Pokemon Black - Searching for the Seven Sages Part 3

I went ahead and did more training in Nimbasa City, and Mason, Arthur and Madelyn all grew to Level 63, while Zach, Nora, and Cole all grew to Level 64. I snagged some supplies while I was there, and then I continued on my way to find the rest of the Seven Sages.

I went onto Route 5 to check out the Cold Storage of Driftveil City, and on the road I met Cheren looking at the nearby forest. He told me that Strength alone is what matters in this world, which is what he believed until he met Alder here on Route 5. Cheren told me that winning in Pokemon battles isn't all there is to life, and once he learned that lesson his eyes were opened to many different things.

Cheren realized that both people and Pokemon all have their own brand of strength, strength which makes our dreams a reality, strength which protects what we hold dear. Cheren told me he thought this way thanks to me, Bianca, and Alder, and he wished that N could see this too. Cheren told me he would take a long, hard look at himself on Victory Road, and there he would think about what he can do and who he could become, and invited me to visit him to battle like old times.

I went to the small market in Driftveil City when I got there, and found a Plasma Grunt who had left the group to sell Incense. I bought a Sea Incense off her for Nora, then got an Expert Belt from a man nearby before I went to check the Cold Storage. Sure enough I found Sage Zinzolin in the container I found them all way back when.

Zinzolin told me I was an odd Trainer to have returned there, but said he had enough time to satisfy my curiosity. He started talking about breathing, having a beating heart, and said that was simple existence and nothing more for a living being. Zinzolin continued on, telling me that may be the definition of living but didn't think that was what defines life.

Zinzolin told me that the experiences of joy and suffering are a vital part of being alive, and revealed to me that Ghetsis gave him the sensation of being truly alive. He said it didn't matter what he meant to accomplish, and that at that moment he himself was shivering, suffering, but alive. He said that Pokemon and people live by being together and relying on one another, and said that might be how I feel. He wondered if it was necessary to separate people and Pokemon, and said that by talking to me he's discovered that there's much he needed to think about.

Sage Zinzolin thanked me and handed over TM01 (Hone Claws) before he told me that N wanted to make Pokemon perfect, and told me that even if the relationship between Pokemon and people stayed as it was, Pokemon could still aspire to perfection. After that, Looker came by to arrest him and take him away to be with the other Sages.

I remembered another area I encountered Team Plasma before, in Chargestone Cave nearby, and I went on my bike to get there. I navigated my way through the cave, and eventually on the bottom floor I found him, Sage Bronius.

Sage Bronius told me that when he saw me in Castelia City, he didn't care about my existence. He remembered how Ghetsis tested my ability there in the Chargestone Cave, and told me that they would test me once more to learn what I am. Suddenly he called out to a pair of Plasma Grunts, and I was thrown into a couple battles.

Zach beat the first Grunt and grew to Level 64, before the second Grunt came at me, and Madelyn's strength beat the other Grunt and she grew to Level 64. The Plasma Grunts accepted defeat, and Bronius told me that the Pokemon of Team Plasma are also fighting for their Trainers. He told me that it was obvious that he overlooked that, and thanked me for reminding him.

Sage Bronius handed over TM69 (Rock Polish) before he continued on, saying that Pokemon do their best for their Trainers even when they're injured, and he wondered if N understood what that meant. Soon enough Looker came by, and arrested both Bronius and the two Plasma Grunts.

I left the cave, and continued along Route 7 to the north to reach the Celestial Tower. I went to the top of it, and there at the bell I found Alder. He rang the bell three times, and then turned around to tell me that his old partner was resting there at the Celestial Tower. He told me it was the first Pokemon he received when he became a Trainer, and that he comes to the Celestial Tower to ring the bell and comfort it's spirit.

Alder told me his Pokemon was strong, courageous, noble, and kind, and he told me that together they pursued strength without even knowing the meaning of strength. Alder told me that just as stories have a beginning and an end, all lives have an end as well. He told me that it was then that he understood that strength isn't something that remains unchanged forever. Alder continued on, telling me that the joy one feels in being with Pokemon, THAT was the real thing.

Alder said that to spread the word, he left the Pokemon League and kept traveling, telling me that traveling is wonderful and along the way he met many different Pokemon, Trainers, and now he's met myself and my friends. Alder said he would be waiting for me at the Pokemon League, and then he left.

I knew I would have to do a LOT of training before I could challenge them again!

Current Team:

Arthur (Simisage, Grass, Lv. 63)
Cole (Emboar, Fire/Fighting, Lv. 64)
Nora (Seismitoad, Water/Ground, Lv. 64)
Zach (Liepard, Dark, Lv. 64)
Madelyn (Unfezant, Normal/Flying, Lv. 64)
Mason (Zebstrika, Electric, Lv. 64)

Pokemon Black - Catching Volcarona

I went through the northern doorway and made my way to Volcarona (Male, Bug/Fire, Lv. 70) and I saved the game before I confronted it.

I sent out Cole against it, and it used Quiver Dance to increase it's special attack and special defense, as well as speed, before Cole struck with Strength for great damage. Volcarona used Silver Wind for good damage next, then it's stats all rose before Cole struck with another Strength for great damage. Volcarona used another Silver Wind for good damage, then Cole attacked with Strength to push it to the red.

