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sleeppaw · 5 years ago

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Pokemon X and Y vs Sword and Shield

I feel like “Pokemon Sword and Shield” doesn’t deserve the backlash it gets from the fandom, and I feel that the fandom praise “Pokemon X and Y” too much.

The music: Compare the Gym Leader theme from “Pokemon X and Y” to the GL Theme from “Pokemon Sword and Shield”; the latter sounds far more epic and fits the overall theme of the game; the former sounds more like a “Electronic soundtrack”. Outside the Gyms, “Pokemon X and Y” only has three themes I love (Route 15, Pokemon League and Ambrette Town). The themes from “Pokemon Sword and Shield” I truly love are: Slumbering Weald, Wedgehurst, Motostoke, Route 3, Hulbury, Wild Area North, Bede’s Theme, Marnie’s Theme, Hop’s Theme, Hammerlocke, Circhester, Eternatus 3, Piers’ Theme, Spikemuth, Route 10, Wyndon and Battle Tower (Seriously, “Sword and Shield” has some of the best themes in any Pokemon game) Score: 1 to “Sword and Shield”

The Rivals: I admit, I prefer the “Sword and Shield” rivals over the “X and Y” friends group. On paper, the “Friend Group” concept does sound interesting: Competitive Rival, Contest Rival, Pokedex Rival and Rival who just wants to do her own thing. Sadly, they were executed poorly (Calem/Serena remains stagnant after the Post-game, Tierno is wasted potential in a game without “side activities” such as Contests/Musicals and Trevor just stays at Geosenge Town and asks the same questions every time. The only character that shows potential is Shauna.) In “Sword and Shield”, Hop, Bede and Marnie all have character and story (Hop starts off with a goal; to beat his older brother. A loss to Bede becomes a deep cut for him. Despite all this he is still determined to defeat his brother; only in the Knock-Out round of the Champions’ Cup does he realise that he won’t be able to achieve his goal, and only in the Post-Game does Hop finally discover a new goal; to be a Pokemon Professor. His and your story paralells Sonia and Leon respectively; Sonia became depressed after she lost to Leon until Professor Magnolia gives her a task; to research what really went on during “The Darkest Day” 3000 years earlier. Bede starts off arrogant as he was Sponsored by the top guy of the region, until he is removed from the Gym Challenge for vandalising a mural; the vandalism reveals an ancient statue of two people and two Pokemon, which led to Sonia to think about “which version of The Darkest Day is true? The one recorded in the History books or the one that is rarely talked about”. He gets put under “Fairy Type Boot Camp” and only appears in the “Gym Leaders” Tournament of the Champions Cup. Under Opal’s Boot Camp, Bede is no longer arrogant and starts becoming a lot nicer, even saying in the Champions Cup rematches that “He enjoys battling you”. Marnie is a Trainer who just wants to put her hometown on the map, and the only way she can do this is by being the Champion. She is a lot kinder and doesn’t take any nonsense from Team Yell. She doesn’t achieve her goal, however, and ends up succeeding Piers as a Gym Leader.) Hop, Bede and Marnie are far more fleshed out than the “X and Y” Rivals, and even though they never achieve their goals they end up becoming natural successors to their predecessors. Total: 2 to “Sword and Shield”

