Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon X: What One Save Can Catch (All Seven in X and Y)

One save of Pokémon X can catch four Legendary Pokémon: Xerneas, one of the three legendary birds, Zygarde and Mewtwo. Across Pokémon X and Y there are seven: Xerneas (X only), Yveltal (Y only), Zygarde, Mewtwo, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. Xerneas (Lv. 50) is part of the story at Team Flare Secret HQ in Geosenge Town, and you have to catch it to move on. The other three wait until you enter the Hall of Fame. Zygarde (Lv. 70) is at the back of Terminus Cave and Mewtwo (Lv. 70) is in the Unknown Dungeon behind Pokémon Village. The bird depends on your first partner (Articuno for Chespin, Zapdos for Fennekin, Moltres for Froakie). It roams Kalos, runs from every battle, and finally settles in Sea Spirit's Den at Lv. 70. Yveltal is the Pokémon Y version of Xerneas, so X has no Yveltal encounter to catch; you can trade one in or move it from a compatible save that has one. Diancie, Hoopa and Volcanion only came from Mystery Gift events, and those are over.

This page covers Pokémon X and Pokémon Y on Nintendo 3DS and 2DS. Version 1.5, the last update, left these encounters as they were. Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, Sun, Moon and Pokémon Legends: Z-A have their own legendaries in other places, so their steps won't work here.

What one Pokémon X save can catch

Each of these is a one-time battle. If you catch it, it's gone from the map for good.

That's four catches per save: Xerneas, your one bird, Zygarde and Mewtwo. All four encounters are coded to never be shiny, and each one comes with at least three perfect IVs. Mewtwo also brings a Mega Stone with it: catch it in X and Mewtwonite X goes into your Bag.

All seven across Pokémon X and Y

One save of either game catches four: the cover legendary, Zygarde, Mewtwo and one bird. Across both games there are seven, because Pokémon Y swaps Xerneas for Yveltal and each of the three starters unlocks a different bird. To own all seven on one game you need trades from other saves.

Legendary and Mewtwonite differences between X and Y

The fight at Team Flare Secret HQ checks which game you're playing and only then picks Xerneas or Yveltal. Both have the same level, the same catch rate and the same spot in the story. Pokémon X has no Yveltal encounter of its own. To put one on an X save, trade it in or move it from a compatible save that already has one. If you're still choosing a version, Pokémon X or Y: which is better compares the two, and version exclusives lists every Pokémon only one game has.

What this cartridge can't give you

• Yveltal: its only encounter is in Pokémon Y.
• The other two birds: your starter decides which one roams, and that choice is fixed for the save. Start a new game with a different partner, or trade.
• Diancie, Hoopa and Volcanion: they're in the Central Kalos Pokédex as Nos. 151 to 153, but they have no spot on the map. They came from Mystery Gift events between 2014 and 2016.

X and Y have fewer legendaries than the later 3DS games. Most of the older ones are in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which came out a year later.

Why your legendary isn't there

Usually it's timing. Three of the four only show up after the Hall of Fame, and the bird keeps moving until the very end.

You haven't entered the Hall of Fame yet

Before the credits, Xerneas is the only legendary you can battle. Terminus Cave, Pokémon Village and Sea Spirit's Den can all be visited during the story, but their legendaries aren't there yet. Beat the Elite Four and Champion Diantha first.

An Ace Trainer blocks Zygarde's chamber

Terminus Cave opens once you've dealt with Team Flare in Geosenge Town, and you can explore most of it before the eighth Gym. On B1F, an Ace Trainer stands right in front of the passage to Zygarde's room. He says it's too dangerous to go further unless you're as strong as the Champion. Once you've entered the Hall of Fame he's gone, and the way to Zygarde is open. The Dusk Stone on B2F isn't behind him, so you can take that any time.

