Pokémon History: Rivalries Over the Generations
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Introduction
Throughout the generations, there have been several Pokémon introduced as rivals or as counterparts that work against each other. While the spotlight was cast on pairs that were not enemies of each other in the last installment, this one is specifically for those that exist as nemeses to one another, either by themselves or with the dualities created by their opposing powers. This article will cover many of the important rivalries introduced over the generations of Pokémon games.
Mewtwo VS Mew
Mewtwo and Mew are the legendary duo of Pokémon's first generation, and both are very elusive and very powerful Psychic-types. Mewtwo is a byproduct of scientific experiments involving cloning Mew's DNA and modifying it through untold measures. Many specimens were tested and created, but Mewtwo happened to be the only one that survived after being given life. According to Mewtwo Strikes Back (The First Pokémon Movie), the research, cloning, and genetic modification of Mew were all part of a project funded by Team Rocket's leader Giovanni to create the most powerful Pokémon in the world. Strangely, Mew's DNA was apparently obtained from a fossil, but the scientists did not try to use it to revive Mew back to its actual self as can be done with fossil-based Pokémon such as Aerodactyl; it may be possible that there were attempts to make exact clones that failed, or it may have been Giovanni's wish to bypass that altogether and try to create something far more powerful in the first place. While it is stated in the movie that Mewtwo was the only clone to survive, it is still speculated by some people that the wild Ditto found throughout Kanto in RBY are actually failed clones of Mew that were discarded, supported by the fact that both Pokémon learn Transform, that Mew was considered the first Pokémon to exist, and that Ditto takes on no real shape without using Transform (at least at the time; the Imposter ability didn't exist until much later).
Most ideas regarding Mewtwo's origin and history are never actually stated throughout the in-game story of RBY, but at least it is obtainable after beating the Elite Four; Mew's origin is less obscure when the player reaches the mansion on Cinnabar Island and reads the reports lying around, but it isn't even obtainable in the game without hacks or exploiting glitches. In fact, a lot of what's actually going on in RBY is never really explained and leaves much of it open to speculation. It is stated in the Pokémon Mansion reports that Mew was discovered in Guyana, South America and that a successful clone of it was born but the scientists "failed to curb its vicious tendencies". It is heavily implied throughout the game that Giovanni of Team Rocket hired a band of scientists led by Dr. Fuji to conduct the gene splicing experiments that produced Mewtwo after DNA from Mew was obtained. It is also heavily implied that the Pokémon Mansion was at one point the laboratory where the experiments took place, and the reason it is burned down from the inside is that Mewtwo destroyed the building in its wake to escape human captivity. It is possible that the reason Team Rocket held Dr. Fuji hostage at Pokémon Tower in RBY is tied to his team's failure to contain the successful Mew clone, and some speculate that Giovanni's scheme to take over Silph and steal the Master Ball from its president was not a simple act of criminal intentions, but was a last-ditch attempt to have a reliable means of reclaiming Mewtwo, probably to fulfill his own selfish ends but potentially also saving the entire world as they knew it from being destroyed by the vengeful maniac they created. This would have allowed Giovanni to finally get the one thing he made sacrifices for and also nip the bud on the mess that Dr. Fuji allowed to take place after he trusted him with the research.
The movie filled a lot of the gaps that RBY left out regarding Mewtwo's actual behavior, feelings, and advanced capabilities, including telepathy and mind control. Pokédex entries from later Pokémon games state that Mewtwo was created to be the ultimate fighter, that scientists managed to make it powerful but not compassionate, and that Mewtwo had the "most savage heart of all Pokémon". When Mewtwo destroyed the laboratory that housed it, it was very confused about its reason for being and refused to be put under human control as it was created to be. After a bit of thinking, Mewtwo decided to use its powers to take over the world and to invite anyone who believed they were capable of preventing that to where it could prove them wrong; clearly all it cared about was power and competition, something that would have worked well in the favor of its developers had they not also given it free will and an autonomous mind. Eventually, Mew appeared at Mewtwo's dwelling to challenge it, which led up to Mewtwo making use of the cloning equipment that was used for its own production to also make clones of all the Pokémon that belonged to the trainers who came to challenge Mewtwo upon its invitation. Realizing it was created out of selfishness and not out of nature or love, it opted to prove that all Pokémon cloned through the process that cloned Mew could overpower the original Pokémon they were derived from.
