On Feb. 27, during the 30th-anniversary Pokémon Presents stream, Game Freak revealed a new Mega Evolution for Pokémon Legends: Z-A: Mega Garchomp Z. May this be the final one.

Mega Evolutions have been part of the Pokémon combat dance for a while, having been introduced in 2013 with Pokémon X and Y. The idea is that certain Pokémon can hold a corresponding key item (i.e., Venusaur holds Venusaurite) to evolve in battle beyond its typical final-stage evolution (i.e., Venusaur becomes Mega Venusaur). The Pokémon will take on a new look and see its base stats increase significantly, typically by around 100 points across the board.

The Mega Evolution gimmick skipped a few games — neither it nor the similarly paradigm-shifting Z-Moves were present in 2019’s Sword and Shield or 2022’s Scarlet and Violet — but returned again for Pokémon Legends: Z-A. As of this writing, according to Serebii, around 90 Pokémon can Mega Evolve, though some, like Charizard and Tastugiri, have multiple forms.

It’s funny. Sometimes you think back on a thing you hated as a kid — olives, for instance — and wonder if it’s really as........

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