>>56440810I suppose I'll round out this trilogy of posts by mentioning Alola's overarching theme of identity.
Beyond the driving question of "what is Nebby," we also see almost every major character and most Pokemon also reflect this motif. Kukui wants to redefine the coming-of-age Trials to better conform to the standards of the outside world after getting buck-broken on a trip to Kanto, Guzma and Team Skull create their own culture (with Guzma becoming First Citizen after being second place all his life) after being ostracized by the rest of society, Lillie tries to invent herself after leaving her mother's control, Gladion tries to reinvent himself and unwittingly ends up back in his mother's control, Hapu tries to be more like her grandfather while Hau struggles to be his grandfather's successor. The Tapus are simultaneously adored and feared by Alola; they defined what Alola is and are now obsolete after turning their backs on the world. The Ultra Beasts are defined by the question of whether or not they're really Pokemon and deserve the same protection. Necrozma lost its identity to insanity, going from Lightbringer to Light-Devourer. The Alolan forms are a case study in becoming isolated from your roots and changing for the better (A-Grimer saving the ecosystem while its progenitor species is marked for death and rapidly approaching extinction) and for the worse (A-Rattata becoming even more of a nuisance, A-Meowth is no longer worthy of the adoration of its ancestors).
This extends to the normal roster too: Lurantis is the faux mantis that is a plant pretending to be a bug pretending to be a plant, Oranguru is the Pokemon Trainer Pokemon, Dhelmise is a Grass/Ghost-Type and also a Steel-Type, Mimikyu and Minior hiding what they are inside, Oricorio has no identity at all outside of being shaped by flower nectar. I could go on and on (and have).
It's all the more reason to include H-Zorua, its ability to bend light to change its identity is a perfect match.
