Summary

• A conversation in the DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet reveals that one character, Penny, is related to the villain Chairman Rose from Pokemon Sword and Shield.
• This connection between Penny and Chairman Rose adds an interesting dynamic to the game and shows how the Pokemon games can be interconnected.
• The DLC also highlights the unusual family situations of the rival characters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, providing them with unique and colorful backstories.

A conversation in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC reveals that one character is actually related to one of the series’ major villains. Pokémon games can be connected in many ways, with recurring NPCs and references to the events of other titles allowing for a coherent timeline of the Pokémon franchise to be created. These links can be both clear and subtle, and on occasion even lead to some surprising revelations.

Previously, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have notably made reference to Legends: Arceus through Professor Laventon having a cameo appearance in the game, acknowledging the paired games’ direct predecessor. Similarly, DLC character Perrin is clearly a descendant of Adaman, and Blueberry Academy’s Lacey has more recently been revealed to be the daughter of the Unovan Gym Leader Clay. However, it seems that Lacey isn’t the only Scarlet and Violet character to have family who were prominently featured in past titles.

Pokémon Scarlet And Violet's Penny is Related To Sword And Shield's Chairman Rose

During "Mochi Mayhem," Penny has a short but illuminating phone conversation with her father. Penny becomes annoyed with him for calling her trip to Kitakami an Adven-tour. This unusual turn of phrase immediately suggests that Penny’s father is Peony, a prominent character in Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Crown Tundra DLC. Here, Peony takes the player character on an Adven-tour of their own in place of his daughter Peony, who by extension is Penny’s sister. However, this also means that Penny’s uncle is none other than Pokémon Sword and Shield’s villainous Chairman Rose.

The Gen 3 Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald games, along with their remakes, are unique in that the protagonist has a known father: Gym Leader Norman.

Having threatened the Galar Region with Eternatus for a second time in the region’s history, Rose’s plot to stave off a future energy crisis was clearly impatient and poorly thought out, and the fact that Eternatus was impossible for him to control is clear proof of this. At the same time, it seems that Rose was willing to accept responsibility for the crisis after the fact. Leon states in Pokémon Masters EX that the chairman ultimately handed himself in. Regardless, Rose’s stubborn pursuit of Eternatus, combined with his wealth and power, makes him an extremely dangerous individual in Sword and Shield.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Peony and Rose are estranged, which means that Penny and Peonia have likely had little with their uncle. Rose’s lauded success cast a shadow over his brother, even though Peony himself was once a Gym Leader and then Champion of Galar. Ultimately, Peony only left the post in response to Rose became president of the Galar League. In direct contrast to Rose, Peony himself is an exuberant man, and quite friendly. Moreover, he is a prominent father figure in Pokémon, something which makes him quite unusual given that the franchise’s various protagonists typically lack one themselves.

Penny’s Relation To Chairman Rose Gives Her An Unusual Family

Her connection to Chairman Rose means Penny is in the interesting situation of being a Team Leader related to another game’s main villain. This is an unusual state of affairs for any rival character, although Silver being the son of Giovanni is somewhat comparable, as is Gadion being the son of Lusamine. Moreover, the fact that Penny is the leader of a Team with motivations completely unrelated to her uncle’s own plot is perhaps even stranger than the reverse. Although with that being said, it is not impossible that Rose’s actions may have indirectly contributed to Team Star’s founding.

Following the recent trend of Pokémon’s Teams no longer being as evil as their earlier predecessors, Team Star was formed as a result of widespread bullying at Paldea’s Academy. In keeping with this, in the wake of Rose causing such a major disaster, it is not unthinkable that Penny herself may have been bullied in response if people discovered that she was his niece. However, there is no direct evidence of this, and any conflicts that Penny had with Academy students could just have easily been completely unrelated to Rose.

Pokémon Scarlet And Violet’s Rival Characters All Have Notable Families

Of course, all three of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s friendly rivals have their own somewhat unusual family situations. Nemona's family is very wealthy due to being involved in the company behind the Rotom Company, although the battle-loving champion seems uninterested in ing them. Meanwhile, Arven is the son of the famous Professors Sada and Turo, one of whom (depending on the game version) retreated to Area Zero for their research. The professor’s work is the driving force behind large portions of the plot, from the appearance of Paradox Pokémon to Arven’s own character arc.

Until now, little has been known about Penny’s family aside from the fact that they are Galarian. However, an embarrassing phone call and a single line of dialogue has changed this completely. Now, Penny has been undeniably connected to an established family within the Pokémon canon, providing her with a colorful history while also sidestepping the need to explain her backstory directly. This subtle approach not only saves time in the DLC, but also allows people to make the connections for themselves.

Penny being related to Chairman Rose is an incredible example of how the Pokémon games can be interconnected. The reveal of Peony being her father is a pleasant surprise for anybody familiar with Sword and Shield, but it is unobtrusive enough for it not to distract from the events of "Mochi Madness." Arven’s family may have been at the core of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s plot, but the DLC makes it clear that Penny’s own is uniquely predisposed towards dramatic incidents as well.