Cipher
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 A Cipher Peon from Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness | ||||||||||
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Cipher (Japanese: シャドー Shadow) is an evil syndicate with plans of world domination that it set in motion during the course of Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness.
In Pokémon Colosseum
The organization first appears at the beginning of Pokémon Colosseum, where Wes sees two thugs, later revealed to be Cipher members Trudly and Folly, carry off a sack after a supposed heist. The sack contains a girl, which Wes discovers on venturing to Phenac City, who has the ability to see the dark aura Cipher's Shadow Pokémon emit. After consulting briefly with the mayor of Phenac City, Es Cade, Wes and Rui venture off to defeat Cipher.
Most cities in Orre are either overrun by the group or controlled entirely by them: three of Cipher's four administrators, Miror B., Dakim, and Venus, control Pyrite Town, Mt. Battle, and The Under, respectively, when Wes firsts arrives at each, having taken over the towns from their people through threats, covert means, and outright violence. Agate Village is also terrorized by the group, with the goal of destroying the Relic Stone.
Cipher's fourth administrator, Ein, serves as their lead scientist, and is the chief developer of Shadow Pokémon in a secret laboratory in the desert. Nascour is chief executive of the operation, giving directives to the admins, only appearing in person twice.
Team Snagem became partners to Cipher's plot: Team Snagem would steal Pokémon from Trainers, while Cipher would corrupt them and turn them into Shadow Pokémon. Cipher was the original developer of the Snag Machine stolen from Team Snagem by Wes.
With their Shadow Pokémon scheme nearing completion, despite Wes' snagging of the Shadow Pokémon he had encountered, Cipher opens the newly-completed Realgam Tower in the middle of the Orre desert, hoping to use its colosseum as a moneymaking venture where spectators could witness brutal battles between Pokémon who were fighting for their lives. With the intervention of Wes, this was prevented, and Nascour was defeated. However, at that moment, Es Cade arrives, revealing himself to be Evice, Cipher's true leader. He is defeated as well, and attempts to escape with a helicopter to avoid arrest; however, Ho-Oh destroys the helicopter with Sacred Fire, ending Cipher's scheme.
In Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
Cipher returns in Pokémon XD, having refined their Shadow Pokémon creation and distribution techniques. Only Miror B. is present from the first plot, though he no longer works for Cipher. Instead, he and his minions, Folly and Trudly, seek to create Team Miror B. and own all the Pokémon in the world. During the game, Miror B. will collect any Shadow Pokémon that Michael fails to snag.
All other members of the previous Cipher administration are presumed to be either still be at large or in prison, and new administrators have been appointed. Lovrina serves as chief supervisor of Cipher's research and development team, who are overhauling Ein's techniques to create a Shadow Pokémon that is impossible to purify. Snattle serves as Cipher's political pawn who intends to be inserted as Orre's new Governor, while Gorigan is in charge of the Cipher Key Lair, where the newest breed of Shadow Pokémon are made in groups.
Eldes and Ardos serve as bodyguards for Cipher's Grand Master, Greevil, accompanying him throughout the region as he tours it in disguise as Mr. Verich. The two are also Greevil's sons, but while Ardos remains unquestioningly loyal to his father's plans, Eldes shows discontent and fear that Greevil is going too far in his bid for power.
A possibility is hinted at by an NPC, and confirmed by Sherles in Pokémon XD, that Evice may not have been the true leader of Cipher, and that Greevil was always the Grand Master. It is possible that the wealthy old man, mentioned as having made a fortune in The Under's mines, is Greevil himself.
Trivia
- Cipher has similar plans to Team Dim Sun in Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. Both of them have an undercover boss playing a major role in the region (Blake Hall as President of Altru and Es Cade as Mayor of Phenac City), both build a tower as part of their plans (Altru Tower and Realgam Tower) and make Pokémon lose their memories (Gigaremo units and Shadow Pokémon). Also, they are final bosses of their respective games, and can be re-battled at will.
- Cipher also has similar plans to Team Rocket. Both either stole Pokémon personally or were otherwise involved in Pokémon theft, both had plans for world domination involving Pokémon, both leaders also had a respectable and unassuming position in the first city visited by the player (Giovanni was the Gym Leader of Viridian City, whereas Evice/Es Cade was the Mayor of Phenac City), and both ended up being revived a few years later by someone other than their original leaders.
- Unlike other villain groups, Cipher is indicated to regularly use physical force on humans; during the kidnapping of Professor Krane and attack on the ONBS, Trainers are found injured on the ground mentioning they couldn't stop Cipher, and during the attack on Phenac City, Cipher forces Justy to surrender by threatening hostages. In Pokémon Colosseum it is shown that Shadow Pokémon do not hesitate to attack humans, which is also one of the possible effects on Shadow Pokémon in Hyper Mode.
In other languages
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| Cipher | |||||
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| Cipher Lab • Realgam Tower (Tower Colosseum) • Cipher Key Lair • Citadark Isle | |||||
| Grand Master | Head | ||||
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| Greevil | Evice | ||||
| Admins | |||||
| Dakim • Venus • Ein • Lovrina • Snattle • Gorigan • Ardos • Eldes | |||||
| Other members | |||||
| Exol • Cipher Peons (Verde • Rosso • Bluno • Skrub • Mirakle B. Fein • Naps • Hexagon Brothers) • Nascour • Reath • Ferma • Zook | |||||
| Former members | |||||
| Miror B. • Folly • Trudly | |||||
See also: Shadow Pokémon (Shadow Lugia) • Team Snagem
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