History VideoGame / PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Team Skull vanishes from the story completely after the Big Guild Expedition. They don't even appear at the dinner tables anymore.

* CatchPhrase: Each member of the Wigglytuff Guild seems to have one, almost to the point of being a VerbalTic.

* CaveBehindTheFalls: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Waterfall Cave]] is hidden behind a powerful waterfall, which requires a determined jump to get through without falling.
* CeilingCling: The Brine Cave bosses' hide on the ceiling of the pit, ambushing any explorers by jumping down and hitting them by surprise.

** In ''Explorers'', if you recruit a Pokémon while at the maximum party size, the recruited Pokémon is forced to teleport home. In ''Sky'', you can instead choose to send another Pokémon in your party home.
*** Even before ''Sky'', this still qualified. Pokemon couldn't be recruited in ''Rescue Team'' if the party was full, so this allows one to recruit new Pokemon while retaining a full strength team, and doesn't risk losing the new recruit if they faint before mission completion (which was also a frustration in ''Rescue Team'').

** At least Grovyle [[ApologeticAttacker apologizes]] to Uxie and Mesprit when he takes the Time Gears and to the player and partner when knocking them out. [[spoiler: Grovyle later turns out to be a good guy on a mission to stop the planet's paralysis. He needs the Time Gears to do so, and while he doesn't want to hurt anyone, he will if he has to.]]

* SurpriseCreepy: The ''Explorers'' games mainly focuses on the colourful cast of Treasure Town until [[spoiler:the player character is brought into the future, a dystopian, sunless nightmare, where Dusknoir stages your execution.]]

* VerbalTic: Loudred likes to EMPHASIZE random WORDS in his SENTENCES!

[[folder:A-M]]

* ApocalypseAnarchy: Grovyle notes that the [[spoiler:darkness-plunged future caused by the paralysation of the planet has made timid Pokémon such as Spiritomb violent.]]

* HumanPopsicle: Frosslass keeps a frozen Scizor in her lair. Once rescued, he is quite surprised to learn that [[FishOutOfTemporalWater decades have passed since he was frozen]].

* IncendiaryExponent: Sunflora and Loudred [[spoiler:defeat a trio]] of Haunter while on fire.

* TwentyBearAsses: To get through the Aegis Cave, you need Unown Stones spelling out the words "ice", "steel", and "rock", dropped by the corresponding Unown inhabiting the dungeon. There's only a ''chance'' that they'll drop it, and only a ''chance'' that they'll actually be on that floor. You need to do this every time you visit the dungeon, even after you've beaten the mission and previously cleared the way.

* WolfpackBoss: Some of the boss fights are against a number of Pokémon instead of just one.

* YourMagicsNoGoodHere: The Dimensional Scream no longer works [[spoiler: in the future]] except when the player is around where a Time Gear used to be.

* YouShallNotPass: Grovyle announces he's "TakingYouWithMe" when he [[spoiler: shoves Dusknoir and himself back through the portal to the future.]]

* AwesomeButImpractical: All the Pokémon-specific items that you can get from boxes. Their effects, especially of the 3-star items, vary between awesome and GameBreaker - however, to craft a 3-star item, you need a total of two each of the 1-star items of a Pokémon, and each of the ~450 non-legendary Pokémon has two items each, which you randomly get from the boxes. Thus, the chance of getting the 3-star items for exactly the Pokémon you have in your team is virtually nonexistent in ''Time'' and ''Darkness''. ''Sky'' makes the process way better, as Croagunk offers to exchange specific items with you that change every day.

* ContractualBossImmunity: {{Averted|Trope}}, for the most part, unless they have an ability or IQ skill that makes them immune. Some bosses can be trivialized with disabling status effects like paralysis, imprison, sleep, or confusion -- not to mention that they're also vulnerable to some of the more broken seeds like hunger seeds. The one exception are orbs, which do not function on the final floor of a dungeon.

** Every non-story mission you complete gives you exploration points. The final level in ''Time/Darkness'' is the Master rank, which you need a full 77,777 points for (even the hardest mission gives you 1,500 points, and most doable ones a lot less). By the time you beat the TrueFinalBoss, you'll likely not even be halfway there. ''Sky'' added some intermediate ranks, but the final rank was pushed even further, so you need 100,000 points now.

