PokéTour: Lumiose City
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Introduction
A long time has certainly gone by since the last installment of PokéTour. As you may know, our quest is to travel the Pokémon world in search of great cities to explore, then sit down and write about them! Last time, the trusty crew paid a visit to Kanto's Fuschia City and encountered some timely trouble along the way. Many months later, most of the familiar tourists have now bid their farewells; as a result, we have an almost completely new roster this time. At long last, we hit up Lumiose City, the large and exciting metropolis located in the heart of the Kalos region. Veteran tourist Superpowerdude returns with his research on the competitive scene, Valmanway discusses the city's local species, horyzhnz offers the scoop on tourist attractions, Lord Alphose admires the architecture, and I, princessofmusic, analyze the music to bits. Let's go!
Valmanway on Local Species
When I first arrived in Lumiose City, I was expecting very little wildlife in such a modern-day location, bar a few Fletchling here and there. However, there was a bit more to it than that. As I walked through the gates that led to Route 4, I quickly noticed the Skiddo lying around. I asked around town about them, and one of the locals said that they give people rides around town. After hearing that, I was curious as to how they trained the Skiddo to let people on them, and the local said that he and other Skiddo riders only trained them to return to where they wait when they're done carrying people; apparently, the Skiddo just love giving people rides. Unfortunately, the Skiddo were fast asleep after their long day of work by the time I wanted to ride them. I walked back to my hotel that night in disappointment, but the Skiddo made the cutest snoring noises in their sleep while I was there, so I wasn't that disappointed. But the next morning, they were quite lively, and I, of course, jumped at the chance to ride them. For Pokémon that are only a little shy of 3 feet tall, the Skiddo can really move while carrying a full-grown man, and when I say move, I mean MOVE! I only rode them once, since it takes a bit of energy to hang onto a speeding Skiddo, but it was quite enjoyable.
On my way to one of the cafés, I noticed some people with their Furfrou walking around, but I was surprised to see the Furfrou with various looks on them; there was this one couple with a Heart Trim and Star Trim Furfrou, and I just couldn't resist asking them about their Furfrou's looks. The couple said that styling your Furfrou was quite a popular trend in Lumiose City, and it was quite easy to believe, since, as they were talking, I noticed a woman walking down the street with her Debutante Trim Furfrou, which had caught me by surprise. The couple told me that I could go to a place called "Friseur Furfrou" in Vernal Avenue to change my Furfrou's style, and since I had caught a Furfrou recently, it was almost an obligation for me to go there during my stay in Lumiose City. But when I went there, I noticed that there were very few options to choose from in terms of Furfrou designs. I asked them why there were so few options, and they said that I needed more style to have access to more design choices. So, of course, I asked how to get more style, and she said that a good start would be to get my Furfrou styled there, so I went with a simple Star Trim. Normally, I'd be rather bummed, as I was looking forward to giving my Furfrou the Pharaoh Trim, but my Furfrou was quite ecstatic about getting any trim at all, and that made me happy, too, so I think the trip was worth it in the end.
While in town, I noticed a lone Litleo roaming the streets as if it were lost. When I approached it, it didn't try to run away or battle me, so I could tell that it wasn't a wild Pokémon, and when I got up close, I noticed that it had a license tag on its collar. I knew that Litleo wasn't a local Pokémon around Lumiose City, but I was still surprised to see that it came all the way from Santalune City! Since I couldn't just leave it there to wander around aimlessly, I decided to take it upon myself to bring it back to Santalune City so I could find its owner. As I walked down Route 4 with the lost Litleo, we noticed some Flabébé playing with some Combee. I couldn't help but approach one of the gardeners nearby about them, and he said that the Combee and Flabébé have some sort of symbiosis going on with each other; the Combee take a little nectar from the Flabébé's flowers so that they can make honey, and the Flabébé get to keep some of the honey made by the Combee. Soon after, we noticed a little girl walking our way, and Litleo darted right towards her, almost as if he was using Flame Charge. I realized almost instantly that she was Litleo's owner, and she had apparently been looking for it since last night. She thanked me and ran off with her Litleo, but this time she brought a leash to go with Litleo's collar, a wise decision, indeed.
All in all, there were quite a few entertaining things in Lumiose City, and I really do look forward to going there again next year.
horyzhnz on Tourist Attractions
It's so bright out. There are various scents stimulating my sense of smell, and the tantalizing fragrance of freshly cooked dough is filling my chest. The wind ruffles my hair and blows around my body, carrying with it the excited chatter of locals and tourists alike. The sun's rays shine down on my skin, and I can feel it warming my cheeks. I didn't know Lumiose City was such an amazing place.
