A new leak in the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet world potentially confirms that in the upcoming DLC, certain Pokemon will be getting special Terastallized forms that could be considered akin to the Mega Evolution mechanic from Pokemon X and Y. As of right now, Terastallized forms in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet only change small, superficial details about the Pokemon they're used on, but this leak is leading many to believe the mechanic will be utilized differently in the future.Mega Evolution hasn't been around in the Pokemon games for about a decade, but that hasn't stopped many fans from longing for its return. Pokemon Sword and Shield gave the world its first taste of a "pseudo-Mega Evolution" with its Gigantamax feature, which functioned similarly by allowing one Pokemon per battle to change into a completely different and more powerful form. This new leak makes it seem like Game Freak may be going for something similar in the upcoming DLC for Scarlet and Violet, but using the new Terastallization mechanic since Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing stayed behind in the last generation. Leaks aren't always reliable in the Pokemon world. In fact, they're typically all over the place, with constant leaks claiming to know the names of the newest generation of games or the looks of the newest starters. The leaker in question here has credibility in the realm of Pokemon leaks, however, with a number of official updates and announcements coming unofficially from their Twitter account first. That doesn't mean this leak isn't just a rumor at the end of the day, but after tweeting about Scarlet and Violet DLC coming all the way back in November of last year, the information seems a bit more believable.
Any more official confirmation on the validity of this leak will only come with time. The first Scarlet and Violet DLC, titled The Teal Mask, is set to come out in the fall of this year. If it does contain upgraded Tera forms, then it is very possible that Game Freak will tease that in the promotional run leading up to the DLC's release. It's also possible that the mechanic may not be introduced until the second DLC release, titled The Indigo Disk, which isn't coming out until the winter of this year. So the exact time frame for when players can see these rumored new Tera forms remains ambiguous for the time being.
Mega Evolutions were wildly popular within the Pokemon community and the reactions to Gigantamax forms being a kind of alternative to Megas are varied. Some believe it's a satisfactory way to continue giving Pokemon interesting new forms while others think Game Freak should have never gotten rid of Mega Evolutions if it's going to keep adding mechanics that feel in many ways the same. The reactions to an alternate Terastilized form may be entirely dependent on how Game Freak chooses to implement it.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available on Nintendo Switch.