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New Trailer Reveals Mid-Stage Evolutions For Sun/Moon Starters

Demelza

Demelza

Eevee Tamer
Staff member
Moderator
A new trailer has been released today that showcases some new gameplay elements in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon as well as the mid-stage evolutions for the three starter Pokémon.

​

Dartrix_RGB_72dpi.jpg​
First up let's talk about the evolved forms of our three starter Pokémon! To start off with we have Dartrix, who is a [type=grass][/type] and [type=flying][/type] type and the evolved form of Rowlet. Dartrix is known as the Blade Quill Pokémon and has the Overgrow ability.

Torracat_RGB_72dpi.jpg​
Next up we have Torracat, who is the evolved form of Litten and a pure [type=fire][/type] type. Like Litten, Torracat is known as a Fire Cat Pokémon and has the ability Blaze.

Brionne_RGB_72dpi.jpg​
Last but of course not least we have Brionne, who is the evolved form of Popplio and a pure [type=water][/type] type. It's known as the Pop Star Pokémon and has the Torrent ability.

AshGreninja_RGB_72dpi.jpg​
The mid-stage starters aren't the only new Pokémon to be revealed today, as a new form for Greninja has also been revealed! Fans of the anime may already recognise the new look for Greninja as "Ash-Greninja" and you'd be right as that's what this form has been officially confirmed as.

The form comes about thanks to a new ability known as Battle Bond, which lets Greninja transform after it causes an opponent's Pokémon to faint. The form only lasts for as long as the battle does, so it's not a permanent change.

It has been announced that a special demo for Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will be released on the 18th of October and through this demo we'll be able to obtain a Greninja with the Battle Bond ability. This special Greninja can later be transferred to Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon when they release.

Festival_Plaza_160825_RGB_72dpi.jpg​

To finish off we have a couple of new gameplay features, the first of which is the Festival Plaza. The Festival Plaza is a place that you can access from the main menu and allows you to connect with other players all around the world. In this place you'll be able to battle and trade as well as tackle Missions, which will net you Festival Coins that can then be spent in the various shops found in the area.

Pok__Pelago_160729_RGB_72dpi.jpg​
The second feature to be revealed is the Poké Pelago, which is a feature that the Pokémon you place in PC Boxes can enjoy. The feature consists of a number of islands you can send Pokémon to. While there your Pokémon can develop the facilities on the island as well as find new kinds of isles. As you develop them you'll be able to obtain items or even raise your Pokémon there. One of the Islands you have access to from the start, Isle Abeens, can give you the chance to obtain rare items, such as evolution stones, and sometimes wild Pokémon will visit who may wish to become your friend.

That's it for today's news, but it has been confirmed that more news to do with Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will be released on the 14th of October.
 
Mr.Munchlax

Mr.Munchlax

Right now, I like all of the designs for the starters' evolutions equally, so it's hard for me to pick a favorite (though Dartrix looks extra fabulous with its leaf hair). That being said, if the whole split evos theory doesn't turn out to be true, do you think these evolutions match up with the final forms we got from the Chinese leaks, because I'm not sure if they still work

Aside from that, the one thing I'm hoping for is that we're not able to use mega evolutions until the post game (with the exception of Ash-Greninja due to how the demo works) since that was one of the reasons playing through X & Y felt too easy
 
Curtkid

Curtkid

Gotta say, I like the idea of Poke' Pelago, I always enjoyed the idea from the anime that the extra Pokemon we put in our PC aren't just stuck in hyperspace as data be instead allowed to roam around a large open environment to enjoy themselves like a ranch or, in this case, large island. Granted the island is going to have to be pretty big to house the potential 750 or Pokemon one could possible keep in their PC but, hey, story and game-play segregation I guess.

Brionne looks adorable and awkward at the same time and I love it, the rest of the starts look cool as well, really hoping Litten and Torracat stay on two feet though. Can't wait to download the demo, I don't care if it lost to Alain's Mega Charizard in the finals, I want an Ash-Greninja (hey, maybe this is where he went after Ash released it, hum?).
 
