It’s been a busy week for Pokémon news!
The first day of the new month means there is a new Mythical Pokémon to grab through the Mystery Gift on Pokémon X/Y and AlphaSapphire/OmegaRuby games! This month’s ‘mon is the adorable water-type Manaphy! Nicknamed Prince of the Sea, this Generation IV Pokémon is level 100 and has the ability Hydration, allowing it to heal non-volatile status conditions while it is raining during battle.
But don’t forget that this is a two-for-one situation: Manaphy is the only mythical Pokémon able to breed! When bred with a Ditto, Manaphy produces the Pokémon Phione! This tiny water type is only available by breeding Manaphy or Phione, and also has the ability Hydration.
However the big Pokémon news last week was the unveiling of a swathe of information about the upcoming games, Pokémon Sun/Moon. We now know that the Generation VII games (VII!! I can’t get over that we’re up to seven generations) will be set in the new region of Alola, which is made up of one artificial and four natural islands. The region is based on Hawai’i, with various names coming from the Hawaiian language. Professor Kukui and his mysterious assistant Lillie present the player and friend Hau with their starter Pokémon to begin their journey!
Also revealed were the two box mascot legendaries for the Alola region! Gracing Pokémon Sun will be the psychic/steel type Solgaleo, while Pokémon Moon will have the psychic/ghost type Lunala. Both legendaries will also have their own signature moves: Sunsteel Strike and Moongeist Beam! These moves were showcased in the trailer released last week and they look awesome.
Finally, field testing for Pokémon GO! began in the United States. More details about the gameplay have also been released, including customising your trainer and how Gyms and battles will work. Players will be asked to join one of a number of teams, giving you the ability to assign one of your Pokémon to empty Gym locations in your team’s name. If a Gym has already been claimed by a team, you can challenge the Gym with your own Pokémon. If you are able to defeat the Pokémon in the Gym, the Gym’s prestige will be reduced. When the Gym’s prestige drops to zero, the Gym becomes vacant once more, and can be taken over by a new team. Many more screenshots for the game have also been released, showing the map during the night and day, how encounters with wild Pokémon look, and Pokémon evolutions.
There’s so much to be excited for in Pokémon right now! And with E3 scheduled for next week, there’s bound to be even more coming!
What are you most looking forward to?
