Pokémon Legends: Z-A reveals newest Mega Evolution through found footage horror

The Pokémon Company swung for something different Thursday in announcing the newest Mega Evolution coming to Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Mega Victreebel was shown scaring frightened trainers in a trailer that's reminiscent of found footage horror. A couple young trainers explore an abandoned house, being spooked by some of the franchise's creepier 'mons, like Sableye and Noibat, before Mega Victreebel chaotically crashes through a wall and scares them away. Its trainer appears, exasperatedly commenting on the mess it made (though, he doesn't apologize to the firghtened tweens who ran for their lives).

According to a news release featuring Mega Victreebel's Pokédex entry, "The volume of this Pokémon’s acid has increased due to Mega Evolution, filling its mouth. If it’s not careful, the acid will overflow and spill out." That likely explains why its vine is tied tight around its neck. Pokémon are weird.

A more light-hearted trailer released alongside the spookier one, this time showing Mega Victreebel hopping around like the silly sac of acid it is. Mega Victreebel terrorizes the bug Pokémon of Lumiose City, just as it terrorized those poor trainers.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is set to release Oct. 16 for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. It'll have a focus on combat, with trainers trying to rank up from rank Z to A by battling others at night. It returns the in-battle Mega Evolution mechanic from Pokémon X and Y, and fans are already arguing about one Pokémon's Mega design.

Like with the Mario Kart World bundle, Nintendo is releasing a Nintendo Switch 2 bundle that comes with a digital copy of Z-A for $499.99. Polygon recently got to preview Pokémon Legends: Z-A, calling its real-time combat "fresh" and saying, "All in all, there's a lot of potential in the battles of Pokémon Legends: Z-A.