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(This post will contain further spoilers for the JOHTO + HOENN Campaign ! ! !)
I finally have time to make this post in regards to one of my most favorite events in the game. As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the theme of ‘Life vs Death’ was only one major theme in the game. Another theme is ‘Humans vs Pokémon’.
I decided to tie this theme with the Legendary Dragons of UNOVA, ZEKROM and RESHIRAM, who represent IDEALS and TRUTHS, respectively. Besides these dragons, one of my other favorite things about GEN V is the character N who seems like a very interesting person. From my memory and understanding, N was raised in sort of isolation within a castle and learned to love Pokémon that have been hurt by humans.
Although the main games allow N to side with either Truths or Ideals, I decided to have him pursue Ideals in my own game. I think it fits him more and allowed me to write about a person who pursued what may be unrealistic expectations.
N is shown in the game as having a desire to release all Pokémon from the ‘control’ of their trainers inside their Pokéballs. He believes that Pokémon are oppressed by humans and should be freed and separated from humans. N’s reasoning stems from his experiences seeing Pokémon abused by humans. N is thus interested in seeking the one Pokémon that has the most ‘savage of hearts’ towards mankind. . . . . MEWTWO, who has personally suffered from the atrocities of man.
For MEWTWO, I decided to do something that’s perhaps a bit interesting. When N finally meets MEWTWO in JOHTO, I decided to make the one he meets as a different MEWTWO rather than the very original MEWTWO N was hoping to meet. The 3 MEWTWOs in the game are MEWTWO X, MEWTWO Y, and MEWTWO Z.
MEWTWO Z is the newest MEWTWO created by humans. Like its predecessors, this MEWTWO also rebelled against its creators and escapes.
MEWTWO Y is the one that can MEGA Evolve via MEWTWONITEY. This one could possibly be a reference to the MEWTWO in the Best Wishes anime series. However, I characterized this MEWTWO as have ‘given up’ on humanity. Thus, out of all three MEWTWOs, MEWTWO Y is the most brutal towards humans.
MEWTWO X would be the very original MEWTWO created on CINNABAR ISLAND and the one from the first Pokémon Movie. I decided to have this MEWTWO work together with MASTER RED not exactly as one of RED’s Pokémon but more of as a ‘partner’ in order to represent the ideal-balanced relationship between humans and Pokémon.
However, it is MEWTWO Z that is most connected with N, RESHIRAM, ZEKROM, and BLADE. MEWTWO Z has not yet formed a concrete and definite view on the relations between humans and Pokémon. Although it has seen many Pokémon hurt by humans in a variety of ways, it is still open to exploring the path MEWTWO X chose alongside MASTER RED.
Now. . . . to bring BLADE back into the analysis. Whereas N grew up in a castle and had the luxury to take care of Pokémon that were hurt by humans, BLADE grew up in poverty and forced to use Pokémon as tools. I thought it would be interesting to sort of ‘pit’ these two characters against each other. One character is one of my favorites from the Pokémon series while the other is a Rival I created myself. The interesting thing is that I gave the Pokémon of Truths (RESHIRAM) to N while BLADE received the Pokémon of Ideals (ZEKROM). One would at first think that N would receive ZEKROM while BLADE would receive RESHIRAM. However, another thing to note about the Legendary Dragons of UNOVA is that they’re also related to the concept of Yin and Yang, hence they are also known as the TAO TRIO. I’m not an expert on Taoism, but I do believe it has to do with balance in life/nature. Essentially no matter how much of either side exists, a small part of the other side will also exist along with it. Not only that, but the two sides can be switched at times, and thus why I switched RESHIRAM and ZEKROM.
Going back to the idea of ‘Humans vs Pokémons’, the game presents several instances of humans abusing Pokémon. Such events intensify as one progress from the KANTO Campaign all the way thru the HOENN Campaign. Early and subtle examples include the EEVEEs that are obtained in KANTO. The first one was abandoned by its trainer while others are physically abused and just unwanted. It was not until the third campaign did I decide to enhance the scenarios that involve Pokémon abuse at the hands of humans. Such events included the illegal dog-Pokémon fight event, the Farfetch’d eating festival, and the forced-labor Pokémon at the Power Plant. Those events were mostly adapted from real-world animal abuse scenarios.
At the very beginning of the game, I had stated that Pokémon were similar to the animals of our ‘real’ world. The real world has both humans that harm and abuse animals but also those who seek to protect animals from harm. In the game, N seeks to make monumental changes so that no Pokémon ever has to suffer from the hands of humans ever again. On the other side, BLADE believes this can never be accomplished. While N takes a very unrealistic and Ideal path to ‘release’ all Pokémon from humans, BLADE states to N what he believes the Truth is. As the two fight their epic battle in the game, the first major theme of ‘Humans and Pokémon’ comes to a close with the following quotes. . . . .
N:
I've spent my entire life fighting for the rights of Pokémon being oppressed by humans.
But the atrocities I've seen never cease.
The abuse Pokémon suffer are always repeated by humans.
It would seem there will always be some humans that torture Pokémon.
It's something the passage of time can't seem to erase.
BLADE:
Certain living things are more superior than others! ! !
That is a fact shared between all lives !
Even within a species this holds true !
As long as there are differences that can be perceived, they can be exploited and used to cause conflict !
It is through this final battle that N realizes that he’ll never be able to ‘save’ every Pokémon out there. He learns to accept the Truth of the world reasoning that his “heart couldn’t make the gigantic leap between dreams and reality”. . . . .
However, the TAO TRIO Legendary Dragon consists of another Legend. . . .
And that is KYUREM, the one that represents the in-between of Ideals and Truths. . . .
For KYUREM, I decided to assign it to WES for a few reasons. One reason is that WES is supposed to be portrayed as a very capable and well-rounded Pokémon trainer which is why he is IPPA’s ACE. Another reason is that I wanted him to embody the sense that there can only be ‘balance’ in the world. He realizes the cruelty of man but unlike N, has more concrete and realistic goals on how to deal with it all. At the same time, the cruelty he sees does not force him to change for the worse like it was with BLADE. He is perfectly at the center of N and BLADE.
One of WES’ last quotes is:
This world may never be perfect but there are living beings every day that do their best.
Both Pokémon and humans alike share this world and try to live in harmony.
Not everyone gets along but this must be accepted.
And there is hope that time changes the relations between some for the better.
This is what life is about.
For both Pokémon and humans.
Perhaps the day will never come when true harmony is achieved by all living beings. . . . . .
But the important thing is that we should all at least strive for such a day . . . . . every single day of our lives. . . .
What he is stating here is that perhaps everyone will never get along with each other all at once, but just striving for such a scenario is the best living beings can do.
When you are young, perhaps there was mention of ‘world peace’. It is a simple thing to tell children, but as one gets older it loses its meaning. They tell you that life is not ‘Black and White’ but more of shades of ‘Gray’, but that too is insufficient. What is a world of peace? What does that even mean? Like what BLADE mentioned, all living beings have differences between each other at almost every imaginable level possible. And it is the perception of those differences that can either bind living beings together OR cause conflict between them. And thus, to exist is to be subjected to those choices.
In the end, the only thing there is to do is recognize and realize the malice of the world and accept it. Not as an acceptance of defeat but as an acceptance of enlightenment. One can only strive to do the minimal harm one can do to others given the circumstances and knowledge one holds at the time.