Pokemon Go Fest Day 2 Highlights Include First Ultra Beast and Professor Willow’s Disappearance

An Ultra Beast has emerged in Pokemon Go, but it seems to have come at a great cost. Today marks the second day of Pokemon Go Fest, the annual ticketed event meant to be the largest Pokemon Go event of the year. While yesterday brought the Mythical Pokemon Shaymin and a handful of new Shiny Pokemon to the game, today officially adds a new kind of Legendary Pokemon and kicks off a new storyline that will likely run throughout the summer. 

The central premise of today’s Pokemon Go Fest festivities is that Ultra Wormholes have appeared, bringing Nihilego to this universe. Nihilego is Pokemon Go’s first Ultra Beast, a type of Legendary Pokemon that comes from another dimension. Joining Nihilego is Rhi, a member of the Ultra Recon Squad, a group that came from an alternate universe devastated by Ultra Beasts. However, Professor Willow seems to have vanished, which coincides with all the Ultra Beast appearances. Throughout the day, players can still capture Pokemon from the game’s various rotating habitats, but they can also participate in raids against Nihilego. 

Compared to last year (where the Mythical Pokemon Hoopa caused every Legendary Pokemon to appear in raids), today’s event feels a bit underwhelming. Nihilego is a powerful Poison-type Pokemon (and immediately becomes the game top non-Mega Poison-type attacker), but it alone isn’t enough to justify a full eight hours of play. Rhi’s arrival is a bit more intriguing, in part because he’s the first NPC added to the game. We’ll have to see how his appearance correlates with Professor Willow’s disappearance and whether Rhi will continue to be a voice in Pokemon Go after today. 

Pokemon Go Fest runs from 10 AM to 6 PM local time.