One lucky Pokemon beginner has managed to snag an incredibly rare find after starting a game for the very first time. The primary concept around Nintendo’s beloved RPG franchise is collecting as many Pokemon as possible, and there are plenty of rare creatures that can only be found in specific locations or certain conditions. While most examples are the extremely powerful legendary Pokemon that dwell within the many different regions of the Pokemon universe, some lesser creatures are every bit as difficult to come by - like the ever-elusive shiny variants.
Shiny Pokemon variants have been a part of the series since its second generation - though they would only take on that name in an official capacity starting with Generation 4’s Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. These alternate versions of existing Pokemon are often depicted as being a different color than typical members of their species, and players have roughly a 1 in 4096 chance of encountering one in the wild. Nonetheless, shiny Pokemon are quite popular and sought after, and some fans have even created shiny versions of Pokemon that currently don’t have one like Eevee.
While most Pokemon players have to put a great deal of effort into obtaining a shiny Pokemon, one aspiring trainer recently managed to get one after only just picking up the series for the first time. Reddit user heyladswhatsup admits to having never played Pokemon as a kid, yet they caught a rare shiny Ducklett during their first playthrough of Pokemon Black. Other users in r/pokemon congratulated heyladswhatsup for their incredible luck, with some noting that the Ducklett in question also has the Pokerus virus that makes it even rarer still.
The list of rare shiny Pokemon variants recently grew with the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet last year, which took fans to the Europe-inspired Paldea region on a new mission to gather Pokemon during one of three selectable storylines. However, while there are still plenty of shiny Pokemon to uncover in Scarlet and Violet, the Pokerus that makes heyladswhatsup’s newly-caught Ducklett especially rare was removed from the game.
Regardless, heyladswhatsup’s shiny, Pokerus-infected Ducklett is an incredibly lucky find, especially for someone who has only just started playing Pokemon for the first time. One can only imagine what other amazing discoveries this new Pokemon trainer could come across as they continue their journey through Pokemon Black, considering how quickly they were able to encounter an elusive shiny.
Pokemon Black and White are available for Nintendo DS.