A man guards the Unknown Dungeon

You reach Pokémon Village during the story, through Route 20 from Snowbelle City, and Wulfric meets you there before his Gym battle. The cave entrance is in the village. A man stands in front of it: "Only recognized Champions of the Pokémon League are allowed to enter!" He leaves after you enter the Hall of Fame.

The bird is roaming, not missing

Sea Spirit's Den stays empty at first. After the Hall of Fame your bird starts roaming Kalos and runs away from every battle. It only moves into the den after 11 roaming encounters. See the bird section for how to speed that up.

Xerneas at Team Flare Secret HQ

After the Anistar City Gym, you chase Team Flare through Lysandre Labs in Lumiose City and then to their base under Geosenge Town. At the bottom of the base, Xerneas is held in the weapon's room in its tree form. It wakes up during the scene there and you battle it. The Xerneas page walks through the base and the battle step by step.

• Level: 50, with at least three perfect IVs.
• Ability: Fairy Aura.
• Moves: Gravity, Geomancy, Moonblast and Megahorn.
• Catch rate: 45. Ultra Balls usually do it once its HP is in the red.
• Shiny: no. This encounter is shiny locked.

In Pokémon Y the same room holds Yveltal instead, with the same level and catch rate:

• Level: 50, Dark / Flying, with at least three perfect IVs.
• Ability: Dark Aura.
• Moves: Snarl, Oblivion Wing, Disable and Dark Pulse.
• Catch rate: 45. Shiny: no, this encounter is shiny locked too.

If Xerneas faints or you run

You can't lose it. If it faints, it comes straight back and the battle starts over until it's caught. That also means a Master Ball is wasted here. Save before the room if you care about its nature, then reset until you like the result.

If your party is full

The game asks which Pokémon to send back to your Box, so Xerneas can join your party for the battle with Lysandre that follows. Nothing is lost.

Zygarde in Terminus Cave after the Hall of Fame

Terminus Cave is the old mine on Route 18, between Anistar City and Couriway Town. Go down to B1F, walk to the spot where the Ace Trainer stood, and go through to Zygarde's room. It waits at the far end. Save before you talk to it.

• Level: 70, with at least three perfect IVs.
• Form and ability: 50% Forme with Aura Break. X and Y have no Zygarde Cells, no 10% Forme and no Complete Forme. Those started in Sun and Moon.
• Moves: Crunch, Earthquake, Camouflage and Dragon Pulse.
• Catch rate: 3, the lowest there is. Bring Timer Balls, Dusk Balls (it's a cave) or your Master Ball.
• Shiny: no. This encounter is shiny locked.

If Zygarde faints or you run, it "blended into the darkness of the cave and disappeared". It comes back after you enter the Hall of Fame again, so beat the Elite Four and Diantha once more and return.

Mewtwo in the Unknown Dungeon

Pokémon Village is off Route 20, the Winding Woods. After the Hall of Fame the man at the cave entrance is gone. You'll need Surf to cross the water in the village and reach it. Go in, and Mewtwo stands at the far end of the Unknown Dungeon.

• Level: 70, with at least three perfect IVs.
• Ability: Pressure.
• Moves: Recover, Psychic, Barrier and Aura Sphere. Recover can undo your work, so status it early.
• Catch rate: 3.
• Shiny: no. This encounter is shiny locked.

Mewtwonite X comes with the catch

As soon as you catch Mewtwo, a Mega Stone appears where it stood and goes straight into your Bag: Mewtwonite X in Pokémon X, Mewtwonite Y in Pokémon Y. There's nothing to search for. The other stones are on our Mega Stones page.

If Mewtwo faints or you run

Mewtwo disappears into the dark and you get no stone. Like Zygarde, an uncaught Mewtwo comes back after you enter the Hall of Fame again. Save in front of it so you can reset instead.

The legendary bird that keeps running away

Which bird your starter locked in

This is the Pokémon you picked from Professor Sycamore's three in Aquacorde Town. The Kanto starter you get later in Lumiose City has nothing to do with it. All three birds have Pressure and a catch rate of 3, and the roaming encounter can't be shiny.

