Compared to some of the more recent Pokémon games, news about Pokémon Sword & Shield
seems a bit slower.
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing as each bit of information we do get feels just
a little more worthwhile.
It’s not an endless cascade of new Pokémon though that is present in the newest trailer
for the games.
Instead the focus seems to be on the newly introduced rivals, Bede and Marnie, as well
as the evil Team, Team Yell.
And it’s with them that the old Analysis Machine discovered the most intriguing new
details.
But let’s see what other secrets and hidden details it can find as we return once more
to Galar.
Before we get to the rivals, we should take a short look at our new Pokémon which mainly
serve to confirm the return of regional forms.
In fact, one of the only completely new Pokémon in this trailer is the new Electric rodent,
Morpeko.
Based on a hamster, Morpeko is constantly hungry and carries around berry seeds in its
pouch to feed itself.
But if it goes without food for too long, a change in hormones causes it to become more
aggressive while its Type becomes Dark.
This is done in the game through its Ability, Hunger Switch.
Every turn Morpeko’s Type will switch from Electric to Dark and this ties into its unique
move, Aura Wheel, as its Type depends on Morpeko’s.
And this Ability to change forms may even tie into Weezing.
The first of the new Galarian Forms we were introduced to, Weezing is a dual Poison and
Fairy Type in the Galar region.
It actually feeds on poison gases, consumes the toxicity, and emits purified air through
the stacks on its head.
However, the poison gases it consumes also tend to leak out around it causing any who
catch a whiff to become immobilized.
What’s most interesting to us though is its Abilities.
One is Levitate but the other is a mystery.
This is the first time a trailer has held back that information, and we’re curious
as to why.
Could it be possible that this new Ability could tie into a Form change like with Morpeko?
That would be one reason to keep it secret.
But it could also be due to it sharing a key Ability with a new Pokémon that has yet to
be revealed.
For now, we’re left in the dark.
And speaking of which, the trailer also reveals the first non-Gen 1 Pokémon to have a regional
form, Zigzagoon!
The Galarian Zigzagoon is a dual Dark and Normal Type with the Abilities Pickup and
Gluttony.
And according to the official website, it’s the original form of the Pokémon.
It’s restless nature made it settle all across Galar and some speculate this aspect
is what caused the more common forms of Zigzagoon to run in zigzag movements.
Naturally there’s also the Galarian Linoone which can reach speeds of 60 mph to deliver
devastating tackles.
It’s considered rash and fearless making a popular Pokémon among the disaffected young
people of the region who don’t know where to direct their own frustration.
So of course we’ll see them with Team Yell.
But the final surprise is that the Galarian Linoone actually has a unique evolution, Obstagoon.
It keeps the same Typing but it’s Abilities can either be Reckless or Guts.
This evolution was triggered due to the sheer amount of competition amongst the Linoone.
Despite the fact that it’s extremely combative, it rarely attacks first, instead provoking
its opponent into doing so.
It’s then that Obstagoon will use its new Obstruct attack which might be the move we
see in the trailer though we don’t see its full effect.
It appears to be a taunt that will cause Obstagoon to either block the damage or counter with
something else.
We can’t be completely sure.
That may be all of the new Pokémon, but the Japanese trailer also introduced a brand new
activity that players can do with their Pokémon, Poké Jobs.
The Galar region commonly has people and Pokémon work together and oftentimes corporations
and universities will request the help of Pokémon thanks to Poké Jobs.
These jobs can be accessed through the new Rotomi that seem to have replaced normal PCs
in Pokémon Centers, which is helpful as players can send boxed Pokémon to help out as well.
But these screens also reveal a new kind of Pokémon Center Café that feature berries.
We assume they work much the same way though perhaps there will be a few changes.
Maybe these drinks will help Pokémon if they’re sent on Poké Jobs?
The other screenshots on the website provide a better idea of how the system works.
Different companies offer different jobs and each one has a limit of Pokémon and an indication
of how much experience the Pokémon sent will earn.
And certain jobs are better suited for certain Pokémon.
For example this screenshot indicates that Pokémon with big muscles are needed so best
to send Pokémon like Machop.
Players can also choose how long the Pokémon will be working as that will yield better
rewards and even some rare items.
In this example, we can see the option for half a day and we think this refers to real
time.
So that’s what players will have to balance.
Those Pokémon will be unusable until they return.
Of course this also provides our first look at the Pokémon Box in the Rotomi and some
of the companies we’ve seen advertised in the past.
The C company we mentioned before is called Macro Cosmos and they seem to have different
branches.
In this case, construction.