The Legendaries: Xerneas and Yvetal doesn’t really play a role in “X and Y” apart from being used as a battery for an “Ultimate Weapon”. The Legendaries in “Sword and Shield”, Zacian and Zazamenta, appear as ??? early in the game. When you and Hop tell Leon and Sonia about the “Mysterious Pokemon” in the Slumbering Weald Sonia is intrigued, and she decides to research what the two Pokemon are. Only towards the end of the game do they actually appear to help you and Hop in fighting Eternatus (another paralell to the “Darkest Day” 3000 years earlier, confirming Sonia’s theory that “Two heroes and two Pokemon” stopped the Darkest Day and not one hero as the History books recorded). The scene after you capture Eternatus has them leaping into the sky and returning back to Slumbering Weald. In the Post-Game, the Legendaries trust you and Hop and they allow you and Hop to catch them. Zacian and Zazamenta, by the events of “Sword and Shield” are mysterious, and that is because they have been sleeping for 3000 years, so gradually, over time, their role in the “Darkest Day” eventually got covered up in history. The pair sleeping is justified, as they were badly injured in the original “Darkest Day”. It also makes sense meta-wise, as Shield’s Pokedex entry for Zacian states “Some believe Zacian is Zazamenta’s elder sister, other says the two are rivals”. In Arthurian Myth, depending on version, Morgana is said to be either Arthur’s sister or rival. There is also a reference to Roman mythology in the designs: The twin brothers Romulus and Remus were said to be the sons of Mars, the war god. The ruler of the land ordered the twin boys to be abandoned on a hill. The boys were found by a wolf, who raised them as her own, eventually the boys grew up and founded a city; however, they got into a quarrel with each other and Romulus killed his twin brother. The wolf element in the designs is inspired by the female wolf in the story. There is a Greek myth about twins Castor and Pollux: one of the twins was immortal, the other wasn’t. When the mortal twin died in a battle, the immortal twin begged Zeus to join his brother; Zeus decided to place the twins in the sky as the Constellation Gemini. A similar story is said to have happened in 5th-Century Kent, when the warriors Hengist and Horsa fought in a fierce battle against a rival tribe; in the battle, Horsa is killed, and after the battle Hengist retrieved his brother’s corpse and buried it in nearby woodlands. He marked the grave with a white stone, which later became known as “White Horse Stone” after the brothers’ personal banner. Soon after this battle, Hengist was named as king of the new kingdom. One version of this story states the two were twins, while another version states that Hengist was the older brother. A final inspiration for the Legendaries is found in Norse Mythology; after Baldur is killed, Raganork starts and a pair of wolves break out to chase the sun and moon (In Norse Mythology, the sun is female while the moon is male) before catching and killing them; Fenir, another wolf from Norse Mythology, also breaks out and kills Odin. Even History tells us of sibling warriors (Edward and Aethelflaed, a brother and sister who helped unite the seven kingdoms in the 10th Century following the Viking Raids. The Eleventh Century had famous sibling warriors: Norwegian rulers Olav and Harald, earls Edwin and Morcar (yes, really), Tostig (yes, seriously, the 11th Century had some unique names), Harold, Gyrth and Leofwine, Danish warriors Beorn and Sweyn and then there’s Normans Odo and William. The 15th Century had king Edward IV and his brother Richard, and two centuries later the future kings Charles II and James II even found themselves on a battlefield when they were 15 and 12 respectively. But sibling warriors wasn’t just restricted to Europe; Vietnamese history states that there were two sisters who fought in battle.) Zacian’s and Zazamenta’s designs are inspired by Arthurian Mythology (Zacian and Zazamenta sleeping for millennia), Roman and Norse Mythology (Wolves), Greek Mythology and History (Twin warriors or sibling warriors). Eternatus is based on Thanatos of Greek Mythology, who is the personification of Death (In Greek Mythology Thanatos is a Primodorial God that emerged from Chaos). Eternatus’ design is inspired by the Xenomorph (The film “Alien” was filmed in the UK, and there are many legends of “mysterious objects” appearing in front of monks in history; one of the famous legends from the UK is “The Green Children of Woolpit”. Many people today believe the story is an early example of a story about aliens; the girl and her brother came from a “far-off land”, described with green skin, appeared in a flash of light, wore strange clothing, only ate one type of food (beans), strange behaviour and the girl, in the story, eventually lost her green colour and settled amongst humans; the boy became ill and died. This ties into Eternatus’ otherworldly origins). Eternatus’ design is inspired by Thanatos (Primodorial being), Xenomorph (Design wise) and the legend of “The Green Children” (Unknown characters with an extraterristial origin). Calyrex, a Legendary Pokemon due to be introduced in the Crown Tundre DLC, is inspired by a deer. The White Stag appears