Terastal phenomenon

The Terastal phenomenon is a feature appearing in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet.

Mechanics[]

Terastal Pokémon — An Eevee Terastallizes with the Terastal phenomenon.

The Terastal phenomenon is special energy that is said to seep from the ground of Paldea. It is found only in this region and makes Pokémon shimmer like gemstones. Any Pokémon in Paldea can Terastallize. When a Pokémon Terastallizes, it gains a Tera Jewel above its head that varies in appearance.

Every Pokémon has a Tera Type, which is a single type they can transform into, that is inactive until the Pokémon Terastallizes. Then, the Tera Type is exhibited by the Tera Jewel atop its head. For instance, a crown resembling a bunch of flowers will appear if the Pokémon's Tera Type is Grass. A Pokémon can only have one Tera Type. Most Pokémon found in the wild with two typings will either have one of them as the Tera Type.

Depending on the Tera Type, the Pokémon thus may gain or lose certain immunities in the process, although some abilities can help offset weaknesses; for example, Water Absorb on a Pokémon with Ground Tera Type protects it from Water-type attacks.

Pokémon are able to be Terastallized once per battle and they will stay Terastallized until the battle ends. Certain factors, such as their abilities, are not affected by Terastallizing. If a Pokémon is Terastallized and uses a move that matches its Tera Type and at least one of its original types, the power of the attack will be greatly boosted.

The move Tera Blast is also associated with the Terastal phenomenon. When a Pokémon is Terastallized and uses the move, Tera Blast's type will change to match the Tera Type of the Pokémon. For instance, a Pikachu with a Flying Tera Type will have their Tera Blast move do Flying-based damage.

Obtaining[]

In order to Terastallize Pokémon, a Trainer must have a Tera Orb, like a Dynamax Band is required to Dynamax Pokémon. Once a Pokémon Terastallizes, the Tera Orb will lose all its energy and will need to be recharged, either by touching crystals filled with Terastal energy around Paldea or by going to a Pokémon Center.

Wild Tera Pokémon can also be found in the wild, appearing as glowing Pokémon. Once approached, they will initiate a battle and will immediately Terastallize as soon as the fight begins. Unlike normal wild Pokémon, the Tera Typing these Pokémon may have can be completely different than their normal forms; e.g a Dragonite, a Dragon/Flying may be a Steel Tera. The Wild Tera Pokémon cannot be caught until its shield shatters by putting it at critical health. When it shatters, the Pokémon is essentially flinched.

Players can change the Tera Typing of their Pokémon by speaking to the head chef of the Treasure Eatery in Medali. To change the Pokémon's Tera Typing, the player has to hand her 50 shards of the desired type.

Additionally, there is a special battle format that up to four Trainers can partake in to fight strong Pokémon filled with Terastal energy: Tera Raid Battles. Tera Raid Battles can be participated by contacting reflective crystal veins, from each of which a skyward pillar of light departs. Pokémon with rarer Tera Types can sometimes be found in these raids.

Types of Tera crowns[]

Each Tera type has a different appearance for their crowns;

Normal: Large diamond.
Fire: Candle holder resembling a chandelier.
Water: Spout of water.
Grass: Bunch of flowers.
Electric: A large light bulb.
Ice: A hexagonal snowflake.
Fighting: A giant fist.
Rock: A large rock-like house.
Ground: A large earth-like structure.
Poison: Skull and crossbones.
Psychic: A large eye.
Flying: Bunch of balloons, referencing the Flying Pikachu.
Bug: A crown from which a pair of antennae with two pairs of tiny wings grow out.
Ghost: Cartoon ghost surrounded by graves, referencing the appearance of the ghosts in Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue before the Silph Scope is obtained.
Dragon: A crown with a large red-winged dragon emerging from it.
Dark: A menacing, smiling face.
Steel: A crown with an axe embedded in it.
Fairy: A large heart with two wings on the side.
Stellar: The Terastalization symbol surrounded by the symbols of the other 18 types.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

The name "Terastal" appears to be a portmanteau of terra (a Latin word meaning "earth" or "land") and "crystal." It may also involve the Greek word τέρας (téras), meaning "monster," which may allude to the alternative Pokémon series name "Pocket Monsters."
This phenomenon is similar to Dynamax;
- Both are only active in the regions they're introduced in.
- It requires certain items to wield.
- Both involve Raid Battles in which Pokémon with the phenomenon are fought by multiple players.
Of the Paldean Gym Leaders, Larry is the only one whose last Pokémon (Staraptor, a Normal-type) retains the same typing when Terastallized.
Terastalization is similar to Mega Evolution as both phenomenons causes the Pokemon to change its type while lasting throughout the entire battle. However, unlike Mega Evolution, Terastallization doesn't change the user's physical form (rather giving it a colored hue to match the corresponding tera type) and instead gives the user an additional type.