The official Pokemon Twitter account teased a clip of the original net animation series, Pokemon: Twilight Wings, featuring Allister, the Galar Region's mask-wearing ghost-type gym leader. The clip arrived just days before the latest episode, "Moonlit Night," is set to air on July 2nd.
Pokemon's Ghost-type trainers are often unsettling, but few hold a candle to Allister, the Galar Region's ghost-type specialist. In Pokemon Shield, Allister accepts challenges from aspiring Pokemon League Champions and Stow-on-Side Stadium, with a lineup that includes Yamask, Mimikyu, Cursola, and finally, a Dynamax Gengar. Ghost-types are known for being mysterious (and mischievous), and fittingly enough Allister has a mystery of his own.
According to the League Cards you can earn in Pokemon Shield, Allister supposedly has a sixth sense allowing him to see ghost types which he developed after suffering an accident when he was four. He also seldom removes his mask, and has at least 100 duplicates to ensure he never runs out. While ghost-type Pokemon make for fearsome opponents with some disturbing backstories, Allister's reasons for keeping his face covered appear to be more tragic than sinister.
In battle, Allister's quotes betray a young, mumbling trainer with a mildly macabre streak, nervous stutters, and lines relating to loneliness. His mask also bears striking resemblance to the Mario franchise's most timid antagonist: Shy-Guy. Pokemon: Twilight Wings is the Pokemon Company's latest original net series following the examples of Pokemon Origins and Pokemon Generations with stories told in a shorter, five-minute format, so it is unlikely we will get too much character development, though the show should have just enough time to detail his mysterious power.
While the series is set in the same universe as the stalwart Pokemon anime, as evidenced by a miss-it-and-blink cameo from Ash and Pikachu in the series' first episode, there are some striking differences between the two series. Twilight Wings is less about long-running continuity, and more concerned with developing the franchise' world through brief vignettes focused on familiar characters from the games. The series has been praised for their quality animation, courtesy of Studio Colorido.
It is worth noting that Pokemon Sword and Shield feature different ghost-type trainers, with Sword players facing Bea instead of Allister. But seeing how Bea featured in Twilight Wing's second episode, it seems unlikely that she will return in the next episode, which should give writers more time to explore Allister's dark secrets. And while we may not see Allister unmasked, Twilight Wings did give viewers a glimpse of what Pokeball Guy looks like under his helmet.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are out for the Nintendo Switch now, and the first five episodes of Pokemon: Twilight Wings can be streamed online now, with the sixth set to launch on July 2nd.