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pokémon
This is a section dedicated to the various Pokémon that Professor Sycamore cares for! Pokémon are a big part of the professor's life, he's a Pokémon researcher after all! He entrusts the three gen 6 starters, Chespin, Froakie and Fennekin, to Trevor and Tierno. Trevor and Tierno bring them to the player character. Usually, it's depicted that Serena gets Fenekin, Calem gets Froakie, and Shauna gets Chespin. But it's up to the player character in the game!
The starter Kalos Pokémon are so cool! Prof.Sycamore is often depicted with these starters across various media and merchandise, because he's the Kalos professor. The starters and the professor go hand in hand! For example, here's TCG art of him, where he's shown with Chespin! I think this is a really good art. I think Chespin is a good match with Professor Sycamore's personality.
The Kalos starters aren't just the only starter Pokémon that the professor entrusts the player character and their friends, though. He also entrusts the gen 1 starters, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle! It makes a lot of sense as to why he'd have these in addition to the Kalos starters. The Kalos starters don't mega evolve, but the Kanto starters do. To help the professor learn more about mega evolution, it would be necessary for the player character to have a Pokémon capable of doing it.
Professor Sycamore only entrusts one of these starters to the player character after they do battle. He battles with all three Kanto starters in a mandatory battle that takes place in his office. They're all level 10 and male. They can even do their abilities like ember or water gun! But like he says, he's not so tough. By this point in the game, the player character already has a gym badge, so it's an easy win for sure. Defeating Professor Sycamore earns you 1,400Pokédollars...
"Also, I want to ask for your help in solving the Kalos region's biggest Pokémon mystery: the secret and potential of Mega Evolution, a new kind of Evolution that occurs in battle! That's why I gave you that Mega Stone just now. It's an important clue!"
... a Kanto starter, and a corresponding mega-stone. How generous! At the time of release, this was so cool. Getting two starters was so crazy back then, and people would make old memes about Sycamore giving two starters. It really was groundbreaking for the time, though it doesn't seem as important today. I think XY was really ambitious for what they wanted to do, all things considered. Speaking of XY - remember how I mentioned him giving you a mega stone? Charizard has two different mega forms, one for X, one for Y. So which stone he gives you will depend on your version you chose!
Charizardite X, from Pokémon X 
Charizardite Y, from Pokémon YMega Evolution, as mentioned before, is the ultimate show of a trainer's bond with their Pokémon. They need three things: a keystone, a mega stone, and a powerful bond. Professor Sycamore must have high hopes for the player character, as other characters will mention. The interaction between stones, Pokémon, and mega energy - what could it all mean? Where did it come from, and why? We don't have the answers for many of those questions in XY itself. According to the teachings at the Tower of Mastery, the first mega evolved Pokémon was a Lucario, who evolved due to a bond they shared with the trainer. Hence, the giant statue of Lucario in the tower.
After the events that take place in Geosenge Town, Professor Sycamore wants the player character to battle him a second time. He sends out the three Kanto starters, now evolved. Remember that Professor Sycamore doesn't have what it takes to mega evolve his Pokémon, and by this point in time, the player has been mega evolving for some time! All of his Pokémon are level 50, male, and hold no items. Again, it's an easy fight, and he rewards the player with 7000Pokédollars this time! Not bad. More important than the battle, Professor Sycamore is really happy to see how much the player character loves and trusts their Pokémon. He brings up that he'll be busy... about a secret surprise!? What could it be?
It should be said that all because Professor Sycamore is shown battling with Pokémon, it doesn't mean that's the only thing he does. Of course, at every PC in the game, you can contact the professor and have him judge your Pokédex! He's so excitable about this, and very encouraging. Kalos' Pokédex is split into parts: there's coastal, central, and mountain, which is upgraded for the player character by Sycamore's assistants(Dexio and Sina) over the course of the game. Once on Route 8 for coastal, again in Coumarine City for mountain, and finally in Lumiose for the National Dex. In total, there's 721 Pokémon in the Kalos National Dex. Upon completing the entire National Dex, Professor Sycamore is nearly in tears:
It really is important to him. The player character and their accomplishments really do matter! And he really takes that to heart.. and rewards the player wih a shiny charm! Yay! Now they can
In addition to giving the player two starters, Pokédex, mega stone, shiny charm, and an oval charm, he also gives the player character HM Fly!
" Oh, that's right! I came here to give you this! Use the HM Fly to pop right over to Pokémon Centers of places you've already visited! Well then, ..."
It's very convenient to get Fly. Professor Sycamore having this implies, to me, that he uses it. It might be how he gets around Kalos with such ease! What Pokémon do you think he flies with? Charizard, maybe? It's never revealed. But it's fun to speculate!
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