After months of waiting, Pokemon GO players will soon be able to start the game's second-ever Special Research quest, this time giving them the chance to catch the mythical Pokemon Celebi. The Celebi Special Research quest will be available on August 20, and while that may just be a couple of days away at the time of this writing, there are still ways players can prepare themselves for the new Special Research.

Here are six different ways players can prepare for the Celebi Special Research quest in Pokemon GO.

Start the Mew Special Research Quest

When Niantic announced the Celebi Special Research quest and revealed its release date, the studio also revealed a requirement for players to access it. Before players will have the chance to complete the Celebi Special Research and add the extremely rare creature to their collection, they will first have to complete the first three steps in the Mew Special Research quest, A Mythical Discovery.

Luckily, the first three steps in the Mew Special Research are all full of straightforward, easy to complete tasks. The only thing that may throw players off is battling in two raids, as Pokemon GO only hands out one free raid pass per day, and raids are only available at certain times.

Step 1:

• Spin 5 PokeStops
• Catch 10 Pokemon
• Transfer 5 Pokemon

Step 2:

• Earn 2 Candies walking with your buddy
• Make 10 Great Throws
• Hatch 3 Eggs

Step 3:

• Reach Level 15
• Battle in a Gym 2 Times
• Battle in 2 raids

Hoard Candy

Pokemon GO players may be tempted to spend candy on powering and evolving Pokemon so they can continue to level up and earn rewards, but it may be better to wait until the Celebi Special Research is live. We don't know what the quest's objectives will be, but it's possible there will be some for evolving certain Pokemon, so hanging on to candy may be a smart move.

There are a few Pokemon in particular that players may want to hoard candy for, like Magikarp, Swablu, and Wailmer. That's because all three of those Pokemon need a whopping 400 candy to evolve, and since there was an objective to evolve a Magikarp to a Gyarados as part of the Mew Special Research, it's very possible a similar objective could be required to catch Celebi.

Catch Johto Region Pokemon

Celebi is the only mythical Pokemon in the Johto region, and so it stands to reason that some of the tasks required to catch it may revolve around second-generation Pokemon. Players may want to catch and hang on to as many Johto region Pokemon as possible, as there could be tasks for evolving or transferring them.

Collect Rare Candy

In Pokemon GO, rare candy can be used on Pokemon to obtain that Pokemon's candy. Speculation and past experience points to the Celebi Special Research quest requiring players to evolve or power up certain Pokemon, so it may be a good idea to hang on to one's rare candy until the quest is available and we know for sure. To get rare candy, players will need to participate in raid battles, and note that the higher-tier raids typically reward the most candy.

Save Up StardustBesides candy, stardust is one of the most valuable commodities in all of Pokemon GO. Stardust is used to power up Pokemon as well as trade Pokemon with friends, and some of the trades can be quite expensive. It's possible there will be a Special Research task to trade a certain number of Pokemon with friends, so Pokemon GO players may want to hoard all their stardust until Monday rolls around just in case.

Increase Friendship Levels

Speaking of Pokemon trading, players can actually lower the amount of stardust it costs to trade Pokemon if they have a high friendship level with the person they're trading with. Players can increase their friendship levels by participating in raids together, trading Pokemon, and exchanging gifts. It's possible that the Celebi Special Research will require players to trade Pokemon, send gifts, or have a certain number of friends at a particular friendship tier, so players may want to get a head start on all of that now.

By following these tips, Pokemon GO players should be properly prepared to complete the Special Research quest to catch Celebi. Come August 20, we should know exactly all the steps that will need to be completed to catch it, and it will be interesting to see if any of the steps incorporate some of the new features that have been added to the game since the Mew Special Research, like Pokemon trading, for instance.

Pokemon GO is available now for iOS and Android mobile devices.