Trainer uncovers huge Wailmer mystery in Pokemon Sword & Shield

David Purcell

Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Galar Region is vast, with numerous stretches of different terrain and water, but there’s one thing in particular that’s got people talking. There’s something not quite right about Wailmer. 

Mysteries will always emerge in games, there’s no doubt about that, and somebody out there should probably have the answers curious players are looking for when they discover things and ask questions. However, many things do go unanswered, allowing the rumor mill to keep turning.

In the Pokemon world, Galar included, there are different ways of encountering different species. In terms of water, some of those ways include fishing, surfing, and even overworld encounters where they can be seen while walking around.

Wailmer Pokemon Sword Shield
There’s a big whale mystery in Pokemon Sword and Shield, but we don’t really have any answers.

With that being said, one of these encounter types have sparked debate in the Pokemon Sword and Shield subreddit, with many Redditors left wondering how one species ended up to be in the spawn positions in which they can be found – following a post from Aeyen_the_lobster.

Players can see fish swimming around in the water, birds floating around in the sky – that’s all fine, something you would expect to see in Pokemon. Yet, it’s difficult to explain how whales like Wailmer could possibly have found themselves confined to a small pond of water.

They posted: “Anyone else wondering how a whale ended up in a small pond that isn’t even connected to a river,” not even an ocean! The screenshot, seen below, shows one of the Pokemon appear in front of a trainer at the Wild Area, looking trapped.

The striking thing about this, though, is that the same can be said for the entire Wild Area. There are several patches of water where Wailmer can be found at the point of interest, but no word on how they got there in the first place.

One trainer did come up with a theory, though, stating in the thread: “Some shiny hunter probably released a box full of Wailmers into the pond to make room,” while another joked: “They used dive in Emerald and popped out here.” Others suggested there there might be an underwater passage players don’t know about, or perhaps they bounce over to the ponds.

Whatever the real answer is, though, it’s probably not as funny as some suggestions in the community.

Even its evolved form, Wailord, has been shrouded in mystery since Sword and Shield launched last November, after one player claimed to have seen it flying high above the map. Either that, or a blimp, but they are known for their floating abilities.

The Wild Area truly is in the dead center of the Galar Region map, too, with no possible links to offshore waters. How this Wailmer, and many others of its kind, found themselves stuck in a small pool of water really is quite the mystery.

Until we know for sure, the rumor mill will keep on turning. You can send us your theories on Twitter @PokemonSwordNS. Hopefully somebody will get to the bottom of it.