The Pokemon Company released new details about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet during today's Pokemon Presents, including a longer trailer as well as an explanatory video that covered all the news. Even though this third trailer provided a lot of information about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, such as the region's name and battle gimmick, the video didn't reveal too many new monsters. The announcement trailer for Gen 9 only included its three starters, then the June trailer showcased three additional Pokemon and the two box Legendaries. Today's trailer only included two new species and a regional form.
The Pokemon revealed today are Paldean Wooper, a Poison-type regional variant; Fidough, the new yeast-breathing Fairy-type puppy; and Cetitan, a bipedal whale with pointy ice spikes on its head. A leaker named Riddler Khu had already confirmed that Wooper would get a Ground/Poison-type variant in Gen 9, and their tweets yesterday mentioned an ancient whale Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which could certainly be in reference to Cetitan. All of these pocket monsters have the potential to evolve into other creatures, some of which would be interesting additions to the franchise.
Paldean Wooper's Possible Role in Gen 9
Paldean Wooper appears similar to its Johtonian counterpart, but this Pokemon is now brown and has two bone-shaped purple gills. According to the official Pokemon Scarlet and Violet website, Paldean Wooper lives in bogs and muddy waters to keep its body moist, albeit protected by a poisonous film. Because the original evolution for Wooper is Quagsire, which is a Water/Ground-type, it's possible that Paldean Wooper's evolution will retain the base form's Poison and Ground typing.
There are multiple Water and Poison-type Pokemon across generations, and while it is a decent type combination that has multiple resistances and good type coverage, Paldean Wooper is better off with its confirmed dual type. A Ground/Poison evolution would be equally useful in terms of both offense and defense, if not better thanks to its immunity to Electric damage. Furthermore, as of Pokemon Sword and Shield, there is only one Ground/Poison species in the entire franchise: the Nidoran family. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are changing that with Paldean Wooper, and possibly its evolution.
This would fit thematically, and it would also allow for some leeway when it comes to Water-type moves, as the critter still needs to have a moist body to retain its amphibian functions - in fact, the website confirms another connection due to its potential ability Water Absorb. As such, a Ground/Poison hybrid that also has access to moves like Muddy Water and Aqua Jet would make it a threat on the field, and also a novelty in the world of Pokemon.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Cetitan and Its Possible Evolution
Cetitan is great addition to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on its own, being the first whale Pokemon since Gen 3's Wailmer, Wailord, and Kyogre. These three are all sea-dwelling creatures, whereas Cetitan is a whale that has legs and could possibly develop arms if it evolves. Unlike the other new Pokemon revealed today, Cetitan could not have an evolution, as the Ice-type Gym Leader Grusha is shown using a Cetitan on his team.
Still, Grusha could use Cetitan's evolution if it has one, or the trailer could be showcasing the Gym Leader's team at a low-level scale considering players can beat Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Gyms in any order. Cetitan's name is a combination of "cetaceous" and "titan," and its body mass is quite high, but it could evolve into an even bigger Pokemon like Wailmer turning into Wailord.
Considering Cetitan's color scheme, it's possible that its evolution will be the first Ice/Poison Pokemon in the franchise, but it's also possible that it will be an Ice/Fairy hybrid. Judging by Cetitan's physical features, it could just as easily be an Ice/Fighting-type, which is currently only featured in the games through Gen 7's Crabominable. There's also the option that Cetitan evolves into a Garchomp-like pocket monster that's Ice/Dragon, but it likely wouldn't be Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's pseudo-Legendary.
Predicting Fidough's Evolutions and Types
Lastly, Fidough is one of the most creative Pokemon from Gen 9 so far, and it's likely that it will evolve at least once. In terms of typing and themes, Fidough is very similar to Milcery and Alcremie, two Fairy-type Pokemon from Pokemon Sword and Shield who have one of the weirdest evolution requirements in Pokemon games. Alcremie is a cake-like Fairy Pokemon, and it's possible that Fidough will evolve to remain a pure Fairy-type as well.
If it does evolve into a larger dog that's a pure Fairy-type, it's possible that Fidough's wordplay on the common dog name "Fido" and "dough" is somehow translated into other dog breeds. Fidough's evolutions could be a doughnut-like Labrador that drips chocolate or some other filling flavor, delving further into sweets and cakes. If it ends up evolving into a savory type of dough, however, it could turn into a pizza dough Pokemon that adds Fire to its Fairy type, which would be an equally compelling design choice.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release for Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022.
