Pokerus, one of the rarest and most useful status tools, isn’t in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Originally introduced in the series’ second generation, Pokerus is a condition your Pokemon have a 1-in-21,845 chance of contracting after a battle. During the few days it takes to ‘cure’, it can spread to other Pokemon in your party. In addition, Pokemon with the virus gain double ‘Effort Values’ or ‘EVs’ from each battle, so its stats rise faster as it levels up. Hardcore players need it, but it’s hard to plan for.
It seems to be gone now. “Pokerus’s no longer there in Scarlet & Violet,” tweeted Pokemon data miner mattyoukhana earlier today. The Pokerus status icons don’t exist in the game, and it’s not found on wild Pokemon.” Pokemon that’s “forced” infected with the virus will still get the doubled EV yield, but won’t spread it.
The community isn’t sure why Game Freak removed the mechanic after more than two decades. Since this is the first mainline Pokemon game since the Covid-19 pandemic, Nintendo doesn’t want to bring up the idea of a virus. Players responding to that tweet say Pokemon have been vaccinated against the virus, preventing its spread.