Welcome to Vol. 3, issue 33 of Johto Times! This week, we reveal the preliminary results of our Favourite Pokémon Poll for 2025. Did your favourite Pokémon make it through? Keep reading to find out and learn how you can vote for them in the poll’s grand final! As always, we also have a recap of the latest Pokémon news.

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Website: Johto Times

Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be playable at this year’s Pokémon World Championships

A new event in Pokémon TCG Pocket is running from now to August 15th, 2025. During this event, players will have the chance to earn exclusive promo cards, including a special Blissey ex card.

Source: Pokémon

An update has now confirmed that the final illustrations for the immersive Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex cards from The Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion in Pokémon TCG Pocket have been released in-game.

Source: Pokémon

A “Gotta Catch ’Em All!” quiz show is going live at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, California. The event will take place on Saturday, August 16th, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. PDT.

Source: Pokémon

5★ Iris (Academy) & Lapras and 5★ Gladion (Academy) & Porygon-Z arrive in Pokémon Masters EX.

Source: Pokémon Masters EX's Twitter account

Flabébé will appear during September Community Day in Pokémon GO. The event is set on September 14th, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time.

Source: Pokémon GO's Twitter account

A new passcode has arrived for Pokémon TCG Live. Use the code POWEROFTUSK25 to redeem this week’s reward and receive illustration rare cards featuring Axew, Fraxure, and Haxorus.

Source: Pokémon TCG Live's Twitter account

Shiny Wo-Chien has been defeated over six million times in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. As a reward, it will be available to claim via Mystery Gift, along with bonus Tera Shards: 10 Grass, 10 Bug, 10 Poison, and 10 Fairy for every 100,000 victories above the one-million mark, up to 10 sets total. Trainers can redeem their rewards from now to September 30th, 2025.

Source: Pokémon

The Pokémon Company has unveiled a new museum: the Pokémon Astronomical Observatory, a special travelling exhibition in Japan celebrating Pokémon connected to space and the cosmos. Visitors will be able to explore displays featuring Pokémon inspired by astronomical themes and the wider universe. A special Pikachu plush will also be available for purchase at the museum store during the event.

Source: Pokémon Astronomical Observatory

The 2025 Pokémon World Championships will run from August 15th to 17th, 2025, and will be streamed live on Twitch and YouTube, offering viewers the chance to claim special rewards across multiple titles.

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: a password will be revealed to obtain Luca Ceribelli’s Farigiraf, the same Pokémon that helped him win the 2024 Masters Division. This gift will be redeemable until August 22nd, 2025.

Pokémon TCG Live: redeem codes for illustration rare cards featuring Tynamo, Eelektrik, Eelektross and ultra rare Hilda & N’s Plan until August 26th, 2025. Twitch Drops will also grant a Worlds-themed deck box, sleeves, coins, and the full Deino–Hydreigon ex line, plus special illustration rares for Frillish, Jellicent ex, Hilda, and N’s Plan until September 19th, 2025.

Pokémon TCG Pocket: watch at least 45 minutes of the Pokémon TCG stream to receive 12 Wonder Hourglasses and 12 Pack Hourglasses, redeemable until July 31st, 2026.

Pokémon GO: watch the Pokémon GO stream for 30 minutes to unlock Timed Research and get a competitive Skarmory on August 15th. On August 16th, choose from three paths to encounter Pokémon such as Lapras, Sableye, and Lileep; Squirtle, Stunfisk, and Inkay; or Sentret, Paldean Wooper, and Wimpod. Both expire August 30th, 2025.

Pokémon UNITE: viewers can claim a 2025 Worlds in-game sticker and the Platinum Murkrow Boost Emblem, Aeos Coins, and various selection boxes. All UNITE rewards must be redeemed by October 9th, 2025.

It will also be possible to play a demo of Pokémon Legends: Z-A at the event. To participate, you must reserve a Warp Pipe Pass, available on a first-come, first-served basis. The demo will be available from August 15th to 17th, 2025. Registration closes on Thursday, August 14th, 2025.

Source: Nintendo Experience, Pokémon

Feature: Johto Times Favourite Pokémon Poll 2025 (Preliminary Results)

The first stage of voting in our Favourite Pokémon Poll for 2025, is now complete. Did your favourite Pokémon make it through? Read on!

On May 22nd, 2025, our poll to discover the fans’ favourite Pokémon began. We asked Johto Times readers and the wider Pokémon community to vote in nine different polls, each representing a single Pokémon generation. Each person could vote for six Pokémon in each poll, and the top ten Pokémon from each region would go through to a Grand Final to determine the overall winner.

We decided to host the poll after the popularity of our Favourite Starter Pokémon poll, which was held towards the end of 2024. However, we could never have imagined just how popular this one would turn out to be, with over half a million votes! On July 31st at 19:00 UTC, voting ended for this preliminary round of the poll. Here are the results of that poll!

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Kanto (Generation 1) received 86,868 votes from 14,478 participants

Johto (Generation 2) received 74,742 votes from 12,457 participants

Hoenn (Generation 3) received 68,712 votes from 11,452 participants

Sinnoh (Generation 4) received 64,140 votes from 10,690 participants

Unova (Generation 5) received 60,642 votes from 10,107 participants

Kalos (Generation 6) received 58,314 votes from 9,719 participants

Alola (Generation 7) received 57,852 votes from 9,642 participants

Galar (Generation 8) received 55,722 votes from 9,287 participants

Paldea (Generation 9) received 55,524 votes from 9,254 participants

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We wanted to give as much information about the results as possible, so limiting the results to just the top ten was never an option. Here are the full results of each poll, showing the position of every Pokémon, the number of votes they received, and the percentage total.

Please enjoy this video we put together!

Some interesting facts from these results:

• The Kanto poll was the most popular poll that fans engaged in, with 86,868 votes, cast by 14,478 participants.
• Umbreon received the most votes of any Pokémon in this stage of the poll, with 4,412.
• Silcoon was the least voted Pokémon out of every Pokémon at this stage in the poll, with just 12.
• Paldea received the least attention, receiving only 55,524 votes, made by 9,254 participants.
• Every single Pokémon in our poll received votes, not a single one was overlooked!

The Grand Final of the Johto Times Favourite Pokémon Poll 2025 is now underway. Be sure to vote for your favourites before September 30th, 2025 at 19:00 UTC

Now that we have confirmed the results, our Grand Final can take place! This time around, we are asking for people to vote for their favourite three Pokémon from the 90 finalists. The poll will close on September 30th, with the results being revealed in October.

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This poll far exceeded my wildest expectations. I want to thank Bulbapedia (and Bulbagarden), PokéCommunity, and the many other Pokémon communities and projects who helped to share the poll with as many Pokémon fans as possible. I also want to thank Duspey on YouTube and TikTok for sharing the poll early on, which resulted in it going viral. Of course, a huge thank you to every Pokémon fan who voted!

It’s important to note that every single Pokémon in our poll received votes, proving that each one of them is someone’s favourite. There are no losers in our polls, and I am happy that fans came together to appreciate and celebrate the love and appreciation we have for this fantastic series.