Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the impending installments in the series’ mainline RPG line, have me incredibly excited. Personally speaking, a large part of that is because it feels the team behind Scarlet and Violet is fully throwing their weight behind imbuing the game with the delightfully absurd. For fans of Pokémon like Vanillite, Polteageist, and Klefti (all from different generations), we are now treated to Smoliv, Lechonk, and Fidough—in a single game. And those are just a couple of early-game normie Pokémon. Wait until you meet the legendaries.
We got a brief glimpse at Koraidon and Miraidon during the first full trailer for Scarlet and Violet. They stood epically upon a single, giant rocky outcrop in the ocean. I remember the ensuing Tweets: “Are those… wheels? Are they… motorcycles?” After the second trailer released in early August, the answer became clear. Yes. Yes, they are motorcycles.
But don’t sell them short. They have three builds: Sprinting Build, Swimming Build, and Gliding Build. Which means they can also turn functionally into a paraglider and a jet ski. Because why the hell not.
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You’ll notice Koraidon’s and Miraidon’s styles of motorcycling are slightly different, and that explanation is actually hidden in their names. Similar to English, “-don” is a common suffix in naming dinosaur species. But “Korai” and “Mirai” are actual Japanese words: “korai” means “ancient,” and mirai means “future.” So you’ll notice that, while Koraidon has wheels, it runs around on its legs like the powerful beast he is. Miraidon, however, looks straight out of a science fiction film. Its legs retract in a very robot-like way to create a kind of hub for its wheels. Which light up. And are also propelled by jet fuel out of its hind legs? Because why the hell not.
Intriguingly, and contrary to every single other Pokémon game in existence, it seems like you don’t obtain Koraidon or Miraidon at the very end of the game. We don’t know yet, but my hunch is that you get them in the early mid-game—around when you’d get access to a bicycle or surf in previous gens. Because that’s their purpose. They are literally your bicycle substitute, along with, it seems, the substitute for the “HM” techniques of earlier Pokémon games, utilizing their various forms for different modes of transportation.
I want to make it clear that I am all about this. I’m in the small sect of Pokémon players who don’t care about the legendaries. Putting them in my party feels like cheating, and I already have so many wonderful friends I have built relationships with up until that point. But these weirdos?! These are my favorite legendaries since … like … Mew and Mewtwo. More absurdity, always.
(featured image: Game Freak)