Mewtwo and Mew have always been quite different competitively. Mewtwo's insanely high stats and power have secured it a spot in Ubers in every generation so far, and this pattern is likely to continue for as long as Pokémon does. XY brought Mewtwo two Mega Evolutions, one with an added Fighting typing and a stat spread suited for a more physical threat, and one with an insanely high Special Attack stat. The origin of Mega stones are unknown at this time but the fact that there are two that can Mega evolve a Pokémon that isn't even a natural occurrence suggests that they were developed by human means as well. Mew began as an Uber-ranked threat but mellowed out a bit later on due to its base stat spread of 100 across the board, which is decent but suggests a "jack of all trades, master of none" kind of balance. This idea is further supported by the fact that Mew has always been able to learn every single TM and HM of every generation of Pokémon as well as almost every tutor move, giving it more move options than just about every Pokémon that can be used as a viable attacker. However, even with Mew's near endless versatility, Mewtwo will likely always outclass it as it has done since its inception, just as it was designed to.
Zangoose VS Seviper
These Hoenn natives have a long history of conflict that has spanned for generations, according to their Pokédex entries. While the exact reason behind their hatred from each other is mostly unclear and never explained, there are a few subtle hints that suggest a few important details. The bodies of both Zangoose and Seviper are visibly scarred from being slashed by each other, scarred beyond what the Pokémon Center could restore after being taken there by a trainer, and Pokémon are presumably fully healed upon visiting one. This represents the markings of quite the blood feud... but the real question is: Why have they been fighting? What caused this rivalry? Many Pokémon are based on animals that exist in the real world, and Zangoose and Seviper are no exception. Zangoose is based on a destructive carnivorous mammal called a mongoose, and Seviper is based on a snake, of course. Mongooses have been known for their ability to combat and kill venomous snakes for centuries. While the mongoose is native to southern Asia, Africa, and southern Europe, groups of them have actually been imported to other areas throughout the world in an effort to keep down the population of snakes; however, the eating habits of this creature were often so destructive that it had a negative effect on the native species of some countries, bad enough that importing mongooses into nations such as the United States and Australia is now strictly forbidden and illegal. In truth, the mongoose's ability to combat snakes was so venerated in ancient times that Egyptians ages ago celebrated their bravery by mummifying them and sealing them away in tombs to serve as guardians.
One crucial part of the development of any species is the ability to adapt, and the species of living things that successfully accomplish this are chosen by nature. Mongooses descended from mammals that were vulnerable to snakes in the past, but rather than simply dying out and becoming extinct or endangered, they were gifted by natural selection with a genetic trait that allows their bodies to tolerate snake poison. They aren't simply able to fight and kill snakes because of agile movement and thick coats of fur; their dedicated resistance to them is much deeper than that. Over time and after being threatened and exposed so much to the threat of snake poison, mongooses developed the same acetylcholine receptors snakes have, which are shaped so that it is impossible for neurotoxin venom to attach to them, and this is especially useful for outlasting the cobra. However, even though the mongoose is able to kill snakes, they do so in their own defense more than anything because they have little interest in killing them for their diet; they generally prefer to eat other mammals, which digest more easily.