* ArbitraryMissionRestriction: Some rescue missions have ridiculously specific conditions to take them on. You want to save this Pokémon in grave danger? Too bad, you can only do it with a Linoone in your team.

* CarnivoreConfusion: "Team Tasty" is comprised of a Swellow (a large, fully-evolved bird Pokémon) and a Wurmple (a small, unevolved caterpillar Pokémon whom Swellow are said to prey on). Wurmple's greatest fear is the possibility of getting [[EatTheDog eaten by his friend]] -- he breaks out in a cold sweat any time his partner even ''thinks'' about food (which [[RunningGag happens a lot]]). Swellow, on the other hand, is completely oblivious to this, to the point that when Wurmple finally tells her, she considers herself a poor leader for her teammate to be so uncomfortable around her.

* AmazonBrigade: Team Charm is an elite all-female exploration team, able to stand up to rival exploration teams, and they come with their own unique BattleThemeMusic and FightWoosh, too!

* AbortedArc: In the second chapter, your partner explains about the Time Gears and where they are hidden: A forest, an underground lake, and a volcano. While you visit two of the three locations, the volcano Time Gear is never mentioned again (except in ''Darkness'', where it serves as the title screen), and you never visit such a place.

* BrokenPedestal: All the Pokémon of the guild and Treasure Town praise Dusknoir, an expert explorer said to be so strong that he takes on dungeons by himself. [[spoiler:The player's partner has a difficult time accepting that Dusknoir is actually an agent from the future attempting to guarantee that the flow of time stops in the past, to the point of considering turning themself in to him, even as he is trying to kill them.]]

* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler:Manaphy winds up terribly sick for an unknown reason, which is later found out to be caused by being out of the ocean for too long. You're then forced to let Walrein take Manaphy into the sea.]]

* ChekhovsGun: Bidoof takes a crystal from Crystal Cave around halfway into the main story. Later, [[spoiler:Dusknoir has the player character touch it to trigger a Dimensional Scream in order to find the location of Azelf's Time Gear.]]

* FirstTimeInTheSun: [[spoiler:At the end of the fifth Special Episode, Celebi sees the rising sun as she fades away, commenting on how beautiful it is.]]

* GrandTheftMe: In ''Sky'', [[spoiler:Dusknoir's last resort plan to stop the protagonists is to possess Grovyle's body and return to the past in it.]]

* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: Even after [[spoiler:Dusknoir and his Sableye]] are defeated, he has enough strength left to [[spoiler:keep on fighting, forcing Grovyle to carry him back to the future.]]

* HeroWithBadPublicity: [[spoiler:Grovyle is stealing the Time Gears so that they can be placed in the Temporal Tower and repair it. However, the immediate effects of the removal of a Time Gear, namely time stopping in that region, paint his actions as malicious.]]

** Because [[spoiler:the Relic Fragment]] is needed to reach Temporal Tower, [[spoiler:Darkrai could have succeeded in his plan simply by not attacking Grovyle and the player]], and thus not resulting in the player and partner meeting.

** DoubleSubverted with the starter/partner Pokémon: initially, no matter where you look, you won't be able to find Pokémon that you can start as, to avoid confusion between player and non-player characters. However, areas where you can fight and possibly recruit the starter Pokémon become available [[spoiler:after beating Primal Dialga and watching the credits]]. The same goes for any Pokémon in the guild or around Treasure Town.
*** Since you can start as Shinx in ''Sky'', they changed the fight with the Amp Plains tribe from Luxios and a Luxray (Shinx's evolved forms) into Electrikes and a Manectric.

* PaperThinDisguise: [[spoiler:"The Grandmaster of all things bad" and his minions (actually the rest of the Explorers Guild) is a {{justified|Trope}} example as the fight against them was supposed to take place in the dark, and only Bidoof uncovering the trap hole revealed the truth behind it. Outside of [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Wigglytuff]], none of the guild members manage to pretend being someone else without {{Suspiciously Specific Denial}}s after being found out - even if you lose the fight, only Wigglytuff (who has to shove the player and the partner into the trap so that you don't skip the boss fight), Bidoof (who wasn't involved in the fight) and the vendor guild members even try to talk with you, the others only showing VisibleSilence.]]

