There are these weird statues outside the Relic Castle, but when you give them a RageCandyBar they attack you, these statues are actually the pokemon Darmanitan in its Zen Mode.
And this is its "normal" mode:
This pokemon is really interesting. It's based on these Japanese Daruma dolls which originate from Zen Buddhism. These dolls are sometimes seen in other video games and in Japanese movies, anime, etc. These things are also used as a good luck charm.
Inside the ruins, there's a bunch of quicksand pits that take you down to lower levels... once you go down deep enough you'll find this creepy coffin pokemon.
Pokedex: Cofagrigus. It has been said that they swallow those who get too close and turn them into mummies.
... It's too bad these Pokedex descriptions never have any real meaning in the games. Imagine if pokemon in the games actually did what their Pokedex descriptions said... you'd be in constant danger of being turned into a mummy, getting knocked out by poisonous gas, and tons of other hazards caused by wild pokemon... That would be amazing.
Cheren follows me down the sand pits and we end up at some big castle entrance... Alder and Ghetsis are already there...
Ghetsis: It looks like everyone is here. It seems you are working hard to resurrect Reshiram, the other dragon-type pokemon, aren't you? But it appears the Light Stone you seek is not here.
Well then, congratulations are in order! warpio, you were chosen by our king. If you truly desire to keep the world as it is, where pokemon live alongside people, you must bring the other dragon-type pokemon spoken of in legend and battle with our king. Otherwise, Team Plasma will steal every pokemon from every person in the world and release them all!
Alder: Release them, you say? Do the pokemon who live with their trainers actually want that? Is the liberation you talk about really just stealing pokemon from people?
Ghetsis: What's this? Champion Alder, even though illness took the pokemon that had been your partner for many years, and you haven't had a serious battle in all that time... Even you, who ordered the Elite Four to protect the Pokemon League and left to wander the Unova region alone... Even a champion like you now wants to protect a world where pokemon and people live together?
Team Plasma's king will show the people of Unova that he is stronger than a champion who keeps pokemon bound! And just like the hero who founded Unova, he will be accompanied by the legendary pokemon. He will give this order!
"Trainers, release your pokemon!"
For this, we have prepared a suitable castle for the legendary Zekrom and our king!
Alder: I won't lose! I'll fight for all trainers who love their pokemon, and for all pokemon who believe in their trainers!
Ghetsis: Our king has no interest in you. He has already determined that victory against you is assured.
Alder: So you stayed behind just to tell me that? Just to make a fool of me?
Ghetsis: Of course not. I'm doing this out of kindness. Yes, kindness. I'm making sure the champion doesn't get hurt for no reason. Granted, the moment when someone loses all hope... I really do love to watch that moment. Well then, farewell.
So... there was absolutely nothing to gain from coming here, other than listening to Ghetsis and the champion argue. We leave the castle, then suddenly I get a call from Professor Juniper, who tells me to come to Nacrene City.
At the Nacrene museum, Lenora the gym leader comes out and gives me the Light Stone. Alder tells me I need to go to Opelucid City, to get the dragon-type gym leader to help me get Reshiram out of this stone.
Okay so checking out Route 8... there's this cool area called "Mirror of Icirrus", with slippery ice mazes and items hidden about... pretty fun. Bianca shows up for another battle. Now she says she's given up trying to be a trainer and wants to become a pokemon professor, or something...
This blade wielding ninja pokemon looks awesome.
Pawniard: Blades comprise this Pokémon's entire body. If battling dulls the blades, it sharpens them on stones by the river.
Now I'm at Opelucid City, the city with the 8th gym, and the road to the Pokemon League is just north of here.
This city looks very high-tech and futuristic... But in the white version it looks entirely different, like a city from the past.
Black Opelucid City:
White Opelucid City:
What, like, do White and Black actually take place in 2 different time periods? White is in the past and Black is in the future? Also the sign in this city says:
"Opelucid City - Time's Dividing Line"
Some random NPC apparently has a time machine that lets you go back in time to see the Opelucid City from the past...