So, if the snake can't conquer the mongoose, why try? Why doesn't the snake just go and prey on easier targets and leave the thing that's immune to its poison alone? And if this is all that nature decided to do about the mongoose's issue with the snake, why is it relevant here and how does it apply to the feud between Zangoose and Seviper? Well... while the snake can't really compete with the mongoose anymore, that doesn't stop it from devouring its young whole before they are able to grow into more snake-resistant creatures. Ironically, though mongooses are destructive animals and have always had a history of being that way, they dealt with their enemy through passive adaptation by developing a resistance to what makes them lethal rather than killing them all for food. The mongoose is the more aggressive figure here by worldly standards, and the snake understands that it has no chance, so what does it do? It retaliates by literally making a meal of their helpless children. That is what perpetuates the feud after nature chose to benefit the mongoose over the snake.
Zangoose's traits in Pokémon correlate to this very easily. It was initially given the Immunity ability, which makes it totally invulnerable to Seviper's poison. It was granted Toxic Boost as an alternative in BW, which allows Zangoose to be affected by poison, but also gives it a welcome 50% increase to its Attack stat. The Pokémon world is a bit different though, as you'll remember when you see those scars on Zangoose's body, because there's no way an ordinary snake could leave marks like that on it. Nature in the world of Pokémon gave Seviper a sword on the end of its tail to combat Zangoose even with its ability to either be immune to poison or to take advantage of it. Zangoose had a pretty solid start in the competitive scene, ending up banned from UU to find itself in BL in Generation III, but then it dropped off into NU in every generation after that, largely due to being outclassed by other Normal-type sweepers. Seviper's abilities are more natural for a snake than they are for being necessarily useful against Zangoose, and despite having solid offenses on both the physical and special sides, Seviper has been cursed with NU usage since it was introduced. Zangoose remains the most viable of the two competitively, just as the mongoose is better than the snake in reality.
Kyogre VS Groudon
Behold what is without question one of the most classic and significant rivalries in the history of Pokémon, and also the first rivalry to make the box art for both versions of a game release. Kyogre, the embodiment of the sea, summoned torrential downpours and crashing waves of cascading water in ancient times to create what is now the world's oceans. Groudon, the embodiment of the earth, raised continents and forged mountains and volcanic craters upon the surface of the land to form what are the now the earth's landmasses. In a sense, these two Pokémon were the creators of the world, at least the physical and geographical aspects of it; despite being at war with each other over whether land or sea would overtake the globe, their powers combined as part of this duality are what formed the balanced world we know, where both of these things exist alongside each other and support different kinds of life. The lore that explains the history of how the world was formed is so compelling and influential to the populace of Hoenn that there are people who actually base their whole lives around it and dedicate themselves as homage to one side of the ancient war. This is most true for the organizations Team Aqua and Team Magma, groups of self-righteous thugs who are sworn to the purpose of expanding the sea and the land, respectively.
In-game in Ruby and Sapphire, Team Magma/Aqua (the villainous team is different depending on the version; it's Team Magma in Ruby and Team Aqua in Sapphire) made their initial misdeeds known by attempting petty thievery from the Devon Corporation in Rustboro City, which seems like a random criminal act at first, but as the game progresses, the player discovers that Team Magma/Aqua is actually trying to steal information and goods that will give them vital clues and resources to help them achieve their ends of expanding the land/sea. Team Magma/Aqua later tricks a scientist at Meteor Falls into helping them excavate a Meteorite, which they steal and take to Mt. Chimney in an attempt to manipulate the activity of the volcanic crater there. Team Magma's plan was to use the Meteorite to power a machine that would cause the crater to erupt with lava and create more land, an idea that would prove highly destructive to not only themselves but also all of the surrounding towns and vegetation. Team Aqua's plan was to use the Meteorite with a machine that would cause the lava to cool so that the crater would eventually fill with rainwater to be a habitat for Water-type Pokémon, which would be a much safer and more reasonable plan, but that still doesn't justify stealing the Meteorite. Either way, the player defeats the evil team and prevents them from attempting to manipulate nature, so that it can continue to run its course without human involvement. Team Magma/Aqua's next plan of action was to infiltrate the Weather Institute just south of Fortree City to steal their Castform, thinking they would be able to use one to freely control the weather on a global scale (they would really only be able to control the weather in their small relative area with Sunny Day, Rain Dance, etc). After this plan also falls through, the team decides to go after the Blue/Red Orb from atop Mt. Pyre, an item that was, according to legend, able to awaken Groudon or Kyogre, with the other Orb being able to calm them down again when exposed to light from it. After stealing the Orb, Team Magma/Aqua then steals a submarine from the shipyard in Slateport City and heads to where Groudon/Kyogre is said to slumber under the ocean in an attempt to revive the ancient Pokémon and manifest the spirit that matches their beliefs for the fate of the world, but little did they know that would be pushing things a little too far over the edge.
