Alain
| Alain アラン Alan | |
 Alain | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Blue |
| Hair color | Black |
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Kalos |
| Trainer class | Trainer |
| Member of | Team Flare |
| Rank | Grunt |
| Anime debut | Mega Evolution Special I |
| English voice actor | Jonathan Silver |
| Japanese voice actor | Kenshō Ono |
Alain (Japanese: アラン Alan) is a major recurring character in the Pokémon anime. He initially appears as the main character of the Mega Evolution Special side-series beginning with Mega Evolution Special I. He is a Pokémon Trainer seeking to defeat all Mega Evolved Pokémon using his Mega Charizard X. He initially worked as Professor Sycamore's assistant. However, he now works for Lysandre under the belief that Lysandre is harnessing the energy of Mega Evolution for peaceful purposes; to this end he works as a part of Team Flare, recognized by its members as being an agent of Lysandre's. He later appears in the XY&Z arc of the XY series as a rival to Ash, working on Lysandre's orders to continue gathering Mega Evolution energy.
History
In the Mega Evolution Specials
In the past he was Professor Sycamore's assistant, and it was Sycamore who initially inspired him to begin seeking Mega Stones in order to solve the mysteries of Mega Evolution. At this time Alain already owned a Charmander. Some time after leaving Professor Sycamore's laboratory, Charmander evolved. After reporting to Professor Sycamore, he came to a nearby ruin in search of Ampharosite, but discovered that the raw Mega Stone had been taken by Lysandre. Alain battled Lysandre for ownership of the stone, but his Charmeleon was soundly defeated by Lysandre's Pyroar.
Alain was then invited to Lysandre Labs, where Lysandre revealed his intention to harness the energy Pokémon produce when they Mega Evolve for peaceful purposes. He also claimed that if Professor Sycamore were to publish the secrets of Mega Evolution, mankind would find a way to use those secrets to nefarious ends, and said he would not allow the Professor's name to be tarnished. Asking if Alain would assist him, Lysandre revealed a metal attaché case with a Mega Ring and Charizardite X. Believing he could protect the Professor this way, Alain accepted Lysandre's proposal.
During Mega Evolution Special I, after Charmeleon evolved into a Charizard, Alain battled a Trainer named Astrid, and defeated her Mega Absol. The battle was secretly watched by Mairin, a beginning Trainer who was sent out on a journey by Professor Sycamore. Mairin was so impressed with his strength that she began following him. From Mairin, Alain learned of a Trainer who leaped off of Prism Tower to save a Pokémon. Next, Alain received a call on his Holo Caster from a mysterious person (later revealed to be Lysandre), who directed him to a location with ruins to retrieve a Mega Stone. After getting the Mega Stone, Alain was confronted by a Trainer named Remo who was also looking for the Mega Stone. Remo challenged him with a Mega Garchomp. Alain easily won the battle, and kept the Mega Stone.
Afterwards he helped Mairin capture a Flabébé. He then traveled with her to a restaurant where Elite Four member Siebold was working as a chef and challenged him to a battle, seemingly unaware that at the same time his Charizard's energy levels were being monitored by Lysandre. Charizard put up a good fight against Siebold's Blastoise, but when Blastoise Mega Evolved, it overwhelmed Charizard using a Mega Launcher-boosted Dragon Pulse. Accepting his defeat, Alain continued his journey to battle more Mega Evolved Pokémon and complete more assignments from Lysandre, now with Mairin as a traveling partner.
In Mega Evolution Special II, he traveled to Hoenn with Mairin, where he met Steven. Noticing each other's Key Stones, the two Trainers recognized each other as Trainers with Mega Pokémon. Accepting Alain's challenge, Steven and his Shiny Mega Metagross fought a fierce battle with Charizard before the battle was interrupted by Lysandre.