in Celtic and Arthurian myths and was later on adopted by King Richard II as his personal symbol (Ancient and Medieval kings had personal emblems that was used as their standard in battle). As well as that, but it is also based on a Wolpertinger, a cryptid from German Mythology. When the Roman Empire fell, the Romans abandoned Britannia and invited a tribe from Saxony, in what is now Germany, over to fight the northern tribes (Germany was once a part of the Roman Empire). Eventually, the Saxon tribe took over, forming into various kingdoms (Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Kent, Essex, Sussex and Wessex). During this era the kings of each kingdom battled over dominance of the country (Bretwalda was the title that was given to the kings that managed to achieve this; there was seven kings named by Bede as “Bretwalda”, however in total there were sixteen kings that had the title between the 5th and 10th Centuries. The only Kingdom that never had a Bretwalda was Essex). At the same time Christianity was expanding over Europe, and in the year 597 pope Gregory sent a priest, Augustine, to the Kingdom of Kent. The Kingdom was ruled by a man named Ethelbert, who was pagan but his wife, Bertha, was a Christian. Augustine arrived at the court and eventually converted Ethelbert and his court to Christianity; Augustine established an abbey in today’s Canterbury and eventually converted the Kingdom of Kent. Two of Ethelbert’s daughters married the princes of East Anglia and Northumbria and the two kingdoms eventually converted to Christianity (In this era, East Anglia was ruled by Saebert, whose brother Seaxa is known as “The Aldi Prince” after the discovery of his grave outside an Aldi supermarket in Prittlewell made headlines, and Raedwald, the king who is believed to have been buried in a ship burial at the now famous Sutton Hoo site. Northumbria was ruled by Edwin, Osmund and Oswin). Northumbria, with it’s Christian kings, would be at war with Mercia in this time, a war that only ended when Penda, the Mercian king and a pagan, was killed in battle. A century later, the three dominant Kingdoms were Mercia, Wessex and Northumbria (Kent and Sussex had lost their power) and the Venerable Bede started to write about the seven kingdoms and the Bretwalda. Later that century, the Viking raids started. By the 9th Century there was four powerful kingdoms that was dominating the country (East Anglia, Mercia, Wessex and Northumbria). In the late 9th Century, the Vikings launched the “Great Heathen Army” to conquer the remaining kingdoms. The first of the kingdoms to fall was Northumbria, which at the time, was in a civil war between Osbert and Aella. In a battle, Osbert was killed and Aella was captured before he was tortured and killed by the “Blood Eagle”. The Vikings then procceded to conquer East Anglia, which was ruled by Edmund. Edmund was captured, tied to a tree, then shot at by arrows before being decapitated. His men tried to find his head, but a week after that they found the head with a starving wolf. The head was intact, and the men decided to carry their king’s head to where the body laid. As they returned the head the two was reunited as the wolf vanished; the city of Bury St. Edmunds is named after the king. Eventually, the last of the kingdoms left was Wessex, which by then was ruled by the last son of Aethelwulf, named Alfred. He would go down in history as “Alfred The Great”. So anyway, Alfred managed to fightback against the “Great Heathen Army” and in the Battle of Edington,he managed to beat them. A peace treaty between him and the Vikings was done, and gradually he decided to encourage learning amongst the population, and started the foundations of unifying the country; his son Edward “The Elder” and grandson Aethelstan “The Glorious” achieved this, with Aethelstan being called “King of England”. What does all this have to do with Calyrex? Calyrex is described as a “King that ruled all of Galar in the past”. I think Calyrex plays the role of a Bretwalda in the Crown Tundra, a role it played prior to “The Darkest Day”. So Calyrex’s design is based on the White Stag (Celtic Mythology and Arthurian Legend, also historical), Wolpertinger (German Mythology, reflecting Saxon mythology after the fall of Rome) and Bretwalda (The Seven Kingdoms era). Kubfu is based on a bear cub,while Ushifu is based on a bear. The two unknown Regi may be based on “Dark Ages” and possibly “The Industrial Age” (”The Dark Ages” occurred between the 6th and 11th Centuries; most of our knowledge about those five Centuries came from Britain from the writings of Bede and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the latter recording events and people by year and kept by monks until the year 1154; the very last event that was recorded in the ASC was the death of King Stephen. The “Industrial Revolution” got it’s start in the UK in the late 18th Century and was driven by a growing population). Zarude is based on the Shug Monkey, a cryptid from Cambridgeshire folklore. In comparison, Xerneas and Yvetal doesn’t have much to fall back on, Zygarde is wasted potential and the Mythicals doesn’t have much lore. Total: 3 to Galar (Creative Legendaries in respect to the history, mythology and folklore).

