RUMOR: Chinese Rumors & Google Takedown of Final Starter Evolutions?

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imageA Chinese rumor about Pokémon Sun & Moon has seemingly gained credibility after predicting a Poison/Fire-type Pokémon which was fulfilled with the reveal of Salandit. You can read it below, translated by Cresselia~~ of Smogon Forums.

  • There will be no traditional Gyms and no Pokémon League in Alola. Your goal is to actually create one. After you do, an Elite 4 will appear which are the leaders of each island
  • The final starter evolutions will be an Archer, a Wrestler and a Siren
  • The diamond stones will be collectible throughout the region and act similarly to Mega Stones but not exactly
  • New Pokémon based on a dolphin, sea cucumber, snowman, mushroom and a rugby monkey are there
  • Rockruff’s evolution is a Werewolf
  • Mashadow, another copyrighted Pokémon name, has a very unique type combo

In addition, it seems that the majority of the images of the “leaked” starters (seen above) have mysteriously disappeared from Google image search. There is no way of knowing but it is possible official takedown notices have been sent to have them removed from search results. This is a warning: I may soon remove the images myself.

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2,275 thoughts on “RUMOR: Chinese Rumors & Google Takedown of Final Starter Evolutions?”

  1. I have to say I really like the idea
    Heatigre
    Fire/Fighting
    The Contender Pkn
    Naturally hot blooded, Heatigre lives to fight stronger opponents, around its waist is a belt of flames that grow larger and hotter the more opponents it has bested
    Physically strong and Agile, with a somewhat high stamina, it’s blazing speed and great strength is the perfect lead

    And I called the Rowlet Bowinowl and Popplio’s Hayacanymph

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  2. My opinions on the potential new Pokemon
    Dolphin: I suppose fans want it and the concept is talked to death, hopefully it wouldn’t be too bland or Fakemon-ish
    Sea Cucumber: I think this would make a good Pokemon, I can see this happening
    Snowman: In Alola?! Maybe on top of that snowy mountain, but still, a snowman in a reagon based on Hawaii?! Whatever it could be a really cute ice/fairy or pure ice
    Mushroom- But we already have the part mushroom creepy parasect and the perfect Foongus, we don’t need another mushroom! Hopefully they try a new angle :/
    Rugby Monkey- this sounds horrible and bizarre. What does that even mean, Rugby Monkey?! I hope the ideas mesh and it ends up working out in execution like hawlucha

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  3. Every time i see an article or comment with those “concept arts” i die a little inside and also does my hope for sun and moon having good pokemon ?

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  4. I don’t mind this at all! The idea of creating a league sounds really cool and it switches up the formula! If this is true, I hope you can recruit gym leaders and battle them post game.

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    • I think the lack of preexisting structure is what makes me the most excited. It makes the world feel more fluid rather than you knowing that you have to go from point A to point B over and over and over again until you reach the end. lol

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    • I think it is weird like, what even motivates you to create a league? Why do you want to create a league? So many questions so little answers

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      • Because the region you came from had one and everyone liked it? I don’t know that is the best I could come up with.

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  5. The archer theme for Rowlet’s final evolution is very unique and pleasing along with the mermaid for Popplio. The Fire/Fighting wrestling cat for Litten… not so much, but if these rumors turn out to be true, it’ll probably grow on me! If Bruxish of all things can grow on me, a wrestling cat surely will also! 😀

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    • Have you heard my evidence for the Rowlet becoming an archer? There is actually a surprising amount of evidence backing it up.

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  6. When were the rumors posted? If this was posted during the last few days, I don’t think it has too much credibility.

    And did they predict Salandit specifically? Anyone can predict such and such type that hasn’t been made yet, but unless they predict the specific Pokemon, the confirmation doesn’t hold any water. Vague type predictions alone do not make for accurately gauging a rumor’s credibility.

    I’m gonna wait until one of the other Pokemon is revealed, then I’ll take these as being real.

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    • They were originally posted a month or so ago. Well before we had any of the new non starter/legends Pokemon. Thus why many people brushed off these evolutions as it seemed way too early to get leaks of such Pokemon.

