Line #15 Headscratchers/PokemonBlackAndWhite


1	Headscratchers in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''.
2
3	[[foldercontrol]]
4
5	[[folder:General]]
6	* How does a 1-meter tall, 150kg Cryogonal have '''''Levitate'''''!?
7	** The same reason why Munna and Musharna clearly float but ''don't'' have it. An Arceus did it.
8	** Don't forget the Magnemite family. Beldum and Metang, as well.
9	*** Magnemite no longer has it. Presumably for balance reasons, since ground is one of its 3 weaknesses vs. a whopping THIRTEEN resistances. It can, however, learn a move that changes its ability to Levitate... which is deemed an electric move.
10	*** Actually, Magnemite NEVER had it. At all. And it was able to learn Magnet Rise starting in Gen IV.
11	*** The Beldum line and Bronzor line can have levitate. And are part PSYCHIC. So, there you go.
12	*** Neither Beldum's line nor Magnemite's have ever had Levitate. What they do have is Magnet Rise, a move that gives them the same advantages of Levitate for 5 turns.
13	** Why does Watchog's Pokedex entry say it spits seeds when it doesn't learn Bullet Seed? Why can't Purrloin and Liepard naturally learn Thief? It will forever be a mystery...
14	** Carnivine similarly has no excuse.
15	** Venomoth and Beedrill, too.
16	*** They both have wings, but are already poison / bug. Why wouldn't they be able to avoid ground moves?
17	*** No, because they DON'T levitate; they fly. If there was some "Flapping Wing" ability that was functionally the same, they probably would have got it. But there isn't.
18	*** That doesn't really explain Flygon though...
19	*** For that matter, Eelektross has Levitate. Sure, its pre-evolutions appear to be floating, but Eelektross... isn't. Its battle animation clearly indicates that it is standing on its... [[BuffySpeak leg-fin things.]] So why does ''it'' have Levitate? To give an Electric type an immunity to its only weakness, thus causing it to have no weaknesses? ...I think I just answered my own question.
20	** An explanation for why some Pokemon are immune to Ground attacks and some aren't. The idea comes from a picture floating around the interent. Too bad I can't find it right now. Anyway the idea is that Ground moves don't just stay on the ground. Mud flies through the air and Earthquake sends earthen spikes at the foe. Even though a Pokemon has wings it may not be able to evade it in time to avoid damage. Flying-types and Levitaters are fast enough or can fly high enough to avoid the attack. I would argue that Butterfree can evade an Earthquake while Beedrill can't because Butterfree's Flying affinity gives it the ability to evade in time.
21	* Either the Atlantean civilization that inhabited the Abyssal Ruins started off underwater or had the audacious foresight necessary to predict that they would end up sinking and put water-based booby traps in their temples accordingly.
22	** I think if and when it was ever above water, the traps actually caused whirlwinds, not torrents of water.
23	* Why give Delibird the "Insomnia" ability in the Dreamworld, when it already has "Vital Spirit"?
24	** Follow the fridge brilliance above, it's already following its dreams?
25	** So that you can't get one with Hustle from the Dream World?
26	*** [[FridgeBrilliance Since Delibird's ability means it can't sleep, how could it dream of something better?]]
27	* How can Cryogonal learn Attract when it doesn't even have a gender?
28	** To make matters worse, Larvesta, Volcarona, Ferrothorn, and Ferroseed CAN'T. And they HAVE genders!
29	** Also, Ferrothorn is kinda ugly.
30	* If Cofagrigus is stated to be covered in gold and is in the mineral breeding group, then why isn't it part Steel?
31	** More importantly, why can't normal moves hit it if it's solid?
32	** It can't be part Steel, silly, it's made of gold!
33	** Maybe since the sarcophagus isn't alive, it doesn't actually affect the damage that Cofagrigus takes from an attack?
34	* Eelektross is mentioned as coming out of the ocean in its Pokedex entries and is an eel/lamprey, so why isn't it a Water type and why is Tynamo found in a ''cave''?
35	** Doesn't even get any Water moves.
36	*** Nor is it even part of a water-based egg group.
37	** It said that it came from the ocean. Who's to say it didn't end up reaching that cave and evolving into the floating electric sardine we see today?
38	** Because everything that lives in the water shouldn't be a water type or have water moves. That would be boring, lazy and unimaginative. Furthermore Eelektross lives in the ocean, its larva stage does not, simple.
39	* With the introduction of the Spooky Manor and Rugged Mountain in the Dream World, how come none of the other locations had Pokemon become available that required you to beat those two locations' respective games to beat them? They could at least {{Retcon}} Pokemon who were already available. I mean, it's kind of jarring that you play as a Sableye in the gem collecting game, but that's not the game you play to get one from the Spooky Manor.
40	* Why is the pier Team Plasma's boat docked at named Prime Pier? The one at Liberty Pier takes you to Liberty Garden, Unity Pier's boat takes you to Unity Tower, Cruise Dock has the Royal Unova, and the irrelevant one on the far right was left unnamed. Going by this pattern there should be a Prime _____ somewhere that the Plasma Boat was supposed to take the player to, yet there is none.
41	** [[{{Pun}} Because they're the prime suspects?]]
42	* You guys all know Icirrus City, right? Well, the nearest patch of grass is in a measly '''six''' spaces away from the fence, now, are you OK with the fact that there are wild Druddigon roaming 6 ft. away from your town?
43	** Dragon Pokemon are weak to Ice-types. Icirrus' Gym Leader specializes in Ice-types. Problem solved.