But there are also jobs dealing with cooking, fishing, and even berry picking through the
company Turffield Orchards.
And as we can see with the Japanese trailer, new companies and jobs will become available
as players progress.
It seems like a decent possible method of training boxed Pokémon.
But now it’s time to cover the truly intriguing part of this new trailer, the rivals and Team
Yell.
And first up is the character of Bede.
Although he’s not shown much in the English trailer, he seems to have a fascinating role
in the player’s journey.
The website only describes him as a prideful young man who is skilled at battles and received
his recommendation for the Gym Challenge from Chairman Rose himself.
He even has Rose’s companies symbol on the back of his jacket.
Bede is indeed aiming to become the Champion, but he also has some mysterious objectives
as well.
What those might be is never shown.
Our first look at Bede in the English trailer seems to be in the steam city as we can make
out a small portion of the brick buildings behind him.
He’s also looking down indicating he’s higher up in the city which we’ve seen is
multi-leveled in the past.
More than likely, he’s looking at the player trainer.
We then battle him in the arid area west of the fortress city.
It’s here that we see his Dynamax band which isn’t that big of a surprise considering
how important Dynamaxing is to Gym Battles.
More notable is the Solosis he sends into battle meaning it’s somewhere between level
32 and 41, providing a better idea of how powerful the Pokémon encounters will be at
this point.
But none of this gives us a sense of what Bede is actually like.
That’s where the Japanese trailer comes into play.
For anyone who’s been wanting a jerk rival in Pokémon again, Bede seems to be the answer.
From his mannerisms we can see that he’s extremely confident.
He spins his Great Ball before sending his Pokémon into battle and he snaps his fingers
to have it perform a move.
Then there’s the way that he checks his watch, as if he’s always on some kind of
schedule though we don’t know the exact meaning of this.
In addition to presumably meeting him in the steam city and while in the arid area to the
northwest, he’s also met at the end of the mines that lie to the west of the steam city.
It’s then that we start seeing some of his dialogue.
The first of which is inside the caves but not necessarily at the end of them.
Bede is commenting on how the player’s Pokémon look defeated and beaten up despite such an
easy fight.
Is he referring to a different battle against someone before or how you barely managed to
defeat him?
We think it’s the former as there are scenes of Team Yell in the mines.
So perhaps he confronts you after you defeat them.
The next exchange is near the mine exit once again.
Here Bede states that the Champion isn’t as respected as the League Chairman seemingly
showing his loyalty to Chairman Rose.
However, he then follows this up by saying that he’s better than the Chairman making
it seem as if his goal is to not only become Champion but lead the League itself as Chairman.
Finally, at the end of the battle sequence, Bede laughs and states that now he knows your
real ability.
So much like defeating jerk rivals of the past, he never seems to recognize what you’re
capable of.
You’re merely another stepping stone and that has so much potential.
Then there’s the other rival, Marnie, who can’t really be talked about without also
mentioning the new Team Yell.
But we’ll truly dive into them once we learn a bit more about Marnie.
Like many, she aims to become the Champion, but this seems to be only a stopgap toward
another goal.
Somehow becoming Champion will also accomplish that.
Her sense of style and calm, calculated battle prowess has earned her many diehard fans,
most notably the members of Team Yell who will do whatever they can to ensure she becomes
Champion.
What’s not really known though is how she feels about Team Yell’s support.
These are fans who disrupt other Challengers and can be seen getting in the players way
multiple times.
The first encounter seems to be within a building, one we’ve seen in a previous trailer as
this is the same attendant with a Budew.
Later, we can see the player standing between the Team Yell Grunts and a character in a
Gym uniform.
This could be another challenger they were harassing before the player steps in.
But the fact that this person is wearing a hat makes us think their focus is entirely
on our trainer and that character just works for the Gyms.
The Japanese trailer shows more of their confrontation with the player as they tell him that he’ll
have to give it his all in order to beat them.
And at some point Hop jumps into the fray to help, but we don’t think a fight has
broken out yet as the Grunts are still taunting the two saying how they can already see their
defeat and them crying.
It’s at this point that Marnie herself finally arrives and asks what everyone is doing there.
The way she addresses everyone makes it seem that Team Yell is not closely associated with
her and even they look surprised that she’s here in the English trailer.
We then see her walking closer as a Grunt complains about either the player or Hop.
We think it’s because neither of them recognize her and Team Yell considers this an insult.
It’s also at this point that we see Team Yell’s uniform includes a giant safety pin
on their backs.
Why?
We have no idea.
That’s Galar fashion for you.
We don’t see anymore of the confrontation with Team Yell and instead this scene switches
focus to Marnie herself.
