Six Places, Six Types

The world of Pokémon has some pretty wonderful places for Pokémon to live in, and that's something that many fans like me would agree on. But then there also certain other wondrous places beyond this world that are as such unto themselves. Still, I can't help but imagine that at least some of those places could make a good home for Pokémon, if they were to spread their existence to those places. To that end, I've thought up of six of those places that might just be familiar to certain people, and the types of Pokémon that would feel at home there.

One of those places is an island somewhere in the remote sea that is packed with wondrous mechanisms, and I can think of Electric-type Pokémon that would be happy to make it their home - including Pikachu. The remoteness and mechanisms seems to just suit them. A different remote sea, meanwhile, has islands that comprise scattered rocky points, and the weather is a little more unstable there. This latter place is a watery wonder and would be well enough for Pokémon of that exact type (Water). Evidently, islands are a common theme as well for these and some of the other places to come.

A much different place would be one that is a shade of Fortree City, but on the remote sea. Though rather removed from the land, it seems plausible that some Pokémon of the Grass type would find a way to survive in that environment. Meanwhile, a different place could be construed to resemble the islands of Alola in a way, in part, and in miniature; even with that, Pokémon of the Flying type would seem to be mostly at home among these islands, also with the possibility of venturing just a little outside the vicinity. These places hark back to familiar places in the Pokémon world even though they are far removed.

For the last two places, they are likely of the strangest ones as far as Pokémon places are concerned. One is an island with a highly tumultuous physical history, and with that continued history, it seems to be a place where Pokémon of the Fire type can thrive even with all present challenges. The other is a cavern somewhere deep inside the depths of the ground, a place of high intensity to say the least. That high intensity seems to bode well for Pokémon of the Rock type, which ought to be rather suited to the environment. While it does seem like such a stretch for both places, the Pokémon might just still find their ways of survival there.

It seems not hard to think up of these places, especially if one is already familiar with them. What might be harder to think about, in particular for a Pokémon fan, is how Pokémon can stand to survive (let alone be present) in such places. Yet it might seem to just come naturally for all parties of concern, and the Pokémon will find their own ways of being able to exist and persist there... if they could. That seems to be a wonder, much like how these places themselves are wonders, even outside of the Pokémon world.

One year ago: Quickies: Feeling (and Healing) Like a Snorlax (Again)

Two years ago: From Games to...

Three years ago: A New Series of Legendary Pokémon

Four years ago: (Out of) the Mainstream

Five years ago: Local EX Raid (vs. Rain), 11/7/2018

Six years ago: Closer and Farther PokéStops

The GS Ball That (Never) Was

Some months ago, one of my friends bought an imitation/replica Poké Ball (similar to the ones I detailed years and years ago) for certain purposes. However, the ball looked somewhat different; it was slightly metallic in appearance and had two telltale letters that become its namesake. Lo and behold, my friend had obtained the GS Ball, which by its name suggests a connection to the main second-generation games, Gold and Silver. It's a fascinating aspect, yet it's also an intricate one, especially given its further relation to the anime where it is (was) also featured.

The short (and simple) description of that aspect is that it is intertwined with Celebi and its appearance. The long description is also the more intricate one. Regardless, the actual game involved is Crystal as the "third game" to the Gold and Silver games. A distribution had (was) to have occurred for the game for the player Trainer to pick up the item, which is to be given to Kurt in Azalea Town. A sequence of events then occurs, which demands the ball to be taken to the Ilex Forest shrine, triggering an encounter with Celebi and allowing its capture. It's the distribution that makes things intricate, although some of the intricacy has been cut out with the game's Virtual Console version.

Viewers of the Pokémon anime will also no doubt recognize the ball, as it was present on a good chunk of the anime in its early days. It started out in the Orange Islands as Ash was tasked with its retrieval, which took some time due to his competitive excursion. When it was finally retrieved, it went through a quarter of the Johto saga, ending up in... exactly the same place as with the game above, the hands of Kurt in Azalea Town. The difference is that absolutely nothing happened afterwards in relation to it, and it became a stub in the plot line. The reason? The whole subplot involving the ball was intended to generate a "Celebi arc" of sorts - perhaps in similar ways as the game it was featured in - but as the fourth movie featured the Pokémon instead, the arc was essentially scrapped.

In these ways, the ball truly represents something that could have been but never was, at least in initial cases. The ball's usage in the game initially hinged on the distribution, which did happen for Japan, but only in a specialized manner, and it could be construed as a "has-been" and "if-only" insofar as general players are concerned. As for the anime, it is as such but in a truer and broader sense, happening due to a shift in the way things are to proceed. One may wonder how things would be if they occurred (better than) as intended.