The Region: Kalos is beautiful, but that’s as far as it goes. The choice of picking France as the first 3D region sounds good on paper and at the time, but looking back at “X and Y” in 2020, Kalos’ beauty pales in comparison to Alola and Galar. Some things seem copy-pasted (Santalune Forest is a carbon copy of Viridian Forest while Unknown Dungeon is a copy-paste of Celadon Cave). Galar, on the other hand, has a diverse varieties of landscapes (Glimwood Tangle and Balloonlea is hands down the most gorgeous locations in any Pokemon game.) The cities and towns are places you would love to live in or visit (Postwick is your typical village, Wedgehurst is a small town in the middle of nowhere, Motostoke is a bustling industrial city, Turffield is a farming town, Hulbury is a port town, Hammerlocke is a city that is proud of its’ history as a former capital, Stow-On-Side is a town in the mountains, Balloonlea is a town with a fantasy theme, Circhester is a spa town while Spikemuth is a town whose best days are behind it and Wyndon is a modern city.) Kalos feels more like a “Tourist’s Guide to Poke-France” while Galar feels like home. Total: 4 to Galar

Customisation: Kalos introduced customization, however, in comparison to Sun/Moon/UltraSun/UltraMoon and Sword/Shield, customization in Kalos changed daily or had certain restrictions (Looking at you Lumoise City Boutique). In Sun/Moon/UltraSun/UltraMoon/Sword and Shield you can access the boutiques when you visit a new town and are mainly found in towns and large cities (Wedgehurst, Motostoke, Hammerlocke, Circhester and Wyndon all have boutiques; Wedgehurst having a boutique makes sense as it’s based on a small town in the UK which can have a local boutique especially since the nearest large town could be twenty miles away. Motostoke, Hammerlocke and Wyndon are major cities while Circhester is a popular tourist destination. Circhester’s inspiration, Bath, has boutiques which the country’s elite would go shopping while on “Rest and Relaxation”.) Alola has boutiques due to it’s relaxed and tropical atmosphere,and Hawaii is known for it’s peaceful atmosphere. The clothing choices for both Alola and Galar reflects their real-life basis; most people associate Hawaii with flowers, while casual is a popular fashion choice in the UK. Another thing about Alola and Galar clothing vs Kalos is while Kalos is restricted to a limited amount of colours, Alola and Galar have variety on their colour choices (Sun and UltraSun had Red, Pink, Orange, Yellow and Beige while Moon and UltraMoon had Green, Blue, Navy, Purple and Grey. Both versions had black and white. In Sword and Shield, you can purchase all these colours without being restricted to a specific version.) In terms of colour, Galar gets a point, but in terms of style, Kalos gets a point. Total: 5 to Galar, 1 to Kalos

Pokedex Diversity: In terms of Pokemon in the regional Dex, Kalos wins on that front, but in terms of access, Galar wins on that front (Ice Types can be caught before you even reach Motostoke if there is an area where it’s snowing).Ice, in previous games, was usually found in the late game areas, but Sword and Shield made it possible for the player to get an Ice-Type Pokemon early. Total: 6 to Galar, 2 to Kalos (Galar for making it easier to get late-game types earlier, Kalos for regional dex)

