History NightmareFuel / PokemonScarletAndViolet

** A terrifying thing: the computer refers to the main character and their friends as 'obstacles' keeping the time machine was functioning...then shuts down their Poké Balls, showing it identifies them as humans with Pokemon. The professor ''intentionally'' programmed it to do this, showing the original professor was ''entirely'' willing to have their creation straight up ''murder'' people to keep the time machine functioning. The AI Professor being utterly horrified at the realization of how far their creator was willing to go was entirely justified.

** After the battle's over, AI Sada/Turo still moves with very jerky movements even after returning to their more benign personality. It just looks extremely ''[[UncannyValley off]]'', reminding you that, yes, you're talking to a damaged robot.

* The extra entries found in the Scarlet and Violet Books suggest that both the Terastal Phenomenon and the Paradox Pokémon are the product of some ''[[GreaterScopeVillain entity]]'' residing at the very bottom of Area Zero. Its entry in the book is faded, but it's described as being large, disc-shaped, and being protected by a large shell made of overlapping hexagonal plates. And the worst part? The player doesn't even get to [[NothingIsScarier see this thing]].

* Kieran's [[VillainousBreakdown meltdown]] after he's defeated, which comes across as uncomfortably ''[[TruthInTelevision realistic]]'' and not at all downplayed or played for humor. Might hit a bit close to home for those who went through similar mental issues...
* Kieran starts ranting about [[GreenEyedMonster how great the player is]] while he's trying to pull out Terapagos's gem. Carmine and the player character are pretty clearly unnerved, and the camera angles don't help matters. It really shows just how desperate Kieran has gotten.
* Near the end of the [=DLC=], Kieran attempts to recall Terapagos into a Master Ball. But out of nowhere, the now out-of-control Terapagos simply ''outright destroys it'' in his hand. Just before that, it even sends an energy blast at him, with the only thing saving him being the version mascot.
** Consider that Terapagos was caught by Kieran against its will: it had clearly taken an interest in you, outraging Kieran into capturing it out of pure ''spite''. While the only thing said is that Terapagos cannot control itself, the blast fired at Kieran gives the impression that Terapagos was trying to ''murder'' him out of retribution.
** Another worrying point to note: Terapagos breaks Kieran's Master Ball when he tries to recall it, not when he tries to catch it. The little turtle has ''already'' been caught and registered under Kieran... and then it just decides it doesn't want to be Kieran's pet anymore and annuls the ownership of its own accord - something mentioned previously in-universe as being possible, but shown for one of the first times in-game in brutal fashion.

** It's easy to miss, but early in the epilogue, you are able to encounter two [=NPCs=] consisting of a father and a son, where the father is trying to convince the son to eat some mochi that he clearly doesn't want. An early warning of the horror that is about to unfold...
** The introduction to Pecharunt's possession. While you, Arven, and Penny are talking with Nemona and Kieran after their offscreen battle, Carmine appears [[StealthHiBye out of nowhere]] with [[MindControlEyes her eyes having turned purple]]. She stands there in silence for a moment... and then suddenly starts dancing around [[MadnessMantra chanting "MOCHI! MOCHI!" over and over again]]. The dance itself would be somewhat goofy (since it resembles the chicken dance), but it manages to be genuinely unsettling because you know full well that this [[OutOfCharacterAlert isn't normal behavior for her]]. And worse, it turns out this has been happening since Kieran sent you his invitation.

** If you send Ogerpon out to fight against Pecharunt, you get a surprising reaction from the former: She ''recognizes'' Pecharunt as the one responsible for the "Loyal Three" who initially stole her masks and possibly murdered her trainer, and she's filled with the same wrath that she brought forth to strike down the "Loyal Three" all those years ago. It's quite the sight seeing the normally-shy and cheerful Ogerpon drop the usual PokemonSpeak to actually ''snarl'' at Pecharunt in anger.

** If you send Ogerpon out to fight against Pecharunt, you get a surprising reaction from the former: She ''recognizes'' Pecharunt as the one responsible for the "Loyal Three" who initially stole her masks and possibly murdered her trainer, and she's filled with the same wrath that she brought forth to strike down the "Loyal Three" all those years ago. Seeing the normally shy and cheerful Ogerpon drop the usual PokemonSpeak to ''snarl'' at Pecharunt in anger can be quite an unexpected sight.

* Near the end of the [=DLC=], Kieran attempts to recall Terapagos into a Master Ball. But out of nowhere, the now out of control Terapagos simply outright destroys it in his hand.
** Also worth mentioning is that before Kieran tries to recall Terapagos, it sends an energy blast at him, the only thing saving him being the version mascot. Considering how Terapagos was caught by Kieran against its will (it had clearly taken an interest in you, outraging Kieran into capturing it out of pure ''spite''). While the only thing said is that Terapagos cannot control itself, the fact that the blast went right at Kieran gives the impression Terapagos was trying to ''murder'' Keiran out of retribution for capturing him.
** Another worrying point to note: Terapagos breaks Kieran's Master Ball when he tries to recall it, not when he tries to catch it. The little turtle has ''already'' been caught and registered under Kieran... and then it just decides it doesn't want to be Kieran's pet anymore and annuls the ownership of its own accord, something which has been mentioned before in-universe as being possible but here we see how brutal such a rejection can be.

** If you send Ogerpon out to fight against Pecharunt, you get a surprising reaction from the former: She ''recognizes'' Pecharunt as the one responsible for the "Loyal Three" who initially stole her masks and possibly murdered her trainer, and she's '''''PISSED'''''. Seeing the normally shy and cheerful Ogerpon being filled with the same wrath that she brought forth to strike down the "Loyal Three" all those years ago can be quite unsettling, especially when she subverts the usual PokemonSpeak to ''snarl'' at Pecharunt in anger.

** Then there's how creepy the Treasures of Ruin look on first glance, barely resembling the animals they're supposed to be. Wo-Chien is a massive pile of rotting vegetation in the shape of a snail; Chien-Pao is a long-bodied feline with the swords awkwardly sticking from its jaws as sabre teeth; Ting-Lu looks more like an ox than a deer with its crudely-formed body of rock; and Chi-Yu is a fish-shaped fiery blob with the beads forming eyes much too large. There's just something innately ''off'' about the way they look, far more like monsters than real Pokémon.
** And what gave these things life? Wo-Chien was cursed by the grudges of a man who wrote down evil deeds on the bamboo tablets. Chien-Pao carries the hatred of those who were unjustly slain by the blade. Chi-Yu is manifested from the greed and envy of the one who wore the beads. But Ting-Lu is probably the worst of all - it's a ''ritual vessel'' that has absorbed the terror of countless people, heavily implied to have been unlucky victims who were sacrificed so that ''the bowl could collect their blood''. Let's just make this clear - Pokémon has indirectly hinted at ''human sacrifice''!
** When the creatures escape their imprisonment, they don't resort to PokemonSpeak or even animal noises. They scream out the thing that they were built to do, as if determined and willing to resume the carnage they started thousands of years go. In ''plain English''.

--->''Ting-Lu:''' [[[HumanSacrifice Pooourrr!]]]

** Also worth mentioning is that after Kieran tries to recall Terapagos, it sends an energy blast at him, the only thing saving him being the version mascot. Considering how Terapagos was caught by Kieran against its will (it had clearly taken an interest in you, outraging Kieran into capturing it out of pure ''spite''). While the only thing said is that Terapagos cannot control itself, the fact that the blast went right at Kieran gives the impression Terapagos was trying to ''murder'' Keiran out of retribution for capturing him.

* Near the end of the [=DLC=], Kieran attempts to send Terapagos into a Master Ball. But out of nowhere, the scariest imaginable thing happens: the Master Ball ''[[BeyondTheImpossible fails]],'' and is outright destroyed in his hand. For the record, the Master Ball has shown itself capable of containing the setting's equivalent of ''God''. What, exactly, does that make Terapagos?
** Also worth mentioning is that before Kieran tries to recall Terapagos, it sends an energy blast at him, the only thing saving him being the version mascot. Considering how Terapagos was caught by Kieran against its will (it had clearly taken an interest in you, outraging Kieran into capturing it out of pure ''spite''), it gives the impression Terapagos was trying to ''murder'' Keiran out of retribution for capturing him.
** Another worrying point to note: Terapagos breaks Kieran's Master Ball when he tries to recall it, not when he tries to catch it. The little turtle has ''already'' been caught and registered under Kieran... and then it just decides it doesn't want to be Kieran's pet anymore and annuls the ownership of its own accord, something which is practically ''unheard of'' in the universe. [[OutsideContextProblem Just what]] ''[[OutsideContextProblem is]]'' [[OutsideContextProblem Terapagos?]]

** Another worrying point to note: Terapagos breaks Kieran's Master Ball when he tries to recall it, not when he tries to catch it. The little turtle has ''already'' been caught and registered under Kieran... and then it just decides it doesn't want to be Kieran's pet anymore and annuls the ownership of its own accord, something which is practically ''unheard of'' in the universe. [[OutsideComplexProblem Just what]] ''[[OutsideContextProblem is]]'' [[OutsideContextProblem Terapagos?]]

* Kieran's [[VillainousBreakdown meltdown]] after he's defeated, especially with how uncomfortably [[TruthInTelevision realistic]] it is to an ''actual'' neurodivergent kid having a meltdown, complete with the exact kind of trigger for it (namely, overwhelming emotional/psychological stress). Might hit a bit close to home for some…
* Kieran starts ranting about [[GreenEyedMonster how great the player is]] while he's trying to pull out Terapagos's gem. Carmine and the player character are pretty clearly unnerved by this, and the camera angles don't help matters. It really shows just how desperate Kieran has gotten.
* Near the end of the [=DLC=], Kieran attempts to send Terapagos into a Master Ball. But out of nowhere, the scariest imaginable thing happens: the Master Ball ''[[BeyondTheImpossible fails]],'' and is outright destroyed in his hand. For the record, the Master Ball can catch the closest thing that Pokémon has to a ''God''. What, exactly, does that make Terapagos?
** Also worth mentioning is that before Kieran tries to recall Terapagos, ''it actually sent an energy blast at him, esstienally trying to murder its own trainer'', only for the version mascot to save him. Considering how Terapagos was caught by Kieran against its will (it had clearly taken an interest in you, outraging Kieran into capturing it just to spite you), it gives the impression that Terapagos is PISSED at Kieran for what he had done and is rejecting him as its trainer, using its power to try to break free. The fact that it actually ''SUCCEEDS'' by destroying its ball only calls into question on just how powerful Terapagos really is.
** Another worrying point to note: Terapagos breaks Kieran's Master Ball when he tries to recall it, not when he tries to catch it. The little turtle has ''already'' been caught and registered under Kieran... and then it just decides it doesn't want to be Kieran's pet anymore and annuls the ownership ''without Kirean's input''.

--> "'''''GRAH!''''' ''Pon PON!''"

** Arven's apparent embarrassment at his dancing, his and Penny's responses to you knocking out their Pokémon, and Nemona's repeated comments throughout her battle with you imply that, on some level, they were all ''[[AndIMustScream aware]]'' of what they were doing while possessed [[PeoplePuppets and were powerless to stop it]]. Fortunately, they claim [[AlternateIdentityAmnesia not to remember anything after the possession is lifted]], so its possible that part of Pecharunt's poison wipes their memory of the incident (ostensibly to prevent being accused of such later) or the mind control simply taps into the victim's personality without their awareness.

** Arven's apparent embarrassment at his dancing, his and Penny's responses to you knocking out their Pokémon, and Nemona's repeated comments throughout her battle with you imply that, on some level, they were all ''[[AndIMustScream aware]]'' of what they were doing while possessed [[PeoplePuppets and were powerless to stop it]]. Fortunately, they claim [[AlternateIdentityAmnesia not to remember anything after the possession is lifted]].

--> '''''GRAH!''''' ''Pon PON!''

** Arven's apparent embarrassment at his dancing, his and Penny's responses to you knocking out their Pokémon, and Nemona's repeated comments throughout her battle with you imply that, on some level, they were all ''[[AndIMustScream aware]]'' of what they were doing while possessed [[PeoplePuppets and were powerless to stop it]]. Fortunately, they claim not to remember anything after the possession is lifted.

** Also worth mentioning is that before Kieran tries to recall Terapagos, ''it actually sent an energy blast at him, esstienally trying to murder its own trainer'', only for the version mascot to save him. Considering how Terapagos was caught by Kieran against its will (it had clearly taken an interest in you, outraging Kieran into capturing it just to spite you), it gives the impression that Terapagos is PISSED at Kieran for what he had done and is rejecting him as its trainer, using its power to try to break free. The fact that it actually ''SUCCEEDS'' by destroying its ball (which no Pokémon has ever done) only calls into question on just how powerful Terapagos really is.

* Annihilape not only takes Primeape's "literally gets so angry it dies" 'dex entries to [[AscendedFridgeHorror their natural conclusion]], its cry sounds like bones cracking. The manacles on its limbs are broken, indicating just how much pent up rage was in it by the time it evolved. It's a good thing it's focused more on TranquilFury, but even then it's still unnerving to look at, considering it has a perpetually narrow-eyed expression with RedEyesTakeWarning. And to reiterate - ''it rages so hard until it dies and returns as a revenant still full of focused rage''.

** For players with a fear of robots, the future variants can easily veer into UnnecessarilyCreepyRobot territory. There's no ''reason'' for these 'wild animals' to look like robotic duplicates of well-loved Pokémon — they just ''do,'' and a lot of their animations, especially for Iron Bundle, can look downright nightmarish. It doesn't help that a lot of the Pokédex entries for them make allusions to them being theorized to be ''alien superweapons'' or ''paranormal ghost robots,'' in the cases of Iron Treads and Iron Valiant respectively. All of their Shiny forms (which paint most of their bodies silver) only serve to make them look even ''more'' inorganic, ramping up the creep factor for what are normally much more desirable appearances. Not helping them is that a good chunk of them are described as randomly attacking things or being noted as having cruel or ruthless natures, destroying others just because. The fact that literally only one of them is remotely Steel-typed at all or that only under half of them are part Electric type makes their inorganic natures that much more alien as their metal constructions powered by electricity are just secondary to whatever other typings they have.

** The final research station before you reach the time machine is unnerving as hell. At first the Professor greets you as intended... but then they begin to talk ''very strangely'', their words repeating themselves, breaking apart. The scene even begins to tilt sideways, with the characters being ''utterly'' creeped out by this bizarre behavior. Alongside the background of the broken down and damaged research station, it's incredibly ominous and [[FiveSecondForeshadowing foreshadowing]] of the events to come...

** One small detail that make things even more chilling is the wording of the text when the battle starts, which states that Ai-Sada/Turo [[MachineMonotone "Initiated a battle."]] In a series where even the biggest and baddest BigBad can still be described as willingly challenging you to a battle, the sheer lack of emotion in its wording makes it clear that whatever happens from this point on is ''not'' going to be a typical Pokémon battle.
** But it doesn't stop there. Their defeat is only the first phase of a ''two-part battle''. The security system has one final trick up its sleeve: it ''locks all Poke Balls'' other than the professors' own and then utilizes Terastalization, maximizing all possible outputs until the AI's body is consumed by the crystal phenomenon and its personality is again completely overridden with that of the system's. They battle you again, but this time the interface itself glitches out and reveals the true identity of your opponent: the Paradise Protection Protocol, the professor's last line of defense against those who would disrupt their ambitions. They then send out the savage Koraidon or Miraidon that you encountered not long ago, and you are forced into a situation where you cannot battle it because your Poke Balls don't work. Your only option is to send out your own Koraidon or Miraidon, who as established before has been scared to death by its bully of a rival for much of the game, but worse still, ''cannot battle'' up to that point because of a combination of both its trauma and its low power. It gets better in the following cutscene, but the lead-up to that moment is quite terrifying and imposing.
*** In addition, imagine if you didn't bring Koraidon/Miraidon with you to Area Zero. You and your friends would have met the same fate as the real professor, with no option to escape or fight back. The Paradise Protection Protocol would have annihilated you, and your friends-''children who are at least 10-15 years old'', with the box legendary, making it one of the few antagonists in the franchise to actually make an attempt to kill you.

*** Given lack of context, that line could be interpreted a couple of ways- none of which are particularly pleasant. Perhaps it's a futile effort by the AI to escape the control of the Protocol... or perhaps it's the Protocol itself, its intent no longer to simply defeat you, but to KILL you.

* The Treasures of Ruin. While playing the game, you'll probably notice at least a couple of these mysterious glowing stakes littered all over the region. These stakes happen to be connected to four malicious legendaries who wreaked destruction and havoc across Paldea! Let's set the scene centuries ago. Paldea was ruled by a king who adored collecting treasure and was approached by a merchant from the east who offered him four treasures: a large bowl, a set of wooden tablets, a sword, and ornamental beads. Except these treasures had a secret, they were somehow corrupted by negative human emotions. The resulting curse was triggered by the king's greed bringing the objects to life at last. The treasures manifested their own bestial bodies out of different elements. These four new legendary Pokémon began to run wild causing disasters until they were eventually sealed away.

* The Teal Mask introduces us to the Loyal Three; consisting of three Pokémon venerated as guardians of Kitakami...only that's what the misconstrued story is. In reality, they're actually treasure-seeking bandits who wanted the masks owned by Ogerpon and her master, enough to attack him for them and ended up being seen as heroes for many generations after a complete misunderstanding which left them as the poor heroes slain by the horrible ogre.

* Kieran’s changes in between the [=DLCs=]. By time you see him in the Indigo Disk, he’s gone with a different appearance with his hair pulled back and his eyes are completely vacant. Personality-wise, he’s much colder and has fully become obsessed with being strong. Once he reunites with the player, he agrees to let them into the club for the sole purpose of defeating them with his new team.
* Kieran's [[VillainousBreakdown meltdown]] after he's defeated, especially with how uncomfortably [[TruthInTelevision realistic]] it is to an ''actual'' neurodivergent kid having a meltdown, complete with the exact kind of trigger for it (namely, overwhelming emotional/psychological stress). Might hit a bit close to home for some...

* Near the end of the [=DLC=], Kieran attempts to send Terapagos into a Master Ball. But out of nowhere, the scariest imaginable thing happens: the Master Ball ''[[BeyondTheImpossible fails]],'' and is outright destroyed in his hand. For the record, the Master Ball can catch the closest thing that Pokemon has to a ''God''. What, exactly, does that make Terapagos?
** Also worth mentioning is that before Kieran tries to recall Terapagos, '' it actually sent an energy blast at him, esstienally trying to murder its own trainer'', only for the version mascot to save him. Considering how Terapagos was caught by Kieran against its will (it had clearly taken an interest in you, outraging Kieran into capturing it just to spite you), it gives the impression that Terapagos is PISSED at Kieran for what he had done and is rejecting him as its trainer, using its power to try to break free. The fact it actually ''SUCCEEDS '' by destroying its ball (which no Pokémon has ever done), only calls into question on just how powerful Terapagos really is.

** The way it ''starts'' is already pretty ominous. After you obtain the Mythical Pecha Berry, you head to Mossui and inspect the little round decoration at the Peachy's shop. Suddenly, your character reacts with surprise, as it's stated to ''move'' slightly. Then, Arven gives you a call and after you chat with him, you turn around. [[WhamShot The decoration is gone]], and the player character once again looks shocked.

** The introduction to Pecharunt's possession. While you, Arven and Penny are talking with Nemona and Kieran after their offscreen battle, Carmine appears [[StealthHiBye out of nowhere]] with [[MindControlEyes her eyes having turned purple]]. She stands there in silence for a moment... and then suddenly starts dancing around [[MadnessMantra chanting "MOCHI! MOCHI!" over and over again]]. The dance itself would be somewhat goofy (since it resembles the chicken dance), but it manages to be genuinely unsettling because you know full well that this [[OutOfCharacterAlert isn't normal behavior for her]]. And worse, it turns out this has been happening since Kieran sent you his invitation.
** Things only get worse when Nemona retrieves some soda for your welcome party at the Community Center, claiming that the old lady at Peachy's was absent. Then she mentions that she [[WhamLine ate some mochi that was left at the shop with a "Help Yourself" sign next to it]]. Sure enough, Nemona goes [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness eerily quiet]] for the remainder of the scene...

** Pecharunt being able to possess nearly everyone in Mossui Town, including Kieran's entire family, your friends from Paldea, and had it not missed when tossing its mochi, Kieran and ''yourself!'' The only other local who avoids being possessed is the Pokemon Center Nurse, and even ''[[ApatheticCitizens she]]'' seems rather unnerved at what's happening around her.

** Arven's apparent embarrassment at his dancing, his and Penny's responses to you knocking out their Pokemon and Nemona's repeated comments throughout her battle with you imply that, on some level, they were all ''[[AndIMustScream aware]]'' of what they were doing while possessed [[PeoplePuppets and were powerless to stop it]]. Fortunately, they claim not to remember anything after the possession is lifted.

* There is a Janitor you can battle near some ruins in the Western Province who talks about "cleaning [someone] up", and talking to him again has him tell you to go away and pretend you didn't see him. [[CleanupCrew Uh-oh.]] Not helping matters is that his Pokemon is a ''Swalot''.

* There is a Janitor you can battle near some ruins in the Western Province who talks about "cleaning [someone] up", and talking to him again has him tell you to go away and pretend you didn't see him. [[CleanupCrew Uh-oh.]]

*** Even the title screen doesn't beat around the bush, with [[PaintingTheMedium some poison dripping across the title]] serving as a warning that something ''bad'' is on the loose.

** Pecharunt being able to possess nearly everyone in Mossui Town, including Kieran's entire family, your friends from Paldea, and had it not missed, Kieran and ''yourself!'' The only other local who avoids being possessed is the Pokemon Center Nurse, and even ''[[ApatheticCitizens she]]'' seems rather unnerved at what's happening around her.