Yeah, it would make sense for the other starters to get a Mega evolution as well.

Looks like more info was released about it. The evolutions are temporary, only in battles apparently. And they need to hold a MegaStone to do so, or some specific item.

Mega Kangaskhan

With the rest of the Mega Pokemon that was in CoroCoro updated on the site, I think it's finally time I share my opinions on the latest news. Though first let's get the smallest detail out of the way, and surprisingly this small detail involves the reveal of new Pokemon, including this generations Pikaclone! Let's take a look:

POKEMON:


Pokemon: Dedenne
Type: Electric/Fairy
Ability:
1. Cheek Pouch (When this Pokemon eats a berry, in addition to the Berry's effect it'll also heal some HP)
2. Pickup (If not holding an item at an end of a battle, after the battle there's a chance of this Pokemon holding an item)
Species: Antenna Pokemon
Height: .2 m/0'08"
Weight: 2.2 kg/4.9 lbs
Known Moves: Nuzzle (NEW! Electric-type. Does damage and (may?) Paralyze the target)
Flavor Text: The round shape of Dedenne makes this Fairy-type Pokemon instantly recognizable. By emitting radio waves from its antenna-shaped whiskers, it can communicate with far-off allies. It can also plug its tail into outlets to drain electricty from them.
Based On: A hamster/gerbil & a television antenna
Name Origin: "Denki" (Japanese for "electricity") & "Antenne" (French for "antenna")
Trivia:
1. Dedenne is the Pikaclone, an Electric-type rodent Pokemon that looks similar to Pikachu, of Gen VI.
Thoughts/Opinion:
And the Gen VI Pikaclone finally reveals itself. Actually, it more looks like a pre-evolution to Raichu more than Pikachu does. Anyway I guess it would be a good time to go over the Pikaclones, starting with the original itself:

Gen I: Pikachu & Raichu

Stats: (HP/Atk/Def/SpA/SpD/Spd//Total)
Pikachu: 35/55/30/50/40/90//300
Raichu: 60/90/55/90/80/100//475
Comments: Where it all started. Despite being the mascot of the series, Pikachu isn't really all the offensive nor defensive, though it is quite fast. Of course Game Freak has tried to remedy this throughout the generations. Gen II introduced the Light Ball, a hol item which only Pikachu can use which doubles its offensive stats, giving it 110 Attack and 100 Special Attack. Gen III introduce something all members of the Pikachu family can use via a signature move: Volt Tackle. Gen IV saw no improvement but Gen V gave it Lightningrod as a Hidden Ability, though it still might prefer Static. But even with all this Pikachu isn't that much of a threat in the games, making for a much better mascot.
But with Pikachu being the mascot, poor Raichu is left out of the limelight, so much so that it's said the Pikachu species now actively avoid Thunder Stones (not really). Now with the Light Ball boosting Pikachu's offense, it technically hits harder BUT Raichu is still faster, has somewhat better defensive stats, and has it's item slot still open. Also Raichu's offensive stats are even on the base level so you can run either a Physical or Special Raichu easier.

Gen II: Pichu

Stats: 20/40/15/35/35/60//205
Comments: Now you could say Gen II didn't start the Pikaclones since Pichu is part of the Pikachu family and this was only the second generation, but because it is a Gen II Pokemon and the Pikaclone pattern is established it counts in hindsight. Also, being a Baby Pokemon, Pichu's main goal was not to be a battling Pokemon but more to pass on certain moves to Pikachu and Raichu such as Nasty Plot. However Gen III gave even more reason to breed a Pichu: if Pichu's mother was a Pikachu or Raichu holding a Light Ball, it'll know Volt Tackle which is the only way for the Pikachu family to learn that move. Still though, Pichu probably won't be remaining as one for long.

Gen III: Plusle & Minun

Stats:
Plusle: 60/50/40/85/75/95//405
Minun: 60/40/50/75/85/95//405
Comments: Now we start with the Pikaclones proper. Not only representing the Pikaclones, Plusle and Minun were also the poster Pokemon for Double Battles, being the only ones at the time to have the Abilities Plus an Minus which powers the other one up in a Double Battle. Of course even in a Double Battle you might be reluctant to use them as, though both are speedy, they also specialize so much that at least is going to go down and/or the other may have a difficult time if the opponent takes advantage of their weakest stats. They're suppose to technically cover each other, Plusle being specially offensive while Minun being physically defensive, but their low HP doesn't allow them to last long enough to play this idea out. Also, though stronger than Pikachu, they aren't as strong as Raichu. They do get Boton Pass which would be very handy in passing along those stat increases.

Gen IV: Pachirisu

Stats: 60/45/70/45/90/95//405
Comments: As fast the Gen III Pikaclones and slightly more defensive, Pachirisu also stands out by being visually different from its previous electric rodents by being a while and blue squirrel. Pachirisu is also a bit of an oddity being a defensive Electric-type, trying to play a supporter role though able to dig out chunks of the opponents HP by being the few exclusive Pokemon who get Super Fang. Also, until Gen V, it did not have any Abilities it could use in battle. Gen V not only changed the effect of Pickup so that if a one-use item is used then the Ability use will gain the item, but also gave Volt Absorb as a Hidden Ability to Pachirisu allowing it to heal when it by an Electric-type attakc, most likely when switching Pachirisu in or an attack from its ally.

Gen V: Emolga

Stats: 55/75/60/75/60/103//428
Comments: Emolga can be summed up by one move: Volt Switch. Emolga is super fast and is meant to be a hit and run fighter via the move Volt Switch. It can also quickly use status inflicting moves like Taunt, Encore, and Thunder Wave if you think it'll survive a it or don't mind it fainting as long as it does one of those moves. Now what separates Emolga from the other Pikaclones is that its part Flying-type, giving it an immunity to Ground-type attacks which all the other Pikaclones fear. While this means it gains an Ice- and Rock-type weakness, being able to safely switch into a Ground-type attack (though not Stealth Rock) has its uses. Appearance-wise it's sort of more of a Pachiclone than a Pikaclone, being based on a species of squirrel and mainly colored white. However it does bring its own sense of fashion such as that lovely cape which is black in the back and yellow inside.

And now we come to Dedenne. What immediately sets it apart aside from its Raichu-like appearance is that its part Fairy-type. While I don't see it (or a lot of the known Fairy-type, really) being a Dragon-type slayer, it does help it have a STAB which can hit Dragon-type super effectively while the only other Pikaclone which can say something similar is Emolga though Flying does neutral damage to Dragon. Also, with its Abilities Pickup and Cheek Pouch and the Move Nuzzle, it looks like they're trying to go for an offensive supporter this time around, though of what kind might depend if Nuzzle is Physical (which it sounds like) or Special (which it looks like).


Far away hug?