Running into it faster

After the Hall of Fame, the bird can turn up in wild battles in the tall grass of Kalos routes. It flees before you can pick a move, so there's no catching it in the grass. A few things help:

• After your first run-in, open the Pokédex area map for your bird. It shows the route it's on right now.
• Lead with a Pokémon just under Lv. 70 (Lv. 60 to 69 is a good range) and use a Max Repel. Wild Pokémon below your lead's level stay away. The Lv. 70 bird doesn't.
• Walk in tall grass on the route the Pokédex shows. The bird keeps moving, so check the map again after each run-in.

How many times you have to see it

Eleven. After 11 roaming encounters the bird stops roaming, and the Pokédex area map shows it in Sea Spirit's Den. If you lose count, just check the map.

The catch at Sea Spirit's Den

Sea Spirit's Den is a small cave on an island in Azure Bay. Take Route 12 out of Coumarine City and Surf into the bay from there. The only way into the den is from the bay. Inside, the bird waits at Lv. 70.

1. Enter the Hall of Fame. The bird starts roaming Kalos.
2. After the first run-in, check the Pokédex area map to see which route it's on.
3. Run into it 11 times, using a Max Repel and a lead just under Lv. 70.
4. When the Pokédex shows Sea Spirit's Den, save, then Surf into Azure Bay from Route 12 and battle it in the den.

If you don't catch it at the den, it "went flying off somewhere". A bird you ran from starts roaming again, and one you knocked out comes back after another Hall of Fame. Saving at the entrance and resetting is quicker than either.

Shiny lock, catch rates and the Master Ball

Every legendary encounter in X and Y is set to never be shiny, so resetting for a shiny won't work on any of them. The lock is on these encounters only. Shiny Xerneas and Yveltal came from events such as the 2016 shiny Xerneas and Yveltal distribution. Shiny Zygarde is different: it was first given out in 2018 for Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and a Pokémon withdrawn into those games can't go back to X and Y.

You get one Master Ball in the story. After you clear Team Flare out of the Poké Ball Factory, before you reach Xerneas, the president lets you pick a Master Ball or a Big Nugget, then hands you the other one as a bonus, so you get both. Xerneas has a catch rate of 45, so throwing the Master Ball there wastes it. Zygarde, Mewtwo and the bird all have a catch rate of 3. For the two you don't Master Ball, lower their HP into the red, put them to sleep or paralyze them, and throw Timer Balls after about ten turns. Quick Balls are worth a try on the first turn too. In a cave, Dusk Balls work from the first turn.

Do you need them for the Oval Charm or Shiny Charm?

For the Oval Charm you have to see every Pokémon in the Kalos Pokédex, but Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mewtwo, Diancie, Hoopa and Volcanion don't count. Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde do count, and seeing the other version's cover legendary in a trade is enough. The Shiny Charm is harder: it needs the whole National Pokédex caught, Mythical Pokémon excepted, so you'll need Yveltal and the two other birds from other saves. The Kalos Pokédex has the full list.

Diancie, Hoopa and Volcanion

These three are Mythical Pokémon. X and Y have no wild battle, gift or one-time encounter for any of them. They came from Mystery Gift: Diancie in 2014 and 2015 depending on the region, Hoopa in 2015 and 2016, and Volcanion in 2016. All of those events have ended. Not every 2015 Diancie event reached X and Y: the 2015 events in Korea and Hong Kong did, but the 2015 Hope Diancie was an Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire event. Nintendo also shut down 3DS online play on April 8, 2024, so internet Mystery Gift, serial codes, the GTS and Wonder Trade don't work anymore. Diancite, Mega Diancie's stone, isn't in X and Y at all. The Diancie guide covers what still works for it.

