"With all the new information being released, I feel now might be a good time to detail my Island Scan theory for USM"

Please note this is all highly speculative, and extremely long. TL:DR at the bottom.Some background: I've mentioned my Island Scan theory here and there on this sub before, but haven't really gone into too much detail about it. We've gotten a lot more information in the past month, so I figured if there was ever a time to explain what I've been speculating about for months now, this is a pretty good time.My theory basically boils down to the Island Scan Pokémon being among the most likely to receive Alolan forms, or at the very least be the next additions to the Alolan Pokédex.The bulk of the theory comes from the inclusion of the QR Scanner and Island Scan in SM. QR Scanning existed back in Gen VI, but was expanded on much more this current Gen. The scanner allows you to obtain Pokédex information for certain Pokémon, and is also used for certain events (mainly the Magearna one). What we're going to be looking at is the Island Scan function. By getting 100 points from the QR scanner (done by scanning almost any QR code), you can use the Island Scan to encounter Pokémon not native to Alola for 1 hour; the Pokémon in question depends on day of week and which island you are currently on. Thus, the Pokémon availble via I.S. isn't randomly chosen, but actually set based on time and position.Here's where the theory comes in. Already the QR Scanner is interesting because it actually has no mention in-game AFAIK, simply appearing on the menu after you've progressed far enough. It did get some promotional artwork, but aside from that, the QR Scanner isn't something GameFreak has highlighted on. What might be more interesting are the Pokémon you obtain from it. It wouldn't have been difficult to implement a system that picks non-native, non-legendary/special Pokémon to be found wherever and whenever, but instead, each Pokémon is specifically chosen for certain days and areas. Why? There's many reasons, which can be as simple as preventing getting the same Pokémon in a row, or perhaps having certain Pokémon appear in places they shouldn't be, such as an Ice type in Route 7, situated right next to an active volcano - except that's exactly what happened, since Route 7 is where you can find Spheal, which seems to make that idea a moot point. So either GameFreak wanted to avoid repeats and chose 28 Pokémon lines at random, or picked each one deliberately.The latter of the two has a good bit of evidence backing it up. The most telling reason is that all Gen II and V starters are present, and each set is found on the same island, usually right after one another: we don't really need to get into the raw probability of this happening to tell us this was a direct selection. Not only that, but in the case of Melemele Island, the starters are actually separated so Litwick can occupy the slot for Hau'oli cemetery. In fact, the placement of most of the I.S. Pokémon tend to relate back to them, and perhaps hints at Ultra Sun and Moon. Let's take a look:Melemele IslandPokémonLocationExplanation (if any)TotodileSeaward CaveWater type in water-filled cave; around other starters.DeinoTen Carat HillNo good leads. SM demo had you fight Jangmo-o and Hakamo-o here; possible allusion, as both are pseudo legendaries?HorseaKala'e BayWater type, beach area, pretty self explanatory. Kala'e Bay, according to the USM map, has been altered. Perhaps this foreshadows something?KlinkHau'oli CitySteel type in an urban area. Klink is interesting because you find it in one of few areas where Magnemite is also found: both are Steel types that have relations to electricity and magnetism.ChikoritaRoute 2Only thing noteworthy besides Verdant Cavern would be the beach expansion as seen on the USM map. Around other starters.LitwickHau'oli CemeteryA ghost type found where other Ghost Pokémon are: a cemetery.CyndaquilRoute 3No good leads. Route 3 connects to the Melemele meadow, but this seems irrelevant. Around other starters.Akala IslandPokémonLocationExplanation (if any)SphealRoute 7As mentioned, it's strange that an Ice type appears near an active volcano. USM map shows decreased activity from the volcano; may this encourage ice types to live there?LuxioRoute 8No good leads. You are close to the Lush Jungle and the "Fossil Park", but that seems irrelevant.HonedgeAkala OutskirtsAnother Ghost type located by a cemetery.VenipedeRoute 4No good leads. You are close to the one hotel, but, similar to Luxio, this seems irrelevant.BellsproutRoute 5No good lead either.MarillBrooklet HillWater type, water area, you get the idea.GothitaRoute 6Found in the same area as Pa'u Oricorio, which is interesting, but otherwise there's nothing remarkable.Ula'Ula IslandPokémonLocationExplanation (if any)SwinubTapu VillageNear the bottom of icy Mount Lanakila, where other Ice types are primarily found.DuosionRoute 16This one's interesting. Route 16 is the same location where you