Team Plasma

Team Plasma grunts
Team Plasma
Prominent Members	N, Seven Sages, Shadow Triad
Founder	Ghetsis
Debut	Pokémon: Black and White Versions

Team Plasma is a criminal organization that was featured in the fifth generation Pokémon games, where they served as the main antagonists for Pokémon: Black and White Versions.

Background

The team appears to have been founded by Ghetsis some time after he failed in his own attempt to find and control Reshiram or Zekrom, the legendary Dragon-type Pokémon of Unova. Team Plasma was made with a system in which it was ruled by a king, who was advised by Seven Sages. Ghetsis was the ruler of sages and recruited the other six, so he held the true power within Team Plasma. The king was young boy named N who was supposedly Ghetsis's son (but not even the other sages know for sure) and whose coronation was depicted in the opening cutscene for Black and White. N had been confined to his playroom for most of his life and was sent abused Pokémon to manipulate him into believing that Pokémon training as an inherent evil. This was because part of Ghetsis's plan was to make N appear to be the hero of Unova, so that he could awaken the dragon Pokémon. N was raised within a castle known as N's Castle that seemed to be kept underground near the Pokémon League for the day when Team Plasma's plans would come to fruition. The castle was secretly built over the course of several years by overworked Pokémon that were stolen from other trainers. One other facility they had was the P2 Laboratory, where a scientist named Dudley revived a fossil and scientifically enhanced it to make Genesect. N did not approve of this, as he believed only a fully natural Pokémon could reach perfection. This caused the research and the P2 Laboratory to be shut down. They also had their own boat called the Plasma Ship.

To the public, Team Plasma was an extreme yet altruistic organization that promoted Pokémon liberation. They spread the belief that Pokémon should be separated from trainers and be allowed to grow separately into perfect beings. This was their cover story, and in reality Ghetsis's ultimate plan was to trick or coerce everyone into releasing their Pokémon so that only he would have Pokémon, and he would have power over the world. Team Plasma's true plan was only known to Ghetsis and a select few other members such as the sages, and it seems that they would also be allowed to keep their Pokémon in the end. To achieve their ends, Ghetsis appeared in towns such as Accumula and Opelucid to give speeches about Pokémon liberation, while grunts of Team Plasma were secretly dispatched to steal Pokémon from trainers as well as anything that could be connected to the dragon Pokémon.

Aside from being seen during Ghetsis's first speech, the first appearance by Team Plasma grunts was at Striation City's Dreamyard. A pair of grunts harassed a Munna for Dream Mist, as Team Plasma was thinking of manipulating people into releasing their Pokémon through dreams. Bianca objected to this, and Hilbert/Hilda objected to this. Ghetsis then appeared and scared the Plasma grunts away in his anger, although it appears that this Ghetsis was just a hallucination caused by the nearby Musharna. More Team Plasma grunts stole an unspecified Pokémon from a Preschooler at Route 3 and took refuge in Wellspring Cave. Hilbert/Hilda and Cheren followed them there and defeated them. They surrendered the Pokémon while hoping that Cheren would reconsider their ideals, but Cheren remained in vocal opposition of Team Plasma's methods and philosophy for the duration of the game. Team Plasma made a larger move in Nacrene City, where a group of Team Plasma grunts stole a Dragon Skull from the museum. They bluntly announced this crime to Lenora before disappearing in a smokescreen in order to show how serious they were. Hilbert/Hilda pursued the grunts into the Pinwheel Forest until the last grunt reluctantly returned the skull after being defeated. The sage Gorm then arrived to assure the grunt that the loss was not in vain as research showed that the skull did not belong to the legendary Pokémon, and they then retreated after warning the trainer and gym leaders not to meddle in their activities any further. Team Plasma was more active in Castelia City. Ghetsis was based in a building across from Burgh's gym with the sages Bronius and Rood, and the choice of location was apparently because Bronius found it "amusing". They sent out grunts to mug local trainers as it was easy to lose people in the hustle and bustle of the city. One Plasma grunt succeeded in stealing Bianca's Munna from her, but he made the mistake of assuming it would be return to the scene of his crime and steal more. When he returned, Bianca had been joined by Iris, Burgh and Hilda/Hilbert. The grunt saw the odds staced against him and retreated, but this time they were able to follow him. They fought their way into Team Plasma's building, where Burgh had a debate with Ghetsis. Ghetsis soon agreed to return the Munna to Bianca and had his men clear out of the city.

