Pokémon Winds and Waves Leak Hints at Champion Trials, Branching Endings, and Return of Gym Types

There may still be a lot of unknowns about the next major Pokémon game, but new leaks have made fans even more excited. Based on new details about Pokémon Winds and Waves, the rumored Generation 10 game, Game Freak may be trying out some of the biggest changes to the series in years.

Pokémon Winds and Waves will have the classic Pokémon League, but that's not all. There is also talk of a new game called the Champion Trial being a part of. There aren't many details yet, but fans are already very interested in the name alone. We don’t know if it’s a post-game long task or a major part of the main story, but it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the regular Elite Four and Champion fights.

The leak also points to a new Elite Four team and Champion, which is something that has happened with the game for almost every generation. It's not a surprise that those things were added, but the Champion Trial might be where the game tries something new.

Another thing that stands out is the reported list of Gym Leaders.

Players could encounter Gyms of the Dark, Normal, Steel, Grass, Flying, Fighting, Fairy and Poison types. There are some typings that haven't been in the news in a very long time. For example, Steel and Poison haven't been Gym leaders in a long time, so longtime fans are excited about the chance of them coming back.

There have been stories going around for a while that Game Freak thought about making Gyms for all 18 types of Pokémon. Even though that idea sounds big, the most recent information suggests that Winds and Waves may stick more to the usual structure of the series. Growth could be a lot more flexible than in previous games, though.

The story itself might be the most interesting part of the information. Sources say that Pokémon Winds and Waves could have more than one finish, depending on what the player does. Reports say that how the story ends will depend on things like how you deal with legendary Pokémon, how well you do in the gym, and important decisions you make during the adventure.

If players choose to fight the game's bad guy at a different time, then the last fight could be different. That means that two players who go in different directions might end up with different versions of the story. A "true ending" is also said to exist, but you can't get to it until you've done everything the game has to offer.

There may be a different ending related to sea travel, which adds to the mystery and could let players reach a different ending much earlier than thought. But this claim doesn't seem as solid as the others, so for now it should just be seen as a guess.

Plans can change before the game comes out, as with all leaks, and Game Freak hasn't revealed anything. Still, the ideas being talked about paint a picture of a Pokémon adventure where player choice and discovery are more important than in previous games.

Winds and Waves could be one of the most ambitious Pokémon games in years if even some of these reports turn out to be true. So, the easy question now is how much of this leaked roadmap will still be around when the game is finally shown?