User blog:G-Monster/Pure Evil Proposal: Ardos

Okay so I've been thinking about this guy for a while and I think he's at least deserving of a proper EP from the video game Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness.

What's the setting?
''Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness is the sequel to the cult classic Gamecube spin-off Pokemon Colosseum, both featuring the region of Orre. Both games known for being quite a bit grittier (well, by E-rated standards) than the main series of games, both entries have as a central theme of Shadow Pokemon, Pokemon which have been experimented on to corrupt them by "sealing their hearts away", leaving ruthless fighting machines. The organization responsible for this is the wicked CIPHER... in Gale of Darkness? It's revealed the head of CIPHER is a seemingly pleasant old man named Everich, in actuality Greevil. However Greevil isnt the one we'll be discussing but rather his son Ardos  .''

Who is Ardos? What has he done?
''Ardos is one of Greevil's sons, brother of the much more level-headed Eldes, and one of the highest authorities in CIPHER's ranks. In contrast to Eldes and his reluctance to endanger the lives of citizens, Ardos is a fanatic nut who fully endorses his efforts to the CIPHER agenda, no matter what has to be sacrificed. Ardos is presiding over stuff like the mass experimentation and corruption of Pokemon into Shadow Pokemon (who often enter "hyper modes" where they just as often turn on their own trainers as their opponents), handing off entire towns to be held hostage by their admins, having Dark Lugia—their ultimate weapon—steal a cruise boat and tip its two sailors offboard (and they're reported missing for days afterward...)... and their ultimate goal, which Ardos is zealously dedicated to, is to use an army of Shadow Pokemon who have been permanently twisted—that is, no hope of purifying them whatsoever—to take over the world.''

''Now, Ardos is by proxy in a lot of all this stuff by virtue of being Greevil's militant dragon, but he doesn't truly come into his own until the endgame... when Greevil is defeated and left a stuttering wreck by the young protagonist, Ardos flips and tries to cajole his father into killing the protagonist by blowing up Citadark Isle. That is, the secret base where the Shadow Pokemon data and all of his subordinates in CIPHER are. Ardos, in response to his father hesitating and his brother calling him out for being willing to sacrifice everyone in CIPHER just to save his own ass? "Such things can be replaced!" Ultimately, Greevil surrenders to custody, but Ardos escapes, intent on reviving CIPHER on his own... and leaving an ominous threat to the protagonist in the post-game how they're now CIPHER's number one target.''

Any mitigating factors?
''Hmm. Ardos' screentime is, admittedly, brief—he showcases signs of being a nasty proponent of CIPHER's agenda in his first fight, but that's also one of his only scenes before the climax. One could argue it's too little, too late, by then, as Ardos' main claim to fame is, of course, trying to have Citadark Isle wiped out and a huge cut of CIPHER's men and data in the process in the biggest Bad Boss move in the entire franchise. If that's it, well, okay, but... and this is pertinent as to how he stands out from all the rest? Ardos is one of the highest-ranked members in the organization. Greevil is The Man Behind the Man to everything, and Ardos is his kid.''

''He's got an obvious association and dedication to the worst of their schemes, commits probably the worst atrocity out of any of them (sealing that, as I pointed out earlier, that's not shrouded under Fridge Horror like a lot of the other stuff in the game) and when he's compared directly to Greevil and Eldes? Ardos is deliberately written to come off as the absolute worst—he's got no obvious care to his father or his brother, as he reprimands Eldes for daring to call Greevil "father" and storms off in a hissy fit to save his own ass while Greevil's about to surrender himself to the cops. His devotion to CIPHER contrasted with his more cowardly moments, furthermore, similarly comes off as him glorifying CIPHER's ideals purely to slake his own self-interest.''

''For the short screentime we get... Ardos has an authority and passion singular to him alone that distinguishes him from even his direct competition. For the series' standard, and for the heavy censorship they've obviously working with... Ardos attempting to kill the protagonist and tons of CIPHER's own men with him out of cowardly spite and his authority in the actions of probably the singular nastiest organization in the franchise? I'd argue he might squeeze it. By the skin of his teeth, admittedly, but he's uniquely nasty for his small presence.''

Conclusion?
''I'll leave it all to you guys. ''​​​​​​​