First we got Wiglett, now we get another look-alike that isn’t quite what it seems. Instead of a normal Tentacool or Tentacruel appearance like in many of the other Pokémon games, Scarlet and Violet is looking to freak older fans out by showing them what would happen if a Tentacool hopped up on land and walked over to say hello.
Taking to the forests instead of the seas, Toedscool may look like a Tentacool but is actually a mushroom instead of a jellyfish—clearly a very easy misconception.
Both Toadscool and its evolutions Toedscruel have long, spindly legs that allow them to walk freely on land. Apparently, they live deep in the forest and form up with others of their species to create colonies away from civilization. They seem to really dislike strangers who approach them, which is the opposite of how some early memes are depicting Toadscool.
According to the hints and leaks, Toadscool and Wiglett are the only two Pokémon that actively take the concept of older Pokémon and spin it off into something that isn’t quite a regional form and doesn’t involve the Paradox Pokémon phenomenon that Scarlet and Violet have also introduced. These are convergent species that simply closely resemble another Pokémon.
If you count actual regional forms, of which there seem to be only two, it appears Game Freak has introduced two new ways to revamp older Pokémon in new ways but only really utilized one of them to its full potential. At least from what we can see in these early leaks ahead of SV’s Nov. 18 release.