Gyms: The first five Generations had Gyms that was exciting (Generation 1 introduced the basics while Generation 2 used the Flying, Bug, Normal, Ghost, Fighting, Steel, Ice and Dragon Types for it’s Gyms; Generation 3 had the first Double Battle in a Gym in the series, while Generation 4 had challenging puzzles. Generation 5 gave Gym Leaders personalities and made them characters in their own right) but by the time Kalos appeared on the scene it was clear the “Battle the Gym Leaders, Fight Evil Team, Challenge the Elite Four and battle the Champion” formula had gone stale by the time Kalos was introduced; to the player who had played previous entries, there was nothing that really stood out with them; the only one that Mega Evolved their Pokemon was Korrina. Even their designs were mismatched. That was why in Sun and Moon they got rid of Gyms for Trials (Gyms wouldn’t have been possible in Alola as Alola is supposed to be based on a traditional Polynesian culture; kids go through Trials to prove that they’re ready for adulthood, and the Trials in Alola is inspired by the “Coming-of-Age” trials). Galar’s Gym Challenge fits in with the lore of the region; unlike previous regions, where Trainers receive their Pokemon and then challenge the Gyms, you had to be endorsed in order to participate due to how challenging the Gym Challenge is. The Gym Leaders are not just celebrities in the region, but they are also major participants in the Champions’ Cup. Even throughout the Gym Challenge the number of competitors start decreasing (It is stated that most Gym Trainers either lose to Kabu or they have their endorsements revoked in the case of Bede). Even Marnie says later on that there are a few people left in the Gym Challenge, and Raihan mentions there are “Less than 10 Competitors left” by the time you reach him; indeed, by the Semi-Finals only you, Hop and Marnie are left in the Challenge. It also helps the Gyms are set in a specific pattern: First three Gyms are the basic Starter Types, the next Gyms are uncommon Types (Ghost, Fighting, Fairy, Rock, Ice) while Piers’ Gym is based on the traditional Gym battle from Generations 1-5 and Raihan’s Gym is based on Double Battles and Weather Conditions. Total: 7 to Galar, 2 to Kalos

Gym Leaders: Like Kalos’ Gyms, the biggest problem is that after the memorable Gym Leaders from Unova, Kalos’ Gym Leaders had nothing memorable going for them; their designs are either over-designed or under-designed and forgettable. Galar’s Gym Leaders are certainly memorable, they have a specific theme and they have personalities and backstories. In Kalos, how many times in the main story do you see the Gym Leaders outside of the Gym? Two, and that is Korrina and Wulfric (Korrina on Route 5, Wulfric in Pokemon Village). In Galar, you meet Milo on Route 4, Nessa at the lighthouse in Hulbury, Kabu in Galar Mine number 2 and Opal and Raihan in Hammerlocke (Opal when the player enters and Raihan at the vault); the only three you don’t see outside their Gyms is Bea/Allister, Gordie/Melony and Piers. That’s five out of eight Gym Leaders who are seen outside the Gyms in the course of the story. Personality wise, the Gym Leaders have individual personalities but at the same time they are very competitive and even when they Dynamax/Gigantamax their Pokemon shows hints of their personalities: Milo pats his Pokeball, showing us he is quite kind to others, Nessa swirls the Pokeball around before throwing it, fitting for someone who is quite serious in her work in modelling, Kabu holds the Pokeball low with his eyes closed as if he is focusing befitting for someone who is passionate when it comes to battle; Allister lets the Pokeball grow before nervously throwing it (Allister is quite timid). Opal throws the Pokeball in a showy way, a hint towards not just her eccentric personality but her flamboyant personality. Melony cuddles her Pokeball before she throws it, showing her motherly side and Raihan takes a selfie before throwing it, fitting for someone who is obsessed with Social Media (Shield). Bea is stotic, Gordie is short-tempered and Piers feels like a failure as a Gym Leader and wants his sister to succeed him; when Piers steps down as Gym Leader he is able to go back to his true passion and even aided the player against Swordward and Shielbert. It also helps that Galar’s Gym Leaders are very diverse (in ethnicity and body shape). Milo is muscular, Nessa is black, Kabu is stated to be from Hoenn, Bea is toned, Allister is short, Opal is elderly, Gordie and Melony are big-boned, Piers is skinny and Raihan is dark-skinned. Out of Kalos’ Gym Leaders, only Grant, Olympia and Wulfric are diverse (Grant and Olympia are both black and Wulfric is fat). Total: 8 to Galar, 2 to Kalos.