44	** Repel - your best friend!
45	*** Alternatively: DON'T STEP INTO THE GRASS. They don't pop out at you if you don't walk into it.
46	* If you can only buy castelia cones on Tuesday, then why do people continue to hang around the ice cream stand the rest of the week? I'm having a hard time believing that they've sold out for the day when I can show up in the early morning on any day besides Tuesday and still hear the same thing.
47	* What was the point of the [=FMV=] of N when he only spoke twice?
48	** RuleOfCool?
49	* The Striaton City Gym chooses which Gym Leader you face based on whether you chose a grass, water, or fire type as your starter. My question is: What about everyone else? Most trainers don't get their starters from a Professor. For example, if someone like Wally, whose starter was a Ralts, tried to challenge Striaton City Gym, what would happen?
50	** I'd assume they'd just pick one to challenge at random, or... maybe they'd examine the rest of the trainer's team, too?
51	** Since their gym is supposed to teach about overcoming type disadvantages, they probably have Pokemon on hand to test any Type (though the Gym puzzle and their specialties wouldn't change.) If you showed up with a Pikachu starter, for example, perhaps Cress would battle you and swap Lillpup for a Palpitoad.
52	* So, just to make sure, even now, Musharna and Darmanitan (and their pre-evolutions) are still the only Unova Pokémon you can obtain that have their Hidden Abilities without Black and White 2, correct? I know you need Black and White 2 to run into the Unova Pokémon in the Dream World, but after doing that, you could use them in Black and White after breeding them and trading them over there. But just for the record, those two are the only ones you can get if you only have Black and White, yes?
53	* You get the normal Bicycle in Generation V. The key sprite is that of normal bicycle. But the sprite for "item obtain fanfare" is that of Hoenn's Acro Bike. Gives what?
54	** There are a ton of Hoenn references in Black and White; perhaps that was just another reference.
55	* Why did they stop making third versions starting with this one?
56	** Would someone buy ''Pokémon Gray''? Doesn't sound very exciting.
57	** Because [=GameFreak=] would get tired. That's why everything got a change and we haven't gotten a Gray, Z, Planet, Scepter, nor Navy.
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Questions About The Characters]]
61	* If N can talk to Pokémon, does that mean he knows PokemonSpeak? If so, does he use his own name[[note]]if PokemonSpeak is a "universal" language spoken with different "accents" by different Pokémon that makes it sound like their name[[/note]] ("Natural! Gro, gropius, nat harmonia natural monia gropius!") or the name of the Pokémon he's talking to[[note]]if each Pokémon has their own language, or if what sounds like the Pokémon's name is more like an animal-like set of cries than an actual language[[/note]] ("Sam samurott" if he's talking to a Samurott, etc.)? Serious RuleOfFunny potential there, though it doesn't seem too clearly established whether PokemonSpeak actually exists in the continuity of the main games.[[note]]Needless to say, if N appears in the anime, the most likely option will be that he speaks Japanese/English/the viewer's language to the Pokémon, it replies in PokemonSpeak, and he translates for the viewer.[[/note]]
62	** Pokémon clearly understand human languages, so N doesn't ''have'' to actually speak their "language"; he just needs to be able to understand it for him to be able to carry on a proper conversation.
63	* Bianca's sprite. She's ''pulling for her ball''. How? They should be in pockets. Did she have something on top of them or something? She may be a bit messy and unorganized, considering she's also clumsy.
64	** What about the fact that she's pulling for them during your first battle? Why did she put it in her bag if she's the one that calls for the match?!
65	** Not everyone is going to put them in their pockets. A lot seem to put them on belts, so where they place them seems to vary from person to person. And do you see any pockets on her?
66	*** Her bag pockets. Look at your bag in any game; It has compartments. Plus she was clearly pulling from her bag.
67	*** ...Isn't that just negating what you just said?
68	*** Yeah, take one look at Alder's necklace of six Poke Balls - maybe he keeps them ''there''.
69	** No. I said she looks like she's pulling the balls out of her bag. What's there to pull? Are they over something? They should be in their pockets unless she just throws her stuff in there.
70	*** What's wrong with that?
71	*** "Unless she just throws her stuff in there." You just answered your own question. Bianca's character is described as clumsy, unorganized, and unreliable. Therefore, it would only make sense that she just tosses stuff in her bag without making a distinction of "this pocket is for Poke Balls, this pocket is for Technical Machines." And as pointed out, not all trainers keep the Poke Balls containing their Pokemon in their actual pockets. (Especially considering certain classes, like the Lass and Idol, don't even ''have'' pockets.)
72	*** Though if she does just throw her stuff in there, I must wonder if she often opens her bag to find one of her Pokemon outside of its [=PokeBall=] due to her clumsily tossing her Balls in there.
73	*** Considering that the anime has shown anything that goes into her bag to come out looking like an inanimate version of Pig-Pen, it's probably safe to assume that her bag is disorganized to say the least.
74	* [[spoiler:Why does N have white hair as a young child and green hair as an adult?]]
75	** It's probably just the lighting.
76	*** And the quality of the FMV.
77	** [[spoiler:The shading on his hair is greenish on the bulbapedia picture of N as a child, and lots of people have lighter hair as children than as adults.]]
78	** [[MemeticMutation Screw the rules; he gets green hair!]]