After defeating Team Magma/Aqua at Mt. Pyre and being entrusted with the remaining Orb, the player follows the evil organization to Seafloor Cavern to confront them before they awaken the ancient Pokémon out of rash intentions. After the player defeats their leader for the final time, they manage to awaken the sleeping Pokémon anyway. In Ruby Version, Team Magma soon discovered after awakening Groudon that their wish for the expansion of the land turned out to be a huge disaster. Rather than Groudon's angry emergence causing mountains to raise and new landmasses to take form, it instead caused something they did not expect; it caused a dangerous enhancement in the sun's rays, which began a perpetual mass evaporation of water and would eventually, if allowed to continue, result in depriving the entire region of its oceans and water supply, which would create an environment where no living thing could survive. In Sapphire Version, Team Aqua found out that reviving Kyogre to fulfill their desire of expanding the sea had devastating consequences as well. Kyogre's awakening caused the same torrential downpour that was spoken of in the ancient lore, and it became clear that all of Hoenn would eventually flood if the storm was not stopped. It was then up to the player to trace the ancient Pokémon back to the Cave of Origin in the heart of Sootopolis City to either capture or defeat it to end the ongoing disaster. In Emerald Version, the special edition of RSE, Groudon and Kyogre both made appearances during this turn of events, and the two sought to continue their ancient war of land versus sea after being disturbed from their long slumber. In this version, Rayquaza the sky guardian descended upon the pair to intervene and calm the two down. Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza together are commonly referred to as the Weather Trio, though the rivalry exists solely between the former two. This conflict not only represents the idea that sometimes it's best to keep two extremes in balance than to allow one to get out of control with nothing to check it; for the individuals who dedicated their beliefs to one of these extremes, it also supports the important expression that you should be careful what you wish for.
Competitively, both of these legends have cemented themselves a place in Ubers in every generation since their debut in ADV. Both of their abilities accurately reflect their individual roles in the occurrences surrounding their revival in Ruby and Sapphire. Groudon's Drought ability summons harsh sunlight that increases the power of Fire-type moves, decreases the power of Water-type moves, allows Solar Beam to be used without recharging, and prevents any Pokémon on the field from becoming frozen, among other things; Kyogre's Drizzle ability brings forth a rainstorm that increases the power of Water-type moves, decreases the power of Fire-type moves, and grants the moves Thunder and Hurricane perfect accuracy. Kyogre has always outclassed Groudon competitively, for a few very clear reasons. First of all, perhaps the most simple reason, Water has an inherent offensive advantage against Ground and can always be expected to win against it under usual circumstances. Second, Kyogre's auto-weather stacks an additional offensive buff on top of its STAB-boosted offense, making its Water-type attacks hit obscenely hard because of both STAB and the boost from the rain that comes with it in battle, while Groudon's auto-weather is one that does not increase the power of its STAB attacks, but instead boosts Fire-type moves, which was especially disappointing in ADV when all Fire-type attacks were classed as special, which is Groudon's lower offensive stat. Drought and Drizzle brought permanent weather until XY, when they were nerfed to only last 5 turns (8 turns with Heat Rock and Damp Rock, respectively), but this did not change their placement in Ubers. In the forthcoming games Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the two have already been revealed to have new "Primal" forms that apparently represent the forms they took on in ancient times before hibernating in peace for eons, by going through a process called Primal Reversion. Primal Kyogre has been revealed to retain its Water typing and to have increased Special Attack, while Primal Groudon will have its typing changed to Ground/Fire and have heightened Attack power. New abilities have recently been revealed for these two: Primal Kyogre has an ability called Primordial Sea, which brings rain that is stronger than usual rain and makes Fire-type moves totally ineffective, while Primal Groudon gets the ability Desolate Land, one that brings extremely harsh sunlight and causes Water-type attacks to evaporate and deal no damage, which is a huge deal, considering that Groudon's new typing would have otherwise rendered it quadruple weak to Water! Both abilities are confirmed to block manual weather moves such as Sunny Day and Rain Dance, and the effects of both abilities will only last while Kyogre or Groudon is in battle, meaning the strong weather effects cease when they are switched out or defeated. Just as there is much more water in the world than there is land, Kyogre has always been a more powerful force than Groudon in the competitive scene, but with the new abilities that come with their Primal forms, this may very well change! We'll have to see what ORAS brings to be sure!