* PetTheDog: Late in the game, [[spoiler:a defeated Skuntank returns the partner's Relic Fragment, to which his subordinate Zubat chuckles, commenting that maybe his boss "isn't so bad" after all.]]

** After [[spoiler:being sent to the future, all the dungeons in the past cannot be accessed until you return to the present.]]

* ShipTease: Special Episodes 3 and 5 tease [[spoiler:Sunflora and Loudred]] and [[spoiler:Grovyle and Celebi]], respectively.

* SuicideMission: The final mission to save the world will result in [[spoiler:the player and Grovyle disappearing should they succeed]].

* TheBattleDidntCount: Multiple times, such against the Luxray/Manectric in Amp Plains and against Team Rogue in Bidoof's story. No matter if you win the battle or not, you still have to be saved at the last second by others.
* ThereIsAnother: [[spoiler:Grovyle came back with a partner, which he reveals is still back in time (or would be, had Dusknoir not located and captured said [[PlayerCharacter partner]]).]]
* ThisIsTheFinalBattle: Spoken by [[spoiler:Grovyle]] during Special Episode 5 in ''Explorers of Sky'', when preparing to take out [[spoiler:Primal Dialga]].
* ThisPageWillSelfDestruct: In ''Sky'', the jobs given by the Pokémon Exploration Team Federation upon being bestowed the Secret Rank.
* TimeSkip: After you defeat [[spoiler:Primal Dialga]], the game moves forward several months as [[spoiler:your partner deals with the aftermath of losing you]].
* TimeStandsStill: Removing a Time Gear invokes this on its resting place, so everyone is smart enough to leave it alone. Well... ''almost'' everyone. [[spoiler:The BadFuture shows an ''entire'' world in this state, known as "Planetary Paralysis", and causes untold problems for its inhabitants. It is later revealed that it's necessary to take the Time Gears to a place where they can reserve the time freeze effect.]]
* TimeyWimeyBall
* {{Tsundere}}: Loudred and [[spoiler:Celebi]] show signs of this. Loudred is definitely more of a Type A, while [[spoiler:Celebi]] seems to be more of a Type B.

** So does SPIRITOMB.

* VillainBall: [[spoiler:Darkrai]] grabs one at the end of the epilogue arc. All he had to do was [[spoiler:jump in the time portal as soon as he realized he had no chance against the protagonists, and he would have won. But no, he had to gloat about the irony of the situation and the helplessness of the heroes, giving enough time for Palkia to arrive and destroy the time portal. (See VillainExitStageLeft)]]
* VillainExitStageLeft: After being defeated, [[spoiler:Darkrai opens a time portal to escape to, essentially, ''anywhere but there''. Palkia destroys it as he leaves, causing him to wash up somewhere in the past with no memories of his plans for [[TakeOverTheWorld World Domination]].]]
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: [[spoiler:Dusknoir.]]
* VisibleSilence: [[spoiler:If you lose the Graduation Exam, almost all the members of the Guild will only reply with ellipses if you try to talk with them. The only exceptions are Croagunk and Chimecho (who run shops), as well as Wigglytuff, being the only one that stays in character even after the PaperThinDisguise is revealed]].

* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Whenever the player or partner faints in a dungeon during the main StoryArc, or whenever the current team leader faints.
* WeCanRuleTogether: [[spoiler:[[BigBad Darkrai]] offers this to the main character]] during the epilogue arc, who [[ShutUpHannibal rejects the proposal rather violently]].
* WhamEpisode: When the party is thrown into the [[spoiler:BadFuture]], they suddenly learn that [[spoiler:Dusknoir is an evil Pokémon serving Primal Dialga, and Grovyle was trying to ''prevent'' the BadFuture by using the Time Gears to repair Temporal Tower]]. And that [[spoiler:Grovyle was the player's partner before the player was turned into a Pokémon]]. The first thing they decide to do after returning to the present time? [[spoiler:Finish what Grovyle started -- steal the Time Gears back again. But at least everyone believes them this time.]]

** [[spoiler: Surprisingly, there's one after beating the final boss! Now that the future is saved, you are starting to vanish from existence. Your partner learns about this and begs you to stay, but you can't. The game ends with the partner leaving Temporal Tower on his/her own. However, after the credits, Dialga brings your character back.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The player's team, Bidoof, Loudred, and Corphish head to Aegis Cave with Team Charm. After reaching the bottom, the player's team and Team Charm hastily exit the cave to escape a cave-in. And the three other guild members?
--> '''Lopunny''': Looks like everyone's here!

