How Pokemon X and Y's Calem and Serena Could Fit into Legends: Z-A

Summary

On October 16, later this year,Pokemonand Nintendo Switch players will finally return to the France-inspired Kalos region in Game Freak’s upcomingPokemon Legends: Z-A. A follow-up toPokemon Legends: Arceus,Pokemon X, andPokemon Y,Pokemon Legends: Z-Atakes place after the events ofXandYand centers around the urban redevelopment of Lumiose City. Here, players will be able to catch Pokemon within the city, take part in Z-A Royale battles, and meet new and returning characters. While AZ has been the onlyXandYcharacter confirmed to return so far, two other Kalos characters could return in interesting ways: Calem and Serena.

Pokemon X and Y’s Calem and Serena Explained

InPokemon XandY, players have the choice of either playing as a boy or a girl. If players choose to play as a boy, they’ll have Serena appear throughout the game as their close friend and rival. If players choose to play as a girl, they’ll have Calem appear as a close friend and rival. Both characters share practically the same storyline in the game as the player’s rival, with Calem and Serena being children of a famed Rhyhorn rider and chosen byProfessor Sycamore to help research Mega Evolution. Calem and Serena will additionally help the player defeat Team Flare and initially compete for ownership of a Mega Ring to properly activate Mega Evolution.

Both have the potential to become Champion of Kalos’ Pokemon League as well as Grand Duke or Duchess of the Battle Chateau. However, later depictions ofPokemon XandY’s events seem to confirm Calem as the canon protagonist trainer ofXandY’s story, while Serena is the canon rival. This is due to Calem being depicted as becoming Champion in thePokemon Generationsshort “The Redemption” and being shown to have awoken Xerneas and helped it defeat Lysandre in thePokemon Evolutionsshort “The Visionary”. Serena doesn’t appear inGenerations,but she is shown alongside Calem and Shauna fleeing Geosenge Town inEvolutions.

While Serena plays a prominent role as a traveling companion and later romantic interest of Ash Ketchum inPokémon the Series: XY, Calem never appears in the anime series.

Calem and Serena’s Potential Roles in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Calem and Serena never appear in future mainlinePokemongames as compared to otherXandYcharacters such as Dexio and Sina, who appear inPokemon Sun,Moon,Ultra Sun, andUltra Moon. However, there is still potential for the two to appear inZ-Aas other prior protagonists have appeared in later mainlinePokemongames, such as Red showing up inPokemon Gold,Silver,Crystal,HeartGold,SoulSilver,Black 2,White 2,Sun,Moon,Ultra Sun, andUltra Moon. Calem and Serena may not have prominent roles inZ-A’s story, but they could show up as simple supportive characters or at least fun cameos.

With Calem being depicted as Kalos’ latest Champion, he could show up throughoutZ-A’s story, occasionally helping the player, similar to how Steven Stone and Cynthia had done in prior games. Calem could additionally help trainers learn thebasics of the Z-A Royaleand later be revealed to be the final boss of the Royale after players reach Rank A. This could help make the Z-A Royale appear more challenging and be reminiscent of the Pokemon League, since Kalos’ Pokemon League is a bit far away from Lumiose City. Alternatively, Calem could be depicted as Kalos’ new Pokemon Professor after presumably losing the Champion title to another trainer. It’s currently unknown if Professor Sycamore will appear inZ-A,but if not, Calem could be an interesting replacement.

Serena’s Possible Return in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Similar to Calem, Serena could occasionally appear throughoutPokemon Legends: Z-Ato help the player in various ways, such as showing them around the city or helping in battles. She could further help introduce Mega Evolution to players, asSerena did acquire a Mega Ringafter Calem became Champion. WithZ-Afocusing on the Paris-like Lumiose City, Game Freak could take inspiration from thePokemonanime and use Serena to showcase Lumiose’s stores and unique fashion styles. While unlikely, Game Freak could even have Serena introduce Pokemon Contests in Lumiose, akin to those found on Hoenn and Sinnoh, to add more gameplay variety toZ-A.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

WHERE TO PLAY

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is an ambitious new entry to the Pokémon video game series, releasing simultaneously worldwide in 2025. A new adventure awaits within Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon.