Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire players get free Shiny Metagross, new Megas

Pokemon fans planning to pick up a copy of Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire when it hits shelves on November 21 will be in for a mega, shiny (but also potentially gross) treat: For a limited time via an in-game internet character distribution, players can receive a Shiny Beldum holding a Mega Stone. Keep it fed and watered, and it just might grow up to be a strong and healthy Shiny Mega Metagross. Metagross won't be the only Pokemon to go Super Saiyan Mega, though. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have also revealed new Mega forms for Altaria, Salamence and Lopunny as well.

If you're less about Mega battles and more about mega cuteness, you can instead opt to participate in Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire's Pokemon Contest Spectacular, where pokemon are judged on their Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Cleverness or Toughness. The Spectacular is also where players will receive Cosplay Pikachu, who you may remember dressing up as a lovely southern belle. Cosplay Pikachus can use moves normally not available to everyone's favorite yellow mouse, such as Pikachu Rock Star being able to use the Steel-type move Meteor Smash. An attached press release has notes on Pikachu Pop Star, Pikachu, Ph.D., Pikachu Belle and Pikachu Libre.

Lastly, Horde Encounters will make an appearance in Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire as well, though this time they won't be limited to wild pokemon; trainers will also sometimes appear in groups, giving battle-hardened trainers even more XP to soak up.

[Image: The Pokemon Company]

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Incredibly Rare Shiny Pokémon Holding a Mega Stone Gifted to Early Purchasers of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire

New Mega-Evolved Pokémon revealed, Horde Encounters return in the Hoenn region,
and Pokémon take center stage in the Pokémon Contest Spectacular

BELLEVUE, WA-August 10, 2014-The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo announced today that players can get a special Shiny Beldum holding a Metagrossite Mega Stone during a limited-time character distribution for the Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire video games when they launch on November 21, 2014, in the United States and Canada. This Shiny Beldum will evolve into Shiny Metang and then into Shiny Metagross. Players can then harness the power of the Mega Stone and Mega Evolve Shiny Metagross into Shiny Mega Metagross. The new games for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems also feature newly revealed Mega-Evolved Pokémon, including Mega Altaria, Mega Salamence, and Mega Lopunny. Fans can watch these Mega-Evolved Pokémon in action and other new scenes in a brand-new game trailer at YouTube.com/Pokemon.

Be center stage at the Pokémon Contest Spectacular
Once players arrive at the Hoenn region's Pokémon Contest Spectacular, they can enter their Pokémon in five different contest categories-Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Cleverness, and Toughness-in which the Pokémon is judged on one of these five conditions. For example, in a Toughness Contest, a Pokémon will display moves to show off its Toughness appeal. Demonstrating a move like Flying Press will get the audience excited, but using the move Play Nice probably won't elicit the same excitement. The more excited the audience gets, the more the Pokémon will maximize its appeal.

After entering the Pokémon Contest Spectacular for the first time, Trainers will receive their very own Cosplay Pikachu, which is unique in that it knows moves that a normal Pikachu cannot learn and can use them in battle. For instance, Pikachu Rock Star knows the Steel-type move Meteor Mash, and Pikachu Pop Star can use Draining Kiss in battle, a Fairy-type move that is effective against Dragon-type Pokémon. Pikachu, Ph.D., can learn the Electric-type move Electric Terrain, while Pikachu Belle learns the beautiful Ice-type move Icicle Crash. Last but not least, Pikachu Libre can battle with Flying Press, a powerful Fighting-type move.

Players can enter Pokémon in multiplayer contests against friends, take photos of each show, and build a following of fans that will appear at each Contest Hall entrance and help a player's Pokémon win future contests.

New Mega-Evolved Pokémon
Three new Mega-Evolved Pokémon have been announced today: Mega Altaria, Mega Salamence, and Mega Lopunny. Mega Altaria becomes a Dragon- and Fairy-type and receives the Pixilate Ability, which changes Normal-type moves into Fairy-type moves. Mega Altaria also receives big boosts in its Attack and Special Attack stats and an increase in its Defense. Mega Salamence's Defense stat soars, and it receives the Aerilate Ability, which turns Normal-type moves into Flying-type moves. Mega Lopunny receives the Scrappy Ability, making Ghost-type Pokémon vulnerable to Mega Lopunny's Normal-type and Fighting-type moves. Mega Lopunny also gets a huge boost to its Attack stat and a Speed increase, making it even more formidable in battle.

Horde Encounters return to the Hoenn region
The popular Horde Encounter feature from Pokémon X and Pokémon Y returns in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. This time, Horde Encounters will not be limited to wild Pokémon encounters, as hordes of enemy Trainers can now appear in groups of up to five, providing even more Experience Points to victorious Trainers.

Be sure to visit Pokemon.com/OmegaAlpha frequently for more Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire news and information that will roll out leading up to the November 21st launch.

Visit Pokemon.com, Like the official Pokémon Facebook page at Facebook.com/Pokemon, and follow @Pokemon on Twitter.