If you thought a Mecha Tyranitar was going to instantly crush any other Pokémon design Game Freak could put together for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, its counterpart may have just proven you wrong. While the clear reference to a specific piece of media isn’t there, Salamence’s Paradox variant looks like it came right out of a cave and has never seen something it didn’t want to fight.
With crimson wings and a sickly color scheme that barely resembles the Salamence we know from Hoenn, this dragon looks like it is ready to glide straight out of a nightmare.
Just like with the mechanical Tyranitar in Pokémon Violet, this primitive Salamence will only be encounterable in Pokémon Scarlet. But, it looks like both Pokémon will inhabit the same area; a cave of some kind that likely sits underneath the clouds located in the middle of the Paldea region’s map.
Following the naming convention The Pokémon Company started when it teased the past and present variations of Donphan in the final pre-launch trailer, this Salamence will likely be referred to as the “Great” something—matching the primitive version of Donphan’s Great Tusk. But, a separate leak has pointed to this potential Dragon/Dark-type being referred to as the Roaring Moon, meaning the Past Paradox Pokémon.
It also appears these Great Pokémon from the past may be much more violent than Pokémon from the present or maybe even the future based on their designs and what little we know about them.
We will have to wait for confirmation of these Pokémon and more information to release when the games become available on Nov. 18. Based on Tyranitar and Salamence’s new looks alone, the Pokémon community is more hyped than ever for Scarlet and Violet.
