A new rumor surrounding Pokemon Winds and Waves has me thinking less about the next generation’s brand-new creatures and more about what Game Freak could do with the ones we already know. A November 6 leak attributed to the leaker Kurwa and circulated by Centro LEAKS claims that Charcadet will receive a third evolution and Oricorio will get two additional forms. Neither addition has been announced by The Pokemon Company, and the leak offers no designs, typings, or methods for obtaining them. Still, I like the choices. Both Pokemon were introduced with unusual systems that invite more possibilities, and neither needs a dramatic reinvention to become interesting again.
With Pokemon Winds and Waves headed to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027, this rumor fits a bigger opportunity for Generation 10. The games’ confirmed island-and-ocean setting gives familiar species room to feel different in a new environment. Charcadet already asks players to choose between two very different warriors, while Oricorio changes its appearance and type through a connection to nectar. I would rather see Game Freak develop those ideas than add forms that exist purely to fill out a roster. If either claim comes true, the additions could feel like the next step in a design that already works.
Charcadet Has Room for a Third Warrior
Charcadet is one of the more memorable additions from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet because its evolution is a choice, not a straight line. Auspicious Armor turns it into Armarouge, a Fire/Psychic-type Pokemon with an imposing armored look and an emphasis on special attacks. Malicious Armor produces Ceruledge, a Fire/Ghost-type fighter whose blade-like arms and physical attacks create a completely different personality. A third evolution would follow the same logic: keep Charcadet’s fiery warrior identity, then give players another reason to seek it out. The rumor does not say how a new branch would evolve, but a distinct armor item would be a fitting continuation of the established mechanic.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
For me, the appeal is the space between Armarouge and Ceruledge. Armarouge feels like a powerful, heavily equipped combatant; Ceruledge is the more sinister swordfighter. I can imagine a shield-bearing defender or a dragon-inspired knight joining them, although those designs and typings are my own speculation, not details from the leak. There is also a practical reason to expand the family: another branch would let players build different teams around the same starting Pokemon. A third Charcadet evolution would make its original branching idea feel like a lasting part of the series rather than a one-game novelty (although I’m starting to worry about Eevee’s feelings). That is a better reason to revisit Charcadet than popularity alone, especially when the existing pair already has such clear identities.
A third Charcadet evolution would make its original branching idea feel like a lasting part of the series rather than a one-game novelty.
Oricorio is an even more convincing fit for the setting. Introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon, the dancing bird has four styles inspired by different performance traditions: Baile, Pom-Pom, Pa’u, and Sensu. Their primary types are Fire, Electric, Psychic, and Ghost, respectively, with Flying as the shared secondary type. Each style is associated with a different color of nectar, letting the same Pokemon switch forms instead of evolving. That system made sense in Alola, where the forms were linked to different islands and their flowers. An entirely new archipelago is exactly the kind of place where I would expect to discover Oricorio varieties shaped by unfamiliar local plants and traditions. Two more forms would make the world feel more alive without introducing a complicated new feature.
There would be a real gameplay payoff, too. Oricorio’s signature move, Revelation Dance, takes on the type of the form using it, so new primary typings would give that attack new possibilities. Its Dancer Ability also lets it copy qualifying dance moves used by other Pokemon. The current forms share base stats, meaning extra styles would not automatically boost Oricorio’s power, but different type matchups could change where it fits on a team. I could see Water/Flying complementing the ocean setting or Grass/Flying emphasizing the flower connection. Neither combination has been named in the rumor, and I would be just as interested in a less obvious direction. What excites me is the chance for the local environment to influence both Oricorio’s look and how it battles.
Pokemon Should Keep Building on Its Best Existing Ideas
I have always liked it when a new Pokemon game makes me reconsider a familiar team member. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet did that with Annihilape, which gave Primeape a new evolution years after its debut, and Farigiraf, which expanded Girafarig’s unusual design. Charcadet and Oricorio would take a different approach, because their systems already give Game Freak an obvious starting point. One would add a permanent evolutionary choice; the other would offer more flexibility within a single species. That is what makes these rumored upgrades convincing to me. They respect what players recognize about each Pokemon while offering another way to engage with it.
The Charcadet and Oricorio claims remain unconfirmed, and I do not want to treat a social media rumor as a promise. Even if neither addition appears in Pokemon Winds and Waves, the idea behind them is worth keeping. Game Freak has an enormous roster full of mechanics that deserve another look, and these two are especially good examples. I am excited to meet Generation 10’s new Pokemon, but I would also love to discover that the familiar little fire warrior has another future, or that Oricorio dances differently on a new island. That kind of continuity gives a new region something beyond novelty: it makes the Pokemon world feel connected.
- Released
-
2027
- Multiplayer
-
Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
