My laptop crashed AGAIN (this morning) as I was writing these news stories, so I had to rewrite all of them on someone else's laptop. -_-

Everyone's Pokemon Ranch - The Wii software download we learned about last year, Pokemon Ranch, has now been renamed to "Everyone's Pokemon Ranch" and will be available for download in Japan during March (the amount of Wii points to buy the game is unknown, as is the case with the U.S. download date). The purpose of the "game" is to store your Pokemon on the Wii, like with Pokemon Box. A list of features is below:

• Transfer your Pokemon from Diamond and Pearl and store up to 1000 of them on the Wii.
• Sort your Pokemon like in the PC system in D/P.
• Interact with your Pokemon (as your own Mii) on a virtual farm / ranch, such as around a bonfire.
• Take pictures with your Pokemon and either save them to an SD card or post them on the Wii message board.

The Pokemon Ranch is owned by a friend of Bebe (the Diamond and Pearl Pokemon Storage technician) named Yukari. She (pictured to the right) seems to be able to interact with the Pokemon as well - perhaps she takes care of them when your Wii is off.

To view the official web page for "Everyone's Pokemon Ranch," as well as more pictures, click here.

New Ending to Darkrai - In going through the credits of "The Rise of Darkrai" from yesterday and using the process of elimination, this seems to be the ending song:

"I'll Always Remember You"
Vocals by Kirsten Price

Sarah Brightman is not mentioned in the credits at all, so this is a strong indication that the song, "I Will Be With You," is not in the U.S. version of the movie and that it has been replaced by the song above. What could be the reason? To use the original song in the U.S. version, Pokemon USA probably has to pay Sarah Brightman a good chunk of money, and it may not be within their budget. The lyrics of the song also do not relate to the movie's plot or themes, so another reason for its replacement could be that Pokemon USA decided to make their own song that was more relevant. Either way, it is quite apparent we will not hear the song in the U.S. release.

"Oración" and "I Will Be With You" - These are the last two songs for download related to the 10th movie. I am betting most people loved the Oración song that the Space-Time Tower played yesterday, and so now you can listen to it below!

Oración - 3:25
[Download] (5.67 MBs)

Since the ending song "I Will Be With You" does not seem to be in the U.S. version as described in the previous news story, you can listen to it here as well (to "hear" what you are missing out on). The song plays throughout the ending of the movie, where Dawn competes in the Alamos Town Pokemon contest and loses (shown through a slide show). The Infernape trainer girl comes in first place, the Empoleon trainer comes in second, and Dawn comes in third. After the Contest sequence, we see Alamos Town, Team Rocket in the Baron's mansion, Alice and Tonio, scenes that played in the movie previously, and Dialga and Palkia roaming the Earth (perhaps foreshadowing their apparent role in the 11th movie?).

I Will Be With You - 4:34
[Download] (8.47 MBs)

"The Rise of Darkrai" Review / Opinions / Notes - I arrived to my dorm 15 minutes late, so I missed the very beginning of the movie (showing Dialga and Palkia fighting, which I am sure remained unchanged, and the "World of Pokemon" intro). So, my notes begin from when the air currents hit Alice's balloon, and as a result, she invites Ash and crew to take a tour of Alamos Town. In anticipation of my tardiness, I already set my VCR to record the movie, so I will rewind to the beginning to see if there is anything to note once the movie is over.

Be sure to refresh this page every once in a while - I will be adding notes as the movie plays! The notes are from newest to oldest.