79	** I assumed at the time of playing it that Reshiram represents truth because it also represents the "natural" or "traditional" state -- things staying the same -- while Zekrom, being part machine, represents ideals because it also represents "progress" in all its forms, including technological -- things changing. Correct me if I'm wrong (Website/TheOtherWiki has failed me), but isn't change/lack of change another duality that the Yin/Yang represents?
80	* Why does Cheren always seem to know exactly when I've gotten a gym badge? Does he follow me around with binoculars? Does he have xray vision? Is he psychic? All of the above?
81	** Unless I missed any details that point out he might be actively stalking you, he just happens to be there at the right time when you just got the badge. If I'm not mistaken, sometimes he's just leaving the gym with his own newly-acquired badge, too.
82	*** I believe the only time he left the gym with his own badge was in Castelia, and he challenges you after you get your badge anyway.
83	** And speaking of Cheren, is it just me or does his Samurott have near perfect accuracy with its flippin' Blizzard attack? I can count the number of times he has used it on me and missed on my fingers.
84	*** Perhaps he truly does stalk you and studies your Pokémon behavior patterns to know where to have its Pokémon aim its Blizzard attacks. Or he's just really lucky.
85	** He could just be checking the signs at the Gym.
86	* What kind of Pokemon was Alder's late partner? We're not given any clues as to so much as the type, unless I missed something.
87	** Maybe it was a bug type. He seems to have a fondness for bugs.
88	** Champions seem to have a penchant for the pseudo-legendaries, so I'd guess a Hydreigon. I was rather surprised when he turned out not to have one.
89	** It's probably his starter.
90	** It's been confirmed to be a Volcarona.
91	*** Perhaps his current Volcarona is his starter's offspring, and back then Alder was trying to get a Larvesta.
92	* Cynthia. I beat her in Diamond, then transfer that Pokemon to Black. The info on that Pokemon says that it went through a long journey through time. So why does she look exactly the same as when I beat her?
93	** It's probably referring to real-world time. (4 years is pretty long)
94	*** I don't think it's 4 years. Last time I checked it only said that a pokemon traveled a long way though time when it was originally captured from a gen three game. That's seven years.
95	** Also, Cynthia is an adult. Adults have finished growing, so they don't look that different after a few years.
96	* N always uses Pokemon from the area you're battling him in except for the last battle. His version legendary makes sense(he swept the E4 with it). The Zoroark is likely the one we see him with in the opening sequence as a Zorua. He probably didn't want to release the fossil Pokemon (Carracosta and Archeops) because they weren't native for this time and would wreck havoc on the ecosystem. What are Klinklang's and Vanilluxe's excuses? (Don't say that the Klinklang was the evolved Klink he had in Chargestone Cave because if so, why didn't he release it along with the others?)
97	** Klinklang is the same one from Chargestone Cave because it decided it really liked N and wanted him to be its Trainer, while the other Pokemon with him at the time liked him but not that much. N tried to dissuade it repeatedly, but he wouldn't ''abandon'' a Pokemon friend that wanted to stay that badly, so it ended up staying with him. As for Vanilluxe, probably another childhood friend like Zoroark, and same deal with the fossils.
98	*** If the N's Pokemon from the Memory Link function is canon, then this idea is {{Jossed}} , as one of N's pokemon you can catch in Black/White 2 (All of them pokemon he released in between battles) is a Kling, and not a Klinklang.
99	*** Klinklang is also likely another one of his childhood friends, given how technically the battle takes place at his castle and not at the league. It's quite possible that he stopped down there before fighting the Elite 4 given how it's right underneath the league building.
100	** One could make the case the Klinklang and Vanilluxe are there in anticipation for he PC's dragon. While they do have advantages over Zekrom (one being resistant to Dragons and another super-effective) these two are utterly destroyed by Reshiram. But then again you could say that the Fossils are there to deal with Reshiram and are not only for the Pokedex Pages. And form the other side of the coin Zekrom can utterly destroy the Fossils.
101	** Since this is the battle that will decide the fate of Unova N would wisely use the strongest Pokemon he has befriended throughout his journey. Klinklang and Vanilluxe are two of these powerful allies.
102	** Maybe because these Pokemon don't really have a natural enviornment/are better off with people. Think about it: Archeops and Carracosta are long extinct and can only come back through people reviving them, Vanilluxe's pre-evolution is commonly farmed for Castelicones and Klinklang just plain looks like it was created. Zoroark isn't obtainable in the wild, hinting that its a gift(maybe it was the son of the Zoroark you use the shiny beasts to get?)
103	* Let's say hypothetically the Striaton Trio members are the Shadow Triad.. What's their character alignment? Would they be True Neutrals? Chaotic Good? Chaotic Neutral? They did say the reason they help Ghetsis because they saved their lives, so maybe they're just paying a debt but don't agree with his plans?
104	** Most likely. They're one of the few loyal members of Team Plasma after the events of Black and White.
105	* Related to the above, I keep reading throughout these pages, and I keep running into people who say [[spoiler: that it's implied that Ghetsis would have murdered N when he was done with him.]] Excuse me, but ''where'' was this implied? Not spoken, just implied.
106	** Ghetsis had Pokemon in his team ready to take out all his Pokemon except Reshiram/Zekrom and had a Dragon-type higher than his legendary Pokemon anyway. He could easily defeat N and kill him and become the Champion.
107	*** I don't see how him having a well thought out team implies that he's gonna kill N. Yes, defeat him, take the title of Champion, that I can understand, but... kill him? Really? [[spoiler: He didn't try anything that drastic 'til Black and White 2.]]
