Xerneas #716: the stag that grants eternal life

A three-meter stag whose antlers grant eternal life. Xerneas is the Legendary mascot of Pokémon X, and the only Pokémon in the Pokédex that knows Geomancy. Across from it, Yveltal takes back what it gives — and Zygarde referees.

Contents

• Who is Xerneas?
• Fairy type and the Fairy Aura Ability
• Neutral Mode and Active Mode: two looks, one Pokémon
• Evolution: none, but a one-of-a-kind signature move
• Kalos, the Ultimate Weapon and the legendary trio
• Xerneas Fact Sheet
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Xerneas?

Listed as #716 in the National Pokédex, Xerneas is the "Life Pokémon" of the sixth generation, the Kalos generation. It stands 3 meters tall and weighs 215 kilos, and it's a Legendary Pokémon, not a Mythical one.

Its silhouette is a living X : its antlers, its pupils and the growths at the base of its neck all trace the same letter. Its upper body is blue, its lower body black, and its legs end in blade-shaped tips.

It has four pairs of horns in beige tinged with orange, red, purple and blue. The Pokémon Y Pokédex sums up its myth in a single sentence: when its antlers shine in seven colors, it bestows eternal life. The species is genderless.

Fairy type and the Fairy Aura Ability

Xerneas is pure Fairy type : only Poison and Steel hit it twice as hard. It takes half damage from Fighting, Bug and Dark, and Dragon attacks don't affect it at all. No quadruple weakness is possible with a single type.

Its only ability is Fairy Aura, with no hidden Ability at all: as soon as it enters the field, the power of Fairy-type moves used by every Pokémon on the field goes up by a third, opponents included. Long its signature Ability, it is now shared with Mega Floette.

By the numbers: 126 HP, 131 Attack, 95 Defense, 131 Special Attack, 98 Special Defense and 99 Speed, for 680 points in total — exactly the same spread as Yveltal. Poképédia calls it the first pure Fairy-type Legendary, leaving aside Arceus with its Pixie Plate.

Neutral Mode and Active Mode: two looks, one Pokémon

Xerneas has two forms called "Modes." Outside of battle, it always stays in Neutral Mode, with dull antlers; as soon as it's called into battle, it automatically switches to Active Mode and its antlers light up in vivid colors.

Don't be misled: this change is purely cosmetic. No message appears in battle, and its types, height, weight and six stats stay exactly the same. It's neither a Mega Evolution nor a mechanic like Aegislash's Stance Change.

Another common mix-up: the tree is not a "Mode". The Pokédex says Xerneas was revived after 1,000 years of sleep in the form of a tree — a lore state, never a playable form. Its rainbow antlers, on the other hand, look stunning on Pokémon plushies.

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Evolution: none, but a one-of-a-kind signature move

Xerneas does not evolve and isn't evolved from any Pokémon. Like all Legendaries, it belongs to the Undiscovered Egg Group and cannot breed.

In return, it has Geomancy, a move no other Pokémon has. This Fairy-type move is learned at level 55 and plays out in two stages: a charging turn in which it absorbs the surrounding energy, then its Special Attack, Special Defense and Speed each rise by two stages.

A Power Herb lets it skip that charging turn. And Geomancy has two quirks: it's the only status move that needs a charging turn, and the only signature move of a game mascot that deals no damage.

Kalos, the Ultimate Weapon and the legendary trio

Xerneas forms a legendary trio with Yveltal to Zygarde : three Pokémon shaped like an X, a Y and a Z, each with an aura Ability. Xerneas gives life, Yveltal takes it away, and Zygarde watches over the balance of ecosystems.

The link is mechanical, too: Zygarde's Aura Break Ability reverses Fairy Aura and Dark Aura, which then lower the power of the affected moves instead of boosting it. The keeper of balance cuts the power on the other two.

In Pokémon X, Team Flare needs three things to reactivate the Ultimate Weapon that AZ built 3,000 years ago: electricity from the Kalos Power Plant, the old man's bronze key, and the energy of one of the region's Legendaries — and capturing it nearly drains the machine.

Does it have a Mega Evolution? No : the list of Mega Pokémon, up to date with Pokémon Legends: Z-A and its expansion, doesn't mention it anywhere, even though it does include Mega Zygarde and its Zygardite. No regional form or Gigantamax form either.

In a twist of Kalos irony, a theory from Professor Sycamore holds that certain stones became Mega Stones by soaking up the energy of the two Legendaries, spread by the Ultimate Weapon — which puts a new spin on Mega Pokémon figures.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings it back as #228 in the Lumiose Pokédex : main mission 40 ("Celui qui donne" in the French version) has you catch it in Wild Zone 11, as a one-time encounter at level 75. Yveltal follows in mission 41, and Zygarde in mission 42.

Xerneas Fact Sheet

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is Xerneas the mascot of Pokémon X or Pokémon Y?
  Pokémon X. Yveltal is the mascot of Pokémon Y. It's an easy mix-up, since both Legendaries were revealed on the same day and are caught at the same point in the story, in the Team Flare Secret HQ, but each in its own version: Xerneas in X, Yveltal in Y. Its cross-shaped pupils are also a nod to the letter X.
• What are Xerneas's two forms?
  Neutral Mode and Active Mode. Outside of battle, Xerneas is always in Neutral Mode, with pale antlers. As soon as it's sent into battle, it switches to Active Mode and its antlers take on vivid colors. The change is purely cosmetic: same types, same stats, same height and same weight in both Modes, and no message appears in battle.
• Is the tree a form of Xerneas?
  No. The Pokédex says Xerneas was revived after sleeping for a thousand years in the form of a tree, but that's a dormant state described in the lore, not a playable form in the games. The only recorded forms are Neutral Mode and Active Mode, and neither of them is the tree.
• Does Xerneas have a Mega Evolution?
  No. No Mega Evolution, no regional form and no Gigantamax form. Yet it does appear in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the game built around Mega Evolution, where its Pokédex neighbor Zygarde gains Mega Zygarde through the Zygardite. Nothing of the sort for Xerneas: no Mega Stone bears its name.
• What is Geomancy?
  It's Xerneas's signature move, learned at level 55, and no other Pokémon can learn it. A Fairy-type status move, it takes a first charging turn during which Xerneas absorbs the surrounding energy, then raises its Special Attack, Special Defense and Speed by two stages on the following turn. A Power Herb lets it skip the charging turn.
• What are Xerneas's weaknesses?
  As a pure Fairy type, it only fears two types, Poison and Steel, which deal double damage to it. It takes half damage from Fighting, Bug and Dark, and it is completely immune to Dragon-type attacks. No quadruple weakness is possible, since it has only one type.

In short

Antlers that light up in seven colors and a thousand years of sleep as a tree: Xerneas remains one of the most symbolically charged Legendaries in the Pokédex. Without a Mega of its own, it may still have given rise to the Mega Stones of Kalos.