A Thunderous Discovery is a Special Research quest where you can catch Zeraora in Pokémon Go and is available to everyone during Go Fest 2026: Global. That’s right! Since this year’s Go Fest event is free, everyone has the chance to catch the mythical Zeraora! To help you complete this quest, I’ve listed all of the A Thunderous Discovery quest steps and rewards in Pokémon Go down below.

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‘A Thunderous Discovery’ quest steps for Pokémon Go

A Thunderous Discovery is available to everyone during Go Fest 2026: Global. All you have to do to unlock it is play Pokémon Go between 10am to 7pm (local time) on either Saturday 11th July or Sunday 12th July.

After that, the quest will be yours forever so you can complete it at your leisure. (Though you might find it easier to complete during Go Fest 2026: Global.) If you attended one of the in-person Go Fest 2026 events in either Tokyo, Chicago or Copenhagen then you’ll receive Zeraora Candy as a reward rather than a second Zeraora.

With that in mind, here are the A Thunderous Discovery quest steps and rewards in Pokémon Go. Be careful, there are spoilers.

‘A Thunderous Discovery’ Step 1 of 8

Spin 8 PokéStops or Gyms – 1 Incense
Use an Incense – 26 Poké Balls
Catch 7 Pokémon – 1 Lucky Egg

Reward: one Star Piece, six Nanab Berries and one Lure Module.

‘A Thunderous Discovery’ Step 2 of 8

Explore 1km – 26 Poké Balls
Use 10 Berries to help catch Pokémon – Pawmi encounter
Catch 15 different species of Pokémon – 2026 Stardust

Reward: 2026 Stardust, one Incense and Tynamo encounter.

‘A Thunderous Discovery’ Step 3 of 8

Complete 3 Field Research Tasks – Team Instinct Pikachu encounter
Catch 3 Electric-type Pokémon – Team Mystic Pikachu encounter
Power up Electric-type Pokémon 15 times – Team Valor Pikachu encounter

Reward: 2026 XP, one Incubator and six Mewtwo stickers.

‘A Thunderous Discovery’ Step 4 of 8

Explore 2km – Electrode encounter
Make 8 Great Throws – Ninjask encounter
Make 5 Great Curveball Throws – Aerodactyl encounter

Reward: 2026 XP, 26 Ultra Balls and two Premium Battle Passes.

‘A Thunderous Discovery’ Step 5 of 8

Battle in 3 raids – 3 Max Revives
Win a raid – 3 Max Potions
Catch 20 different species of Pokémon – 3 Golden Razz Berries

Reward: 2026 XP, 2026 Stardust and two Super Incubators.

‘A Thunderous Discovery’ Step 6 of 8

Explore 2km – Pikachu Visor Bulbasaur encounter
Make 8 Excellent Throws – Pikachu Visor Charmander encounter
Make 3 Great Throws in a row – Pikachu Visor Squirtle encounter

Reward: 26 Zeraora Candy, six Zeraora Stickers and Zeraora encounter.

‘A Thunderous Discovery’ Step 7 of 8

Take a snapshot of Zeraora – 1 Poffin
Earn a Candy exploring with Zeraora as your buddy – 3 Rare Candies
Earn 6 hearts with Zeraora as your buddy – 3 Silver Pinap Berries

Reward: Zeraora T-Shirt, two Super Incubators and six Go Fest 2026 stickers.

‘A Thunderous Discovery’ Step 8 of 8

Catch a Pokémon on 7 different days – 2026 XP
Hatch 2 Eggs – 2026 Stardust
Send a Gift to a friend – 2026 XP

Reward: Poké Ball Shades, six Zeraora Candy XL and six Rare Candies.

How does A Thunderous Discovery work during Go Fest 2026?

As mentioned above, A Thunderous Discovery is available to everyone in Pokémon Go because Go Fest 2026: Global is a completely free event. The only catch is that you must play Pokémon Go at least once on either Saturday 11th July or Sunday 12th July between the hours of 10am to 7pm (local time) to unlock it.

The quest should automatically appear when you first log into the game during Go Fest 2026: Global. If it doesn’t then try closing and opening Pokémon Go multiple times until it does. (Doing this essentially forces the game to load the quest.)

Once you have the quest you’ll be able to complete it whenever you like, because, as a Special Research quest, A Thunderous Discovery lacks a deadline. Personally, I recommended completing it during the Go Fest event as it will most likely be a little easier to complete all of the tasks. Aside from this, A Thunderous Discovery follows the standard format for a Pokémon Go quest: complete the challenges and collect your rewards until there’s no quest left.

Best of luck catching Zeraora during Go Fest 2026: Global! Don’t forget to complete Genetic Mastery, enjoy every habitat hour and battle both Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y.