Pokémon Go introduces a way to obtain three-star Pokémon without an endless supply of Poké Balls

When Fallout told us all that bottlecaps would become universally important, we all laughed at them, but who's laughing now? Certainly not Pokémon trainers, as Hyper Training will soon arrive in Pokémon Go, bringing with it those special Golden Bottlecaps that can boost your terrible Bidoof to a terrible Bidoof with slightly better stats.

First released in the main series through Pokémon Sun and Moon, Hyper Training is a way to max out your Pokémon's IVs without hours of tedious breeding. It is the same principle here, giving you a way to keep your beloved starter Pokémon and get them to three stars. Provided you haven't already turned them into Candy. They probably are. 

To start the process, you need a Gold Bottle Cap, after which you select one of your Pokémon who is a Good Buddy or higher. Then you will have 365 days to complete Hyper Training Tasks to elevate your pal. Attack is increased by battling, Defense requires you to catch Pokémon, and HP will have you adventuring with your friend by spinning Pokéstops and earning Buddy Candy. 

This is a very rare and incredibly useful item, so of course, the Pokémon Company is going to monetise it to death. To wit, the Ancients Recovered Go Pass is launching June 23rd, and the Golden Bottlecap is only available from the Deluxe Pass. You can also pick up the Zacian and Zamazenta Mask avatar items on this tier. 

You will also receive a half Egg Hatch Distance buff until the end of the Pokémon Go Fest 2025: Global. Reaching Major Milestones will unlock special bonuses, such as 2X Candy, XP, and Stardust from hatching Eggs, an additional Raid Pass per day for spinning Gym Photo Discs, and additional XP from raid battles.

For those on the free Pass, you can expect a random encounter with a Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Regieleki, or Regidrago with a Special Background. Fans of something smaller and cuter can also unlock encounters with a dapper Pikachu with red, blue, or yellow accents. 

Pokémon Go is available to download from the App Store and Google Play.