While my friend may have obtained a GS Ball replica that definitely showcases it as it is, the actual GS Ball as present in the game and anime is something that perhaps could have seen a better light of day when it was initially conceived. At this point, it's simply a curiosity and a complexity of the past, but it still serves well to think about it in modern times, in particular through its physical manifestation as a reminder of a possibly forgotten Pokémon aspect.

One year ago: Cosplay: 5USUME! Spirit of the Winter - JMS 5th Anniversary

Two years ago: Quickies: Yawning Away Matters

Three years ago: The Flying Cup of GBL

Four years ago: Performance Critique: Project "Untitled" J-Karaoke

Five years ago: Let's Rule the World, Together

Six years ago: Triplets and Pairs

Pokémon Go Community Day, 11/5/2023

Ash: Nice, Community Day again!

Goh: I should have seen it coming.

Me: Like the previous one, it's been scheduled beforehand, so it needs to be dealt with. And while technically I could have tried to put Ash on double duty with the meetup where the convention was, it would have been too much for all of us.

Ash: Well, I understand. We do what we can do.

Pikachu: Pi! ["Yes!"] 

Goh: And with what we have and where we are, it seems. But I get the point too.

Me: Anyway, the featured Pokémon for this one is a whimsical one. It's Wooper, a Pokémon  originally from the Johto region.

Goh: So, um... Wooper only has one evolution, to Quagsire. There must be a twist to this, since most of the time Community Day has Pokémon with three stages.

Me: Indeed. That's because this edition also features its form from Paldea, a region which you two may or may not have heard of.

Ash: I heard a little bit, but not much. 

Goh: So have I. 

Me: For that, Paldean Wooper evolves to Clodsire, something entirely different. And both of the evolved versions will get different Charged moves: Aqua Tail for Quagsire, and Megahorn for Clodsire.

Goh: OK, these all must be battle moves. Aqua Tail takes advantage of the Water type, and Megahorn must be to protect Clodsire as its types are Ground and Poison.

Me: That's a nifty bit of research. Also, it's the first time that the Paldean forms appear, so that's also something to deal with.

Ash: And the bonuses?

Me: As usual. The main bonus is reduced Egg distance, which should be good for getting them hatched and out. The others, you should know the drill by know.

Goh: Extended Lure Modules and Incense?

Me: Check.

Ash: More Candy and larger Candy XL chance?

Me: Check.

Goh: Picture popups and extra raids?

Me: Check - the latter should be of either kind of Wooper.

Ash: Cheaper trades and more Special Trades?

Me: Check.

Goh: Field tasks and paid tasks with Professor Willow?

Me: Check - the latter is called "A Muddy Buddy".

Ash: And stickers and special deals?

Me: Check. I think that's all of them.

Goh: OK, so how'd things go?

Ash: Our friend got me there with my World outfit, and I met up with all of your friends and caught a lot of Wooper.

Goh: Some of them had to be Shiny.

Ash: Yeah! I got two of the regular Johto one and five of the Paldea one.

Goh: Was there anything special that you did?

Ash: I grouped up with friends and decided on things to do. It was really fun, but there was a lot going on too.

Goh: And then there were the giveaways for Shiny Wooper. But of both kinds this time.

Ash: Yeah, just like last time. But again, I didn't win any.

Me: That's completely fine. I'm sure you evolved quite a few.

Ash: I did! The best ones and Shiny ones of both kinds so you can battle with them.

Goh: Who knows? They should be useful.

Ash: The Candy and Stardust should all really help.

Me: They should. And then there had to be the group picture.

Ash: Here you go - and that's me just above the banner.

Goh: That's a great group.

Pikachu: Pika pika! ["Very good!"]

Me: That's excellent. There was no mud today, but still a lot of togetherness.

Goh: Like a pool party without the pool.

Me: That's a bit of a stretch, but at least the Wooper are pure and (relatively) clean.

Ash: Well, I tried not to dirty my hands too much.

Me: Anyhow, this has been another good day. The Wooper (and possibly the trails they leave behind) might just point the way for later endeavors... hopefully not (so) down and dirty.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Classic, 11/5/2022

Two years ago: The Structure of Factions

Three years ago: Spending Afternoons with Eevee(lutions)

Four years ago: Where My Voice Gets Heard

Five years ago: Dexterity, Pokémon Games, and Me

Six years ago: Team Harmony

Cosplay: ChibiCon x Ghosty's Comic

Ash: Wait! I thought we already had a ChibiCon this year.

Me: I did too. But, well... as you can see, things happen. 