108	*** He didn't get to ''try'' anything drastic, but [[spoiler: his words of "you must be eliminated!" suggested he meant to kill the PC in the first game too. In BW2, he just happened to already have a Pokemon out that he could call the attack from.]]
109	*** N was being raised as a king, hinting that Ghetsis would use him to replace the government. I doubt Ghetsis would simply use N as a puppet king, considering to a megalomaniac like him that's not good enough. Ghetsis could try to claim N was filling the spot for him, but people would prefer N and catch on to Ghetsis only doing all this [[DespotismJustifiesTheMeans for the sake of ruling Unova.]] Ghetsis could arrest him, but then he'd have to keep him alive, which [[TheSociopath would be too much of hassle.]] Let's face it, Ghetsis would probably take the easy way out and kill N, probably using his Hydreigon to do it: Hydreigon [[AxCrazy are infamous for their temper]], and Ghetsis could claim that he lost control of Hydreigon. In summation, Ghetsis would've found killing N the best option at ensuring his rise to power, and we all know that's something [[LackOfEmpathy he'd have no problem with.]]
110	*** There's really nothing suggesting he'd ''kill'' N, but it's pretty obvious that he'd at least ''dispose'' of him in some way once his purpose had been served. Remember, Ghetsis says that HE wants to be ruler of the world and be the ''only person'' to have Pokemon. That means that he doesn't want to stay TheManBehindTheMan to a puppet ruler, nor does he wish to let N keep his Legendary or any of his Pokemon friends around. Murder or no murder, he was clearly planning on cutting N off from him and his rule.
111	* So wait, '''why''' again many important characters up have so few Pokémon? Gym Leaders 2-3 Pokémon, which isn't that bad earlier, but later it's basically 6vs3. Even Cheren and Bianca have only 4 Pokémon at final pre-Champion team, while previous rivals had full team. In main game there are like only two Trainers who have more than 4 Pokémon, and they're basically the last two guys you fight.
112	** In the previous games defeating the Gym Leaders and Elite Four and becoming Champion were the primary goal of the game's story. Naturally this made beating them the obvious obstacles to your final victory. In Gen V the Team Plasma plot overshadows the Gym challenge so your focus shifts to beating N and the rest of Team Plasma, the Gym Leaders are less important so they become less of an obstacle, same with the Elite Four. Once you finish the game's plot the Elite Four take a 20 level increase and fill out the rest of their teams to give you a proper challenge.
113	* Why Alder not officially classified as a Bug-type Master when he's Champion? Half his team is bugs, and apparently having half your team be a type (Steven, Iris, Lance) allows you to be classified as a master of a certain type.
114	* Skyla's outfit: Is it the standard Unovan uniform for female pilots, or whatever company she works for? Do the more elderly female pilots wear that outfit too?
115	** It's probably just a CustomUniform that Skyla herself happens to like.
116	* So why's everyone rejoicing about how the trainers are teenagers and not children? Wasn't it actually the ''anime'' and the ''manga'' that said that 10-year-olds were able to become Pokémon trainers, and everyone else just assumed that the trainers were 10? Did I miss something in the manual where it says the protagonists were all 10?
117	** Red was said to be 10 or 11 or something in the manual, I believe.
118	*** That I would believe. I don't know if it was said about all gens - The Gen IV trainers (In D/P/Pt) Definitely look 10 years old.
119	*** Considering how much of a big deal that has been made about the Isshu trainers' ages, I think it would be safe to assume all previous protagonists were roughly the same age.
120	** First of all, Red is eleven (fourteen Post-{{Timeskip}}) and that's the only age we can go on. Next, the "Ten year olds become trainers" is an anime made rule. People were just happy to see older protagonists, and a DarkerAndEdgier plot.
121	** The place that stuff regarding age was said that the protagonists were "older than ever before" so it's safe to say everyone else is indeed younger.
122	*** Still though, for all we know, they could just mean "Oh, these guys are ''obviously'' fifteen to seventeen years old. I thought the trainers in Gen III looked thirteen to fifteen years old.
123	** I refuse to believe that any of the protagonists are only 11. I mean, ''[[OlderThanTheyLook look at them]]''!
124	*** I can believe the protagonists of Gen IV being eleven because they look pretty young. Gen III? They look 13-15. Gen II? 13-14. Heck for that matter I thought they looked thirteen in Gen V, too. Even then they're essentially a paper doll for you to interact with the world, so...does age even ''matter''? Maybe if you're thinking o what they are. (Because I can imagine some pretty surprising things the Gen IV Protagonists are going through if they're eleven.)
125	** They all look eleven. Puberty hits people in different ways, but they all look young compared to the older characters (Red, Green, Misty, Whitney, Courtney, Wes, etc)
126	*** Have you SEEN the [[http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/4/4d/PlayerCharactersGrouped.png official artwork]]? I'm a new poster here, but come ON, this is ridiculous. They (almost) all look like mid-teens!
127	** All that aside, they're not even the oldest player characters in the series. Everyone always seems to forget about [[http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/thumb/7/7d/Colosseum_Wes_3D.png/209px-Colosseum_Wes_3D.png Wes.]] At the very least, he's old enough to drive a motor vehicle, as evidenced by his [[http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac243/ArmedHibiki/DQ4AB/GC6E01-56.png awesome hover-cycle.]]
128	* What's the deal with Clay's ''crotch-less'' pants?
