Pokemon Go Introduces New Character and New Shiny Pokemon

Earlier this week, Pokemon Go revealed the theme of the game's next season, Timeless Travels. In the new season's trailer, a new character could be seen, though Niantic did not offer any information about him. Today, the company pulled back the curtain on Mateo, who will make his debut in an all-new event called Along the Routes. Starting on December 5th at 10 a.m. local time, players may encounter Mateo at the end of Routes. Players will then be able to participate in a Gift Exchange, obtaining a gift from another player that they might not be friends with! 

One of the appeals of exchanging Gifts is that players not only receive the items inside, but also a postcard. By pinning them to the postcard book, players can encounter Scatterbug, and the location the postcard came from decides which form of Vivillion it can eventually evolve into. Basically, Mateo's presence will give players another way at getting more of these postcards, which can also be transferred to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. 

As part of the Along the Routes event, players will be able to participate in a new Special Research story. The Special Research will apparently help players learn more about Mateo. Along the Routes will run through December 8th at 8 p.m. local time. During that time, players can expect to see the following Pokemon in the wild: 

• Emolga
• Feebas
• Hitmontop
• Lillipup
• Pawmi
• Slugma
• Spoink
• Woobat
• Wooloo

A New Shiny Debut

The new Pokemon Go season is taking a lot of inspiration from Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Hisuian Sneasel has been in Pokemon Go for a while now, but players will be able to obtain a Shiny version in the game for the first time during Along the Routes. Players won't find Hisuian Sneasel in the wild during this event, but they'll be able to find the Pokemon through Timed Research, Field Research task encounters, and in 7 km Eggs. The Shiny version of Hisuian Sneasel trades the white color with purple highlights for a gray color with gold highlights. It's a striking look, and one that should hold a lot of appeal for Pokemon Go players! An image of the Shiny from Pokemon Legends: Arceus can be found below. 

The Sneasel focus of this event will also extend to PokeStop Showcases. During Along the Routes, players will be able to enter the original Sneasel, as well as its Hisuain variant. 

Timeless Travels

Timeless Travels is the next season of Pokemon Go, which debuts on December 1st. Players can look forward to the debut of several Pokemon that first appeared in Pokemon Legends: Arceus including the Hisuian variants of Decidueye, Typhlosion, and Samurott. The game's load screen was updated this week to reflect the new season, and features those three Pokemon alongside the Hisuian variant of Voltorb, and Drampa, an Alolan Pokemon that has yet to appear in the game. 

Are you excited for this new Pokemon Go event? Will you be hunting for Shiny Hisuian Sneasel? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!