Getting Mewtwo in Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a late-game objective tied to a special side mission called Project M. You won’t stumble across it by accident, and there are a couple of conditions to meet before the encounter becomes available. Once everything is in place, you’ll have a single controlled battle against a level 70 legendary that plays very much like a classic Pokémon fight.
Here’s how the whole process works, from unlocking the mission to successfully catching Mewtwo.
Completing the required steps
First, you must finish the main story of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Mewtwo is locked behind the end credits, so nothing related to Project M will trigger before that. You can take your time with the campaign, but reaching the credits is mandatory.
The second requirement is collecting a Mystery Gift connected to Project M. From the main menu, open Link Play, select Mystery Gift, then choose Get via Internet. Once downloaded, this gift unlocks the Project M side mission and also grants you both Mega Stones for Mewtwo. You can claim this Mystery Gift before or after finishing the story, but Mewtwo itself will not appear until the campaign is cleared.
With both conditions met, the side mission becomes accessible in Lumiose City.
Finding the Project M location
To start the encounter, head to Lysandre Café, located in the north-west area of Lumiose City. Inside the café, interact with the elevator and ride it down to B3F, the deepest level of the facility.
Once underground, move into the room filled with computer equipment and walk up the ramp on the right. A short scene will play when the systems react to your Mega Stones. At this point, you’ll be prompted to proceed with Project M, which releases Mewtwo from containment.
Approach Mewtwo when you’re ready to fight. There’s no time pressure, so make sure your team is prepared before triggering the battle.
The Mewtwo battle
Mewtwo is level 70 and is a pure Psychic-type Pokémon. It hits hard but fights alone, without support Pokémon, making the encounter fairly straightforward as long as you respect its damage output.
Bug, Dark and Ghost-type Pokémon perform best here. Fighting and Psychic moves are less effective, so it’s better to avoid relying on them unless you’re just trying to chip away safely near the end of the fight. Bringing Pokémon slightly above Mewtwo’s level is recommended, but going too high can make it easy to knock it out by mistake.
The arena itself is quite small, which is the biggest challenge of the fight. Mewtwo frequently uses ranged psychic attacks that target your position, and if your trainer takes too many hits, the battle will fail. Keep moving, dodge often, and avoid getting cornered between the computer banks.
Mewtwo’s attacks are clearly telegraphed, giving you enough time to roll or reposition. Focus on lowering its HP into the red zone, then switch to weaker attacks or start throwing Poké Balls. Ultra Balls are a safe choice, and using Sleep or Paralysis can make the capture significantly easier. Avoid poison or burn effects, as damage over time can cause Mewtwo to faint.
If you fail to catch it, the fight resets, so there’s no permanent penalty as long as Mewtwo doesn’t get knocked out.
Completing Project M
Once Mewtwo is successfully caught, a short conversation will trigger that provides some background on Team Flare and the experiment itself. Finishing this dialogue completes the Project M side mission and adds Mewtwo to your Pokédex.
Since you already received Mewtwonite X and Mewtwonite Y through the Mystery Gift, you can immediately Mega Evolve Mewtwo into either of its Mega forms by choosing which stone it holds.
Can Mewtwo be shiny?
Mewtwo is shiny locked in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. As with other Pokémon tied to story or side missions, its appearance is fixed, meaning there is no legitimate way to obtain a shiny version through normal gameplay.
Once caught, however, Mewtwo is yours to fully train, Mega Evolve, and use in late-game content.
If you’re looking to strengthen your team for end-game challenges, Project M is well worth completing, and Mewtwo remains one of the strongest Pokémon available in Legends: Z-A.