The trio talk in the same area near the elevator and it’s here that we see a potential clue
to where this takes place.
One of the photos behind her seems to feature a factory of some kind meaning that all this
happens in the steam city.
It is the first time meeting her after all and Bede was shown in the city as well.
It makes sense that players would meet the other rivals here as the trailer introducing
Chairman Rose featured an opening ceremony for the Gym Challenge.
It’s possible we meet these two rivals before heading to the Gym itself where they also
take part in the ceremony.
Otherwise Marnie says in this scene that other people are obsessed with giving her support
and that she finds the behavior just plain sappy.
It’s the only time we see her even briefly mention her fanbase and this comes across
as her not appreciating it.
In fact, she seems to want to do most things on her own as the next scene has the conversation
move in front of a statue in the same building, just down the stairs.
The statue depicts a knight wielding a shield and likely raising a sword so it’s possible
that this a hero connected to the Legendaries in some way.
But we never see this hero again in the trailer.
Instead, Marnie states that she’ll have to cooperate with the player in order to win
the Gym Challenge but she’d prefer to do it on her own.
Despite that, she’s going to try her best and push through the Challenge.
So it seems like the player will have to team up with her in some way in order to take on
a Gym.
Why they need to team up, we’re not sure, but maybe what players need to do before challenging
the Leader is different in each Gym.
Nessa’s, who we saw in the E3 demo, just happened to be the most like what came before.
That’s our guess at least.
Either way, Marnie seems to prefer to be independent so Team Yell might be more of an annoyance
to her than anything else, especially since they love to appear anytime she takes part
in a battle as the trailer shows them clearly.
The last interaction with Marnie that we see takes place in an area with no features whatsoever,
perhaps a battle?
It seems that way as she says that sh e’ll be displeased if she loses.
She has to win this battle.
But there’s one thing we have to wonder about.
The Pokémon at her side is Morpeko, a partner whose main attribute is a hidden dark side.
Could this be reflected in Marnie as well?
That may be the last of Marnie, but there are still a few scenes featuring Team Yell.
And if it wasn’t clear by now, they’re absolutely based on sports hooligans who cheer
for their team no matter what.
The even have spiked vezuvelas and towels featuring Marnie.
It’s a little like Sun & Moon’s Team Skull but sticking closer to the sports theme that
seems key to the Galar Region’s Pokémon League.
And like many of evil Teams before, they’re going to show up a lot.
In one of the battles with a Yell Grunt, we can see a bridge in the background.
While it’s difficult to tell from this angle, we think this takes place east of the steam
city on the way to Nessa’s Gym as there seems to be a significant dip below the bridge.
Adding to this is a battle with Marnie where a tunnel can be seen in the background which
we can see on the other side of that bridge on the Galar map.
So it seems that players will encounter Bede if they head west to Milo’s Gym or Marnie
if they head east to Nessa’s Gym.
It once again appears to enforce the idea that the order or Gyms is at least somewhat
open.
And finally we have the moments where Team Yell appears on their own.
One time is in the mines where they’re asking if you’re taking part in the League Challenge
indicating that not all of the Yell members know who you are after the steam city.
This room in the mines is also similar to one of the encounters with Bede lending further
credence that he comes to mock you after your battle with the Yell Grunts.
The next scene has them using their vezuvelas in a city, presumably the steam city as we
can see an ornate door behind them.
Perhaps this leads to the desk where Yell is first confronted.
Another scene shows Team Yell near the frozen northeast of Galar where they’re harassing
a doctor who’s trying to help a sick Drednaw.
But they don’t care at all claiming that healing it doesn’t matter right now.
So they really are nuisances who just want to cause as much trouble as possible while
promoting Marnie.
We also see a Grunt along with his Linoone in what could be the Water Gym town.
It’s hard to tell as all we can see is a large building and a Pokémon Center.
Finally, one of the screenshots on the official website shows the player and Hop facing off
against two Grunts confirming that double battles will indeed be in the game.
Seeing all of this information in the newest Pokémon Sword & Shield trailer really has
us excited for the possibilities.
In Hop we have a nice supportive rival, in Bede we have the return of a jerk rival, and
in Marnie we have something a little new.
Someone who wants to do it on their own while being supported by a toxic fanbase.
At least, that’s how it all seems right now.
We can’t wait to see how all of these elements come together and it’ll be fun to see what
Pokémon will receive Galar Forms, especially as they’re not limited to Gen 1 Pokémon.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
But that’s everything we could find in the latest trailer for Pokémon Sword & Shield.
Of course let us know if we missed anything in the comments.
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