What's left is a local wireless trade from someone who already has one, or Pokémon Bank. For Bank you need to have downloaded it before and still be able to install and use it: Nintendo says software you already got can still be re-downloaded, but first-time downloads ended in March 2023. Pokémon Bank closes on February 25, 2027, at 7:00 p.m. PST (11:00 AM on February 26, Beijing time).

Getting Yveltal and the other birds

• Local wireless trade: two 3DS systems in the same room still work without any online service. A friend with Pokémon Y can trade you Yveltal, and saves that started with other partners have the other birds.
• Pokémon Bank: until February 25, 2027, at 7:00 p.m. PST, you can move Pokémon from another X, Y, Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire save, as long as you downloaded Bank before and can still install and use it. New users can't download it for the first time. After that date, Bank and its transfer to Pokémon HOME stop.
• Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire: those games have most of the legendaries X and Y don't, but that's a separate game and a separate save.

Pokémon HOME can't send anything back to a 3DS game, so a Pokémon that's already in HOME can't return to X.

This isn't Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Legends: Z-A (Switch, 2025) is set in Lumiose City and has Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde too, but in different places and in its own way. Its videos and maps don't match X and Y. Everything on this page is for the 3DS games only.

More Kalos help

• The Kalos map shows every spot from this page in 3D. Each link in the table above opens the right place.
• The Mountain Kalos Pokédex lists Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde and Mewtwo (Nos. 148 to 151), and the Coastal Kalos Pokédex lists the three birds (Nos. 151 to 153).
• The Mega Stones page covers Mewtwonite and the other Mega Stones in X and Y.
• For Alola, see the Sun and Moon legendary list. Zygarde works differently there.

FAQ

What are the legendary Pokémon in X and Y?

Xerneas (X only), Yveltal (Y only), Zygarde, Mewtwo, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. Diancie, Hoopa and Volcanion are Mythical and were event-only.

How many legendary Pokémon can you catch in Pokémon X?

Four per save: Xerneas, one bird (Articuno, Zapdos or Moltres, set by your starter), Zygarde and Mewtwo.

Can you get Yveltal in Pokémon X?

Not as a catch. Pokémon X has no Yveltal encounter. Trade one in over local wireless, or move one from a compatible save with Pokémon Bank before February 25, 2027.

Can you get Xerneas in Pokémon Y?

Not as a catch. Pokémon Y gives you Yveltal in that fight. Xerneas has to come from a Pokémon X save.

Where is Xerneas in Pokémon X?

At the bottom of Team Flare Secret HQ in Geosenge Town, during the story after the seventh Gym. It's Lv. 50 and you have to catch it.

Why isn't Zygarde in Terminus Cave?

You haven't entered the Hall of Fame yet, so the Ace Trainer on B1F still blocks the way to its chamber. If you already fought it without catching it, enter the Hall of Fame again.

How do you catch Articuno, Zapdos or Moltres in X and Y?

Enter the Hall of Fame, run into the roaming bird 11 times until the Pokédex shows Sea Spirit's Den, then Surf into Azure Bay from Route 12 and go into Sea Spirit's Den and catch it there at Lv. 70. Your starter decides which of the three you get.

Is Mewtwo in Pokémon X?

Yes. It's Lv. 70 in the Unknown Dungeon in Pokémon Village after the Hall of Fame, and catching it gives you Mewtwonite X.

Are the X and Y legendaries shiny locked?

Yes. The Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Mewtwo and bird encounters in X and Y can never be shiny.

What happens if Xerneas faints?

The battle starts again. The story won't continue until you catch it.

Can you still get Diancie, Hoopa or Volcanion?

Only by local trade, or from Pokémon Bank if you downloaded it before and can still install it (first-time downloads have ended). The Mystery Gift events have ended and there's nowhere to catch them.

Is this the same as Pokémon Legends: Z-A?

No. Legends: Z-A is a Switch game with its own maps. The locations on this page are for Pokémon X and Y on 3DS.