POKEMON LEGENDS: Z-A
Next up, we have another entry in the Legends series, apparently not so much about stories from the ancient past, but more general stories the Pokemon Company want to tell while revisiting old areas outside of the mainline games. This one takes place entirely within Lumiose City, the Paris of Kalos, about five years past the events of X and Y, and does a lot to wrap up the story, specifically the story of AZ.
You play as Paxton or Harmony, a young kid who arrives in Lumiose City to compete in a Z-A tournament being held by the Quasartico company. You are quickly roped into Team MZ, a group of kids focused on helping clean up and help out around Lumiose while also bringing in customers for Hotel Z where they live. Their leader is Urbain or Taunie, your rival and a kinda sorta color swap of your main character. Other members include Lida, the younger half-sister of Tierno, and Naveen.
Returning from X and Y, we have our immortal ancient king AZ and his Floette, who now run the hotel together. We also have Emma, who has taken over her adoptive father's role as head detective in Lumiose. Then Mabel, former Team Flare admin, now working as the acting professor at Sycamore's lab as part of her community service. And finally, we have Lysandre, who apparently survived and inherited AZ's curse of immortality, serving his penance as a speaker for Zygarde.
Newcomer characters are mostly people involved in the Quasartico Z-A tournament. Jett is Quasartico's CEO while Vinnie is her secretary, who recruits Team MZ to help investigate strange incidents around the city. Canari (Electric) is a streamer competing in the tournament, while Tarragon (Ground) is her supportive grandpa and construction head of the city. Ivor (Fighting) and Gwynn (Ghost) are a brother and sister duo who oversee a fighting dojo in the city. Corbeau (Poison) is the head of the Rust Syndicate, a Yakuza-inspired crime family who are much more well-meaning than they seem, while Philippe (Steel) is his right-hand man. Jacinthe (Fairy) is a wealthy (and a little bit scary) heiress, and Lebanne (Dragon) is her strongly-implied-to-be-indentured maid. Finally, Grisham and Griselle are two former members of Team Flare who now run a coffee shop and call themselves Team Flare Nouveau.
There's not actually a villain in the story, just a build up of Mega Evolution energy forming underneath Prism Tower, due to the use of AZ's superweapon five years before, which at one point possesses Floette and turns it into a giant plant/biological version of the superweapon. We also got a DLC where we meet Diantha's daughter Ansha and her companion Hoopa, as well as a returning Korrina, who work together to close a bunch of dimensional rifts opening around the city.
As for stages, it's mostly just the city of Lumiose, greatly expanded on from its appearance in X and Y, with lots of Wild Zones where Pokemon can roam freely. Hotel Z is the most distinct new location, as well as Quasartico's headquarters. Prism Tower is also notably featured in the story.
And that's pretty much it! Here's what we've got so far:
Characters:
All new Pokemon
Paxton/Harmony, also maybe Taunie/Urbain as echoes?
Trainer System:
Florian
Juliana
Paxton
Harmony
Nemona
Arven
Penny
Taunie
Urbain
Clavell
Professor Sada
Professor Turo
Jacq
Tyme
Salvatore
Raifort
Dendra
Saguaro
Hassel
Miriam
Lida
Naveen
Jett
Vinnie
Katy
Brassius
Iono
Kofu
Larry
Ryme
Tulip
Grusha
Rika
Poppy
Geeta
Tarragon
Canari
Gwynn
Ivor
Philippe
Corbeau
Lebanne
Jacinthe
Griselle
Grisham
Giacomo
Mela
Atticus
Ortega
Eri
Billy
O'Nare
Briar
Carmine
Kieran
Perrin
Cyrano
Crispin
Lacey
Amarys
Drayton
Ansha
Stages:
Naranja/Uva Academy
Area Zero
Other Paldean areas
Kitakami
Blueberry Academy
Pokemon Sleep stage?
Denis Mansion
Southern Ruins
Pokemon Protection Bureau
Bamboo Borough
Pokemon Unity Lab
TCG Pocket stage?
Lumiose City
Hotel Z
Quasartico Inc.
Prism Tower
Mega Dimension
Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Animal Crossing! No, wait, Minecraft! No, wait, that's not right either.
