Pokemon fans defy typhoon at Main Station - Taipei Times

Pokemon Go players yesterday braved the typhoon and flooded the main plaza at Taipei Main Station to play this year's Pokemon Go Fest.

With Typhoon Bavi's storm radius yesterday reaching areas north of Taichung, Nantou, Yilan and Hualien, some Taipei MRT services were suspended. However, undeterred by the typhoon, many players ventured out in the storm to take part in the Pokemon Go Fest at Taipei Main Station yesterday, leaving the station's main hall nearly packed.

Pokemon Go Fest is a limited-time event featuring the global debut of the characters Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y over the weekend. The event also features a special research encounter with the Pokemon Zeraora.

Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times

"Since we can't really go out because of the typhoon, Taipei Main Station happened to be a place where we could have fun," a player surnamed Wu (吳) said, referring to the closure of schools and offices across Taiwan proper yesterday due to Typhoon Bavi, with Taitung County being the only exception.

A player surnamed Lin (林) said he took his family to Taipei Main Station around noon for the event and had successfully captured Mega Mewtwo X before 1:30pm, while a student surnamed Chiu (邱) said he and his friends would stay at Taipei Main Station until their power banks ran out of battery.

Images of the crowded plaza circulated online, prompting comments that "trains have stopped running [due to typhoon], but the train station is still full of people."