Where to catch Koraidon and Miraidon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet play with the term paradox in a way that would make rappers proud, as Game Freak take that one word and spin it into more than a handful of meanings throughout the game. 

With the introduction of Paradox Pokémon, Koraidon and Miraidon both being referred to as The Paradox Pokémon, and the general sense that certain parts of the game are stuck in a time paradox, things can get pretty confusing. But thankfully, both box art Legendaries will be by your side for almost your entire journey through the Paldea region—though not as a main team member. 

You will encounter Koraidon or Miraidon very early in Scarlet and Violet ,respectively, and they will become a companion of sorts throughout your travels. Riding on their back will allow you to traverse the region faster and, as you complete parts of the Treasure Hunt’s three-path story, you will unlock upgraded methods of travel to reach new areas more easily. 

Eventually, you will have the option to add your Legendary of choice to your actual team, but there are two ways to go about this and neither are very straightforward. 

How do you add Koraidon and Miraidon to your team in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet? 

Without getting into the actual story implications or spoilers, you don’t actually need to catch Koraidon and Miraidon to get them on your team in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. 

Once you finish the game you will gain the ability to simply swap your version’s Legendary from Ride Mode to Battle Mode. This will make it so you are unable to traverse the overworld with them as your mount, but the Legendary will be usable in battle form within your party. Swapping back to Ride Mode will remove it from your team again. 

Related: Are Koraidon and Miraidon Shiny-locked in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

But that’s not all! Gen IX is also one of the few Pokémon iterations that will actually let you capture more than one of a specific Legendary Pokémon. 

As you journey deep into Area Zero and the Great Crater of Paldea, players have a chance to encounter a wild parallel to their game’s title Legendary. This is a static encounter you can reach after beating the game and is likely there so players can freely trade their version exclusive with friends without needing to worry about breaking the game by removing the one that can enter Ride Mode.