "Legend pit" now features Kyogre with similar effects to Groudon, with the rest of the map more or less the same as the previous update. This makes it a "deepwater" edition instead, and the variety that the map updates give seems to be rather welcoming, at the very least to keep the map from being perceived as boring and stagnant in a way.

Of these updates, the most intriguing one would have to be the rank update, again due to the semblance of "parity" that it gives with other similar games. There also may be concerns that the new progression system might make things slower and/or more boring than before, but it may have to be admitted that the new system is simpler in some respects. That may be the most important thing, given the state of the game today and to come.

If these changes - including the previous ones - are of any indication, it is that certain efforts still need to be made by players and the game alike to make them as best as they can be, and not to slip further into a "rut". The least that they can do right now is still to continue their efforts in Ranked play with whatever they can muster while awaiting further changes to make it and other parts of the game even more conducive to "united" efforts.

One year ago: The Year of Eevee

Two years ago: Quickies: Getting Over Fatigue

Three years ago: Tournament: Raid Group Ember Cup

Four years ago: Quickies: Clapping with Pokémon

Five years ago: The Syntax of Pokémon Names

Six years ago: Locks on Shiny Forms

Seven years ago: A Pokémon Case Analytic Scenario

Eight years ago: The Three-Count

Nine years ago: On the Subject of Go

The New Pokédex in Pokémon Go

As I had brought up in my annual "Hoppip Report" at the beginning of this year, I wanted to discuss the Pokédex in Pokémon Go, which has had a big change. That big change is actually quite old by now, being that I mentioned it close to a year prior when discussing gameplay vs. visual changes in the game. With that, it's got to be addressed, for it is actually a fascinating topic to make a discussion out of it, and I've chosen this very moment to do that. 

So, with the new Pokédex, when one opens it, one is presented with a list of regions for the origin of each species, as well as a selector at the bottom for the various kinds of forms that the new Pokédex keeps track of. Choosing one of these regions (which will have a silver border when "complete") jumps to the section for that region for the selected form index, for which the Pokémon are now listed by rows of four instead of five as in the previous version, due to the larger rectangles used to display the entries, a rather nice visual improvement.

When a Pokémon entry is selected, the caught forms for that Pokémon are displayed in a tab of their own, which as shown by the Hoppip entry, also contains the ones for 100%, Lucky, XXS, XXL, Shadow, and Purified. Of course, not all Pokémon will have these (specifically, ones that haven't become Shadow obviously can't become Purified either, and those that can't be traded can never become Lucky), so it depends on the species. The Info tab has the usual description and size stats, while the Battle tab has type matchup information and the list of moves (even special ones) that a given species can learn. It has become rather informative as a result.

The new changes absolutely invite Trainers to register as many forms as possible, and in fact that is what happens: capturing a new Shiny form and obtaining a "special" form (Mega Evolution, Max forms) will also bring up the form registration screen, which also now contains the numerical and regional indicator. As well, an alert can be set for a particular species through their entries, which will bring up notifications if that species happens to be present in the wild somewhere nearby. These extra changes are not only functional but also assistive.

It's been a year since the aforementioned changes to the Pokémon Go Pokédex, and it may be safe to say that the quality of the feature has improved overall and somewhat helped Trainers out, even me. While much can still stand to be improved in other gameplay areas for this game, some of the improvement may be (or have been) helped by the new improvements to the Pokédex, and they might just bring on other improvements in gameplay.

One year ago: Give Me Five

Two years ago: Cosplay: Isshoni Tanoshimimashou 18 - Shinka

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 1/7/2023

Four years ago: A Movie-Watching Dream

Five years ago: Previous Plus One

Six years ago: The Substitute Being (or Doll)

Seven years ago: Family Affairs

Eight years ago: Rethinking Salt

Nine years ago: Tournament: Local Friendly, 1/7/2017

Stop Killing (Pokémon) Games

Besides playing games, gamers (and other people beyond the realm) also have the interest of preserving games so that other gamers can play them as well. That becomes the key rationale behind the somewhat recent movement of "Stop Killing Games", which has the aim of ensuring the playability of games, specifically ones that require an Internet connection to play and the players spend good money on in order to play. It's a movement with some good ideals to be sure, but it can also be considered that for Pokémon, the key idea can be interpreted in a different way yet has some alignment to the original intent.

The movement itself started close to two years ago after a certain game that required online connectivity though mostly played by one got shut down, and it has gained a lot of traction since, with support from various gamers. The movement also has had some results - though perhaps of the unexpected kind - so it merits consideration in this day and age where many games are played online and many require it as such. It too has some applicability to Pokémon... including for that different interpretation I mentioned.

What I'm getting at is not "killing games" by ending their services, but by killing off their player bases by making things less accessible for new and old players alike. The recent change to way of getting Unite Licenses in Pokémon Unite is a rather potential "killer" in this regard, while event content in Pokémon Go is a minor or "shadowy" one. If the responses to these are not good enough, then their player bases will definitely be killed, which would make it easy to justify killing the games entirely - and no player really wants this to happen.

Meanwhile, the original spirit of the movement is applicable to some current Pokémon games. Unite does have an offline mode, but it's rudimentary in a way and can stand to be improved if the inevitable happens. Café Remix is currently all online - perhaps given its save data and event features - and it might be hard to translate that to an offline mode, although if it can be willed, then a way might just exist for that purpose. Yet other Pokémon games (like Pokémon Go) are not really meant for or easily translatable to offline play, posing challenges.

Games can conceivably die for certain reasons on both sides of the developmental divide, and in this day and age, online games are especially vulnerable due to the dynamics in those sides. With the given movement as above and the current state of some online Pokémon games, there is a significant imperative to make sure current games can stay as lively as possible among their players while dying games can at least have a chance at a "second life" of sorts.

One year ago: There Is a Place...

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 1/6/2024

Three years ago: The Embers of a New Season

Four years ago: Pokémon Asia Bulbasaur Mug

Five years ago: No Scans for You

Six years ago: Pokémon Statues

Seven years ago: ...With Gatherings and Safari Zones for All

Eight years ago: More Odd Poké-Pika Things

Nine years ago: A 3DS Story

Six Senses

Before getting anything else going on this Pokémon blog, I'd like to discuss "yearly themes" as I've done in the past (this one being last year's) - but of course, bring things back to Pokémon somehow. For this year, I thought that it might be just as well for the numerical suggestions from the past to continue into this year, and with that, I settled for theme of "Six Senses" since last year was "five" and "six" certainly follows that. Of course, the other half of that theme is just as significant and it's the part that may be telling of Pokémon things to come.

Now, the choice of "senses" alludes to the traditional perception that there are five of them. But "five" was last year, so the "six" this year must allude to the perception that there may be an extra one of these senses. One of these could be the often-discussed ESP that forms the basis of the regard for psychic people, which further alludes to the Pokémon species of this type (Psychic) and especially one called Espeon, whose name practically includes the term in question. Thus, the theme for this year suggests a fair bit of "extra".

For that, this year's Pokémon anniversary is already a spiffy "extra" in itself, and it doesn't take a sixth sense or ESP to see that. What might need just that is the ways to determine what the anniversary will hold this year - as usual, in about one and a half months - in actuality rather than by purported information that also as usual has a way of manifesting itself around this time. If that holds "spiffy extras" as well, then it also doesn't take a sixth sense to determine that Pokémon is going to be over the top ("extra") for its next offerings.

Still, the rest of the world today (and even my own state of affairs) aren't exactly telling of "extras", and if they are telling of anything, then it could be that they might make dealing with Pokémon things more difficult. In that way, the "extras" might be telling of certain "burdens", whether they are Pokémon in origin or not. This also suggests that Pokémon affairs might have to try to reduce the burdens that they might put on for those who enjoy them, in order that fans can still enjoy them even with what could be difficult times ahead.

The big thing about senses is that they are important in and for perceiving everything about life, including all things Pokémon. It takes all five of the common ones to do just that, but sometimes for both explicable and inexplicable reasons, some help from a sixth one in some form might just be helpful. So it is that for this year, all the senses - and then some - will likely be needed to make sense (ahem) of the (Pokémon) world, and after everything has gone on, they'll still be needed for taking all that in to enjoy and survive in it.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 1/5/2025

Two years ago: Tell Me, It'll Be All Right

Three years ago: Kids in Cosplay?

Four years ago: Indomaret Promotional TCG Cards

Five years ago: (Re)Structuring Competitions

Six years ago: Jelly-Filled Doughnuts

Seven years ago: Cosplay: Bunkasai XXI

Eight years ago: The Music of Go

Nine years ago: Alt+0233 and Its Kin

Pokémon Go Community Day Classic, 1/4/2026

Well, this is an ambitious start to the new year. This is now the earliest that Community Day has ever been scheduled in the year, and it's a Classic edition too, meaning the regular edition will come sometime later in the month. "Ambitious" might also describe the featured Pokémon species that returns for this Classic edition, which is a waddler with happy impressions that when fully evolved becomes something assertive - like a ruler - that can stand its ground in the face of certain adversities.

For those who haven't figured it out, this edition's featured species is Piplup, which was last featured in January 2020. Like it was back then, when I had Ash take care of quite a bit of the effort, the main bonus is quartered Egg hatch distance for those who want and need to clean out their Egg stock, and Empoleon as its fully evolved form (after Prinplup, of course) gets the Charged move of Hydro Cannon. Other returning facets are extended Lure Modules (back then extended Incense wasn't quite a thing) and Field Research, which was already a thing since way beyond this edition.

