Niantic Labs' Pokemon Go takes the standard Pokemon formula that we've come to expect from the Pokemon Company and Game Freak, and then expand upon it in a way that includes real-life traveling. Well, due to that real-life component, one region-specific Pokemon may be even harder to catch than we thought, since it's only available in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
According to a post on the Silph Road sub-Reddit, by user tkcom from Bangkok, Thailand, users have discovered how to capture Relicanth, a rare Pokemon that only appears in certain locations. Relicanth originally was reported to have only popped up in Fiji and New Zealand, but now it has been confirmed to pop up in New Caledonia and Vanuatu, a couple other Pacific Islands.
The confirmation came in from various users who had been hunting for Relicanth from around the world, including one user who tipped off the sub that they managed to capture a Relicanth in Vanuatu on December 26th, 2017. This was followed by another user from Vanuatu who confirmed a capture on December 28th, 2017.
So according to the post, many believe that Relicanths are migrating or located along a longitudinal path from New Zealand throughout the Pacific Islands. Many believe that the Pokemon has a permanent place within those regions, and are still awaiting more info on if they're available in Tonga, Samoa, or French Polynesia.
The thread is very fascinating, with a lot of information about the regional Pokemon catches, noting that if Relicanth stays in the New Zealand and Pacific Islands region, then it's only available to just under six million Pokemon Go users. Alternative, the thread explains that rare regional Pokemon like Kangaskhan are only available in places like Australia and Papua New Guinea, then it's only available to just over 30 million gamers.
The rest of the thread talks about different regional Pokemon and which countries should have what. Some argued that some Pokemon should be regional and that each segment of a continent needs its own exclusive, while others argued against regional exclusives, claiming that exclusives just make it hard for people who don't travel to... catch 'em all.
Some of the Pokemon in Pokemon Go do migrate around, though. The thread notes that some of the exclusives that used to be in Japan are no longer exclusive to Japan, and some of the others are also available under specific conditions or certain time frames.
However, for people who are absolutely obsessed with capturing all of the Pokemon in Pokemon Go, you'll have to make the long journey over to the Oceania territory in order to get your hands on a Relicanth. You could always convince your significant other to visit the Pacific Islands and then start plotting out how you're going to break away long enough to capture yourself a Relicanth. Alternatively, you could spoof your location, but Niantic Labs very much against the spirit of cheating in the game. But given the fact that some Pokemon do migrate, maybe if you sit tight long enough the Pokemon will make its way to your neck of the woods.