Pokemon: Bunnelby
Type: Normal
Ability:
1. Cheek Pouch (When this Pokemon eats a berry, in addition to the Berry's effect it'll also heal some HP)
2. Pickup (If not holding an item at an end of a battle, after the battle there's a chance of this Pokemon holding an item)
Species: Digging Pokemon
Height: .4 m/1'04"
Weight: 5 kg/11 lbs
Known Moves: Dig
Flavor Text: It is said that the Normal-type Pokemon Bunnelby creates its den by digging in the ground with its large, shovel-shaped ears. Its ears are strong enough to chop right through thick tree roots, making it a force to be reckoned with in battle!
Based On: A hare
Name Origin: "Bunny" & "Tunnel"
Thoughts/Opinion:
And it's not at least part Ground-type because? I'm guessing it's going to have an evolution that's part Ground-type, but why not have it as that type in the first place if you're going to go with a digging theme? Is it because this is the suppose to be the Gen VI rodent? I guess that makes some sense, Bidoof started out pure normal despite being e beaver though did get Water as a secondary type upon evolving to Bibarel. Though the description of its ears make it sound like an evolution would have the ears "stiffen" up to be as hard as a metal shovel, kind of like how Drilbur getting the Steel secondary type upon evolving to Excadrill.
Honestly not much else to say here, I already covered my thoughts on previous generation rodents in a earlier post so no need to go over them here. Kind of odd it has the same two Abilities as Dedenne, but like with a few Pokemon I'll assume Bunnelby will swap Pick Up for a different Ability upon evolving (if Dedenne follows the trend of recent Pikaclones it won't be evolving, otherwise I would have said the same thing about it). Oh, and being it has visible long front teeth it'll be learning Super Fang and/or Hyper Fang.


Pokemon: Skiddo
Type: Grass
Ability: Sap Sipper (When hit by a Grass-type attack, this Pokemon receives no damage and increases its Attack by 1 stage)
Species: Mount Pokemon
Height: .9 m/2'11"
Weight: 31 kg/68.3 lbs
Known Moves: Leaf Blade
Flavor Text: Pre-evolution of Gogoat, the gentle-natured Skiddo is said to have been the first Pok?mon to live alongside humans. Thanks to living with humans so long, it doesn't seem to mind carrying people or loads on its back. It has become ale to read the feelings of its rider through their grip on its horns.
Based On: A young goat, also known as a "kid"
Name Origin: "Skid" (a slide caused from stopping suddenly, turning too quickly, or on something slippery) and "Kiddo" (a slang term for a child)
Trivia:
1. Like Gogoat, you can ride on Skiddo in certain places. In addition to travelling faster, you'll also be able to jump over ledges.


FINALLY! Ledges will limit me no more... in some places...

2. Skiddo was actually revealed earlier in one of Lumiose City's screenshots, many artists drawing their interpretation of it:


Good prediction of an accidental leak... or purposely leaked so they can steal the design!

Thoughts/Opinion:
Not that much of a surprise due to it being "revealed" before (accidental or not), but even if it wasn't it probably still wouldn't be a surprise as Gogoat already looks fully evolved so people would have assumed it either had a pre-evolution or was a stand alone. All it means that it's more likely for a Skiddo to appear in earlier routes, though the question of if you can use your own Skiddo/Gogoat to ride around on remains unanswered (we know you can only ride certain Pokemon in certain areas and that you can borrow said Pokemon, but if you already have said Pokemon why can't we use our own Pokemon?). However it is nice that we can use Skiddo to jump over ledges, though being you can only ride it in specific areas I have a feeling they'll just use that as an excuse to make more ledge areas to hide items up on (in addition the ledge they show Skiddo jumping over in the screenshot looks so small that the playable character could have just stepped over it... please don't tell me the playable character can't step over a ledge that small...).

And those are the newly revealed Pokemon. Kind of odd for new Pokemon to not be the center of attention, though I suppose if you look at it another way there are new Pokemon which is the center of attention, it's just not the new species. So with me on the subject of these new Pokemon, let's move onto... something not involving them! We still have some more non-MEGA info left, so let's get those out of the way so we can focus out full attention on the most interesting news later.

SUPER TRAINING:

A while back when we discussed Pokemon-Amie I brought up IVs and EVs. Now while Pokemon-Amie didn't mention those two by name (their technically suppose to be "secret" though there are NPCs who give you hints about them as well as a group of Berries made to help EV train), it does say it's suppose to help a Pokemon perform better in battle so we know it has relation to one of these mechanics. Well, this updates seems to make it sound like Pokemon-Amie might handle giving Pokemon better IVs because EVs were all but directly mentioned with the newest announced feature: Super Training!

Because normal training just doesn't cut it in the meta game...

Oh, and this is how the bottom screen looks like when you're not using Super Training, PSS, or Pokemon-Amie. As long as you're not in a middle of a battle of cutscene, you can access any of these 3 features whenever your like. It's just a rather bland screen with the name logo of the feature. And being I don't see a way to "turn off" this menu, expect to accidentally activate one of the 3 while your in a middle of walking around once in a while.

So what's Super Training? Well it's actually two ways to train your Pokemon and increase their EVs. As I mentioned with Pokemon-Amie, EVs stand for "Effort Values" and every time a Pokemon battles they get a certain number of EVs from the Pokemon they've just defeated (every Pokemon gives out different EVs). There are six main stats (HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed) and depending which stat those EVs go to depend on how fast that Pokemon raises in that stat. Super Training gives you the option to both conclusively focus and casually train your Pokemon EVs:

Super Training Regimens:
In this mode, you help your Pokemon play a soccer-like game against a giant, virtual Pokemon balloon. Using the circle pad and touch screen, you need to help your Pokemon score goals against the virtual balloon as well as defend your goal against its shots. From what it looks like you have a score you need to reach and it's timed, and since I don't see a score for your opponent it either takes away points or counts how many goals they made in the background to calculate in an overall performance after the regimen is over.


You don't look so tough...

OH SWEET ARCEUS! What's that explosion of light?! And do they expect me to block all those balls?!

I'd assume doing would be easier than explaining...

Core Training:
After each regimen you get a punching bag (called "training bags") which you can give to your Pokemon to casually raise their EVs. This is visually displayed on the bottom screen:


BTW, looks like the menu sprites are getting a more detailed update.

While your Pokemon will casually raise their EVs while you walked around, you can also help it along by punching the "training bag" yourself. As your Pokemon's EVs raise, you see the results on the "Effort-o-Meter" on the right with your Pokemon's base stats in green and the increase to those stats via Super Training in yellow. Now here is where I'm going to make a lot of assumptions since they don't tell you much else beyond this point:

1. There's a bar to the right which I'll assume fills up and when it does the "training bag" is fully used up. Evidence here:


Before & after have never been so clear.

2. On the bottom is a blue bench which I assume where the other Pokemon in your party appear. All your Pokemon probably share a "training bag" and at any time you can tap on one of your Pokemon in the bench to switch them out and have them start training.
3. The green button on the left that shows soccer ball is probably how you start a regimen (this is the main "Super Training" screen if you couldn't tell) while the one on the right which shows the "training bag" might be where you click to help punch the "training bag".
4. On the top right there is a symbol which changes between the two screenshots. Pikachu's is a string of four soccer balls growing bigger while Mewtwo's is a soccer ball which fills up the entire logo. What this means I don't know, maybe it tells your Pokemon how fast & hard to train or to focus on a certain stat. On the top right there's another spot which could fit another logo though in both screenshots they're closed.

