Pokemon Champions somehow has a female Gallade

Pokemon Champions has already brought some fundamental changes to the Pokemon games. We've removed the dreaded IV, added a whole new meta-destroying ability, and even removed the ability to delay a match to win. It's all very welcome, even if the initial performance is unsurprisingly poor.

One unexpected change, however, was the introduction of a female Galad for the first time in the Pokémon series.

According to Pokémon Champions, Gallade can now be female.

Galad posing in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Gallade is one of the two final evolutions of the Ralts line. Gardevoir, its Psychic and Fairy-type counterpart, is derived from female Ralts and Kirlia, while Gallade, its Psychic and Fighting-type Pokémon, evolved from male Ralts and Kirlia. Vespiquen, Nidoking and Nidoqueen, like Froslass, are one of the few instances where a Pokémon can only be a specific gender.

The Pokemon Company may have thrown a huge spanner in the works, but in early versions of Pokemon Champions, trainers have a female Gallade. This seems impossible.

First reported by Japan's Game Spark, you'll encounter a female Gallade in Pokémon Champion's tutorial missions, specifically missions designed to teach you about status conditions. This is the first time that a Pokémon previously considered only one gender has appeared with an opposite gender tag.

Naturally, discussions took place on Reddit and other social media platforms like Twitter, with players unsure whether this new female Gallade was a feature or a bug.

The general consensus is that this was an oversight on the game's development team, considering the problems Pokémon Champions had early on. But otherwise, it's one of the most legendary things the Pokemon series has had in a long time.

If it's the former, you have to imagine The Pokemon Company will quietly patch the champion and pretend it never happened. But if it's the latter, I'm fascinated to see what it means for the Pokemon world.