The Outrage

Red didn't get the Silph Scope, but rather Green did and he handed it to Red. I think that Green stole it from the grunts. Also, Red never battled Marowak since she departed to the afterlife once she reunited with Cubone, so the Silph Scope was rather redundant.

Red lost to Giovanni at Silph Co. and didn't get a Master Ball, which explains why he didn't use it to catch Mewtwo. Also, it was stated that Team Rocket had the scientists experiment on Pokémon, which Red released from captivity. Nothing was said about the actual experiments, though. Giovanni only used an overleveled Rhyhorn and Rhydon in the gym battle, which were apparently his "big guns" not normally used in the gym (he used a different team against Green and lost). Giovanni's flashback established that Charmander was his starter, so I guess that Red mostly affected Giovanni by reminding him of his own past.

There was a lot of drama around Mewtwo (Green got hurt while battling it), but it turns out that Red just wanted to catch it to complete his Pokédex. That's disappointing since he even realized who Dr. Fuji was (he asked Oak to confirm his theory, but he just rambled about the stones), and yet he didn't do anything with that information. After that, he said that Mew was next on his list.

Is Origin canon? No, but I think we can infer that Red really did catch Mewtwo and Fuji's research is indeed connected to Mega Evolution. Hopefully these things will make sense in XY.

Where was it stated that Korrina has two Lucario? I thought that the leaker had only made it to the second gym before Nintendo got to him.

I am not thrilled about X and Y variants of Mega Evolutions. So the idea is to let certain Pokémon develop in different ways, essentially at the expense of Pokémon that won't have any Mega Evolutions. Also, the X variants may be the only ones that get type changes (for all we know, even Ampharos may have two variants). But what else? Is there an actual theme here or what? Why did Mr. Fuji give Red a Charizardite X rather than a Charizardite Y?

Anyway, I am naturally more interested in Origin's focus on Fuji. He even mentioned Kalos to Reina (his granddaughter?) while they were discussing Mewtwo. At the same time, Oak mentioned Dr. Fuji (whose face was concealed, which is odd because Mr. Fuji was discussed in the same context) and didn't seem entirely surprised to see the Mega Stones. I'm waiting for FANG-TAN to provide accurate translations.

My biggest gripe with Origin is that Red simply caught Mewtwo, with no foreshadowing as to the future (be it in HGSS or XY). Why did Red end up releasing Mewtwo? Why did Cerulean Cave collapse? What made Red change so much by Generation II? HGSS made me assume that Red failed to catch Mewtwo, which resulted in the cave collapsing. But now I'm forced to revisit my pre-HGSS theory that Mewtwo essentially brainwashed Red after the capture. Perhaps Red had a positive effect on Mewtwo's behavior, but at the price of identifying with Mewtwo too much. Red released Mewtwo either due to brainwashing or due to the realization that letting go of Mewtwo was the only way to regain control.

Thanks for your time. I recalled seeing it when looking at some Nintendo news that I don't remember that part, so perhaps time will tell if that is true or not.

Can I ask you for a certain source where a certain key information is mentioned?

I recalled that it was mentioned somewhere that the day and night in Pokemon X and Y won't influence the encounter rates of the Pokemon. I know that an interview at Eurogamer mentions how the flowers among the tall grass would influence the encounter rate, but it is the day and night thing that I wasn't able to find. If you remember where that was mentioned, could you provide a link to it?

Sorry to trouble you if you have to go through the trouble to find it.

Hello Outrage, it's been a long time. =)

According to a Japanese interview referenced here, Game Freak gave priority to Generation VI Pokémon when distributing new moves and abilities. I can understand this for abilities, but moves? Is this their way of counterbalancing the fact that the new Pokémon lack Mega Evolutions? One thing shouldn't have anything to do with the other, and besides, this sounds terrible for old Pokémon that won't get Mega Evolutions. Moves in the vein of Freeze Dry should be available to all generations.

They also say that some moves won't be usable in Sky Battles, and there are three other points I need to translate.

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I don't see what kind of surprise is left when we know about both Mega Mewtwo X and Y.
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Mewtwo's story relevance and the version differences. But regardless of that, I got the impression that he meant that battles with Mewtwo would be surprising due to there being two variants.

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NL: It's amazing to see some of our old favourite Generation I Pokémon in a new form. Mega Kangaskhan and baby Kangaskahn are adorable! In Pokemon X & Y there are also two Mega forms of Mewtwo, Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y. Was there a reason why you chose to create two special, version exclusive forms of this particular Pokemon?
Junichi Masuda: Mewtwo is a Pokémon for which GameFreak has a special fondness. We came up with Mega Mewtwo X and Y because we thought that by having a two different types of Mewtwo, Pokémon battles would become more strategic and at the same time it would encourage trading. We think it will create a nice surprise to the fans.
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Not at all the answer that I was hoping for, but he has a zero-spoilers policy about the story, so who knows.

