I Was Busy Thinking ‘bout Bois

One Heracross and their complete dominance over Pokémon: Legends Z-A

With Pokémon Legends: Z-A capturing hearts and minds, there’s been plenty of talk about the Mega Dimension DLC. I’m still yet to play it – no spoilers, please! – but trailers have revealed so much to look forward to. Between the long-awaited return of the mythical Hoopa, and the way the new Mega Lucario Z kinda looks like the people’s princess, there’s plenty to dive into. (Hopefully literally. I mean, why can’t I swim down Coulant Waterway yet?)

Despite not having started the DLC, I can tell there’s plenty of new Mega Pokémon to catch and battle with. While I’m excited to learn more (Mega Flygon when?), one aspect of Legends: Z-A I’ve adored is rediscovering older Megas. Despite playing Pokémon Alpha Sapphire back in the day and being heavily into the competitive scene, there are plenty of Mega Evolutions I never got the chance to know. Sure, I can tell you exactly how Mega Sableye warped the metagame around itself and changed the face of stall teams, but I can’t tell you how it feels to have one on my team.

Which is why, when exploring Lumiose City as part of the main story, I was fully intent on using some Mega Pokémon I was yet to use. Sure enough, my Mega Mawile was my MVP all the way through to the story’s climactic final battle. I’ll never forget catching an Alpha Camerupt and using its Mega form to brave the hell on Earth also known as Wild Zone 17. And using my Mega Blastoise to Surf through leagues of trainers in the Z-A Royale? Priceless. It’s moments like this that make Legends Z-A my game of the year.

However, one iconic Mega Evolution stands tall above all other options, despite capping out at 5’7. For most trainers, myself included, they were the first Pokémon obtained capable of Mega Evolving. They’ve been around since Pokémon Gold and Silver, but I’ve had a newfound love for them lately. And to top it all off, you can meet him for free early in the story.

The Bois is back in town

Meet Bois the Heracross. If you’ve played Legends: Z-A, he needs no introduction. For the uninitiated: as part of a mandatory early-game quest, you receive him as a gift for catching a Pikachu for a NPC. At this point in the game, the only evolved Pokémon I had was Zoro the Beedrill – all my other allies were still in their first-stage forms with predictably low stats. Bois, on the other hand, is a monster.

To put things in perspective: in his base form, Bois has a base attack stat of 125. This is on par with some of the most infamous monsters of competitive Pokémon, such as Gyarados, Kangaskhan, and Landorus. Getting access to a Pokémon this strong so early is game-breaking.

It doesn’t take too long into the story for you to access the Heracrosinite stone, allowing Bois to Mega Evolve, gaining a whopping 185 base attack – the second highest ever in the series. In a franchise where power creep is a real issue, Mega Heracross is an eternal threat that hasn’t waned. His strength is legendary, and Bois offers you that strength.

It’s not just raw numbers that make Bois a beast. With Legends: Z-A introducing real-time battling, several old moves have had a new lease of life, including multi-hit moves. Bois learns two of the best early on: Pin Missile and Rock Blast. These have an effective base power that rivals some of the strongest moves in the game, such as Fire Blast or Close Combat. They have incredible combined type coverage, too, allowing Bois to wreak havoc upon some of the hardest foes in the game. He’s an invaluable companion in the Rogue Mega Evolution battles, and can deal super-effective damage against some of the hardest ‘Mon out there, such as Jacinthe’s pesky Mega Clefable.

This all sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? I felt so too, and deemed Bois too powerful to use. Like a buffoon, I kept him in the PC, soldiering on without him in fights that became a real challenge. It was totally my fault, of course. Why shouldn’t I have accepted Bois’ aid? My friend, I’m sorry. Now that the DLC is out, I promise I’ll train you up to take on the Mega Dimension.

I guess in some ways, Bois is representative of the best parts of Pokémon as a franchise. Apart from his wonderful name, there’s nothing necessarily revolutionary about him – he’s an old Pokémon that demonstrates a fairly old mechanic. But there’s something so delightful about gaining a newfound appreciation for a familiar face, and learning to love a Pokémon like they’re new again. In a game that really feels like a love letter to the series, Bois is a beautiful highlight.

AC is the Head of Written Content at QSO Media. Read more of their articles here.

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