Only thing left is how the website described the main six stats though I doubt you need to be told what each of them do so let's wrap this up.

Final Thoughts & Opinions:
It's nice to see Game Freak throwing a big, meaty bone to the meta game and giving players a better way to train their Pokemon up aside from battling the same Pokemon over and over because it's the only one with the EV yield you need and at the level which gives a decent amount of experience. Of course, if you're going to train a Pokemon in a specific stat, it does look like you're still going to need to battle those Pokemon to get those EVs in the stats where you want them. Of course, after doing that, you can then let Super Training take care of raising the EVs higher. Of course you'll still need to level up your Pokemon for the EVs to take effect, but those battles really shouldn't alter the EV distribution you structured (and before your bring up Rare Candies, I don't think they calculate EVs when used). Of course, now the question of "time" comes in as how much time do you need to spend on Super Training. Will you have to spend more time because it helps makes training EV easier or is it faster but comes with another drawback we yet to know (like is their a limit to "training bags" we can use)? Whatever the case, I can't see how giving another option to help better train your Pokemon is bad, though how effective is another story.

Now with that done, let's start going into the MEGA announcements. Of course, we can't just dive in, let's first ease in by discussing the person who knows this secret power, and they just so happen to be a Gym Leader!

GYM & LEADER:

With all the announcements made a new Gym Leader has also been revealed as well on some details of the city they're a Gym Leader for a bit about their Gym. So here she is:

Korrina, Shalour City Gym Leader

A Gym Leader who likes to roller blade, yet she's not the Gym Leader of Santulune City which is where the player gets their roller blades and has a lot of people roller blading...

All we're told about Shalour City is that it's a seaside city which has great views, which is why we aren't much about it (you'd think they would talk a little bit about the city/two that the Gym Leader is of. You're making these locations sound like an afterthought compared to the Gym Leader). We can quickly talk about the city's name: Shalour City comes from the "Shala tree" in both its English, Japanese, & Korean name. It's a species of tree which is important to some religions, such as Hinduism where it's the favored tree of Vishnu and in Buddhism as it was under a Shala tree where Buddha was born. Also its names in French, German, Italian, and Spanish comes from "yantra", symbols used in Indian Religions (including Hinduism and Buddhism). In order to understand what this is important, you must know that Vishnu is Hinduism's Supreme Being, Buddha was the founder and spiritual leader of Buddhism who's name means "awakened/enlightened one", and finally that "yantra" are symbols meant to spiritually balance and focus the mind. However, this won't come until later so let's focus on Korrina and the Shalour Gym.

As you can guess, Korrina likes to roller blade, so much that the entire Gym is a roller blade park were you need to use your roller blades to grind on rails.

Well this looks unassuming. Then again the last time I said that I fell onto a giant web...

I heard of level grinding, but not grinding levels!

Now her name doesn't really reveal what type she trains as it comes from her Japanese name "Koruni" which is possibly from "cornus" which is also known as "dogwood" (in addition to this, "Koruni" sounds similar to the French word "cornoullier" which ALSO means "dogwood"). However, like the previously revealed Kalos Gym Leaders after Viola, we do get a a screenshot of her VS. screen which features her badge in the background:

Boxing glove... boxing glove... nope, can't think of what type she trains, now let's get onto FIGHTING!

Don't ask me how a boxing glove relates to roller blading (I think you could stretch the badge to be a roller blade since it's a physical exercise like fighting is). But moving on, there's more to Korrina that meets the eye, as she seeks to draw out her Pokemon's strength to reach still greater heights! And she does so with a secret power: MEGA EVOLUTION! What is Mega Evolution? Well that's STILL for later, but all you need to know right now is that Korrina has some connection to it and that it also involves a tower within Shalour City called the "Tower of Mastery". And according to the Wallpaper map, it's located pretty far away on one of the very edges of the map (top left corner).

Why do I have a feeling we're going to need to defeat you before getting any answers?

Final Thoughts And Opinions:
There just seems something a bit off about Korrina to me. I don't know why, but she doesn't seem like a Fighting-type Gym Leader to me, infact when I first saw her I though she was going to be a Steel-type Gym Leader because her skating gear looks like knight armor and her Gym involved grinding on rails which are normally made of metal. She doesn't really give off a "fighting" vibe like Maylene did who's also a Fighting-type Gym Leader who's a young girl. Also, aside from her badge, what about her relates to Fighting-types? No we've had Gym Leader's who's theme and type don't quite match on quick description but the way they present them makes their theme match their type specialty a bit more (like Brawly who's a surfer and a Fighting-type Gym Leader, however he has a body builder physique. Or let's switch things around with Crasher Wake who's a wrestler and a Water-type Gym Leader, however he's a luchadore who's wrestling gimmick is based on water). It just seems like a theme and type mismatch which sounds like it'll need a lot of context to make sense as visually it doesn't mix.

However Korrina seems like she'll be an interesting and energetic character, especially knowing the secrets to Mega Evolutions. Though I wonder what number position she is as you'd think knowledge about Mega Evolutions would be something a later Gym Leader would know (and the location of Shalour City does seem to support that idea unless you explore the Coastal Area of the Kalos Region first before going to the Mountain Area). The Gym looks like it'll be fun to traverse since you're using our roller blades and may have even revealed a "grinding" mechanic that could possibly be used elsewhere in the game (like you need to grind in some places to get hidden items or locations). Shalour City and the

Tower Of Mastery sound like interesting places, something which I'll discuss more about next time when I finally talk about the Mega Evolutions!

I'm going to assume the "rina" part of her name is supposed to invoke "arena."

Fire-types resist Fairy-Types.

Courtesy of Serebii:

MEGA EVOLUTION:

You've seen it plenty of times in shows, film, & literature. Be it from an anime, western cartoon, film, manga, comic book, or novel. The hero(es) is/are up against a powerful threat and as he/she/they are now he/she/they cannot win. However he/she/they must win and go against the odds, so he/she/they call for more power and POWERS-UP! Be this happening early becoming the main strategy of the hero(es) or at the last second to show that he/she/they are ready to give it there all, it's a very popular trope. But how does this play into Pokemon?

Well before, normal evolution and form changes was as close as Pokemon got. With evolution, after meeting a certain criteria whether it's gaining a certain amount of experience points from battling or needing an item, the Pokemon evolves into a stronger form with increased stats. With forms, normally there's no stats increase but rather their stats get re-arranged (though there are exceptions, like Rotom and Kyurem). However these things usually happen outside of battle where the planning stage is done, not in the middle of the heat of the battle. Now there are Pokemon who can change form in the middle of a battle like Castform, Darmanitan, and Meloetta, but in order to do so they need a certain criteria and even then they only either change type or have their stats re-arranged. What I'm basically saying is that, aside from using a stat increasing move (but with that your spending your turn so it doesn't count), Pokemon has never demonstrated a POWER-UP as I described above (if anything the anime and manga are probably the closest since they can have Pokemon evolve in a middle of a fight). But all that is about to change as Gen VI is introducing:

MEGA EVOLUTION:

So this is to go further beyond... I wonder if this is even their final form...