Upon closer inspection of the city map, I found that Lumiose City was separated into different plazas and boulevards, each with their own unique attractions to tickle the fancy of any visitors. Looking up and shielding my eyes from the intense sunlight, I was able to see that the great Prism Tower was clearly the city's main attraction, reaching skywards towards the heavens. Inside it, a neon funhouse awaited me; a stark contrast to the building's majestic white exterior. Despite doubling as the city's official gym, the Prism Tower seems somewhat lacking in visitors, and there wasn't much else to do, so after I assisted a few tourists outside trying to pose with the tower, I moved on to the second stop.
The galette stand was smack bang in the middle of North Boulevard, so I had to elbow my way through a crowd of rollerbladers, camera-touting tourists, wealthy-looking socialites, and even a few Pokémon to get my hands on this renowned delicacy. It's a dirty job, but hey, all in the name of journalism, right? I settled down into the nearby Café Triste, ordered a flat white, and took a bite into the pastry. I still cannot accurately describe the sensation that followed to this day. As my teeth sunk in, a sweet and fruity taste that would rouse even the sickest human back to health danced a can-can over my tastebuds, and I was only snapped back to reality by the sound of my saliva dripping onto the table. No wonder people line up for hours just to pick up this Champion-endorsed galette!
After finishing my meal and walking along the boulevard, I came across my final destination: the Lumiose Museum. As I lined up for an audio guide, I noticed that some visitors were granted free entry, while others had to fork out some cash. When I questioned why I was in the latter group, I was told that audio guides are provided for free to stylish customers. And I thought my scarf looked rather dashing on me. Whatever, I still like it. Obvious favoritism aside, the museum was a pleasant change of scenery from the plazas. Its minimalist black and white interior was dotted with several colorful portraits, and the crowds of people admiring the many works of art only added to the atmosphere. I got into a rather detailed discussion with an elderly painter while walking around; time flew as we sauntered around and looked at the masterpieces on display. From grand scenic views of a town from above to a playful fossil-excavating excursion to an intense subway battle, there's bound to be a painting here that you will call your favorite.
All in all, Lumiose City makes up for what it lacks in terms of tourist attractions with both a great atmosphere and environment, things that are well worth making the trip just to experience. To borrow a word from my region, it was a bloody brilliant trip.
Superpowerdude on Competitive Scene
As I entered Lumiose City, thoughts of battling the Gym Leader and finding awesome items immediately rushed through my mind. The sight of the Prism Tower looking down on the rest of the city acted as a reminder of the tough challenge awaiting me. Although excited, I was also somewhat nervous to challenge this gym; I had heard from traveling backpackers that the Gym Leader was a fellow named Clemont, who specializes in the use of Electric-type Pokémon, which could easily place my Frogadier in harm.
Because of this, I knew I had to prepare myself properly. Firstly, I went to the Pokémon Centre on South Boulevard to heal my party. As I was waiting for the nurse to return my Pokémon, the clerk on the right side of the Poké Mart caught my eye. There were five differently colored discs behind him. I found these discs quite odd, and as I got closer, I realized that they were... TMs! These could have been just the things I needed to beat Clemont! The TMs they had on offer were Struggle Bug, Bulldoze, Swords Dance, Rain Dance, and Sunny Day. I was contemplating buying some; however, when I asked the clerk how much they were, he said the prices ranged from 10,000 to 50,000 Pokédollars, and I couldn't believe it! I thought this was a bit of a rip-off, so I stormed out of the Pokémon Centre. As I was storming out, I accidentally bumped into an elderly man, and, as a result, made him drop the handful of plants he was carrying in his hands.
Embarrassed, I helped him pick up the plants and apologized. The strong scent coming from the plants had me curious as to why the man was carrying so many, so I asked him what they were. "Revival Herbs!" the man said, "Their medicinal qualities allow them to revive fainted Pokémon!" This only made me more curious, as an item like this could be just what I needed to get myself that Voltage Badge! "Where can I find these Revival Herbs?" I asked the man eagerly. "Vernal Avenue! Here, come with me!" the man replied.
So the elderly trainer and I made our way to a specialty shop called the "Herboriste." It had a range of plant-based medicines with healing effects for Pokémon, including powders that healed status conditions or recovered HP. Along Vernal Avenue, I also came across a shop called the "Stone Emporium", within which there were numerous beautiful, mysterious stones up for sale. According to the clerk, different stones allowed certain Pokémon to evolve, and some were even linked to Mega Evolution!