• ---------THE END----------
• Right when the movie ends, it cuts immediately to Cartoon Network credits with the intro to a new show (Something about cards? Like YGO?). We don't hear any song or see any of the ending video. So, we won't know if her song is in the ending credits until the DVD is released in three months.
• And, and, and... a minute left until we find out if Sarah Brightman's song, "I Will Be With You," was kept at the end!
• Oh... my... gawd. Ash sounded SO bad when yelling at Palkia - the acting was TERRIBLE (they took out the "idiot" part, by the way).
• THEY REPLACED THE ORACION SONG AT THE END WITH A RAP SONG! IT SOUNDS TERRIBLE! No, just kidding, they kept it the same. :p
• -------Commercial--------
• He said "This garden is everyone's" instead.
• Yay, Alice said "This is everyone's garden," which means the line will probably not be changed when Darkrai repeats it!
• Man, Darkrai is less likable. He doesn't talk as much, and he sounds grumpy.
• Alicia and Alice say Oracion means "prayer" - they did not change it to a less religion-like word. :p
• Oracion is pronounced "Or-ahs-eon" (like grass) rather than "Or-aush-ion." I suppose the English pronunciation is correct, as that is probably how we would say it in English.
• -------Commercial--------
• Nothing really to note.
• -------Commercial--------
• Palkia's name is mispronounced as "Pawl-key-uh." It should be "Pal-key-uh."
• When Dialga is approaching to fight Palkia, Ash screams "Darkai!" instead of "Dialga!" It could be that for the dub, Ash was calling for Darkrai to defend them rather than labeling who Dialga is, meaning the situation was changed.
• Dialga and Palkia are referred to as "deities" instead of "gods."
• Alberto pronounced Gyro Ball correctly the second time around.
• -------Commercial-------- (dang I have to pee bad)
• Darkrai is called an "evil demon."
• The Infernape trainer sounds like Zoey.
• In the Japanese version, everyone gets confused between who Lickilicky and Baron Alberto are, since their names are similar (Beroberto, Baron Alberto) and they switch bodies. When people are confused as to who are who in the English version, they say "It's Baron Lickilicky" instead of "It's Beroberto," and Alberto responds with, "I'm Baron Alberto!"
• Darkrai talks like a caveman. When Ash said "Darkrai, the one getting out is you!" he replies with, "No, I stay," in a not-so-great, unnatural, and forced voice.
• Darkrai screams "Dark Void" when using the attack instead of screaming "Get out!" like he did in the Japanese version. Screaming "Get out" is part of the explanation as to why he appears.
• Alberto pronounced "Gyro Ball" incorrectly. "Gyro" is pronounced "Ji-ro," and he said "Guy-ro."
• Okay, so now we are at the scene where Darkrai appears after the light explosion in the sky. Darkrai's voice is not too good, in my opinion. He sounds like Fatso from Casper.
• -------Commercial--------
• The tower's "records" are now called "music discs."
• It's scary how close the script is to the original (excluding some "humorous" rewrites, which fit in well). I know I keep saying this, but wow, they went out of their way to keep it the same.
• So far, all of the background music is exactly the same.
• Oracion's name is butchered when pronounced, but its name is still the same.
• Again, you can tell they listened to the Japanese voice actors before saying their parts. Darkrai's English actor makes the same grunts as the original in the same way!
• Why are so many Pokemon voiced by Natochenny? They all sound the same and forced.
• Alicia, Alice's grandmother, keeps the same name.
• Wow, I am amazed - the script is almost word-for-word the same at some points.
• In the Japanese version, Nurse Joy labeled Darkrai's ability as "Bad Dreams," but the English version merely described it and did not name it.
• It sounded like Ash was screaming "Pichuuu!!" when he and it were being sucked up by the ground in his dream.
• -------Commercial--------
• Lickilicky says its English name in the Darkrai scene - in its first appearance, it had the Japanese voice.
• Some humor was added in to the script that was not present in the Japanese script.
• Cherrim's voice is different.
• Again, the script is almost dead-on to the Japanese script.
• Opinion: Tonio's and Alberto's voices are also okay.
• Tonio's name is pronounced weird - they say it like "To-nee-o" or something.
• Drifblim has the same Japanese voice.
• Lickilicky's voice is the same as the Japanese, unlike the "preview" where it was quiet.
• Gallade's voice actor screams "Gallade" just like the original Japanese actor did - you can tell they listened to the original Japanese actors before they dubbed.
• In case there were any fears, Alice's Oracion song is exactly the same.
• Gaudy keeps his original name.
• Opinion: Alice's voice is pretty good - the commercial with the 4-second clip did not do it justice.
• The script is almost dead-on to the Japanese version.
• The Japanese song "Together" is replaced with a pretty good dub-created song. It goes something like, "Another day, another fight... we will be heroes... we can change the world if we try... Pokemon!"
• The movie is in widescreen, like with Manaphy.
  