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      • Okay, but again, I don’t see how a unique typing being revealed makes it credible. People can say that GameFreak will make a Pokemon with such and such type and be right most of the time because it is assumed that at least some Pokemon revealed will have never before seen typing combinations.

        Maybe that might make this leak true, but did this rumor list any other type combinations apart from Poison/Fire? I find it highly suspect that its credibility is based around one specific type combination but with no other ones being listed in the leak (One of the Pokemon is said to have a unique typing, but that particular rumor is based around its name, not its typing).

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  9. Alright I don’t know if anyone saw this but whatever here it is again
    I’m still waiting for a truly pure evil mythical Pokemon
    Not misunderstood or tortured
    Pure evil, a pokemon embodiment of disparity and chaos

    Insatyr
    Dark/Fairy
    The Sinister Pokemon
    This Pokemon hides in dense forests, it is drawn to negative emotions and draws power from other’s hostility and uses it to cause disharmony

    This Pokemon is just pure evil, and it enjoys doing so

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  10. Everytime I try to create an account this appears, freezes the screen, and logs me out. Honestly, I’ve been trying for 2 days and no luck! Any tips or helpful advice, please! I’m desperate!

    Reply

    • Honestly, I don’t have the faintest clue. Maybe delete the app and redownload it? Turn your phone off then on?
      I suck at fixing things, especially computers and phones. D:
      Hopefully it’ll stop for you soon, either on its own or with someone’s help 🙂

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    • I feel like this game is going to be a mess for a month or two until they can handle the tremendous weight on servers. It logs me out every time and when I try to go back in, it only works every 10 times or so. I’d say to wait it out for now.

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  12. I’m in New York right now and have had trouble keeping up with these leaks everyone was talking about. Thanks PJ! But I believed these from the moment I saw them, and have no problems with them if they are real.

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    • You are one of the more accepting people I’ve seen on the subject lol They aren’t bad rumors at all I say so myself. I just hate when people deny things simply because they don’t like them. I guess we’ll find out sooner rather than later if they are real. At least I hope so lol

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      • I think there’s some of us who deny them based on other reasons that are plausible and not even because we don’t like them, but that’s how I see it. :3

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        • Heck, I don’t mind these things, in fact I’m crazy for two of the starter evos and the proposed Pokemon, I just see some faults within how its presented.

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  14. the no gym is throwing me off. How is that gonna work. Is that going to make the game even shorter? ugh

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    • It’s the gyms that take away from the games to be honest. They give GF a crutch to lean on and it makes their stories far more lazy. If there aren’t the traditional gyms it could mean that the story itself will be more fleshed out. No gyms doesn’t make the game shorter it just makes it more necessary for the actual story to be well written is all lol

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      • ^this, all of my yes

        tbh if anything I feel like not having gyms will make the games longer than usual, just because they will have to have story elements to set up why there are no gyms and why you have to randomly go fight some random person wherever you fight them

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        • I hope no more characters that only seem to Dwadle off and talk for 20 minutes cough* Tierno, Shauna, Rival* cough about stuff I couldn’t give to Hoothoot’s about

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        • True, but in my opinion the gyms are less important than a good story. Sure it’s been a part of the series for 20 years, but a slight change could be a good thing. If these are true then they are trying something different and that could be a good thing.

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          • They have shown they can do a story while keeping gyms though and all removing the gyms do is shorten the already short games even more.

          • True, but again what’s stopping them from creating a story that doesn’t entirely depend on the gyms? The Pokemon series is about traveling the world with your Pokemon. Not everyone’s journey’s are about going to gyms and doing the same thing over and over again. If they fill the gym gap with something worthwhile then the games can be just as fulfilling.

          • I wouldn’t mind one that didn’t focus on gyms so long as it was long and not short. But everything about SM is pointing towards something shorter and the lack of gyms wouldn’t be doing it any favors.

          • I’m just wondering something here
            So just because games are short, it automatically makes it bad?
            I mean, I haven’t played too many games in my life, but I’ve seen some ‘short’ games praised for what it does.
            Not trying to cause an attack, I’m just wondering your viewpoint on it is.