Deciding to cooperate with the Hoenn Champion, Alain and company traveled to their destination, a small temple with two pillars in the center. When Alain and Steven held their Key Stones to the monument, a staircase of light appeared to lead them further within the ancient ruin. There, they discovered a similar mechanism that summoned a glowing megalith from underneath the ruin. After Lysandre and his research team began analyzing the giant stone, a Rayquaza appeared from the sky, Mega Evolved into Mega Rayquaza, and started wreaking havoc on the surrounding area. Alain, Steven, and their Mega Pokémon partners tried to fend off the Legendary Pokémon, but were overwhelmed. As Rayquaza continued to destroy the megalith, its Draco Meteors landed near Mairin, sending her and Chespie flying. Alain dove to save her, but in the process, the two are buried in debris. Mairin is safe, but Alain injures his shoulder. Despite Mairin and Lysandre's concern, Alain insists he's fine, and proceeds to Rustboro City on Lysandre's orders as he believes the megalith can be recovered, secretly he told Alain to keep a watch on Steven Stone, as he possessed great knowledge on Mega Evolution.
In Mega Evolution Special III, after landing at the Devon Corporation headquarters via helicopter with Mairin, he receives confirmation from Steven and Lysandre that Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre are set to battle each other near Rustboro City to claim the megalith's energy, putting the entire world at risk. Alain and Steven volunteer to fly to the point where the super-ancient Pokémon will meet to analyze the situation. Concerned, Mairin asks Alain about his shoulder, but Alain insists he's fine. Mairin says it's too dangerous, and begs Alain to stay, but he refuses, saying he has to keep his promise to Lysandre to become the strongest. Mairin continues to press him, causing Alain to lash out at her, saying she knows nothing about his goals. After calming down, Alain walks away from Mairin, telling her to go back to Kalos.
On Steven's aircraft, Alain and the Champion approach a large energy reading that Devon Corp. staff and Lysandre confirm to be the megalith. Lysandre tells the two to be careful while investigating the situation. Primal Kyogre surfaces, and begins engaging Primal Groudon. After the Primal Pokémon exchange blows, Alain receives private orders from Lysandre. The director wants the megalith protected at all costs until it fully materializes. Alain opens the aircraft's door and sends out Charizard, and triggers its Mega Evolution. Following Alain's lead, Steven and Metagross follow suit, volunteering to attack Kyogre. While Charizard successfully stops Groudon from reaching the megalith, it is hit by Precipice Blades, and falls from the sky to a glacier caused by Kyogre's Ice Beam.
Alain rappels from the aircraft onto the glacier, and rushes to Charizard's side, digging it out from chunks of ice. Noticing its tail flame dying, Alain immediately recalls Charizard to rest. Alain is then blown back from an explosion caused by Groudon and Kyogre's battle. Steven orders the aircraft to descend, allowing Mairin and Chespie, who had stowed away, to exit the aircraft's rear and help Alain. As Groudon's Solar Beam causes debris to fly towards the three, Steven's Metagross dives in front to guard the three with Protect. As Metagross continues to fend off Groudon and Kyogre, Mairin brings an unconscious Alain to shelter. Alain wakes up after Mega Rayquaza returns and single-handedly defeats Groudon and Kyogre. A submarine sent by Lysandre surfaces and steals the megalith by blinding Rayquaza with flash missiles. Lysandre deems the mission a success, and Rayquaza retreats. With the skies cleared, Alain approaches Mairin and thanks her.
However, back at the Devon Corporation headquarters, Mairin is told by Steven that Alain returned to Kalos without her. Alain told Steven that Mairin would be in danger if she continued following him. Alain is shown to be back at Lysandre Labs, where Lysandre thanks Alain for his help. While Lysandre tells Alain he's earned a rest, Alain insists on continuing his training with Charizard, recalling how they were defeated by the super-ancient Pokémon of Hoenn. He is last seen with Charizard, battling a nameless Trainer and his Mega Tyranitar under Lysandre's supervision.
In Mega Evolution Special IV, Alain fought ten Trainers with Mega Evolved Pokémon in a row under the condition that he had to return his Mega Stone and Mega Ring to Lysandre had he lost to one of the Trainers. Despite not being able to rest between battles, Alain was able to defeat the first nine Trainers. During the middle of the challenge, he still refused to let Mairin travel with him as she would've been in danger. Unfortunately, this led to Chespie walking in on an experiment which subsequently overloaded, exposing Chespie to near-fatal levels of the energy produced as part of the experiment and causing it to fall into a coma.
