Raichu finally gets Mega forms — and Lumiose City is warping

Raichu is getting its first-ever Mega Evolutions. Announced during the Sept. 12, 2025 Nintendo Direct, the Mega Dimension DLC for Pokémon Legends Z-A adds two forms — Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y — plus a post-game storyline built around strange spatial distortions in Lumiose City. It’s a paid expansion priced at $29.99, with pre-orders live now on the Nintendo eShop.

The DLC is positioned as endgame content. After you finish the main story and your work with Team MZ, the adventure continues in a new arc that links those distortions to a place called Hyperspace Lumiose. The name isn’t subtle: it points straight at Hoopa, the Mythical Pokémon known for twisting space with its rings. Hoopa appears in the expansion and looks set to anchor the mystery driving the new chapter.

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company say your existing save data carries over. That means no fresh start: you pick up right where your completed playthrough leaves off and head into the new content with your current team and progress. Buy the DLC, and you also unlock Holo-X and Holo-Y apparel immediately for use in the base game — a small wardrobe boost while you wait for the story drop.

Timing is clear. The base game launches Oct. 16, 2025. The Mega Dimension story content is scheduled to arrive by Feb. 28, 2026, roughly four months later. The expansion supports both the current Nintendo Switch and the coming Nintendo Switch 2, making it a cross-generation add-on as the hardware transition begins.

The reveal trailer, shown during the Direct and later posted to the official Pokémon YouTube channel, teases quick cuts of Mega Raichu X and Y in action and several shots of Lumiose City bending under odd spatial phenomena — streets skewing, landmarks flickering, and portals ripping open above plazas. It looks like the city you know, just… unstable.

What’s in Mega Dimension — and why Kalos, Hoopa, and Mega Raichu matter

On paper, Mega Dimension is straightforward: expand the story after credits roll, bring back a signature battle mechanic, and lean into a lore-friendly Mythical to justify the new setting. The setting is the point. Lumiose City is the hub of Kalos, the region where Mega Evolution debuted in Pokémon X and Y. If the Legends series is about reimagining familiar regions through focused, story-driven exploration, then returning to Kalos with fresh Mega forms is a clean thematic loop.

Raichu’s upgrade is overdue. Pikachu has always been a mascot, but Raichu rarely gets the spotlight. Giving it two separate Mega paths — X and Y forms — suggests distinct roles, looks, and battle styles. The trailer doesn’t confirm typings or abilities, but the split implies different strategies, much like how other dual-line Megas in the series created separate competitive niches. Expect new animations and a heavier emphasis on tempo swings in battles that feature them.

Hoopa is a neat fit for the plot. In past games, Hoopa manipulates space with rings and can shift to a more powerful Unbound form. Its signature moves and lore tie directly to the “Hyperspace” name in the DLC’s setting. If spatial distortions are ripping open across Lumiose, Hoopa’s presence turns a world glitch into a story with rules — and a clear target for players to chase.

Structurally, this looks like the Legends approach refined. Players finish the main arc, then return to a familiar map with altered rules and new objectives. Distortions can act like doors: a chance to funnel you into challenge pockets, pull in rare spawns, or recontextualize landmarks you thought you knew. The Legends format translates well to that loop — explore, investigate, engage in set-piece battles, collect new forms — without rebuilding the game’s core flow.

There’s also a quiet quality-of-life signal in the save carryover. Tying the DLC to your completed file means no fragmenting progress across versions or profiles. One file, one adventure, extended. It’s the same logic behind the apparel bonus: you get something right now, even if the big slice of content lands in early 2026.

The timing is familiar for modern Pokémon rollouts. Launch the base game, establish the world and its systems, take a beat, then drop a post-game chapter that deepens the region and refreshes the battle meta. Here, the four-month gap leaves room for players to finish the main story, try early post-game activities, and be ready for a DLC that pivots the map and re-centers players on new goals.

Compatibility across Switch and Switch 2 matters beyond convenience. With a new console on the horizon, cross-gen support keeps the player base together. If you start on Switch in October, you won’t need to restart to see the DLC on Switch 2. That continuity should help both adoption and community buzz when the new forms and encounters go live.

What about the trailer details? Aside from stadium-scale distortions and those quick Mega shots, the footage shows Team MZ back in the mix and small environmental cues hinting at new encounter types inside the warped zones. The edits are tight — more tease than tell — but the tone leans into mystery and escalation rather than a simple side mission pack.

For Kalos fans, this is the clearest sign yet that Legends isn’t just a one-off formula tied to Hisui. The series seems to be the place where Game Freak revisits key regions and mechanics with more narrative focus and bespoke systems. Mega Evolution, born in Kalos, returning in a Legends-style story set in Lumiose City, reads like intentional stitching.

If you’re planning ahead, here are the essentials at a glance:

• Price: $29.99 (paid DLC)
• Pre-orders: Available now on the Nintendo eShop
• Base game release: Oct. 16, 2025
• DLC story window: By Feb. 28, 2026 (post-game expansion)
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 (same save compatibility)
• Immediate bonus: Holo-X and Holo-Y apparel usable in the base game
• Headline features: Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y; Hoopa; Hyperspace Lumiose; spatial distortions across Lumiose City

All signs point to a DLC built to amplify what the Legends format does best: push exploration, remix a familiar map with new rules, and give battles a headline twist. With Mega Raichu finally stepping into the light and Hoopa bending the city’s skyline, Mega Dimension sets up a focused, lore-driven coda for the Kalos chapter.