          • Actually yeah i wanna get my money’s worthwhile of gameplay so now i stand with that short will not be good haha

          • I can understand that :3
            I feel like a good game should matter, not the length of it, so I’ll consider it worth my money’s worth if it gets me a good experience, but I understand that it’s my own view on things, considering I am a very easy-to-please person in general. (So much so that, when I go to food places and get my order wrong, most of the time I just go along with it since I don’t like to cause trouble xD)

          • mmn… I can get that. And like if I pay 10-15 I am not expecting as much as something that costs 60. In Pokemon’s case it is 40. So I expect at least a bit of something.

          • Yes short games might be good but the thing is pokemon which ppl will go riot about it but i wouldnt mind it much aslong as it is nearly as good as BWs

          • I feel like having no gyms is more than a ‘slight change’ but I still wouldn’t mind it.
            But you can still do a good story and be nonlinear with gyms, there are examples in earlier games and people here have come up with good ideas incorporating gyms.
            But, to your credit and the original poster of the leaks, it would be interesting to see and some of the ideas you guys come up with would be super awesome to play.
            So, I’ll just stick to being neutral/not caring what happens to gyms.

      • imo, i enjoy the gyms. every time i beat one i have a sense that i getting closer the end. The last two gens gave us amazing gym leaders with the majority having a backstory (BW gym leaders were all stars) . I just love gym leaders so much and i will miss the battles and all the training and grinding you do for them:(

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          • Yeah! I had a guidebook that said that the best way was with an ice type and i was like “what ice types? There are no ice types before reaching elesa” hahaha

        • Don’t get me wrong I like the gyms too and I have no problem with keeping them in general. I just think the way the games use them as crutches is kind of boring. I want something in between them. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve gone form one gym town to the next with absolutely nothing story wise happening.

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          • I mean, not every place has to be conducive to the plot. We need some down moments too. Plus, it’s kind of unrealistic to expect things happening around every corner.

          • Fair enough, but I’d rather not take two steps out of one town and then end up in the next one almost immediately lol

          • Yeah, I hate short routes as well, but if the map of Alola is at least somewhat accurate, I don’t think there’s too many short routes in Alola :3

          • Oh god i dont even know how route 1 in kalos got the title of route like they shouldve just made it all vaniville or aquacord and named route 2 route 1

          • yeah, that was kind of terrible. I was like ‘….wat? there’s not even grass like boi quit playing’

  16. I hope CoroCoro leaks before the 11th/12th when I get home! I have fond memories of my trip to Europe (specifically England) and seeing Litleo and Flabebe for the first time. I wanted a true lion Pokemon so badly!

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  17. “There will be no traditional Gyms and no Pokémon League in Alola. Your goal is to actually create one. After you do, an Elite 4 will appear which are the leaders of each island.” My heart sank when I read that. If this is true, this will be my last.

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  18. Definitely calling bullshit on these…all of these rumors are things you could easily draw from things that have already been revealed.

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    • I’m more neutral, but I am leaning towards fake myself, but that’s cause I see the flaws that it presents, like you mention. Something about the whole thing is off, to me.

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      • I knew for sure once I read the Rockruff one. Literally everyone was guessing a werewolf or a wolf…Also, I highly highly doubt it’ll be a werewolf because that’s pretty much what Zoroark is, except as a fox.

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        • Plus, I tend to be wary of leaks that mention dolphin Pokemon, and they only thing they have that’s credible is guessing the typing, which is not something super credible. If they guessed Salandit as a whole, then it would be more credible.
          But I’m still open to the ideas they suggest.

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          • Yeah the dolphin was a red flag haha. I think it would maybe be cool to scout for gym leaders and customize the game a bit (post elite four perhaps) but I want a damn dark gym!

          • You’re not the only one 😀 It needs to happen honestly.
            Although, if they did mention the game having a dark Gym Leader, I’d be wary of that too, as that’s also a fan fav idea.
            Not saying both a dolphin Pokemon and dark gym can’t happen, but as leaks, it’s those ideas that make me question its authenticity

          • It’s ideas that I would love to see, but doubt it will ever happen because of the fan love around it.
            *sigh* I’ll still keep hoping.

