Dynamax

Dynamaxing, or "D-Max" for short, is a gimmick that currently only appears in the Generation 8 Pokémon games, apparently intended to be the replacement to Mega Evolution and Z-Moves.
All Pokémon are capable of Dynamaxing, but only in specific areas known as Power Spots, which coincidentally happen to be all Gyms in the Galar region, and Pokémon Dens in its Wild Area; the latter hosting Max Raid Battles where up to four Trainers can battle a single D-Maxed wild Pokémon.
Dynamaxing lasts three turns, and can only be done to one Pokémon per battle. The Pokémon visibly grows much bigger, and its HP is increased by roughly 1.5 times, while all its other stats stay the same, as does its ability. Its moves are powered up into special Max Moves that function similarly to Z-Moves; they always hit regardless of the component move's accuracy, and can hit through Protect. When regular Pokémon attack a D-Maxed Pokémon, the animation doesn't play for some reason. Also, for reasons unknown, the generation's mascots, Zacian, Zamazenta, and Eternatus (despite being the "creator" of D-Maxing), can't D-Max.
The HP boost can be increased with , which increases a Pokémon's "Dynamax Level". For each level a Pokémon gains, an extra 5% is added to the boost, and when a Pokémon reaches D-Max Level 10 (the highest), its HP will be doubled when D-Maxing.
Among the possible Max Moves a Pokémon can have:
*All status moves: 
*Bug: 
*Dark: 
*Dragon: 
*Electric: 
*Fairy: 
*Fighting: (and Knuckles...)
*Fire: 
*Flying: 
*Ghost: 
*Grass: 
*Ground: 
*Ice: 
*Normal: 
*Poison: 
*Psychic: 
*Rock: 
*Steel: 
*Water: 
The move's power rate, as well as whether it's physical or special, is dependent on what the original move does.
==Oddities==
* and continue to use the Pokémon's regular HP when calculating damage/restoration.
* and similar Berries correctly trigger when a D-Maxed Pokémon is at 25% of its then-current HP, but only restore by a third of the Pokémon's regular HP.
*D-Maxed Pokémon can't flinch.
*Moves like and , that are dependent on a Pokémon's weight, fail against D-Maxed Pokémon.
*, , , and similar fail on D-Max Pokémon; however, , , and similar moves still work.
*"Phazing" moves, such as and , as well as the item, fail against D-Maxed Pokémon (however, Dragon Tail and still do damage). Things that force a Pokémon to switch itself out, such as and , still work, though.
* and fail on D-Maxed Pokémon, and are temporarily paused if they were in effect at Dynamaxing time.
*, , and fail on D-Maxed Pokémon.
*All "Choice" items stop working on a D-Maxed Pokémon, as do and ; they start working again once the D-Max ends. , however, continues working.
*Any Pokémon using or will only transform into the regular form of the Pokémon. However, they can then D-Max on their own.
*Any Pokémon attempting to copy a D-Maxed Pokémon's moves (i.e. , , ) will only get the regular move (i.e. Psychic instead of Max Mindstorm).
==Fanon appearances==
===St. Clair Publications===
*The Nintendo Switch remake of Tropes vs. Women in Pokémon Training includes Dynamaxing as a mechanic. In this game, Dynamaxing is a nearly free action tied to the gimmick. You gain the ability to D-Max upon beating , and can do it at any time as long as you have one unit of Badge Power to spend. Since Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves exist here, too, this game establishes that you can only do one of these per Pokémon, so if you Dynamax a Pokémon that has a Mega Evolution, you can't Mega Evolve it later, nor can you do the opposite. In addition, just like Z-Moves, Max Moves eschew canon's pre-defined power rates in favor of simply increasing the base move's power by 1.5 times; however, this renders moves with a power rate higher than 170 (i.e. ) unusable.
==See also==
Gigantamax: An enhanced form of D-Maxing that only certain Pokémon can perform and also gives them a signature G-Max move.
Category:Pokémon (series)
Category:Game Mechanics