Members of Team Plasma were also featured in an event that could be done at any point after reaching Castelia City (with the event item Liberty Pass). Within this event, a group of Team Plasma grunts took the Plasma Ship to Liberty Garden and attacked it in order to find the Victini that was hidden in the basement. Hilbert/Hilda was able to defeat them, and this group was arrested. Back in the main storyline, several Team Plasma grunts were later shown at Nimbasa City, where they harassed the Day Care Man and retreated to the amusement park, where they watched over N. Team Plasma had a larger presence at Driftveil City, where the sage Zinzolin had his grunts stealing more Pokémon. They were caught by Clay, but they were able to escape while Clay was lowering Driftveil Bridge for Hilbert/Hilda and Cheren. They hid in the Cold Storage, where they huddled for warmth until Hilbert/Hilda and Cheren arrived. They fought through the grunts, and Clay was then able to round them up. They did not remain in his custody for long, as Ghetsis arrived and talked Clay into releasing them to him by threatening to return with larger numbers. Several Team Plasma members also appeared in Chargestone Cave, and they were apparently placed there to test Hilbert/Hilda's power for Ghetsis.

Team Plasma then became quite for a while as set their sights on the Dragonscale Tower, which was believed to contain the Light or Dark Stone, as the dragon Pokémon were sealed into these stones. One Team Plasma grunt was beaten by Cheren at the end of Twist Mountain but retreated after being informed that their plan was entering its final stages. Team Plasma soon launched their raid on Dragonscale Tower, and N sent the Shadow Triad with a message asking Hilbert/Hilda to meet him at the tower. Cheren and Brycen also came along and fought through most of the grunts. N was successful in finding the tower's stone and awakening Zekrom (in Black) or Reshiram (in White). Team Plasma then launched an attack at the Relic Castle in search of the other stone, but it could no be found and instead they were brought into conflict with Hilbert/Hilda, Cheren and Alder. Even without the second dragon Pokémon, Team Plasma had everything it needed for the final phase of their plan. With Zekrom/Reshiram at his disposal, N could easily defeat Alder, Unova's champion. With the position of Pokémon League Champion in addition to the legendary Dragon Pokémon, N would have the authority to force all of Unova to release their Pokémon. N stalled this last step, as he wanted Hilbert/Hilda to find the other dragon and challenge him. This was actually due in part to N's growing doubts about his mission.

N eventually launched his attack on the Pokémon League shortly before Hilbert/Hilda arrived. After N defeated Alder, N's Castle emerged from the ground to serve as a symbol of the change that was coming to Unova. Hilbert/Hilda was able to enter and explore the castle after all of the region's gym leaders arrived to hold off the six sages. Within the castle, one scientist was showing to have hacked Unova's PC system, and he was preparing to steal all the trainers' Pokémon from their PCs, but he never got to do so. Hilbert/Hilda met with N, at which point the trainer was able to awaken and catch their own dragon Pokémon, Reshiram/Zekrom. The final battle for Team Plasma came down to Hilbert/Hilda battling N with their respective dragons, and afterwards Hilbert/Hilda was able to defeat Ghetsis as well. N, who felt full remorse for his actions, then departed on the back of his Dragon Pokémon for another region. Team Plasma was basically disbanded and scattered afterwards, with most of the remnants being disillusioned about their team. Ghetsis and the Shadow Triad were able to escape to parts unknown, and only the other six sages were captured and brought to justice by Looker, who arrived at Unova just after the N's Castle incident to investigate Team Plasma.

Members

Like most of the teams in this series, Team Plasma is largely consisted of generic footmen and women referred to as Grunts. Their uniforms consist of Medieval knight-like attire. Most grunts wield basic Pokémon such as Patrat or Purrloin and their evolved forms.

