‘Pokémon’ Officially Brings Back Long-Lost Rare Monster After 10 Years
The Pokémon Company is bringing back the rare Poké Ball Pattern Vivillon through a Pokémon Legends: Z-A community challenge. Players are asked to evolve Spewpa, and if the event reaches 600,000 points from evolutions, the company says it will distribute the Vivillon to all players on a date yet to be announced. The return matters to collectors because the variant has been unavailable through official distribution for more than a decade.
Vivillon has 20 patterns linked to different real-world regions, but the red, white and grey Poké Ball design is an unusual event-exclusive form. Its last distribution was in May 2016, at a specific Pokémon Center in Japan. Players had already reached a third of the challenge target in under 24 hours, making completion likely; the event also gives trainers a chance to obtain random Vivillon patterns by evolving Spewpa.
In short
- A challenge could bring back Poké Ball Pattern Vivillon.
- The last official distribution was in May 2016.
- Players had reached a third of the 600,000-point goal.
Explained simply
Pokémon is a series of games in which players catch and raise creatures called Pokémon. Vivillon is a butterfly-like Pokémon with different wing patterns; most patterns are linked to the real-world region where a player is based.
The Poké Ball Pattern is a rare red, white and grey version of Vivillon, designed to resemble a Poké Ball, the device used to catch Pokémon. It was previously handed out at a Pokémon Center in Japan in 2016, so many players have had no official way to obtain it since.
The Pokémon Company makes and manages the Pokémon series, while players in Pokémon Legends: Z-A can take part in the community challenge by evolving Spewpa, which develops into Vivillon. The rare pattern’s return is of interest to collectors, and the challenge also offers a chance to get other Vivillon patterns.