You get Scizor in Pokemon Legends Z-A by trading a Scyther to another player while it holds a Metal Coat: the trade uses up the Metal Coat, Scyther arrives on your partner’s side as Scizor, and they trade it back. Scyther only spawns at night in Wild Zone 13, and the Metal Coat comes from two late-story side missions or, after the credits, a shop in Racine Construction. Below we cover where to find Scyther, every Metal Coat source, the trade steps, the no-trade alternatives and Mega Scizor.
This covers Pokemon Legends Z-A on Nintendo Switch and in the Switch 2 Edition, verified against the official patch notes through version 2.0.2. No update has changed trade evolutions or the Metal Coat.
Where to Find Scyther
Per the community wiki’s spawn data, Scyther lives in one place in the base game:
| Where | Opens | Time | Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Zone 13 (Rouge District) | Main Mission 15 | Night only | 37 to 39 |
If it is daytime, sit on any bench and skip to the start of the next night cycle. Night is also when the Z-A Royale Battle Zones appear across the city, so top up your team first; our guide on how to heal in Pokemon Legends Z-A covers every option, including the cafes.
Every Metal Coat Source
This is the real bottleneck. Per the community wiki, every Metal Coat source opens late in the story or after it, so plan accordingly:
| Source | When it opens | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Side Mission 101, “Steadfast as Steel” (Bleu Street) | Start of Main Mission 35 | Free (reward, with 2 Exp. Candy M) |
| Side Mission 114, “A Feather from Skarmory” (Coulant Waterway) | Start of Main Mission 38 | Free (reward, with 3 Babiri Berries) |
| Racine Construction, worker on the left | Post-game (player guides say after Main Mission 39) | 4,980 each, unlimited |
| Infinite Royale reward matches | Post-game | Random, a small chance per match |
Side Mission 101 is a battle against a Rust Syndicate grunt with a Steel-type team, so bring Fire or Ground moves. Side Mission 114 asks you to fetch a Skarmory feather so the requester can craft a chef’s knife, and the mission text points you to Wild Zone 17. If you want more than one Scizor, the Racine Construction shop is the only repeatable source.
How to Trade Scyther Into Scizor
- Give Scyther the Metal Coat to hold. Do it from your party or Satchel before the trade.
- Press X, then select Link Play and Link Trade.
- Choose Nearby Players (local wireless, no subscription needed) or Faraway Players (online, needs Nintendo Switch Online).
- Enter the same 8-digit Link Code as your partner.
- Offer Scyther. When the trade completes, it evolves into Scizor on your partner’s side and the Metal Coat is consumed.
- Have your partner trade Scizor back in the same session.
If your partner has a trade evolution of their own, such as a Kadabra or Haunter, swap them at the same time. Our guides on how to evolve Kadabra and how to evolve Haunter cover those. The one thing to double-check before confirming is the held item: if Scyther is not holding the Metal Coat, it simply arrives as a Scyther.
Getting Scizor Without Trading
Per the community wiki, Scizor does not spawn in the wild anywhere in base-game Lumiose; outside of a trade, your options are:
- Hyperspace Lumiose (Mega Dimension DLC). Scizor appears in 4-star Bug-type and Steel-type hyperspace wild zones. The official DLC page notes that the Mega Dimension story requires finishing the main game first.
- Pokemon HOME. Z-A connected to HOME in April 2026, so a Scizor from another game can be moved in. Pokemon cannot leave Z-A for older games afterward, so read our HOME transfer guide before you move one.
Unlike Inkay, which only needs a console trick (see our guide on how to evolve Inkay), there is no solo way to evolve your own Scyther.
Mega Scizor
Scizor has a Mega Evolution in Z-A. Per the community wiki’s shop listings, Scizorite is sold at the Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue for 50,000, alongside evolution stones and other Mega Stones. Give it to Scizor to hold, fill the Mega Power gauge by landing attacks, and it can Mega Evolve in battle. Online play follows each season’s rules, which our Ranked Battles Season 17 guide covers for the current season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you evolve Scyther without trading in Pokemon Legends Z-A? No. Scyther needs to be traded while holding a Metal Coat. Solo players can find Scizor in Hyperspace Lumiose with the Mega Dimension DLC or transfer one in through Pokemon HOME.
Where do you get a Metal Coat in Legends Z-A? From Side Mission 101 or Side Mission 114 late in the story, or buy one for 4,980 at Racine Construction after the credits. Infinite Royale reward matches can also drop one.
Where do you catch Scyther? Wild Zone 13 in the Rouge District, at night only. Use a bench to skip to night if needed.
Is the Metal Coat used up when Scyther evolves? Yes. The trade consumes it, so you need a new Metal Coat for every Scizor.
Do you need Nintendo Switch Online to trade Scyther? Only for Faraway Players. Nearby Players over local wireless does not need a subscription.