I want to return to the past! I want to do many things over again! My father, Bach, created a machine to see the future. I am making a machine to connect with the past... But I don't have enough electricity? I've heard that in another world, there's another Opelucid City that looks very old-timey. If there is a pokemon from that world that knows the move Charge, the machine may work.
I wonder what the story on this is... I'll need to get an electric pokemon later to generate 1.21 jiggawatts!
The gym leader of Opelucid, Drayden, and some girl with him named Iris, finally tell you whole the story of the 2 dragon pokemon.
Drayden: ...Well, I'll start. That's the Light Stone you have there. Reshiram, who will awake from the Light Stone, and the already-awakened Zekrom were originally one Pokémon.
Iris: ...That one dragon Pokémon made a new land together with twin heroes. And people and Pokémon lived their days happily!
Drayden: But one day... The older of the two heroes sought the truth, and the younger sought the ideal. A dividing struggle began to decide who was right... The single dragon that had walked with the twins was also split into two to support both...
Iris: A dark dragon that searched through the new, hopeful world for its ideal... Its name was Zekrom. And another... A light dragon that searched through the world of the past for the truth... Its name was Reshiram.
Drayden: The two being equal entities from the very start only made the quarrel more violent. Whichever side won, they would end up absolutely exhausted... The twin heroes, too, could not find either to be right in their struggle... So the struggle was ended...
Iris: And yet, yet, yet... the hero's sons began to struggle again... So Zekrom and Reshiram used their lightning and flames to eradicate Unova in an instant... But if people hadn't been mistaken about how to get along with pokemon, the world wouldn't have been destroyed! So Zekrom and Reshiram did their best for everyone and made a new land! And so so so...!
Drayden: ...I'm certain pokemon don't need possessions. As people continue having their own thoughts on pokemon, some of them may be hateful... But even so! It is necessary for pokemon and people to believe in each other to continue living...
Iris: Yow, that's right!! And so so sooo! We just CAN'T let Team Plasma separate us from our pokemon!
Drayden: ...I'm sorry, that last part was a bit off-topic. But that's all we can tell you. Unfortunately, we know nothing about how to awaken the legendary dragon pokemon...
...Well, I made a promise to Alder. You'll have to come get the Opelucid gym badge.
Well then, warpio. I await your challenge at the Pokémon gym!
I'm really liking these plot twists! I never would've guessed Zekrom and Reshirom were one pokemon... Also, there are some NPC's around Icirrus City giving you some really interesting hints about this story.
"They say ideals intermingled with truth, and the Dragonspiral Tower was created. It has been there, watching us, for thousands of years... I don't know whether or not this is true."
"If we live a monotonous life, do we get used to it and stop thinking about changing it?"
"Always, the tower looms, disdainful of the wind and snow. Perhaps its presence has a special meaning for people."
It seems like "ideals" and "truth" are the 2 elements that these legendary pokemon fought over. Ideals of how the world should be, and the truth of how the world really is. My "chaos and order" theory in the last post wasn't quite right.
Onto the gym... this gym has a long winding path that looks like a black dragon... it's kinda like Snake Way from Dragonball... for a puzzle it has dragon head platforms that move up and down when you jump down on certain switches.
My team is now level 42-44, the gym leader Drayden was again very easy, probably because of the fact that he only has 3 pokemon.
After beating the gym, Professor Juniper comes up to me and says she couldn't find out how to resurrect Reshiram... only that it will awaken if it recognizes a trainer's strength... yeah, that doesn't seem like it's worth going all the way out to Opelucid City to tell me... She then tells where Victory Road is, just north of this town, and gives me a Master Ball, woohoo!
There's still a bunch of unexplored parts of the map, but it looks like those places aren't even necessary for getting to the Pokemon League... With at least 3 other cities and more routes to explore, and the "champions-only" cave, there should still be a good amount of content to go through in this game after beating the Pokemon League.