A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet player created a piece of concept art for Wailord, a Pokemon originally from the third generation of games, which gave them a new Paradox form. The artist then posted their finished work on social media, where other Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players complimented them for their effort.
Known as the Float Whale Pokemon, Wailord is a Water-type Pokemon that first appeared in 2002's Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire for the Game Boy Advance. Wailord evolved from Wailmer starting at level 40 and was considered the largest Pokemon in existence with an average size of 47 feet. It held that title until the arrival of 2019's Pokemon Sword and Shield when Wailord was dwarfed by the legendary Pokemon Eternatus, whose size measured over 65 feet in its base form. In battle, Wailord is known for having one of the largest HP totals in the Pokemon series, but this is hampered by its low defenses and speed, along with weaknesses to Electric-type and Grass-type attacks. Though Wailord has yet to make an appearance in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, that has not stopped one trainer from giving them a new Paradox form.
On Reddit, a user named HertzBurst created a Future Paradox form for Wailord on the r/pokemon subreddit. Known for their previous work on a Paradox Poliwrath, HertzBurst dubbed their latest creation "Iron Sub" and said that it is based on submarines. Were it to exist, Iron Sub would be exclusive to Pokemon Violet. True to its depiction, Iron Sub was granted the Water and Steel dual-typing. As far as new features go, Iron Sub had a periscope on the top of its body, where the spout would normally be, and was granted windows, fins, and a rear propellor. Each of these new parts glowed a light blue color when Iron Sub submerged underwater.
HertzBurst's latest creation earned over 2.5k upvotes on r/pokemon within a day. Though another Pokemon fan and artist created a Past Paradox Wailord concept, HertzBurst's work was praised in the comments of their post. One comment pointed out that Iron Sub is slightly smaller and heavier than the base form of Wailord, and another comment gave Iron Sub higher defense and special defense as a result of it being a Steel-type Pokemon. However, with The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC coming later this year, only time will tell if the Float Whale Pokemon will return.
Were Iron Sub to exist as an actual Pokemon, its Water and Steel dual-typing would be a welcome addition in Tera raid battles, such as the upcoming seven-star Tera raid against Inteleon the Unrivaled. However, as proven by Pokemon fans and artists, Paradox Pokemon remain a popular topic on social media, with no signs of slowing down.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch