How to catch Kecleon in Pokemon GO as it reportedly makes its long-awaited debut?

If the latest Pokemon GO community reports are to be believed, Kecleon, the sole remaining Pocket Monster from the Hoenn Pokedex, is finally making its long-awaited debut. When Niantic announced the Go Tour: Hoenn 2023, the community was hopeful that the Color Swap Pokemon would finally be made available in Niantic's popular AR title.

Yet, the official announcement of the GO Tour: Hoenn 2023 and the various events that it will consist of made no mention of Kecleon or its debut. This largely disappointed the Pokemon GO community, with many hopeful that the developers would surprise players with the Pocket Monster's debut, much like Zorua's announcement.

The latest information from LeekDuck on Twitter and others suggest that the developers might have just done the same.

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Is Kecleon finally making its Pokemon GO debut and how can players encounter it?

A number of players and notable Pokemon GO trainers like @LeekDuck and @SerebiiNet on Twitter recently mentioned that Kecleon would be making its debut after the conclusion of the Chespin Community Day event. The event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 7, 2023, from 2 pm to 5 pm local time.

It was also mentioned that Kecleon will appear at PokeStops but remain invisible and prevent players from interacting with and spinning the disk. Soon after this, it will get off the disk and be visible on the map around the protagonist's avatar. From there, players will simply need to click on it for a chance to capture it.

Pokemon GO trainers do need to keep in mind that Kecleon will have a rare spawn rate in-game as it makes its debut, according to @LeekDuck. This means players might have to visit a number of PokeStops before they are lucky enough to come across the Color Swap Pokemon.

Given the low probability of the Pokemon spawning, players are advised to use in-game items like Ultra Balls and Golden Razz Berry to make it easier to catch Kecleon in Pokemon GO.

With its invisibility trait, Kecleo falls in a similar category as Ditto and Zorua, both of whom can masquerade as other Pocket Monsters in the game's overworld through different means until caught. Ditto can potentially appear as any other wild encounter, and Zorua can take the shape of the player's buddy Pokemon.

Introduced back in Generation III, Kecleon is a Normal-type Pokemon. Its physical characteristics are heavily influenced by that of a chameleon, especially its unique ability to camouflage itself in its surroundings. Its Pokedex entries clarify that it is unable to change the red zigzag pattern visible on its belly while camouflaging.

Interestingly, dataminers found Kecleon's code, animations, and models in Pokemon GO files back in 2021. It was clear that the developers were well aware of the community's desire to encounter the Color Swap Pokemon and complete their Hoenn Pokedex.

Trainers who have already encountered the Pocket Monster in Pokemon GO on the Community Day event are expectedly elated. Those who didn't get the chance to catch the Pokemon are eager to come across Kecleon in all its glory.

In other news, this year's January Community Day is set to feature the Spiny Nut Pokemon Chespin.