A Pokemon fan designs a custom evolution for Mightyena, a third-generation Pokemon that last appeared in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Mightyena is one of the many third-generation Pokemon missing from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the latest entries in the long-running Pokemon franchise.
Mightyena is the evolved form of Poochyena, a Dark-type Pokemon that was first introduced with Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire for Game Boy Advance. Players may evolve Poochyena into Mightyena by simply reaching level 18 in the classic Game Boy Advance title. In Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Poochyena and Mightyena were rendered in 3D, and the leveling criteria for Poochyena's evolution remained the same. Poochyena and Mightyena are two of the 605 Pokemon missing from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet at launch this past November.
Pokemon fan EliDwebster designed a new evolution for Mightyena named Grimyena, a cunning and cruel Dark-type Pokemon with new Ground-type skills. Mightyena evolves into Grimyena after defeating three Ghost-type Pokemon with the new "Clay Crunch" move and reaching level 31 during nighttime. Clay Crunch is an original move conceptualized by EliDwebster, allowing Grimyena to bite enemy Pokemon and drain its HP. After evolving, Grimyena learns the "Scavenger" ability, which allows the Pokemon to steal valuable items from enemy Pokemon during battle.
Grimyena's design is based on the extinct giant short-faced hyena while retaining prominent features from Mightyena. For example, both Mightyena and Grimyena share red eyes and gray and black fur. In addition, EliDwebster designed Grimyena to be a more ferocious and cunning Pokemon when compared to Mightyena. The user states that the original concept for Grimyena is based on hyena bestiaries from the Middle Ages. These records depict hyenas as deceitful creatures that dig up and eat corpses from graveyards during the night.
EliDwebster's Mightyena evolution concept draws inspiration from frightening depictions of hyenas in the Middle Ages, but the Pokemon has a design that remains faithful to official Poochyena and Mightyena designs by The Pokemon Company. Moreover, Grimyena's Clay Crunch and Scavenger abilities appear to be well-balanced and reference existing abilities in Pokemon games. Abilities that likely served as inspiration for Grimyena's move set include Horn Leech and Bitter Blade, which both drain HP from an enemy Pokemon after inflicting damage in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC launches later this year, but a possible ninth-generation return for Poochyena and Mightyena seems unlikely for now. At the very least, Poochyena and Mightyena may still be captured in Pokemon GO and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.