Shadow Triad

The Shadow Triad is a mysterious trio of masked men with ninja-like abilities. They appeared and disappeared from nowhere, and they usually spoke briefly, if at all. They were masters of stealth, although Brycen was able to sense their presence. Nothing about their pasts are known except that Ghetsis apparently saved their lives, which caused them to develop an undying loyalty to him. The Shadow Triad was first seen at Chargestone Cavern, where they set up the Galvantula nest that blocked the entrance and guided the trainer to N. They had done research on Hilbert/Hilda as well as Cheren and Bianca under Ghetsis's orders. They appeared at several points afterwards, usually performing some errand or delivering a message from Ghetsis or N. They also talked to Hilbert/Hilda at N's Castle and gave hints about N's oppressive upbringing. Once Ghetsis was defeated, the Shadow Triad were able to secretly whisk him away. Ghetsis departed afterwards and ordered them not to follow him. He instead passed onto them three items to give to Hilbert/Hilda: the Adamant, Lustrous and Griseous Orbs. They met the trainer at the Marvelous Bridge to do so and brought up many various questions about Ghetsis's plans and whether he was testing or using the trainer. The Shadow Triad assured Hilbert/Hilda that Ghetsis's ambitions would never cease and left with a promise that they would never meet again.

As they are never battled, it is unknown if they have any Pokémon. The trap they set at Chargestone Cave does imply that at least one fo them owns a Galvantula, however.

Seven Sages

Ghestis is the leader of the Seven Sages, and he describes the other six as knowledgeable people that he gathered from various corners of the world. None of their home regions are ever specified. All of the sages are elderly men who wear robes and usually have tendencies to work philosophical idioms into their speech. Each sage makes an individual appearance at some point during the storyline, and at the end they were all present at N's Castle. There they tried to bar Hilbert/Hilda from interfering with N, but the gym leaders of Unova show up to hold them off so that Hilbert/Hilda could proceed. The results of the battle are uncertain, but all of the sages were able to escape afterwards. They hid throughout Unova, but Hilbert/Hilda was able to slowly track down all of them so that Looker could arrest them. Each of them also gave a different TM before being arrested, and most of them came to see the error of their ways. Ghetsis was the only sage who was able to get away.

They cannot be battled at any point, but they do seem to have Pokémon, as they are able to battle the gym leaders who use their own Pokémon. At the same time, whenever they confront Hilbert/Hilda, they are more likely to send Plasma grunts to fight for them.

Bronius

Bronius and Rood were the two sages at Ghetsis's side at Castelia City. Bronius was the one who chose the building across from the gym due to the irony, as he did not expect for them to be shut down so quickly. At the end of the game, Bronius took refuge in Chargestone Cave. He remembered that he initially did not care for Hilbert/Hilda's existence, and because Ghetsis had tested the trainer's strength in this cave, he called in some remaining grunts to test Hilbert/Hilda again. After they were beaten, Bronius realized that he had overlooked that Team Plasma's Pokémon were also fighting for their trainers and thanked Hilbert/Hilda for this insight with the gift of TM 69: Rock Polish. He wondered how well N understood what Pokémon did for him, and as he was taken away, he asked Hilbert/Hilda to forgive those Team Plasma members whom had rethought their ways. At the same time, Bronius claimed that not even he would forgive those who still disrespected Pokémon.

Giallo

Giallo was present during Team Plasma's raid on Dragonspiral Tower. He had a group of grunts attack Hilbert/Hilda to prevent them from interfering with N's awakening of the legendary dragon Pokémon. He was also the main speaker at N's Castle. After Team Plasma fell apart, Giallo tried hiding on a cliff in Route 14. He greeted Hilbert/Hilda when they found him and asked about their progress with their own dragon Pokémon. He recited a saying about the power of a close bond between a person and his Pokémon, and he felt that it applied to N as well as Hilbert/Hilda. His gift for Hilbert/Hilda was TIM 08: Bulk Up. Giallo then tried to communicate a simple yet powerful message, that anyone could become a hero and change the world. Looker then came to arrest him, and he admitted that while Team Plasma changed him, he failed to change the world. Giallo instead looked forward to how Hilbert/Hilda's lot did.