      • Yeah i just cant see a main series game without gyms and a leagu, what would be the goal and motivation of the journey apart from catching pkmns?

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        • There’s no point in being a pokemon trainer if there are not gyms to challenge. Plus why are you even training pokemon and fighting trainers if you’re not looking to beat someone? That’s a core point of the pokemon games.

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  19. I was just thinking… if any game could work well with an open world I think Pokemon could. The only problem being balance. Pack it with cool quests, and exploration, a good story no real need for gyms necessarily since some people seem to like that. Super colorful and cartoon-y world. Big and well designed routes and towns that have Pokemon everywhere (icons rather than random encounters). Battles obviously still in but the gyms could be optional and tackled in any order. Your lead Pokemon perhaps even your whole team could follow you because we all want that.

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  20. If Pokemon doesn’t have Gyms anymore and is going to coordinate with this GO bullshit (which oh my god, in GO, there is no real Gyms and Masuda said he was thinking of ways to connect it to the main series back in September), I’m done with the series. I will cancel my pre-orders for Pokemon Sun and Moon.

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    • Honestly the whole gym thing in Pokemon Go is kinda lame to me. I don’t even want to join one in that game (which I also can’t even play.) Not a fan of their leveling and evolution methods either. That just doesn’t feel like pokemon….

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  21. Actually there is a way to make the no gym leaders thing work. If your goal is to create a league, you kind of need 8 trainers for leaders. So you go to multiple islands to scout out 8 powerful trainers, and in order to recruit them you have to battle them and if you win they’re now your gym leader. That you have your technical gym leader battle, and it keeps the game’s length.

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    • Game freak is not going to do away with a core part of the game that’s been there from the beginning. Rarely do they stray away from their repeatedly formula and when they do it’s usually to add something new not to take something so central away. Let’s get real people

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    • Repeat with me: “These are just crappy rumors, they are fake and i must not listen to them, it is just some troll, these are fake”

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      • I will try. But I’m extremely paranoid. If they predicted Salandit, then it must be right. Do we know if they posted this before or after the fact, these points seen above here? If after the fact, just a bunch of little shits trying to get attention. If before, I’m considering quiting the Pokemon series. Highly considering…

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    • y’all need to calm your selves, there is no use over reacting to a rumour…

      and even if these are true, we don’t have all the details yet, so they could do it in a way that you would never expect, I trust GF and Nintendo, so if this is what they are going to do, you can bet your ass its gunna be awesome

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      • Yeah, at the end of the day, from what I see of SM, it looks to be an awesome game, so I’m definitely not going to stop wanting to play them because of new ideas.
        Heck, at first, I denied the Fairy type and Megas, they happened, I hated them, then when I played XY, I ended up tolerating them, even loving Fairies 😀 (Although it helps that Gardevoir become one xD)

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        • This is a bigger change though. A new type was introduced before. But you’re right. At first, I hated Mega Evolutions then ended up loving them. But I just can’t see them removing Gyms and the Elite Four. I’m sorry. It’s been a staple. But maybe if there’s some kind of method to their madness, it can work. Thanks Percy, I guess I need to have an open mind.

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          • Believe me, I know I’m kind of weird with my thinking, but it’s cause of my experiences in life and my personality.
            It’s hard to keep an open mind, but it’s what I like to encourage. It’s why I love hearing different arguments and viewpoints and even ask why people think they way they think.
            It’s kind of not surprising I went with a Psychology major xD

          • I’m aiming to be a school psychologist with a therapy degree, so I’m glad I have some qualities to be that ^^

        • thank goodness for a little a little ray of positivity that is you in among all this negative energy 😛 lol, thank you for that ^_^

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          • Percy is our best friend in troubling times. She calmed me down. I guess if there’s a method to the madness, I might be able to manage. But I just can’t shake the feeling something is fishy with all of this. I really can’t. Something doesn’t feel right with this rumor…

          • Aww I try to be :3
            But no worries, something feels off about this to me anyway, but I still try like to hear/see what people feel/think about it, negative or positive and I always like to offer an argument for the other side as well.

