Z-Power

Z-Power (Japanese: パワー Z-Power), sometimes referred to as aura (Japanese: オーラ aura), is a form of energy found in the Alola region. This energy can be used to produce a Z-Move, though it can work independently from Z-Moves, and is otherwise uncontrollable without the use of a Z-Ring or Z-Power Ring. Z-Power is often associated with a specific symbol, a stylized Z with an "arrow." This symbol is found throughout the Alola region, including on Z-Rings, on Z-Crystal pedestals found in trial sites, and while using a Z-Move.
==Etymology==
Books found within the Malie Library mention that the letter Z comes from the word Zenith (Japanese: ゼンリョク/, zenryokuトレーナーとポケモンが一体となって放つゼンリョクの攻撃「Ｚワザ」｜『ポケットモンスター サン・ムーン』公式サイト "full power/force").
 is the literal word that describes a type of energy that all living organisms exhibit.
==Terminology==
The process of being fueled with or have been previously fueled with Z-Power can be described as Z-Powered. Having access to multiple or using multiple at once can be referred to as Z-Powers.Professor Kukui, :"Phew! Z-Powers heap all of a Trainer's feelings onto a Pokémon, yeah, which totally wears you out!" The Z is short for Zenith (Japanese: , using all one's power). "Zenith" is also used as part of the title of the Alola Photo Club's Zenith Stage location, which displays multiple Z-Crystals. When referring to Z-Power, pieces of media may use the terms "full force" or "full power," with many characters often using these phrases in relation to the mechanic. The Ultra Recon Squad refers to Z-Power as "auras." 
;In speech
In the Alola region, references to Z-Power in speech are common. Often, saying "full-power" or "full-force" is shown as a form of encouragement and excitement, or even as a show of strength.
* The festival in Iki Town at the beginning of the games is described as a "full-powered festival" by Professor Kukui and the Ultra Recon Squad.
* Lillie refers to her second outfit as her Z-Powered form (Japanese: の full-powered form). She also often describes her improvement of confidence as showing her "full power" or "full force." This parallels internal data referring to Z-Moves as ZenryokuWaza, meaning "full-powered move." She often follows these comments by performing the Z-Move pose for Normalium Z.
** Merchandise and the Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon: Super Music Collection refer to this outfit as Lively Lillie, making no reference to Z-Power or Z-Moves.
* In Sun and Moon only, Mina has a catchphrase, saying "get your Z on" or "get our Z on" as a way of expressing good sportsmanship.
* Lana and Mina both claim to use their "full power" when they battle the player.
==In the core series games==
===History and effects===
According to speculation from Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet in , Z-Power may come from energy that pours from Ultra Wormholes.Professor Kukui, :"Burnet and I are looking into them and we think they might have some connection to the energy that pours outta those Ultra Wormholes." Wicke of the Aether Foundation has further claimed that the size of Totem Pokémon comes from the energy that pours from Ultra Wormholes.Wicke, :There are also Pokémon on our planet that possess this same kind of energy. I think you know what I mean. The so-called Totem Pokémon that you faced in your trials. This is because the energy pours down upon our planet when the holes open. Because of this, Totem Pokémon are often bathed in Z-Power, growing to unnatural sizes. As expressed by the colored aura surrounding the Pokémon when fought, the Z-Power causes the Pokémon to become more powerful than usual, often giving them a boost in their stats. This aura is also seen on Ultra Beasts. Ultra Beasts consume this energy and store it within their bodies,Wicke, :"When the UBs pass through the Ultra Wormhole, they are bathed in a great deal of this energy and likely store it within their bodies." which grants them the stat boosts similar to those of Totem Pokémon when encountered.
Dulse and Phyco of the Ultra Recon Squad in explain the auras surrounding Trainers' Pokémon and Totem Pokémon are actually a form of light from that once shined down on the Alola region.Dulse, : "These...auras...must have been particularly strong at the trial locations. And the Z-Power for the Z-Moves... It is also similar to the auras of the Totem Pokémon. Both came to Alola as Necrozma's light!" The light produced during a Z-Move was once the light and power used within Ultra Megalopolis a long time ago.