Cresselia VS Darkrai
Cresselia and Darkrai are two Sinnoh-based legends that form a unique rival pair referred to by some as the Lunar Duo, and the two are polar opposites in quite a few ways. Cresselia is a passive supporter while Darkrai is a much more aggressive manipulator. To be more specific, Cresselia is a highly defensive Psychic-type Pokémon with access to an incredible plethora of support moves, giving it very many options, though it is lacking quite a bit in the offensive department and is fairly slow on top of that. Darkrai, on the other hand, is a very fast and powerful Dark-type that learns a variety of strong attacks and tricky status moves to disrupt its enemies, while lacking a bit in its ability to tolerate retaliatory damage from them. One very strange difference between these two that is not present with any other rival pair is that Cresselia has a gender and is exclusively female while Darkrai is genderless altogether. This may suggest that Cresselia is indeed a living being of this world but that Darkrai could be the demonic afterlife of a spirit from beyond, similar to Giratina. However, the fact that Darkrai is only obtainable by way of an event while Cresselia can be caught in-game without one might suggest enough of a difference between them that sets Darkrai reasonably apart enough to be genderless, as most legendary Pokémon are, while some relatively less rare legends (ones that do not require an event to obtain), such as Cresselia and Heatran, are able to have genders.
The rivalry presented between these two is based around the kinds of dreams they bring to others during sleep. Rather than the two balancing each other as Kyogre and Groudon do, this conflict is rather one sided in that only one of them causes problems if left unchecked and the other one is able to solve them. While Cresselia is, according to legend, believed to bring peaceful sleep to people, Darkrai's power causes them to experience frequent horrific nightmares. Bad dreams on their own happen naturally to everyone and aren't really an alarming issue, but the affliction of a condition called dream anxiety disorder, one characterized by frequent nightmares, is quite another story. According to medical findings regarding this condition, the nightmares are triggered by severe psychological stress or trauma and could be caused by or may lead to mental health issues. This suggests that Darkrai's evil capabilities may actually entail something a lot more serious than what its Pokédex entries say about it. Not only does it cause its hosts to experience nightmares, but it's possible that Darkrai actually corrupts their minds to a point of mental disturbance that leads to psychiatric disorders and disabilities. The presence of Cresselia is said to reverse the effects of Darkrai's power and return the affected victims back to normal, though oddly enough, Darkrai is the only one that is actually capable of putting humans and Pokémon to sleep at will.
