'Pokémon' Presentation Showcases 'Open World' Exploration Of Paldea Region In 'Scarlet And Violet' And Reveals Fidough, Arguably The Cutest Pokémon To Ever Exist

The Pokémon Company gave a much-needed presentation this morning after weeks of leaks about its upcoming mainline titles, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet – some convincing, others facetious – whipped the fandom into a frenzy.

The full presentation, which can be viewed here, offered news about the Pokémon World Championships and some updates to secondary titles like Pokémon GO and Pokémon Unite, but the Scarlet and Violet trailer expectedly stole the show.

The trailer showcased bold departures from the Pokémon formula that has defined the series for over 25 years. Rather than open the game as a young new trainer moving to a new town, in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trainers will explore the Paldea region as students of either the Naranja or Uva academy, depending on which title the player owns.

From there, they will explore the Paldea region as an open world, rather than follow a more-or-less set path through eight gyms on their way to the Elite Four. There are still eight gyms in Scarlet and Violet, but they can be tackled in any order. A post-trailer analysis in the original presentation reveals that the gym challenge is "one of three" main adventures players will tackle in the story.

The trailer also offered a look at how the box art Legendary Pokémon Kiraidon and Miraidon will operate in Paldea as a world-traversal mechanic. It's no accident the Pokémon looked curiously like motorbikes upon their initial reveal, as today's trailer showcases how players will ride, fly and climb on the backs of the legendaries to move through Paldea.

The trailer introduces the game's signature battle mechanic, "Terastallization," which will give each Pokémon a crystal-like sheen and power up their attacks. Though at first glance the mechanic looks similar to the Dynamaxing mechanic that defined Pokémon Sword and Shield, Terastallization offers some intriguing tweaks, such as some Pokémon changing type upon Terastallizing.

Furthermore, not every Pokémon of the same type will Terastallize in the same way. The post-trailer analysis offers the example that while an Eevee will normally Terastallize into a Normal-type, certain, rarer Eevees in the wild will have the ability to Terastallize into a Water type.

Also carried over from Sword and Shield, and ostensibly improved upon, are Raid Battles. The post-trailer analysis explains that Raid Battles, in which the player and three others enter a co-op battle to catch a rare, powerful Pokémon, will no longer be beholden to the timers that had every trainer battle in order with a minute-timer to select their move. Instead, players can attack at their own pace, regardless of the pace other players operate at, a potential solution for an issue that made some Dynamax Raid Battles a slog in Sword and Shield.

Finally, the trailer offered a look at some new Pokémon. While a possibly Poison-type regional variant of Wooper and a new Ice-type Pokémon named Cetitan appeared, the undoubted star of the show was Fidough, a Fairy-type Pokémon that looks like a puppy made of bread.

Ok so Fidough is a Fairy type puppy Pokémon who is approximately 1 foot tall. #PokemonPresents pic.twitter.com/kAZqtRDe4G

— IGN (@IGN) August 3, 2022

Considering how the Pokémon fandom has handled the reveals of cute new Pokémon like Wooloo, Smoliv and Lechonk in the past, Fidough is almost surely destined to become the apple of social media's eye in the coming days.

Fan art for Fidough appeared almost instantly after the trailer's conclusion, and the adorable little sucker seems bound for memes (and its own entry page on GotFunnyPictures).

Fidough is soo cute is a sweet doggo!!!! #ポケモン #ポケモンSV #Pokemon #PokemonScarletViolet #pokemonsv pic.twitter.com/NogkbDUac6

— 🌟yami11arts🌙 #comissions open – working days (@sextant0yulij) August 3, 2022

I GIVE IN I LIKE FIDOUGH HAHAHA pic.twitter.com/ukL6jC5NWi

— Osh | SILVER FATHER PIERRO #1 FAN ♥️ (@mochiiros) August 3, 2022

fidough i love you bitch pic.twitter.com/gfW9mlLYZj

— Pansear (Fiverr Commissions Open) (@Pansear_Lady) August 3, 2022

Much of the information in today's trailer aligns with leaks that came about three weeks ago from a mysterious Mr. K, such as the Terastallization gimmick and the regional Wooper variant. As to whether other information the leaks claimed is true, such as Sprigatito evolving into a Pokémon of "so-so cuteness," we'll have to wait until another inevitable reveal ahead of the games' release to verify their accuracy.