One of the three major summer events in Pokémon GO is still missing: the Safari Zone in Japan. After that, we will learn what the mysterious “Ultra Bonus” entails. Trainers have long suspected that this is related to the global special research for Celebi.
Celebi appeared exclusively at the GO-Fest 2018 in Chicago: The GO-Fest in Chicago was the second major summer event in Pokémon GO and ended on July 15. Trainers could participate in global challenges to unlock worldwide rewards. There was also an on-site five-part special research that allowed players to encounter and catch Celebi.
When will Celebi’s special research come to the rest of the world? This is still unknown. It is also unclear whether trainers will have to complete the same research tasks as the trainers exclusively in Chicago at the GO-Fest. This included tasks such as catching Icognito. Fans currently assume that Niantic will adjust the tasks for the rest of the world.
The Ultra Bonus and the Safari Zone in Japan are still pending
The third and final summer event of 2018 is the Safari Zone in Japan: The Safari Zone in Yokosuka starts on Wednesday, August 29 and ends on September 2 according to Japanese time. If the goals of the Safari Zone are fulfilled, there will be a Stardust event afterwards.
All events unlock a bonus: Each of the three events unlocks a special bonus when trainers master the global challenges.
- For the Safari Zone in Dortmund, there was the Articuno Day,
- for the GO-Fest there was the Zapdos Day
- and we assume that there will be an Moltres Day for the Safari Zone in Japan.
When will the Ultra Bonus come? In a graphic, Niantic hinted at an Ultra Bonus. However, it is still unknown when this will be released and what it entails. Presumably, the Ultra Bonus will come shortly after the conclusion of the Japanese Safari Zone.
There are two fan theories about the Ultra Bonus: Celebi or 4th Generation
Celebi is already in the code of Pokémon GO: The most likely candidate for the Ultra Bonus is indeed the global release of the Celebi special research. The mystical Pokémon has already been found in the code by dataminers.
If Celebi is the Ultra Bonus, it would arrive at the earliest in September: The Safari Zone in Japan ends on September 2. This means that the Ultra Bonus would not be released until after that. Celebi would then be catchable in Germany by the end of the year.
Niantic hinted at the fourth generation shortly before the GO-Fest: In an image recently released by Niantic, the three starters of the fourth generation were shown. However, the Pokémon of this generation have not yet been found in the code. It is conceivable that Niantic might release part of the fourth generation as an Ultra Bonus. However, since Celebi is already in the code, the mystical Pokémon seems more likely.
These are all speculations: Whether Celebi or the fourth generation will come with this special bonus is unknown. Nothing has been officially confirmed by Niantic. It is possible that we will still be surprised.
However, we already know how Celebi will perform in the meta:
