A new leak for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet unveiled a new adorable canine companion that might soon be making its debut.
Pictures of the alleged new Pokémon posted on Reddit revealed it resembled a small blue dog with long, floppy white-tipped ears. One picture further showed the little Pokémon was named Puudle, though it remained unclear if it was the actual name of its species or if it was only a clever nickname given by its trainer. Another image also included a glimpse at a seemingly wild level 6 Puudle, which might imply the little canine Pokémon will be one of the first new-gen species players will encounter during their journey through the region.
The community was split regarding the authenticity of the leak. Some believed the Pokémon was only a well-made edit, claiming differences between the rock textures in the photos and previously revealed in-game footage suggested a fake. Some fans discounted the leak's credibility due to Puudle's character model, as they believed the model's fur texturing was uncharacteristic of Pokémon's visual style. Others pointed out that the screenshot's inconsistencies might have been because they were taken on an early alpha version of Scarlet and Violet. They also hypothesized Puudle's unique fur texture resulted from the developers experimenting with the game's 3D models, similar to how Seviper was seen to have visible scales in trailers.
This wasn't the only purported ninth-generation Pokémon to make waves in the community. Rumors regarding Scarlet and Violet's Sprigatito, the new starter grass-type Pokémon, began to propagate after a leaked video gave fans their first look at what was supposedly its final evolution. The video showcased Sprigatito's alleged third form as a green bipedal humanoid, with the Pokémon also displaying more apparent fox-like characteristics.
Riddler Khu, a notable leaker within the Pokémon community, previously claimed Scarlet and Violet's storyline will contain a time-travel element. Speculation began when Khu uploaded a modified screenshot of Stein's;Gate, an anime heavily reliant on time travel as a plot device, a theme many fans theorized would be central to the new Pokémon entries. Like his previous hints in riddle form, Khu refrained from explaining their reason for posting the photo, leading to followers debating how the show's themes might coincide with Scarlet and Violet.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are scheduled to launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch on Nov. 18.
Source: Reddit