Izay started playing PokeMMO in May 2025 with a clear goal: catch a shiny Skarmory. The hunt led to Route 45 in Johto, where Quilava served as the lure Pokemon for the Skarmory encounters.
Over the following months, Cyndaquil’s evolution line became a constant presence across multiple hunting methods including swarms, eggs, and lure encounters, accumulating roughly 6,000 to 7,000 combined encounters without a shiny appearing.
Then, on a February evening during a Route 33 swarm, the 24th shiny of Izay’s hunting career finally emerged: a shiny Cyndaquil, caught 6,000 encounters over odds.
“I was completely shocked,” Izay explained. “At the time I was about 6,000 encounters over odds and I was leveling Pokemon, so I was not looking as the shiny appeared. I only realized it because of the sparkle sound.”
Swarm hunting operates differently than standard shiny hunting. Swarms appear periodically with elevated spawn rates for specific Pokemon, creating windows of opportunity that close after a set duration. Izay estimates spending between 1,500 and 2,000 hours actively checking and hunting swarms since finishing all regions, a routine that became standard practice whenever online.
The Cyndaquil swarm on Route 33 provided the opening Izay had been waiting for across nine months of play. When the shiny sound effect triggered, the immediate reaction was disbelief followed by rapid-fire communication.
“I was super excited. I instantly spammed my team chat and saw people hyping it up,” Izay said. “After about 30 seconds of pure disbelief, I opened the Pokedex to see if this Cyndaquil could already learn Double Edge.”
The battle itself presented a decision point. The Cyndaquil sat at level 45, five levels below learning Double Edge, a move Izay checked specifically because of its competitive utility. Rather than risk weakening the target with False Swipe, Izay opted for the safer approach: Spore to induce sleep, then Dusk Ball throws during nighttime hours. Four or five balls secured the catch without complications.
Izay’s character remained motionless for 15 minutes after the catch. The team received immediate updates. Channel and global chat got announcements. The early morning timing meant fewer teammates to react immediately, but the ones who were awake provided the congratulations that swarm hunters live for.
“It means a lot to me because in our team I am one of those people that calls out swarms a lot,” Izay explained. “Swarm shinies are something so exciting to me, and finally getting my own was an amazing feeling.”
The Cyndaquil carries competitive potential beyond its shiny status. A 31 Speed IV, 26 Special Attack IV, and speed-boosting nature make it viable for region reruns without rebreeding. Izay plans to keep it as Cyndaquil temporarily, evolve it to Quilava for a period, then eventually make it a Typhlosion for competitive use, all while maintaining the Route 33 catch location as proof of its swarm origin rather than egg breeding.
For a player who describes themselves as “fairly unlucky” with an average of 7,000 encounters over odds across 24 shinies, the Cyndaquil represents both vindication and continuation. The next targets are already identified: Staryu at night (currently at 30,000 encounters) and singles hunting in Pinwheel Forest for the elemental monkeys or Snivy during the day.
When asked about advice for trainers deep into over-odds hunts, Izay acknowledged the difficulty of offering words that actually provide comfort when you’re double or triple the expected encounter count.
“In the end, you just need to keep pushing but also keep your health and motivation in check so you don’t burn out,” Izay said. “This is a marathon, not a sprint.”
The shiny Cyndaquil now sits in Izay’s collection as the 24th entry and a reminder that swarm hunting, despite its intermittent nature and unpredictable timing, can deliver results even 6,000 encounters past when they should have appeared.
The sparkle sound still plays, even when you’re not looking at the screen. You just have to be there when it does.
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