Goh: You know what I think? They're trying to catch up. This is the third one since they started, and this year has a "3" in it.

Me: That would make sense, even though it is a little far out.

Ash: Well, I guess everything's happening again.

Pikachu: Pika chu pika. ["Once again."]

Me: As before, there are things that are the same and there are things that are different. For starters, the name of this edition is quite different.

Goh: It's... a collaboration? A crossover?

Me: Indeed. It's between the organizers (Japan Culture Daisuki, JCD) and a popular comic author and illustrator... and Ash has actually met that person, twice before.

Ash: I remember! Back at ICC... and a long time ago.

Me: Obviously you do. Even with that, the exhibitors should be largely similar to the last time, as well as the schedule - the two days of the weekend - and the venue.

Goh: Oh! But, um... Today is a Saturday, so you sent Ash on the first day.

Me: Yes - that was dictated more by necessity than it was for the sake of being different, but more on that later on. And obviously I can't organize for Ash to stay for the two days.

Goh: I guess that means the thing that you talked about last time is still off the table for now.

Me: Right, so we're not even going to discuss that, since the things from our discussion last time still apply. But you know what does apply? Today's competition.

Ash: The character parade! It's on Saturday like last time.

Me: Yeah, you got this. Since I've changed a part of your Unova outfit, you ought to try that and see how you fare.

Ash: I was one of around 40 on stage. But the four judges only chose one winner each... and I wasn't one of them.

Goh: That's a harsh lottery. How were the ones that won?

Ash: I thought they all looked interesting, so... I guess it's nice for them to win.

Goh: Yeah, so it's not your time. Maybe later on there might be something for you - and our friend, of course.

Pikachu: Pika pika chu pika. ["We can try again."]

Ash: Great! Next time it is.

Me: OK, so let's just call that a wrap on the competition. The rest of the convention should be a lot like it was from last time.

Goh: Including in the same place.

Ash: Yeah! The booths were all almost in the same places, but some of them were real different! You wanted me to find someone from last time who showed off something... and I couldn't find the person. Sorry about that.

Me: Well, at least we tried. I mean, didn't we expect that at least some things might be different - booths included?

Ash: But they were all great! I even got something for you to take a look from one of the booths that had Pokémon things.

Me: Oh! Well, thanks. I will do that. That should be nice. 

Goh: Since I asked about entertainment last time, I have to ask this time as well - how was that?

Ash: The entire day had just guest stars, a sponsor, and two bands. Nothing too special - but I liked the bands. Oh, and there was the karaoke group from other conventions.

Goh: I have intel, and apparently the second day tomorrow has the more special guests.

Me: Well, obviously Ash can't be there one way or another, so it can't be helped. Nice to know, though.

Goh: How was last time's "people problem"? Was it as much of a "problem" this time?

Ash: Not really - there was a lot less.

Me: I think that's because of the "Saturday effect", with there being fewer people who are truly free. As for tomorrow...

Goh: We won't get to see it, so we don't have to worry about it.

Me: That's why they put in a "ticket war" system anyhow to try to control it. Unless...

Goh: They have some tickets on the spot for today and tomorrow!

Ash: Oh yeah! I saw, some people were able to get that today.

Me: Hmm. Anyhow, that is their problem. What else should we know about for today?

Ash: I met two great people today!

Goh: Who?

Ash: On my left is Fajar.

Pikachu: Pika pika! ["Very nice!"]

Me: Awesome! That is indeed the author and illustrator of Ghosty's Comic. And now it's a lasting memory.

 

Ash: Then in the afternoon, I met another Pokémon fan! We spent some time together.

Me: Double awesome! So I guess we can say we got to do the same thing as last time, this time.

Goh: And this is the point of you sending Ash to places like this convention.

Me: Exactly! There could be (or may still be) a couple of slipups along the way, but that's what we still set out to do.

Ash: The organizers really did it too! At least on the first day. So, I guess it's not really chibi (little) for anyone any more.

Goh: It's a big "little" thing, for sure.

Pikachu: Pi pi pika. ["Chibi or not."]

Me: Tie it back with Pokémon for us, and there's never a "chibi" moment around here.

One year ago: The Halloween Cup of GBL... Ultra League Edition

Two years ago: A Glimpse into Faction Battlefields

Three years ago: Hype and Habit and Pokémon

Four years ago: Cosplay: Erafun Cosplay Contest

Five years ago: Cosplay: Art and Cosplay Stage "PANSOS"

Six years ago: How Many Is Too Many?

