Pokémon Sword and Shield players will have two weeks to collect a special Pikachu linked to today’s International Space Station event. Between now and January 15, Pokémon Sword and Shield players can collect a special Pikachu that knows the moves Thunderbolt, Swift, Wish and Celebrate, and hold a Comet Shard with the Mystery Gift feature of the games. Pikachu usually cannot learn Wish, and only had the move Celebrate as part of special gifts. Keep in mind that Celebrate is a non-harmful move that literally lets a Pokémon celebrate in a battle without any other effects. The move is only effective when used as a Z-Move, a feature in which it does not occur Pokémon Sword and Shield.
This particular Pikachu is a special giveaway associated with the current live stream of the Japanese Space Agency’s first sunrise over the International Space Station. As part of the festivities, Pikachu and Rayquaza appear in space via Augmented Reality. Pikachu appears with an astronaut in the International Space Station, while Rayquaza flies over Earth, similar to how the Pokémon appeared in various Pokémon media.
Despite hype on the internet, the livestream contains no notable Pokémon announcements. Some had hoped that the Pokemon Company would use the announcement to announce new games, such as remakes of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, or use the opportunity to formally begin its 25th year of existence. Since the live stream was held by a separate agency of the Pokemon Company (and the Pokemon Company barely advertised the live stream), any major announcement was at best a long recording.
The Pikachu, named KIBO’s Pikachu, after the Japanese experimental model on the International Space Station, can be obtained from now until January 15 through the Mystery Gift feature. Players need to connect to the internet to find the Pikachu, which is available to all players.