assemble Zygarde Cells into Zygarde, and Duosion is based on cellular lifeforms.RoseliaUla'ula MeadowIt's a Grass type, based on flowers, in a meadow.StaraviaRoute 10No good leads.VigorothRoute 11Found among Komala, the Pokémon that's always asleep. And Vigoroth evolves from a lazy, tired Pokémon into a lazy Pokémon. Both are also based on tree-dwelling mammals.AxewMount HokulaniNo good leads. Mountains and rocky/rough areas do tend to have Dragon-type Pokémon around them, but it's not a requirement.RhyhornBlush MountainFound in an area you'd pretty much expect, and also around it Generation 1 cousin, Geodude, even if said Geodude is an Alolan form.Poni IslandPokémonLocationExplanation (if any)ConkeldurrPoni PlainsNo good leads. Might've been pushed out of the Ancient Poni Path, which would fit it just a bit better, by GameFreak trying to keep the Unova Starters close together. If we really want to stretch this one, it could have something to do with development of the barren Poni Island, but the USM map shows no indication of such events.TogekissPoni GauntletNo good leads. The Battle Tree is nearby, but that seems irrelevant.LeavannyPoni MeadowIMO, there is definitely something that makes Leavanny work here, but it's hard to say exactly what.SerperiorExeggutor IslandGrass type found on infamous Exeggutor Island, but other than that, there's no good leads. Around other starters.SamurottPoni WildsNext to a body of water, though said body of water is apparently inaccessible as of USM. Around other starters.EmboarAncient Poni PathNo good leads. Around other starters.EelektrossPoni GroveClose proximity to Poni Breaker Coast: because that area doesn't have any real encounters besides fishing, GameFreak likely relocated it to the next unoccupied slot. Hard to say, really.(For all of Poni Island, the giant portal/wormhole could have some influence).There are a few other quirks about this selection of Pokémon, the first being that all of them are three-stage evolutionary lines (some, like Rhyhorn, weren't always). Even if we assumed that all but the starter Pokémon were chosen randomly, having just three-stage lines is very unlikely. Each Pokémon also is found with one of their repsective egg moves, if they have any (in other words, not Klink or Electross). This was most likely done as an incentive or to differentiate them, but there's always a chance for some foreshadowing.What about the Generations represented? Below I group the Pokémon based on the Gen it was introduced: some Pokémon are introduced later as an evolutionary relative to earlier Pokémon (the first of these 84 being Kingdra), and as a result won't be counted as part of a previous generation. From Gen 1, 7 total, the Bellsprout line, Horsea+Seadra, and Rhyhorn+Rhydon:from Gen 2, 16, the Totodile, Chikorita, and Cyndaquil lines, Kingdra, Marill+Azumarill, Swinub+Piloswine, and Togepi+Togetic:from Gen 3, 8, the Spheal and Slakoth lines, Azurill, and Roselia:from Gen 4, 11, the Shinx and Starly lines, Rhyperior, Mamoswine, Budew+Roserade, and Togekiss:from Gen 5, 39, the Deino, Klink, Litwick, Venipede, Gothita, Axew, Solosis, Timburr, Sewaddle, Snivy, Oshawott, Tepig, and Tynamo lines:from Gen 6, 3, literally just the Honedge line.Gen 5 should stick out right away. 39 is just under half of all Island Scan Pokémon: if we grouped Gen 6 with it, it's exactly half. Gen 2 has the second most, at 16. The least is Gen 6, followed by Gen 1. All these numbers are relevant for something we'll get into later.Another note I'd like to make, even though it's a matter of opinion: a good chunk of these Pokémon have either never been too useful, greatly fallen in use, or never been too memorable in the franchise. Prime example would be Bellsprout: it already had to compete with Venusaur and Vileplume in Gen 1, not to mention the other Grass/Poisons types introduced later that frankly were better than all three until Venusaur got a Mega. Why does this matter? Because Alolan forms at least attempted to solve this problem. Pokémon that got new forms had generally fallen from public eye and weren't particularly remarkable, either in battle, or in general. Alolan forms were a fresh coat of paint for them, and it's worked greatly: even Ratticate can be said to have benefited, since it's a bit more than just a Normal type rodent, though the stats are lacking. The only Island Scan Pokémon that haven't really fallen out over time would be the starters, for the most part, plus Chandelure and Aegislash; both are still popular and quite useful at that (maybe a lot more than "quite" for Aegislash).Other than that, there's a few smaller things: the most conspicuous of them being the in-game mentions of Budew and Roserade, despite them not appearing at all in the Aloladex. This is quite strange: of course, just because something isn't found in a region doesn't mean the people are oblivious to what said thing is. There's no elephants where I live, but I knew what they were when I wasn't even in school