That's right, when holding an item called a Mega Stone (though each Mega Evolution has its own Mega Stone named after it), anytime during battle you can tap on the option to Mega Evolve that Pokemon. Best part about that, Mega Evolution DOES NOT take up turn, so even after Mega Evolving you can select an attack!

You know something is special when the Japanese write it our in English.

But what exactly does a Mega Evolution do? Well it's not evolution but rather a form change, however unlike previous in-battle form changes that changes minor things like type or re-arranging stats, Mega Evolutions increases stats in addition to additional things like changing types and Abilities (Of course, like normal form changes, a Pokemon's HP doesn't change when it Mega Evolves). However this is only in battle, as the Pokemon will revert to normal after the battle (also we don't know what will happen if you switch out a Mega Evolved Pokemon). Oh, and don't think you can stack your entire part with Pokemon that can Mega Evolve, only one Mega Evolution is allowed during a battle (though whether this means only one Pokemon is allowed to hold a Mega Stone or multiple Pokemon can but only one may Mega Evolve and after that the others can't is also not known). Also don't be expecting any AMAZING names here, a Mega Evolved Pokemon's name is pretty much putting "Mega" in front of the Pokemon's name. In addition to that the Mega Stone's individual names follow a pattern of it being its Pokemon's name and the suffix "-ite" (from the Greek word "lithos" which means "rock" or "stone"), though if the Pokemon's name ends in a vowel the suffix will change to "-nite" to make it more pronounceable. Finally, absolutely not every single Pokemon has a Mega Evolution, right now we've only seen a select few which are not only fully evolved Pokemon (which makes sense, no need for a basic stage to Mega Evolve if it can normally evolve to become stronger) but also are a popular Pokemon (in other words don't be expecting to see the region's rodent, bird, or bug getting a Mega Evolution, at last for this gen). Now because this isn't just introducing a new Pokemon, let me first quickly explain how I set things up:

(Picture of the normal Pokemon and its Mega Evolution)
Pokemon: (Name of normal) -- (name of Mega)(like you need the Mega's name... )
Type: (normal typing) -- (mega typing)
Ability: (normal Ability 1)/(normal Ability 2)//(Hidden Ability) -- (Mega Ability)
(Normal) Stats: HP/Atk/Def/SpA/SpD/Spd//Total
Noted Increased Stat: (While all stats except HP will probably be increased, there is going to be one or two stats which will probably get the most increase. If we know that/those stat(s) its put here)
Height: (normal height) -- (Mega height)
Weight: (normal weight) -- (Mega weight)
Mega Stone: (We already know some names of the Mega Stone and already an east to predict pattern is known so I placed the name here. Though I did put a question mark next to those who's official Mega Stone hasn't been released)
Description: (Interesting enough some Mega Evolutions have gotten extra description info. Now whether this extra info will be placed in the game and where is not known)
Thoughts/Opinions:
(I talk more in-depth about my, well, thoughts and opinions about the Pokemon. Also I'm going to be mentioned some nicknames I came up for the Pokemon because "Mega (Pokemon name here)" is just plain LAZY)

Well with that done, I know you're not here to hear me go on about things you already know, so let's get this new feature going with a Mega Evolution which we actually knew about for a long time:

Pokemon: Mewtwo -- Mega Mewtwo
Type: Psychic -- Psychic
Ability: Pressure//Unnerve -- Insomnia
Mewtwo's Stats: 106/110/90/154/90/130//680
Noted Increased Stat: Special Attack
Height: 2 m/6'07" -- 1.5 m/4'11"
Weight: 122 kg/269 lbs -- 33 kg/72.8 lbs
Mega Stone: Mewtwonite(?)
Description: Mega Mewtwo's streamlined body always appears to be floating in the air.
Thoughts/Opinion:
Ah, so finally the secret to Mewtwo's new form is revealed (remember back when we all were arguing whether the leaked image of Mega Mewtwo was being argued if it was even real or not? Good times...). Anyway, Mega Mewtwo, or I like to called him either Esper Mewtwo (Awakened Mewtwo is a bit too long for my tastes, plus Esper sounds cooler) or Mewgatwo, is one of the three being used as the poster star for Mega Evolutions, the other two being Lucario and Blaziken. Going through each change step-by-step, we'll start with appearance and I'll admit the design has grown on me but I still have problems with it and like normal Mewtwo better. It's forehead is a bit too big, I don't like the "eggplant" finger and toes, and what exactly are those bumps on the front of its body? I know it's a joke, but I can't help but think that Game Freak were sort of trying to emulate a Majin Buu design (remember, Majin Buu's last form was his kid form). I guess they were also trying to give Mewtwo a more Mew-like feelby getting rid of some of his complexity... but then they added two horns, a halo, and attached its tail to its head. I don't know what they're trying to tell me here, the only thing that tells me it has higher Special Attack is that it's constantly floating. Moving onto things that matter in-game, Insomnia is a bit of a lackluster Ability though I suppose if Mewtwo was to be given Skill Swap it could potentially be used to stop the opponent from using Rest to heal. Of course, being Mewtwo was made to be a living weapon with the stats to match, you'll probably be attacking with high power most of the time that your opponent has either no chance to use Rest or would be very foolish to as it'll leave the sleeping Pokemon wide open. This is amplified with Mewtwo's highest stat being a 154 Special Attack which has been confirmed to be the stat that is mostly increased by Mega Evolving. I want to note that as of Gen V, Attack Forme Deoxys holds the record of having the highest Special Attack at 180 with Mewtwo being second place. So in other words, expect Mewtwo to beat that (I'm betting it goes to 200, Mega Mewtwo is floating in the air all the time using its Psychic powers and its head is larger which is usually shown as an increase to mental abilities). And just like many final forms in anime and manga, Mega Mewtwo actually becomes smaller and WAY lighter (though that's to be expected, its lifting itself up). I'm not even going to mention the "weight" moves since no one really uses them (I mean Heat Crash was fun on Emboar, but then I taught it Fire Punch from the World Tournament AND then it learned Flare Blitz...).
In addition to its changes, Mega Mewtwo also shows that Mega Evolutions isn't just for "normal" Pokemon as Legendaries can get Mega Evolutions too. Now I kind of see it hard for Pokemon who already have another form to get a Mega Evolution and a lot of the time Legendaries are matched up together so it'll seem odd if only one or two members of a group got a Mega Evolution but not the other, thus sort of limiting which Legendaries can get EASILY get Mega Evolution. With the mentioned above criteria I say a Mega Evolution for Mew (which I think it becoming this would have been of a better idea, like saying this is what a "natural" Mewtwo would look like), Lugia (it's based on a dragon but it not Dragon-type... plus it's the "guardian of the sea" yet isn't a Water-type... Dragon/Water Mega Lugia anyone?), Ho-Oh, Celebi, Rayquaza (it's the leader of the Weather Trio yet it doesn't have higher stats?), Jirachi, Cresselia, Darkrai, Phione, Manaphy, Heatran, Regigigas (all the need to do is get rid of its Ability "Slow Start"), Victini, & Genesect (maybe turn back into what it was originally before Team Plasma's "enhancements"?). Going against my criteria, maybe we can FINALLY get the "Complete" Kyurem by having it as the Mega Evolution. And could you even imagine a Mega Arceus (imagine if they make its HP 200 and had 160 in all its other stat to make a 1000 BST!)? Of course this is all just theory making, right now I think the only Mega Evolution will be Mega Mewtwo, and if you thought he was splitting the fanbase before... well, let's just move on.

