A new Pokémon has been discovered in the land of Kitakami, Poltchageist! The Pokémon Company revealed today the new character Poltchageist, who is part of Kitakami, the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC for the Pokémon Scarlet or Violet games. You can check out the new reveal trailer for Poltchageist below:
Pokémon Trainers, Meet Your Matcha!
The Matcha Pokémon Poltchageist measures 0’04” (0.1 m) and weighs 2.4 lbs (1.1 kg), being tied for the shortest Ghost Type with Sinistea and Roaming Form Gimmighoul. It is also tied with Joltik, Flabebe, Cutiefly, Comfey, and Cosmoem for the shortest pocket monster in general. Poltchageist is introduced in The Teal Mask, the first part of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, continuing the mid-Generation introduction of new species since Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
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Although superficially resembling Sinistea, Poltchageist is a separate species. It is another example of convergent Pokémon introduced in Scarlet and Violet, following the Wiglett and Toedscool families. Whereas Sinistea and its evolution Poltchageist are pure-Ghost Types, Poltchageist is Grass/Ghost, sharing its Typing with the Pumpkaboo, Phantump, and Bramblin families as well as Decidueye and Dhelmise.
Unlike Sinistea, whose swirl pattern dazes it when stirred, Poltchageist’s swirl pattern is not its weak point. Poltchageist has a new ability, Hospitality; upon entering battle, it will restore a small amount of its ally’s HP with its matcha, served with hospitality.
Poltchageist takes inspiration from matcha, which is green tea specially grown, processed, and finely ground into powder. Its design also takes cues from tea ceremony utensils such as the chaire (茶入れ, tea caddy) and chashaku (茶杓, tea scoop). Like many different Pokémon throughout the series, Poltchageist is based on tsukumogami, an inanimate object brought to life. Its habit of repairing objects draws from kintsugi (金継ぎ), a process of using lacquer mixed with metallic powder to repair pottery.
Poltchageist’s name combines ”poltergeist”, ”matcha”, and Polteageist. Its Japanese name combines cha (茶, “tea”) and ”death”, altogether being a pun on cha desu (茶です, “It’s tea”). The German name Mortcha comes from mors (Latin for “death”), mort (French for “death”), and matcha. The English name is retained for French, Spanish, and Italian.
Poltchageist Spills the Tea!
As it was similarly done with fellow Ghost Type Gimmighoul, Poltchageist has a folktale explaining its origins and supernatural powers. A tea master dedicated to perfecting the art of tea ceremony (a Japanese ritual of serving and drinking tea to promote harmony and mindfulness) became ostracized because of his obsession and strictness. When he died, his regrets seeped into his old tea caddy, which was passed between different owners before coming to life.
Poltchageist is a nocturnal creature that makes its nest inside old houses, where it may repair anything cracked or broken. Short-tempered, it becomes enraged at anyone who carelessly breaks things or wastes food. Anyone unfortunate enough to cross Poltchageist will get sprinkled with its life-draining matcha powder.
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Poltchageist can also feed by sprinkling the powder onto food as a condiment, which the victim eats and gets drained the same way. No one, not even children, is safe from this Pokémon’s power. It is so feared in Kitakami that using matcha powder in cooking is forbidden. However, it is not without compassion, as Poltchageist values proper manners and hospitality, fitting for a Pokémon heavily themed in Japanese culture.
The first part of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, The Teal Mask, will be released on September 13, 2023.
Was Poltchageist your cup of tea? How do you think the new Pokémon will fare in battle? What more awaits in Kitakami? Let us know on The Illuminerdi’s official social media.
SOURCE: The Official Pokémon YouTube channel
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