Plate

Plates are key items in Tears of the Fallen. They solely belong to Arceus and they give it its power. There are only 17 of them in the world. They're also one of the three items needed for the meditation to becoming a Manipulator.

History
Each Plate belongs to Arceus. Arceus has always had them; it used them to help the create the world long ago. They are the source of Arceus's power. They're best thought of as a smaller version of Arceus's full power.

Plates had a large part in shaping the world. Each Plate corresponds to a particular aspect of the world as it exists today. It's a complex process that only Arceus fully understands, but basically, for example, the Rock Plate is responsible for the world's various mountains, canyons, etc. The Electric Plate helped with the advancement of power sources as time progressed. The Psychic Plate helped with humans and Pok é mon excelling as intelligent species.

Back in ancient times, when Arceus still trusted humans, it created Manipulation for all humans to have a way to maintain peace and use it for emergencies. Since Plates are the source of all of Arceus's power, the source of each Manipulation was rooted in the Plates. Plates weren't exactly needed for Manipulation, since Arceus just picked people to be Manipulators. When picking people to become Manipulators, the human needed to have a Gem and Zenryoku Crystal of the same type as the Manipulaton that Arceus was about to have the human be. Arceus usually just gave those two items to the human. However, this allowed for a system of meditation to be done with all three items if the human had those themselves.

The Plates became detached from Arceus twice, both in meteor showers. The first shower was in the Sinnoh region and the second one was in Anistar City in Kalos. The first time went well, since someone returned two Plates to it afterwards, which gave Arceus the strength to recall the rest of the Plates to it. The second time was when Arceus got captured by the Tekiyoku.

The Plates remained in the possession of Lysandre for years, but Alain used a move that Arceus taught him to scatter the Plates around the world. When this happened, the Plates became dormant for three years, rendering them invisible and inactive. After this time had passed, Alain was able to track the general area of each one down, while the Tekiyoku was also racing to get the Plates from Alain. Alain wished to use them to free Arceus, while the Tekiyoku wanted Lysandre to become a Supreme Manipulator.

Appearance and Characteristics
Plates are the largest of the three Manipulation meditation items. There are 17 of them; each one corresponds to each type (except Normal). The color of them matches the type it represents (light blue for Ice, etc.).

They're large, coarse, rock-hard stones that have a rectangular shape. The surface of the object is pretty jagged and not perfectly even. They glisten perfectly in any light and are usually commemorated for their beauty.

They're much larger than their Manipulation counterparts, Gems, and Zenryoku Crystals. They're about as wide as a fully opened adult male's palm, fingers separated, stretching from the pinky to the thumb. The length matches an average person's forearm, with a depth of about 3 inches. The weight is about 4 lbs (1.814 kg).

Plates are extremely durable. Both due to their physical properties and the essence of Arceus's power within them, they cannot be scratched, chipped, nor broken in any way. They are fully indestructible. The worst that can happen to them is becoming lost or stolen.

Effect
A Plate's effect in-battle is that it allows Arceus to change its type from Normal to whichever type the Plate corresponds to. It will then give Arceus all the advantages (and weaknesses) of that type. It will also change its signature Pok é mon move, Judgment, to the type of the Plate it's holding in battle.

For Arceus, the Plates give it power. Without its Plates, it is weak and cannot fight nor save anyone. This is usually not a problem, since the Plates stay attached to Arceus automatically through a magical, gravitational pull and can even turn invisible when Arceus possesses them. An extremely powerful force can break the Plates away from it, however, as what happened in the story with the meteor showers. If Arceus holds one Plate, it is still weak, but two Plates give it enough power to recall the rest of them to it.

Other than possessing extreme value, Plates do nothing for humans other than allow for meditation to become a Manipulator.

Setup
The Plates' usefulness in the meditation process for becoming a Manipulator is a bit intricate. The type of Plate must match with the Gem and the Zenryoku Crystal. The type that these three items are is the Manipulation the person meditating is trying to be.
 * Main article: Meditation Process

The Plate goes on the ground as the top point of a triangle made by the three items. The person meditating will sit inside the triangle, facing the Plate, and begin the meditation.

For Dual Manipulation, the setup is similar, but with two Plates. The second Plate will follow in the triangle shape and go in between the first Plate and the first Zenryoku Crystal.

For Supreme Manipulation, each of the 17 Plates is arranged in one large triangle on the ground. No Gems or Zenryoku Crystals are needed.

The Judging
Uniquely, the Plates have a kind of spiritual essence in them. The Plate acts as a "judge" and will examine the personality of the human meditating. Each Manipulation type is represented by two characteristics. The human must have an abundant amount of these characteristics in some way in order to "qualify" to possess the Manipulation. If the human does not match the personality, they need to stop meditating before too much time passes or else the Plate will deem them "unworthy" and kill the human.

The two exceptions to this are the Fairy and Dragon Plate. The human must have their contract with either a Mythical or Legendary Pokémon, respectively. The Plate will know if the human has that contract. If they do, no other personality trait matters, but if they don't, again, they must stop meditating soon or else they will die. More on this are on the pages for Fairy and Dragon Manipulation.

For Dual Manipulation, everything still applies, but with two Plates, meaning the human must match all 4 characteristics.

Availability
With only 17 in existence, Plates are the rarest of the three Manipulation items. They're meant for Arceus to always have in its possession.

However, with the events that happened in the Backstory, they were effectively spread around the world. The only person who can track them down is Alain. The Tekiyoku and the Mokusetsu plan to gain as many Plates as they can to make more people into Manipulators.

List of Plates
This is a list of each Plate, along with the Manipulation it represents, the characteristics that represent the Manipulation, and which region and city it was hidden in (if it's been revealed in the series yet). A section below this will tell who currently has which Plate (the Tekiyoku or the Mokusetsu), so that section below will contain  minor spoilers .

This list isn't in any particular order.

Ikazuchi
Ikazuchi is the name of the Electric Plate. Electric Manipulation is represented by speed & excitement. When the Plates were scattered in the story, the known location that the Plate was hidden in is in Anistar City in the Kalos region.

Tsurara
Tsurara is the name of the Ice Plate. Ice Manipulation is represented by coldness & depression. When the Plates were scattered in the story, the known location that the Plate was hidden in is in Snowbelle City in the Kalos region.

Shizuku
Shizuku is the name of the Water Plate. Water Manipulation is represented by tranquility & life. When the Plates were scattered in the story, the known location that the Plate was hidden in is in Lumiose City in the Kalos region.

This is one of the two Plates that a kid returned to Arceus after the first meteor shower when Arceus first lost all its Plates.

This is one of the two Plates that Arceus (and therefore, Alain) knew the location of when Giratina hid it when coming up with the move, "Omnipotent Purēto Scatter".

Hi no Tama
Hi no Tama is the name of the Fire Plate. Fire Manipulation is represented by anger & wrath. When the Plates were scattered in the story, the known location that the Plate was hidden in is in Paniola Town on Akala Island in the Alola region.

This is one of the two Plates that a kid returned to Arceus after the first meteor shower when Arceus first lost all its Plates.

This is one of the two Plates picked up by Lysandre after the second meteor shower. Lysandre pretended to be about to give the Plate to Arceus, but then signaled his henchmen for the capture of Arceus. This Plate inspired one of Lysandre's Manipulations.

Midori
Midori is the name of the Grass Plate. Grass Manipulation is represented by nature & healing. When the Plates were scattered in the story, the known location that the Plate was hidden in is in Blackthorn City in the Johto region.

Kobushi
Kobushi is the name of the Fighting Plate. Fighting Manipulation is represented by creativity & martial arts. The location of the Plate is unknown so far in the series.

Moudoku
Moudoku is the name of the Poison Plate. Poison Manipulation is represented by tactics & suppression. The location of the Plate is unknown so far in the series.

Daichi
Daichi is the name of the Ground Plate. Ground Manipulation is represented by earth & stability. The location of the Plate is unknown so far in the series.

Ganseki
Ganseki is the name of the Rock Plate. Rock Manipulation is represented by offensive strength & power. When the Plates were scattered in the story, the known location that the Plate was hidden in is in Hau'oli City on Melemele Island in the Alola region.

Koutetsu
Koutetsu is the name of the Steel Plate. Steel Manipulation is represented by defensive strength & tools. The location of the Plate is unknown so far in the series.

This is one of the two Plates picked up by Lysandre after the second meteor shower. Lysandre pretended to be about to give the Plate to Arceus, but then signaled his henchmen for the capture of Arceus. This Plate inspired one of Lysandre's Manipulations.

Aozora
Aozora is the name of the Flying Plate. Flying Manipulation is represented by wind & freedom. The location of the Plate is unknown so far in the series.

Fushigi
Fushigi is the name of the Psychic Plate. Psychic Manipulation is represented by the mind & intelligence. When the Plates were scattered in the story, the known location that the Plate was hidden in is in Floaroma Town in the Sinnoh region.

This is one of the two Plates that Arceus (and therefore, Alain) knew the location of when Giratina hid it when coming up with the move, "Omnipotent Purēto Scatter".

Speaking of which, Alain actually needed this Plate in order to learn Omnipotent Purēto Scatter. Alain managed to get Lysandre to give him the Plate one day so that Arceus could later teach the move to Alain.

Mononoke
Mononoke is the name of the Ghost Plate. Ghost Manipulation is represented by stealth & mysteriousness. The location of the Plate is unknown so far in the series.

Tamamushi
Tamamushi is the name of the Bug Plate. Bug Manipulation is represented by animal instincts & alertness. When the Plates were scattered in the story, the known location that the Plate was hidden in is in Ecruteak City in the Johto region.

Ryuu
Ryuu is the name of the Dragon Plate. Dragon Manipulation is represented by legend & destruction. The location of the Plate is unknown so far in the series.

Seirei
Seirei is the name of the Fairy Plate. Fairy Manipulation is represented by myth & magic. When the Plates were scattered in the story, the known location that the Plate was hidden in is in Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh region.