129	** Those are most likely based on [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaps chaps]], leather leg coverings that cowboys would wear over their trousers to provide extra protection from thorns and underbrush while riding. It's all part of Clay's "western oil baron" aesthetic.
130	* Why does Iris show up to stop Plasma in Black? In White, it's different because Drayden allows Iris to be the Gym Leader but she isn't confirmed in Black.
131	* Why does Bianca take the Gym Badges? Cheren clearly takes them because he has the advantage. Bianca is more just touring?
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Questions About The Pokemon]]
135	* So why can't Keldeo learn any ice type move beside Icy Wind?
136	** It's not obligated to get any Ice-type moves as a Water/Fighting type, so the fact that it has two (you left out Hail) shouldn't really be noteworthy. Admittedly, many Water-types do have access to a decent pool of Ice moves, but it's a trend, not a rule (see Magikarp, for instance).
137	* This is making me scratch my head in confusion. Why would Dewott and Samurott, whose entries state they would use physical weapons, have a high special attack stat instead?
138	** Sp. Atk is usually considered to be skill[[note]]Its IV boost wing is the ''genius'' wing, Pokemon with high Sp. Atk often have high skill in the Pokeathalon, etc.[[/note]] (Attack is strength, Defense is bulk, etc), and you need skill to wield a weapon. So...
139	*** Indeed. Which would do more damage: a guy who smacks your armor really hard or a guy who expertly find the chinks in your armor and slips his blade into them?
140	*** And yet most Special Moves learned by the Samurott line involve the user not making contact with the target. Special attacks usually of a blasting variety, one where the user can stand in one place and not move at all, making you wonder why it uses weapons at all.
141	*** You guys are missing the obvious, Samurott also has a high Attack stat, so his ability to use weapons just make sense. Consider that there a many cases in video games, and other media for that matter, where a character is very skilled in both physical attacks and magical attacks (special attacks in this case).
142	* Why is Escavalier one of the slowest Pokemon in history, considering its Pokedex entry in Black states that it flies around at high speeds?
143	** GameplayAndStorySegregation. That and speed doesn't refer to movement speed, but reaction speed. It could take a long time to accelerate.
144	*** If that's the case, then shouldn't it have speed boost as its ability?
145	*** Not if it comes to a stop again after moving.
146	*** But a pokemon never keeps its in-battle stat boosts/losses after a battle.
147	** It's implied that the Pokédex entries suffer from an UnreliableNarrator.
148	* Zorua/Zoroark's Illusion ability... aren't illusions more typically a Psychic thing?
149	** Considering their typing, they're using their Illusion to trick people, [[{{Pun}} like a fox]], right? They trick their opponents with their Illusion, which is what some Dark and Ghost types are known for, tricking and deceiving people. He's also based off the kitsune, foxes that tricked people for fun. Maybe it seems Psychic-y, but tricking people is [[EvilIsPetty something much more fun and mean]], thus the Dark-typing.
150	* Shouldn't Haxorus be a steel type?
151	** No, it was never stated to be made of metal.
152	** I didn't know Axes are made from Dragons.
153	*** Its axe-tusks are probably made of bone (not metal), like real-life animal tusks.
154	* It's nice to have a pure Flying type after all these years, but why is Tornadus the only member of its trio to not have a second type?
155	** Speaking of which, why does Tornadus, based off of the one-horned Fujin, have two horns and Thundurus, based off of the two horned Raijin, have only one? Also, WordOfGod is that Tornadus was originally gonna be red. [[RedOniBlueOni But Fujin's supposed to be the blue one of the two gods]].
156	*** Tornadus is pure Flying type for one simple reason: as it's a legendary Pokémon, it's not Normal. Normal/Flying Pokémon are the same as Normal Pokémon, just with the ability to fly. They've got no other special elemental alignment, just like Tornadus. It's simply because of its legendary status and that it has no other type that it's the first and only pure Flying type.
157	* Is it me, or has anyone else noticed that Klink seems to [[NightmareFuel lose an eye]] when it evolves...?
158	* Sandile and its evolutions are gavials, which mostly eat insects. But since they're Dark-typed, they're weak to Bug-type moves...
159	** Um, Sandile/Krokorok/Krookodile are actually based off of the crocodiles in general (In particular the Spectatled Caiman). They feed on far more than just insects. Plus, eating a Bug-Type Pokemon as food and battling it in a trainer-based battle are two completely different things.
160	** The Japanese name of Sandile refers to crocodile but the two evolutions refer to gavials, as do their head shapes. Being weak to bug moves does not matter much though. They are ambush predators.
161	* Vullaby's category name is the Diapered Pokemon, but since she wears a skull, shouldn't the Bone or Skull be a more suitable term for her?
162	* Why the HELL doesn't Stoutland, which literally has a synonym for "fat" in its name, get the ability Thick Fat?
163	** Because they are using the definition of stout referring to be brave and determined.
164
165	[[/folder]]
166
167	[[folder:Questions About The Plot]]
168	* This might be due to a bad translation I read, so please correct me if I'm wrong about this, but N's goal is to become the Pokemon League Champion in order to let Team Plasma take over Unova. Why exactly was that necessary? Do you become ruler of Unova if you beat the Champion? If so, that's a really stupid way to form a government. (It also makes me want to punch Red for shirking his political responsibility by hanging out on a mountain.)
169	** This definitely sounds more like WildMassGuessing there, let's wait for the true English games to come out to find out how the government works in Unova... as well as the other regions.
170	** Where'd you read this? Maybe Ghetsis misled N? I mean... he [[spoiler:DID admit he was using Team Plasma so he could dominate the region.]]
171	** Being the Champion means you have a lot of clout as the strongest trainer in the region. Your average, run-of-the-mill trainer isn't going to challenge the guy, and if he's got a powerful legendary, well, that's something beyond what normal trainers are used to. N would have not just the power Ghetsis needed, but the title and prestige to back it up.
172	** Indeed, when N becomes champion, he tells everyone to release their Pokemon.
173	** The Champion wields the most clout, and other Trainers, even the Gym Leaders, have to do what he says (fortunately, all of them have been cool people or you prevented them from being Champions for long cough Blue cough). N tells everyone to let their Pokemon go, and they'd have to comply. [[spoiler:All according to plan for Ghetsis, who would have then disposed of his son and taken over the country.]]
174	** It seems that it was actually a combination of him being champion and having Reshiram/Zekrom that did it. He's the Champion, and he's proven himself to be a hero of legend with the power to change the region. Both give him legitimacy, and people who set stock in the myths would go along with it without question, at the very least.
175	** I guess you could also say that it would be as if Chuck Norris asked you for that soda you're drinking. Chuck Norris isn't the president, or anything, but you would still give him your soda because he has the power to [[Website/ChuckNorrisFacts roundhouse kick you beyond death, through time, and kill you with 1,214 objects in an average room, including the room itself.]]
176	** N and Ghetsis say it themselves: in the first BW game, they are not trying to force people to release their pokemon, but rather trying to 'change the world'. Most people in Unova know of the legendary dragon that accompanied the hero, so the wielder of the legendary who has also beaten the champion WILL be taken seriously regarding the matter of pokemon. Team Plasma's traditional appearance is also to take advantage of the Unovan hero lore. They wanted the public to view N as the second coming of the ancient king and hero. They were going to influence the general public and make a world where keeping pokemon was viewed as wrong. You can actually see the difference in people's reactions to the two times Ghetsis appeared in public and made a speech about pokemon liberation. In Accumula town people dismissed the idea quickly, but after N acquired the dragon, the Opelucid crowd was much more receptive to what Ghetsis said.
177	* Wait a sec, how did N challenge the Elite Four? I don't remember him winning badges, so any prestige he gets in beating the Champion shouldn't count. (Unless it does, they were fighting seriously... gah, my brain hurts).
178	** Maybe I'm not far enough yet, but he does exit the second Gym, so I guess he was fighting against Lenore?
179	** Maybe the guard people were afraid of the big honking dragon. Or he just flew over them.
180	* The only question I have is, why is it that Team Plasma mistook a Dragonite skeleton for the version legendary? Dragonite is smaller than either of them, not at all extinct, and only sort of legendary. Sure, there are no Dragonite in Unova (at first), but this is sort of like saying somebody from California wouldn't know an elephant when they see one because they aren't native to that region.
181	** Perhaps nobody knew what the legendary Pokemon actually ''looked'' like until they were revived? It was thousands of years ago, after all.
182	** Dragonite is really quite rare - there are few, if any, the wild, and the only notable trainers with them are Lance, Clair if one of her Dragonair evolved, Drake could have one but isn't using it, and possibly Ethan/Lyra, being player characters and everything. Cipher got hold of one, but no-one cares about Orre so it doesn't matter. It's possible none of the people involved had ever seen a Dragonite, and thus didn't realize it wasn't what they were looking for.
183	*** Dragonite is even CATCHABLE in Unova... And in the water just outside the Dragonspiral Tower, no less. So it's still hard for me to believe that Team Plasma made such a silly mistake.
184	*** They're not experts, and skulls don't look too different to one another, particularly if one or possibly both of them has never been seen. Would you be able to tell the difference between, say, a [[http://giftideas.ws/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Model-TRex-skeleton-gift-shopping.jpg T-Rex skull]] and an [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Allosaurus_SDNHM.jpg/300px-Allosaurus_SDNHM.jpg Allosaurus skull]] if you were in a hurry?
185	** Or simply they were told to steal something related to the legendary Pokemon, which was said to be a dragon. When they got to the museum, they only saw one thing related to dragons, which is Dragonite's skeleton. How would you know that some weird pretty looking round stone sitting in the corner is the dormant dragon?
186	* So just where the hell did Team Plasma get Genesect's fossil? The player can't find any unlike with normal fossils, and there doesn't seem to be any large excavation site in Unova.
187	** Maybe Ghetsis had it stolen from a museum somewhere else?
188	** Genesect was the apex predator in its time. There wouldn't have been many of them around at any one time, and fossils only form in very particular circumstances. Perhaps the fossils that the player can find are like the Pokémon equivalent of ammonites and Devil's Toenails, and Genesect fossils are more like a T. Rex.
189	*** TheJWittz has guessed that Genesect was a Kabutops at one point.
190	* More just a legitimate question than a headscratcher/something bugging me, but was there a point to the ghost-girl who had an Abra on the Marvelous Bridge other than to freak you out?
191	** Nope. Just like the ghost people in the Old Chateau in Sinnoh.
192	** [[spoiler: She reappears in the Strange House in Black and White 2.]]
193	* If someone else becomes the champion, why should you beat the old champion instead of him to become champion?
194	** It's possible that N wasn't really the official Champion. He just beat the official Champion, without going through all the proper channels, getting 8 Gym badges, etc. He just pulled up with a Legendary Dragon and challenged the Champion straight-up. You'll notice in the older games that you have to fight Blue to become the Champion.
195	*** There's no real indication that he collected the 8 gym badges but both Shauntal and Grimsley claim that N battled them before you showed up, which implies that he had to defeat the Elite Four before he could face the champion.
196	** Because N went away at the end? Even if he got all 8 badges (which I think he did, as we see him leaving at least 1 gym and then as we leave another) and fought all the Elite 4 members (even more likely, as two of them mention him, as above troper mentioned), if he's not around, perhaps the Champion title just defaulted back to Alder. Or Alder just battled the Elite 4 members over again for the sake of formality and they just reinstated him in the absence of N.
197	*** Remember, Alder didn't defeat the Elite 4 to become Champion, he was selected by the Pokemon League. So even though N beat him, when there was no champion, they just re-appointed him.
198	*** It is possible that N defeated Alder, but didn't go through the ceremony where the team is recorded, and thus was never officially recorded as the Champion. Basically, he just failed to file the proper paperwork.
199	* N's Castle. ''How in the name of Arceus'' did they put that thing [[ElaborateUndergroundBase underground]], right behind the freaking Pokémon League without anyone noticing?
200	** I thought of it as the castle being ancient ruins from a long forgotten civilization, and anything to suggest a more recent building point is actually Team Plasma discovering and refurbishing it as a base of sorts. (I haven't played the games in a while but I remember a mechanic in the game where you actually explore ruins underwater to collect treasure. Maybe it's related?)
201	** Well, if it was ''underground'', presumably it would be harder to notice. They weren't exactly building it right behind the league where people would actually see it. How in the world they manage to figure out a way to get it to come up like that without people noticing something was up beforehand is a good question, though.
202	* How exactly did team plasma expect people to listen to them? Their goal is to convince people to give up their Pokemon so they're the only ones with Pokemon, fair enough, but ''they're using Pokemon themselves'' and not in secret either. They're out there in the open going against the thing they supposedly stand for. Would you listen to someone who told you to stop eating ice-cream if they were eating an ice cream themselves at that moment?
203	** Maybe people thought that Team Plasma would release their Pokémon, too, or... Team Plasma somehow managed to convince people that they were the only ones doing it "right." A necessary evil type of situation, maybe?
204	* After the player and the rival help Clay apprehend the Team Plasma members who were stealing Pokémon in Driftveil City, Ghetsis comes pick them up and claims that they're actually the good guys and "only free Pokémon from wicked people". So what does Clay do? ''He lets them go based on Ghetsis' word alone.'' '''What the fuck?'''
205	** Clay didn't believe Ghetsis at all; he called the man out for bullshitting him right away. "You talk real nice, but what yer sayin' kinda sounds like lyin'." The reason he lets them get away is Ghetsis' remark: "Team Plasma also has an interest in Driftveil City. And we have many, many more members besides those who are here..." That was his subtle way of telling Clay that if he tried to apprehend the Plasma grunts present, Ghetsis would bring a horde of new Grunts to stir up more trouble in the city. Clay recognized that it wasn't worth it to detain the small group they'd rounded up, so he let them go in exchange for Ghetsis leaving the city with them.
206	* Is it just be or did Ghetsis' plan ''made absolutely no sense''? He wanted N to convince everyone in Unova to release their Pokémon so that he would be the only one left with Pokémon and take over the region. Even if he could ''somehow'' make sure that every single individual in the region had released all their Pokémon and there were no more Poké Balls left in the region to catch Pokémon, didn't it ever occur to him that outsiders would still have their Pokémon and could be called to take Ghetsis down at any moment? I mean, fuck, one outsider in particular who is known to visit Unova regularly is the Sinnoh Champion herself.
207	** There's a reason he tried to make N summon the legendary dragon of Unova: he figured that if N could summon one of the strongest Pokémon ever, a Pokémon that is essentially a god, and defeat Alder and take over the League, he would have enough power to persuade people to release their Pokémon because N would now become too powerful to resist. Outsiders wouldn't be able to resist either, as now Team Plasma's King N would be able to have all the power due to his position and no one would be a match for him and a Pokémon that is essentially a deity, not even a Champion like Cynthia, so no one would be able to resist N's authority in that regard. Only Hilbert or Hilda manages to foil their plan because they manage to summon the other legendary and best N in a battle of heroes, both having similar calibre of strength to due to also eventually getting a Legendary Pokémon themselves, which is what ultimately does throw the wrench in Ghetsis's plans.
208	*** Clearly Ghetsis didn't think that the mere act of possessing the Legendary Dragon would make him unstoppable, otherwise he wouldn't have gone through the trouble of trying to convince everyone in Unova to release their Pokémon.
209	* At the end of the game, Ghetsis reveals that he had manipulated N into trying to convince everyone in the region to release their Pokémon, not out of a desire to liberate Pokémon, but as part of his evil plan to take over the region with his Pokémon. And he says all this ''right in front of N''. Um, what the bleep? Did he really expect N to play along after this confession?
210	[[/folder]]
211
212	[[folder:Questions About The Moves (And Other Gameplay Aspects)]]
213	* If a trainer has to be at least 10 to become a Pokemon trainer... why did they throw in the "Kindergartner" trainer class in this game?
214	** Because that requirement is anime-only. And there have been [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Youngster_(Trainer_class) younger]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Bug_Catcher_(Trainer_class) Pokemon]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/School_Kid_(Trainer_class) trainers]] since the first generation.