Alain fought Malva as the final Trainer. Alain has known about her before as she was part of the Elite Four and Malva has heard about Alain's loss to Siebold. Alain was not convinced that he was going to lose to Malva. Alain pitted his Charizard against Malva's Houndoom and true to his word, Alain was able to defeat Malva. After battling Malva, he went to see Mairin from behind a corner. Upon discovering this and hearing a broken, sobbing Mairin begging Lysandre to assure her that Chespie would wake up, he started to feel that it was his fault and, believing that the Mega Evolution system would restore Chespie's health, set out to complete it in order to bring back the cheerful Mairin he knew. After leaving, a Trainer with a Mega Banette stopped him and they had a battle.
In the main series
Alain made a cameo appearance in Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction. He made his first appearance in the main series during a flashback in Garchomp's Mega Bond!.
Alain made a cameo in From A to Z!, walking past Ash and his friends.
He reappeared in A Meeting of Two Journeys! where he was passing by Ash's battle with Sawyer. He took notice of Ash's Greninja's unique transformation and was intrigued by it. The next day, he saved Ash's Pikachu from Team Rocket and introduced himself to Ash and his friends. He then requested to battle Ash's Greninja, to which Ash agreed. Alain held the upper hand against Ash and Greninja with his Charizard, which he eventually Mega Evolved as he wanted to draw out Greninja's full power. Once Greninja did transform, Alain was surprised to discover it wasn't a Mega Evolution, as his Mega Ring didn't respond. Ash-Greninja managed to battle Charizard on more even grounds, but was still defeated. Afterwards Alain and Ash introduced themselves, just before he thanked Ash for the battle and left.
He appeared again in An Explosive Operation!, where he was sent by Lysandre to help Aliana and Mable in their mission to capture Z2 when they were having a hard time. Alain and Charizard were an even match for Zygarde and distracted it long enough for Team Flare to use their specialized weapons. After they captured Z2, Aliana and Mable recognized him as working for Lysandre.
He appeared again in The Synchronicity Test!, where he had a rematch against Ash. First he battled his Noivern, using his newly revealed Metang. After a close battle, Alain's Metang won after a decisive clash between its Metal Claw and Noivern's Acrobatics. Afterwards Alain agreed for him and Charizard to have a rematch against Ash's Greninja. At first the battle played out very similar to their previous one, but after Charizard Mega Evolved, Greninja started getting few hits in. When Charizard retaliated, Greninja transformed into Ash-Greninja and proved itself Charizard's equal, and Alain was excited to face such a strong opponent, saying that Ash and Greninja were the type of opponents he had been looking for. In the closing stages of the battle, Greninja managed to land a power Cut attack which smashed Charizard into the ground, to Alain's surprise. Before the battle could be finished, however, Ash collapsed from exhaustion, much to Alain's concern. Alain remained with the group until Ash recovered, after which he once more thanked Ash for a good battle. He was then asked by Ash if he was planning on entering the Kalos League, and when he said that he was not, Ash questioned as to why, since there would be plenty of strong opponents to battle against. To this, Alain commented that it would certainly be interesting, and then departed. Later on, Alain had a brief video chat with a Team Flare Grunt and was glad to see that Mairin was doing fine. He would afterwards reminisce on his time working with Sycamore alongside Charizard before reiterating his desire to get stronger and protect those that he cares most for.
He made an appearance in the introduction to Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel, where he was shown battling Korrina's Mega Lucario with his Mega Charizard X. The result of that battle was shown at the end of XY123, where he defeated her and earned himself the Rumble Badge, fulfilling his requirement for entry into the Kalos League. When asked by Korrina if he was going to enter the League, he confirmed, saying that he was planning on entering in order to battle Ash, whom he did not mention by name to her.
Alain reappeared in XY125, where he entered the Lumiose Conference. During the opening ceremony, Alain met Sycamore, who together with Diantha hosted the tournament, but Alain refused to talk with his former mentor. He also met Ash, and explained that he entered the tournament to collect Mega Evolution energy. The next day he battled Trevor, with both trainers using their Mega Charizard. Alain, however, easily won, defeating all three of Trevor's Pokémon without being seriously pressured in battle, and advanced to the second round.
In XY126, it was revealed that Alain had won his second round, third round, and quarterfinal matches, qualifying him for the semi-finals. Following the conclusion of the fourth quarterfinal battle between Sawyer and Tierno, it was revealed he would once again face Remo for a spot in the finals.
