A fresh piece of lore tucked away in the new Bubbly Basin expansion for Pokémon Pokopia has given fans a major canon update, officially confirming that May served as the Hoenn League Champion prior to the events of the game. Bubbly Basin marks the first of three planned DLC releases included with the title's $34.99 Expansion Pass on the Nintendo eShop.


Players who grab the expansion gain access to a fifth zone to restore and rebuild, launched alongside the major 2.0.0 software patch on August 4. Unlocking access to Bubbly Basin requires players to first acquire the Dive ability by forming a bond with Manaphy over at Bleak Beach. In addition to expanding the map, the 2.0.0 patch delivered several quality-of-life updates, including options to transfer items between storage and inventory in bulk, as well as a trash bin feature for throwing away unwanted inventory.


While the new area introduces 31 additional pocket monsters to recruit, it is the scattered lore entries that have captured the community's attention. As noted by Twitter user Rasenburst, an archived record hidden within the expansion states that Hoenn's former Champion was a female trainer. Since May serves as the canonical female protagonist of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire alongside her male counterpart Brendan, the text establishes that May held the Champion title in this universe.


Because Pokémon Pokopia takes place in a post-apocalyptic iteration of Kanto, Rasenburst highlighted evidence suggesting the game shares a timeline with Generation 7's Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. Records in the basin make explicit reference to Trace (the rival from the Let's Go titles), mentioning the Marowak he adopted as a Cubone following the events at Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower. Furthermore, players exploring Bubbly Basin can discover Misty's signature Let's Go outfit featuring her white tank top and blue shorts, complementing her iconic hairstyle that was previously hidden in the Withered Wasteland.


The discovered log also makes reference to Secret Base decorations modeled after May's championship squad, calling back to the iconic feature from Generation 3 and its 3DS remakes. This lore drop arrives at an interesting moment for the franchise, amidst ongoing online speculation regarding potential Nintendo Switch releases for Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Whether this reference is just a fun homage or a subtle hint from The Pokémon Company remains open for debate. Meanwhile, Pokopia players have more activity on the horizon, with a special Feebas and Milotic event launching on August 13.