* WorldHalfFull: [[spoiler:The future, where the entire planet has been submerged into perpetual darkness. Can be fixed though.]]
* WorldHealingWave: [[spoiler:Done near the end of the fifth Special Episode in ''Sky'' after Dialga regains his sanity as history is changed and the Planet's Paralysis is undone.]]
* WolfpackBoss: Quite a few, and that's not including ones where you specifically fight against another exploration team (like Team Skull). During the main arc, you fight a pack of eight Luxio led by a Luxray in the Amp Plains. (''Explorers of Sky'' replaced them with the functionally-equivalent Electrike and Manectric, possibly because Shinx is now a starter. Bonus points for Electrike and Manectric being based off the often dog-like {{raiju}}.)
** There are more during the postgame arc: You battle against [[spoiler: Wigglytuff and ''the entire Guild'']] as part of a graduation exam, team up with another exploration team to take down Regigigas and a veritable swarm of Hitmonlee and Bronzong, and the final plot battle as well may be a case of this.
** ''Explorers of Sky'' adds even more, such as [[spoiler:Dusknoir and Grovyle against 4 and 6 Sableye]] during Special Episode 5, or teaming up with a Shaymin and Team Frontier to take out a group of eight Grimer and Muk atop Sky Peak.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: In ''Sky'', [[spoiler:Snover]] pulls one as part of [[TheCon a con act]]. Similarly, [[spoiler:Dusknoir pulls a downplayed example by pretending to have been betrayed by Primal Dialga and the Sableye, whilst maintaining his dignity.]]

* {{Yandere}}: Froslass, who encased the object of her affection in ice and held him hostage for decades.
* YouExclamation: [[spoiler:Dusknoir]], near the beginning of the final Sub-Episode in ''Sky''.
* YourMagicsNoGoodHere: The Dimensional Scream no longer works [[spoiler: in the future]] except when the player is around a Time Gear.

** Main story: Congratulations, you [[spoiler:captured Grovyle, but Dusknoir has dragged you into the future and now you must escape. You find out the truth behind Dusknoir's actions as a result.]]
** Epilogue: [[spoiler:Even though Azurill is cured of his nightmare and Cresselia shows up to oust an impersonator, you must head to confront Darkrai once and for all.]]

* DieLaughing: A downplayed version happens with the Reviser Seed, a lookalike or the Reviver Seed. When a Pokémon is revived with it, they notice that the item they were revived with has an “s” instead of a “v”, and bursts into laughter before fainting again.
* DisappearsIntoLight:
** [[spoiler:The player, after time has been fixed. Luckily, Dialga brings them back.]]
** ''Sky'''s fifth episode also has [[spoiler:Primal Dialga, Grovyle, Dusknoir, and Celebi]] doing this.
* DoubleCaper: Regarding [[spoiler: Grovyle and Dusknoir]]. See WhamEpisode.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: The epilogue arc. Sure, you may have been told that [[spoiler:your very existence is causing the world to fall into darkness]] and [[spoiler: the only way to stop it is to die]], your partner is [[spoiler:starting to seriously consider it]] and that [[spoiler: the god of space itself is out to kill you]] ... but hey, something still doesn't feel right. Don't give up, you can still win this!
* AnEconomyIsYou: A justified example. All the shops in Treasure Town center around the needs of Exploration Teams, but it's a town full of those and the main hub in the world for all exploration tasks.
* EldritchLocation:
** [[spoiler: The Hidden Land]], [[spoiler:The Nightmare]], and [[spoiler: Spacial Rift]].
** InUniverse, this can also apply to every Mystery Dungeon. When everything except the end of the dungeon changes every day at the absolute minimum, it's no wonder that so many Pokémon get lost in them.

* EscapeRope: The Escape Orb enables the explorer team to leave any dungeon at any time (except in boss fights) without negative effects. But if you use it during a story mission, the game treats it like you've been defeated.
* EscortMission: Many jobs are this, but taking them is optional. Some mandatory missions force an uncontrollable NPC into the party. Thankfully, all mandatory escorts are appropriately leveled for their respective dungeons.