yet. What makes these two noteworthy is that Budew is mentioned on the bitter Malasada television commercial, and Roserade in the respective tea you can purchase at some Cafés, which makes Roselia's appearance in Island Scan all the more intriguing. There's also the fact that Solosis and Gothita are traditionally version exclusives of each other, and both are found in Island Scan, despite not needing to be so, which further indicates the Island Scan selection was very specific. None of the Pokémon are capable of Mega Evolution or have split evolutionary lines, both of which seem to be requirements of having a Regional Form, as we know it. Most recently, in both the English and Japanese Mantine Surfing trailer, one of the Alola Photo Club overlays features a Litwick, so far the only official notion of an Island Scan Pokémon in any Ultra Sun and Moon promotions.So why do I believe these 28 Pokémon lines have the highest chance being included in the Aloladex, or even the most likely for new Alolan forms? To start, we recently got information, albeit vague, on the new Pokémon count for USM: 400+. So far, we know Tropius, Dedenne, Heracross, Larvesta+Volcarona, Zorua+Zoroark, Mareep+Flaafy+Ampharos, Larvitar+Pupitar+Tyranitar, Electrike+Manetric, and Houndour+Houndoom are confirmed, along with UB-Burst and UB-Assembly. There are also hints towards Mantyke+Mantine, Mienfoo+Mienshao, and Inkay+Malamar being added. In total, that's 25 Pokémon we know of right now that could be added to the Aloladex, 27 if you include the Necrozma forms. The current Alola Pokédex has 302 Pokémon (not including "base" forms of the Alolan forms), so 27 is obviously not enough to bring that number to >400. However, the total of all unique species from Island Scan is 84. So, if we do 302 + 19 (bare minimum confirmed) + 84, we get 405, which does meet the threshold. It follows, then, that GameFreak could have added the Island Scan Pokémon to USM's Regional Dex, and put them in Island Scan as a teaser. At the very least, The Pokémon in Island Scan have the absolute highest chance of being added to the Regional Dex than any other Pokémon. Why GameFreak hasn't released such things as of yet is up for debate: they may be holding out on much bigger information for later, as the release date approaches (they did, after all, tease Mantine as a ride Pokémon the previous trailer, and then showed it off this trailer, which really makes that Litwick cameo all the more exciting as it could've been yet another teaser for the very next trailer).The possibility of Island Scan hinting at the new games brings up another point: Ultra Sun and Moon weren't a spur-of-the-moment idea. Video games take a long time to make: Sun and Moon were likely in development while X and Y were (they even use the same models!...), which means that the Ultra games almost certainly were already planned by the time Sun and Moon got announced. There's a ton of information supporting this, from the empty construction lots to Necrozma. Were the Island Scan Pokémon added to hint at Ultra Sun and Moon? Why didn't they just add them into the Regional Dex?Now the fun stuff. Alolan forms are the result of non-native Pokémon adapting to the Alolan environment. So far, they're only from Kanto, since they were the first region to intermingle with Alola.Of course, this would likely be a long process: if the setting of Ultra Sun and Moon is Alola a year later as opposed to three months, that's not nearly enough time for new forms to develop. So how can the Island Scan Pokémon get regional forms? How can ANY Pokémon, for that matter?Ultra Sun and Moon aren't exactly defined as to what timeline they take place in: all we know is that you arrive later than you did before. But one year seems like a short time for new islands and beaches to form, an active volcano to die, perpetual rainfall at Po Town to vanish, and for a bunch of rocks on Poni to suddenly disappear and a new set of rocks to appear elsewhere. And a giant portal, but that's probably just Aether shenanigans. What I'm getting at is Ultra Sun and Moon could very well take place in an alternate timeline or universe. If that were the case, we could very well be seeing new Alolan forms. Imagine if this alternate timeline involves other regions learning about Alola and visiting the region as well, bringing with them their own Pokémon, which over time populate the area and adapt to their surroundings.Rather than all regions, though, many have been speculating and hoping for Johto forms. Sounds reasonable: Johto is right next to Kanto, and makes the most sense to have new forms not only geographically, but also financially due to the Gen II VC releases. Malie City is also noted as being inspired by the Johto Region, making the Johto-Alolan forms even more plausible. So far, however, we've gotten no indication of such.Our Island Scan information supports this, however. 