As for modern aspects, there would be extended Incense (with its three-hour length, whereas Lure Modules remain at one hour), extended Lure Module appearances (since the regular edition back in October last year), photo bombs (always a nifty add-on), and the extra paid Special Research (this time entitled "Piplup Parade"). Special backgrounds also return for the featured Pokémon, but this time they're not of the season; instead, the background is a unique nebulous image with a Poké Ball silhouette. As with the October edition, the background is randomly found for wild encounters and surely from some in the paid Special Research.

Evidently, this time I did things by myself instead of while sending Ash to a certain happening, since there were none to speak of anyway. This time around for Piplup, it was mostly to gather up the resources to enhance the Piplup I already have, including to fully evolve one with the best stats, which may be in the cards for further enhancement later on. Along the way, I evolved the best of my Lucky ones and a couple that had the special background, one of which is actually Shiny. In all, most things today were for preparing (for) the best.

(In the realm of "community", well... today I also needed to forego certain impressions for others, and that may or may not have had the desired results.)

Piplup is a Pokémon species that has made quite an impression over time along with other, more popular species, so it becomes a natural fodder for a Classic edition of Community Day. In particular, its earlier edition took place before many modern perks of the event were instituted, so bringing it back for a Classic edition helps in that regard. It's an ambitious Pokémon for an ambitious time (incidentally), and at the beginning of this year, that may just be a sign of things to come for the regular iterations.

One year ago: Card Rarity in TCG Pocket

Two years ago: Let's Talk About Being In and Out of Place

Three years ago: Three to Get Ready, Go

Four years ago: TCG 25th Anniversary (Plus Localized Content)

Five years ago: New GBL Novelties

Six years ago: On Third Parties

Seven years ago: The Loading Screen of Go

Eight years ago: Team Assistance and Secrecy

Nine years ago: "They can imitate you, but they can't duplicate you..."

Are Pokémon Fans "Reckless"?

Pokémon fans are certainly united by their love of all things about the franchise, or at the least what appeals to them from what the franchise offers. Yet it's possible that they could be united in other respects, one of them behavior or attitude. For that, I have a proposition that might sound somewhat controversial but sensible in some ways, particularly by the experiences of my own in contrast to those of other fans. Despite its element of controversy, I consider that there's still a place to make a discussion about it - and in a calm manner, no less.

That's because I'm floating the idea that Pokémon fans can be considered "reckless" in their behavior or attitude. It's a strong claim to make, especially given the fact that it includes yours truly as a part of the group. Yet the way that quite a few of them are in some communicative channels, like the comment sections of YouTube videos (as I've addressed a few years ago) or even in some game chats or forums, suggests the "reckless" idea. Then again, that's where some of the most "toxic" fans are present, while the amiable fans are less likely to have such tendencies; or rather, the tendencies might be present in another way than communication.

Meanwhile, other fans might go to other extremes that might suggest "recklessness". Some fans might be willing to travel great distances to meet each other, given an opportunity that makes that possible. Then, others might invest themselves in some efforts of creation or collection that could seem beyond humanly (capabilities), and the "recklessness" through those efforts might be implied. Even this blog by yours truly could be considered, in a way, a product of "recklessness" (including in the way it's done), which may explain why it may or may not have begotten anything useful even after many years of me keeping up the efforts.

Granted, any claim about behavior or attitude may not necessarily be universally applicable, including the claim I'm making in this post. Some fans might still be rational in all their ways, at least by their own perceptions as well as of others, though a few of their actions might just approach "recklessness" by some accounts. The claim would then become most applicable to the most fervent, intense, and even "crazy" of fans, whose actions can possibly be construed to have elements of "recklessness" even with certain rational bases for those actions.

So, it seems that the "reckless" viewpoint of Pokémon fans in their behavior or attitude might only lie in the eye of the beholder, and that perception may depend on the fans who perceive and are being perceived. After all that, it may be sufficient to say that Pokémon fans may or may not be as wild or extreme as the eponymous species of creatures, but at least their appreciation may have wild and unique extents. Whether that's "reckless" or not may just be something that fellow fans have to recognize and reconcile for all their attraction to Pokémon.

