elementcollector1
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WARNING: SPOILERS FOR LEGENDS: ARCEUS AHEAD!
There's plenty of legends about ancient Sinnoh that Legends could've touched on, but aside from the Sea's Myth (which was newly introduced for exactly that purpose), they don't seem to have featured any of them. While it makes sense for them not to talk about Pokemon and human marriage, and not to make the player afraid of the Lake Trio before they had the opportunity to help the player, a certain myth goes oddly unmentioned. Found in Canalave Library in modern-day Sinnoh with most of the others, it reads as follows:
"A young man, callow and foolish in innocence, came to own a sword.
With it, he smote Pokémon, which gave sustenance, with carefree abandon.
Those not taken as food, he discarded, with no afterthought.
The following year, no Pokémon appeared. Larders grew bare.
The young man, seeking the missing Pokémon, journeyed afar.
Long did he search. And far and wide, too, until one he did find.
Asked he, "Why do you hide?" To which the Pokémon replied…
"If you bear your sword to bring harm upon us, with claws and fangs, we will exact a toll."
"From your kind we will take our toll, for it must be done."
"Done it must be to guard ourselves and for it, I apologize."
To the skies, the young man shouted his dismay.
"In having found the sword, I have lost so much."
"Gorged with power, I grew blind to Pokémon being alive."
"I will never fall savage again. This sword I denounce and forsake."
"I plead for forgiveness, for I was but a fool."
So saying, the young man hurled the sword to the ground, snapping it.
Seeing this, the Pokémon disappeared to a place beyond seeing…"
Most strangely of all, this myth is titled 'Veilstone's Myth', suggesting it has some connection to Veilstone City. Many have concluded from Veilstone's proximity to Turnback Cave as well as the final line of the tale that the Pokemon the knight eventually found was none other than Giratina, and I personally agree - but there's more to it than that. Who is the Knight of Veilstone, and why exactly did he cut so many Pokemon down?
There are several hints in the course of Legends: Arceus that this knight may in fact be none other than Commander Kamado of the Galaxy Expedition Team. Kamado’s backstory, sparse as it was, is revealed by Beni, a childhood friend. The two had their hometown burnt to the ground by a maddened Pokemon, and Kamado and Beni immigrated together to the Hisui region to build a place where humans could live free from the fear of Pokemon. (Incidentally, this Pokemon was very likely to be a Gyarados, considering a certain Pokedex entry from Pearl: “In ancient literature, there is a record of a Gyarados that razed a village when violence flared.”). But Kamado and Beni are both old men by the time Legends occurs - what, exactly, were they doing with their time in between their hometown burning and the events of the game?
Our first clue is found in the Cobalt Coastlands, an area which encompasses those parts of Hisui that would one day become the cities of Sunyshore and Veilstone in the modern-day Sinnoh region. This area is stated to be where the Ginkgo Guild landed in Hisui (even to the point where a specific area is named ‘Ginkgo Landing’). The Galaxy Team wouldn’t have existed yet, and the Ginkgo Guild are known to trade with the Diamond and Pearl clans (earlier arrivals than the Galaxy Team and Jubilife Village peoples), so Kamado and Beni would have had to hitch a ride with them. The ships found here are sunken and capsized, with holes in the hull and crates of goods washing ashore, indicating this landing was not a pleasant one - and, most importantly, wild Gyarados can be found nearby. Also nearby is Deadwood Haunt, an area filled with Ghost-types - quite possibly the slain remnants of those the Veilstone Knight cut down. The Ginkgo Guild aren’t seen in this area (to be fair, they aren’t encountered anywhere outside Jubilife Village with the exception of Volo), so it is safe to say they no longer consider this area an ongoing base of operations. True to form, Jubilife Village features a second landing dock at Prelude Beach that is much safer, and it can be presumed that the Ginkgo Guild choose to sail here by the time of Legends: Arceus instead of to the much more treacherous Coastlands. An unknown doctor found just outside the Village entrance from Prelude Beach also remarks that Jubilife Village has been around for at least 10 years, and that 10 years ago it was little more than a poorly-defended series of huts along the beach. But, regardless, it cannot be understated that the very first location in Hisui that Kamado would have set foot upon was not at all distant from what would become Veilstone City, and that the Pokemon who destroyed the ships may well have been additional Gyarados - something Kamado would not have easily forgotten.
Our second clue comes from Kamado himself. Kamado carries himself as a stern, firm and even cruel man over the course of the story, but this masks the young country boy frightened of powerful Pokemon that he became in his youth. Kamado, likely traumatized by the razing of his childhood home, would be an ideal candidate to take up arms against Pokemon without caring for sustenance or utility - it would be simple revenge against the creatures that he perceived had more power than they should.
The very last clue that ties this all together is Kamado’s armor. Seen only during the events of the story when he abandons his facade of benevolence in favor of war, and again when he is challenged in the Proving Grounds, this armor is stated by Kamado to be a traditional Galarian set. But if Kamado has a full set of Galarian armor, it stands to reason he would have had a Galarian sword or other such weapon along with it, as most knights had dedicated swords or weapons of choice. So where’s the sword? Why don’t we see it on his person, or hidden away somewhere?
Well… it’s broken. He threw it away, so naturally it wouldn’t be on his person anymore even though the armor was kept.
To piece it all together, here is the following summary of events:
-At some point in their younger years, Kamado and Beni’s hometown is burned to the ground by a rampaging Pokemon. If this Pokemon was indeed Gyarados, it’s possible the town was undergoing some form of violent political conflict, which Kamado would have been influenced by.
-Kamado, traumatized by these events, escapes with Beni to immigrate to the Hisui region with the help of the Ginkgo Guild, who were previously catering to the more historical immigrants that formed the Diamond and Pearl clans. It’s possible that in exchange for this, the Ginkgo Guild eventually obtained exclusive foreign mercantile rights in Kamado and Beni’s founded village. Kamado and Beni, after the ships carrying them crash at the Ginkgo Landing, subsist off of the land, hunting Pokemon for food. At some point during these events, Kamado obtains a full suit of Galarian armor and sword.
-Kamado, now a young man seeking revenge against the powerful Pokemon that destroyed his hometown and nearly killed him, carries out the events of Veilstone’s Myth, slaughtering with little care for food or use. The Pokemon of the Cobalt Coastlands learn to hide from his presence lest they be cut down as well. This leads to the creation of Deadwood Haunt, filled with the slain spirits of the Pokemon he selfishly killed.
-A year passes, and Kamado and Beni find that their supply of food derived from Pokemon is running low. Kamado journeys ‘far and wide’ to find where the Pokemon have fled to, eventually arriving at Turnback Cave and encountering Giratina. Giratina, aware of the sheer amount of death this lone man has caused, informs him that revenge will be taken if he continues. Kamado, horrified by the monster he has become, forsakes the sword.
-Larders are still bare, and as such Kamado and Beni would need to travel elsewhere to find a sustainable source of food, likely meeting up with the Diamond and Pearl clans along the way. They eventually end up at the site of Jubilife Village, and establish a new dock at Prelude Beach, meeting up with other members of the Ginkgo Guild (or sending off the survivors that may have accompanied them) to establish trade once again. Jubilife Village and the Galaxy HQ are founded, and Kamado quietly keeps the armor that came with the sword - a means of defense, rather than attack. Kamado shelves his open violence and portrays himself as a powerful, respectable and mature leader - but the country boy terrified of Pokemon never truly goes away.
-At least ten years later, Jubilife Village is thriving, but people don't really make an effort to live alongside Pokemon the way the Diamond and Pearl clans due, likely in part due to Kamado's isolationist influence. That is, until some 15-year-old kid just falls out of the sky.
There's plenty of legends about ancient Sinnoh that Legends could've touched on, but aside from the Sea's Myth (which was newly introduced for exactly that purpose), they don't seem to have featured any of them. While it makes sense for them not to talk about Pokemon and human marriage, and not to make the player afraid of the Lake Trio before they had the opportunity to help the player, a certain myth goes oddly unmentioned. Found in Canalave Library in modern-day Sinnoh with most of the others, it reads as follows:
"A young man, callow and foolish in innocence, came to own a sword.
With it, he smote Pokémon, which gave sustenance, with carefree abandon.
Those not taken as food, he discarded, with no afterthought.
The following year, no Pokémon appeared. Larders grew bare.
The young man, seeking the missing Pokémon, journeyed afar.
Long did he search. And far and wide, too, until one he did find.
Asked he, "Why do you hide?" To which the Pokémon replied…
"If you bear your sword to bring harm upon us, with claws and fangs, we will exact a toll."
"From your kind we will take our toll, for it must be done."
"Done it must be to guard ourselves and for it, I apologize."
To the skies, the young man shouted his dismay.
"In having found the sword, I have lost so much."
"Gorged with power, I grew blind to Pokémon being alive."
"I will never fall savage again. This sword I denounce and forsake."
"I plead for forgiveness, for I was but a fool."
So saying, the young man hurled the sword to the ground, snapping it.
Seeing this, the Pokémon disappeared to a place beyond seeing…"
Most strangely of all, this myth is titled 'Veilstone's Myth', suggesting it has some connection to Veilstone City. Many have concluded from Veilstone's proximity to Turnback Cave as well as the final line of the tale that the Pokemon the knight eventually found was none other than Giratina, and I personally agree - but there's more to it than that. Who is the Knight of Veilstone, and why exactly did he cut so many Pokemon down?
There are several hints in the course of Legends: Arceus that this knight may in fact be none other than Commander Kamado of the Galaxy Expedition Team. Kamado’s backstory, sparse as it was, is revealed by Beni, a childhood friend. The two had their hometown burnt to the ground by a maddened Pokemon, and Kamado and Beni immigrated together to the Hisui region to build a place where humans could live free from the fear of Pokemon. (Incidentally, this Pokemon was very likely to be a Gyarados, considering a certain Pokedex entry from Pearl: “In ancient literature, there is a record of a Gyarados that razed a village when violence flared.”). But Kamado and Beni are both old men by the time Legends occurs - what, exactly, were they doing with their time in between their hometown burning and the events of the game?
