

Had Lillie kept Nebby, however, this entire scene had the possibility to play out differently. If they just let Cosmoem evolve normally, they’ll end up with two of the same legendary. Cosmoem will always evolve into Solgaleo in Sun and Lunala in Moon, meaning players still have to trade Pokémon if they want the opposite game’s box art legendary. Getting Cosmog isn’t a particularly big deal when players already have Nebby, and mostly serves to help players complete their Pokédex by getting Cosmog and evolving it into Cosmoem. Related: How Many Pokémon Games Are In Each GenerationĪs it stands, the Lake of Moone and Sunne are mostly empty locations that only host the TM for Psyshock and the Cosmog Pokémon that players can get. It’s here that players can find a Cosmog to take with them after bringing Nebby through the Ultra Wormhole that appears in the Altar. Both games also feature a mysterious lake area, either the Lake of the Moone in Pokémon Sun or the Lake of the Sunne in Pokémon Moon. In Pokémon Sun, the Altar of the Sunne is where the player and Lillie use the Sun and Moon Flutes to awaken Solgaleo, while in Pokémon Moon, the altar is instead called the Altar of the Moone and is the place where they can awaken Lunala. Still, there was potential for Sun and Moon to have a somewhat more unique post-game experience if Lillie had kept Nebby. Lillie is, after all, meant to be the opposite of her brother Gladion in the story of Pokémon Sun and Moon. Nebby would act as a metaphorical reminder that even though Lillie has become more independent, she isn’t - and never has to be - entirely alone to maintain that independence. With Nebby as the “link” between the player character and Lillie, Nebby going to Kanto with Lillie would feel like the player is going to Kanto with Lillie in spirit. Nebby’s assistance against Lusamine could also serve as a connection to the player. With Nebby by her side, Lillie could travel to the classic Pokémon Kanto region without the player character but still not entirely by herself. Although it’s a sensible ending to a character arc centered around independence, it still feels like a large leap that could have been smoothed over if she still had Nebby to accompany her to Kanto. But this occurs at the very end of the games, and is a drastic departure from her previous actions that required she still rely on the player character to some extent. Lillie’s most notable act of independence in Sun and Moon comes from her decision that she will travel to Kanto by herself to try and research a way to wake Lusamine from her coma. Nebby’s silly behavior resulting in Lillie demanding they return to her bag has become a well-known meme for Pokémon fans. In Sun and Moon, players receive the legendary Pokémon in a unique way: the Solgaleo or Lunala players capture is actually Nebby, the Cosmog who spends almost the entire game with Lillie until evolving into Cosmoem and later the box art legendary. Starting with Pokémon Gold and Silver, most Pokémon games that aren’t remakes feature a legendary Pokémon on their covers, and players get the chance to capture them at some point in the story.

Both games are set in the Alola region and feature a similar cast of characters, including the player character’s friend Lillie and her Cosmog, whom she calls Nebby. Pokémon Sun and Moon was initially released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2016, and was followed up by Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon in 2017 on the same system.

In Pokémon Sun and Moon, the legendary Pokémon players can capture, Nebby the Solgaleo or Lunala, should have stayed with Lillie.
