History Awesome / PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness

** The reveal Cipher is responsible for the weather around Citadark, and have done so long enough nobody on the outside knows it's not naturally occuring.

* A minor one when fighting Ardos. His shadow Snorlax knows the move [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Shadow End]] and its animation is to get up, jump in the air, and belly-flop the opponent. Let's repeat that: Snorlax belly-flop attack before [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Pulverizing Pancake]] was a thing. The enemy's not recovering from that.

* How do you top the typical [[CeilingCling Ceiling Peon]] routine? ''Do it on an elevator''. Alternately, Kleef's clever approach of doing it after ThatOneBoss.

* Raiding the Shadow Pokemon factory with the help of Team Snagem, [[EnemyMine of all people]]. A large gauntlet of tough trainers with a challenging boss at the end and Cipher openly challenging you. BringIt.

* Even though they're the villain organization, you still have to give Cipher credit for replacing all the residents of Phenac City, even if it still had a few kinks (ie, the Hexagon Brothers trying to impersonate the same guy). ''That'' is how you take control over a region. Keeping the player character from ripping it apart, on the other hand...
** The ONBS raid shows ''why'' Cipher is a force to be reckoned with. In addition to the Elevator Peon and regular Ceiling Peon deployment, Exol's squad puts everyone under lock and key, they KO the bouncer, Megg is taken hostage, and Secc doesn't want to cause a panic by reporting all of this. Why go to all the trouble? Michael got a Data Disc from Lovrina after chasing her off, and they want to keep the data from being compromised with as little public backlash as possible. They do this by ''scrubbing the ONBS database!'' [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Ghetsis]], put ''that'' in your pipe and smoke it.
* So Prof. Krane's been kidnapped, workers are injured, notes for the Purification Chamber taken, all hope seems to be lost... but Lily decides to screw all that. So what if things went horribly wrong; she intends to rally the group and finish the job together. And she does! Instead of being useless or just a tutorial in the series, the player's mom is vital to the plot.

** Speaking of Team Snagem, them using Gloom's Sleep Powder on you and, later, Cipher's bodyguards. The lesser villain team they may be, but impractical they are certainly not.

* The entrance of Shadow Lugia, one of THE MOST badass villain Pokémon in the franchise. How many other Pokémon do you know have the strength to ''lift a freaking ship out of the water''?

* Even though they're the villain organization, you still have to give Cipher credit for replacing all the residents of Phenac City.

* The whole Phenac City incident would have been a genius ploy if [[GoldfishPoopGang the Hexagon Brothers weren't trying to impersonate the same guy]] and [[WhatAnIdiot Snattle and his secretary took a bit longer to pick up the trash]]. ''This'' is how they can take control over a region. Keeping the player character from ripping it apart, on the other hand...

* Even though they're the villain organization, you still have to give Cipher credit for [[spoiler:replacing all the residents of Phenac City.]]
** The ONBS raid shows ''why'' Cipher is a force to be reckoned with. In addition to the Elevator Peon and regular Ceiling Peon deployment, Exol's squad puts everyone under lock and key, they KO the bouncer, Megg is taken hostage, and Secc doesn't want to cause a panic by reporting all of this. Why go to all the trouble? [[spoiler:Michael got a Data Disc from Lovrina after chasing her off, and they want to keep the data from being compromised with as little public backlash as possible. They do this by ''scrubbing the ONBS database!'']] [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Ghetsis]], put ''that'' in your pipe and smoke it.

* A minor one when fighting [[spoiler:Ardos]]. His shadow Snorlax knows the move [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Shadow End]] and its animation is to get up, jump in the air, and belly-flop the opponent. Let's repeat that: Snorlax belly-flop attack before [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Pulverizing Pancake]] was a thing. The enemy's not recovering from that.

* The pan across [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Citadark Isle]] as an extended rearrangement of the title theme kicks in. It really hypes you up for the final stretch.

* Raiding the Shadow Pokemon factory with the help of Team Snagem, [[EnemyMine of all people]]. A large gauntlet of tough trainers with a challenging boss at the end and Cypher openly challenging you. BringIt.

* The entrance of Shadow Lugia, THE MOST badass villain Pokémon ever! I mean, how many other Pokémon do you know have the strength to ''lift a freaking ship out of the water''?

* So Prof. Krane's been kidnapped, workers are injured, notes for the Purification Chamber taken, all hope seems to be lost... but Lily decides to screw all that. So what if things went horribly wrong; she intends to rally the group and finish the job together.

** YMMV on this, but if they'd had somebody impersonating the mayor to take the letter and send you on your way, it could've at least stalled the player for a while.
* A minor one when fighting [[spoiler:Ardos]]. His shadow Snorlax knows the move [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Shadow End]] and its animation is to get up, jump in the air, and belly-flop the opponent. I repeat: Snorlax belly-flop attack before [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Pulverizing Pancake]] was a thing. The enemy's not recovering from that.

* A minor one when fighting [[spoiler:Ardos]]. His shadow Snorlax knows the move [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Shadow End]] and its animation is to get up, jump in the air, and belly-flop the opponent. I repeat: Snorlax belly-flop attack. The enemy's not recovering from that.

* A minor one when fighting [[spoiler: Ardos]]. His shadow Snorlax knows the move [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Shadow End]] and it's animation is to get up, jump in the air, and belly flop the opponent. I repeat: Snorlax belly-flop attack. The enemy's not recovering from that.

* The entrance of Shadow Lugia, THE MOST {{badass}} villain Pokémon ever! I mean, how many other Pokémon do you know have the strength to ''lift a freaking ship out of the water''?

* How do you top the typical [[CeilingCling Ceiling Peon]] routine? ''Do it on an elevator''. Alternately, Kleef's [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy clever approach of doing it]] after ThatOneBoss.