The two Pokémon inhabit twin islands that are exact mirror images of each other, in the northwest waters of Sinnoh. It is never concretely stated what the pair's relation to the moon is, but it isn't too difficult to make the connection that most sleep takes place when the moon is out. Additionally, the islands at which both Pokémon are found are named after phases of the moon that hint at their qualities. Cresselia is found at a place called Fullmoon Island, and the full moon is the phase of the moon cycle in which the moon is entirely illuminated as seen from the earth. Darkrai is found at the neighboring New Moon Island, and the new moon, also called the "dark moon", is the lunar phase that occurs at the time of conjunction in ecliptical longitude with the sun, where the moon appears the darkest from the earth and is even invisible at times. Cresselia has also always been gifted with the move Moonlight, which it uses to recover its health. In-game in DPP, there is an item called the Lunar Wing that is said to have come from Cresselia, and it is able to relieve an inhabitant of Canalave City of a nightmare caused by Darkrai. Similarly, in the Pokémon anime episode titled "Sleepless in Pre-Battle", Ash, Dawn, and Brock arrive in Canalave City but soon discover that none of the city's residents are able to sleep. The local Officer Jenny explains that it's because Darkrai is nearby and that Cresselia would have to appear to drive it off so that everyone can sleep in peace again. Ash and the others head to Fullmoon Island in order to find Cresselia so that it can help drive away the threat of Darkrai. Upon finding Cresselia, she understands why they sought her out and immediately heads to Canalave City. Once there, she lures out Darkrai and begins to battle with it, and eventually, Cresslia successfully drives it away, bringing an end to the troubles it caused to the city and causing the nightmares to cease.
Darkrai's Bad Dreams ability, one that causes residual damage to sleeping enemies, represents its ability to cause nightmares very well. Cresselia, however, gets an unrelated ability in Levitate. In comparison to how Cresselia is seen as the one that drives away Darkrai and corrects its misdeeds, their relation to each other in the competitive scene is about as mirrored as the islands they inhabit. Darkrai has a definitive advantage both offensively and defensively against Cresselia due to their typings; Dark typing makes Darkrai totally immune to Cresselia's Psychic STAB and also gives it super effective STAB moves of its own to nail Cresselia with. Ironically, Cresselia is unable to prevent Darkrai from putting it to sleep and taking away its health with Bad Dreams. Darkrai's great power, Speed, and ability to put Pokémon to sleep and set up with Nasty Plot made it Ubers material since it was introduced, and that has gone unchanged for every generation so far. Cresselia, on the other hand, was never gifted with such high usage due to its more passive traits and being outclassed by a few other walls and supporters, and has floated about through the lower tiers over the generations as a result. It ended up in BL in DPP, it fell to RU in BW and was eventually banned to BL2, and it's currently back in RU this generation. Despite being given Moonblast as a Fairy-type coverage option in XY, it's very clear that Cresselia is greatly outdone by Darkrai in competitive play, contrary to their history.
Heatmor VS Durant
Heatmor and Durant, a pair of Pokémon found in Unova's prestigious Victory Road, represent a classic example of predator versus prey, with Heatmor being the anteater and Durant being the ant. Apart from it just being a simple case of one eating the other, these two were designed to have attributes that make their roles even more obvious. Durant has a brilliant typing in Bug/Steel that makes it vulnerable to only Fire, and Heatmor is a Fire-type that not only has STAB moves that Durant is quadruply weak to, but its typing also resists both of Durant's STAB types. Pokédex entries state that Heatmor uses its fire to melt Durant's metal exterior and then eat it, and that Durant attacks in groups and that members of these groups play different roles in driving Heatmor away from their colony. They also say that groups of Durant dig nests into mountains and build complicated networks of tunnels, just as ants do in the ground in the real world. With that in consideration, it's clear that, while Heatmor has the clear predator's advantage in just about every way, Durant has the advantage of the territory, burrowing passages to protect itself, as well as its colony, from the overbearing threat of the fire-breathing anteater.
