Sword and Shield’s Pokémon Day surprise is a Mewtwo you can’t catch

Happy Pokémon Day! It’s February 27, the celebratory birthday of Pokémon, which first released in Japan 24 years ago today. Pokémon GO has some party hat Pokémon, the Mewtwo Strikes Back remake is coming to Netflix, and the latest games in the series have… a Mewtwo you can’t catch. Wait, what?

Logging into Pokémon Sword and Shield between now and the 2nd of March will give you the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with Pokémon’s OG Legendary Pokémon, Mewtwo, in a Max Raid Battle. This is an insanely difficult battle, and the rewards are said to be worth your while. One of those rewards, however, is not the ability to catch said Mewtwo. For some strange reason, before entering a Mewtwo Raid, you’ll be met with the message that you cannot this Pokémon. It’s an odd restriction, but hopefully the challenge enough is worth it — not to mention the rewards for beating it. Those rewards include items that are hard to get normally, like Ability Capsules and PP Maxes, as well as stacks of money-making items and EXP Candies.

On a lighter, less confusing note, Kanto starters Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle are also available in Raid Battles, as well as their second stage evolutions. Thankfully, these are catchable after defeating them, which allows players who don’t have Pokémon HOME to obtain the Bulbasaur and Squirtle lines, which are usually unobtainable in-game. These Pokémon also have the chance to be holding rare competitive items, like the Flame Orb, Toxic Orb, and Life Orb, so they’re definitely worth doing, too.