Pokémon Go: A Ripple in Time Celebi quest guide

Catching Celebi, the Legendary, time traveling Pokémon, requires completing a large number of tasks in Pokémon Go. The long string of quests, called “A Ripple in Time,” can be found on the Special Research Tasks tab.

If you want to blast through all the Special Research as soon as possible, you should read through the full lists of tasks first. There are a few resources to save and evolutions to hold off on until you reach those specific steps.

For example: Evolve an evolved grass-type Pokémon requires 100 candies for a specific grass-type that you’ve already evolved. So if you’re about to evolve that Gloom into a Vileplume, make sure you hold off until you’re at this specific step.

Celebi is available Shiny, though only from a limited-time set of Special Research that is no longer available. Completing “A Ripple in Time” will not reward you with a Shiny Celebi.

Like the other Mythical Pokémon, Celebi doesn’t do great in PvE content like raids. It can hold up its weight in PvP, but isn’t the most ideal choice. Its best PvP moveset is Confusion with Seed Bomb and Leaf Storm, according to GamePress.

All eight steps to Celebi’s “A Ripple in Time” Special Research are listed below:

Celebi research step 1 of 8

• Power up a Pokémon 5 times (1,000 XP)
• Battle in a gym 2 times (1,000 XP)
• Battle in a raid (1,000 XP)

Rewards: 10 Pokéballs, 1 Fast TM, 1 Special Incubator

Celebi research step 2 of 8

• Make 3 new friends (1,500 XP)
• Catch a Pokémon 3 days in a row (1,500 XP)
• Evolve an evolved grass-type Pokémon (1,500 XP)

Rewards: 1 Sun Stone, 1,500 Stardust, 1 Premium Raid Pass

Eligible grass-types include Bayleef, Gloom, Grovyle, Nuzleaf, Grotle, Ivysaur, Weepinbell, Skiploom, and Roselia.

Celebi research step 3 of 8

• Reach level 25 (2,000 XP)
• Use a Sun Stone to evolve Gloom or Sunkern (2,000 XP)
• Hatch 9 eggs (2,000 XP)

Rewards: Eevee encounter, 1 King’s Rock, 1 Premium Raid Pass

Celebi research step 4 of 8

• Walk 10 km with Eevee as your buddy (2,500 XP)
• Evolve Eevee into Espeon during the day (2,500 XP)
• Send 20 Gifts to Friends (2,500 XP)

Rewards: Eevee Encounter, 2,500 Stardust, and 1 Metal Coat

If you haven’t evolved an Eevee into an Espeon yet, you can name the Eevee “Sakura” to turn it into an Espeon, guaranteed. Otherwise, you have to walk 10 km with Eevee and evolve the buddy Eevee during the day. Keep in mind that the Eevee has to remain your buddy as you evolve it. Swapping buddy Pokémon before evolving the Eevee will ruin the process.

Celebi research step 5 of 8

• Walk 10 km with Eevee as your buddy (3,000 XP)
• Evolve Eevee into Umbreon at night (3,000 XP)
• Trade a Pokémon (3,000 XP)

Rewards: 1 Star Piece, 15 Pinap Berries, 1 Up-grade

Similarly to Espeon, you can rename your Eevee to “Tamao” to get a guaranteed Umbreon once. If you’ve already done this, you will have to walk the 10 km with your buddy Eevee and then select to evolve it at night to score your Umbreon. Just like Espeon, make sure to evolve the Eevee when it’s still set as your buddy, or you won’t get the Umbreon.

Celebi research step 6 of 8

• Visit Pokéstops for 7 days in a row (3,500 XP)
• Use 25 Pinap Berries while catching Pokémon (3,500 XP)
• Use special evolution items to evolve Pokémon 2 times (3,500 XP)

Rewards: 3,500 Stardust, 1 Dragon Scale, 5 Silver Pinap Berries

Pokémon that can evolve with items include Poliwhirl, Seadra, Slowpoke, Gloom, Scyther, Porygon, Sunkern, and Onyx. Any of the Sinnoh Stone Pokémon should work with this task as well.

Celebi research step 7 of 8

• Catch 40 grass- or psychic-type Pokémon (4,000 XP)
• Make an Excellent Curveball Throw (4,000 XP)
• Earn a Gold Johto Medal (4,000 XP)

Rewards: 1 Charge TM, 10 Silver Pinap Berries, Celebi encounter

The Gold Johto Medal requires registering at least 70 Johto Pokémon in your Pokédex.

Celebi research step 8 of 8

• Claim reward (4,500 XP)
• Claim reward (4,500 XP)
• Claim reward (4,500 XP)

Rewards: 5,500 Stardust, 1 Super Incubator, 20 Celebi Candy

Once you complete all the steps, Celebi will appear. You’ll temporarily have unlimited plain Pokéballs and your AR will turn on. Celebi is a tricky catch, as it vanishes and reappears frequently, but there’s no pressure — you will eventually catch Celebi as long as you keep hitting it with balls.

After catching Celebi, there are no more tasks to do. You just have to claim all those sweet rewards.

Celebi isn’t a particularly good attacker for raids, but is still worth catching to fill out your Pokédex.

If this is your first special research quest, there should be three more to complete:

• Let’s Go Meltan quest guide
• A Mythical Discovery quest guide (Mew)
• A Thousand-Year Slumber quest guide (Jirachi)
• The Feeling of Victory quest guide (Victini)