When exploring the world of Pokémon, there are few sights more exciting than a Shiny Pokémon—one that is differently colored than most others of its species. Encountering one in the wild is a rare occurrence, and having one (or more!) on your team can be seen as something of a status symbol. It’s possible to find them in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and while Shiny Pokémon are as scarce in Lumiose City as anywhere else, you can still boost your odds with the right know-how and some perseverance.

This guide will help you prepare as you set out to find these elusive Pokémon with basic and advanced techniques, including one guaranteed opportunity to add a Shiny Pokémon to your team.

When it’s time to get serious about tracking down Shiny Pokémon, the first thing to consider is which species you wish to catch. Shiny Pokémon will appear in the same areas as their standard-colored counterparts, so you may need to restrict your search to a specific wild zone. Patience is your best friend. Remember that Shiny Pokémon are rare, so don’t become frustrated if you don’t stumble across any right away.

Shiny Pokémon are often immediately noticeable due to their unusual color scheme—but not always. Sure, it’s hard to miss a big, red Shiny Gyarados, but a Shiny Pikachu, which is a slightly darker shade of yellow than others, may not be as obvious. To aid in identifying Shiny Pokémon, a prominent “twinkling” sound will play and small, sparkling stars will appear around the Pokémon when you’re near. When you target the Shiny Pokémon, you’ll also notice an icon depicting two small stars above its name.

When you finally discover a Shiny Pokémon, there’s no need to stress. As long as you don’t cause it to run away or knock it out in battle, it’ll keep hanging around for you to catch. Be sure to save your game before approaching the Pokémon. If you fail to catch it, you can exit the game and restart. The Shiny Pokémon will be right back where it was when you saved!

Standard Pokémon catching tips will still serve you well. Lowering the Pokémon’s HP and inflicting status conditions will increase your chances of catching it, and your choice of Poké Ball could help even more. For example, Ultra Balls are more effective than regular Poké Balls, and Dusk Balls are strong when catching Pokémon at night.

Some Trainers like to use specific Poké Balls on specific Pokémon because of the way their colors go together, and Shiny Pokémon are no exception. You’ll find all sorts of colorful Poké Balls for sale at the Poké Ball Boutique near Quasartico Inc., so stock up before you head out on your search.

For an extra bit of assistance, collect Colorful Screws around the city and exchange them at Racine Construction for a Blue Canari Plush, which will make it more likely that you’ll succeed at catching Pokémon.

It’s likely that the first Shiny Pokémon you encounter in Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be a Shiny Mareep, through the aptly named Side Mission 017: A Shiny Mareep. You’ll gain access to this mission after reaching a certain point in the main story. Talk to a woman named Duve near Wild Zone 1; she’ll be standing next to a pair of normally colored Mareep.

Duve will ask you to locate a Shiny Mareep in Wild Zone 1, which you’ll find by climbing up onto the rooftops. There, you’ll discover the rare pink Pokémon and—once Duve has fawned over it—you’ll have the opportunity to catch it. Will you keep your Shiny Mareep as it is or evolve it into a Flaaffy or Ampharos? The decision is yours, and hopefully this humble Wool Pokémon will inspire you to continue your search for Shiny Pokémon.

To further increase your odds of tracking down Shiny Pokémon, you’ll want a Shiny Charm in your inventory. This mysterious charm makes it more likely that you’ll encounter Shiny Pokémon in the wild, and the only way to earn it is by reaching level 50 of Mabel’s Research. To do this, you’ll need to complete various tasks, such as filling your Pokédex, catching Pokémon of different types, registering all Pokémon in each wild zone, and more. Perhaps the most daunting of these challenges is to win a thousand Pokémon battles against other Trainers, but don’t let that number intimidate you. With enough dedication, you’ll earn that Shiny Charm!

Shiny Pokémon may pop up anywhere—even on the streets outside wild zones—so keep your eyes and ears open wherever wild Pokémon are found. Using fast travel can change the wild Pokémon you encounter, as can the transition between day and night, which means that Shiny Pokémon could appear where there were none before!

Once you’ve found a species you’re interested in, one way to speed up your search is to back away from a Pokémon until it just disappears from your screen, then advance forward again. This may result in a new Pokémon of that species appearing in the same place as the first, with a new chance to be Shiny! Target the Pokémon with the ZL Button both before and afterward—you can use the level and gender to confirm that you’ve found a different Pokémon. Just repeat until you find that Shiny Pokémon you’re looking for!

Once you’ve found a Shiny Pokémon, it should stay put in the same location until it’s caught, gets knocked out, or runs away. However, it may disappear when the time of day changes. If this happens, don’t worry! If a Shiny Pokémon appears in an area at night and goes away when day breaks, it will return to the area once night falls again.

Whether as a diversion while playing through your Lumiose City quest or as an extension to your adventure after you’ve completed the main story, searching for Shiny Pokémon is a fun and rewarding activity. And think about how cool you’ll feel when you roll into a Z-A Battle Club match with a team of Shiny partners. Good luck catching some Shiny new friends, Trainers!