Gorm

Gorm first showed up at Pinwheel Forest after the botched robbery of the Dragon Skull. Even though they had messed up with the skull, Gorm was ready to take on Hilbert/Hilda to make sure that the trainer did not interfere with them anymore. He reconsidered due to the presence of the gym leaders Burgh and Lenora. He still threatened to deal with the gym leaders at a later date. At the end of the game, he took refuge at the Dreamyard. When Hilbert/Hilda found him, Gorm went on about the importance of surprise and realized that the spirit that the trainer and the gym leaders exhibited could probably be what would take Pokémon to the next level. decided to give the trainer TM 75: Swords Dance. As he was arrested, Gorm told the trainer never to forget that they had stopped N's dreams, and he used their location as an analogy to point out the difference between dreams that are illusions and real dreams which one could realize with their abilities.

Rood

Rood was initially alongside Bronius with Ghetsis at Castelia City, but Rood had a minor presence. He was glad when N's Castle arose, because he had been "waiting in the abyss" for its time. After Team Plasma fell, Rood hid near the sea at Route 18, and he noted that the ocean smelled the same as by his birthplace. Rood talked about the importance of understanding as well as the machinations that Ghetsis had composed. He decied to give TM 32: Double Team, which he had gotten from Ghetsis, to the player. Rood had hopes that the sages could gather again once N grew to understand the feelings of people as well as Pokémon, and he voiced a strong interest in seeing N confront Ghetsis. He then went along when Looker arrested him.

Ryoku

Ryoku accompanied Ghetis at the Relic Castle and stayed behind partway down. He told Hilbert/Hilda that Ghetsis wanted to test their power through Plasma Grunts to see if the trainer was capable of threatening Team Plasma. He also advised Hilbert/Hilda to go through the quicksand. After Team Plasa fell apart, Ryoku returned to Relic Castle in search of Volcanaroa. He hoped to give it to Ghetsis, but it seems that he knew from the Shadow Triad that Ghetsis had departed from Unova. Ryoku became disillusioned with the meaning of the group and shared his thoughts for Hilbert/Hilda while bestowing TM 04: Calm Mind to the trainer, a TM he had apparently received from Ghetsis. Ryoku drew a comparison between N's Castle and the Relic Castle, in that both were crumbling. But while the Relic Castle was the remains of a great civilization, Team Plasma's own castle had left nothing behind. Looker then took Ryoku away, even though Ryoku admitted that the sages knew very little about Ghetsis and N, such as whether or not they were actually father and son.

Zinzolin

Zinzolin coordinated the Team Plasma activities at Driftveil City. He was initially caught by Clay with his group of grunts, but they were able to escape and hid in the city's Cold Storage. They huddled for warmth until Hilbert/Hilda and Cheren arrived, at which point Zinzolin tried to have the grunts fight them. They were taken away by Clay, but Ghetsis was able to secure their release. After the downfall of Team Plasma, Zinzolin returned to his hiding spot in Cold Storage and was amused when Hilbert/Hilda met with him there. Zinzolin reminisced that working for Ghetsis had made him feel truly alive and that whether or not he told the truth was unimportant. Talking to the trainer gave Zinzolin more to think about regarding whether Pokémon were more beneficial with people or separated from them, and he gave the trainer TM 01: Hone Claws. When Looker came for him, Zinzolin came with him willingly since he was feeling and cold and promised to answer Looker's questions if he was given time to think things over.

Other

There were a pair of beautiful women named Anthea and Concordia who served Team Plasma. They seemed to play some role in N's upbringing and were nurturing figures. Anthea could also heal the player's Pokémon.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In the Pokémon anime, Team Plasma was only indirectly alluded to at the beginning of the Unova series, as Giovanni had only heard vague rumors about some new unknown group operating in the region, which is why he decided to deploy Jessie and James there. Team Plasma was set to make their actual debut in a special two-part episode which would have pitted them directly against Team Rocket in a battle at the Desert Resort, but these episodes have been withheld indefinitely following the tragic 2011 earthquake in Japan. Team Plasma has yet to show up in any way since.
• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Team Plasma was featured in the Black/White arc, which largely followed the story from the games.

Trivia

• Plasma is a type of matter where the positive nuclei and negative electrons that normally attract each other are pulled apart. The name seems to refer to the group's goal of splitting people and Pokémon.
• The names of the six sages are all taken from words for one color of the rainbow. Each sage's robe also matches the corresponding color.
• Team Plasma is so far the first of the antagonistic teams within the series to acknowledge teams from previous generations (specifically Team Rocket and Team Galactic), and it is also the first time that the methods of the different teams are compared within the games.