I would LOVE to see Looker make an appearance. It'd be pretty neat to see him beat up Team Flare Grunts with a bar similar to what he did to those Team Galactic Grunts in that one DP episode, but if he's going to appear, I have a feeling it's more likely that he will be present at the end to arrest the Scientists, Lysandre, or Malva. I'm starting to doubt he will even make an appearance at this point, but if he does, that would be pretty sweet.
But thinking about Looker facing off against Team Flare got me thinking: I think it would be pretty cool to see one of the Team Flare scientists or Lysandre get chained up by those floating, futuristic shackles that Ash and all of his Pokemon are wearing right now. It would be
very karmic.
Oooo,
I'm going to tear those arguments in half!*
*This line is a reference to one of Charlotte's critical quotes from Fire Emblem Fates. In one of her quotes, she states, "I'm going to tear you in half!"
DISCLAIMER: I am well aware how this "Controversial Characters" Tumblr page works. First, it takes a character and lists the reasons why said character receives hate. Then, a later post will take those listed reasons for why the character is hated and provide arguments against those claims. All the information below is me having fun in providing counter-arguments to what was provided similar to what will probably happen in the near future from someone else on Tumblr.
1. "Uninteresting"
Not true. This isn't any ordinary Pokemon Trainer like Ash or Gary we're dealing with. We're talking about a character who started out working with Professor Sycamore in studying Mega Evolution and eventually finds himself unknowingly aiding Team Flare's evil goal.
When he was sent to a ruins to recover an Ampharosite on Sycamore's behalf, he ran into Lysandre who was seeking out the same item. After Alain lost to him, Lysandre suggested that Alain collect Mega Evolution energy on his behalf because if Sycamore were to gather them and publish such findings, it could lead to the public abusing such energy and thus tarnishing Sycamore's reputation. Believing that working with Lysandre would protect the professor, Alain accepted the proposal.
We then see Alain fighting trainers with Mega Evolved Pokemon. In addition to gathering the energy for Lysandre, it is around this point Alain gains a new goal: becoming the strongest Mega Evolution trainer. He also meets Mairin, a Pokemon trainer who just started in her journey, around this point. Mairin tags along with Alain because she thinks she can learn from him.
Alain is eventually sent to Hoenn by Lysandre in order to retrieve a megalith, and it's there he meets Steven Stone for the first time. Steven, Alain, Lysandre have to undergo some serious hardship dealing with Mega Rayquaza, as well as intervening in a cataclysmic battle between Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre, in order to retrieve the special stone. Once retrieved, Alain returns to Kalos. He asks Lysandre to help him become the strongest Mega Evolution trainer because of that brutal loss to the three legendary Pokemon, so Lysandre sets up a competition where Alain has to defeat 10 Mega Evolution trainers in a row using only his Mega Charizard. If he loses once, Alain must surrender his Mega Ring and Charizardite.
Alain and Mairin's undergoes a pretty interesting development. It starts out with Alain helping Mairin in her Pokemon journey, such as helping her catch a Flabebe. Their bond eventually grows to the point that Alain is willing to protect Mairin when she is in danger, even going as far as injuring his shoulder during the Mega Rayquaza. It's around this point he becomes very concerned for her safety, going as far as returning to Kalos on his own without telling her after the the Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre battle. When she meets up with Alain back in Kalos, he ends up lashing out at her and says that she is getting in the way of his goal. This hurts Mairin, which ultimately leads to Chespin's coma. Once Alain learns about what happens to Mairin's Chespin after what he told her, he starts to feel guilty for his actions and decides to gather more Mega Evolution energy in order to save Chespin and bring back Mairin's smile.
On his quest to help Mairin's Chespin, he meets up Ash, and he ends up striking a strong rivalry and friendship with him because of his energy and strength in battle, as well as the Ash-Greninja transformation. He also learns about the Kalos League from Ash. At first, he expresses disinterest in it, but he eventually decides to participate in it in order to fight Ash, which becomes his main focus in in the League instead of becoming the strongest.