Alain appeared again in XY127, where he had a rematch with Remo. Using only his Charizard and his newly evolved Metagross, he was able to easily defeat Remo and qualify for the finals. According to Clemont, Alain had up until this point only used these two Pokémon in the entire tournament. Alain had a cold, serious demeanor throughout the battle, which worried Professor Sycamore. Afterwards, Alain observed the battle between Ash and Sawyer and continued to do so in the following episode, even showing a smile after Ash was named as the victor of the battle.
He reappeared in XY129, where he was seen training for his upcoming battle against Ash with his Charizard, which Malva interrupted. She expressed her congratulations at Alain being able to make it to the finals so easily, adding that winning in the finals should be easy for someone like him. Alain replied by telling her to go away so that he could focus on training for his match. Malva shrugged off his comment, saying that since Alain's goal was to become the strongest, entering and winning the Kalos League was common sense. Alain replied by telling her that being the strongest didn't matter to him for his battle, saying that he just wanted to battle Ash. Malva commented that she thought Ash must be happy that Alain was being so mindful about him, with Alain asking what she was insinuating, adding that he was suspicious about her "true colors." Malva merely commented on how Alain was nearly finished gathering the remaining amount of Mega Evolution energy, asking him what he would do after Chespie had recovered, to which Alain replied that it was none of her business. Later that night, he was seen training with Charizard, expressing on how eager he was to battle Ash and how close they were to meeting the quota for the needed Mega Evolution energy. He was then approached by Professor Sycamore, who despite the awkwardness of their meeting, expressed that there were many things that he had wished to talk about with Alain, but that it was hard for him to remain collected while doing so. Alain questioned if Sycamore was mad at him for not coming back to the lab, which Sycamore denied, saying that he had heard about Alain's work with Lysandre. Alain admitted that he didn't want to expose his former mentor to any possible danger, telling the Professor about his goal to gather the power produced by Mega Evolution, but that there were also many people who would seek to twist that power for evil purposes, with Sycamore asking Alain if he backed away from him for his own safety, to which Alain confirmed. Alain told his former mentor that he couldn't turn back, not while there were even more things that he had lost compared to when he first started his journey, and until he could get those lost things back, he said that he could only continue to become even more powerful. Sycamore, smiling in understanding, told his former assistant to do as he wished. The next day, Alain was seen entering the battlefield for his final battle with Ash.
He will appear again in XY130 and XY131, where he will battle against Ash in the final round of the Lumiose Conference.
Character
Alain is shown to usually be focused on his goals, yet often exhibits aloof behavior and can wander off in thought. He at first seems to push others away from him, but he helped Mairin capture Flabébé with hints on strategy. He does, however, have a close bond with his Charizard, and has become accustomed to Mairin's companionship as shown in Mega Evolution Special II. Alain doggedly pursues his goal of becoming the strongest, often ignoring the concern of others and inadvertently causing distress and further concern among those that care most for him.
Alain has a tendency to push away the people he wants to protect. During his time working at Professor Sycamore's lab, Alain was much more cheerful than he is in the present. While he has distanced himself from Professor Sycamore, it is clear he is still concerned about his safety, something that he fully admitted to his former mentor while at the Kalos League. In Mega Evolution Special III, Alain purposely tried to leave Mairin behind to keep her from his dangerous mission of engaging Primal Groudon and Kyogre. Failing that, he later returned to Kalos alone, leaving her behind.
His character took a darker turn at the end of Mega Evolution Special IV. Blaming himself for Chespie's falling into a comatose state because of his pushing Mairin away, he became disgusted with himself and began obsessively pursuing the completion of Lysandre's Mega Evolution energy system. His goal thus became to gain strength and complete the system in order to heal Chespie and help Mairin smile again. To meet this end, he worked with Mable and Aliana in their mission to capture Z2, succeeding in distracting Z2 long enough for the Team Flare Scientists to weaken it.
Alain is a good sport, and is shown to take his losses well. When he wins battles, he likewise congratulates his opponents on putting up a good fight, which is how he befriends Ash. When he loses, he doesn't let it bother him, instead devoting himself to train even harder. He greatly enjoys a challenge, becoming visibly excited when he and Charizard were pushed into a corner in their second battle with Ash-Greninja. This excitement and desire to once again battle against Ash in a competitive fashion similar to their previous battles would drive him to quickly attain enough badges to compete in the Lumious Conference, something that he admitted to Korrina following his victory over her at the Shalour Gym.
