Zinnia

Zinnia
Species	Human
Affiliation	Draconoid people
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Brown
Relatives	Grandmother
Debut	Pokémon: Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire

Zinnia is a Pokémon trainer who appears as a central character of the Delta Episode of Pokémon: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Background

Zinnia was descended from a tribe of Dragon-type users known as the Draconoid time. Her people passed down lore regarding Rayquaza and the Mega Evolution phenomenon for thousands of years. This also included lore regarding the existence of an alternate world, in which Mega Evolution was unknown. Zinnia's upbringing was implied to have been filled with hardship, and she took up the habit of looking up to the night sky to calm herself. She was close to someone named Aster, who she loved dearly, but Aster passed away. Ultimately, Zinnia stood as the last Lorekeeper of the Draconoid people, and a great responsibility came with it.

Despite the sorrow that she carried, she often acted in an manner that was irreverent and upbeat.

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire

The Draconoid people were able to use the cyclical nature of history to predict the future, and they foresaw a giant meteoroid that would crash into Hoenn and devastate it. It was decided that the only viable plan would be to summon Rayquaza, so that it could use the power of its Mega Evolution to destroy the meteoroid.

Zinnia initially felt that the best way to summon Rayquaza would be by awakening one of the super-ancient Pokémon (Groudon and Kyogre), as Rayquaza had descended to break up their battles in the past. To that end, Zinnia infiltrated the ranks of one of Hoenn's villainous teams as a grunt and supplied them with information on how to awaken one of those Pokémon. In Omega Ruby, she helped Team Magma to summon Groudon; in Alpha Sapphire, she helped Team Aqua to summon Kyogre.

She was first seen at Petalburg Woods, where she was part of a recon team and reported when one of the other grunts was defeated by Brendan/May. It was then that Zinnia started to see promise in the trainer. Zinnia was also seen at Mt. Chimney, where she held off the leader of the opposing villainous team (Archie in Omega Ruby or Maxie in Alpha Sapphire) for her current leader. The team was ultimately able to succeed in reviving the super-ancient Pokémon in primal form, but Brendan/May was able to defeat the Pokémon and suppress the threat before Rayquaza could intervene.

Because of this, Zinnia had to change her plans. During the game's ending, she discarded her grunt uniform and decided to set her new plan into action.

Delta Episode

During the events of the Delta Episode, Zinnia pursued her plan to summon Rayquaza herself. She traveled around Hoenn and stole Key Stones from several people. In the process, she formally met Brendan/May, who had become Hoenn's new champion. Zinnia had come to genuinely admire them and helped them in their own journey. When they met at the Granite Cave, she let them have a Meteorite Shard after they defeated her in a battle. However, she then went to the Mossdeep Space Center and saw that Steven Stone and Professor Cozmo were engineering their own plan to combat the meteoroid. This would involve using Infinity Energy, which drained the lives of Pokémon, and it was for the sake of creating a warp hole that the meteoroid could pass through.

Zinnia objected to repeating the sins of the past by utilizing Infinity Energy, which was based on something that was used for an ultimate weapon on a war thousands of years ago. She was also concerned about the possibility that the meteoroid would end up being sent to another civilization - such as the other version of Hoenn, which did not have Mega Evolution or the technology to do something about the meteoroid. She refused to speak to Steven Stone about the matter and only addressed Brendan/May, although she only told them parts of her story and her plan at a time. Zinnia also destroyed the dimensional shifter during her second appearance at the space center, ruining their plan to stop the meteoroid.

After she had gained all of the Key Stones that she needed, she traveled to the Spear Pillar to summon Rayquaza and practically invited Brendan/May to meet her there. Once they arrived at the Spear Pillar, Zinnia told them about the history of Rayquaza and the draconoid people in pieces as they ascended the tower. Once at the top, she talked a bit about her past and also knocked Brendan/May out. Once they awakened the next morning, Zinnia set her plan into motion. She used a chant to summon Rayquaza and asked it to Mega Evolve, but it turned out that the Pokémon did not have enough power to do so. All seemed lost, until Zinnia realized that Rayquaza was reacting to a meteorite that Brendan/May was carrying, which was like a Mega Stone. It contained the power that Rayquaza needed, and it became clear that Brendan/May was the one chosen by Rayquaza instead of her. So Zinnia stepped aside and cheered Brendan/May on as they battled Rayquaza and successfully caught it. She would even provide Poké Balls if the player ran out of them.

Once Brendan/May caught Rayquaza, Zinnia acknowledged that the trainer would now be the successor to the Draconoid people's long history. She proceeded to teach Rayquaza the move Dragon Ascent, which was apparently the key to its true power. She then declared her last task as the last Lorekeeper of the Draconoid people: to test if Brendan/May could master Rayquaza's power in battle. So they battled once more, and Brendan/May was able to prove their self by defeating her. With that, she urged Brendan/May and Rayquaza to go on and protect nature, Pokémon and the people. They were successful in destroying the meteor. Zinnia did not meet u with Brendan/May again. Instead, she left them a letter saying that she was going off to find out if she could "forge a new beginning from something once lost".

Zinnia was last seen in a scene at Meteor Falls, where she met with an elder who seemed to be her grandmother. She helped Zinnia to accept that it was time for her to set aside her burden and rest, and that she could pursue a new life now.

Pokémon Roster

Zinnia is always accompanied by a Whismur that she has named Aster, seemingly after her departed loved one. The Whismur is at her side at all times, as opposed to being kept in a Poké Ball, and is never used in battle. She is also known to be affectionate to the Pokémon and refers to it as her daughter.

During battles, she uses the following Pokémon:

• Tyrantrum
• Altaria
• Salamence (Mega Salamence)
• Goodra
• Noivern

For the first battle at Granite Cave, she only uses the first three Pokémon.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In Pokémon Adventures, she was featured in the Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire arc.

Trivia

• Zinnia is named after a flower which is used to symbolize the "remembrance of a dear friend". Notably, her and Aster's name start with the contrasting letters of A and Z, possibly in reference to AZ (who is referred to in the backstory of the Draconoid clan) as well as the game's titles referencing the 'alpha' and 'omega', the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
• Her Japanese name is Higana, in reference to the Japanese name for the red spider lily and can also refer to the Japanese word for nirvana. The red spider lily can represent "sorrowful memories" in the language of flowers, the "flower of the dead" in Japanese culture and the "flower of heavens" in Buddhist scriptures.
• According to an interview with Shigeru Ohmori, the original Aster was someone with special powers who held the title of Lorekeeper prior to Zinnia.
• After being beaten at the Granite Cave, Zinnia asks the trainer if they are fighting for ideals or truths. This seems to be referencing the themes of Pokémon Black and White.