I’ve been trying to catch Mew ever since I understood what a mythical Pokemon was. I’ve performed complicated glitches, scoured through the ashes of mansions, and looked under trucks to no avail, but now I have the chance to get my hands on the little fella, I can’t bring myself to do it.

Some context: I’ve already caught Mew once in Pokemon Go, but it was a little underwhelming. A guaranteed capture at the end of a Special Research? After the hours spent trialing strange methods as a kid and acting upon rumours in the playground, it just felt… easy. So, for my second Mew in the game, a guaranteed shiny at the end of another research story, I decided to make it really special.

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When you explore the Pokemon Mansion in Red & Blue, the charred pages of long-dead scientists’ diaries tell you the story of Mew, and how they tried to create Mewtwo. It’s a story that we all know by now thanks to the movies, but my first experience of the legend was powerful, and I want to recreate that power when I catch my shiny.

Why I'm Waiting To Catch Mew In Pokemon Go Diary
Why I'm Waiting To Catch Mew In Pokemon Go Diary

A Pokemon from a faraway continent, a clone intent on destroying its maker, the story gripped me when I first played in the early 2000s. I’ll always remember how that creepy basement made me feel, and I want to recreate that feeling again, in a similar way to how Pokemon Go captured the world’s imagination when it was first released. Doctor Fuji, the scientist who attempted to clone Mew and whose notes we read in the remnants of the mansion’s basement, says he found Mew in Guyana, South America. This was later retconned to simply being “deep in the jungle,” but I remember. I’ll always remember.

I’m sure you can see where this is going, but seeing as one of the core pillars of Pokemon Go encourages exploration (despite the addition of playing Safari Zones from home in recent months), I’m going to catch my shiny Mew in Guyana. I don’t know when I’ll get there, I don’t really know how - other than it’ll probably be by plane - but that’s my challenge to myself. Ash wanted to be the very best, and I want a Mew that’s actually from Guyana.

Why I'm Waiting To Catch Mew In Pokemon Go Diary
Why I'm Waiting To Catch Mew In Pokemon Go Diary

Now, I’m not anywhere near rich enough to simply buy a flight to the other side of the world on a whim or to catch a specific Pokemon. If I was, I’d have collected all of the game’s regionals by now, to say the least - who decided it was a good idea to make Pachirisu exclusive to Russia in the first place? But what does that mean for my challenge? They don’t host many international esports tournaments in Guyana, which would be my only chance of getting a work trip to the South American country, and taking a baby on an 18-hour flight is probably not the best idea for a family holiday. Probably not the best idea for the other passengers either.

So I’ll wait. Much like I (unsuccessfully) relied on rumours and luck to get my hands on the mythical Pokemon back in my childhood, I’ll be patient and bide my time to catch this Mew. Who knows where life will lead me, and what places I’ll be able to explore with Pokemon Go in my pocket? I’ve got the task with blue, shiny Mew ready to be collected, a constant reminder of why I play Pokemon every time I log into the game. Maybe I’ll catch it in ten years. Maybe 20. Maybe I’ll never get to Guyana. But if I do, I’ll be able to catch my shiny Mew and relive the excitement of my childhood.

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