A Pokemon fan has come up with an interesting idea that would allow trainers to re-encounter released Pokemon. Taking to Reddit, user ThePeculiarPikachu shared a meme suggesting Pokemon players should be able to meet previously released Pokemon under certain conditions.
The act of releasing Pokemon has remained unchanged since the franchise's inception, with Pokemon simply vanishing into thin air when released by their trainer. There has never been an official way to recover released Pokemon, and this has led to many instances of players losing their cherished companions upon accidentally hitting the wrong button or giving their device to a sibling. While the more seasoned players know that one can simply restart their console in order to recover their Pokemon, so long as they have not saved since releasing it, the Pokemon franchise is yet to make any accommodations, with the latest Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailers not hinting at a related mechanic.
Taking matters into their own hands, ThePeculiarPikachu proposed that players should have a chance to re-encounter released Pokemon when traveling in the tall grass along the same route they initially released their companion upon. This idea would presumably also apply to other encounter types, such as caves, deserts, and when surfing across bodies of water, and would allow players to come across released Pokemon when starting a random encounter, complete with the nickname and level they had at the time of release.
Though fans of the Pokemon franchise have long been awaiting a small yet meaningful mechanic that would allow them to re-encounter released companions, questions have been raised about how mechanics such as that proposed by ThePeculiarPikachu would impact shiny breeders and those playing the game under Nuzlocke rules. Those chasing after an elusive shiny Pokemon obtainable only from an egg tend to release non-shiny variants en masse, which could lead to entire routes throughout the region becoming overpopulated with unwanted Pokemon that have been released from an egg. One must also consider the impact such a change could have on Nuzlocke players, who have to release a Pokemon whenever it faints throughout their journey. Being able to re-encounter released Pokemon could enable Nuzlockers to rebuild their teams by coming across released companions once again during their travels.
With Pokemon adding new features with each coming release and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet slated for release in just over two weeks, it seems like only a matter of time until a mechanic allowing players to re-encounter released Pokemon makes its way into the game. While some may bring up the negative impact this may have on players who release hundreds of the same Pokemon species into the wild when pursuing a shiny, the subsequent overpopulation would mimic real-life occasions where animals have become an invasive species after being released into the wild, adding another level of realism to the Pokemon franchise in a manner similar to the horde encounters and mass outbreaks of previous generations.