How to catch Iron Valiant and Roaring Moon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

One of the coolest aspects of Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet is the new Paradox Pokemon; reinterpretations of iconic Pokemon species from either the distant past or the far-off future. Their unsettlingly familiar-yet-not-quite appearances combined with cryptic names go a long way to selling the idea that they're out of place, having been grabbed from a time not our own; but even more than that, they're just cool from a gameplay standpoint, going a step further than the regional variants of Pokemon titles of the past.

While you can find all of the Paradox Pokemon added to the game within Area Zero, there are two in particular that can be a pain to find - deliberately hidden off the beaten path, waiting for players to discover. So, how do you find Iron Valiant and Roaring Moon?

How to find Iron Valiant and Roaring Moon

First things first; while Roaring Moon is exclusive to Scarlet, and Iron Valiant to Violet, the good news is that they both spawn in the same location as each other - so while our guide will only show Iron Valiant in our screenshots, understand that the same process can be repeated to find and capture Roaring Moon in Pokemon Scarlet.

Now, where these two Pokemon can spawn is more than a little tricky to find if you don't know what you're looking for - and clearly this is by design. To start things off, take the Teleporter at either one of the Research Stations or the Zero Gate directly to Research Station 3. Facing away from the entrance to the station, you'll see the path leading down to the Great Crater's depths - but if you look directly to the left of the cave you'll spot a large tree off in the distance. Head in that direction, first.

Once you've reached the tree, you should see a pile of rocks off to the left. While at first glance you might not think there's anything more to this, if you examine things carefully you can find that they're actually obscuring the entrance to a cave; it's in this cave where the Paradox Pokemon in question can spawn, albeit at a fairly low chance. Enter the cave and keep walking down the path until you find a grassy section with an enigmatic pattern etched into the ground like crop circles - if you're lucky, you can find the Pokemon you're searching for almost immediately, though it did take us some time for the Iron Valiants pictured below to spawn.

Both Roaring Moon and Iron Valiant are standard-fare wild Pokemon, even if their stats are noticeably higher from other Paradox Pokemon, and only spawn in this one section of a highly specific hidden cave. This also means that even if you mess up trying to catch one, more will always spawn given enough time. Good luck hunting these elusive Paradox Pokemon!