* EverybodysDeadDave: Somewhat averted. [[spoiler:In the future, despite the planet's paralysis there ARE living Pokémon roaming the land, but almost every single one is hostile, both to one another, and the player and partner. Some have even regressed into a primal state more akin to real-life animals, including the god of time itself.]]
* EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:Special Episode 5 in ''Sky'']] after the LastStand.

* FakeLongevity: All shop interactions take way longer than reasonably needed. You have to interact with at least four shops[[note]]Kangaskhan Storage, Xatu Appraisal, Duskull Bank, Chimecho's team service and the Spinda's Café in ''Sky' '[[/note]]. Most of these shops don't have bulk transactions ready, and for every transaction they play an overly long dialog option that is not skippable. You'll easily spend ten minutes between every real mission just interacting with the shops.
* FanService: Team Charm is most likely this in-universe, considering how ''popular'' they are...
* FetchQuest: Many, the first one requiring you to fetch a Spoink's pearl.
* FightWoosh: Before boss battles.
* FightingAShadow: The boss of Fogbound Lake. [[spoiler:The "Groudon" is just a psychic illusion created by Uxie to ward off intruders]]

** After saving Temporal Tower, [[spoiler:the player gives one of these right as the change in time starts to erase them from history]].
** The ending to the final Special Episode [[spoiler:has every character from the future give one as their timeline is being erased.]]
* FirstTimeInTheSun: [[spoiler:Grovyle and Celebi get to do this at the end of the fifth Special Episode, as they're fading away.]]
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Scizor was frozen in ice for decades until the player and partner thaw him. Also, [[spoiler:Grovyle and Dusknoir]] are this in the present, [[spoiler:the partner]] is this in the future, and [[spoiler:the player is this in ''both'' thanks to their amnesia]].
* FlunkyBoss: [[spoiler:Dusknoir]] wouldn't be much of a threat were you fighting him by himself, but you also have to contend with six [[{{Mooks}} Sableye]] at the same time. See also WolfpackBoss, because your objective is to take ''all'' of them out, not just the leader.
* FoodPorn: The descriptions of the drinks ordered at the Spinda Café.

** If you do Wigglytuff's special episode early enough, it foreshadows a part of the main story [[spoiler:with the crystals changing color as a puzzle revealing the entrance to Crystal Crossing; though in the special episode it's just Armaldo guessing the crystals they found might do that, before getting interrupted by Igglybuff]]

*** At the end of Special Episode 4, the Ditto reveals to Team Charm and Team AWD that the treasure they are protecting is a Time Gear. AWD leaves, explaining that they would never take such an important artifact, impliying potentional consequences when Grovyle steals one.

* GoshDangItToHeck: Sunflora's personal CatchPhrase.

* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose:
** The battle against [[spoiler:Dusknoir and his Sableye]] -- even after his defeat, he still seems to have plenty of strength left.
** Grovyle will shake off the damage and defeat the player party, regardless of if they win or lose.
** It's ''technically'' possible to win Bidoof's HopelessBossFight against Team Rogue with the right items and good tactics, but victory leads directly into the cutscene of Bidoof losing.
* HelplessWithLaughter: One of the new items introduced in ''Explorers of Sky'' is the Reviser Seed, which upon reviving the Pokemon leads to them laughing so hard that they faint again.

* HopelessBossFight:
** During Bidoof's special episode in ''Sky'', though it is winnable with the right items. [[spoiler: Then Wigglytuff's ''entire guild'' [[BigDamnHeroes arrives to rescue him]] in one giant CurbStompBattle.]]
** Grovyle is treated this way, as if you lose the fight, the game continues. However, the fight can be won somewhat easily, though it still leads to the party getting wiped by Grovyle.

* IncendiaryExponent: [[spoiler:Sunflora and Loudred defeat a trio of Haunter while on fire.]]