"The Rise of Darkrai" airs tomorrow at 7:00 PM on Cartoon Network, proceeded by a Diamond and Pearl marathon beginning at 7:00 AM. Pokemon takes over the entire channel! Since I will be going to school early (where the channels are in the eastern time zone), I will see the movie as it premieres, and will keep everyone updated regarding any interesting changes made.

Alice's Grass Flute - Alice is the young blond woman featured in the movie, and she has the amazing ability to play songs on a tea leaf (the leaf is also able to produce violin and synthesizer accompaniments :p). The main song she plays is called "Oración," which means "prayer," and Alicia, her grandmother, taught it to her as a child. Alicia always told Alice to never forget the tune.

Alice's Grass Flute - 1:02
[Download] (1.52 MBs)

Background / Minor Spoilers: Gaudy, the architect who built the Space-Time Tower and who designed the gardens of Alamos Town, heard Alicia (the grandmother) play the song as a child and noticed the tune could both calm and heal Pokemon. When building the Space-Time Tower, he continuously experienced nightmares that were trying to warn him of a cataclysmic event that would occur in the future. Not only did the nightmares warn him of it, but they were trying to tell him of what to do to prevent it. To protect the future of Alamos Town, Gaudy left behind something to calm a great wrath.

I think I have set a personal record for the longest time awake - it's been almost 42 hours. I feel so proud of myself, and now I can show off to everyone about it (even though it's really because I had two big essays due). College is so much fun at times. :D After this update, I'm going straight to bed.

"That Boy, Ash" and "Enter Darkai!" - Two pieces of music are available for download today, since both are a bit short. The first one, "That Boy, Ash," plays in the introduction of the movie during the "World of Pokemon" sequence. "Enter Darkrai" plays when... Darkrai enters the story.

That Boy, Ash - 0:42
[Download] (1.01 MBs)

Enter Darkrai! - 1:33
[Download] (2.54 MBs)

Obtain Electivire in PBR - The codes you can enter in Pokemon Battle Revolution for Magmortar and Electivire expire after a while, so the codes we knew about a few months ago will no longer work. However, a new Electivire code has been released. Once you beat Pokemon Battle Revolution, you can enter in the code tko3-9jwp-34kl to download Electivire to your game! Follow the instructions below if you do not know how to do it. The Electivire you receive has random stats, but everything else is the same, as shown below as well.

1. Load your Pokemon Battle Revolution account, and customize your Battle Pass' "Self-Introduction." To do this, go to "Menu -> Profile -> Profile -> Self-Introduction."
2. Enter the code: tko3-9jwp-34kl (enter the code with subtraction signs / dashes, which are located in the "characters" section with the math symbols). You must type the code in lowercase.
3. Exit out of the customization, and go to the Shop. You will see the "Shocking Gift" as an item at the bottom of the list. Buy it (it's free).
4. The Wii will now send out Electivire's signal (after telling you to turn on your DS).
5. Turn on your Diamond or Pearl, accept the Mystery Gift, go to the Mart, talk to the man in green, and receive Electivire! Be sure to have an open slot!
5. You will only have three minutes to download Electivire.

---

Electivire (Level 50)
Nature: Adamant
Trainer ID: 06257
OT: PKTOPIA
From the Lovely Place and apparently met in a fateful encounter.

~Ice Punch
~Thunderpunch
~Cross Chop
~Earthquake

Holding a Magnet, inside a normal Poke Ball, always male.

*places a Lunar Wing beside his bed*

ZzzzzzZzzzzzzzZz...

POP 7 noicaro/ - tcg info, but with a darkrai movie twist url

POP 7 scans and info tomorrow? Early next week? We'll see!