Kowamote
Kowamote is the name of the Dark Plate. Dark Manipulation is represented by pure evil & sin. When the Plates were scattered in the story, the known location that the Plate was hidden in is in Eterna City in the Sinnoh region.

This Plate is regarded as the least popular, due to nobody needing it, since Dark Manipulation is impossible to achieve in the current times.

There's a demon that lives within the Plate that's named after the Plate, "Kowamote".

Organization Possession (Spoilers)
This section simply lists which organization has which Plate currently (either the Mokusetsu or the Tekiyoku). If a Plate isn't listed, the city/town where it's hidden is still not revealed in the series so far. If a Plate's hidden city/town is revealed, but neither organization has it, it'll be shown as still being in its hidden location. This section is in order by when the Plates were discovered in the series.

Since it shows which organization has which Plate, if you're not caught up with the series, this secton will contain  minor spoilers,  so avoid it if you don't wish to know this.

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 * Shizuku (Water) (Tekiyoku)
 * Ikazuchi (Electric) (Mokusetsu)
 * Tsurara (Ice) (Mokusetsu)
 * Tamamushi (Bug) (Tekiyoku)
 * Midori (Grass) (Mokusetsu)
 * Seirei (Fairy) (Mokusetsu)
 * Kowamote (Dark) (Mokusetsu)
 * Fushigi (Psychic) (Mokusetsu)
 * Hi no Tama (Fire) (Mokusetsu)

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Phenomena (Spoilers)
There are strange happenings that occur when Plates are found from their hiding spots after being dormant for three years. Additionally, their hiding spots seem to have something to do with the type of Plate it is. The exceptions to this seem to be the Water and Psychic Plates, the same two Plates Alain knew the exact location of already, due to Giratina telling Arceus these specific Plates' hiding spots in ancient times. Those two Plates didn't have any strange phenomenon happening with them when they were found.

''' Please AVOID this section for now until you're caught up with the series! This section will contain spoilers if you're not caught up! Plates are in order by when they were discovered. '''

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The Electric Plate, Ikazuchi, was hidden in a small compartment at the bottom of an abandoned lighthouse in Anistar City. When Pikachu found this Plate, the lighthouse became operational again for the first time in about 30 years.

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The Ice Plate, Tsurara, was hidden inside a glacier on top of a frozen pond in Snowbelle City. Alain's Charizard had pointed this out. The glacier could not be burned for some reason. Upon chipping away at the ice and uncovering the Plate, all of the nearby glaciers and the entire pond melted and turned into water, creating a flowing waterfall out of that pond.

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The Bug Plate, Tamamushi, was hidden inside of the Burned Tower in Ecruteak City. When Alain found the Plate inside, three things happened. First, three silhouettes rose from inside the tower, going up to the sky. People thought these were the three nameless Pokémon who had died in the old fire of this tower. Next, Casey's Beedrill, which was previously killed by Archie, had come back to life. Lastly, Ho-Oh was spotted in the sky, flying over the Burned Tower. These events suggested that the Bug Plate is associated with Pokémon Life.

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The Grass Plate, Midori, was hidden in the ground in Blackthorn City. It was found by Mairin. When it was found, her lullaby singing ended up being transmitted to Ash's ears before he even arrived in the city. Also, a purple tree stump sprouted from the ground in the city, which Mairin loved. The stump "guided" her to wait for Ash.

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The Fairy Plate, Seirei, was found by Dawn. She went to a fountain that's normally used for wishes and stood in it. There, she wished for the Fairy Plate. It then appeared in her hands.

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The Dark Plate, Kowamote, was also found by Dawn. Barry had been having troubling thoughts lately about possibly becoming a Dark Manipulator to defeat Paul. It was his conscience being corrupt. While searching for the Plate, Barry expressed these thoughts out loud, and Dawn talked to Barry to calm him down. This eased the "darkness" in his conscience and made the Dark Plate appear in her hands.

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The Fire Plate, Hi no Tama, was found by Ash. It was in a hard-to-see top layer of a tall silo. Ash used Alain's Charizard to help him get there. Upon finding the Plate, clouds formed and it started to rain. This ended the recent drought happening in Paniola Town and allowed for Kiawe's family's farm to flourish for the Autumn.

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Trivia

 * The name of each Plate is actually what the romanized names of them are in the original Japanese versions of the Pok é mon games. The Plates have a name in the English dub and a different name in the Japanese version that's in Japanese and also translated to English. For example, the Water Plate in the English dub is called the "Splash Plate". In Japanese, it's called the "Water Drop Plate", which is translated (romanized) to "Shizuku Purēto" in Japanese. "Shizuku" roughly means "water drop". This made the Water Plate in Tears of the Fallen be called "Shizuku".


 * In the Pok é mon franchise, namely in the 12th movie, Arceus was actually able to recall the rest of its Plates to it after holding just one Plate. This was changed to two Plates in Tears of the Fallen.
 * In that same movie, the Plates are shown as a hexagonal shape. In the games, though, they're quadilaterals. The rectangular shape depicted in Tears of the Fallen stays truer to the latter.