In Alola legend found in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Necrozma had once succeeded in battle against /, turning it into Dusk Mane/Dawn Wings Necrozma. A youth and the four guardian deities of Alola had fought the pillager of light with usage of Z-Power taken from Sparkling Stones. This had created the tradition of the island challenge. Alolan legends found in the indicate that / gifted the Tapunium Z to the guardian deities after fighting against them. Necrozma once had the ability to produce light, but became injured after the people in Ultra Megalopolis had attempted to steal the Pokémon's light to use as power. According to Professor Kukui and Lillie in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, this injury had caused chips of Necrozma's body to fall through Ultra Wormholes, creating Sparkling Stones, Z-Crystals, and Z-Moves. The letter Z used as a prefix in the terms for Z-Power, Z-Move, Z-Ring, and Z-Power Ring comes from the word Zenith, as the action of performing a Z-Move is done through a Trainer and their Pokémon combining their strength and vigor with one another. Colress, a scientist from Unova who works to seek out the potential of Pokémon, suggests that Z-Power may be stronger than the power of a Mega Ring.
Most descriptions of Z-Crystals characterize them as crystallized forms of Z-Power.
A 's Pokémon can be exposed to Z-Power when using a Z-Move, during which the Z-Power is controlled by the Trainer's Z-Ring or Z-Power Ring. Status moves used in this manner are often accompanied by a bonus effect on top of their standard effect, called a Z-Power effect (Japanese: パワー Z-Power effect). Although Lusamine does not possess Z-Crystals, all of her Pokémon in Ultra Space have the same colored auras and stat boosts that appear on Totem Pokémon. According to Lillie and Wicke, one of the potential reasons that Lusamine fell unconscious after her fusion with a is due to the overwhelming amounts of Z-Power surrounding her.Wicke, :"You see... while we do not know if it was because of Nihilego's neurotoxins, her fusion with that beast, or the strain of the Z-Power..." As a Pokémon, the Rotom Pokédex can also channel Z-Power through its body, allowing the player use a second Z-Move during battle through the use of .
The auras surrounding Pokémon using Z-Power have been seen in three different colors. When a Z-Move is used or when is fought, this aura is yellow; when a Totem Pokémon or one of Lusamine's Pokémon are being fought, the aura is orange; and when an Ultra Beast is fought, this aura is red. The significance of these colors is unknown. Despite coming from Ultra Space and their relation to Ultra Beasts, Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma in its base, forms lack any sort of Z-Power aura when fought. All non-Trainer owned Pokémon with aura use the same flavor text of "<Pokémon>’s aura flared to life!" at the start of a battle, engulfing themselves with Z-Power and providing them with the stat boosts.
The pose for Electrium Z appears in as form of interaction for photography.
===Exposure===
In Sun and Moon, Looker, a member of the International Police, explains that the aura and energy produced from Ultra Wormholes reminds Ultra Beasts of home, which attracts them to any person or Pokémon that may have been bathed in Z-Power. People who have been exposed to this energy, such as Anabel, are considered Fallers. The International Police will often prepare Fallers as bait without their knowledge as a means to contain Ultra Beasts. This caused an unnamed female Faller to lose her life to a 10 years prior to the events of Sun and Moon. The player character in Sun and Moon is stated to be a Faller themselves due to their passing through Ultra Wormholes.
While multiple Fallers are found in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, including Anabel, the topic of Fallers is never expanded on. However, various information on exposure to Z-Power is explained. In Ultra Moon, Phyco of the Ultra Recon Squad states that "Trial-goers clear many trials. It is only natural, perhaps, that such a Trainer would exude aura after coming in contact with so many Totem Pokémon awash in aura." This implies that Trainers who participate in the island challenge, such as the player, are exposed to high levels of Z-Power. Whether or not they are considered Fallers due to this exposure is unknown.
===Mechanics===
Z-Power has been used mechanically in a variety of ways in the core series. If a Pokémon holds a Z-Crystal, it may use its Z-Power to perform a Z-Move. Once during a battle (unless fueled with ), a Trainer may use a Z-Move, as long as their Pokémon in battle is holding the corresponding Z-Crystal and the Trainer has a Z-Ring or Z-Power Ring. The player can initiate this by selecting the graphic labeled "Z-Power" within the menu provided the aforementioned requirements are met. Many, but not all, NPC Trainers will also use Z-Moves. A Z-Power Ring has access to more Z-Moves and Z-Crystals than a standard Z-Ring. Each Z-Move has its own name dependent on the type of its respective attack. Z-Moves that use a status move as their base will often have "Z-" in front of the move's name, e.g. Z-. A Z-Power effect is applied to all Z-powered status moves.