16 Pokémon are from Gen II, including the starters. Some Pokémon are later evolutions to these Gen II Pokémon, those being Mamoswine and Togekiss, making the total "Johto" amount 18. If Johto were to get Alolan forms, these 18 would be a great choice. Imagine if you can get the starters' "Johto" forms in the VC games, and get their Alolan forms in USM! That would have a lot of marketing potential, not to mention the other Johto Pokémon.But there's another reason why people want Johto-Alolan forms, and it's because the Johto starters didn't get Megas last Gen, along with Sinnoh and Unova. Switch Pokémon was confirmed, however, and likely means Generation VIII is on it, and, considering we got second versions this Gen, the Sinnoh remakes will be almost certainly tied to Generation VIII. Gamefreak may already have some surprises in store for the Sinnoh starters, so that excludes them from Alolan forms. Leaving us with Unova and Johto starters.Now we go back to our Island Scan Generation counts. Kalos has just the Honedge line, because the Gen VI games are still fairly recent. Kanto has only 7, because we already got Kanto-Alolan forms. Hoenn has 8, because they just got remakes, but it's still a fairly old Generation. Sinnoh has 11, because it is a bit old now, but it's remakes are likely in early developmental stages. Johto has 16, because the generation is due for attention, though it's ties with Kanto hold it back, and Gen II didn't add many Pokémon. Unova has 39, and that's because it's old enough to have upcoming remakes, but not new enough to be all that relevant today, thus leaving it in this awkward place where nothing is really promoting the region. Also, Unova introduced a ton of new Pokémon. Johto and Unova hence have the most Island Scan Pokémon because they are in the most need of a "revamp," and their starters are present in Island Scan to represent their Generation.There are a few problems with this theory, the most notable being the sheer number of Pokémon that could receive Alolan forms. Even if it were just the final stage, that's 28 new forms, way more than we got in Sun and Moon. Imagine all 84! So how do we decide what gets a new form, if any? The starters are a good pick. But aren't starters rare, and not often found in the wild? Why are they here? And if only certain Island Scan Pokémon get new forms, why didn't the others?Another issue is that we don't know if there will be new Alolan forms. It makes sense that there would be. Gen VII has these six focuses: Z-Moves, Regional Forms, PokéRide, Ultra Beasts, Island Challenge + SOS Battles, and Terrain Effects. We already got new Z-Moves, Ultra Beasts, PokéRides, and the Lycanroc Z-Move that removes Terrain Effects. Trials have been altered and added as we've seen, and SOS Battles will obviously return as a result. All that's missing is new Regional Forms, and for them to skip this particular selling point of the Generation is, to be blunt, extremely stupid. Of course, this is GameFreak, so who knows what they might do. The thing about Alolan forms, however, and what makes them attractive, is that they're more accessible than Mega Evolution. Forms don't take up an item slot, and don't exactly feel as deliberate as Megas. The distribution of Mega Evolution and Primal Reversion seem very arbitrary and specific, as if they were chosen: Regional Forms, on the other hand, make biological sense. If one of the current goals of the Pokémon Company is to expend the Pokédex, add "new" Pokémon and type combinations, while trying to add as little new species as possible, Regional Forms are the way to go. Stopping now, when you've built up everything else notable about the Generation in the new games, simply is a bad idea.Lastly, some information has come out that Necrozma's Pokédex number is 400, meaning that Marshadow, last in the Pokédex, would be 402. This conflicts with the total we found earlier of 405: however, if Burst and Assembly come after Marshadow, since they're being added to the Pokédex, then we will have 404, which is just one off from 405. Unfortunately, 405 is the bare minimum total: if we add in the other 6 possible additions, now we have 411, so unless the Pokédex is seriously rearranged, these numbers don't add up. The Pokédex being altered does sound correct, though, because we will be encountering Necrozma earlier than before as seen in the trailers, perhaps catchable as early as the Lunala/Solgaleo fight in Sun and Moon. Marshadow's Pokédex number hasn't been confirmed as of yet, so it's entirely possible.TL:DR The Island Scan Pokémon represent Pokémon and Generations in need of attention, and their selection, placement, and reputation warrant Alolan forms or otherwise addition into the Regional Pokédex in Ultra Sun and Moon. The inclusion of Island Scan and it's respective Pokémon was to hint at a much greater purpose for them in the upcoming games.Will we see all of them get new forms, or will they simply be added to the Pokédex and nothing else? If not them, then what will get new forms, and why? via /r/pokemon http://ift.tt/2wpVyQ7