Here's how to get Zeraora in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

The mainline Pokemon franchise is preparing a major jump to the Nintendo Switch next year, but before it does, Nintendo has one last hurrah planned for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon on the 3DS. Earlier this year, Nintendo revealed the newest mythical Pokemon, Zeraora, before going silent for a number of months on when it might be released. Today, the company broke that silence, announcing a new distribution event that will let Pokemon players across the US add Zeraora to their rosters.

As it turns out, some action will be required on your part, because obtaining Zeraora isn't going to be as easy as opening up Mystery Gift in your game and downloading it from Nintendo's servers. Before you're able to do that, you'll need to head to GameStop to get a download code. Those will be available at GameStop locations across the US from October 19 to November 9, giving you three weeks on the nose to stop in and pick one up.

Once you have the code card, you'll need to scratch off the code on the back and then go to Mystery Gift from the main menu of either Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. From there, selection "Get With Code/Password," allow Mystery Gift to connect to the internet, and enter the code when prompted. Zeraora will then be added to your game and you can pick it up from any Pokemon Center.

The Zeraora being offered in this event will arrive at level 50. It'll have a random nature and it'll know four moves: Plasma Fist, Thunder Punch, Close Combat, and Thunder, so it'll be quite the combatant. Its ability is Volt Absorb – which allows Zeraora to heal a little bit whenever it's hit with an electric move – and it's holding an Air Balloon, an item which will make it immune to ground attacks.

Nintendo also revealed today that Zeraora will be featured in the TCG expansion Sun and Moon Lost Thunder, which launches on November 2. Not only is Zeraora getting its own card, but it'll also be featured on the expansion's Elite Trainer Box. Zeraora will likely be the last mythical Pokemon released for the 3DS Pokemon games, so be sure to grab it when you have the chance.