How to start the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC epilogue and catch Pecharunt

After getting through all of the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, there’s an epilogue that you can play, but only if you meet specific requirements. The epilogue is a short story that reunites all of your companions (Nemona, Arven, Penny, and Kieran) as they get together to hang out in Kitakami. This epilogue is also the only way to get the Mythical Pokémon, Pecharunt.

Below we list the requirements to start the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet epilogue and how to catch Pecharunt.

How to start the epilogue in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

The epilogue story wraps up of all three story beats in Scarlet and Violet, from the stuff back in Paldea, the Ogrepon bit in Kitakami, and the bit at the Blueberry Academy. You need to have the following done to access the epilogue:

• The Teal Mask story
• The Indigo Disk story
• Compete in the Academy Ace Tournament at least once
• Claim the Mythical Pecha Berry item via Mystery Gift

You can grab the Mythical Pecha Berry by opening the Poké Portal in the game’s menu, selecting Mystery Gift, and then choosing the “get via internet” option. You’ll be able to select the Mythical Pecha Berry from a list.

Once you have met all of the above requirements, head to the shop in Kitakami’s Mossui Town and interact with the pink thing sitting on the cushion to start the story.

Image: Game Freak/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo via Polygon

As of writing this, there is no end date given for the Mythical Pecha Berry item, but you should grab it sooner than later. Since the associated Pokémon is Mythical, that implies that’ll mostly be obtainable through event-based methods. Once the Mythical Pecha Berry is unobtainable via Mystery Gift, you won’t be able to get Pecharunt until there’s another distribution in the future.

How to catch Pecharunt in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

To get Pecharunt, you’ll just need to play through the DLC epilogue story, “Mochi Mayhem.” Along the way, you’ll have to battle several trainers, who sported Pokémon in level 80 range, so be prepared. (Though since you made it through all the DLC, your team of Pokémon should be ready enough for these battles.)

Just like the other Legendary Pokémon like Ogrepon and Terapagos, you’ll hit a point where the Legendary essentially falls into your lap. You’ll need to battle it in a boss fight, and after you defeat it, you’re given an opportunity to throw a ball at it. It’s a guaranteed catch, so you can use whatever Poké Ball you’d like.