Here’s why Pecharunt is a pick-me girl in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet epilogue

Pecharunt is the star and troublemaker of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet epilogue, Mochi Mayhem, and it’s giving major pick-me girl vibes. Here’s why.

If you’ve already played through the epilogue, you might be left wondering why Pecharunt did what it did. What exactly was its motive for turning people into chicken-dancing mochi lovers? What did it have to gain? Even after defeating and catching the Poison/Ghost Mythical Pokémon, the NPCs don’t really say much about Pecharunt or the mayhem it caused.

We do know, however, that Pecharunt is connected to the Loyal Three and Ogerpon, based on Kitakami lore and Pokédex data. And that’s where the pink little mochi Pokémon feels a lot like a pick-me girl—someone who, according to CNN’s definition, “does everything for external, mostly male validation.” While the term is often associated with females, “pick-me” can be applied to anyone who fits that vibe… aka the franchise’s newest Mythical Pokémon.

Similar to the Japanese folklore story of Momotaro aka “Peach Boy,” Pecharunt joins forces with a dog, monkey, and pheasant—Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti. Using its Malignant Chain attack and its signature Poison Puppeteer ability, Pecharunt fulfilled the wishes of the Loyal Three in exchange for full control over them. And what did this pick-me do with the Loyal Three males? Pecharunt sent them to attack and bully the lovable Ogerpon who is, coincidence or not, exclusively female.

As a result of this attack, the people of Kitakami were made to believe Ogerpon was the bad guy while they respected everything Pecharunt and the Loyal Three did to “protect” their land from the “evil” ogre. Pecharunt’s manipulation turned everyone against Ogerpon, and for what? Stealing Ogerpon’s masks was definitely part of it, but maybe Pecharunt had pettier intentions as well. Perhaps the peachy mochi saw Ogerpon as a threat or as competition for everyone else’s attention. After all, Ogerpon is quite adorable and easily lovable, and Pecharunt might’ve felt the need to eliminate the ogre to draw more attention to itself. That sort of toxic behavior screams “pick-me.”

Pecharunt succeeded in its mission to make Ogerpon public enemy number one, and it seemed content with that for a while, simply hanging out at the Peachy’s store in Mossui Town. But then, the player had to come along and ruin everything for Pecharunt in The Teal Mask by convincing the Kitakami folks that Ogerpon wasn’t the bad guy here—she was the victim.

This, along with the Mythical Pecha Berry, could be what drove Pecharunt to turn the people of Kitakami into its puppets by feeding them toxic mochi in the epilogue. Now that everyone realized how cute and sweet Ogerpon was, Pecharunt was angry and had to extend its manipulation beyond the Loyal Three by targeting humans. 

There’s even a special scene where the mochi Pokémon gets fired up if you send Ogerpon out against it in the final battle. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but I imagine Pecharunt was screaming something along the lines of, “Why does everyone pick her and love her? What about me?” Regardless, that little mochi was not having it. And if you didn’t win that battle, who knows what would’ve happened to poor Ogerpon? After all, a pick-me will apparently do anything for the attention and validation they seek.