Eventually, Team Flare attacks Lumiose City during the Kalos League's trophy ceremony, forcing him and Ash to take action. When he hears about Lysandre's broadcast, gets confronted by Celosia, and witnesses Ash get captured, he angrily confronts Lysandre and wants to know what was the meaning behind the attack. Once Lysandre reveals his true intentions, Alain becomes overwhelmed with guilt and anger after learning that he was unknowingly helping him in such an evil scheme this whole time, and this even makes him feel conflicted about helping Ash.
TL; DR:
- Started out as an assistant to Professor Sycamore
- Was carrying out an errand for Sycamore's Mega Evolution research and ran into Lysandre in the process, fought a battle with him, and lost
- Was told by Lysandre to gather Mega Evolution energy for him in order to prevent Sycamore's reputation from being potentially tarnished
- Realizes a new goal as he collects the Mega Evolution energy: to become the strongest Mega Evolution trainer
- Makes friends with a beginning Pokemon trainer that wants to learn from him
- Meets the Hoenn Champion and forms a bond with him while trying to obtain the megalith for Lysandre
- Battles Mega Rayquaza, Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre in the process of carrying out the mission Lysandre tasked him
- Manages to beat 10 Mega Evolution trainers in a row, one of which was a member of the Elite Four, Malva
- Takes a darker turn when he snaps out at Mairin by telling her she is getting in the way of his goals, then blames himself once he learns about Chespin's comatose state, and becomes obsessed with completing Lysandre's Mega Evolution energy system in order to bring back Chespin and bring back Mairin's smile
- Becomes interested in Ash when he experiences how energetic he is as well as learning about the Ash Greninja transformation, going as far as participating in the Kalos League just to face him
- Becomes overwhelmed with guilt when he learns about Lysandre's true goals and realizes that he was unknowingly helping in this evil cause the whole time
What was that about Alain being an uninteresting character?
2. "Annoying sidekick (Mairin)"
Yes, she's young and wants to tag along with Alain wherever he goes, but you have to remember that she has just started on her Pokemon journey. She saw Alain winning a Pokemon battle in a heated match, and she figured out he was very experienced. If you're a beginning Pokemon Trainer, wouldn't you want to accompany an experienced Pokemon Trainer in order to learn from them? That is exactly what is going on here between her and Alain. It even pays off for her because he helps her catch her first Pokemon. Mairin looks up to him so much that she goes as far as tagging along with him and asking if he's hurt wherever she goes because she cares for his safety. You can pretty much say Alain is a role model for her.
3. "Defeated Ash in the Kalos League when fans desperately wanted Ash to win for sure"
This point I can definitely understand. The XY&Z anime has been hyping up that Ash will finally win the League considering you had moments like the Furfrou trainer he fought before the first round, and the fact he almost beat Alain and Diantha in his second battles against them. There's also the fact he's been losing every Pokemon League up to this point, and to have him finally win a Pokemon League this year would be a great way to celebrate Pokemon's 20th anniversary.
The only idea I can think of to counter this argument is that the Pokemon XY series isn't just Ash's story. It is also Alain's. While Ash had all those XY episodes for the"initial part", Alain's "initial part" was the Mega Evolution specials. The "part twos" to both characters' arcs is in the XY&Z series, and Alain defeating Ash in the Kalos League will probably lead into something else further in their arcs.
Heck, there are even theories going around the Kalos League finals was rigged to Alain's favor thanks to Lysandre and Malva (hinted by Malva's dialogue around the 6:00 mark in the episode), and there's even the possibility (at the time this post was written) that Ash and Alain will fight yet again because of Alain's Team Flare ties. It is possible that Ash could get his revenge this way. We'll see in these next few episodes.
4. "Plot Armor"
Yes, plot armor can be stupid at times, but they have to allow Alain's story to move forward somehow.
