Each game will feature a separate book of expedition records with rare Pokémon to track down, letting you retrace their steps to encounter them yourselves. However, it sounds like the Scarlet Book and the Violet Book will feature alternate versions of these Pokémon, depending on which version of the upcoming games you have. Put more simply: today’s trailer appears to show a pair of new evolutions for Donphan. One is primal looking with huge tusks, which you’ll meet in Scarlet. One is futuristic-looking with dot-matrix eyes, which you’ll meet in Violet. Pokémon’s official website refers to the Scarlet version as “Great Tusk” and the Violet version as “Iron Treads”, though these seem unlikely to be their actual Pokémon names. Indeed, they appear similar to the codenames initially given to Sun and Moon’s Ultra Beasts - another strange form of Pokémon. The reveal of these creatures backs up a persistant rumour among the Pokémon leaker community which those who want to go into Scarlet and Violet blind may wish to avoid reading about below. Nicknamed as “Paradox” Pokémon, leaks have suggested that numerous new Pokémon will be offered with alternate versions for Scarlet and Violet, respectively, reflecting the fact that one game is themed around the past, and one in the future. This is something we have already seen in the designs for Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary duo, which players meet at the beginning of the game. Last week, yet another new Violet and Scarlet creature was revealed via a surprise collaboration with Pokémon Go. The creepy-looking Gimmighoul suddenly popped up at the weekend in Niantic’s mobile game - although is currently unavailable for capture. In Scarlet and Violet, the species will live inside a treasure chest-like shell.