Anteaters in the real world are able to use their claws to dig into the ground where ants are hiding to expose and destroy their hidden network of tunnels and prey on them without too much trouble. However, in the Pokémon world, Durant makes its nest and network of tunnels by burrowing in the rock on the sides of mountains, and it is not ever even implied that Heatmor is able to use its claws to cut through the mountainside to give chase after its prey escapes. This suggests that, while Heatmor would definitely have the advantage on the outside, Durant cannot lose the game of hide-and-seek with its predator and is completely safe after hiding out in the mountain. This idea is further supported by the fact that Durant is very common in Victory Road in its interior parts, but Heatmor is only found outside on the paths and ledges that connect the entrances together. It knows that it is unable to chase Durant into their nests, so it roams the outer corridors of Victory Road waiting for the ants to come out in search of food so that it can strike. Essentially, Heatmor lives as an opportunistic onlooker, waiting for its chance at having a meal, while Durant lives a life as a refugee of its own habitat, always on the run from its natural predator.
Heatmor's Gluttony ability may have some relation to its constant hunt for Durant for food. Durant's Swarm ability correlates with its tendency to attack in groups and its Hustle ability is likely indicative of its inherent need to escape Heatmor quickly. As far as competitive battling goes, Durant has actually always been the better Pokémon of the two. Heatmor has access to some interesting moves for a Fire-type, including but not limited to Bug Bite, Giga Drain, Sucker Punch, and Knock Off, but it is horribly outclassed by several Fire-types and its rather low Speed doesn't do any favors for it. As a result, Heatmor has always been stuck in NU. Durant, however, has not only a great typing, but was also gifted with great Attack and Speed stats, which allow it to become a fearsome sweeper with Hustle. It was banned from RU last generation because it was too much for most of the tier to handle, and it's currently back in RU in XY. Honestly, Durant actually has a good chance against its predator Heatmor in competitive play, as it has much higher Speed; a Hustle-boosted super effective Stone Edge from Durant would certainly OHKO Heatmor, providing it doesn't miss, of course. So, while Heatmor has the straightforward advantage with its typing, Durant does have tactical advantages that give it a legitimate chance of overcoming it if the two were to ever face each other in battle.
Reshiram VS Zekrom
Reshiram and Zekrom, the Unova Dragon-type legends of the Pokémon Black / White box art, have a very unique relationship as rivals in that both of them are indeed opposites but were also originally part of the same being. Reshiram was the first Dragon-type Pokémon to have Fire as a secondary typing, and the same is true for Zekrom and its secondary Electric typing. These legendary Pokémon are different from others and do not have their own place of dwelling where trainers can seek them out and attempt to capture them; Reshiram and Zekrom exist as inanimate sphere-shaped objects called the Light Stone and the Dark Stone, respectively, and only show their true form to one they consider to be a "hero" that holds their individual beliefs. It may not seem that important from the outside, as they are just beliefs, but the difference in the beliefs held by the two are so great that their whole entities thrive on just that. The sole reason the two even exist is because the internal conflict possessed by one ancient Pokémon was so great that it became external as two opposing forces with their own bodies, powers, beliefs, and intentions, which are Reshiram and Zekrom.
The ancient lore of Unova tells of a single Dragon-type Pokémon that fell to the earth as a meteor. It is never explained or implied how exactly it was done, but this Pokémon was used by two brothers of that age to create the Unova region. After having created the region and it had flourished in prosperity for a while, a war broke out between opposing sides, each led by one of the brothers. One side fought behind the belief of truth, for a world governed by nature and for things to happen as they were meant to, and the other side fought behind ideals for what they believed to be progress toward an improved world, disregarding the course of nature and using technology and manipulation to create a world with more perceived benefits and convenience. The ancient Pokémon was torn between the beliefs of the two brothers and couldn't stand with them both, and after enough pressure built up inside it to choose a side, it literally split into three entities. A white Pokémon called Reshiram represented truth and sided with the older brother, while a black Pokémon called Zekrom stood for ideals and sided with the younger one, and the original dragon, after having become just a broken shell, was then called Kyurem. The two rivals, so bent on proving which side was right, destroyed the region they created together with the lightning and fire from their new Dragon-type Pokémon. The two were equal in power as they fought and neither was able to conquer the other. After finally realizing there would be no clear victor, the two brothers set aside their differences and concluded that neither side was right. After the war was over, Reshiram and Zekrom, ashamed, regressed to a somewhat larval state as what would be known as the Dragon Stones (Light Stone for Reshiram and Dark Stone for Zekrom), and the broken Kyurem went into seclusion and developed a secondary Ice typing.
