Pokemon has been no stranger to free Pokemon giveaways throughout the monster-catching franchise's storied history. Especially with the advent of online gameplay, The Pokemon Company has regularly distributed free promotional Pokemon as Mystery Gifts or through promotions with retailers. Pre-orders and early purchase bonuses also regularly see special Pokemon thrown into the package with players able to acquire Pokemon with unique appearances or abilities. Now, Pokemon's newest promotion is giving fans a Clefairy, but there's a big catch for its availability.
The Pokemon Company recently announced its next Pokemon distribution will give Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl players a free Clefairy. The promotional Pokemon will boast a powerful special move set featuring attacks like Moonblast and Zen Headbutt. However, as of yet, the promotion has only been confirmed for Japan with players able to obtain the Clefairy from Pokemon Center stores. The event is set to start early next month on September 3rd and run through September 11th. The Pokemon Company has yet to confirm if the Clefairy will be available globally.
The promotion will not be exclusive to Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, with Pokemon Sword and Shield and Legends: Arceus players also able to acquire the Clefairy. The Pokemon's move set will be different for players picking up the Clefairy on Legends: Arceus, with Metronome and Moonlight swapped out for Swift and Shadow Ball. No details about the Clefairy's Ability, level, or other special perks with the promo Pokemon were confirmed outside of its move set.
The free Clefairy comes as the most recent in a long line of Pokemon distributions at major retail stores. GameStop frequently features promotional codes for players to get their hands on exclusive Pokemon, previously running a shiny Zacian and Zamazenta event. Nintendo's own Pokemon Center stores also frequently feature distribution events for more than just in-game Pokemon, with the UK Pokemon Center's opening receiving a commemorative Charizard card. Mystery Gifts have also become a popular means of distributing digital promotional Pokemon.
Pokemon has made waves across the franchise throughout 2022 with multiple high-profile releases and updates during the year. January saw Pokemon Legends: Arceus release to massive success with the video games' next generation confirmed with Scarlet and Violet releasing later this year. Pokemon GO also started the year with a major update in March, adding in Pokemon from the seventh generation's Alola region to the game. With the next generation rapidly approaching, The Pokemon Company's new promotion will give players another reason to boot up their Gen 8 games.