One year ago: A Pokémon Unite Dream

Two years ago: Four on the Floor

Three years ago: Cosplay: Pokémon Festival Jakarta

Four years ago: Two and Two Together

Five years ago: A Dream with Partners

Six years ago: A Clear Vision

Seven years ago: Home and Heart... and Hope

Eight years ago: Now Accepting Donations

Nine years ago: Confessions and Concessions

Getting It Together: Simplify and Amplify

As I'd said in my opening post for the new year, I'd like to discuss what I'll need to do for this blog in order to make an improvement, also the same as prior years as indicated below. A lot of the points presented in them still apply, but for this year in particular, I want to discuss what it may take for me to "get things together", something that has presented a challenge over much of the past year and perhaps even up to this point in time. After considering what has happened then and now, I've determined that in order to "get things together", I'd need to do two things, as indicated by this post's title, which are to "simplify" and "amplify".

For the "simplify" portion, it might seem that more than a few of my posts have gotten quite "convoluted" in their structure, even if this could be considered a natural consequence of being able to write more in comparison to my early blogging days. Thus, the effort is to try to remove "convolution" wherever possible and to make it easy for me to write about Pokémon things while still necessarily going as deep as possible and necessary into them. This would in turn make it easy to deal with this blog amidst all other (Pokémon) things in my life.

Then there's the "amplify" portion. That would involve ways of making my posts having that necessary depth as above while making the limited resources I have - mostly words, but at times images might also be pertinent - say or express as much as possible. It might be considered an avenue of creativity that is somewhat needed for this blog after so many years. Given that Pokémon itself has been (and recently gotten) rather creative and so have a good segment of its fans, it seems natural that I'd have to follow suit for this blog somehow.

Even with these two aims together, it might still be necessary to let one of them take a slight dominance over the other to still allow myself to express what I need to express and to show what Pokémon things absolutely needs to be shown. That also means it might be partially dependent on what those Pokémon things actually are and how they could stand to be featured on this blog in both of the ways stated above - again, words and/or images.

Realizing these two aims might be either a hand-in-hand matter or a separate-but-together effort, much like how certain Pokémon games are played and including ones that are very much pertinent to me right now and in the foreseeable time ahead. At least some of that is definitely a natural fodder for being featured on this blog, and after nine full years and going into the tenth, making things simple while also amplified seems to be the imperative.

One year ago: New Directions, Same Directions

Two years ago: Blog Changes: Made and Not Made

Three years ago: More Blog Overhauls?

Four years ago: Thoughts on More Categories

Five years ago: Pokémon Blogging Wellness

Six years ago: New Post Categories

Seven years ago: Taking the Plunge

Eight years ago: What's Next?

Nine years ago: ...And a Hoppip New Year

Hoppip New Year 2026

Hoppip New Year! Well, this Pokémon blog is now starting its tenth year, a round number for all things concerned. Now, roundness can be construed in many different ways, and any of them seem apt to be discussed at the beginning of this year of Pokémon blogging for all that they may indicate for what has come as well as what will come with everything Pokémon. That then becomes reflected back into my blogging efforts for what I've done and what I'll need to do - the latter likely in more detail tomorrow.

One of the things that "roundness" may refer to is completion. Nine years of discussing certain Pokémon matters on this blog have been completed, and I've also been able to complete a lot of things within that time. Yet this is something that faces challenges, much like the subject of "commitments" that I discussed a year ago (see below). Despite the challenges, both past and present, I still want to commit to that completion, and that also means doing what I can possibly do in both the Pokémon front and blogging side.

"Roundness" can also have references to perfection or fullness, and this presents a more intriguing prospect. Over the past year, a lot of things have happened for Pokémon, and I got to address many of them in my blog posts. This year, meanwhile, already has its cues for further perfection and fullness, some to be evident in a couple of months' time. That means more of them to address, which further means more chances to achieve a "roundedness" of my own with this Pokémon blog.

Like in past years, I also put forth my "Hoppip Report" on this day. Last year, I put out stats on my captured Hoppip through the in-game Pokédex since I didn't have anything particularly special for a captured Hoppip. I've decided to revisit that and show what kinds of Hoppip I actually have through the new and improved appearance of that Pokédex - something I should probably discuss in a different post. The ones for the 100% (best stats) and Lucky are indeed missing... but they'll surely come sooner if not later.

Also like past years, the list of posts from past years grows even more round with the addition of the one from nine years ago. That is something that is warranted regardless along with the state of roundness of all my affairs, both in and out of Pokémon. As for Hoppip itself, it is not necessarily a "rounded" Pokémon in one sense, but after all this time, it still has provided a sense of "roundedness" for me to start off another year of Pokémon blogging. By all means, that may be a good and "round" way of looking at things at this point. 

One year ago: Hoppip New Year 2025

Two years ago: Hoppip New Year 2024

Three years ago: Hoppip New Year 2023

Four years ago: Hoppip New Year 2022

Five years ago: Hoppip New Year 2021

Six years ago: Hoppip New Year 2020

Seven years ago: Hoppip New Year 2019

Eight years ago: Hoppip New Year 2018

Nine years ago: First Post Time!