Highlights
- Pokemon Z was a highly anticipated game that never materialized, but a Pokemon Legends title set in the Kalos region could fulfill players' wishes and expand on the lore and characters of Pokemon X and Y.
- The presence of Zygarde in X and Y was misleading, but a Kalos Pokemon Legends game could explain the significance of this Legendary Pokemon to the region and its role in the story.
- A Pokemon Legends game set in Kalos could explore the ancient conflict that led to the creation of the Ultimate Weapon and feature the character AZ, offering a darker storyline and insight into the region's history.
When Pokemon X and Y launched on the Nintendo 3DS many players expected a 3rd title called Pokemon Z. There were a few reasons for this, perhaps chief among them being that up until then it was typical for developer Game Freak to release a third Pokemon title for almost paired release. Red and Blue were followed by Yellow, Gold and Silver by Crystal, and so on. This convention had, until then, only broken for remakes and the game before X and Y, Black and White. Black and White got a paired sequel instead, as did the 7th generation games that followed X and Y, Sun and Moon.
While Pokemon Z never arrived and likely never will at this point, revisiting the Kalos region in a Pokemon Legends title could fulfill the longtime wish of players who hoped for it. It could also help tie up some loose ends and expand on some of the lore and characters in Pokemon X and Y.
The Pokemon Z Mascot
One of the other big reasons some fans expected Pokemon Z is Zygarde, a then-new Legendary Pokemon that didn't get any attention in the main story of X and Y. The speculation at the time was that it would be the game mascot for Pokemon Z and feature more prominently in the story.
Zygarde's presence in X and Y turned out to be a red herring of sorts. X and Y were followed by remakes of the 3rd generation games Ruby and Sapphire, and Kalos was never revisited. Zygarde was instead featured in Sun and Moon. A Pokemon Legends game set in Kalos could explain what the serpent-like Pokemon was doing in Kalos in the first place, and whether it has any significance to the region.
An Ancient Conflict Could Be Explored
Another plot point that a Kalos Pokemon Legends game could explore is the conflict that indirectly caused AZ to build the Ultimate Weapon. According to X and Y, there were 2 countries at war some 3,000 years before the events of the game. The identity of these countries and the reason for their drawn-out conflict is never explained. Pokemon X and Y features one of the darker storylines to have ever featured in a Pokemon game.
The conflict between the two unnamed countries is only resolved when AZ destroys both countries with the Ultimate Weapon. AZ is over 3000 years old in Pokemon X and Y so he could feature as a character in a Legends title set either shortly before the end of the unnamed conflict or in the period following it as the region recovers from the massive destruction.
The Aura Trio And The Origins Of Mega Evolution
There are no known plans for a new Pokemon Legends game, but if one is ever made Kalos is a great candidate that will hopefully be considered for a setting. Fans could finally get to see what Zygarde's relationship with Xerneas and Yveltal is like and how these powerful Pokemon helped shape the Kalos region. The three are described as the Aura Trio and share lore, but they are never seen interacting in the games. Perhaps this is just one of those things that don't make sense in Pokemon.
If a Pokemon Legends game set in Kalos were to explore the origins of Mega Evolution, it could clear up a lot of contradictions around the origins of the mysterious phenomenon. The Mega Evolution phenomenon is described as a new type of evolution by Professor Sycamore, while an old Kalos legend speaks of a trainer and their Lucario discovering the stones that power it. To make matters more confusing, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have an entirely different origin story for Mega Evolution that implies that they are from outer space.
