Pokemon: Saddest Moments Hidden in The Games' Side Quests So Far

gamerant.com:

Pokemon games are often designed in a way that makes them more appealing to younger audiences, which means fans of all ages can enjoy these titles equally. Pokemon games are also generally upbeat in tone, as players control a character who stops evildoers of all sorts and does something good for whatever region the game is set in. For example, they might commune with nature and reestablish the natural order of things. Because of this, it may be hard to imagine these stories having references to sadder, moving events as told by NPCs.

Still, many mainline Pokemon games feature sad moments that are worth exploring more deeply. An example of this is the dialogue with an NPC who gives Pokemon Sun and Moon players the TM for Fling. The woman says she lost her husband in an accident, with the latter throwing his Poke Balls before the crash to prevent his partners from being hurt — hence why she gives players Fling, in his memory. There are more occasions similar to this across the games, accounting for some of the saddest moments in the Pokemon universe.

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Another tragic Pokemon story comes in Pokemon X and Y, where players can find an old man living in Anistar City. When first approaching the character, the man will tell players about how he would like to borrow one of their Pokemon so the creature can keep him company during his last days. This story is sad on its own, but it gets even more emotional when players go back to the house after beating the game. The man is not there anymore, and instead players find a Poke Ball with the monster they gave this NPC earlier, alongside a letter. In the letter, the man thanks players and their Pokemon