A few days ago, a number of images have been leaked from the upcoming issue of CoroCoro magazine, showcasing a few new evolutions and a new Alolan Form Pokémon. Then, following those leaks, we were treated with a brand new video, showcasing those new Pokémon we’d seen in the leaks and more!
I’ll be honest, I don’t have a lot to say here that I’m not going to say down before. We got lots of new evolutions for some Pokémon we’ve already been introduced to, and some really nice ones at that. So, let’s cut to the chase and get right into things, shall we?
New Pokémon:
When Type: Null was originally revealed, I personally never imagined it would get an evolution. An alternate form without the mask when you apply a certain item or go to a certain NPC perhaps, but it seemed like the design underneath the mask would be enough to justify being a singular Pokémon. Yet, here we are with Silvalli, and while I can’t honestly complain about how things wound up, it still seems silly that we got an evolution to remove the mask and make all the features a bit brighter.
But he’s rad enough that I’ll let it slide.
Silvalli is a Normal-type Pokémon with a new ability known as RKS System. It also boasts a new attack known as Multi-Attack, however I’ll go into a bit more detail about the implications of these down a little below.
According to its description off the Pokémon website: “When Type: Null gains a partner it can trust, it deliberately destroys the restraining device it wears. Once released from that heavy mask, the Pokémon’s speed increases substantially. Freed of the restraining effects of its mask, Silvally’s senses are heightened, and it reverts to its natural temperament. It has a wild nature, but it will obey a Trainer that it trusts. And to protect that Trainer from danger, it will put its own life on the line. Silvally is said to have been created to oppose a threat… By inserting exclusive items into the drive on Silvally’s head, its RKS System can be activated, causing Silvally’s somatic cells to mutate and glow. The RKS System enables it to change its type, and its cells glow with different colors of light, depending on its type.”
In case you didn’t catch it on your own, the ability RKS System is a reference to the Sinnoh legendary Arceus, the God-like diety of the Pokémon world and mythological lore. The gimmick behind Arceus has always been that, despite inherently being a Normal-type Pokémon, you can collect elemental plates all over the world in each region that allow it to become any and all types. Arceus also has a move called Judgement that changes its typing depending on the plate Arceus holds, thus giving it a special STAB attack relevant to whatever coverage typing you may need to have an attack for.
If you like the sound of this gimmick, than you’ll love Silvalli. The RKS System ability allows him to be any typing when holding a certain new set of items, and Multi-Attack will change its type depending on the item as well, serving as a physical Judgement of sorts.
When Type: Null was originally revealed, his description talked about how the chimera was constructed with the intent of rivaling legendary and mythical Pokémon. At the time, I assumed it was referring to Team Skull creating the Pokémon to counter Solgaleo and Lunala so they could take over Alola in some way or another. However, now it’s more than obvious that Type: Null’s true, unrestrained form was actually intended to take on a different target – God itself.
Seriously, just that additional lore by itself makes this evolutionary like that much cooler than it already was. Not only does it add a dynamic aspect to the Pokémon itself, it also adds a dynamic aspect to the humans in the Pokémon world as well. They can construct a creature literally able to emulate the aspects of the God of their world. They literally created God, in a sense. And that’s pretty insane to think about.
Plus, the design just looks really cool with the changing hairdo and eyes, like honestly.
Images Courtesy of Serebii.net
Hakamo-o and Kommo-o are the first and second stage evolutions of Jangmo-o, the Dragon-type Scaly Pokémon we were shown around the same time as we were shown Type: Null. Rather than being pure Dragons, these two boast Dragon/Fighting-typings, though they share the same abilities of Sound proof and Bullet proof.
Kommo-O has also been shown using a new attack called Clanging Scales, which deals damage at the cost of a defense stat drop.
According to their descriptions off the Pokémon website:
Hakamo-o: “When a Jangmo-o evolves into Hakamo-o, it breaks from its fellows and begins to live on its own to train itself. Wherever it can find Pokémon to battle against, it seems to appear. Hakamo-o dances before battle to show its strength, clanging its scales together to make them ring out. When this dance reaches its climax, Hakamo-o bellows a fierce war cry to challenge its opponent. Its scales make for fine armor, so Hakamo-o doesn’t worry about self-defense as it makes multitudes of strikes and overwhelms its opponents. But, as a result, its scales often become damaged and get torn off. They grow back immediately, so this does not cause Hakamo-o undue concern. In fact, it views the number of lost scales as proof of how ferociously it has fought, and it brandishes its bared arms in a boast of victory.”