The Champion: In X and Y, you only interact with Diantha once in the whole game, so the impact of the fight with the Champion doesn’t have a huge impact; in the Generation 1 games, your rival becomes the Champion and loses to the player; in Generation 2, Lance aids the player against Team Rocket before you battle him; in Ruby and Sapphire, Steven helps you a fair amount, while in Emerald, Wallace takes on this role; in Sinnoh, Cynthia acts as a “big sister” to the player, while in Black and White, Alder acts as a mentor to the player and Cheren; Black and White 2 had Iris, who helped you quite a few times before you battle her, and in Sword and Shield Leon is your rival’s older brother and the person who endorsed you and Hop; in these cases the Champion Battle has a huge impact on the player, as you are basically fighting someone who has a shared history with you; whether that is a rival, friend or mentor. You didn’t have all that with Diantha, so the Champion Battle didn’t have an impact as it did with Gens 1-5 and Generation 8; instead, the battle with Diantha felt more like a Gym battle than a Champion battle. In Sword and Shield, you start off watching a video of the Champion’s Cup before you and Hop go to Wedgehurst to meet up with Leon (Despite being the Champion, Leon has a tendency to get himself lost and is a bit of a cloudcuckoolander), before he gives you and Hop a Pokemon; until you visit Professor Magnolia, he stubbornly refuses to endorse you and Hop. Magnolia calls him out on it. You run into him quite a few times (in Hammerlocke, he asks the player about Hop following his defeat to Bede; he also says that he and Raihan are rivals, however they respect each other.) Leon’s relationships with Sonia, Raihan, Hop and the player is one of the many aspects to the character; he also deals with problems in the region and the only time he failed was when he tried to stop Eternatus. Leon is a peacekeeper, a skilled trainer and the greatest trainer of the Galar Region. When Team Flare decides to use the Ultimate Weapon, Diantha was in Lumoise City minding her own business. Lance, Steven, Wallace, Cynthia, Alder and Iris at least helped the player against the villainous team. You barely felt anything by beating Diantha as you barely interacted with her, while in Sword and Shield, you felt a sense of achievement when you win against Leon; beating the “Greatest Trainer” and the “Unbeatable Champion” is a far bigger achievement than just beating someone you barely interact with. Even after losing, Leon wants to continue his dream of encouraging Galar’s Trainers to reach their potential. In the DLC’s we will be meeting Mustard, a former Galar Champion. We never seen former Champions before Blue, Steven, Cynthia, Alder and Diantha battled them or knew about them. All we know about Mustard is that he was Galar’s Champion for eighteen years and that he was the one who mentored Leon; since losing to Leon he has decided to run a dojo and act as a teacher. Even though as Champion Leon’s outfit choices was a bit eye-rolling, his Battle Tower outfit makes him more “regal” and more mature. Diantha does have a sense of style though. Total: 9 to Galar (Leon’s backstory, relationships with the other characters and his post-game attire), 2 to Kalos