* InvasionOfTheBabySnatchers: [[spoiler:Drowzee]], the "extortionist", who acts trustworthy to convince a child to come with him to a mountain alone, then threatens the child into doing a favor for him (getting a treasure that's hidden in the mountain).
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Chatot and Loudred. The jury's still out on which one's the bigger one, though.
** Skorupi and Banette in Igglybuff's special episode, arguably. While they're described as bullies, they're genuinely concerned about Igglybuff constantly going into Murky Forest and go after him to Fortune Ravine along with everyone else when they discover he's been hanging out with a wanted outlaw.
** [[spoiler:Grovyle]], too, for that matter. He often coms across as cold, standoffish, and blunt, but he did [[spoiler:risk everything to save the future, even his own life]].
** [[spoiler:Dusknoir]] even kinda becomes this eventually, once he learns to [[spoiler:rethink how he values his own life]].
* JustInTime: Among others, Cresselia's entrance. [[spoiler:The ''real'' Cresselia, not the one Darkrai poses as.]]

* KnightOfCerebus: [[spoiler:Drowzee]] for the main story, and [[spoiler:Darkrai]] for the post-credits plot.

* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:Dusknoir]] effortlessly manipulates everyone for most of the main story. [[spoiler:This continues in the fifth special episode.]]
* MarathonLevel: Many of the dungeons unlocked after the end of the main story arc are at least 50 floors long. Zero Isle South and Destiny Tower are 99 floors.
** The Aegis Cave is an interesting example, as while it's only 20 floors deep with 4 'checkpoints' You have to do it in one sitting, due to not being able to leave from the checkpoints. And considering the gimmick of the dungeon, you're likely gonna have to go through the same four floors between checkpoints several times before you can move on, unless you get lucky.

* MessageInABottle: These sometimes wash up on the beach, though they just contain missions not unlike the boards at the guild.

* TheMole: Two of them. First we have [[spoiler:Dusknoir]], and in ''Sky'' we have [[spoiler:Snover]].

* TheNightThatNeverEnds: The BadFuture is frozen in time where the sun never rises. [[spoiler:This was Darkrai's ultimate goal.]]

* NoIndoorVoice: Dialga and Palkia, although to be fair they ''are'' two of the largest Pokémon in the world; it's really just their normal tone of voice.
** Loudred. Especially when he wakes you up.
** The Gyarados you fight in Miracle Sea. The [[spoiler:fake illusion Groudon]], too.
* NoobCave: Beach Cave. It's inhabited by Pokémon of level 2-3 that most of the time only use status-inflicting attacks, and its four floors consist of 4-5 rooms max. The boss fight is likewise very easy.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Chatot, at least early on, to a frustrating degree...

* OneSteveLimit: Thanks to the SpeciesSurname, rarely does the player encounter more than one NPC of a given species. Averted by the Poochyena brothers, the Shaymin tribe, and [[spoiler:The Invincible Haunter, who is actually three of them.]]
** Grovyle doesn't make the connection between [[spoiler: his partner and the player]] until it's specifically pointed out to him by Dusknoir, though he might have not known the name of the latter at that point.

* OneTimeDungeon: The dungeons you explore in the future, and post-game dungeon The Nightmare. That being said, the game will make an out-of-story exception in regard to Friend Rescues, should your friend fall in one of those dungeons and need rescuing.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: After being silent (for the player) during the entirety of the main game, only expression themself in thought, the player character [[spoiler: speaks to their partner in dialogue to explain that now that the future has been changed, they're going to disappear]]. They never do it again in the post game either.
* OpenEndedBossBattle: In the bossfight against Grovyle, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose it. The game proceeds the same way in any case, in stark contrast to every other bossfight in the game, which throw you out of the dungeon.
* OrificeInvasion: When [[spoiler: Grovyle gets his ass kicked in the future]], he claims that Spiritomb took control of his body by entering through his nose. Spiritomb also does this to [[spoiler:Celebi]] later.

* ThePlan: [[spoiler:Dusknoir's GrandTheftMe plan in the Special Episode]].

* PlotCoupon: The five Time Gears.
* PlotTunnel: The Expedition the Guild sets out on early in the game is one of these, consisting of about 4 back-to-back dungeons with no way to return home until it's done. A darker variety also happens when you're [[spoiler:trapped in the future for some time]], and again briefly in the post-game when [[spoiler:Palkia warps you to its realm]].

** The Perfect Apples incident. As explained in OneSideOfTheStory, the partner is never given a chance to explain that it was Team Skull who prevented them from retrieving any Perfect Apples for the Chatot and the Guildmaster.

** [[spoiler:Grovyle]] explaining his motivations and goals could have skipped half the plot. Instead, he just [[spoiler:goes around attacking the Lake Spirits and stealing their Time Gears, which causes various catastrophic effects (only temporarily, but once again this is not explained until much later)]]. Naturally, everyone assumes he's the bad guy and go out of their way to stop him instead of helping him.

