A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet player attempted to catch a Water Tauros, but their efforts ended in heartbreak. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are the Generation 9 Pokemon games, and as usual for new main series Pokemon games, they introduce a slew of new creatures for players to catch and battle with. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet also continue a trend that was started with Pokemon Sun and Moon a couple generations ago.
Pokemon Sun and Moon introduced the concept of regional variants for Pokemon, debuting Alolan forms for Pokemon that were introduced in previous generations, giving them new types and changing their appearance. This continued in Pokemon Sword and Shield with its Galarian forms, and it's present in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as well. One such regional variant is Paldean Tauros, of which there are three forms available.
While exploring the Paldea region, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players have the chance to run into Combat Breed, Blaze Breed, and Aqua Breed versions of Paldean Tauros, with the latter often referred to as Water Tauros by the community. Finding these specific Tauros can be a difficult task for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players, even those that have otherwise fully-completed the Pokedex. That's why Reddit user alyssa_co's attempt at catching one was particularly heartbreaking.
As seen in a clip uploaded to Reddit, alyssa_co spots what appears to be a Water Tauros out in the wild. They run over to the Tauros to initiate the battle, but their excitement soon turns sour. As it turns out, the so-called Water Tauros wasn't a Tauros at all. To the surprise of alyssa_co, it was really a Ditto in disguise.
Ditto is a unique Pokemon that first appeared in the Generation 1 Pokemon games. Ditto is a Normal-type Pokemon that can transform into whatever Pokemon it's battling against. Ditto has been a mainstay in the Pokemon franchise since its debut, though it did skip Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet showing the Pokemon roaming the game world instead of using a random battle system like the older games has made this frustrating Ditto moment possible, as before players would simply wind up in a fight with a Ditto whenever they encountered one instead of being tricked into thinking it was a Pokemon they were looking for.
If Ditto returns in the Generation 10 Pokemon games, then the potential will always be there for players to get tricked when they think they have found a rare Pokemon for their collection. With Pokemon Scarlet and Violet having just launched and Game Freak likely working on DLC for the games, though, it should be years before fans have to worry about the Generation 10 games.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.