Kommo-o: “At the end of its harsh training, Hakamo-o evolves into this overwhelmingly powerful form. It returns to the land of its birth, where it watches over the Jangmo-o from a distance. There is a legend that says Kommo-o is covered in glittering scales in order to drive away a great darkness covering the world. The reason these Pokémon seek out battle is to gain the power needed to defeat this darkness. When it detects someone approaching, this Pokémon rings the scales on its tail to announce its presence. It has no desire to battle against weak Pokémon. Kommo-o’s greatest move is the uppercut. It swings its arm up from below in a punch of great skill and force, sending its foe flying into the sky. By raising its arms aloft, it can generate a force powerful enough to change the face of the surrounding landscape!”
Hakamo-o and Kommo-o are just… They’re nuts, alright? The theory right now is that these two will be our pseudo-legendary Pokémon, and I can whole-heartedly agree. Seriously, not only are they gorgeous designs, but their typings are just insane from how I’ve been considering them.
Yes, Dragon/Fighting-typing makes these two extremely weak to Fairy-type attacks, 4x weak to them in fact. My favorite mega evolutions, Gardevoir and Mawile, could probably do some work against them. However… Just statistically… I feel like combining Dragon-type and Fighting-type makes one of the most broken typings I can think of.
Because Dragon-type resists a lot, combined with the Fighting-type, there is the chance for these two to have resistances against Grass, Fire, Water, Electric, Bug, Rock and Dark-type attacks.
At the same time, because Fighting-type hits a ton of different typings for super effective damage, there’s the chance for these two to have STAB, super effective-boosted damage against Dragon, Rock, Steel, Ice, Normal and Dark-type Pokémon.
Even past taking those things into consideration, the possible abilities Hakamo-o and Kommo-o can have add even more resistances to certain attacks, rather than typings. Bullet proof adds immunity to attacks like Bullet Seed, Flash Cannon, Bullet Punch and more, while Sound proof adds immunity to any sound-based attack like Screech, Boomburst and Hyper Voice (sorry Gardevoir, guess you might not be quite as useful a counter as you could have been).
Really, based on these thoughts and based on the design alone, I may be considering adding a Kommo-o to my squad. It’ll probably be over-saturating everyone’s favorite Pokémon list, and if it really is the pseudo-legendary like it’s believed to be the Pokémon will probably be fairly overpowered, but still. We’ll have to see, but even without being on my team, these guys are an awesome addition to the new Pokémon roster.
Images Courtesy of Serebii.net
Evolving from the cutesy, baby-like Bounsweet come Steenee and Tsareena, two evolutions from a Pokémon I honestly didn’t expect would be getting more than one perhaps. Both Steenee and Tsareena are known as the Fruit Pokémon like their pre-evolution, and both are pure Grass-type as well. Tsareena is set to have a brand new attack known as Trop Kick, which appears to be the Grass-type version of Blaze Kick.
While the basic and first stage Pokémon have Leaf Guard and Oblivious as abilities, Tsareena gains access to a new ability called Queenly Majesty, which blocks the opponent from using priority moves.
According to their descriptions off the Pokémon website:
Steenee: “The calyx on Steenee’s head is harder than Bounsweet’s, so Steenee no longer worries about being stabbed by other Pokémon. As Bounsweet, this Pokémon may have preferred to run away from others, but now Steenee and other Pokémon can play together. Upon evolving, this Pokémon’s fragrance becomes even more delectable, but it also gains a tomboy-like personality. Living together with one is quite the ordeal. As it moves around, it spins its calyx, striking nearby objects, but Steenee couldn’t care less. Steenee unleashes combo moves using the calyx on its head and its hard legs. First it smacks opponents with the calyx on its head, and when the opponent flinches, it lands a whacking great kick. That usually does the trick!“
Tsareena: “Tsareena has the nature of high-class nobility. Any Pokémon or human that approaches it with evil in mind will be punished forthwith. It even turns its fearsome glare upon its own Trainer if the two of them are not fully in sync, or if its Trainer orders it to use a move that will be ineffective. Only the strongest of Steenee are able to evolve. When this happens, the Steenee evolves with the blessing of other Steenee. It then uses its strength to protect the Bounsweet. Tsareena is a high-kicking virtuoso. It has honed these skills beyond the level it achieved as a Steenee, and it attacks with graceful movements. At the same time, its fragrance mesmerizes its opponents, dealing them a secondary attack.“
Now, like I’d said above, I didn’t expect Bounsweet to be getting more than maybe one evolution. In fact, I’d forgotten the little guy existed for a while to be completely honest. I remember it’s description being rather sad, and I remember noting that it looked a lot like a baby in a diaper, but I never imagined we’d be getting too much of a payoff for it.
Yet here we are, with two actually really cool evolutions, both in their appearance and their individual line’s lore, which actually tells a pretty interesting story.
