Guaranteed Shiny Celebi in Pokémon GO with the Return of Jessie and James


With the upcoming release of the new Pokémon movie (Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle which stars Celebi and Zarude), Pokémon GO will have a celebration event! In this event you will be able to encounter a shiny Celebi as part of a Special Research! Plus, Jessie and James will return along with a few other events as we lead up to Christmas.

On Monday, December 14 a limited-time Special Research will be hosted by Jessie and James for shiny Celebi. After you complete the events, you’ll be able to encounter and catch the Celebi! This marks the first shiny mythical Pokémon in Pokémon GO (with the exception of Meltan), so you should be sure to log in and gain access to the quest line before it’s gone!

Here are some other things to watch out for during the event:

  • Jessie and James will return via the Meowth balloon with different Pokémon than before, but will only be around for a limited time. They will be around especially frequently on Christmas day!
  • Explorer Pikachu (another costume) will be available in the wild and in raids. Also, take a snapshot of a Pokémon to see Jessie and James!
  • December 15th’s Spotlight Hour will feature this Pikachu with 2x catch candy.
  • Shiny Rufflet will make its debut in raids and 5km eggs.
  • Increased spawns relating to the movie (especially worthwhile for Durant, Flygon, Mawile, and Lickitung).

The Celebi research will be available at 8:00 AM local time on December 14th. Explorer Pikachu will be available starting at the same time and will go until December 21 at 10:00 p.m. local time. The spawns relating to the movie will begin at the same time and end December 17 at 10:00 p.m. local time.

This is all really big news considering we’ve never had a guaranteed shiny Pokémon in Pokémon GO before. It’s like a Mystery Gift with some tasks locked behind it. So, be sure you sign in to get the research shortly after December 14! We don’t know how long it will be around to claim. Though, they used the term “limited-time Special Research” which seems to be along the lines of the Halloween Research where you have to access it during a time window and then have an unlimited amount of time to complete it.

Either way, super excited for this piece of news. Looking forward to getting a Shiny Celebi in Pokémon GO!