Villainous Team: For this comparisons, I will be comparing Kalos to Alola instead, as there isn’t a Villainous Team in Galar. What was Team Flare’s motivation again? Unless you count “Wiping out everyone bar the elite” as the motivation for Team Flare, they really don’t have anything to fall back on. Team Skull, on the other hand, are deliquents who have suffered poverty and abuse and have little confidence in themselves. The Aether Foundation have the right intentions, but took things too far. The games imply that Guzma, Gladion and Lillie have been abused (Guzma was beaten up by his father as implied by the golf clubs; Gladion and Lillie were both treated as objects by their mother, one of the signs of mental abuse). Team Skull and the Aether Foundation are memorable (Ya Boy Guzma, big sister Plumeria and rebellious Gladion for Team Skull, kindly Wicke, wicked Faba and brainwashed Lusamine for the Aether Foundation). Team Flare, I can only remember two people from the group (Malva and Lysandre). Total: 9 to Galar, 2 to Kalos (Galar’s Villainous Team, Team Yell, are merely an annoyance than an outright Villainous Team)

Relevancy in succeeding generations: In the Alola games, the only references to Kalos is the fact Ilima studied in the region and Sina and Dexio visiting Alola. In Sword and Shield, there is only one reference to Kalos. In fact, Unova and Alola have far more references in Galar than Kalos. It’s quite telling when even after two Generations after it debuted that a region is fast being made irreverent. It’s because there is nothing memorable about Kalos (As I said about the region, Santalune Forest and Unknown Dungeon are copypasted from areas in Kanto)

Mechanics: I have to admit, I don’t like Mega Evolution at all. It should have been Kalos only, not added to Hoenn. Some Pokemon do need a boost, but it shouldn’t be with something as temporary as Mega Evolution. Anyway, the lore behind Mega Evolution doesn’t add up: First, why is Diancie the only Generation 6 Pokemon that can Mega Evolve? Secondly, Mega Stones are often found in nature, so why is Mewtwo, a Pokemon created through science, have two Mega Stones? Thirdly, the debate whether Lucario or Rayquaza was the first Pokemon to Mega Evolve. Fourthly, if it would make weaker Pokemon more viable in battle, why was 80% of Megas given to Pokemon that was already viable in battle, and finally, Mega Evolutions basically killed off “Cross Generation Evolutions”. (Only Eevee got a Cross-Generation Evolution, while Generations 5 and 7 didn’t have Cross-Gen Evolutions; Generation 8 brought Cross-Gen Evolutions, but only for Galarian Forms. I hope that in Generation 9 they have a Pre-evolution for Tauros and Miltank, as the two Pokemon are connected.) Z-Moves, on the other hand, wasn’t forced into Kanto and stayed in Alola as it’s own thing, and fits in with Alola’s culture being focused on traditions, plus every single Pokemon can be able to use Z-Moves if they hold a Z-Crystal. Some Pokemon have their own Z-Crystal (Starters, some Alolan Pokemon, Pikachu, Snorlax, Eevee and the Legendaries: these Pokemon can also use the other Z-Crystals as long as they have moves of that type; seeing someone with a Porygon-Z use Z-Conversion is quite hilarious) Z-Crystals are used by Trial Captains, Kahunas, Team Skull and Hau. In Kalos, the only Trainers who use Megas are Korrina, Lysandre, your Rival and Diantha (OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire was better at ultilising Megas than Kalos). Any Pokemon in the Galar Dex, bar the wolves and Eternatus, can use Dynamax and it is restricted to certain locations; Stadiums, Rose Tower and Wild Area are the only places that allow Dynamax; as well as that, the only major Trainer in Sword and Shield that doesn’t use Dynamax is Piers (Milo, Nessa, Kabu, Bea, Allister, Opal, Gordie, Melony, Raihan, Oleana, Rose, Hop, Bede, Marnie and Leon can use Dynamax; in the Post-Game, Swordward and Shielbert Dynamaxes Pokemon to cause chaos.) While Megas were given to Generation 1 Pokemon (Some of which you needed to trade to evolve them, which is a problem for those without internet that wants to use Mega Gengar), Dynamax has been given to Generations 1, 5, 7 and 8 (Plus it is easier to get a Machamp or Gengar in raids; difficult in one aspect but easier in another; I once had a Rhyperior Raid on Pokemon Sword. Unfortunately, I was blown out of the den)

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