Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s new ghost dog loves fetch, shattering bones, and stealing your life force

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Paldea region is home to an adorable, ghost-type puppy Pokémon that likes to play fetch. The Pokémon Company revealed the new creature, named Greavard, during a found footage-style broadcast Tuesday on its YouTube channel. The short clip shows a Pokémon trainer from the Naranja Academy’s Ghost-type Pokémon Club heading out into the Paldean wilds looking for ghosts. Or, rather, ghost-type Pokémon. What she finds is a cute, two-foot, 77-pound ghost puppy that can crush her bones and steal her life.

She first stumbles upon a Mimikyu and a Gengar before spotting a candle in the ground, lighting up a small circle in the grass. That’s when the puppy Pokémon with a candle on its head pops out, tail wagging and with a floppy tongue. As the trainer’s seemingly getting winded, the puppy Pokémon never stops moving — it grabs a stick and plops it in front of the trainer to play fetch. As the puppy returns with the stick, the trailer appears to pass out — the life “sucked out of her,” as she said.

Like all dogs, this puppy is still a good boy, despite the fact that it may have sucked the life out of a human trainer. The Pokémon Company said in a tweet that Greavard’s tendency to suck the life out of anything around it is inadvertent. No Pokémon this cute could do that intentionally. Similarly, The Pokémon Company describes Greavard on the Scarlet and Violet website as having a bone-shattering bite — so just don’t get on it’s bad side. Which sounds hard!

“Greavard is so affectionate that paying it any attention will make it so happy that it’ll follow you wherever you go,” The Pokémon Company tweeted. “However, Greavard will slowly and inadvertently absorb the life-force of those around it.” The Twitter clip shows some of Greavard’s moves, too, but there’s more information available on the Scarlet and Violet website. Here’s how the studio described the life-sucking, bone-shattering cutie:

It Lurks Underground and Jumps Out While Making Eerie Cries

Normally, Greavard barely moves, resting peacefully underground. It pokes the topmost part of its head above ground and lights an eerie glow at its tip, then waits for someone to approach. When a person draws near, Greavard jumps out of the ground while letting out a spooky cry that would startle most unsuspecting people. However, it doesn’t appear to do this with ill intent.

It’s Friendly and Easily Gets Lonely, but Make Sure Not to Play With It Too Much

Greavard has such a friendly and affectionate personality that paying it even the slightest bit of attention will make it so overjoyed that it will follow you wherever you go. Of all the Pokémon residing in the Paldea region, it is known to be especially easy to befriend.​However, Greavard will slowly and inadvertently absorb the life-force of those around it, so it’s best not to play with it too much.

Image: Game Freak/The Pokémon Company

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are coming to Nintendo Switch on Nov. 18. Last week, Polygon got a hands-on look at the upcoming Nintendo Switch role-playing game, which feels like a true open world — something like Pokémon’s own The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Naturally, there are a lot of creatures to fill that massive world, and plenty of them are new: There are the new starters — Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly — alongside Legendary Pokémon Koraidon and Miraidon. Then there’s Grafaiai, Fidough, Paldean Wooper, Cetitan, Cyclizar, Smoliv, Klawf, Lechonk, Pawmi, Wiglett, and game-exclusives Armarouge and Ceruledge. Before today’s puppy reveal, The Pokémon Company showed off a new electric frog earlier this month; it’s called Bellibolt, and its gym leader Iono’s partner.

That’s probably not it, either. The Pokémon Company cleverly hid a few new creatures in a trailer in early October, and those are still a big mystery.