Though players have had plenty of time to explore all that Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield have to offer, players are still finding things to do. One of the most popular side activities for player to complete in Pokemon games is shiny hunting.
Shiny Pokemon are highly sought after in the community, as they are exceedingly hard to find, especially if players are looking for them deliberately. Recently, Twitch streamer MajinPhil and his wife Tara randomly found a shiny Gyarados in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and their live reaction was priceless.
Shiny hunting is an endeavor that Pokemon fans have taken on ever since the community readily understood how the mechanics of shiny Pokemon worked in the series. However, shiny hunting is not for the faint of heart. Shiny hunting can sometimes take 50 hours or more, depending on the method, circumstances, and Pokemon players are aiming to catch. However, nothing beats the joy of finally stumbling upon that shiny Pokemon, especially if it is purely random. Recently, a popular Twitch streamer and his wife were able to experience that same joy live on stream.
MajinPhil and his wife Tara were streaming Pokemon Sword and Shield with the intended challenge of finding a shiny Tyrunt. MajinPhil had a cash incentive at stake, with the number of encounters corresponding to money earned or gained for Tara while she was shiny hunting. However, Tara sees a nearby Gyarados and decides to encounter it on a whim, with MajinPhil nonchalantly commenting, “I’ll give you a grand if it’s red.” Through sheer coincidence, Tara encounters a shiny, red Gyarados and the couple are completely shocked. A volume warning is absolutely necessary before watching the clip.
https://clips.twitch.tv/KawaiiThankfulWeaselKevinTurtle
After the two compose themselves following the shiny encounter, MajinPhil slowly realizes he promised Tara $1,000. A man of his word, MajinPhil seems completely intent on keeping his promise to his wife. The fact that it was a shiny Gyarados is pretty significant, as the red Gyarados is iconic to all long-time Pokemon fans. Shiny Pokemon are notoriously hard to find, but there are a few that players can catch without shiny hunting. One of those Pokemon is the shiny Gyarados encounter at the Lake of Rage in Pokemon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver.
Naturally, this was probably many players' first-ever shiny Pokemon due to the fact that it is a guaranteed encounter. At the same time, the Generation 2 shiny Gyarados can feel a bit lackluster since it doesn’t require any incredible luck, like other shiny encounters. Regardless, MajinPhil and Tara’s shiny Gyarados is the genuine article and thus elicited the proper reaction upon finding it. Hopefully, the couple takes good care of their shiny new friend as they continue their hunt for more shiny Pokemon in Sword and Shield.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now for Nintendo Switch.