Pombon Is Already The Obvious Pokémon Winds and Waves Starter Choice — Just Look at His Little Face

I almost feel sorry for Browt and Gecqua. How is an angry little leafy bird and a damp blue gecko meant to compete with the face card that Pombon showed off in the reveal trailer for Pokémon Winds and Waves? A tiny, smiley Pomeranian with eyes that could melt hearts as quickly as the fire he, in all likelihood, breathes, I fear that I already know I would die for him.

The thing is, when it comes to starter Pokémon, I’m not even traditionally a fire-type guy. I still insist to this day that there’s no cooler Pokémon than the hydro-pumping, water cannon-strapped Blastoise, so, naturally, my choice in that original generation was always going to be Squirtle. I’m not going to sit here making Brock’s Gym and Mt Moon harder for myself than it needs to be. That penchant for water transferred straight into Gold and Silver, with Totodile more often than not being my first Pokémon of choice. Just look at his little fanged face. Adorable.

And so, I would switch between elemental types for the next couple of decades, picking tactically, and thinking about what would make my onward journey the most fun and frictionless. I’m normally one to utilise an analytical approach to these things and not rush into a quick decision. So, when today’s Pokémon 30th anniversary stream ended with Gen 10’s reveal trailer, and inside of it hid our first peek at Winds and Waves starters, it was frankly embarrassing how quickly I decided that Pombon would be sitting snuggly in my very first Poké Ball. I’m not saying it’s as easy to give me an adorable little smile to get me on side, but in this case, the Pomeranian only went and did it.

Of course, we don’t yet know what any of these three starters will evolve into — I think it’s safe to assume larger birds, dogs, and geckos — but already I don’t even care. Sure, we’ve had our fair share of fire dogs over the years in Pokémon, perhaps most notably Cinnabar Island natives Growlithe and Arcanine, but Pombon is a fierce new breed, and one I will likely arm with quick attack, bite, and ember until he’s a big enough boy to incinerate any flammable fool stupid enough to stand in his way. Yes, even your tiny little Browt, if you, for some reason, decide that he’s the one for you in 2027.

The official Pokémon website describes Browt as a “lively but clumsy Bean Chick Pokémon”. Why would you want to hang out with a clutz? Gecqua is listed as an “intelligent Water Gecko Pokémon”. Brains are overrated; manners are everything. That’s why I’ll be making the actual smart decision and going with Pombon, the “friendly Puppy Pokémon”.

Stick with me, boy, I’ll keep you safe. Fire, come walkies with me.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.