From Apricorn to Balls

Before Poké Balls became standard(ly mass-produced), they were first created out of natural materials. And the primary material of their constituency is the Apricorn, a spherical fruit that is not too dissimilar to their more diverse cousins, Berries; both of them grow on trees and are collected from them likewise. Once collected, they are crafted and/or constructed accordingly to create certain specific kinds of Poké Balls. I find this a fascinating part of their lore and mechanism, which is why I've taken a post to discuss about them.

In the place they appeared first, the region of Johto, they are present all around the region on specific trees and come in certain colors, the latter being the determinant of the type of ball they beget. This implies the presence of certain characteristics that are imbued by the colors of each Apricorn to the ball types. Moreover, these fruits are implied to be no ordinary fruits; specifically, their outer shell-like aspect must have a hard and sustaining quality for them to not require (relatively) much in the way of effort to turn them into Poké Balls of various kinds, as with their "modern" mass-produced counterparts.

Meanwhile, their persistence across regions and times speaks of and affirms their fundamental relation to Poké Balls. Whether in Galar as determinants of specific balls, or in Hisui as a part of a construction system for them, Apricorns in these ways still underlie the overall typing and skeletal basis of Poké Balls, even indirectly. Although in the end only the type of the Poké Ball remain relevant, at least a shade of their influence remains as the way they originally introduced Poké Balls other than the normally obtained ones.

Returning to their biological aspect, they are still a fruit and could be expected to be edible - if not by humans, by Pokémon - and in fact, they are, which is a bit of a digression from their Poké Ball relations. In the remade second-generation games, they can be blended to create a drink to enhance Pokémon. It is also possible for Pokémon to consume Apricorns after they have spoiled, in a process that remarkably parallels the "bletting" process that real-life quince (and similar) fruits go through. Though not related to their main framing as a basis for Poké Balls, this is still nice to know and bring up in discussion.

Like any Trainer starting out on their Pokémon journeys, the journey of the conception of the Poké Ball has to start from somewhere, in particular the material that allows them to be begotten. The various kinds of Apricorns provide such a starting place with their properties that allow them to make up different types of Poké Balls, or in a way at least their traditional prototypes before their modern counterparts. It's just another aspect that shows the depth of their lore and mechanism, which I appreciate.

One year ago: Cheer Moments for Pokémon Games

Two years ago: Going for an Arena Brawl

Three years ago: Singing My Hearts Out: After One Year

Four years ago: Cosplay: Project "Untitled"

Five years ago: The Joys and Sorrows of Raid Marathons

Six years ago: Late-Night Lure Party

Slow Cooking in Café Remix

Over the past year or so, Café Remix has entertained players with real-time puzzles (that may also be competitive) under the banner of One-Minute Cooking. It's analogous to the similar time-based format in Pokémon Shuffle, the predecessor game, as I've explained before. For the competitive aspect, though, it doesn't seem to have an analogue - at least, a usable one - for the move-based format... until now. The latest feature Pokémon event has just introduced such a format, and it's called Slow Cooking.

Instead of having a single large playfield and clearing obstacles in "phases", a player is given three "order" puzzles like a typical main order, with both "cooking" and "dish up" phases, to be completed in succession. The catch is that all of them need to be done with a limited number of moves that are shared among all three, so every move is valuable, especially as their points will be totaled and counted just like One-Minute Cooking. To that end, a new playfield item is introduced, "Move +1", which adds another move to the counter when cleared. Play continues until all the puzzles are cleared or there are no more moves.

Selection of Pokémon is also different. They are selected before the entire run of puzzles, but in a different way: one Pokémon is selected for each "order", who will be the leader for that "order", and the other two serve as support, none of which can be changed in the middle. Only the leader can use skills for that "order", as is normal in main orders, and only these three Pokémon appear in all puzzles. While either of two recommended Pokémon may be chosen, it may be more advantageous to ignore both and choose a different one that may be better suited (by tapping the Pokémon selector) to clear the puzzles optimally.

The usual selection of pre-puzzle and mid-puzzle items may be used as with main orders, but these are severely limited. Only one of each pre-puzzle item may be used over the course of the run, though it's up to the player to determine what and when. Likewise, only three of each mid-puzzle item may be used in total (except for the Leader Bell, which is limited to one), and this requires wise decisions. Furthermore, all of these still depend on how many items are in the inventory, and their usage will eat away at that. Therefore, clearing puzzles by moves is still prioritized, and these items should be used sparingly as is the case normally.

While Slow Cooking has been introduced as part of a featured Pokémon event, there is actually a deeper reason for its introduction. Even though the game has been around for a few years, including as its "Remix" update, there is reason to believe that the game has matured in some ways, including for its main orders and the Pokémon that can be played in them. For that reason, the format was created to accommodate (in a way) new possibilities for the future. I'll have more on this in a separate post, but this should represent the overall gist.

After the action-based format that is One-Minute Cooking, it makes sense to put in something based on strategy, and Slow Cooking becomes the ticket for that. The challenge that it presents is not far removed from the framework of main orders that the game has, but with the limits that the challenge imposes, it is still necessary for players to make the best choices and approaches (including for Pokémon and clearing the puzzles) to get the most out of this slower and more thoughtful format.

One year ago: Pikachu and Togekiss Mini Figures on the Cheap

Two years ago: The Currencies of Unite

Three years ago: The Pokémon Evolution (and More) Music

Four years ago: Pokémon Go: A Colossal Discovery

Five years ago: Balance of Topics

Six years ago: Kids (...or Trainers, Fans) These Days

Cosplay: District 18 Halloween & Cosplay Party

Goh: A Halloween party? Wow!

Me: Yup, you'd better believe it. An actual Halloween party, on the day (night) of, and within reachable distance of where I am. So it stands to reason that I had to send Ash there.

Goh: Well, now I understand what you were going for yesterday.

Ash: You know, I think this was the first time you sent me to something like this where you are.

Me: I'm pretty sure as well, certainly since the first time I could send you to places. And way back when I was somewhere else, I couldn't get to do that even if there was one. So... it's pretty special.

Ash: Pikachu and I think it's awesome you finally get to do it. 

Pikachu: Pika chu! ["Sure do!"]

Me: Thanks. Also, I do have to say that sending you here served two things: one is that it was kind of to repay the favor of a friend, who also had a Halloween thing - but I can't say much more, other than Ash also needing his Kanto/Johto outfit for this one.

Goh: That's fine. We don't need to know either.

Me: The second is that the people who organized this also organized a festival event last Sunday... but I didn't send you there because I had to send you elsewhere.

Ash: Really? But yeah, our other friend went all out on the one you sent me to, so not a big deal.

Me: I agree. So this was kind of to make up for that. All right, enough of the background. What happened there?

Ash: You sent me to a coffee shop!

Goh: That's why you had a hard time catching Yamask.

Ash: Yeah, it wasn't that big, so there wasn't much room - and the Yamask were few.

Me: Hmm, so you were really unlucky. If there had been more, you wouldn't have needed to use up the Pinap Berries. But that's fine.

Goh: So, the party was in the evening, right? 

Ash: Yeah! It started at 7 PM, but it needed a bit more time to get going - for the character parade, and I was the first one up.

Goh: You weren't nervous? 

Ash: A little, but I got over it real quick. I just had fun afterwards. I guess Pikachu helped too.

Pikachu: Pi pika chu. ["I guess I did."]

Goh: So after the parade, there was...

Ash: A karaoke, but I didn't go up. I wanted to try the food for my friend. 

Me: Thanks - how'd that go?

Ash: I thought it was great. I finished it. And the karaoke was fun to listen to.

Goh: I imagine they didn't want to wait with the awarding.

Ash: No, they didn't - they did it right after karaoke.

Goh: And you got... 

Ash: A "favorite character" prize from the coffee shop, one of two.

Me: All right!

Pikachu: Pika! ["Nice!"]

Ash: It's not much, but it should help. Oh yeah, they had six main prizes, and one of them went to one of our friends that we talk about sometimes. He was a dragon tamer now.

Me: Um, OK, I guess. We might need to talk ourselves one of these days.

Ash: And that was it. The whole thing didn't go too late, not past 10 PM.

Me: Yeah, I was kind of not in the mood either. So that was a good thing.

Goh: What did you think of the party overall?

Ash: They did great! They had some spooky decorations, and that brought some spooky characters too - and they didn't need to be forced.

Me: See, things can happen if they want it to happen. I found out about this party literally the day before and got Ash signed up on a whim.

Goh: And he did great too.

Me: For sure. And this was a real first Halloween experience for us, even without trick-or-treating.

Ash: It was fine! I think the coffee shop did the trick-or-treating for us.

Pikachu: Pika pika chu. ["That might be it."]

Goh: I'm sure you'd like to deal with this again next year.

Me: Of course! If one comes up. At least we really can say that we had a Happy Halloween this year, with or without the "spooks".

Ash, Goh: Yeah! 

One year ago: Shiny Pokémon in Café Remix

Two years ago: My Current Unite License Targets

Three years ago: The Halloween Cup of GBL

Four years ago: Later, Psyduck

Five years ago: Hardcore (Dis)United

Six years ago: Duff Knows Pokémon