During certain fights, namely those fought against the Totem Pokémon, Ultra Beasts, Ultra Necrozma, and Lusamine, each opposing Pokémon will have its stats boosted. For Totem Pokémon, Lusamine, and Necrozma, one or all of the Pokémon's stats will be boosted, but never by more than two stages. The Ultra Beasts will always have one stat boosted by two stages when encountered. Totem-sized Pokémon, Ultra Beasts, and Ultra Necrozma will not gain these stat boosts when obtained by the player, though they can use Z-Moves as other Pokémon can. Lusamine's Pokémon in Ultra Space do not use Z-Moves.
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Masters EX===
:See also: Z-Move → Pokémon Masters EX
In , most sync pairs from the Alola region, as well as a few others, have sync moves based on Z-Moves. Like all sync moves, these Z-Move-based sync moves require a sync stone and a strong bond between the Pokémon and Trainer; it is unknown whether or not these Z-Moves actually use Z-Power. Scottie/Bettie and have been seen using Z-Moves despite not having previously appeared in Alola; furthermore, is seen using Z-Moves despite never having access to Z-Crystals in the core series or any other media. and are currently the only characters shown to have Z-Rings and use Z-Moves as their sync moves, but they do not perform any sort of pose matching any Z-Moves used.
's sync move, despite not being a Z-Move, is named Full-Force Challenger . Elio commonly uses the phrase "full power."
===Super Smash Bros. series===
====Super Smash Bros. Ultimate====
's Final Smash, Max Malicious Moonsault, uses a stronger version of the Z-Move . An Incinium Z appears during the activation of the move.
 will use its signature Z-Move when summoned.
===Pokémon Duel===
As Z-Moves, Z-Power appears in . The Z-Power symbol appears indicating that an attack is a Z-Move.
===In arcade games===
====Pokémon Ga-Olé and Mezastar====
As Z-Moves, Z-Power appears in and . The Z-Power symbol appears indicating that an attack is a Z-Move.
Z-Crystals appear on disks for Ga-Olé.
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
Z-Power and Z-Moves are controlled by the presence of Alola's . has been seen using Z-Moves outside Alola, including in the Kanto region during his class trip, in Sinnoh during a battle against Volkner, and in the Galar region during the Masters Eight Tournament. Depending on the user, Z-Moves may appear with different colors. Multiple episodes use the term "full power" in their titles.
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Ash's Pikachu's exclusive Z-Crystal, the Pikashunium Z, is implied to be a special form of the Electrium Z. Prior to From Z to Shining Z!, the Pikashunium Z was only seen momentarily, being the result of a sudden and temporary transformation of the base Electrium Z. A temporary Electrium Z was also given to Ash by Tapu Koko in Alola to New Adventure!. This Z-Crystal shattered in the aftermath of performing , showing that it was too early for Ash to use a Z-Move. After clearing his first trial in To Top a Totem!, however, Ash did not have any similar issues with Z-Moves.
In Big Sky, Small Fry!, the Totem of Brooklet Hill was shown with the orange aura surrounding it. This is the only time a Totem Pokémon was seen surrounded by aura. All of Lusamine's Pokémon contain the same aura as they do in the games during the events of Rescuing the Unwilling!
In A Dream Encounter!, the concept of Ultra Aura (Japanese: ウルトラオーラ Ultra Aura) was introduced as a power related to Ultra Beasts that was being monitored by the Aether Foundation. In Faba's Revenge!, Faba used Nebby's power to radiate Ultra Aura and open an Ultra Wormhole. In Rise and Shine, Starship!, the Aether Foundation measured 's Ultra Aura to determine that it was, indeed, an Ultra Beast. In Twirling with a Bang!, The Long Vault Home!, and Living on the Cutting Edge!, an increase in Ultra Aura was used to detect , , and , respectively.
In Filling the Light with Darkness!, it was shown that caused the Ultra Aura power of the Alola region to decrease, which had a side effect of causing all of the adults in the region to feel tired. stated that there is a hidden connection between Z-Power and the power of an Ultra Aura, which allowed the Ultra Guardians to combine their Z-Power using their Z-Rings and Z-Power Rings to disperse clouds to determine the location of an Ultra Wormhole. By Securing the Future!, the Ultra Guardians and the people of Alola fueled with Z-Power, allowing it to return to its true form, Ultra .