RLRL

RLRL

I am definitely in the minority here... I absolutely detest Dartrix, the more I look at it the more I want to shoot it, and I'm against hunting....
Although I think torracat is amazing, there is a very good chance I will be making a plush of that very soon (although I'm also thinking a plush with tartan rather than red but that's irrelevant).
It's just like they want everyone to hate Popplio, Brionne is just terrible, it's a seal in a frilly dress.... I hope this means that its final stage is water/fairy but I think that the frills look more like a jellyfish than anything else. What is it with the ugly starters again?

That being said, yay another demo, and ash greninja, great way to get hyped about the game and then instantly a little bit bored because the demos are always so limited haha :p I kid, I kid, this is pretty damn awesome =)
 
Hollow Omega

Hollow Omega

Well this sure was exciting! Those starter evolutions sure didn't disappoint me, definetly gonna go with Litten for the Sun team and Popplio for Moon. Artwork was on point with this one, as it has been with all Sun and Moon news. Poké Pelago looks fun and refreshing for the Pokémons in PC, I tend to transfer my Pokémon teams from earlier generations to the newest region so I can't wait to see this feature! :D Mega Evolutions are back as well (with a new animation!) which is awesome! Festival Plaza on the other hand reminds me a lot about the Join Avenue from Black and White 2.
Also, am I only one who finds it a bit weird that this Battle Bond Greninja is actually called Ash-Greninja when it transformes? I like the fact they're giving it to us, but it being called "Ash-Greninja" instead of something else makes an unnecessary reference to Ash instead of the game's protagonist seems weird to me. :?

But hey that's just me, overall this was an awesome bunch of news! :)
 
Hollow Omega

Hollow Omega

alolatrainer said:
I don't care what anyone says...I LOVE brionne A lot...shes so adorable...im a guy in my 20s and I can say that I love the design and I love the fact a water starter is more feminine...Is very easily my top favorite Pokémon hands down:)
Click to expand...
Me too! Though it's most likely gonna be around 75% male like all starters, but that doesn't mean you can't soft reset a couple of times to get it the way you want. :)
 
StellarWind Elsydeon

StellarWind Elsydeon

Armblades Ascendant
Staff member
Administrator
Midforms tend to be the awkward phase for most starters and this is... really no exception. Torracat is definitely the best of this batch, Brionne is the dumbest looking thing this gen has produced so far and Dartrix... well, it's not awful - definitely has that nice barn owl sillhouette - but the 'hair' is pretty stupid and I'm really not fond of how they're trying to present it as some kind of a scatterbrained preeny asshole. <<

Also, shame about Ash-Greninja's form change being an ability rather than any interesting new mechanic, but what can we do. Bit interesting it's called Ash-Greninja still as within the game context, who the hell is Ash? But hey, I guess they had to shove Disco Ninja Frog in as a promotional whatever.
 
Shiny Motley

Shiny Motley

2016 Singles Football
I feel very awkard about all the midforms this time. I guess Datrix and Torracat aren't too bad... maybe? Brionne is very odd to say the least. Perhaps if I was looking at it in a different pose or angle or something I might like it more. Maybe.

*crosses fingers for some cooler final stage evolutions for the starters*
 
Aura

Aura

Ah mid stage evolution, truly the awkward teenager phase of the Pokemon world.

Dartrix is horrifying. It seems less fabulous and more pretentious to me, and I can't stand that trait in people. Brionne also seems a little awkward, but its in one of those awkward/cute ways, so I'm kind of okay with it. As for Torracat... Its Taiga! Okay but seriously the design still screams 'super generic' at me, and its crushing my hopes for fire/poison. Luckily, horrible midstage evolutions aren't deal breakers for me, so I guess I'm just waiting out on the final forms.

