Oooh boy, this new Zygarde info leaves a
lot to speculate on, and if there's one thing I love, it's pre-game speculation! Guess I'd better buckle in because I'm gonna have a lot to type...
I'm going to start off by saying that since this news pertains specifically to the anime, I'm
99% certain the Ash-Greninja is going to be an anime-exclusive thing. Just because it's in the anime or a movie doesn't mean it needs to be included in the games. That being said,
if this Ash-Greninja appears in "Pokémon Z" (I'll get to those air quotes in a minute!), it will likely be as a "stand-alone" Pokémon. By this I mean a special event Greninja who does not evolve from a Froakie or Frogadier, only boasting a unique 3D model and perhaps a unique move or Ability, similar to how Spiky-Eared Pichu is incapable of evolving, and how Cosplay Pikachu cannot evolve but gains unique attacks upon changing outfits. It just seems highly unlikely for any Mega Evolution to be based directly on an anime character, so while the possibility of gen 6 starter Megas still exist, I don't think Ash-Greninja falls under this category (and personally, I don't want it to).
Moving on to the hypothetical "Pokémon Z:" the reason why I use air quotes around it is because we simply do not know enough about the game's plot as of now. I don't think it will be a prequel (I'll explain why as I go on), but the chance of the game(s) being a sequel, or even just a "3rd version" (alternate retelling of the original X & Y) are both likely at this point (and, even as a sequel, it still faces the possibility as being presented as a single game or as two separate games). So, for the sake of simplicity, I'll just call the upcoming game(s) "Pokémon Z" for now.
Now I'll move onto Zygarde and
why I love these new formes so much. As some people may know, Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde are inspired greatly from Norse mythology. Zygarde 50% Forme is based on Jörmungandr, a serpent who "grew so large that he was able to surround the earth and grasp his own tail," and "when he lets go, the world will end" (thanks, Wikipedia!). That sounds pretty ominous! But it's fitting, considering the great power Zygarde has just waiting to be unleashed. Also interesting to note is that Jörmungandr is Loki's second child...and his first was
Fenrir the wolf.
I'll admit, I was pretty confused when I first saw Zygarde's formes. I mean, it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a dog to become a snake...but when we consider their conceptual origins, things start to fall into place! It's just so exciting!
So that leaves Zygarde Complete Forme. How do you explain any Pokémon becoming a giant mecha? Well...that, I'm a bit unsure of, myself! I'm no master of Norse mythology by any means, but Zygarde Complete Forme could have a variety of Nordic origins. It could be based on Loki's
third child, his destructive daughter Hel, who is said to have one "hideous" half and one "beautiful" half (those "wings" on Zygarde Perfect being red and blue could represent the beauty of life and horror of death, after all). Or, it may just be based on a generic Nordic giant. Again, I'm not knowledgeable enough in this area to know. But there are a lot of exciting possibilities! (Also, fun fact, there are ice giants in Nordic mythology, too, and Zygarde must be pretty afraid of them given its Dragon/Ground typing!)
Speaking of possibilities, that's another reason why I'm so excited by these new formes. The
descriptions given to them by the official Pokémon site gives so many possibilities for improvements over the plot of X & Y. Imagine encountering Zygarde throughout the game--always observing and collecting information regarding the villainous team and their plots. Maybe Zygarde has some sort of power that prevents you from using Poké Balls on it, so you get to fight it as a sort of boss battle throughout the game in its different formes, starting at 10%, and leading up to the climactic battle versus its Complete Forme! It could be a situation similar to Kyurem in B2W2, where you can't capture the legendary until post-game; perhaps after the story mode showdown, Zygarde splits into separate cells again that scatter throughout the region, and you have to collect all the cells before getting a chance to capture it!
This leads into why I don't think we will be getting prequels. I don't think it's
impossible, just highly unlikely. Incorporating this unique "Zygarde mechanic" into the story of X & Y could work out very well, giving characters such as AZ and Lysandre
(and Sycamore please) more opportunities to be active and even have some character growth. As a sequel, it could still involve AZ and perhaps a sort of "revival" of Team Flare (or maybe even a new team, but I think a revival of Team Flare would be more likely). A prequel could be very interesting, I admit, but that would imply that Zygarde wasn't caught after its events because it's still in Terminus Cave in X & Y (also, I just want to see more of the characters of X & Y, ha ha).
And that leads us to...flowers. Yes, that cryptic word given to us by TPCi's J. C. Smith regarding what the future of Pokémon held in store. Undoubtedly, many people came to the conclusion that this was in relation to AZ's Floette. And with that, it's time to start...
The Pokémon Z Speculation Game Speed Round™!! The rules are simple: I just give out bullet points of 100% speculation, made from pure speculation juice! So without further ado, here are the speculations:
- AZ and Floette have to sacrifice themselves to stop the rampaging Zygarde Complete Forme...
it looks like, after 3000 long years, they'll both finally be free
- AZ, with the (metaphorical) power he obtained over his 3000 years of life, has the power to stop Zygarde Complete Forme; AZ is, after all, the beginning of the story (a - he was the one who created the original weapon which is now being used again as the center of the plot of X & Y), so he could very well be the end, too (z - the key to defeating Zygarde--maybe that key necklace of his plays a role)
- AZ may have to sacrifice himself to defeat Zygarde; this would lead him to free his Floette into the wild where the player can encounter and capture it post-game
- I can only think of two things that Zygarde may consider a threat to Kalos's ecosystem: the threat of Team Flare, or the effects of Primal Groudon/Kyogre making their way towards the Kalos region (thanks to the O-Power guy, we know that XY & ΩRαS take place simultaneously, albeit with a bit of staggered-ness, and the Hoenn remakes added a lot of references to not just Kalos, but AZ specifically--the latter idea could be a way to incorporate some references to Hoenn)
And...that's all, for now! This post is already out of control as it is!
Needless to say, I'm actually very excited for whatever Pokémon has in store next. Truth be told, XY & ΩRαS were great games--fantastic, even!--but I was honestly very disappointed with them in numerous respects. But! Not having any sort of main series game this year means the upcoming game(s) likely had a two-year development cycle. That's a lot of time to add content, improve the plot and characters, and polish the game, and just like the Zygarde we knew was only at 50% power, storing a lot of potential, X & Y had a lot of potential, too. And thinking of all the different ways these new Zygarde formes can be incorporated into the story of X & Y, making a very unique experience, is, put simply, amazing. A lot of thought went into these guys, and they have the possibility of bringing the most complex (in a good way!), engaging Pokémon story yet. I'll knock on wood from now until as long as it takes--I think these formes are a good omen of what's to come!