In the case of Steenee, the timid and easily assaulted Bounsweet becomes much more outgoing and enjoys playing with other Pokémon, being described as much more of a tomboy – one with a lovely fragrance that isn’t afraid to kick a little ass, and has the power behind it to do so.
Then, once Steenee evolves into Tsareena, she appears to be more of a mature woman rather than a youthful tomboy, one who looks beautiful, acts as gracefully as a royal and can still decimate opponents with powerful kicks. Hence, the signature attack Trop Kick, which not only is a great grassy pun for drop kick, but also seems like it could be a very useful physical-grass attack. Despite this, she’s also known for protecting the youngest Bounsweet, ensuring that they kick away any potential dangerous threats.
Really, this is the kind of cute story that I love to see be told in the most subtle ways, like through evolution stages. While I’m personally still more of a fan of Lurantis, these guys are still really great, and definitely welcome additions to Alola. I think my favorite thing about the line is Tsareena’s little bud crown and high heels, it’s a great design choice. Plus, her name makes reference to the Russian Tsar, like how great can you get?
This new Bug/Fairy-type, Ribombee, is the evolved form of Cutiefly. Like Bounsweet, not really a Pokémon I would expect to hold much weight overall, but they are both very cute, for sure. Plus, we were given hints of Robombee’s existence around the time when we found out the Pokémon Snap-esq feature was going to be in Sun and Moon, so I guess it’s not all that much of a surprise.
Both Pokémon in the line are known as the Bee Fly Pokémon, and they can have the abilities Honey Gather or Shield Dust – clearly a superior option.
According to its description off the Pokémon website: “Ribombee collect flower nectar and pollen to make into balls known as Pollen Puffs. These serve as food, and what’s more, they also can cause effects like paralysis or dizziness. Ribombee may use puffs to strike their opponents during battles. Some of the Pollen Puffs that Ribombee make also have relaxing effects or can relieve tiredness. These are distributed around the Alola region as high-priced supplements. Ribombee hate getting rained on. They’re covered with fluffy hairs that hold the pollen they’ve gathered, and the rain makes them wet and dirty. Alolan people know that if Ribombee are busily visiting the fields of flowers, you can be sure that the fair weather will continue.”
Really, Ribombee is a Pokémon that I don’t have a lot to say about. They’re undoubtedly very cute, and I love the pixie-like design, like they’re really a fairy straight out of stories like Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream. The idea that their puffs are used like some kind of a drug is a little strange, but I’m sure I could say the same thing for plenty of real life animals, so I digress.
Otherwise, I’m not sure I’ll ever use one, and I’m not convinced they’ll ever totally be a threat… Unless you’re a Kommo-o of course, in which case you run the hell away from a Fairy/Bug-type like your life depends on it.
New Alolan Form Pokémon:
Grimer evolutionary line images courtesy of Bulbapedia.com (1/2), Alolan Grimer evolutionary line courtesy of Serebii.net
Ah yes, Grimer and Muk. Ever the unfortunate recipient of some very vulgar name-reversal jokes. After all, reversing the name of another major Gen 1 Poison-type, Ekans, gets you the word ‘Snake’, so when you reverse the name of Muk you get… Well, I’ll just leave it at that.
In Alola, Grimer and Muk are now dual Poison/Dark-types, and they can be found with either the abilities Poison Touch or Gluttony.
According to their descriptions off the Pokémon website:
Grimer: “When the population of the Alola region increased, dealing with their garbage became a serious problem. As a solution, Grimer were imported from other regions. They fed primarily on garbage, so their body composition changed—as did their form. What appear to be teeth in this Pokémon’s mouth are in fact residual toxins from the garbage it eats, which have hardened and crystallized. No method has been discovered to break down these crystals. Direct contact with them presents a danger. Alolan Grimer is always eating garbage, but its constant hunger will cause it to begin eating other manufactured objects if it runs out of garbage to feed on. There are more than a hundred Alolan Grimer in Alola’s garbage-processing plants, and all of the garbage produced in the Alola region is taken for use as their food.”
Muk: “Alolan Muk eats whatever is in reach without pausing, and if it feels the sharp pangs of hunger, it runs amuck. It’s thought that its voracious appetite stems from an inability to maintain its energy levels without a constant influx of toxins. Toxins have accumulated in Alolan Muk’s body from its steady diet of various waste products and manufactured materials. This accumulation has brought about a chemical change, producing a new kind of toxin. Alolan Muk has the same poisonous crystals as Alolan Grimer, but they’re not limited to its mouth—they extend from all over the surface of its body. Alolan Muk uses them to attack, just like other Pokémon use their fangs or claws. And these highly toxic crystals are easily knocked loose, making them extraordinarily dangerous! The Grimer and Muk in the Alola region produce and store their toxins within their bodies. So, unlike the Grimer and Muk in other regions, you won’t detect any unpleasant aromas when you draw near one.”