Pokemon: Lucario -- Mega Lucario
Type: Fighting/Steel -- Fighting/Steel
Ability: Steadfast/Inner Focus//Justified - Adaptability
Lucario's Stats: 70/110/70/115/70/90//525
Noted Increased Stat: Attack
Height: 1.2 m/3'11" -- 1.3 m/4'03"
Weight: 54 kg/119 lbs -- 57.5 kg/126.8 lbs
Mega Stone: Lucarionite
Description: Black patterns creep up and around Mega Lucario's arms and legs, marks left behind by the heightened aura energy that thrums throughout its body.
Thoughts/Opinion:
Mega Lucario, or as I dub him Mystic Lucario/Lumegario, will be our first Mega Evolution revealed with the announcement of Mega Evolutions. And unlike Mega Mewtwo, I can see where they were going with Mega Lucario's design and quite like it actually. It's aura power has gotten so powerful it's leaving marks all over its body, though we aren't really told where the red markings come from (and I doubt its blood, get your head out of the 1990's). Actually it sort of looks like Mega Lucario tried to go Super Saiyan (I know, ANOTHER Dragonball reference, but it's one of the most quintessential series which features this trope) but since it doesn't have hair on its head the hair on its chest puffed up and grew longer by covering its tail (though the "blindfold" ends on the back of its head also grew, tattered, and got tipped with red). And what better way to show an increase in its Aura powers then by giving it an Ability which increases the multiplier for its STAB from 1.5 to 2, which Mega Lucario would love applying to its Close Combats. And its Close Combats is further helped by Lucario's noted increased stat is Attack, which you might think is a bit odd since technically Lucario's highest stat is Special Attack and its Signature Attack is Aura Sphere, a Special Fighting-type move. If I had to make a guess, I would say that Mega Lucario's Attack and Special Attack are probably going to be the same, right now the only difference is a measly 5 points which you could have honestly just taken from one of its defensive stats (it probably only had a higher Special Attack stat because of Aura Sphere). Also many "professional" sets use it as a Physical Attacker (due to Close Combat), MAYBE giving it a Special move to get past a physical wall (though it's rarely Aura Sphere, it'll probably be a type coverage move like Shadow Ball or Dark Pulse to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types). Finally Mega Lucario does slightly grow in height and weight, though it's nothing too drastic like Mega Mewtwo's sudden weight loss.
Though I like Mega Lucario, it does represent one of the problems I'm having with Mega Evolutions: popular Pokemon are getting it. While I know Game Freak rarely gives any mind to the meta game (otherwise they would have nerfed weather and Stealth Rock by now) and a popular Pokemon is a good way to advertise a new mechanic, Lucario is already a highly used Pokemon being in both the Overused and Uber tier. There are SO many other Pokemon who could use a Mega Evolution to push them up through the tiers, and thankfully some of these Pokemon are getting Mega Evolutions. Though said Pokemon are also popular in some way so they also fall into this problem though not as severely (in fact some I have a different problem with which I'll get into later). Here is Smogon's list of Neverused, Rarelyused, and Underused Pokemon, and while several Pokemon on this list can be used in Overused and Uber tiers under right conditions, many of these Pokemon on this list can't thus a Mega Evolution might help them reach a bit higher (and do I even need to remind you that in order for a Pokemon to get a Mega Evolution they need to be at least fully evolved?). However I guess Mega Lucario does show popular Pokemon can also be picked (despite maybe some not needing it) this Mega Evolutions for Pokemon such as Zoraork (now that'll be an interesting Mega Evolution), Scizor, Excadrill, Blissey (Blissey has max Special Defense... so why not focus on normal Defense, MUAHAHAHA!), Alakazam (though would that be too similar to Mega Mewtwo?), Gengar, Gyarados (it was originally suppose to be Water/Dragon), and let's not forget the Pseudo-Legendaries. And to top off this madness, MEGA WOBBUFFET (attack it, I DARE YOU)!

Pokemon: Ampharos -- Mega Ampharos
Type: Electric -- Electric/Dragon
Ability: Static//Plus -- Mold Breaker
Ampharos's Stats: 90/75/75/115/90/55//500
Height: 1.4 m/4'07" -- 1.4 m/4'07"
Weight: 61.5 kg/135.6 lbs -- 61.5 kg/135.6 lbs
Mega Stone: Ampharosite(?)
Description: When Ampharos Mega Evolves into Mega Ampharos, its head and tail are covered with white fur in this new, gallant appearance. When it increases the amount of electrical energy within itself, the red orbs on its bod and fur emit a strong light.
Thoughts/Opinion:
And the winner for laziest Mega Evolution... Mega Ampharos for only putting on a wig on its head and tail (though it does get points for being FABULOUS).

Fabio wishes he looked this good.

And no, I didn't nickname it Fabio Ampharos but rather Draco Ampharos/Amegapharos because Ampharos biggest change isn't in stats but it's typing as it become part Dragon-type! "Wait, Ampharos is a sheep/lighthouse, why does it become part Dragon?" some of you may be asking. Well Ampharos becomes part Dragon-type due to its Japanese name: Denryu. In Japan the way its spelt is sort of a pun since, depending on how you spell it, it can either mean "electric current" or "electric dragon". As for what this new typing may mean, well it's not technically new since Zekrom is the first Dragon/Electric (okay, what position the types are is different though as of right now type positioning never meant anything) so look to it for type match-ups. However Zekrom is a Physical attacker while Ampharos is a Special so it has that difference. Ampharos now also might be getting a slew of Dragon-type moves now since the only Dragon-type move it can learn is Outrage and that's by Move Tutor in BW2 (Dragon Pulse would probably be VERY handy to Mega Ampharos, heck, even to normal Ampharos). Not to overshadow any other changes, Mega Ampharos gets the Ability Mold Breaker which is nice Ability as it'll never be afraid of its attacks being affected by an opponent's Ability (especially the Abilities Lightningrod, Motor Drive, and Volt Absorb). And that's pretty much it, oddly enough Mega Ampharos doesn't change height or weight despite getting two lush mane of hair.
Ampharos is exactly kind of Pokemon I was talking about with Mega Lucario which needs a Mega Evolution. Now while Ampharos is a little popular, it's sadly a low tier Pokemon despite its high Special Attack (mostly due to its low Speed). It's also a fully evolved Pokemon, being a 2nd stage thus there was no other way to improve it except by giving it a Mega Evolution (I'll talk more about this subject with the next Pokemon). And while the design does seem slapped together, it does make Ampharos look majestic enough that it can pull itself off as a Dragon-type (it even has some Dragon Balls *dodges brick* Okay, okay, no more Dragon Ball references...). All that Mega Ampharos needs now is a Speed increase and it'll be making its way up the tier list in no time.