Our first clue is found in the Cobalt Coastlands, an area which encompasses those parts of Hisui that would one day become the cities of Sunyshore and Veilstone in the modern-day Sinnoh region. This area is stated to be where the Ginkgo Guild landed in Hisui (even to the point where a specific area is named ‘Ginkgo Landing’). The Galaxy Team wouldn’t have existed yet, and the Ginkgo Guild are known to trade with the Diamond and Pearl clans (earlier arrivals than the Galaxy Team and Jubilife Village peoples), so Kamado and Beni would have had to hitch a ride with them. The ships found here are sunken and capsized, with holes in the hull and crates of goods washing ashore, indicating this landing was not a pleasant one - and, most importantly, wild Gyarados can be found nearby. Also nearby is Deadwood Haunt, an area filled with Ghost-types - quite possibly the slain remnants of those the Veilstone Knight cut down. The Ginkgo Guild aren’t seen in this area (to be fair, they aren’t encountered anywhere outside Jubilife Village with the exception of Volo), so it is safe to say they no longer consider this area an ongoing base of operations. True to form, Jubilife Village features a second landing dock at Prelude Beach that is much safer, and it can be presumed that the Ginkgo Guild choose to sail here by the time of Legends: Arceus instead of to the much more treacherous Coastlands. An unknown doctor found just outside the Village entrance from Prelude Beach also remarks that Jubilife Village has been around for at least 10 years, and that 10 years ago it was little more than a poorly-defended series of huts along the beach. But, regardless, it cannot be understated that the very first location in Hisui that Kamado would have set foot upon was not at all distant from what would become Veilstone City, and that the Pokemon who destroyed the ships may well have been additional Gyarados - something Kamado would not have easily forgotten.
Our second clue comes from Kamado himself. Kamado carries himself as a stern, firm and even cruel man over the course of the story, but this masks the young country boy frightened of powerful Pokemon that he became in his youth. Kamado, likely traumatized by the razing of his childhood home, would be an ideal candidate to take up arms against Pokemon without caring for sustenance or utility - it would be simple revenge against the creatures that he perceived had more power than they should.
The very last clue that ties this all together is Kamado’s armor. Seen only during the events of the story when he abandons his facade of benevolence in favor of war, and again when he is challenged in the Proving Grounds, this armor is stated by Kamado to be a traditional Galarian set. But if Kamado has a full set of Galarian armor, it stands to reason he would have had a Galarian sword or other such weapon along with it, as most knights had dedicated swords or weapons of choice. So where’s the sword? Why don’t we see it on his person, or hidden away somewhere?
Well… it’s broken. He threw it away, so naturally it wouldn’t be on his person anymore even though the armor was kept.
To piece it all together, here is the following summary of events:
-At some point in their younger years, Kamado and Beni’s hometown is burned to the ground by a rampaging Pokemon. If this Pokemon was indeed Gyarados, it’s possible the town was undergoing some form of violent political conflict, which Kamado would have been influenced by.
-Kamado, traumatized by these events, escapes with Beni to immigrate to the Hisui region with the help of the Ginkgo Guild, who were previously catering to the more historical immigrants that formed the Diamond and Pearl clans. It’s possible that in exchange for this, the Ginkgo Guild eventually obtained exclusive foreign mercantile rights in Kamado and Beni’s founded village. Kamado and Beni, after the ships carrying them crash at the Ginkgo Landing, subsist off of the land, hunting Pokemon for food. At some point during these events, Kamado obtains a full suit of Galarian armor and sword.
-Kamado, now a young man seeking revenge against the powerful Pokemon that destroyed his hometown and nearly killed him, carries out the events of Veilstone’s Myth, slaughtering with little care for food or use. The Pokemon of the Cobalt Coastlands learn to hide from his presence lest they be cut down as well. This leads to the creation of Deadwood Haunt, filled with the slain spirits of the Pokemon he selfishly killed.
-A year passes, and Kamado and Beni find that their supply of food derived from Pokemon is running low. Kamado journeys ‘far and wide’ to find where the Pokemon have fled to, eventually arriving at Turnback Cave and encountering Giratina. Giratina, aware of the sheer amount of death this lone man has caused, informs him that revenge will be taken if he continues. Kamado, horrified by the monster he has become, forsakes the sword.
-Larders are still bare, and as such Kamado and Beni would need to travel elsewhere to find a sustainable source of food, likely meeting up with the Diamond and Pearl clans along the way. They eventually end up at the site of Jubilife Village, and establish a new dock at Prelude Beach, meeting up with other members of the Ginkgo Guild (or sending off the survivors that may have accompanied them) to establish trade once again. Jubilife Village and the Galaxy HQ are founded, and Kamado quietly keeps the armor that came with the sword - a means of defense, rather than attack. Kamado shelves his open violence and portrays himself as a powerful, respectable and mature leader - but the country boy terrified of Pokemon never truly goes away.
-At least ten years later, Jubilife Village is thriving, but people don't really make an effort to live alongside Pokemon the way the Diamond and Pearl clans due, likely in part due to Kamado's isolationist influence. That is, until some 15-year-old kid just falls out of the sky.