(no subject)

Thought yesterday some more about Mega Evolution, as well as the XYZ trio (Xerneas would be part-Light, while Yveltal's Oblivion Wing would be a Dark move) and whether or not to adopt ORAS's Delta Episode into Parasitic Trio (leaning towards no).

Still need to figure out how Mega Stones would work or even originate in PT. First of all, I'm still not buying that there would be so many that work only with a specific Pokemon. That whole thing was player-centric, since the games actually do expect you, the player, to "catch 'em all" ("Get this Pokemon, evolve it all the way, and find this stone, and you can evolve said Pokemon one step further!"). If they actually did originate from a meteorite, all the different pieces would have to have had some kind of prior contact with the respective Pokemon before being collected. (That explanation, courtesy of ORAS, is already mutually exclusive to that from X/Y, which explains them as evolutionary stones enhanced by Xerneas or Yveltal, which doesn't explain either how they become species-specific.)

Okay, so the Key Stones are ancient artifacts, which would explain why only key characters can wield them in the games. This would mean that either only one protagonist (either Ellen or May) will wield them or they can only be used once each. For the record, there are going to be two stones (three if Charizard and Mewtwo gain "Z" evolutions at some point), and Mewtwo is going to assume at least one form during the mains' final confrontation with him. If there end up being three stones, then it's possible that all three mains will have one of them, which in turn will evolve one Pokemon upon emerging from its Pokeball until it's removed from their party.

(no subject)

Read about the role of Mega Stones and Evolution on Bulbapedia this morning, and unlike in the games, there are plenty of Trainers that wield them.

Jake has also gone on to explain that whole deal with Mega Stones being Pokemon-specific. Most of them, in fact, have had contact with their respective species. Rayquaza is already a special case as per ORAS, Diancie creates her own stones, Latios and Latias' Soul Dews could be their stones under a different form, and as for Mewtwo... well, all he really said was something about being close to pure light or darkness.

Okay, so I'll at least buy that much. However, as Ellen's possible equivalent advantage to Jamie's PokeWalker and May's visit to Hoenn's Battle Frontier, this would still be hard to utilize under such mechanics. Even if only a Key Stone is required to actually find them, what should she do with those she doesn't have the right species for yet: Horde them in case she gets that Pokemon later, or leave them behind for someone else to take?

(It doesn't help, either, that Mega Stones need to be held by their respective Pokemon in order to work. As held items, and even with such limitations as they have, they wield way too much of an advantage over everything else a Pokemon can carry.)

(It would help, though, if Diamond and Pearl ever get remade, if mainly to assign locations for Mega Stones in Sinnoh. Something like that would be reasonable to expect at this point; not so much, though, with a third iteration of Red/Blue/FRLG.)

So, a variation I've toyed with so far would work like this: Accessories (in Ellen's case, likely a brooch) would contain a Mega Stone itself instead of a Key Stone with which to interact with it. The first compatible Pokemon drawn out would gain its power, and the stone would assume a color to correspond with it, until it gets removed from the party, at which point another Pokemon can Mega Evolve.

A dilemma arises, though, regarding Rayquaza. While I am not likely going to adapt the ORAS Delta Episode, I would consider it a waste not to showcase Groudon or Kyogre in their Primal Formes when they're awakened (although May will never utilize those forms in battle after seeing the danger they present to the world courtesy of Teams Magma and Aqua). Based on the respective events from Emerald, this is what May would climb the Sky Pillar for Rayquaza to stop, and while she would actually capture it then (instead of after a second trip up), it would naturally have to Mega Evolve in order to stop Groudon and Kyogre from fighting at such power as they have at that point. If May otherwise cannot wield Mega Evolution, then either Zinnia (new to ORAS) would have to capture it instead, or she'd have to let May borrow her Mega Anklet just briefly. (It's possible, though, that both of them could fight it together, and whichever she does would depend on who captures it.)