While the format for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is taking the franchise into uncharted waters, you can always count on Game Freak to create multiple sets of Legendary Pokémon for any new generation that is introduced.
For Generation Nine, it appears a slightly different approach is being used; only two core Legendary Pokémon will be making an appearance early on and they will be present for most of the player’s journey—those being Koraidon and Miraidon.
But, that doesn’t mean the developers can’t toss in a few sub-legends to fill out some interesting places in the lore and on the map.
Based on two early leaks, Chien-Pao and Ting-Lu make up part of a sub-Legendary group for SV. Sub-Legendary Pokémon are typically classified under the box art Pokémon such as Koraidon and Miraidon and share some connection with each other—think Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.
In this instance, Chien-Pao represents some type of deer or ox made of stone and Ting-Lu is a lanky Sabertooth Tiger with metal fangs. Both have ornate designs to them and will likely play a role in some late-game lore.
Scarlet and Violet will actually play into a quartet, with a flaming fish and forest-dwelling snail rounding out the Legendary set. All four Pokémon have a primary Dark typing, with the secondary typings being fire for the fist, ground for Chien-Pao, Ice for Ting-Lu, and Grass for the snail.