My feelings about Ash-Greninjia are still meh, especially being an ability thing because that form needs to be nuts to be worth using over Protean. I like the idea of the Festival Plaza, because really any place that lets me rampage around on the back of a Pokemon destroying stuff is okay in my books. Poke Pelago might be one of those things that become a chore after a while if it has too many good items I want, but we'll see.
 
Pink_Emolga_

Pink_Emolga_

Well. It's confirmed. Rowlets my choice. Sorry, popplio buddy.

Actually, I'll just wait till final evolutions.

If I could choose multiple, I'd choose all of those cuties~ Popplio kinda looks like one of those creepy baby dolls.
 
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Shocari

Shocari

So basically we're getting a revamped version of Join Avenue and the addition of Digi-farms. Nice.

Absolutely none of the starters drifted from what I expected, and Ash-Greninja, while fanservice-y, I understand the inclusion of, although I am never going to use the thing.

And I'm extremely curious as to the capacity in which Mega Evolutions are returning.
 
nuclearsushi

nuclearsushi

MY SEA LION IS SO CUTE.
Finally, the starters' mid-evos have been revealed. Hmm...I'm not confident the final evos will look like the leaks but who knows with Pokemon evolutions these days. The middle evos have always been my favorite for every starter and these are no exception; I am satisfied.

With the release date approaching, I'm disappointed that there aren't new Mega Forms. I really liked the concept but it doesn't seem to be making a return in this generation. I was so hoping for it! ;_; Ah, well...

*EDIT: Wait a second. Am I missing the footnote where Mega Evos are set to return?

OMG. The video cut out before I got to the Mega Evos the first time. Oh, thank god they're bringing it back.
 
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Mr.Munchlax

Mr.Munchlax

Now that mega evolutions are confirmed to return, I'm now REALLY hoping that we don't end up catching the Ultra Beasts.

If this happens, I can imagine the wifi battles being even more broken than they already are since so many people's teams will consist of the following:
  • Shiny legendary pokémon with Z moves
  • Mega evolutions (more than likely shiny)
  • Primal reversions (also more than likely shiny)
  • Ultra Beasts (with the slight possibility of them being shiny if they're catchable)
 
OnePiecefan11

OnePiecefan11

Okay, I will say I like Dartrix. It's not an amazing design but I can get behind it. Plus, that strand of hair is fabulous XD. Torracat I freaking love. Heck, it might be one of my favorite mid evolution designs as far as starters goes. Hopefully it will keep the whole tiger look when it evolves. And I'm sorry, but I think Brionne just looks weird. I wouldn't say the design is terrible, but it's just not for me. I'm still probably gonna pick Rowlett, but we'll see. Everything else announced I'm excited for.
 
✰MJ✰

✰MJ✰

OH MY GOSH. Loving Torracat and Dartrix! Although I want to choose Torracat if I get the game, I'm not liking the forehead symbol. Even though fire is usually my first choice, if I work hard and be constant I can make lots of Pokemon one-hit winners. It's true, I have had one on almost every Pokemon game I've played.
 
sparklemoon

sparklemoon

I am so going with either Litten or Rowlet. Also, I have seen Littens final evolution. So far from the leak I've seen, Litten has followed the evolution path with a little change(meaning the bell collar). I have no clue what the mid-forms were supposed to be for rowlet and popplio, so I have no clue if they are following their leak paths.
 
Keleri

Keleri

I'm still holding out hope for dual final evolutions like Rockruff (or middle and final?) because I feel like there isn't a clear transition from these middle evolutions to the chinese leaks for Rowlet and Litten, but it's pretty clear from Brionne to the leaked final water evo. I still think that would be pretty cool, like maybe Day-Rowlet turns into the rich, capitalist owl while Night-Rowlet loses its fortune and becomes the Robin Hood archer owl we saw in the leaks.

Ash-Greninja's inclusion in the games is interesting but raises a lot of questions for me, like is this just a promo or are we going to see other Battle Bond forms for other pokemon? What is Ash-Greninja, is it a mega analogue like Primal pokeys? Also clearly Battle Bond makes Ash-Greninja 4x weak to fire ha ha ha bitter.