Pokemon: Absol -- Mega Absol
Type: Dark -- Dark
Ability: Pressure/Super Luck//Justified -- Magic Bounce
Absol's Stats: 65/130/60/75/60/75//465
Noted Increased Stat: Attack & Speed
Height: 1.2 m/3'11" -- 1.2 m/3'11"
Weight: 47 kg/103.6 lbs -- 49 kg/108 lbs
Mega Stone: Absolite(?)
Description: The increased energy that courses through Absol's body upon Mega Evolving makes its fur stand on end, giving it the appearance of wings.
Thoughts/Opinion:
Well if you thought Absol was a bit emo before, now it has emo hair to match plus devil/angel symbolism to top it off! I think they're trying to hammer in that Absol is some kind of angel of death, which is why I call it Herald Absol/Abmegasol. I like this design, it's both simple as it doesn't really get anything that wasn't there before yet complex with what it does with that it had. If there was one flaw with the design I would say it's with the head gem looking a bit lopsided but that could just be the angle it was drawn at. Absol is getting some HUGE boosts with it Ability and its noted increased stats. First off, Magic Bounce pretty much Absol is untouchable except with attacking moves (though sadly it won't be able to reflect Stealth Rock, Spikes, or Toxic Spikes) so nothing will be effecting its stats and/or slowly hurting it. Then we have the noted increased stats, one which Absol (and many Pokemon) beg to be high or increased: Speed. Even if Absol gets a decent 100 or even 90 Speed it'll be a huge boost. Oh, and let's not forget it's also getting it's already high Attack increased EVEN MORE. The only odd thing about Mga Absol is that it doesn't change size... but does gain weight (you'd think with those wings it'll gain a few more inches, and how are its extra features more heavier than Mega Ampharos getting large manes of hair?).
However it's not the height-weight oddity which bothers me about Mega Absol. Remember how I mentioned with Mega Ampharos that it was a fully evolved Pokemon thus it literally had no way to improve? Well, Absol is a non-evolving Pokemon meaning it has no evolution or pre-evolutions and for years fans have been asking for an EVOLUTION for Absol. "Yeah, they got their wish, it got an evolution" you say? Well actually NO, it didn't get an evolution, it got a MEGA evolution which I told you is more of a form change than a proper evolution. "Okay, so maybe you'll just have to wait for the next generation for an Absol evolution" you suggest. Here's the thing, Mega Evolutions are pretty meant for Pokemon who will not get an evolution thus why it have "evolution" in its name. According to Game Freak, Absol IS a final stage Pokemon and the only way to improve it is by giving it a Mega Evolution. At best, Absol can now get a pre-evolution, but it'll now never be given a proper evolution since it has a Mega Evolution. "Well, Lucario isn't really fully evolved, it's a 1st Stage Pokemon yet you're alright with it" you point out. Yes, Lucario is a 1st stage evolution, however its stats are already good enough that it even outclasses 2nd stage evolutions (just compare its stats to Ampharos's). Despite Absol's high Attack, all its other stats are low including Speed and HP (and remember, Mega Evolutions don't effect HP). And unless all the Mega Evolutions are going to have the same BST, even with a good Speed and Attack, Mega Absol may not measure up to other Mega Evolutions since of its low stats except in Attack. To summarize this, I think Absol should have gotten a proper evolution since there's plenty of room for it to improve normally and there's dozen of things you can based the evolution on. Though I am glad it at least getting some attention.

Pokemon: Mawile -- Mega Mawile
Type: Steel/Fairy -- Steel/Fairy
Ability: Hyper Cutter/Intimidate//Sheer Force -- Huge Power
Mawile's Stats: 50/85/85/55/55/50//380
Noted Increased Stat: Defense & Special Defense
Height: .6 m/2'00" -- 1 m/3'03"
Weight: 11.5 kg/25.4 lbs -- 23.5 kg/51.8 lbs
Mega Stone: Mawilenite(?)
Description: When Mawile undergoes Mega Evolution, its trademark huge mouth has multiplied, and now there are two great maws to contend with! It even seems that it's able to control each maw independently.
Thoughts/Opinion:
First off let's discuss the biggest change: normal Mawile is getting the Fairy-type become Steel/Fairy (gee, another Pokemon in the Fairy Egg Group gets the Fairy-type, who would have imagined...)! Sarcasm aside, I can actually see Mawile becoming some kind of Physical Dragon Blocker & Killer due to its Attack & Defense stats and typing of the highly resistant Steel-type and dragon killing Fairy-type (and if Fairy-type does have a weakness to Poison, that gets neutralized by it being Steel-type!). And if what I said goes for normal Mawile, it definitely goes for Mega Mawile which I like to call Diploid Mawhile/Megawile! Mega Mawile has a nice simple design where it "grows" a pink dress (further trying to connect it to its futakuchi-onna origin) and then giving its jaw, or should I saw jaws, a little more complex design. Yup, Mega Mawile pulls an Ambipom and has grown a second giant jaw, both looking even nastier then normal Mawil's jaw with them being scrunched up. But looks don't make the Pokemon good, and Mega Mawile knows this and solves this by getting the Ability Huge Power! For those who don't know, Huge Power is an Ability that doubles the Attack stat, and even on normal Mawile this would make it's okay 85 Attack jump to a crazy high 170 Attack, just under Attack Forme Deoxys with 180 power (by just 10 points) and beating Rampardos with 165 points (by 5 points)! And may I remind you that 85 is just for NORMAL Mawile! However, though it will probably get an Attack increase (to not, it just needs 91 Attack to beat Deoxys after the Huge Power boost), Mega Mawile shocking focuses its power-up on Defense and Special Defense, possibly mean we have a Mega Evolution who's goal may not be to utterly destroy but to provide a wall (and thanks to its Steel-type, it might even pull it off!). Though I should mention it was recently discovered in a XY demos that Fairy-type were resisted by Fire-types though received neutral damage from them, meaning Mawile (and Mega Mawile) might have problems getting through Fire-types if their only attacking moves are STABS (though Mawile does learn Rock-type attacks, including Stone Edge and Rock Slide). Let's wind down with the useless mention of Height and Weight increasing, yeah, I guess its weight doubling could mean... mean... most of its weight comes from its jaws? Let's just move on.
Wow, with how good Mega Mawile is you'd think it could pass off as an actual evolution... which it SHOULD HAVE BEEN! Yeah, Mawile is in the same boat as Absol now of being a non-evolving Pokemon who may now never evolve due to getting a Mega Evolution. Though unlike Mega Absol which just looks like Absol got shocked and its hair is now standing up, Mega Mawile wouldn't look out of place being called an evolution of Mawile. But oh well, Game Freak decided that Mawile is a fully evolved Pokemon thus the only way for it to improve is via Mega Evolution. Fine, whatever, I mean it's not like there's non-evolving Pokemon which look like they're indeed fully evolved thus could use a Mega Evolution to help them out. Oh wait:

Or rather

Pokemon: Kangaskhan -- Mega Kangaskhan
Type: Normal -- Normal(/?)
Ability: Early Bird/Scrappy//Inner Focus -- Parental Bond
Kangaskhan's Stats: 105/95/80/40/80/90//490
Noted Increased Stat: ?
Height: 2.2 m/7'03" -- ? m/?'??"
Weight: 80 kg/176.4 lbs -- ? kg/? lbs
Mega Stone: Kangaskhanite(?)
Thoughts/Opinion:
Not officially released but only shown as a sneak preview, what we do know about Mega Kangaskhan already have people talking about it! Though the first thing you'll probably notice about Mega Kangaskhan is how it Mega Evolves: its child jumps our of its pouch to help it battle. Now you may think this would probably the laziest design Mega Evolution... until you notice something about the mother: it doesn't change appearance. Then you take a better look at the child and come to the realization: it's not the mother Kangaskhan who Mega Evolves, it's the CHILD Kangaskhan who Mega Evolves! And what better way to show this by giving it the Ability to show that baby has come out to play: Parental Bond. Parental Bond allows Kangaskhan to attack TWICE: once from the mother, once from the child. Now, we don't know exactly how this will work, because on paper this Ability sounds INCREDIBLY BROKEN since normal Kangaskhan already has a high Attack stat of 95 so it attacking twice could be like getting hit with a Pokemon who as an Attack stat of 190! Many believe that the child's attack will probably have decreased power (it's a child afterall, its like if an evolved Pokemon attacks with its normal stats and then attacks again except using its pre-evolution's stats). There is also a theory that the mother and child split the power of the move, so if they use, say, Earthquake then the mother's attack would be 50 Power child's attack will be 50 Power. Eitherway many believe there's some kind of catch involved with getting to attack twice, but even if the baby's attack does have decreased power it sounds to be an interesting Ability. And its because of this mother and child bond I call Mega Kangaskhan by the nickname Kindred Kangaskhan/Kanmegaskhan.
You see, there are non-evolving Pokemon which probably would need a Mega Evolution for a reason to become stronger. Others include Aerodactyl, Alomomola (remember when we though it was an evolution of Luvdisc?), Bouffalant, Illumise, Miltank (you thought Whitney was hard before...), Rotom (though it already has other forms, some being quite good, so it may be out of luck for a Mega Evolution), Sigilyph, Skarmory, Smeargle (its gimmick kind of locks it down to having no normal evolution potential, but Mega Evolution...), Spiritomb, Tauros, Tropius, and Volbeat. See? You can give these Mega Evolutions and give other non-evolving Pokemon proper evolutions. Sadly it's too lake for Absol and Mawile (I mean, they could give them proper evolutions later, give them the Mega Evolutions, and make Mega Absol and Mega Mawile "extinct", but that'll be like them admitting they made a mistake so it'll sadly never happen). I think I've harped on this topic enough, so let me go back to complaining about how popular Pokemon are getting Mega Evolutions.

Pokemon: Blaziken -- Mega Blaziken
Type: Fire/Fighting -- Fire/Fighting
Ability: Blaze//Speed Boost -- Speed Boost
Blaziken's Stats: 80/120/70/110/70/80//530
Noted Increased Stat: Attack
Height: 1.9 m/6'03" -- 1.9 m/6'03"
Weight: 52 kg/114.6 lbs -- 52 kg/114.6 lbs
Mega Stone: Blazikenite
Thoughts/Opinion:
Blaziken has traded his yellow belt for a black belt (and when I say "belt" I mean body parts) and has become Mega Blaziken, or as I call him Sensei Blaziken/Blazimegaken. Mega Blaziken loos like an older, more refine Blaziken who has mastered its kicking art, giving itself a more darker and fiercer look. I don't really know what else to say, it just has a more mature (as in it looks older) look to it making it actually look like an evolution which of course Blaziken can't have. An odd thing about Mega Blaziken is that its the only one who has an Ability its normal form has: Speed Boost. Granted it's a Hidden Ability as the Starter Fire-types have Blaze as their normal Abilities, but it goes to show you how good Speed Boost is. Before Gen V, Blaziken was in the Underused Tier like many of its Starter brethren. Then Gen V introduced Hidden Abilities and granted Blaziken with Speed Boost, a move which increased its Speed by one stage every turn. Suddenly, the fire chicken that was being outspeed before it could do anything was now attacking first after just one turn, and with an Attack of 120 and Special Attack of 110! Blaziken was quickly kicked up to the Uber tier, the first Starter to ever be placed their. That, folks, is the power of Speed Boost. Oh, did I mention its Attack is 120? Well that's about to sky rocket as Mega Blaziken's noted increase stat is Attack making its Flare Blitz and Hi Jump Kick something to be looked on in horrer... if they don't knock it out first. Oh, and despite having tall standing hair, it doesn't get a height increase. I understand it not gaining weight, but Mega Blaziken's hair alone should give it an extra foot in height!
As I stated, Mega Blaziken was already in the Uber tier so it's a Starter that didn't really need a Mega Evolution (though it being in the Uber Tier is probably why it got a Mega Evolution (*past popularity rant I had with Lucario here*). However Mega Blaziken does show that Starters can get Mega Evolution which only has one Pokemon on my mind: MEGA CHARIZARD!

I will not stop mentioning it until it happens.

Okay, okay, I'll mention other Starters that could use a Mega Evolution (aka: all of them except Blaziken and Infernape). I'd imagine Blastoise would look pretty cool since they'll probably focus on its water cannons, one for Meganium might improve it by a lot (and also to have a Pokemon called Mega Meganium which Mega Evolves from Meganium by giving it the Mega Stone Meganiumite. Mega), Swampert, Empoleon, & Torterra could become defensive Mega Evolution, and they can change the typings of the Unova Starters final evolution to have Serperior being Grass/Dragon, Emboar being Fire/Dark (or Ground, it's a pig afterall), and Samurott to Water/Fighting. And if the pattern follows I'm sure the Kalos Starters will also need Mega Evolutions to be improved.
And finally there's a reason why I put Blaziken last. As I said, Mega Blaziken is one of the poster Mega Evolutions so it should have been placed right after Mega Lucario. However the reason I placed it last was because of this:

TORCHIC DISTRIBUTION

Because why not break the game early?

