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I'm on the train coming back from Indiecade Europe when it hits, that familiar grief. It's been eight months since my father died, but I'm not better like everyone assured me I'd be. More collected, maybe, more adept at outmaneuvering the memories, the should-have-dones, the could-have-dones, and the would-have-dones, all laid out like funeral garlands. I've adapted, I suppose. But I'm not better. I'm not sure if I'll ever be better.On my screen, Hau, effervescent as ever, is bouncing for attention, demanding I get back to Pokémon Sun. He wants to challenge me. Again. And all despite the fact that my Pokémon keep laying his out flat. But then again, winning doesn't seem to be the point here. It's Alola. The air is balmy, the water is blue, and even the villainous Team Skull is really a coterie of teenagers with insecurity issues. It's safe here. I'm safe here.
Arguably the most accessible generation yet, Pokémon Sun and Moon bristles with myriad improvements and new ideas, a layer of polish so thick that it almost gleams in the virtual sun. It is a fantastic installment in the long-running franchise. More importantly, it feels like a celebration of everything the series is. An uncomplicated joy, an unrealistic fantasy where an unsupervised prepubescent can go gallivanting through their own monomyth.
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