Pokémon Scarlet and Violet players convinced DLC posters tease new Legends: Z-A Mega Evolutions

Fans believe they’ve found a lead on which Pokémon may get new Mega Evolutions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A after Mega Evolution was teased in the first trailer—and it’s been staring us right in the face in the Scarlet and Violet DLC.

The clue in question is the posters hanging on the walls in Kieran’s room at Blueberry Academy in The Indigo Disk, which one eagle-eyed Scarlet and Violet player shared with the rest of the community on March 18. The four Pokémon on those particular posters are Archaludon, Flygon, Malamar, and Hitmonlee, but it’s unclear what the deal is with these specific ‘mons.

When you interact with the posters, it says, “There are lots of detailed notes on different Pokémon’s strengths and weaknesses!” This makes sense for Archaludon and Flygon since one of Kieran’s biggest rivals at Blueberry Academy was Drayton, who uses both of those dragons. However, Flygon has also already been one of the most talked-about contenders for Mega Evolution. And you could argue the other three ‘mons are just as worthy of receiving Mega buffs too. That’s why players think this could be a sign that Flygon, Archaludon, Malamar, and Hitmonlee may be getting the Mega treatment in Legends: Z-A.

Flygons aside, a hypothetical Mega Archaludon would be extremely fitting for Lumiose City’s urban redevelopment plans in Z-A. Archaludon’s design resembles a bridge, and its pre-evolution, Duraludon, has a Gigantamax form that mimics a skyscraper. Since Z-A is set in the French-inspired Kalos region, players can already see Mega Archaludon being designed after the Eiffel Tower. If that becomes a reality, Lumiose’s Gym and Prism Tower would technically be modeled after Mega Archaludon in the Pokémon lore. The only real downside to Mega Archaludon is it would likely be overpowered since its regular form is already tough on its own. It has the same 600 base stat total as pseudo-Legendary Pokémon, so a Mega Evolution would bring it up to par with Mega Salamence, Garchomp, Tyranitar, and Metagross.

Then there’s Malamar and Hitmonlee, who both have room for growth with a Mega Evolution. Malamar is one of the few Pokémon with access to the valuable Contrary ability, which turns stat decreases into boosts. A Mega Malamar with that ability could be a gamechanger in competitive play. Meanwhile, a Mega for Hitmonlee would likely mean Megas for its two friends, Hitmonchan and Hitmontop, and that would be pretty awesome for the Fighting-type trio.