The latest trailer for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has confirmed the leaks regarding Paradox Donphan, with an ancient and futuristic version of the Pokémon revealed. Donphan was one of the first Gen 2 Pokémon introduced to the world, as it was revealed alongside Slowking and Ampharos. Despite its early promotional push, appearing in the opening of Mewtwo Strikes Back, its evolutionary line has only ever consisted of Phanphy (its pre-evolution) and it has never received a new evolution, Mega Evolution, or Gigantamax form.
A number of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet leaks have come true, with one leak having previously confirmed the existence of Paradox Pokémon, which are versions of existing Pokémon from ancient times or the far future. A new trailer for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel has revealed Paradox Donphan for the first time. The official Pokémon Scarlet and Violet website has named the ancient form Great Tusk, which resembles a massive wooly mammoth, and the future form Iron Treads, which is a robotic Donphan whose trunk resembles a tank track. There is currently no word regarding their typing or Ability.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet's Paradox Pokémon Will Be A New Discovery
The official Pokémon Scarlet and Violet website mentions that both creatures are chronicled in different books, with Great Tusk appearing in the Scarlet Book and Iron Tread appearing in the Violet Book, and that their existence is considered to be apocryphal. It seems that the Paradox Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will be a newly discovered phenomenon in the game, tying into the time travel theme that is present in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The books are owned by Arven, a classmate of the player, who will either have the Scarlet Book or Violet Book, depending on which game is being played.
The concept of ancient/futuristic versions of existing Pokémon is a great one, even if fans have only glimpsed two of them so far. There are all kinds of interesting designs that can be implemented, giving the regional form idea from earlier games a unique twist. The idea of Paradox Pokémon is way more interesting than Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Terastal gimmick, which is the new gameplay gimmick in Gen 9, and it only adds hats/types to existing Pokémon.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are due to launch next week, so The Pokémon Company is running out of time to promote the mechanics that fans already know about it, thanks to all of the leaks. Fans were only given a glimpse of Paradox Pokémon in the new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trailer, but they look like some of the coolest version exclusives revealed so far. It seems that choosing between versions in Gen 9 will be as much about picking between the past and the future as it will be about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's exclusives.
Source: The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