Yup, on October 12th, the day which XY is released, you can connect to the Nintendo Network to download a Torchic! The Torchic is level 10 and knows the move Scratch, Growl, Focus Energy, & Ember. However there are two BIG things about Torchic: 1. It has its Hidden Ability. Yes, that's right, Torchic has Speed Boost meaning you can evolve it to a Blaziken with Speed Boost, the only Starter to ever be placed in the Uber Tier because it's so powerful. Oh, and 2. It's holding Blazikenite, the Mega Stone needed to Mega Evolve Blaziken into Mega Blaziken which is pretty much just an even MORE powerful Blaziken with higher Attack and most likely a Speed which would have put Blaziken in Overused anyway alongside Infernape:

The Kalos region now has reason to fear you.

Oh, by the way, THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE MEGA STONE BLAZIKENITE! That's right, Blazikenite is an Event Exclusive item and it not found anywhere in the game like presumably the other Mega Stones are. Now one may say this makes it feel like the only reason they created Mega Blaziken is just to have this promotion thus maybe meaning Starters aren't as likely to get Mega Evolutions like I thought. However I have another problem with this: Fennekin.

WHY ARE YOU DISTRIBUTING A FIRE-TYPE STARTER ON THE GAME'S RELEASE DAY?! Do you not want people to pick Fennekin? Seriously, this is sort of like a giant middle finger to people who want to pick Fennekin as it's sort of rewarding those who picked Chespin or Froakie by giving them another Fire Starter which is better then it usually is. Of course I'm still picking Fennekin no matter what, hopefully all the Psychic moves we keep Fennekin using is a heavy hint that it's going to evolve to be part Psychic-type so that'll make it slightly different from Blaziken. However I think they should have made Mega Lucario the Event Pokemon, it's just as popular if not more so and will still break the game, plus it'll give you two types that are NOT Starter types!

Final Thoughts/Opinions On Mega Evolutions:
Mega Evolutions sound like an interesting idea though I do feel they're already misusing by giving it to popular & already tournament viable Pokemon and to Pokemon who could have just used a proper evolution thus possibly dooming them to never get one. I see Mega Evolutions being used as a way to "fix" some things they've accidentally done. Pokemon they wanted to experiment with but it didn't work as well as they thought, "early" Pokemon having low stats to "balance" the main game out resulting them being easily outclassed by Pokemon found later on, and Pokemon you for to ask "what were they thinking" when they made it. In terms of the meta game, people are already asking if they should give Mega Evolutions their own tier (probably shaking in their boots upon hearing about Mega Mewtwo, Lucario, & Blaziken), so I imagine that they'll shake things up there pretty good. Being able to not only Mega Evolve in mid-battle but then attack brings in a whole new level of strategy (do you Mega Evolve early? Do you wait and psyche out your opponent thinking it's not holding a Mega Stone? If your opponent sends out their Mega Evolution should you send out yours or wait for the current Pokemon you have out to try and beat it/be knocked out? If your Mega Pokemon starts having problems against an opponent should you keep attacking or risk switching it out?). In addition, because the Mega Pokemon is holding a Mega Stone, it can't hold any other item so no Life Orb or Choice item to power them up, probably helping balance things out a bit. For the game itself, well, let's be honest, it's not that difficult to beat the main game (solo Pokemon playthroughs using a weak Pokemon is a popular challenge) so I only see this BLOWING UP a dead horse in that regard.
There's also a theory that the Mega Pokemon for Kalos actually have some connection. To go along with the idea that Xerneas and Yveltal are based on creatures from Norse mythology, some have said the Mega Evolutions might be based upon Norse Gods:

Blaziken = Surtr (God of fire)
Lucario = Forseti (God of Justice)
Amphy = Thor (God of Thunder)
Mawile = Loki (God of Deception)
Absol = Fortuna (Goddess of Disaster)
Mewtwo = Magni (God of Power)
Kangaskhan = Frigg (Goddess of Motherhood)

It's an interesting theory, and the one for Kangaskhan was actually a prediction made before it was revealed (you can read the theory HERE).
Finally, I must ask, where is Mega Raichu? You'd think out of all the Pokemon to get Mega Evolutions, the series mascot will get its evolution one. While I guess there's still plenty of Mega Evolutions we still don't know about, it's still a bit odd as I'm sure many would agree that Raichu could use a buff after years of being ignored in favor of it pre-evolution. You don't suppose Dedenne filled the "pikaclone" quote, do you? I mean it does look like Raichu...

You better not have taken away my chance for a Mega Evolution...

PHEW! Finally got that done, now I can talk about something found today:

It has been discovered that the Pokemon Company had filed for two new trademarks: Pokken Fighters, Pokken Tournament, and the Japanese spelling of Pokken. For those who don't know, "ken" in Japan means "fist", so Pokken means "Pokemon Fist". It's not exactly known what these names are going to be used for, but the popular theory is that it has something to do with a sneak peak image of a Pokemon game in development with graphics that looks like it'll be on the Wii U:

Gee, I wonder if that fist icon on the billboard in the background was any indication?

Now, some people are coming up with wild theories that this is going to be a Pokemon crossover with the Tekken series (a series of fighting games). However I and a majority of people are more willing to bet that this is probably the Pokemon Stadium/Battle Revolution game for the Wii U (Nintendo must be very happy that there's Pokemon games coming out on the 3DS this year and one for the Wii U in development...).

Though I must wonder, the main feature of the console Pokemon games were that you can see the Pokemon as 3D models. However, now the handheld games are using models and even if the Wii U model's are more detailed I don't really see that as a main selling point. If this Pokken game is really a Stadium/Battle Revolution, it's going to have to provide a LOT more features then those games to justify you to buy it.

On a more "didn't do their research" note, apparently "Pokken" is the Dutch word for "Smallpox"... oops.

YES! YES! YES! YES!

(Sadly no type change (what is your damage Game Freak? AMPHAROS gets the Dragon-type change but not Charizard?...) though Charizard is getting DROUGHT! Though all that means is that is that it might replace Ninetales in Ubers for teams running Sunny Weather... BUT it'll still be in ubers!... better start planning a Sunny Day team...)

Oh, and Venusaur and Blastoise is also getting a Mega Evolution! Fuller look over later today:

(So... are ALL Starters getting Mega Evolutions right off the bat?)

New Pokemon, too!

It's only onscreen for less than a second in the Nintendo Direct video.

It looks like Absol, but the tail is not black. It doesn't have the large ruff that Absol and Mega Absol have. No blade, but instead it has large white ear-things.

Mega Charizard and Blastoise look awesome.....Mega Venusaur could have been better but I guess its hard to expand past a tree, perhaps two trees?

Wonder if this means Ash's charizard might go Mega

Yes, it's looking pretty good. Dunno, I kinda like Venusaur's Mega evolution design. Now the problem is I don't know who to start off with without having the same type.

If they do give Ash's Charizard his Mega evolution, will that mean he won't be going into Kalos with only Pikachu like he's been doing for the other regions.