Despite being a free experience for the first time, Pokemon Go Fest will have a lot of trainers breaking their banks to play the event, which will undoubtedly generate hundreds of millions in revenue.

In celebration of Pokemon Go’s 10-year anniversary, Go Fest is technically free this year because all trainers who log in during the July 11-12 event will receive special research awarding a Zeraora encounter and additional bonuses, such as an increased chance of encountering shiny Pokemon, at no cost.

Trainers who attended any of the in-person Go Fest events in Tokyo, Chicago and/or Copenhagen will only receive Zeraora candy instead of a second encounter, as is the case every year, since trainers only get one encounter with each mythical Pokemon.

Traditionally, those perks are locked behind a $15 paywall during Go Fest. So, if you’re planning to play the event, please enjoy Scopely’s generosity because I can almost guarantee you this opportunity won’t return next year or anytime soon.

However, the real reason most people are excited about this year’s Go Fest is because the X and Y mega evolutions of Mewtwo, arguably one of the strongest Pokemon in existence, will be released globally in Pokemon Go through super mega battles.

The only problem is it’s going to require 7,500 mega Mewtwo energy to unlock the base level for anyone who already has a Mewtwo in their account. In order to obtain that much energy, trainers will need to battle at least 50 raids to unlock the base level for both mega forms on just one Mewtwo.

To do 50 super mega battles in person, you need about 4,250 pokecoins, which has a real-world value of slightly over $30. To do 50 super mega battles remotely, you need about 13,175 pokecoins for both remote raid passes and link charges, which equates to about $100.

Trainers can then increase their Mega Mewtwo level for free up to the max level. To increase from max level to the super max level, which essentially gives a shorter rest period and more bonuses, it’s going to cost a one-time fee of 10,000 mega Mewtwo energy for both forms, or 5,000 energy for either X or Y.

On the bright side, Mewtwo caught from super mega battles during Go Fest will have at least one mega level already unlocked. The IV floor will be boosted, and if you’re lucky, the Mewtwo might even be at mega level two or three.

For anyone who is considering spending hundreds of dollars to hopefully flex a super max level Mega Mewtwo, I’d strongly encourage you to save your money because patience will pay off in the long run.

BernieAndCreamGo recently uploaded a YouTube video, “Are Super Mega Pokemon Actually Better,” in which they essentially break down the mega level system and show how super max level megas aren’t that much better than max level megas.

Personally, I plan to set Mewtwo as my buddy Pokemon and walk 20 kilometers with it to earn 100 mega Mewtwo energy for both X and Y until I have enough to take my 100% IV to the super max level, which will probably take about a year to accomplish.

It’s more about the journey than the destination for me, and I enjoy having goals to work toward.

This year’s Go Fest will also feature the return of the gold bottle cap, an item that initiates a hyper training process in which trainers can maximize all three stats of a Pokemon’s IVs, as the main reward for the event’s $20 Go Pass deluxe.

It’s significantly cheaper to force a 100% IV of your favorite Pokemon with a gold bottle cap than it is to raid continuously for it, unless you’re incredibly lucky to get one from your first couple raids. The odds are generally about one in 216.

So, in my opinion, $20 is a good deal.

But there are over 5 million daily active Pokemon Go users, and if only a quarter of them buy the $20 gold bottle cap, I don’t think Scopely has to worry about losing profits from offering Go Fest for free this year.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520 and mchurella@altoonamirror.com