Pokemon Go Players in Japan Can Battle Giovanni's Nidoking for a Limited Time

Team Rocket is invading Pokemon Go.

The Pokemon fansite Serebii reports that Pokemon Go players in Japan will be able to battle Giovanni's Nidoking between february 26th and March 11th. The special raid battle will take place at Pokemon Center retail stores only, as Pokemon Center locations are currently being "taken over" by Giovanni's Team Rainbow Rocket as part of a special promotion.

Nidoking is one of Giovanni's "signature" Pokemon, along with Rhydon, and Persian. In addition to being the Leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni was also the Viridian City Gym Leader and specialized in Ground-Type Pokemon. Nidoking has been a stalwart part of Giovanni's team in various Pokemon games and even had its own special Pokemon trading card.

Nidoking was previously a Raid Boss in Pokemon Go, but Giovanni's Nidoking is being touted as a stronger and more dangerous Raid Boss than "normal" Nidoking. That probably means it will take more than the 2-3 trainers needed to beat a normal Nidoking Raid Boss.

The Pokemon Center retail store is also giving out a small prize to anyone who defeats this new Raid Boss. Players will get a special sticker from the staff whenever they're part of a raid group that defeats Giovanni's Nidoking. Raids will run every 90 minutes at participating Pokemon Centers, beginning at 4 PM on weekdays and 11 AM on weekends.

This marks the first time that Pokemon Go has had a "special" raid battle featuring a trainer's Pokemon. Pokemon Go players have long clamored for something that resembles a storyline in Pokemon Go, and these special raid battles could be a way to introduce more concepts and characters from the games. After all, who wouldn't want a chance to battle Brock's Onyx, Misty's Starmie, or even Ash's Pikachu as a Raid Boss?

Pokemon Go has also teased some other ties to Team Rocket in recent weeks. The game's developers just added new outfits to the game that let players dress up as Team Rocket or Team Rainbow Rocket grunts. The new outfits were well-received, so it's possible that Pokemon Go could feature some more Team Rocket content soon.