Yin and yang are dependent fundamentals in Taoism, which Reshiram and Zekrom directly represent according to their Japanese species names in the Pokédex, which are White Yang and Black Yin. In the real world, yin and yang are concepts of Chinese philosophy used to describe how apparently opposite or contrary forces actually complement one another and are naturally dependent on one another in some way. Many tangible dualities, such as light and darkness, male and female, and even life and death, are considered physical manifestations of the duality of yin and yang, in which one cannot exist harmoniously without being held in balance by the other (the duality shared by Kyogre and Groudon would also apply here). This likely explains why Reshiram and Zekrom were unable to decide a victorious side in Unova's ancient civil war and why Kyurem went into dormancy after losing both of these vital parts. Yang is often characterized by light, which can be seen in Reshiram's white color as well as the light it brings with its burning fire energy; yin is often characterized by darkness, which relates to Zekrom's black color as well as the darkness that accompanies the storms it brings with its lightning. A separate concept in Taoism called wuji might describe the broken Kyurem that was leftover as a result of the split. Wuji roughly deals with total emptiness or absence of energy. Kyurem's ice may exist due to the lack of warmth that Reshiram and Zekrom generate, having lost its yin and yang when they were separated, which left Kyurem as an empty shell represented by infinite absence. This idea is supported by the fact that wuji is often symbolized by an empty circle and the Pokédex calls Kyurem the Boundary Pokémon. In Pokémon Black and White, the game's antagonist N manages to awaken one of the two Pokémon (Zekrom in Black, Reshiram in White) as its "hero", and it's up to the player to find the other Dragon Stone, awaken the Pokémon within, and capture it to challenge N in the ultimate showdown. History fortunately does not repeat itself, though, and after the player is victorious, N decides to leave on a journey with his respective dragon and no longer meets with the player or interferes with their adventuring.
Both Reshiram and Zekrom are currently powerful contenders in Ubers and have been throughout the duration of BW as well. Their base stats are mirrored, with Reshiram having higher special stats and Zekrom having higher physical stats, to better complement their STAB attacks. Both can deal serious damage to each other, as both being Dragon-types and having access to strong physical and special Dragon-type STAB attacks makes them both strong against and weak against each other. Competitive aspects and deep worldly references aside, though, clear differences in the ideal worlds and beliefs of Reshiram and Zekrom can be safely assumed simply by looking at their appearance: Reshiram has the look of an age-old Pokémon with carefree patches of fur and a natural design, looking as though it cares much less about appearance and is more concerned with actuality, while Zekrom appears much more modern with a streamlined build and a feel that it represents the future. In addition, fire (Reshiram) is a source of energy and light that has existed naturally for centuries and was used by people before any trace of technology was conceived, while the ability to harness electricity (Zekrom) was discovered much later but is now the world's safest and most common energy source for bringing power to most things. In Pokémon Black, Opelucid City is a place very clearly technologically advanced with no trees or traces of nature anywhere, while in Pokémon White, the city is filled with nature and vegetation, with minimal tampering done to the environment to create a simple, yet livable, community. This same difference can be seen in the real world at large, where Reshiram likely represents the truth of the world in its more natural state and where Zekrom represents the inevitable transition to the ideal world presented through using technology—a gradual transition that most of the world is already going through.
Conclusion
Many interesting rivalries exist in Pokémon, and many more have yet to be introduced. Whether they represent opposites of each other, predator and prey, forces of nature that rival each other and must both exist to maintain balance, or just a burning hatred for one another that's ages old, they are sure to make their marks, be it with in-game backstory, competitive play, or symbolic significance. Stay tuned for the next installment of Pokémon History, which will cover fossils in Pokémon over the generations!
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