Pokémon Y Playthrough Pt. 10 - The End

So, what’s really interesting about Pokémon X and Y is that, at the end of the game, after defeating the Elite 4 and the enemy team, there’s a parade and a celebration held in your honor, as well as for your friends. This isn’t something we’ve really seen in previous games. Before, you simply defeated the enemy team, defeated the Elite 4, and then you were sent home. There was little to no celebration or permanent change due to your exploits. This game changes that by having an actual story beat wherein you and your peers are celebrated for your accomplishments. You even get a medal!

However, next, AZ asks you to battle him. He wants to see what a Pokémon trainer really is. The battle isn’t particularly hard. He only has 3 Pokémon. What’s interesting is that two of them are Unova Pokémon, which leads me to believe that these games are somehow connected with that region. I’ve started to believe that perhaps Unova and Kalos were allies in battle, or are perhaps geographically close to one another.

It’s possible that there’s a parallel being drawn here between the two regions and the countries in the real world. Unova is heavily based on the United States, and Kalos is heavily based on France. During the Revolutionary War in the United States, France actually allied with them and fought Great Britain alongside the United States’ army. Is a parallel being drawn here? Was this the setup for some future storytelling? I’m not sure.

After you defeat AZ, you smile and nod at him. He returns the gesture. After battling you, he states that he finally feels free, free from the part of him that built the ultimate weapon. In that moment, there’s a spark of light from the sky. His lost Pokémon descends from the sky into his hands. Floette has finally returned to him, after 3,000 years of wandering the Earth without it. It took him returning to the man he once was, the one he was before he became filled with bitterness and hatred, the one he was before he built a weapon of mass destruction, for his Pokémon to return to him.

It’s a beautiful moment that’s well animated. AZ shows a lot of emotion through his body language, showing the developers taking full advantage of the 3D models to set up an emotional moment. The music that plays is also very emotional and powerful. You feel genuinely happy for AZ that his Pokémon has returned.

Then, the credits roll.

I’m left with questions, ones I’m not sure the game will answer.

What is AZ? Is he a ghost? Is he alive? Is he a real, tangible person? Now that he’s free from the pain of his past, will he move on? Will he start to age again? Will he die? Is he already dead?

There are so many questions in regards to who this man is. Was the pain of losing his Pokémon so great that it locked him into time? Perhaps it’s a metaphor for how people can get lost and stuck in their grief, overpowered to the point where they no longer make progress in their life. It’s like a snapshot that one cannot escape from, until something extremely significant comes along to break the stillness. For AZ, I think that significant moment came when he saw Lysandre finally fall, thus causing the ultimate weapon to finally be destroyed. After a battle with the person that helped save Kalos from Lysandre, he finally feels free. He can finally just let go and start to heal. Maybe he won’t return to what he was, but he’s finally able to feel love in his heart for the first time since he lost his beloved Floette.

AZ is an interesting character, one that I don’t think is appreciated enough or explored enough by the material in which he appears. I’m hoping the game elaborates some on him or at least gives me further context. I’m eager to know more about him, though I hope some mystery around his circumstances remain.

I know I asked a bunch of questions about AZ earlier, in regards to how he survived, but I wouldn’t mind if they weren’t answered. I love a good gray area that toys with themes of life and death. It gives me a profound feeling that I don’t feel very often with media, especially since so much media likes to overplay its hand and talk in-depth about things that would be better left up to speculation.

As the credits roll, there’s a small poem that you can read along with on the top screen of the DS. At first, it’s translated into only French and English, but then, towards the end of the poem, it becomes translated in all different languages. It’s theme is about all of us striving to come together to build a beautiful world where all are free. I believe this is the core the game was trying to go for.

It’s about freedom. It’s about working together for a better future. It’s about tolerance of other people, even when you don’t understand them or like them.

This game has a lot of heart, despite its flaws.

Once the credits finish, you wake up in your room, just as you do in other games. And that’s that.

Amount of in-game time: 42 hours 54 minutes

Gym Badges: 8

Pokémon:

• Montu - Simisear - Level 66 - Hardy Nature - Gluttony Ability - Met in Santalune Forest on November 13th, 2022 - Moveset: Yawn, Bite, Flamethrower, Return - Somewhat of a clown.
  
• Frogger - Greninja - Level 65 - Modest Nature - Torrent Ability - Met in Aquacorde Town on November 13th, 2022 - Moveset: Water Pledge, Strength, Hydro Cannon, Surf - Hates to lose.
  
• Poppy - Florges - Level 66 - Calm Nature - Flower Veil Ability - Met on Route 4 on November 15th, 2022 - Moveset: Wish, Magical Leaf, Dazzling Gleam, Petal Blizzard - Likes to thrash about.
  
• Bulbapedia - Venusaur - Level 66 - Modest Nature - Overgrow Ability - Met in Lumiose City on November 15th, 2022 - Moveset: Petal Dance, Toxic, Leech Seed, Venoshock - Likes to relax.
  
• Slushie - Aurorus - Level 65 - Adamant Nature - Refrigerate Ability - Met in Ambrette Town on November 16th, 2022 - Moveset: Ice Beam, Nature Power, Ancient Power, Aurora Beam - Good endurance.
  
• Lucha - Hawlucha - Level 65 - Careful Nature - Unburden Ability - Met on Route 10 on November 17th, 2022 - Moveset: High Jump Kick, Flying Press, Fly, Swords Dance - Takes plenty of siestas.