How to get Candela-themed Ponyta in Pokemon GO, and can it be shiny?

The Candela-themed Ponyta in Pokemon GO is a rare occurrence among costumed and event-themed Pokemon. This Ponyta wears a necklace reminiscent of Team Valor's leader Candela, and the necklace remains even if it evolves into Rapidash. However, how can you get the Candela-themed Ponyta, and can be shiny?

As an event-themed Pokemon, the Candela-themed Ponyta in Pokemon GO has only appeared once before, limiting the ways to obtain it. Fortunately, there is an upcoming event worth addressing that will see the Candela-themed Ponyta return to Niantic's mobile game, so this is an excellent opportunity to examine how to get this Ponyta for your collection.

---

How to get the Candela-themed Ponyta in Pokemon GO

Candela Ponyta has only appeared in one previous Pokemon GO event: 2023's A Valorous Hero. (Image via Niantic)

To date, the only way to get the Candela-themed Ponyta in Pokemon GO (excluding trading) was to have participated in 2023's A Valorous Hero event and completed the third stage of its Timed Research questline, which would provide a capture encounter with this elusive costumed creature. However, another opportunity has presented itself for trainers who missed out in 2023.

Specifically, on August 23-30, 2024, from 3:00 pm to 11:59 pm PDT, the Triumph Together event will be live in Pokemon GO. During this time, if trainers can complete a global challenge of defeating 75,000,000 cumulative members of Team GO Rocket, a new set of Timed Research will be unlocked allowing trainers to encounter Candela-themed Ponyta once again.

Additionally, for the price of $5 or equivalent in your local currency, you can purchase access to exclusive event Timed Research independent of the Timed Research unlocked from completing the global challenge of defeating Team GO Rocket members. This research will provide more opportunities to catch Candela Ponyta, Spark-themed Elekid, and Blanche-themed Lapras as well.

Keep in mind, however, that the Timed Research will expire when the Triumph Together event ends, so you'll need to complete it quickly to stand a chance at obtaining this Candela-themed Ponyta. Otherwise, you'll have to trade with your fellow trainers to obtain this event-exclusive Pokemon.

---

How to get Shiny Candela-themed Ponyta in Pokemon GO

Shiny Candela Ponyta's sprite in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

Since the Triumph Together event will be the lone return of Candela-themed Ponyta in over a year, you'll need to ensure that the global challenge of defeating 75,000,000 Team GO Rocket members is completed if you're hoping to catch its shiny variant. Fortunately, this challenge is cumulative with players worldwide, so it should be situated rather quickly.

Once the challenge is completed, focus all of your efforts on completing the Timed Research that is made available afterward. For maximum opportunities to find the Shiny Candela-themed Ponyta, it's also recommended to purchase access to the event Timed Research which remains independent of the global challenge, as this will provide extra opportunities to find the shiny.

Since this Candela-themed Ponyta only appears as part of these two research questlines during the Triumph Together event, they're the sole options for finding the shiny yourself. The only other alternative would be to contact another trainer who managed to find the shiny and trade for it.