By the time of the Kalos League, however, Alain's attitude had become more serious and cold, as the only thing he really cared about was proving that he was the strongest trainer. Although showing brief glimpses of amusement in his battle with Trevor, after thoroughly defeating him, he would resume with his cold and serious demeanor. Likewise, when Remo failed to give him a real challenge, Alain just expressed indifference to the battle and, as in his battle with Trevor, left the arena without congratulating or praising his opponents as he would have in the past, further enforcing how obsessed he had become with gaining strength and battling fiercely competitive battles. However, despite this darker persona, Alain still showed signs of his old self when talking with Charizard about he was genuinely looking forward to his battle with Ash in the finals.
Pokémon
| の | This article is missing information on this character's English voice actor and Japanese voice actor. You can help by adding this information. |
This listing is of Alain's known Pokémon in the anime:
On hand
| Debut | Mega Evolution Special I |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Kensuke Satō |
| English | Kensuke Satō |
- Main article: Alain's Charizard
Charizard is Alain's main Pokémon, which he has owned since it was a Charmander, when Alain was still one of Professor Sycamore's assistants. Thanks to Alain's Mega Ring and its Charizardite X, it can Mega Evolve into Mega Charizard X.
| Debut | The Synchronicity Test! |
|---|
Metagross first appeared as a Metang in The Synchronicity Test!, where Alain used it in a battle against Ash. It went up against Ash's Noivern, and following a close battle, emerged victorious.
Metagross was used in Alain's battle against Remo in the semi-finals of the Lumiose Conference, but it was defeated by one of Remo's Pokémon.
Metagross's known moves are Metal Claw, Psyshock, Meteor Mash, and Rock Slide.
| Debut | XY130 |
|---|
Tyranitar's known moves are Dark Pulse, Stone Edge, and Crunch and its Ability is Sand Stream.
{{TrainerPoké |trainer=Alain |pkmn=Bisharp |type1=Dark |type2=Steel |img= |epnum=XY130 |epname= |java= |enva= |desc=
Bisharp's known moves are [[Metal Sound} and Guillotine. (move)|Metal Sound} and Guillotine.]]
Found
| Debut | Garchomp's Mega Bond! |
|---|
In Garchomp's Mega Bond!, it was revealed that Alain found Professor Sycamore's Garchomp as a Gible injured in the streets of Lumiose City. Alain brought her to the laboratory to receive treatment.
Achievements
Badges obtained
This listing is of the Badges Alain has obtained:
- Seven unknown Badges (prior to XY123)
- Rumble Badge (XY123)
Artwork
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| Alternative artwork from the XY Series |
Voice actors
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Trivia
- If the player has Steven's Shiny Beldum, Steven Stone makes a nod to Alain and Mega Evolution Special II during the Delta Episode in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, mentioning an occasion, a long time ago, when he had the chance to meet and battle Rayquaza alongside a young Trainer who used a black Charizard.
- Alain is the first non-Champion Trainer to defeat an Elite Four member in the anime, defeating Malva during a 1-on-1 match.
- He is also the first rival in the anime to be associated with a villainous organization.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | アラン Alain | From Alain, French form of Alan. Possibly from 藍 ran (indigo) or 嵐 ran (storm). |
| English, French, German | Alain | Same as his Japanese name |
| Italian | Alan | From his Japanese name |
| Korean | 알랭 Alain | From his Japanese name |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 艾嵐 Àilán | Transliteration of his Japanese name |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 艾嵐 Aaihlàahm | Transliteration of his Japanese name |
| Thai | อลัน Alain | Same as his Japanese name |
Related articles
 Team Flare
| ||||
| Lysandre Labs • Team Flare Secret HQ | ||||
| Boss | Notable members | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lysandre (Masters) | Malva (Masters) | Chalmers | ||
| Scientists | ||||
| Aliana | Bryony | Celosia | Mable | Xerosic |
| Other members | ||||
| Team Flare Grunts • Team Flare Admins Alain (Pokémon the Series) • Essentia (Adventures) • Lumiose Press editor-in-chief (Adventures) | ||||
| Trainers in League Conferences | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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This movie article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
