Pokémon Winds & Waves leaks point to an idea Game Freak scrapped 20 years ago

A small detail in Pokémon Pokopia actually reflects some deep development lore Pokémon archivists just released footage of a never-before-seen documentary about the making of 2007's Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, and it's proven to be a treasure trove of trivia for hardcore fans. There's an inside look at how Game Freak develops starters, early Pokémon designs for some of the most iconic characters, and surprisingly, tidbits that shed light on modern Pokémon games. Developers at Game Freak came up with ideas 20 years ago that did not see the light of day until the release of Pokémon Pokopia. And the idea might reappear when Pokémon Winds and Waves is released next year. Around 18 minutes into the video analyzing the documentary, YouTuber and Pokémon archivist Lewtwo highlights a small segment that summarizes the immense amount of work put into the larger discovery. While watching the documentary, Lewtwo noticed stacks of paper lying in the background with all sorts of Pokémon designs on them. These were not the focus of the documentary, so they're not entirely in frame. The footage is also low resolution — just 480p. The archivists spent hours boosting the contrast of these tin