A fan ofPokemon ScarletandVioletdecided to have a little fun with their bottle of olive oil by designing and printing a new label that implies the oil comes from the Pokemon Smoliv. And while Smoliv can probably live without its oil, this humorous fan creation set off a conversation about someunpleasant implications of the Pokemon world.
Smoliv is one of the new Generation 9 Pokemon players can catch during their adventures across Paldea inPokemon Scarlet and Violet. Standing precisely one foot tall, the tiny, green grass-type Pokemon is easily recognizable by the large yellow-green olive on its “head.” Smoliv’s other most iconic feature is its face, which constantly looks like it’s on the verge of tears.
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Reddit user UchihaXVX created the Smoliv Oil label and shared a photo of it on thePokemon ScarletandVioletsubreddit after applying it to a bottle of olive oil they had on hand. The design is relatively simple, labeling the bottle’s contents as “Smoliv oil, extra virgin,” complete with a picture of a Smoliv on the top of the bottle. A picture of actual olives muddies the waters a bit, though the Pokemon’s expression suddenly makes a lot more sense if it has to worry about people harvesting them for oil.
While real-life olives are seed-bearing fruit, Smoliv’s olive works like a combination of a camel’s hump and a skunk’s scent gland. While the Olive Pokemon still needs to eat sometimes, the leaves on its head also produce energy through photosynthesis. Smoliv then saves it for later use in the form of oil stored in its olive.Smoliv can also spray the oil at enemies, withPokemon Scarlet’s Pokédex describing its oil as “bitter and astringent enough to make someone flinch.” Therefore, Smolive oil probably won’t go great on someone’s linguine.
This may be because the fruit isn’t ripe. Dolliv and Arboliva,Smoliv’s evolved forms inPokemon ScarletandViolet, produce edible and much-better-tasting oil and fruit. The games describe Arboliva’s oil as being both particularly aromatic and nutrient-rich. Fortunately, neither case involves people inPokemon ScarletandVioleteating the Pokemon themselves, as some in thePokemonsubreddit seemed to imply. Both Pokemon are also happy to share their excess oil.
However, that didn’t stop fans on the subreddit from talking about whether the humans inScarletandVioletever eat Pokemon. One commenter suggested that Pokemon like Lopunny might find themselves on the dinner table. And while thePokemonanime and games downplay it significantly,there’s strong canon evidence that humans eat Pokemon.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletare available now on Nintendo Switch.
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