The Ultra Ruin lacks any form of Z-Power, as the guardian deities have left the region due to the destruction of nature, and thus, Z-Moves cannot be used there. The in the Ultra Ruin temporarily assisted Ash and in a fight against a . Tapu Koko restored the ability to use Z-Moves during this time, allowing both Ash and Dia to use and send Guzzlord back to the Ultra Wormhole.
As seen in A Battle Hand-Off! and Heart of Fire! Heart of Stone!, multiple people can offer Z-Power to allow a Pokémon to perform a Z-Move. Only one person needs to have a Z-Ring and Z-Crystal.
===I Choose You!===
In I Choose You!, was able to perform without the use of a Trainer, Marshadium Z, or Z-Ring.
===GOTCHA!===
, Hau, and Gladion's Z-Rings can be seen in GOTCHA!, while and Lillie can be seen acting out the Z-Move pose for Normalium Z.
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
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In The Final Match and a Surprising Finale!, during his battle against Gladion in the Iki Town festival tournament, inadvertently used a Z-Move with his , , allowing it to defeat Gladion's Type: Null with an incomplete version of . Due to not knowing how to use Z-Moves at the time, Sun's Sparkling Stone received Z-Power from a nearby Ultra Wormhole instead of building it up with a pose. 
In The Wild Full-Power Pose of Fire, Kiawe taught Sun how to properly perform Z-Moves in order to battle Gladion a second time. With his newly obtained Z-Ring, Sun and Dollar successfully used Inferno Overdrive properly.
In Summon the Emissaries of the Moon and the Sun, both Nebby and another evolved at the same time into and respectively, thanks to the Sun and Moon Flutes. Both then released their Auras and connected themselves to and respectively, powering up even more and allowing the children to feel their emotions, but Sun rejected Solgaleo's Aura so he could go after Faba, rendering Solgaleo unable to fight the incoming Ultra Beasts.
Later on in Regeneration!! The Power of the Sun and the Moon!, Solgaleo reappeared to help and defeat , releasing its Aura once again. This time, Sun accepted it, and they both battled Ultra Necrozma together, later aided by . Afterwards in Finale!! The Battle Against the Other Dimension!, Nebby and Moon returned to help. Moon healed Solgaleo, allowing it, Nebby, and Zygarde to attack Necrozma with their respective signature moves, , , and , finally taking Necrozma down once and for all.
==In the TCG==
The Z-Move mechanic, and by extension, Z-Power, is not seen in the , being replaced by and Attacks. However, several references to Z-Power, Z-Moves, and Z-Crystals appear in the TCG. s based on the Flyinium Z and Normalium Z were printed in the expansion and a card based on Dragonium Z was printed in the expansion. makes reference to her "Z-Powered Form" as Lively Lillie, both in name and artwork.
==Gallery==
===Artwork===
====Game art====
 	
Artwork of for	Artwork of for
====Concept art====
 	 	
Concept art for a pedestal containing a for (The symbol shown at the bottom)	Concept art of the for (Note the activation on the bottom left)	Concept art of the and Z-Power for illustrated by
===Game assets===
====Other media====
 	
Z-Power symbol used in	Z-Power symbol used in
==Trivia==
* Roster -Behind the Scene- #2 GAME FREAK, a video focusing on the sound and music design of Sun and Moon, show cases an early build from 2015. In this build, another symbol is used rather than the usual Z-Power symbol used in the final version.
* Zenith shares its name with Z(enith)-Power. This Pokémon also has an exclusive Z-Move, . This Z-Move has seven stars that form the shape of the Z-Power symbol. This implies a connection between Marshadow and this energy.
** In I Choose You!, was capable of using its Z-Move without neither a nor a Marshadium Z, strenghtening its relation with the Z-Power.
* The way Z-Power originates from the light trio, a group of Legendary Pokémon, is similar to how Galar particles originate from and Terastal energy originates from .
==In other languages==
Z-Power
Aura
==Related articles==
* Infinity Energy
* Mega Evolution
* Darkest Day
* Z-Move
* Light trio
* Ultra Beast
==References==
Category:Pokémon world
Category:Pokémon Sun and Moon
Category:Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon