Ethan Crossfield 
Pokemon Pokopia's Bubbly Basin DLC has answered a long-standing question about its version of Pokemon history: May was the Hoenn region's Pokemon League Champion before the events of the game. The discovery gives the post-apocalyptic adventure a direct connection to Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire while adding more context to several returning characters and locations.
What happened in Bubbly Basin
Players can find a record in Bubbly Basin stating that the Hoenn Champion was a female trainer. In Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, May is the canonical name of the female player character, while Brendan serves as her male counterpart. The record therefore establishes May as the former Hoenn League Champion in Pokemon Pokopia's universe.
Bubbly Basin is the fifth town players can rebuild through the Expansion Pass, which costs $34.99 on the Nintendo eShop. It is the first of three planned DLC packs. The area launched with version 2.0.0 on August 4, and access requires players to unlock Dive by befriending Manaphy in Bleak Beach. The update also added bulk item transfers between storage and inventory, plus a way to discard unwanted items in garbage bins.
Why the May reveal matters
The champion record is more than a small piece of background lore. Bubbly Basin contains 31 new critters to befriend, but its references to earlier games give players a clearer sense of how Pokemon Pokopia's world relates to established Pokemon history.
The DLC includes information about Trace, the rival from Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. That reference includes Marowak, which joined Trace's team as a Cubone after the events at Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town. Players can also discover and wear Misty's outfit from those games: a white tank top and blue swimming shorts. Misty's hairstyle was already obtainable in Pokemon Pokopia through a human record found in the Withered Wasteland.
Because Pokemon Pokopia takes place in a ruined version of Kanto, these details have prompted speculation that it may share a universe with Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. That connection has not been presented as a broader formal explanation, but the collection of references makes the theory more compelling.
What to watch next
The same record references Secret Base items modeled after May's Hoenn Pokemon League team. Secret Bases are a feature associated with Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire and their remakes, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, making the detail especially relevant to fans of those games.
The timing has also attracted attention because social media has circulated leaks claiming that Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald could receive Switch ports. The Hoenn reference may be unrelated, and there is no confirmed connection between the DLC detail and those reports. For now, the May reveal is best treated as a lore development rather than evidence of an upcoming release.
Players have another reason to return on August 13, when Pokemon Pokopia is scheduled to host a Feebas and Milotic event.
Key takeaways for Pokemon Pokopia players
- May is identified as the former Champion of Hoenn's Pokemon League.
- Bubbly Basin requires Dive, unlocked by befriending Manaphy in Bleak Beach.
- The DLC adds references to Trace, Marowak, and Misty's outfit.
- Secret Base discoveries connect the DLC to Hoenn's earlier games.
- A Feebas and Milotic event begins on August 13.
Expert View
This is the kind of lore reveal that gives Pokemon Pokopia more weight without requiring a major story expansion. Confirming May as Hoenn's former Champion turns a small environmental record into a meaningful bridge between generations, while the Trace and Misty references suggest that the game's scattered human records are building a larger continuity. The studio should be careful not to let fan theories about Switch ports overshadow the discovery itself, but the timing gives the DLC useful visibility among longtime Pokemon players.
