>>27671753Mostly because it's supported by a leak /vp/ seems to put a lot of hope into.
The main kicker was when the art for the three starters was released, out of the blue, and nobody could find a proper source. It included a line art picture of Mallow, as
>>27671931 showed, before she was even announced, giving it some genuine credibility. It's supposed to be an anime reference sheet too, so this is intended to aid with animation in the anime when it comes around to Alola, which means that these designs for the starters are set in stone.
