Summary
With over 1000 Pokemon and so many of them with alternate forms, there are more than enough Pokemon that can battle against others, whether that’s between Trainers (and Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC has shownhow engaging even battles against AI Trainers can be) or in the wild. There are so many that players have countless options available for team building. Even so, there remain some forms that cannot be caught in the mainline series at all, and certainly cannot be used in battle.
The existence of such Pokemon forms has been implied through Pokedex entries, or even shown outright in the games. For one reason or another, though, they cannot be obtained, added to the party, or used by the player at all. Between Pokemon that the player interacts with and some that exist only in the lore, here are some Pokemon forms that cannot, as yet, be added to your team.There are some surprising rarities in the series, but these Pokemon go a step beyond that.
Some of these entries don’t constitute true alternate forms of a Pokemon, but rather known states they’ve taken that could serve as just that.
6Zygarde Cell
One Tiny Piece Of Something Much Bigger
Although Zygarde was introduced in Generation 6, the true nature of its lore and gimmick were first seen inPokemon Sun and Moon,which featuresa side quest to find Zygarde Cells. While Zygarde can be used at different levels of power, with the snake-like form being 50%, the dog-like form being 10%, and the giant mecha form being its Complete Forme, the 1% form known as the Zygarde Cell cannot be used in battle.
It can be assumed that there would be next to no reason to use a Zygarde Cell in battle, since it is literally so weak it cannot battle, but the fact remains that it is an unobtainable form of a Legendary Pokemon that the player continually interacts with. Given that the other levels of Zygarde are readily usable, it’s even more unfortunate that the Cells are left behind in this way.
5Cloakless Burmy And Wormadam
Burmy and Wormadam (the evolved form Burmy will adopt only if female), not-so-iconic and competitively very weak Pokemon, are best known for their different colorful forms. They’re based on where these Pokemon battled last or were found in the wild, operating as so-called Cloaks. While both bugs have a simple Sandy, Trash, and Plant Cloak variant, granting Wormadam dual Ground, Steel, and Grass typing respectively, there’s a strange gap: There is no obtainable form in which Burmy doesn’t have its Cloak at all.
Implied to exist in Pokedex entries and shown to exist in the anime, the lack of a cloakless Burmy – and subsequently Wormadam – is an odd missing piece for a Pokemon that revolves around having multiple forms. It could have even been given an exclusive move or Ability, to compensate for its lack of a secondary typing.
4Apple-Less Applin
This Tiny Menace Isn’t A Part Of The Apple After All
Applin, first introduced inPokemon Sword and Shieldand a recent recipient of anew cross-generation evolution in Hydrapple,is one of many pun-based Pokemon. A draconic worm, or wyrm, in an apple, its reliance on a plant makes it only fitting that it’s a dual Grass-type (along withthe Fairy-threatened Dragon) and continues to be one in all of its evolved forms. In one very unique case, though, it can be seen outside of its apple.
Seen only briefly when players inNew Pokemon Snapmanage to knock Applin out of its apple, the true body of Applin offers the potential for even more forms of this Pokemon. The wyrm can clearly exist without being attached to the hollowed fruit, after all. Whether the line will ever receive a fifth evolution option that expands on this remains to be seen.
3Rotomdex And Rotom Phones
Unobtainable Rotom Forms
Despite constantly being used by the player, most recently inScarlet and Violet, the Rotom Phone and its predecessor, the Rotom Pokedex, can’t be obtained as party members or used in battle, even though it’s in the player’s possession. With Rotom being a solid Pokemon in battle, introducing new forms for it could offer it even more utility as well, with the potential for new Abilities or other unique additions to set such forms apart.
The Rotom Phone is used by players inScarlet and Violetin a variety of ways: As a camera, a lifesaving device protecting players after falling off cliffs, the in-game explanation for online features like Surprise Trade, and, of course, as a phone forthe games' intriguing NPCs. Though it would be difficult to incorporate it as both an in-game mechanic and a party member, it would be interesting to see. Its split utility could be used in different ways; perhaps leveling up in battle could give it more functionality in the overworld for instance.
2AZ’s Floette
The Lost Distribution
Perhaps the best-known example of an exclusive Pokemon form that was never officially released, AZ’s Floette remains a prominent element of the lore ofPokemon X and Y. It’s a unique way to present an event Pokemon too, as a powerful version of a middle-stage evolution that cannot, in this case, evolve. The perpetually missing Floette holding its Eternal Flower remains a mystery for many players.
AZ’s Floette exists inX and Y’scode, but the event never saw a release and so it is impossible to obtain it legitimately. This only adds to its strange nature, especially since its signature move, Light of Ruin, can never be used in battle by any Pokemon. With this being such a unique Pokemon, the inability to actually catch it and battle with it continues to disappoint. Light of Ruin, as a special Fairy move that causes recoil, would be a very powerful part of a potentially highly effective set if Eternal Flower Floette ever became available. A very surprisingFairy-type powerhouseand an unfortunate omission.
1Dracozolt, Arctozolt, Dracovish, And Arctovish’s True Forms
What Did These Ancient Creatures Really Look Like?
The Galarian fossil group boasts some of the strangest design choices in Pokemon history, especially for thepreviously straightforward fossil Pokemon. The gimmick and lore behind these four Pokemon is that their fossils are all broken in half, and are mix-and-matched at the player’s will. The only obtainable forms of these fossilized Pokemon, then, are the incorrect, bizarre reconstructions created by a careless NPC.
What these four Pokemon truly looked like remains completely unknown. Since the other halves of their fossils are missing within Sword and Shield, it’s likely the real Pokemon behind these Frankenstein’s Monster-like fossils will never exist in the series.