215	** Did I perhaps miss something where they said you had to be at least ten to be a Pokémon trainer in the games? I don't recall the games ever saying you had to be at least ten years old to be a trainer; I know some have stated that the trainers were ten, but the others don't actually say you're only ten years old, until Gen V where they say they're teenagers. As if that actually makes a difference beyond how they look - I actually thought the trainers in Gen III were 13-15 because they didn't ''look'' like they were ten years old!
216	*** Of course the anime isn't canon to the games, unless they're specifically stated to continue the game's story ([=WoW=]'s ExpandedUniverse movies, cartoons, comics, etc. are in alternate universes). Garbage, though? Definite YMMV.
217	** I always thought that most of them were people ''with'' Pokemon; it's never been said even in the anime that you need to be 10 to ''have'' a Pokemon, just 10 to leave home on your quest, and the kindergartners clearly show that: kids who have Pokemon but are still in school, just like the people you fight ''in'' their schools in several games.
218	* Cryogonal is genderless. It can learn Attract via TM. ''What.'' Even more so, Larvesta and Volcarona ''can't'', despite having genders and being TM-compatible![[note]]Nincada can't learn Attract either, but don't forget that this is a way to keep ''genderless'' Shedinja from having it. Volcarona doesn't have this excuse.[[/note]]
219	** The gendered Ferrothorn can't learn Attract either, for absolutely no reason. Also, Cryogonal can actually utilize Attract, but only on fellow genderless Pokemon, like Golett.
220	*** Can't say anything for poor Ferrothorn (Volcarona may have an excuse because it's a super rare Pokemon...maybe), but as already explained in the first folder, Cryogonal may be partially based on a mirror. Logically, it's trying to make its opponent fall in love with its own reflection.
221	* The new move "After You". It bugs me.What is the strategic purpose of such a move? Well,I know that "splash" already existed (and it's far from being the most useful move) and Me First too (and this one, I can actually see a point to this move), but letting the foe attack before you?
222	** I think it's like Helping Hand, it's not made for the Pokemon using it in itself in single battles, but for using on another Pokemon in double and or triple battles. Example: Your opponent has a Heracross (speed 85) and you have a Beartic (speed 50). Normally, Beartic would move after Heracross, but if its partner has a higher speed than your Heracross and uses "After You" on Beartic, Beartic will go first. It's also good for forcing moves with decreased priority, such as Focus Punch, Roar, Dragon Tail, Circle Throw, and Whirlwind to happen as soon as After You is used on the user of said moves. Quash is the same move but with more range in triple battles. I never got the point of giving Splash to any Pokemon other than Magikarp.
223	*** That's exactly the point of the move: to force slower Pokemon to move first, including those using decreased priority moves. If any move seems like it works for the sole purpose of benefiting your opponent or is otherwise useless in a single or rotation battle, chances are that it was intended for use in double and triple battles. The same goes for many moves that you wouldn't be able to use consistently, such as Snatch (which can be used by one of your Pokemon to steal the effects of one of your other Pokemon's moves). Quash is almost useless without Trick Room, though. It forces the opponent to go last, but it has no increased Priority and most of the Pokemon that gain the move are slow. Even worse is the fact that, unlike After You, the number of things able to learn it didn't increase in [=B2W2=].
224	* What happens to your Global Link account if you were to start a new game on the Black or White cartridge you have connected to it? Would you still be able to use it with your new game? Will the account be dissolved if you can't? What would happen to any Pokemon that you may have currently uploaded into the Global Link if you start over depending on one of the above solutions?
225	** If you're that worried, don't erase your game then.
226	** Customer support. Ask them to remove the link. Easy as pie.
227	* In Route 11 there are some waterfalls, one going up and another going down to a ranger battle and some dark grass. I've explored the lower section a bit and I cannot seem find a way out of there without using either Waterfall or Fly. Since you don't need either to get there, surely that's a bit dangerous as you could get stuck down there... unless I'm just missing the exit.
228	** Although it doesn't ask for you to use it, you should only be able to go down a waterfall if you know Waterfall.
229	* In Castelia City, there's streets where there are lots of people busily running back and forth. But when you get to the Central Plaza, there's barely any people there. What happened to them?
230	** It's a big city. They probably just turn off while you're actually making your way to Central Plaza.
231	* Where did that backpacker chick get those two fossils from? Ya think this might be answered once the sequels come out?
232	** Given how [=BW2=] is about to come out, we'll be finding out if it's answered there, but if it's not... remember that in Hoenn, the two fossils were just sitting out there in the open in the desert route. If we don't get an answer in [=BW2=], I'm just going to go with fossils randomly appearing in the desert like they did in Gen 3, and the backpacker chick picked them up before you happened to get there.
233	*** Also, in Gen 1, there's that one weirdo that uncovered the fossils. It could make sense here because these ARE ruins, so it's justified that there are archeologists.
234	* What was the point of replacing Contests with Musicals when the latter are basically a stripped down version of the former? They're pretty much Super Contests with just the first section (dressing up your Pokémon), resulting in the loss of the parts that actually had interaction from the player.
235	* Why are certain Pokemon able to use moves when they shouldn't. If Excadrill battles in a body of water (despite being a Ground-type), it is somehow able to use dig. How is this possible?
236	** This has been going on since Red and Blue so either it's best considered a case of MST3KMantra or they are actually battling on sand bars or small islands. Whichever works better.
237	[[/folder]]

Context Headscratchers / PokemonBlackAndWhite