Having done my procrastination around the city, I had to do the inevitable and face Clemont so that I could continue my quest of collecting all the Gym Badges. His Heliolisk was tough to take down, but by using the Revival Herbs I had saved up, I was able to finish him off. I received the prestigious Voltage Badge and TM24 Thunderbolt for my troubles.
After this hard challenge, I thought I might take it easy and relax at Restaurant Le Wow while enjoying a meal, but little did I know that the servers would challenge me to a Pokémon battle after each course!
princessofmusic on Music
As I enter the gates to the city, I hear a sparkling harp glissando, brief but sweet. The Lumiose City theme is set in the bright key of E-flat major, which reflects this uplifting, modern location well. Soaring, lofty strings present the song's melody while a double bass playing broken chords provides accompaniment and fills out the low end, with warm brass assigned to the mid-range. The percussion is light and syncopated, lending the track a hint of a bounce. I shift my attention to the harmony and note that the song begins on the tonic chord and adds the dominant 7th in the third measure, which provides a sense of tension and leads pleasingly to the subdominant chord that follows.
In the eighth measure, the trombone takes over as the foremost instrument in the arrangement, carrying the imminent IV - V - iii - vi progression. Cymbal crashes and a string crescendo surround the subsequent half cadence, which introduces a bVI - bVII - I sequence, accentuated by long, sweeping notes with rising strings. This harmonic pattern resides outside of the main key and has a distinct, epic feel: my favorite moment in this tune so far.
The string melody returns full force in the second half at measure 18, joined by woodwind accents, the charming clinks of a glockenspiel, and the faint yet glorious sound of tubular bells, alongside marching drums. This third theme begins with the tonic and the dominant chord, then segues to an unexpected, tense C#dim7 chord at measure 22, which lends flavor. Spacious orchestration and scattered moments of harmonic interest are trademarks of this in-game track, in spite of its overall simplicity. I feel pleasantly surprised, and through these elements, the music of Lumiose City is a perfect aural representation of its surroundings: elegant, grandiose, and triumphant.
For such a grand city, it's a pity that the background music is actually under a minute long. As a consequence, it seems that each time I decide to hatch eggs in Centrico Plaza, I'll end up hearing the same thing over and over again. I think Game Freak could've pitched some better ideas, but oh well!
Lord Alphose on Architecture
I've never seen such incredible architecture. Not only is every building designed well, but the city itself is also one large, intricate pattern.
At the center of it all was a beautiful monument, towering over the rest of the buildings in the city. From there, the city spread outward like a spider's web. The tower itself, clearly the grand masterpiece of the city, was nothing short of breathtaking. I sat beside it for several minutes, in awe of its incredible stature. The building's design was strong, yet intricate. Four grand archways marked out the compass-points at the base of the building. The infrastructure was clearly an iron lattice that criss-crossed its way to a fine tip that topped the building. Lining the exoskeleton of the building were gleaming windows, shining in the midday sun. A man on the south side of the building informed me that it was called Prism Tower. Quite a fitting name for a building with such a fractal design, and the crystalline structure caught the light at every single angle. Curious about what such an incredible building could hold, I entered to find something very different than I had expected. It was a bloody Gym! I guess functionality doesn't follow form in this case, because I did not expect such a lovely building to be the home for intense battles.
The buildings immediately surrounding the Prism Tower appeared to be of older origin. I discovered that these buildings had been constructed quite some time before the outer areas. The old brick streets were lined with buildings that appeared to be some sort of French villa, which is surprising for such a modern and well-populated city. The outer walls of these houses were freckled with windows, allowing for the houses to be flooded with natural light. Many of the windows featured terraces and delicate-looking flowers. Throughout this neighborhood were plazas. I sat in Magenta Plaza for a while, taking in the scenery and catching my breath before moving on. From there I went to Café Rouleau for a quick cup of tea, but ended up having a nice conversation about crème, and I was off again, this time to the outer ring of the city.
The outskirts of the city, a much more urbanized area, were constructed much more recently, likely less than 50 years ago. Taller, more modern buildings, the result of an industrial age, line the concrete streets. I hopped on a Gogoat to roam the city and see some more sights. I rode around on a taxi, though that drained my wallet a little bit faster than I would have liked it to. I even tried some of the famous Lumiose Galettes—my friend had suggested them to me. But my favorite activity was walking around in circles on North and South Boulevard, seeing the stark difference in style between the inner and outer buildings.
The buildings of Lumiose City tell a story of their own: they speak of grand tradition meeting the art of a new generation. I'm glad I was able to witness the result.
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