What's Happening In Season 9 Of Pokémon Go

The ninth season of "Pokémon Go" has entered its final month and will go out with a bang. Scheduled to end on March 1, 2023, at 10 a.m. local time, the "Mythical Wishes" season continues its focus on the Hoenn region and brings a February packed with events and raids featuring Pokémon from Generation 3 (as well as from the Generation 6 Hoenn remakes, "Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire"). Players tuning in will have the opportunity to grab fan favorites like Mega Gardevoir, the iconic cover legendaries, and the hidden Regi trio in Five-star and Mega raids throughout the month. Closing out with the "Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn" global run (no ticket purchase necessary), Season 9 is a veritable Hoenn-fest that Gen 3 enthusiasts won't want to miss out on. 

The season will still have tons of opportunities and incentives for fans of any Generation. From the XP and Stardust bonuses, exclusive rewards for Field Research Tasks and PVP rankings, and more, here's a rundown of everything that's happening in Season 9 of "Pokémon Go."

It wouldn't be a "Pokémon Go" season without exclusive bonuses that run all season long and encourage player interaction. "Mythical Wishes" offers a mix of the expected season perks as well as some that players will want to make the most of while it lasts (per the official website): 

• Raised damage for remote Raid participants
• Trainers level 31 and up are guaranteed one XL candy per trade
• Every trainer is guaranteed an extra candy per trade
• Daily gift opening cap raised to 40
• Daily gift-sending cap raised to 125

Two previously season-exclusive perks – "Guaranteed gifts from Pokéstop spins" and "Increased incense effectiveness while moving" - will now be permanent effects moving forward — players will have a much easier time grabbing a quick postcard gift of a unique Pokéstop while passing by, so long as their gifts inventory isn't maxed out.  

Additionally, the roster of Research Breakthrough reward Pokémon will remain until the end of the season, even throughout the various events: Galarian Mr. Mime, Delibird, Bagon, Deino, Furfrou, and Goomy. Each Research Breakthrough takes seven daily Research Tasks to reach, so you'll have to be diligent if you've been wanting any of the above Pokémon for yourself — there are only so many weeks left before Season 9 rolls over for a new lineup of reward Pokémon.

There's no chance like now to grab all the Generation 3 Legendaries you haven't caught yet. Aside from the brief emergence of Tapu Lele as the secondary mascot of the "Valentine's Day" event, February will be a non-stop train of appearances from Hoenn's primordial Pokémon in the high-end raids (via the Pokémon Go Twitter): 

• Feb. 1-8: Registeel with the Charged Move Zap Cannon | Mega Gengar
• 8-15: Tapu Lele (Shiny debut) | Mega Gardevoir
• 15-22: Regirock with the Charged Move Earthquake | Mega Pidgeot
• Feb. 22 – Mar. 1: Rayquaza with the Charged Move Breaking Swipe | Mega Latias and Mega Latios

It's important to note that the turnover will always happen at 10 a.m. local time. And while it seems that the cover legendaries are missing from the list, they'll actually spearhead the Mega Raids for the "GO Tour" global run. On February 25 and 26, Rayquaza and the Mega Latias/Latios week will be interrupted from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time by all four forms of Deoxys in 5-star raids, with Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon in the Mega Raids. Additionally, all three of the Generation 3 starter Pokémon will appear as 1-star Raid bosses during the event. This might be a perfect time to grind for a 3-star Swampert, Blaziken, and/or Sceptile to add to your roster of heavy hitters.

Tapu Lele and Mega Gardevoir will star in this year's "Valentine's Day" event, running from February 8 at 10 a.m. to February 14 at 8 p.m. local time. The Ralts evolutionary line will take center stage with every Gardevoir or Gallade evolved during the event learning the exclusive move Synchronise. There'll also be a massive global challenge: If players exchange more than 100,000,000 gifts worldwide, all trainers will receive "3x Transfer Candy" and "2x Transfer Candy XL for Trainers level 31 and up" for the rest of the event — on top of the double gift Stardust bonus that kicks in at the start. 

Players will also get to enjoy bonuses from two more events while gearing up for the big "GO Tour" finale. The first will be the "GO Battle Day" on February 12, featuring Vulpix and extra Timed Research awards focused on PVP battles. Then comes the "Primal Rumblings" event that kickstarts Rayquaza and Latios/Latias' terms as Raid bosses and offers double evolution XP from February 22 to 24, ending at 10 p.m. local time.

After that, the "GO Tour" global run will have players choose either the Ruby or Sapphire badge and complete hourly Research Tasks for their respective teams. The ongoing results will influence Primal Raids and wild encounters worldwide in the leading team's favor, featuring signature Pokémon first introduced in Gen 3.

Outside of the events, trainers still have plenty of opportunities and bonuses to take advantage of — for one, February will have the regularly scheduled Spotlight Hours at 6-7 p.mm on Tuesday nights, featuring (via the Pokémon Go Twitter):

• Feb. 14: Woobat, double catch Stardust
• Feb. 21: Jigglypuff, double catch XP
• Feb. 28: Slakoth, double catch Candy

Aside from the obvious bonuses and extra chance for shiny forms of any of the featured Pokémon, Spotlight Hours are also an excellent chance to use those Lucky Eggs and Star Pieces for maximum returns. In particular, double evolution XP provides a huge window for efficient XP farming, as players can prep evolution-ready Pokémon beforehand, then evolve them en masse during the bonus hour (with help from a Lucky Egg as well) for a potentially massive gain in the normally hard-to-grind XP bar.

If you missed this month's double evolution XP hour on the 7th, don't worry. The bonus will also be in effect for the "Primal Rumblings" event from February 22 to 24 for a much longer period during which you can chain multiple Lucky Egg durations.