* PrimalFear: Primal Dialga's madness leaves it afraid of only one thing: Being erased from existence should history be changed.

* RaceAgainstTheClock: The distortions in time and its eventual destruction are caused by the gradual collapsing of Temporal Tower. By the time you reach it for your final mission, it is already starting to physically break apart, although this has [[GameplayAndStorySegregation absolutely no effect]] on your climb through it; it's not actually a TimedMission, so go ahead and TakeYourTime.
** Technically every dungeon is this as each floor has a counter for how many moves you have before a mysterious force kicks you out, but said limit is very generous, ranging from 500-2000 turns depending on the dungeon.

* ReallyDeadMontage: At the end, in regard to [[spoiler:the player character. Then subverted; the player's partner is ''so'' heartbroken that Dialga asserts his DeusExMachina power over the flow of time to [[BackFromTheDead bring the player back]]]].

* RedEyesTakeWarning: The covers depict enemy Mons with red eyes. To be fair, red eyes are actually a natural color for certain species -- just not the ones used on the covers. Also, Primal Dialga.

* RedSkyTakeWarning: A swirling vortex of red clouds hangs above Temporal Tower, hinting at how it's about to crumble.

* ReverseRelationshipReveal: [[spoiler:Grovyle]] is presented as a villain trying to create the BadFuture by stealing the Time Gears, while [[spoiler:Dusknoir]] is trying to stop him. But it turns out that [[spoiler:Dusknoir is the actual villain and Grovyle is trying to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong, because the problems caused by removing the Time Gears are actually temporary and the true danger is the Time Gears being kept away from Temporal Tower for too long - and Grovyle is trying to return them there]].

** Sometimes you and your partner look like they're ship-teasing ''themselves'', especially if you're the opposite gender.
** Bidoof and Sunflora is also occasionally teased, most notably in the latter's special episode when you talk to Bidoof as Sunflora, and Bidoof gets nervous and starts blushing around her.
* ShoutOut: When you receive a letter of challenge from the Pokémon Mewtwo, he states "I challenge you, Team [[HelloInsertNameHere <Team Name Here>]], [[Creator/DanGreen to a]] [[Franchise/YuGiOh duel!"]]

* SoLastSeason: In a meta level. In ''Rescue Team'', Groudon is the penultimate boss the player has to face, while their level is most likely on the late 20s or early 30s. In ''Explorers'', Groudon is fought just before halfway through the story, with your Pokémon's levels being at the early 20s at best. [[spoiler:{{Justified|Trope}}, though, as this Groudon is actually an illusion. The real one is a post-game boss.]]
* SoundTest: ''Explorers of Sky'' added one of these, with all 141 songs available on the Sky Jukebox. It also lets the sound test ''keep'' playing (through headphones) while the DS is closed.
* SpannerInTheWorks:
** If [[spoiler:Dusknoir had just left you and your partner in the past]], you would never have figured out that the world was already in danger, nor how to save it. It's almost a case of NiceJobFixingItVillain.
** It goes further than that: because [[spoiler:the Relic Fragment]] is needed to reach Temporal Tower, [[spoiler:Darkrai could have succeeded in his plan simply by not attacking Grovyle and the player]], and thus not resulting in the player and partner meeting. Unlike [[spoiler:Dusknoir]]'s case, the protagonist landing on the beach was complete chance, but it still counts.
* StartXToStopX: Stop time to prevent time from stopping. [[spoiler:Justified in that the localized time stops from stealing Time Gears are temporary; if the Time Gears are not used to repair Temporal Tower before it crumbles, time will halt across the entire world]].

* SuicideMission: The final mission to save the world is this for [[spoiler:the player and Grovyle, who will both disappear should they succeed]].
* SurpriseCreepy: For starring such cute critters, the ''Explorers'' games get uncomfortable ''fast''.

** "I don't have any special feelings for him or anything!" (said by [[spoiler:Celebi, of Grovyle]]).
** A non-romantic version of the same kind of denial is also used in Bidoof's Special Episode, when Chatot insists he was not concerned for Bidoof's safety. Even the rest of the guild makes fun of how much he fumbles over his words.