Summary
While discussion within thePokemoncommunity is currently focused on the release of The Teal Mask DLC forPokemon Scarlet and Violet, there are those who are looking ahead to what game might be next for the franchise. Recent rumors and speculation point towards a sequel toPokemon Legends: Arceus, and while it may be unconventional, this sequel could keep players in the Paldea Region, albeit a past version. If the follow-up toPokemon Legends: Arceusdoes take place in Paldea, there are a few critters that seem like great choices for starters.
It wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary for a newPokemon Legendsgame to take place in the Paldea Region despite it being the home of the most recent titles. The plot ofPokemon Scarlet and Violetdeals a lot with time travel and its connection to the Paradox Pokemon that inhabit Area Zero, so aPokemon LegendsPaldea game would have a lot of lore to work with. Although recent leaks and rumors suggest that aPokemon LegendsUnovacould be on the way, there is still a chance that Paldea is the setting for a futurePokemon Legendstitle.
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The Pokemon Most Likely to Be Starters in a Legends Paldea Game
The Paldea Region is based on the real-world Iberian Peninsula that contains the countries of Spain and Portugal, putting Paldea near the regions ofKalosand Galar, who are inspired by countries close to the Iberian Peninsula: France and the UK respectively. As such, it is likely that some of the starters from those regions could have been found in Paldea at an earlier time, potentially migrating to the regions they are known to inhabit today from a past version of Paldea. With this geographical information in mind, there are three starters that fit in quite well within Paldea’s potential past.
The most likely Grass-type starter for aPokemon LegendsPaldea game would beChespin, the Spiny Nut Pokemon from Gen 6. With how close Paldea theoretically is to the Kalos Region, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine that Chespin originated from Paldea in the past. Its chestnut inspiration lends credibility to this theory, as the European chestnut is native to Southern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. Having Chespin as a starter would also be a great opportunity for Chesnaught to really lean into its knight inspiration and gain a Grass/Steel-type regional variant.
For a Fire-type starter,Scorbunnymakes the most sense as it is known to reside in the nearby Galar Region and could also have feasibly migrated from Paldea sometime in the past. Scorbunny and its evolutions are also based on footballers; as popular as the sport is in the UK, it’s as popular if not more so in Spain, making Scorbunny a natural fit in the Paldea Region. Cinderace would then be in the perfect position to get a more competitive regional variant of its Galarian form that gains the Fire/Fighting typing as a result.
The best choice for a Water-type starter in aPokemon LegendsPaldea game would be Totodile, despite it originally appearing in the far away Johto Region. The Teal Mask implies the land of Kitakami that Paldean students travel to isnear to the Johto Region, and the history of this cultural exchange between the two regions could have allowed Totodile to travel between Paldea and Johto in the past. There are also fossils of Iberosuchus, the Iberian crocodile, found in Portugal which suggests that a species of crocodile was native to the area in the past, potentially setting Feraligatr up to have a fossil-inspired Water/Rock-type regional variant.