5. "Gary Stu"
Definition of a Gary Stu:
"A completely overpowered male character that can obliterate any opponent withe ease and is perfect in every way. Usually has a harem"
Now let's prove why Alain isn't a Gary Stu:
"Completely overpowered male character that can obliterate any opponent with ease" - Yes, he has defeated countless trainers with his Mega Charizard, but he hasn't won all of his battles. In Mega Evolution I, he lost to Siebold, a member of Kalos' Elite Four. Alain also tried to use Mega Charizard against Mega Rayquaza, and he ended up losing to it. We also find out through flashbacks that he fought Lysandre's Pyroar and lost. Alain's Mega Charizard was also evenly matched against Steven Stone's Mega Metagross, with the only reason their battle stopped was because Lysandre intervened. Alain also tried to use Mega Charizard against Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre while trying to retrieve the megalith, and Charizard got brutally defeated against them. Yes, he has defeated Ash three times now, but Alain
narrowly managed to defeat Ash in his last two battles with him; heck, the only reason Alain beat Ash in their second battle was because Ash went unconscious at one point since he didn't fully master the Ash Greninja transformation at the time. All this proves that Alain isn't as overpowered as one might think.
"Perfect in every way" - In addition to not being as overpowered as he looks, Alain does have some flaws to his characters. He tends to push away the people he wants to protect. This can be seen with his relationship with Professor Sycamore. He was Sycamore's assistant, but Alain ends up isolating himself from the professor to the point that he doesn't speak with him until the day before the Kalos League finals. Alain's biggest flaw is that he can be too harsh towards others when he becomes fixated with his goals. This is best seen in Mega Evolution Act IV where he snaps out at Mairin and tells her, "I can't become stronger when you are around." This hurts Mairin, and it leads to the events where Chespin goes into a coma. When Alain overhears the news about what happened to Mairin's Chespin and notices her crying, he became disgusted himself for what he has done, and he becomes obsessed in completing Lysandre's Mega Evolution energy system in order to save the Chespin and make Mairin smile again. We also see Alain facing inner conflict once he learns the truth about Lysandre and witnesses Ash and his Pokemon captured in front of him.
"Usually has a harem" - Now THIS is where the "Alain is a Gary Stu" argument is really thrown out of the window. When I was watching the Mega Evolution specials and the XY&Z episodes he appears in, I don't remember Alain winning the heart of every female he came across like Kirito did. The closest possible person for a person who could have romantic feelings for him is Mairin, but even then, her feelings toward Alain are akin to that of a beginning Pokemon Trainer who looks up to an experienced Pokemon Trainer as if that person is a role model, not to mention she considers Alain to be a good friend. Malva could also be brought up, but she is more interested in Alain in his skill as a Pokemon Trainer and not as a person she wants to date. All the other females don't fall in love with Alain either.
6. "Affiliated with Team Flare"
Alain didn't even know that he was helping in Team Flare's cause until he witnessed Zygarde attack Lumiose City and Lysandre's broadcast following it. For the events leading up to it, he was only helping Lysandre collect Mega Evolution energy in order to protect Professor Sycamore's reputation from being tarnished (because Sycamore publishing those Mega Evolution findings could lead to people misusing it). Alain also aided in the capture of Z2 because he was willing to do anything Lysandre told him in order to save Mairin's Chespin, and Alain didn't even know at the time that Z2 was going to be used for evil purposes. Once Alain confronts Lysandre and learns about what his true motivations are, Alain feels guilty when he realizes he was unknowingly aiding in this evil scheme this entire time. Now that Alain knows the truth, there's a good chance that he will defect from Team Flare at some point and fight Lysandre, thus joining Ash's side.
7. "Seems to be created by the writers to keep Ash from winning an official league title"
Again, this is understandable considering the buildup for this Kalos League seemed to indicate that Ash would finally win for reasons previously stated. The only counter-argument I can think of is that the XY anime is both Ash AND Alain's story.
Another thought that just crossed my mind: perhaps in the writers' eyes, the climax for both characters' stories wasn't the Kalos League, but rather the Team Flare arc considering that it has been built up since the Mega Evolution specials and all throughout XY&Z.
Mine was a post requesting to be a part of the Layton support thread.
No and Yes
No because I witnessed how chaotic and ugly discussions can be revolving around Smash speculation.
Yes because I still have plenty of characters that I'd love to see in Smash, and the pre-release period leading to the next Smash's release makes me excited in watching reveal trailers and having the most discussions regarding ideas how certain characters can work in Smash.