The festival plaza is great although I'm having flashbacks to being trapped at tourist trap/knicknack and gewgaw stands in Hawaii while my family haggled over junk, so A++++ realism gamefreak. I'm also excited to assign my banked pokemon to dungeon teams to go get me some sweet items and hopefully they have better AI than my Mystery Dungeon partners.
 
Ethan Russell

Ethan Russell

Demelza said:
A new trailer has been released today that showcases some new gameplay elements in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon as well as the mid-stage evolutions for the three starter Pokémon.

​

First up let's talk about the evolved forms of our three starter Pokémon! To start off with we have Dartrix who is a [type=grass][/type] and [type=flying][/type] type and the evolved form of Rowlet. Dartrix is known as the Blade Quill Pokémon and has the Overgrow ability.

Next up we have Torracat who is the evolved form of Litten and a pure [type=fire][/type] type. Like Litten, Torracat is known as a Fire Cat Pokémon and has the ability Blaze.

Last but of course not least we have Brionne who is the evolved form of Popplio and a pure [type=water][/type] type. It's known as the Pop Star Pokémon and has the Torrent ability.

The mid-stage starters aren't the only new Pokémon to be revealed today, as a new form for Greninja has also been revealed! Fans of the anime may already recognise the new look for Greninja as Ash-Greninja and you'd be right as that's what this form has been confirmed as.

The form comes about thanks to a new ability known as Battle Bond which lets Greninja transform after it causes an opponent's Pokémon to faint. The form only lasts for as long as the battle does, so it's not a permanent change.

It has been announced that a special demo for Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will be released on the 18th of October and through this demo we'll be able to obtain a Greninja with the Battle Bond ability which can be transferred to Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon when they release.


To finish off we have a couple of new gameplay features, the first of which is the Festival Plaza. The Festival Plaza is a place that you can access from the main menu and allows you to connect with other players all around the world. In this place you'll be able to battle and trade as well as tackle Missions which will net you Festival Coins which can then be spent in the various shops found in the area.

The second feature to be revealed is the Poké Pelago which is a feature that the Pokémon you place in PC Boxes can enjoy. The feature consists of a number of islands you can send Pokémon to and while there they can develop the facilities on the island as well as find new kinds of isles. As you develop them you'll be able to obtain items or even raise your Pokémon there. One of the Islands you have access to from the start, Isle Abeens, can give you the chance to obtain rare items such as evolution stones and sometimes wild Pokémon will visit who may wish to become your friend.

That's it for today's news, but it has been confirmed that more news to do with Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will be released on the 14th of October.
Click to expand...
20 years of getting the water type evolution.... Gone like that.....
 
Psycho Monkey

Psycho Monkey

Member of the Literary Elite Four
I quite like the mid-evolutions for the Starters. Dartrix amuses me with its emo fringe and how it freaks out when you pet it Pokemon Refresh. Torracat is pretty much what I expected Litten's next stage to be so that's cool. Brionne. Now there's an interesting Pokemon. It's a tutu wearing seal!~ :'D Honestly I wouldn't care at all if I got a male Popplio, hell I'd welcome it because gender stereotypes are nonsense.

Festival Plaza not only looks like t would be a step up from Join Avenue, but also the new Street Pass feature. At any rate it'll be more worthwhile than XY's streetpasses and probably on par with Mirage Spots and Secret Bases as far as quality. Poke Pelago looks like it will be a very fun minigame that I will probably waste a lot of time on.

As expected, Mega Evolutions are back but I doubt we'll get any new ones this time around. If we were getting new ones then this trailer would have been the prime opportunity to show them off. Unless of course hey want to wait until the trailer on the 14th to show them off.

Oh look, Ash-Greninja is in the game now. I swore I would never use it if it ever showed up in the game and I fully intended to keep that promise to myself. Unless the demo can provide me with other useful Pokemon or Items, I won't even bother with it.
 
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