I’ve lost count of the number of times The Pokémon Company has released information for the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. This one stands out, though. First, learn about the Scarlet Book and the Violet Book, each appearing in the title of with the same colour in the name. Then, take a look at Black Crystal Tera Raid Battles and special Tera Raid Battle events. Finally, meet the latest Pokémon, technically introduced over the weekend but now seems like a good a time as any to write about it.
So what about those books? The Scarlet Book and the Violet Book are expedition records written a very long time ago. The detailed expedition traversed an uncharted area of the Paldea region, though nobody knows whether or not the documented adventure is true. The books are filled with photographs and sketches of unidentified creatures; similar creatures have been reported in recent years, but even those reports are rare. As such, little is known about these creatures.
The Scarlet Book features The Monster Known as Great Tusk, a savage monster that attacked the expedition team with its large body and tusks; it actually killed one of the explorers. The Violet Book features The Monster Known as Iron Treads, a monster that curls its body and rolls to attack, leaving a trail gouged into the ground behind it as though it has scorched the earth.
Tera Raid Battles are triggered by approaching crystals; however, there are special black crystals that function a bit differently. These battles feature much strong Pokémon and are only available for a limited time. First up with my Charizard with the Mightiest Mark, who will appear from December 1-4 as well as December 15-18. Charizard is not normally found in Paldea, and this version has Dragon as its Tera Type.
There are also special Tera Raid Battle events that increase the chance of encountering certain Pokémon or Tera Types. These Tera Raid crystals seems normal at first, but are actually shrouded in a mysterious aura. The first of these events will be the Eevee Spotlight from November 24-27. Eevees with various Tera Types will appear more frequently in Tera Raid Battles.
In case you missed it, over the weekend a new Pokémon was revealed: Gimmighoul! There are two forms of Gimmighoul. One is in chest form, and the other is roaming. The former hide inside treasure chests, which provides them with defense but also weighs them down, making travel slow. When this type of Gimmighoul senses someone (be it person or Pokémon) nearby, it will ambush them before using ghost energy to control them, forcing them to collect coins. It tends to lurk in warehouses, shop corners, and other places less frequented.
As for the roaming Gimmighoul, well, it holds a single coin and runs away the instant it is approached by a Trainer. So good luck with that!
Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet will be released for Nintendo Switch on November 18.
