These missed encounters are still “plaguing” Pokemon Go fans years later

Any Pokemon Go trainer who’s spent a good amount of time with the mobile game knows that no catch is guaranteed, but some missed Pokemon hurt more than others.

Naturally, some rare Pokemon are much harder to catch than your everyday Bidoof or Rattata, which is why when they end up escaping, fans can’t help but stew on what went wrong.

Trainers on social media came together to reminisce about the missed encounters that still sting years later after one player named ‘Bonivatius’ sparked the discussion on Reddit.

They recounted their own painful missed encounter, which took place back in 2017. “I still remember a Dragonair spawning near my house back in early 2017, when they were SUPER RARE,” the fan explained.

The trainer was only able to throw five Ultra Balls at the Dragonair before it vanished forever. “I’ve been playing on and off for years now, I’ve missed Legendaries and Shinies since. But would still think about that Dragonair from time to time,” they explained.

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Players took to the comments to share the worst Pokemon that got away from them as well. “My first ever 5* raid was Armored Mewtwo and I only stumbled upon it because I was at an arts and crafts fair and saw a cluster of people standing where I knew there was a gym. We won, but I didn’t catch it,” recounted one fan.

Armored Mewtwo is one of the rarest Pokemon in the mobile game, as it was only ever available for a brief time during raids and has not returned since.

Another fan thought back to a Dragonite they missed in 2017 when it was also very rare to find in the wild. “2017 I saw a Dragonite on the map website that used to be a thing… It broke out several times then ran away. The 10-minute walk home afterward sucked,” they said.

Many trainers also recounted missed encounters with the Galarian Legendary birds or Shiny Pokemon. It just goes to show that no matter how long you’ve been playing Pokemon Go, there’s always a white whale that’s slipped away.