A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet player has clipped the moment in which they almost miss a Shiny Pawniard hidden among a herd of Skiddo. Unlike with previous generations of Pokemon, Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet don't have much visual indication that they're special beyond the color pallet changes, which has resulted in some trainers missing them along the way as this player almost did.
Reddit user Linkedscissors13 recently shared a clip of their adventure through Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Paldea in which they stumble across several Skiddo and a solitary Shiny Pawniard. Beyond the gym battling of Victory Road path, players can also expand their Paldean adventures by taking on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Path of Legends or Starfall Street. These new paths that were introduced with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are being explored by several Pokemon fans that have already completed the gym challenges, while Shiny Pokemon hunting remains a frequent end-game pastime for veterans of the franchise.
Linkedscissors13's clip shows the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trainer riding Legendary Pokemon Miraidon past a herd of six Skiddo that are hiding a Shiny Pawniard near a corner on a rocky Paldea mountain. Not seeing the Shiny among the standard Pokemon, Linkedscissors13 continues riding beyond this group before turning around to check it out more attentively. Looking at the party of seven Pokemon from two different angles, Linkedscissors13 spotted the Shiny Pawniard among them and started attempting to engage it in battle instead of mistakenly getting into a Skiddo encounter instead.
The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trainer dismounts their Miraidon before crouching to circle around the Skiddo, returning to walking speed after targeting the Shiny Pawniard to impact the movement of the Grass-type Pokemon. Seeing a small window between two Skiddo, Linkedscissors13 summons a level 31 Kilowattrel to take on the Shiny Pawniard in an attempt to catch it. Although Linkedscissors13's Pokemon Scarlet and Violet video concludes before the sometimes glitched Pokemon trainer is able to catch the Shiny Pawniard, they have confirmed in the comment thread that the Shiny Pokemon is their first since Pokemon Black and White.
As some Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fans expressed their appreciation for Linkedscissors13's ability to spot a Shiny Pokemon with a similar color scheme to the others around it, one suggested that the Pawniard was undercover. While one player pointed to Linkedscissors13's footage as an example of the questionable targeting system of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, two experienced fans recommended auto-battling with the Skiddo next time to clear the area around the Shiny Pawniard.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.