The Pokemon community once again finds itself having a bizarre conversation, this time regarding Pokemon Scarletand Violet's Meowscarada and an animation that looks a lot like a kiss. Meowscarada is the final evolution for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starter Pokemon Sprigatito. Instead of Meowscarada being catlike, however, it's humanoid and bipedal. That should hopefully clarify why certain affection animations with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's trainer might be eyebrow-raising.
Affection between the Pokemon trainer and their Pokemon isn't a new concept. The Pokemon-Amie feature in Pokemon X and Pokemon Y allowed players to pet, feed, and play with their Pokemon, building an affection stat and building an overall better relationship. Affection was also part of the Pokemon SunandMoon series, but it was combined into a simpler Friendship system for Pokemon SwordandShield. Pokemon Scarlet andViolet maintain this system but add a fun Picnic feature where players can wash and interact with their Pokemon.
One Pokemon ScarletandViolet player shared a curious interaction they had with their Meowscarada on Reddit that's perhaps not what Game Freak intended with Picnics, however. In the video clip, the player moves close to their Meowscarada and chooses the "Talk" command. The Meowscarada turns toward the train and leans forward in what looks quite a bit like a kiss. Four hearts also appear above the Meowscarada's head, adding to the oddity of the scene.
Before any Pokemon fans get the wrong idea, no, Meowscarada is not giving their trainer a kiss. To repeat, this is just the animation for the "Talk" command. The problem is that the trainer moved so close to Meowscarada that their respective talking animations clip into each other, giving the impression that they're getting up close and personal. The result is completely unintentional, though it may seem otherwise.
Game Freak can't be absolved of all blame for the awkward situation, however. The Pokemon developer has increasingly leaned toward designs for new Pokemon that are very human in nature. Meowscarada is one of the most human-like Pokemon yet, akin to Gardevoir, Machoke, Sohk, and Throh.
In real life, pet owners are more than willing to share affection with their cats, dogs, or other animals. With Pokemon like Sprigatito and Quaxly, that seems more than fair for Pokemon trainers, too. When those Pokemon evolve into Meowscarada and Quaquaval, or other humanoid Pokemon, however, Pokemon ScarletandViolet players may be better off selecting the "Talk" command from at least a short distance during their Picnics.
Pokemon Scarletand Violet are available now on Switch.
