Big Spring: My Full Solve & BOTG for JCB’s Pokémon Box

After working through the chapter, mapping the Pokémon sequence, and overlaying imagery, I landed on Big Spring off the Current River in Missouri as a highly credible solution. And once I got boots on the ground, the number of direct correlations stacked up in a way that’s hard to ignore. While I didn't find the box, the location's alignment with clues in the chapter is compelling enough to share.

This gentleman has a great overview of Big Spring for those unfamiliar with the area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1OtkGKWlE

Here is a reel summary of my BOTG; it had just stormed, so the typical cerulean color of the water was heavily muddied.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWgnr7vkRaf/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

1. The Purple Image → The UV-Faded Sign at Big Spring

At the end of the chapter, we’re shown that overexposed purple image—washed out, unnatural, almost like something that’s been sitting in sunlight too long.

When I got to Big Spring, I found a UV-faded purple sign on site.

Strikingly similar.

Same washed-out purple tone
Same overexposed feel
Same unnatural fading pattern

It looks like what happens when a real-world object sits in the sun long enough to match the stylized clue image.

Another interesting observation; in the chapter he mentions at one point over 280,000,000 downloads of Pokemon go, and on this purple educational sign it describes the 288,000,000 daily gallons of water that are produced by the spring.

2. The Coin Angle → The Spring’s Entry into the Current River

One of the more overlooked clues is the angle shown on the coin in the chapter.

When you look at Big Spring from above, the way the spring water flows into the Current River forms a very specific angle.

That angle matches the coin pretty well.

Not perfectly geometric—but uncannily similar in orientation and feel.

The directional bend
The way the flow meets the river
The visual “tilt” when viewed from above

3. Pokémon Route → Trail System Alignment

When you map the sequence and movement of Pokémon characters in the chapter, you can overlay that path onto the trail system at Big Spring.

Two trails matter most:

Stone Ridge Trail
Slough Trail

The progression of characters aligns with movement through this system:

Changes in elevation
Transitions between terrain types
Movement from open to enclosed areas

This isn’t random placement; it behaves like a guided route, almost like the chapter is walking you through the terrain.

4. The March 2025 Tornado → Why JCB Checked a Box

In March 2025, a tornado directly impacted the area around Big Spring.

Now step back and think about this in context:

JCB has stated he’s checked on at least one box due to a natural event.

This tornado:

Hit the exact region
Was significant enough to alter terrain
Would absolutely justify checking a hidden cache

Not proof on its own—but a strong contextual reinforcement.

5. Mewtwo & “Cerulean Cave” → Real Cave Alignment

During my visit, there were no leaves on the trees yet, and the Cerulean Cave was visible:

In the purple image, Mewtwo is positioned in front of what I've interpreted as the Cerulean Cave which Mew Two is famously known to guard.

Now take that image and overlay it onto Big Spring. What do you get?

Mewtwo standing directly in front of a real cave feature in front of an incredibly blue spring (when it hasn't just stormed like when I visited)
Alignment with the spring inlet and rock formation
Visual correspondence between the foreground rock and water

Speaking of Cerulean, here's another of the educational signs that is on Slough Trail - notice the circled word:

6. Image Overlay → Rock & Spring Inlet Match

When I overlaid the purple image onto actual imagery from Big Spring, one area stood out immediately:

The rock and spring inlet where Mewtwo is positioned.

The shape of the rock formation
The positioning relative to the water
The way the inlet curves into the scene

It’s one of those moments where you stop and go:

“Alright… that’s a little too close.”

You can argue interpretation all day—but geometry doesn’t lie easily.

7. Field Work: Two Days, 10 Miles

I spent two full days on the ground, covering roughly 10 miles through the area.

Here’s what that looked like:

Ran both Stone Ridge Trail and Slough Trail
Worked transition zones between trails and water
Checked cave-adjacent areas and rock features
Focused on locations that matched both:

The Pokémon route
The image overlay

Here is everywhere I searched during the BOTG:

Final Take

Individually, you could argue any of these:

A faded sign
A similar angle
A trail alignment
A cave match

But together?

They form a cohesive, layered solve:

Visual clue → real object (purple image → sign)
Abstract geometry → real geography (coin → river angle)
Narrative movement → physical route (Pokémon → trails)
Environmental event → creator behavior (tornado → box check)
Stylized image → exact terrain match (Mewtwo → cave/inlet)

That seems like how a good treasure solve should feel.

If nothing else, Big Spring deserves serious attention. I’ve walked it, mapped it, and tested it—and it holds up better than most locations I’ve seen put forward.

Now it’s just a matter of whether the final piece is still sitting out there…

Lowrentsresearch.blogspot.com

Here are some more pictures from my visit: