For anyone looking to get into competitive breeding or shiny hunting in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, there’s one special Pokémon you’ll want to have in your party: Ditto.

The cute little transforming Pokémon has been around since the first generation and has become an integral part of the Pokémon breeding mechanic. Because Ditto can transform into any other Pokémon in the game, it is compatible with any other Pokémon for breeding purposes. We aren’t going to get into the finer details of Pokémon breeding, natures, and egg groups here, but know that you’re going to want to find a Ditto as soon as possible if you want to be a top-notch breeder.

Finding Ditto in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet can be a bit tricky, but we’ll show you where you can get one!

Ditto can be found in the northwest region of Paldea. You can find them between Porto Marinada and Medali (in West Province Areas Two and Three), the southern hills of Glaseado Mountain, and the northern rim of the Great Crater of Paldea.

The most important thing to note when hunting for Ditto is that you will never be able to spot them in the overworld. Much like in Pokémon Go, Ditto is always using its transform ability — it could be hiding as a wandering Mewoth or Skiddo. You’ll have to start an encounter with random Pokémon in the area in hopes that one of them is a Ditto in disguise. Once you start a battle with one, the Ditto will immediately let down its guard and turn into its blobby self.

While this means it’ll take a bit more time to find Ditto versus other Pokémon, it doesn’t seem like Ditto is particularly rare, and we had no trouble finding a few in the areas listed above.