A new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet leak is giving fans a possible first look at a new Cherubi variant. Nintendo and Game Freak finally announced the long-awaited ninth generation of mainline Pokémon games back in February, revealing that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are set to launch on the Nintendo Switch in November after much rumor and speculation. A steady stream of new information surrounding these upcoming Pokémon games would follow over the next few months, with later Pokémon Scarlet and Violet announcements highlighting the game’s European-inspired open-world setting, revamped Pokémon centers, and the new Professors who will help players on their journey to become the world’s greatest Pokémon master.
Of course, the main draw of the Pokémon series has always been the titular collectible monsters themselves, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are already offering up plenty of new and interesting elementally-powered creatures for players to capture, train, and battle with. The initial Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trailer unveiled the new Starter trio that trainers will have to choose from at the start of their new adventure, and later reveals introduced fans to new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon species like the pig-like Lechonk and the Legendary Koraidon and Miraidon. Eagle-eyed Pokémon fans have also noticed Generation 1’s seldom-seen Venonat in the second Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trailer earlier this month, and it looks like some other past Pokémon could be returning with intriguing new forms.
Reddit user s_samuu recently posted a supposedly leaked image of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet to r/PokeLeaks (via Game Rant), one that appears to show an alternate form of Generation 4’s Cherubi relaxing in a grassy meadow. While the small, Grass-type Pokémon usually resembles a cherry, this new variant of Cherubi looks more like a cluster of grapes with multiple faces - which in turn could suggest an entire alternate Pokémon evolutionary line for Cherubi and its secondary stage Cherrim. However, even s_samuu admits that this alleged image could be fake and other Reddit users in the comment section of their post have been quick to point out that the shadow cast by the Cherubi variant is different than the ones seen in previously shown, official Pokémon Scarlet and Violet footage.
Alternate versions of existing Pokémon that are tied to specific regions were introduced with Pokémon Sun and Moon’s Alola region, and the subsequent Sword and Shield expanded upon this by introducing entirely different evolution branches - with an example of this being the Steel-type Galarian Meowth becoming Perrserker instead of the classic Persian. Rumor has it that the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will continue the trend of giving existing Pokémon new variants, with a popular theory being that these new Scarlet and Violet variants will be based on time instead of region and show what some of the series’ most well-known creatures looked like in the past.
It's possible that this alleged Generation 9 variant of Cherubi could be an example of these new time-specific forms in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, assuming that s_samuu’s shared leak is indeed authentic. If it is real, there also could be new Gen 9 versions of Cherubi’s evolved form Cherrim in both its Overcast and Sunshine branches to collect in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet - but that might not be confirmed for some time, as the latest generation of Pokémon games draws closer to its launch this holiday season.
Source: s_samuu/Reddit (via Game Rant)