In the lead-up to the launch of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, Game Freak kept a great deal of surprises rather close to their chest. Jokes aside about some of those surprises being performance-related, one of the big shockers was the number of Paradox Pokemon available for capture in both versions of the game — and the fact that Scarlet and Violet each feature their own exclusive list.

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Many players will want these powerful icons of past and future to occupy important slots in their combat team as soon as possible. But how soon can Paradox Pokemon be caught? And where? And why, pray tell, should more casual players care?

What Are Paradox Pokemon?

They're rad. Haven't you ever wanted a chrome Delibird to call your own? Okay, maybe, maybe not. But what about a fabulous aerial prehistoric Salamence? Or a green robotic dinosaur Tyranitar? That's what Paradox Pokemon ultimately are — even if, and this is important, their species names are wholly unique.

You see, the trio we just talked about are called Iron Bundle, Roaring Moon, and Iron Thorns. Now, you're going to look at these creatures, and you're going to think of them the way we initially described them. But, per the Pokedex and every other official source, their names are all two-word descriptions. It's weird.

Back to the matter at hand. Paradox Pokemon are powerful assets to any team, handily some of the strongest potential allies in the game. Fittingly, all but one species per version is impossible to obtain until quite late into the story.

You might think that means post-game, but thankfully, not quite. This isn't advertised on the tin, mind you, but Pokemon Scarlet & Violet's 'three' story paths are actually four. A fourth and final (and fantastic) main questline opens up after the initial three have been completed. This quest will bring the player character and their closest friends to Area Zero, that scary place your professors have harped on about for hours.

Area Zero is where you will find most Paradox Pokemon, which we'll get into in further depth shortly. But first, what about that Paradox Pokemon that Scarlet & Violet offer up earlier than the endgame stretch?

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Great Tusk And Iron Treads: The Earlier-Game Exceptions

As part of the 'Path of Legends' main questline, players team up with the thorny and enigmatic Arven to find five varieties of Herba Mystica. Each of these sacred foodstuffs is guarded by a mega-sized Pokemon boss. The lowest-leveled of them, and thus the one folks tend to advise go0ing after first, is that big crab-like Klawf seen in one of the trailers.

Four out of five of these are simply oversized variants on their typical forms. There's a little more to it, lore-wise, but that's the long and short of it. One of them, however — Great Tusk in Pokemon Scarlet, Iron Treads in Pokemon Violet — is, in fact, the first Paradox Pokemon you'll encounter.

Now, it's important to note that these five boss Pokemon cannot be caught when they're first battled. Their smaller selves will eventually spawn in roughly the same spot you originally fought them, however. It's tragically easy to play through the rest of the game without knowing this, but this includes Great Tusk and/or Iron Treads. Both of these Donphan-esque beasts will respawn in the Asado Desert.

Where To Find All Other Paradox Pokemon

Fans of Donphan (Don-fans?) will be stoked that their long-forgotten elephantine Johto jewel has been powerfully redesigned and made available relatively early, but what about the rest of them? They're all located in Area Zero, within the Great Crater of Paldea. Of course, since Scarlet and Violet both have their own group, you'll find only half the total number of Paradox Pokemon in each.

In Pokemon Scarlet, you'll encounter the 'Past Paradox' forms of familiar faces. In Pokemon Violet, it's all about 'Future Paradox' forms. Breaking that down, here's what this means.

We're listing Great Tusk and Iron Treads again here, since they're also found within Area Zero!

Pokemon Scarlet (Past Paradox)

Pokemon Violet (Future Paradox)

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What About Koraidon And Miraidon?

Are our best pals, Koraidon and Miraidon, also Paradox Pokemon? Yes. So, when do we catch them? Well, the answer's kind of obvious to anyone who's played more than ten minutes of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Right at the beginning. But who is their original species, and when do we finally get to fight with them?

Koraidon is the Past Paradox form of Cyclizar. Miraidon is, in turn, Cyclizar's Future Paradox form. As for when your trusted steed becomes your fighting friend, this doesn't occur until the very last battle in the fourth and final story. It's an epic moment, to be sure, and while it's arguably a bummer that we can't send them out to do our bidding any sooner, remember that for some players, Pokemon games don't truly begin until they end.

Next: Hidden Plotlines Everyone Missed In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet