Pokémon GO, the augmented reality mobile game that has taken the world by storm since it was released on Android and iOS earlier this month, is gaining new fans every day. Celebrities like late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, popstar Justin Bieber, Sports Illustrated covergirl Chrissy Teigen and Hollywood action star Christian Slater, are all self-confessed Pokémon GO aficionados, and it’s not difficult to see why. While some people are reported to be giving up their jobs to take up the game full time, others are getting into all sorts of trouble while playing the game. However, at least one New York resident seems to have had better luck than most in his quest to be the ultimate master.
As reported earlier, Mr. Nick Johnson, a 28-year old resident of Brooklyn, NY, recently claimed that out of the 151 species of Pokémon that exist in theory, he’s now got the full gamut of 142 that one can realistically hope to catch in the U.S. While his claim is yet to be corroborated by Niantic, various news outlets have already released screenshots (seen in the gallery below) believed to be from Mr. Johnson’s phone, apparently confirming his claims. He claims to have spend between six to ten hours every night hunting for the little critters around New York City, according to an interview he granted to CNN over the weekend. His girlfriend, apparently, was supportive of his quest, and would even join him often in his search for the Pikachus and the Raichus in and around the Big Apple. He also admitted to having hired an Uber to drive him around Jersey City after being tipped off about finding ‘Dratini’ there. His final catch, however, came in Central Park a little after midnight on July 21, after spending two whole weeks rounding up the virtual creatures.
The New York resident now says that his next course of action would involve going around the world in an effort to catch some of the Pokémon that are still missing from his collection. That includes three different species that are found only in specific parts of the world. While Mr. Mime can only be found in Europe, Kangaskhan has only been spotted in Australia and New Zealand. Farfetch’d, meanwhile, is a native of Japan, so one needs to be a globetrotter to catch all three of them. And that’s exactly what Mr. Johnson now hopes to do, with a little bit of help from Marriott Rewards, the loyalty program of JW Marriott Hotels and Resorts. The hospitality chain says it has offered to partner with Mr. Johnson as he embarks on his mission to grab the remaining Pokémon and become the first person ever to catch ‘em all.