With Volcarona in the red, I started with using Pokeballs, and a single Dusk Ball caught it! It was certainly an interesting Pokemon, and I was happy to have it in my collection, but I wasn't too concerned with catching it as I had it's pre-evolved form in an egg waiting to hatch.

After this, I decided I would take a break from searching for the Seven Sages so I could go train in Nimbasa City. I found it odd how there were now so many people on the fields of both the Small Court and Large Stadium ready to battle, but it was good training that meant I could level up several of my Pokemon each day I trained.

After quite some time, a lot longer than I thought it would take, I was done with training at Nimbasa City for the day, and through it all Zach and Madelyn grew to Level 61, while Mason, Nora, Cole, and Arthur all grew to Level 62. I also taught Nora to use Earthquake in place of Bulldozer.

I decided to call it a day, and while I was glad that there were more people to battle I wasn't too pleased at how long it took to train, and especially how little experience I gained with the Lucky Egg most times even with all my opponents being several levels higher than my team. At least Nimbasa City would be an even better place to train for the road ahead.

Current Team:

Zach (Liepard, Dark, Lv. 61)
Madelyn (Unfezant, Normal/Flying, Lv. 61)
Mason (Zebstrika, Electric, Lv. 62)
Nora (Seismitoad, Water/Ground, Lv. 62)
Cole (Emboar, Fire/Fighting, Lv. 62)
Arthur (Simisage, Grass, Lv. 62)

Pokemon Black - Searching for the Seven Sages Part 2

It was Autumn when I went back to Nimbasa City to train, and I found a LOT more trainers in the Small Court with VERY strong Pokemon ready to battle. The Big Stadium field was closed to the public because of a game going on, but I got some training in at the Small Court, and Nora, Mason, Cole, and Zach all grew to Level 60.

After all that, I headed to the Desert Resort, and went straight to the ruins. I was about to head underground when I was stopped by Professor Juniper, who was leaving the ruins. She told me she had heard about the Pokemon statues that were surrounding the entrance, and came to look into their origins. Professor Juniper revealed to me that those statues were actually Pokemon, Darmanitan who were sleeping. She told me that these statue-like Pokemon have existed for around 2,500 years, and told me that they went to sleep that long ago. She wondered if perhaps they had guarded the city of ruins, when they weren't ruins.

Professor Juniper told me that a Rage Candy Bar can wake them up, and warned me that they would attack upon waking. She handed over a Rage Candy Bar, and I pocketed it before she went back to the Pokemon Research Lab. We bid each other farewell, and then I went underground.

I went through the maze-like tunnels, and in a wild Pokemon battle Arthur grew to Level 60. Finally I had reached the bottom of the tunnels, and found a doorway I could reach thanks to the sand dunes going so high. I went through it and down a hallway where I found a Plasma Grunt. They got scared and ran away, and I ran after them.

I  chased them down into another room, and they were forced to fight. I sent Madelyn out against his Krookodile, and she did massive damage which left the Pokemon deep in the red, before she was knocked out by a critical Outrage attack. I used a Revive to help her recover before Arthur was knocked out instantly by another Outrage. Madelyn struck it down for the win, and the massive experience boost made her grow to Level 60.

When the battle was over, the Plasma Grunt told me that Sage Ryoku was looking for a Pokemon inside Relic Castle, and told me that he was acting as the lookout so the Sage wouldn't be interrupted. I left the Plasma Grunt to go through a seemingly endless array of rooms, and eventually I found an end to it, with stairs leading further and further up until I found TM26 (Earthquake). I went back down the stairs, and headed back to where I started.

Eventually I found Sage Ryoku, who told me he was planning to catch the Pokemon called Volcarona that lives in the Relic Castle and present it to Ghetsis, but he had been told by the Shadow Triad that Ghetsis was gone. Ryoku told me that the Sages thought themselves complete when the seven of them were together, but now he didn't know the meaning of the word complete anymore.

Ryoku told me that he didn't mind, even if they were being used, but the dream was over. Ryoku gave me TM04 (Calm Mind) and told me that both Relic Castle and their own castle were crumbling, and said that the difference was that the Relic Castle were the remains of a civilization while their castle left nothing behind.

Looker came by to arrest Sage Ryoku, and he told the International Police Officer that they didn't know much about Ghetsis and Lord N, and revealed to him that they hadn't even figured out if the two were father and son. Looker thanked me for my help, and told me that there were 3 more of the Seven Sages remaining.

I decided to stop for now, especially when I learned that the Pokemon Sage Ryoku was after was an evolved form of the Pokemon I would hatch from the Egg I found on that island near my town. Tomorrow I will catch it for my collection and as a secondary Team when I'm done with Pokemon Black.

Current Team:

Cole (Emboar, Fire/Fighting, Lv. 60)
Nora (Seismitoad, Water/Ground, Lv. 60)
Mason (Zebstrika, Electric, Lv. 60)
Zach (Liepard, Dark, Lv. 60)
Arthur (Simisage, Grass, Lv. 60)
Madelyn (Unfezant, Normal/Flying, Lv. 60)