Muk was never necessarily high on my interest list in Kanto. I remember Koga having a particularly annoying one for sure, but otherwise it has never really been one of my favorite Poison-types. So, when I saw the original leak featuring an Alolan Form Grimer, I figured maybe it would help me change my mind a bit about the little pile of sludge.
Definitely was not the case when I first saw the design. A yellow neckbeard and some strange, sharp teeth on Grimer was definitely never a design choice I would have gone with, and I was pretty curious to see why that was their choice above all other things.
Getting the official descriptions of Grimer and Muk together definitely helped to paint the two in a much more favorable light, I’m happy to say. My favorite thing about all the alternate forms we’ve been getting so far has been the lore that explains why they changed, and for these two that’s no different. The fact that they were brought in from afar to deal with the trash problem on such a small island, only to become so used to getting fed as much as they wanted in huge portions and mutate solid toxic crystals and different colors is a really smart way to introduce them if you ask me.
I’ll actually be looking forward to the opportunity to see the trash facilities in Alola, if they support this background in any substantial fashion, perhaps by displaying lines of feeding Grimer and Muk like we saw lines of Electrode powering Team Rocket’s machinery in Mahogany Town.
Plus, I admittedly really like seeing all the colors of Muk bleed down it’s body in the game engine. It’s kind of mesmerizing, even if the jagged, highly-toxic teeth and claw crystals is an unsettling detail to include.
New Trainers:
On top of all the new Pokémon we were shown in this most recent video, we also got to see some new characters that will be relevant to the story of Sun and Moon. Though we don’t know a lot about either of them, having another Island Challenge Trial Captain and another Kahuna to keep in our databases certainly isn’t a bad thing.
I’ll be honest right off the bat, I can’t totally tell if Ilima, the newest Island Trial Captain, is a boy or a girl. Their features strike me as feminine, yet their outfit and speech pattern strikes me as more masculine. Professor Oak would have a field day – and he just might, considering there will be someone in the Oak family hanging around the Alola region!
All jokes aside, Ilima is a Normal-type trainer, which continues to fit into my conception from some time ago that there will be a Trial Captain for each of the 18 typings available in Pokémon. Or at least, it would, if this next character wasn’t revealed at the same time. But I’ll get to her.
Ilima is also described as being a star student in the Alolan Trainers’ School, and a hero to everyone currently there. While I enjoy the whole proficient school student gains a prominent position set-up for a character, after getting another go at Roxanne in the Hoenn remakes, this new character has a lot of history to stand up against. Let’s hope we won’t be disappointed.
A new favorite in the Pokémon community right off the bat, Olivia is the Kahuna of Akala island, where I believe you go after finishing the Island Challenges of Melemele Island and take on Hau’s grandfather, Hala.
Olivia is a Rock-type expert, boasting the ownership of such Pokémon as Nosepass and Lycanroc. From the looks of her sprite, it also appears like she will be able to use Z-Moves, since she’s wearing the bracelet to do so. Again, Nosepass, just brings Roxanne back to mind. Something about these two trainers both seem to call back to her. Perhaps it was intentional to introduce them that way? Who knows.
The Pokémon website insists that Olivia is extremely skilled for her age, and thus deserves her position as Kahuna despite being significantly younger than the others. Yet, despite her position at such a young age, she tries to present herself as a normal girl.
Because Olivia is a user of Rock-types specifically, that leads me to believe that perhaps my old theory on the subject needs a bit of a revision. Perhaps there will only be 14 Island Trial Captains, and the four Kahuna will serve as the remaining types. Though I’m not sure Hala fits into that bill, considering his partner Tapu Koko has a dual Electric/Fairy-typing and we already have an Electric-type Trial Captain, I’m sure it will all work itself out somehow.
That’s just about all for today, folks! Not only am I out of things to write about, I’m also admittedly a little bit out of the mood to write after getting close to 3,700 words in.
Seriously, if you decided to stick around this long, thanks so much! This little blog may partially be my way to showcase my professional work, but I’ve also found it to be a really fun way to work on keeping myself writing about something I enjoy. Even though I’m not a huge fan of sharing my personal opinions about much of anything, getting the chance to do so with something low-stakes and high-interest like Pokémon is a great way to get my into it.
With that said, let me know what you think about these new Pokémon! Do you have a favorite evolution out of the set of them we’ve been given? Are you a fan of Alolan Form Grimer and Muk? Or are you still iffy on the idea like I was when I first saw the design?
Tell me about it in the comments below, it wouldn’t feel right for me to spout my opinions out for a long time and not provide the opportunity to hear some of yours in return, and I genuinely like hearing about things I may or may not have considered myself.
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