One lunatic's love-hate relationship with the Pokémon franchise, and his addled musings on its rights, wrongs, ins and outs. Come one, come all, and indulge my delusions of grandeur as I inflict my opinions on anyone within shouting distance.
Well, Kore the Floette has been replaced by Daphne the shiny Floette (named for a nymph who turned into a tree as an excuse to get out of a date with the god Apollo) – clearly a superior choice in every way imaginable by virtue of her shininess. Nothing else of great interest happened during my training program, though. Once I am satisfied that my off-duty Pokémon have learned enough, I move on to check out the Battle Château, a magnificent old castle straddling what I’m still pretty sure is the Loire River.
My path is clear: travel to nearby Camphrier Town to learn more about this Mega Evolution whatever stuff. As I go to leave Professor Sycamore’s building, however, I meet someone new. He is well-dressed, in an immaculate black suit with red piping, and has ridiculous hair, bright vermillion, sweeping back from his head in a sort of V-shape, so he will surely be important to the story.
Definitely an important character.
This man is apparently interested in meeting Professor Sycamore’s recruits, and introduces himself as Lysandre – a French derivative of the ancient Greek name Lysander, which means something like “liberator of men;” the most famous historical figure by this name was a Spartan general at the end of the 5th century BC responsible for creating the great Spartan fleet that broke the naval supremacy of Athens and ended the thirty-year Peloponnesian War (I’m a classicist; so sue me). He doesn’t really say why he wants to meet us, but does explain that he’s working to create “a more beautiful world,” and seems to think we could somehow be part of that. He leaves fairly promptly, allowing Serena to monopolise my time instead. Apparently she wants to talk to me about something but wants to do it somewhere more private, so she asks me to join her at the nearby Café Soleil. Um. Did I just get asked out on a date? Sorry, Serena, but I think I’m already in a committed relationship with the Lumiose Transport Authority guy who randomly fell in love with me earlier this afternoon. Still, I suppose it’s polite to go and let her down in person…
It is the dawn of a new era. An era of peace, hope, and French cuisine. As I slot my copy of Pokémon: X Version into my 3DS, a cry of “it’s about bloody time!” rings out across the hills and through the valleys. The fertile fields and shining cities of the Kalos region await – my conquest begins this day.
Pokémaniacal 