          • Something really feels off about the rumor. I completely agree. It just seems like someone is making this up. I mean, they didn’t really say anything. Just slapped on things they made up and stuff we knew already as well as an ongoing confidental sheet of the Starters we can’t prove fake. Could be one of our own on here! *Looks around the room*

          • Awww, no problem, it’s just me. I guess because I know how it feels to be negative and have lived in it that I can be positive and stuff. Although it wasn’t the best time of my life, it did help me in some way.
            Thanks for the kind words 😀 <3

          • The only thing about pokemon that everyone has to like is Volcarona 🙂 Good thing everyone here does, right? RIGHT?! -eye twitches-

          • Again, you’re misinterpreting my statement. All I’m saying is if he feels so strongly negative about the GF development team, I challenge him to do something better himself. People are too entitled these days/.

          • Suggesting that GF is drunk and Masuda is on some dank ass weed and became retarded… that isn’t much of a respectable opinion to me. He’s entitled to his opinion, but if he feels so strongly negative about it to suggest this, just stop following Pokemon and move on.?

          • It’s not an attack, it’s a challenge. What’s wrong with that? If you think you can do better that the GF dev team, then prove it. I’d love to see it.

          • He did not simply say that, he was insinuating that the GF development team was intoxicated and Masuda is retarded and smoking dank weed. If you can’t do any better than what they’re doing, then don’t make such bold statements. Realize that the game isn’t tailor made for you, it’s made for millions of people. If you don’t like something, tough. Get over it and enjoy the positives of what you do like. And if you don’t want to do that, then save yourself some time and energy and don’t play the game. Problem solved.

          • ok, “trigger” jokes are not ok… do you realized the mental stress and hardships someone has to be put through for them to be “triggered” its not in the slightest bit funny

          • … no because those people are not actually triggered, just idiots… doesn’t mean they don’t still deserve respect if something bothers them, but its not something that should be thrown around so nonchalantly

          • Eh I suppose. And the ones that say they are triggered over basically nothing may just be trolling and disrespecting what the term originally meant.

          • Trigger jokes? The meme is the that shows a “liberal/equality woman” being “triggered” by nothing like a sign that says wage gap, its more of a critic about todays society being protesting about the slightests of things

          • I mean, a wage gap is something to protest about because its stupid and shouldn’t be that way… but that in no way will ever trigger someone

          • Exactly that is the point…btw the sign actually says sewage gap but she just sees the wage gap part idk, i get what you mean

          • well if you said it was bad in your opinion, then thats not subjective, and would have just been brushed off, but when someone says “so obviously bad” it implies that any other opinion is wrong so… thats why

          • Right. I shouldn’t have said that. But that doesn’t negate that Chico is attacking him simply because he doesn’t like these rumours.

          • i don’t know if its attacking per say, I think chico just wants people to have an open mind an understand that different people like different things about pokemon, and we cant expect to always get what we want out of it. maybe it wasn’t said in the best way, but still.

            I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt any feelings if they were hurt, he’s a cool dude

            Why cant we all just get along :C lol

    • When are pokemon rumors ever right though? xD I remember HUGE “leaks” during B/W that were posted here but none of them ever turned out true.

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  23. If these starter evos are real, they will change all of the positives opinions I’ve had about these games so far. Additionally the rumored starter evolutions destroy everything likeable about litten, rowlett, and poplio in the first place

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    • starters make up a fraction of a game’s new pokemon count, and they are rarely the most popular pokemon in a generation. seriously, greninja was a rarity! people have been disappointed with starter evolutions since like gen 2, and most people when asked about their favourites pick non-starters

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        • that’s fair. my point is more that disliking a generation because of the starters would be odd, considering how they’re a small part of the full game and generally speaking are viewed pretty harshly compared to the rest

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  24. “In addition, it seems that the majority of the images of the “leaked” starters (seen above) have mysteriously disappeared from Google image search.”

    i’m confussed about this btw, if you reverse image search the pictures they all still come up, dating back to the beginning of june when they first leaked..?

    Reply

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