What Could The Future Of Pokemon Have To Do With Flowers?

The Pokemon Company has a secret, and it could be a very important one, at least as far as the future of the series is concerned.

According to VG247, The Pokemon Company International's director of consumer marketing made a very mysterious statement: that the next installment of Pokemon could have something to do with flowers.

Nintendo World Report spoke with J.C. Smith himself during the 2015 Pokemon World Championships, and he gave a surprising one-word answer that definitely got us to thinking: "Flowers." That's not what I'd normally associate with the monster-collecting phenomenon that's had me firmly within its grasp over the last ten years, but it's intriguing. 

That doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you sit and think about it logically, because obviously there are tons of flower-based Pokemon and flower-based attacks. Obviously thre are connections, but how would there be a new evolution in the series or even next steps to look forward to? What direction does that speak to? 

Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind are new games, a la Pokemon Lily and Rose, or something to that effect. Flower-related titles make a lot of sense, but why change from precious metals and stones and elements to flowers, all of a sudden? Will there be a new flower-based Legendary Pokemon for us all to catch? 

Personally, I'm hoping to see a wealth of enhancements for any new Pokemon title, including changes to the core adventure and augments that we've been waiting to see for some time. Both X and Y were interesting for sure, especially since they contained entirely new features, but I think fans have been waiting some time for a complete Pokemon revamp, and one that escapes the trappings of handhelds. 

A new Wii U release or even something that makes the leap to whatever Nintendo's newest console is would be great -- imagine open-world Pokemon with 3D environments and models a la Pokemon Stadium, optimized for an HD console with online battles and multiplayer. Cooperative play, even. It sounds like a pipe dream, and it'll likely never happen in our lifetime as long as Pokemon is still in vogue, but it's definitely something fans would put down a pretty penny for. 

Pokemon has made some interesting strides in the handheld world lately, with Pokemon Shuffle and Pokemon Rumble World both awesome downloadable 3DS titles that have attracted audiences outside of the traditional Pokemon model. 

Going back to the flower topic, however, maybe it's a metaphor. Perhaps Pokemon as we know it will blossom into something completely new and different. Either way, I know I'll be along for the ride.