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NL: In Pokémon Black and White 2 there was a key system, which helped you catch the Regis and gave you access to version exclusive content, such as the Black City and the White Forest. Will there be a similar feature in X and Y?
Junichi Masuda: In regards to the key system that existed in Black and White 2 that was something that we implemented after we had the balance right in Pokémon Black and White, so we put that in to add in some more options as a sequel to the game. But as X and Y is a totally new entry we have added a lot of new changes, and completely rebalanced the game, so we didn’t really think about putting in a similar system this time around.
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I bet that it didn't occur to Masuda to implement the difficulty settings separately.

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I'm not sure if a situation could arise where Iwata tells him to go for DLC over a third version. It made sense for BW2 since the DS was getting old and we already expected BW to be on the 3DS.

He doesn't seem to understand that you can sell a game with the complete experience but may have ideas for additional content in the future. That's what the DLC is for. He seems under the impression that everything should be thought up and included in the games already, and if there's DLC, you withhold content.
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You said it yourself. Someone needs to point out to Masuda that his approach to DLC is wrong. He shouldn't pretend that DLC is beneath Game Freak when that isn't the case for Nintendo.

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PG: Not even as an idea for future releases?

JM: [Laughs] Maybe! But not as long as I'm director. One thing I always say about the Pokemon games is that you want to make it something you can give to a kid - of course adults also play it too - and they have a complete experience.
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Then he shouldn't be the director. He always finds a way to say the wrong things in these interviews even when it seems that the series is making progress. I want Tajiri back; he probably remembers that being a child doesn't make you stupid. Why did Masuda even say at E3 that he couldn't comment on DLC yet? Was he too afraid to create a negative impression?

The alternative to replacing Masuda is for Iwata to smack some sense into him, as he did with B2W2.

I've already scolded him for it. He says that "rebalance" should clarify what it means, but obviously it doesn't. The article only says that a type chart refinement is unlikely, which was obvious to begin with.

She could try to bring them back, but I doubt that Xerneas has that power. She would have a better chance of preventing her own death.

I think that Diantha's name and purple speech bubble hint at her being a faux friend. Her Japanese name is Carnet and is derived from the word carnation, which is a species of Dianthus. Purple carnation indicates capriciousness, and in France, it is a traditional funeral flower given in condolence for the death of a loved one. Moreover, carnations in general represent misfortune and bad luck in French culture.

If she did want to get the legendaries involved, then it would be best if she were trying to exact revenge on Yveltal for the death of a loved one from her past.

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There's still that female Flare member in the white coat shown in a screen shot.
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That's part of the reason why I suggested that Diantha should be the CEO of the boutique company, which wouldn't be revealed to be nefarious until the end. Xerosic and the other lady could be sharing the leadership of Team Flare, with Xerosic caring about a cure to skin cancer and related diseases as opposed to beauty.


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If that's the case, then I can see why he wants Xerneas and Ylveltal.

Then again, Diantha wanting to remain young forever could also be trying to stave off death, so she may be looking for Xerneas/Ylveltal to do that.
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I really hope that none of them are looking for Xerneas or Yveltal; I'd much rather they concentrate on technology and exploiting Mega Evolution. Their actions may inadvertently enrage Yveltal, and Xerneas will have to stop its destruction.

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Not in the games, but I don't imagine the anime having Mega Lucario have a special role if it turns out Korrina also has a Mega Lucario. That's what I'm hoping for.
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Then again, Game Freak gave Lucario to three different trainers in Sinnoh (Maylene, Riley and Cynthia), and it was signature Pokémon of the former two. Luckily, they haven't had two gym leaders share a signature Pokémon yet. Oh wait... they haven't had two gym leaders specializing in the same type do that yet (Clair and Juan both used a Kingdra).


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I'm wondering what kind of role she plays.
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The somewhat banal prediction is that she's the Champion. I'd rather that she be the CEO of the boutique company that funds Team Flare's operations for the sake of testing cosmetic products on Pokémon. Diantha herself could be over 60, going to extreme lengths to hide that fact. Perhaps Mega Evolution, or rather an imposed form of it, is the key to anti-aging.

Owned by someone else in the games? I suspect that Mega Blaziken and Mega Lucario only have a special role in the anime.

It's from the press release that followed the recent Direct: "Trainers must also obtain a bracelet called the Mega Ring that holds a mysterious stone called a Key Stone. The Trainer’s Key Stone resonates with the Mega Stone held by his or her Pokémon."

The Mega Ring itself seems rather redundant. Future player characters probably won't have it.

I suspect that Korrina has a Mega Mienshao, although that might be too much for the fourth gym. Lucario would be too repetitive.

Very nice. Refer to my blog for input.

Hm. I probably was mistaken then. Thanks anyway!