Rayquaza 100: It Came Back Shiny
Last year, in February 2018, I had two perfect Rayquaza run away from me. Not one, but TWO.
A bit of a back story in case you haven’t followed my journey — I started playing Pokémon Go on the first day it was available and have logged in every single day since. But as my most intimate and annoying Instinct friend dubbed me — I’m a Gen 1 “Boomer.”
I only played the original Pokémon Blue. Pokémon Go introduced the likes of Gen 2–4 to me. I mean, some of Gen 2 was vaguely familiar. Misty had a Togepi, after all. But I had never heard of a Rayquaza before I started playing Pokémon Go and reading Pokémon Go chats. The name “Rayquaza” sounded ridiculous.
So, when my first perfect Rayquaza ran away from me on the mere 2nd Rayquaza raid, I was a bit in shock but not sure how to feel. I laughed it off, “So what? It’s only the best dragon in the game…”
A few days later and a mere 16 raids later, I had just gotten off the freeway after a 45-minute drive to join some fellow Instinct teammates for a raid. I rushed to make the raid…and…I encountered another perfect Rayquaza. I was nervous, needed to use the bathroom, and all my teammates had driven off to the next raid, leaving me alone to catch my perfect dragon. I tried to breathe deeply but still missed a few balls. Rayquaza ran away as my heart was pounding from the chance for redemption.
A formerly Instinct friend of mine tried to comfort me saying that Rayquaza’s move set wasn’t that good anyway — that Latios would have a better move set. I’m happy to report that a perfect Latios would also end up running from me a few months later, too.
My most intimate and annoying Instinct friend commented on my Rayquaza running away as being super unlucky and that it was S-tier.
Fucking Rayquaza! I would hold on to that story of how those two perfect Rayquaza ran from me for over a year. Any time I’d mention it to another player, they’d give me a look of sympathy because apparently it was that bad.
I was able to cope, however, because I didn’t grow up with the tales of the Weather Trio or attachment to any Pokemon past Gen 2. I’m a Gen 1 boomer after all.
Rayquaza made its return a whole year later in March 2019. I didn’t care too much for redemption, happy with catching a freebie 96%. But my most intimate and annoying Instinct friend caught his first perfect Rayquaza and I couldn’t help but feel heated when he said the better trainer always won.
And then five months later, Rayquaza returned for the third time, but this time with a magical, black shiny form.
I did not know how to feel when my most intimate and annoying Instinct friend posted screenshots of his shiny perfect Rayquaza one early morning while I was plugging away in vain at a Poliwag nest, trying to find a shiny Poliwag.
It damn well led me to question my reasons for continuing to play this frustrating, RNG-based game.
I hadn’t been able to play quite as much recently as I had been spending more time with real world responsibilities. If you’ve seen some of my other posts, my sister’s cancer was much worse this past year than it had been a year ago. I was in the process of helping her move as well. Long gone were the days when I rolled up to the Santa Monica pier and played Pokémon Go without another care in the world.
I had already missed out on a lot of new shinies in the game, and I had a great deal of FOMO.
It was just a shiny black magical dragon, right?
Well.
Yes.
And mine came.
At this past legendary raid dinner hour, I joined a group for a nice casual paced Rayquaza route. I was just looking for one more shiny Rayquaza to be able to do a lucky trade and also to help my mom get a shiny as well. I really wasn’t expecting anything too grand.
So imagine my surprise when my Rayquaza popped out black with its sparkles and THEN I SAW THE NUMBER. 2191??? WAIT, WHAT IS THIS REAL??
“Oh my god, a Shundo!” I cried.
THE BEAUTY OF A SHINY LEGENDARY IS THAT ITS CATCH RATE IS 100%. THAT MOTHERFUCKER COULDN’T RUN.
My perfect Rayquaza came back to me, and it came back shiny. And it wasn’t leaving.
It was beautiful.
I called my sister, who doesn’t play Pokemon Go, just to tell her the news.
This was the best possible outcome I could have ever hoped for, to finish my Rayquaza story.
That bitch came back!!! Black and sparkly. Rayquaza redemption indeed.
Love,
Asian Pizza Monster, Your Casual Lucky but Unlucky 40x6 Instinct