Illusionist Uri Geller issued an apology for preventing Kadabra from appearing in the Pokémon Trading Card Game due to a lawsuit he filed in 2000. He has stated that he will now allow Kadabra cards to be printed again.

In November 2000, Geller claimed that Kadabra was based on his likeness, citing the Pokémon's Psychic type and habit of carrying a spoon. Geller subsequently sued Nintendo for £60 million, saying "Nintendo stole [his] name and [his] signature image." Masamitsu Hidaka, a director and storyboard artist for the Pokémon anime, confirmed in 2008 that Kadabra would not appear in the Pokémon Trading Card Game until an agreement was reached with Geller.

Pokémon Masters, the latest mobile game, has received some tune-ups lately. With the addition of Eggs, new Sync Pairs, and new Story Events, it was only fitting that the game's name was adjusted to reflect the additions: Pokémon Masters EX.

Naturally, in this age of social media, the official Pokémon Masters EX Twitter created a hashtag in their August 25th post announcing the change. This was posted in conjunction with a poll asking followers to vote for which Sync Pair should be boosted to a Rank Six.

At this point it should be noted that, while the official account started the hashtag, they did so with proper capitalization. Some fans, however, did not. And quickly took notice.

After they first began being installed last year, there are now a total of 100 different Pokémon manhole covers in Japan. The newest batch (seen below) are located in Serigaya Park, Machida, Tokyo, being the first of these covers to be located in the metropolitan area.

Last year, Japan began installing Pokémon manhole covers as part of the Pokémon Local Arts project in an attempt to increase local tourism. Known as Poké Lid (ポケふた Poké Futa), the manholes have been installed in numerous prefectures, including Hokkaido, Iwate, Fukushima, Kagawa, and more.

Manhole-spotting is a popular pastime for travelers within Japan: people enjoy checking out the different designs within the country. As more Poké Lids are installed, tourism should experience the expected increase.

Curious visitors can use this site to locate the various Pokémon-themed manhole covers across Japan.

The Pokémon Center Hiroshima was temporary closed due to an employee testing positive for COVID-19. The store closed on August 15 and reopened on August 18, 2020 after it had been cleaned. The store will resume business as normal, albeit with health and safety precautions being taken.

On August 12, a Pokémon Center Hiroshima employee began feeling unwell. On August 15, they received a positive result for a COVID-19 test. As a result, the Pokémon Center Hiroshima was temporarily closed at the guidance of health professionals, to disinfect the store. Furthermore, 27 other employees underwent testing—all tested negative, but two employees who had close contact with the employee who tested positive will undergo a two-week self-quarantine regardless.

Due to the closure, a TCG Shield Battle tournament scheduled for August 16 was cancelled. This was part of the Charizard HR...

A new podcast published by The Pokémon Company International, titled "The Play! Pokémon Podcast", has launched.
The Play! Pokémon weekly podcast will cover various details about the competitive Pokémon scene, such as the Trading Card Game, Pokémon Sword and Shield, and Pokkén Tournament DX. It is hosted by Jay Blake and features contributions from various competitive Pokémon experts.

The first episode of the podcast features Kay Dyson, Jeremy Jallen, and Brendan Hansen as guests. Dyson and Jallen discuss various stats of Pokémon and decks, respectively, throughout the first three weeks of the Pokémon Players Cup for VCG and TCG. Following this, Hansen discusses some of the players who qualified for the finals in the Pokkén Tournament DX tournament.

Each episode also ends with a question of the week that Blake asks the other guests of the show. The first episode has him asking the others which Pokémon would work for them if they were the owner of a cafe or restaurant in the...