Diamond and Pearl Tin Update - The official Go-Pokemon website has revealed that the Dialga, Palkia, and Darkrai LV.X tins that we have known about for a while will be available on February 27th. Each tin will come with four Diamond and Pearl series booster packs and one of the three LV.X cards.

Darkrai vs. Lickilicky! - Today's "The Rise of Darkrai" music is titled "Darkrai vs. Lickilicky." It plays near the middle of the movie when the main events begin to unfold and Darkrai is accused of being the cause of the chaotic phenomena occurring in Alamos Town. The song is awesome, and features the familiar Diamond and Pearl Gym Leader music that everyone loves!

Darkrai vs. Lickilicky! - 2:15
[Download] (3.46 MBs)

The Sea Temple (Samaya / Akusha) appeared tonight for an hour! I doubt anyone will understand this reference...

10th Movie DVD Release Date - And the day after I ask for the DVD date, we get it. :p

"The Rise of Darkrai" will be available in stores on May 27th for $19.98, about three months after it debuts on television (it plays this Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM on Cartoon Network). The DVD will be released by Viz, the company who has published the movies since "Lucario and the Mystery of Mew."

Popular links this week: ["DP5: Temple of Anger, Cry from the Mysterious" Translations, Info, Card Images] - [Great Encounters scans and set list] - Redshark download page - [Entry Pack 2008 DX Translations].

To the Original World - The second song available for download this week is titled "To the Original World." It plays toward the end of the movie.

To the Original World - 1:20
[Download] (2.25 MBs)

Spoilers: The song plays after Ash literally (yes, literally!) calls Palkia an idiot - the same Palkia that helped destroy the entire town and the same growling Palkia that is floating right above him - and I am sure the line will be changed in the dub because of its bluntness. After hearing Ash insult it and Dawn plead with it to restore the city, Palkia covers the entire city in its "pinkness," packs it up into a swirly flow of energy, and literally fits the city right back in to where it was ripped from in the normal dimension (instead of tearing Ash's head off, but I suppose Palkia realizes that it pulled these innocent humans into a serious fight without thinking of its actions, or something like that, and that it must restore what it destroyed). What, you thought the city would stay destroyed in the Unown dimension and all its inhabitants gone forever? Everything that was absorbed by the "purpleness" when Dialga and Palkia were fighting is restored, and the movie draws to a close. The actual song you hear here is abridged when it plays in the movie, so there is one small "verse" that you do not hear in the particular scene.

In Celebration of the 10th Movie... - I will be posting a few tracks from the soundtrack of Dialga vs. Palkia vs. Darkrai until it plays on Cartoon Network, like I did with the past few movies until they were released on DVD! This way, you can get excited about the movie and hear some of the music beforehand! I think I already posted some of the film's tracks back in July when I reviewed its score, but I do not remember which I posted. Most of the film's tracks were written by Shinji Miyazaki, the main composer for the television show's background music and for the movies' music.

Minor plot spoilers: The song available for download today is To the Space-Time Tower. It plays when Alice is attempting to locate the Oración record and on the way to placing it in to the Space-Time Tower (hopefully "Oración" will keep the same name in the dub). The song first features the Oración tune, then moves on to a "hopeful" mood as Ash and crew attempt to fly up to the top of the tower in Alice's hot-air balloon to play the record. In the process, the city is being evacuated because of Dialga and Palkia fighting (Dialga uses Roar of Time and Draco Meteor, while Palkia uses some sort of pink-ball attack that is probably a variation of Spacial Rend). The song ends upon Alice jumping off her hot-air balloon because of the heavy damage it received from Dialga's Draco Meteor, since it would have crashed and killed her otherwise (Team Rocket's balloon has crashed many times before and they have survived, but I guess Alice is just weaker). Darkrai is also featured in the time span of the song, defending the balloon from Dialga's Roar of Time (similar to Lugia defending Ash and crew as they traveled to Ice Island to retrieve the last glass ball).

To the Space-Time Tower - 4:10
[Download] (6.80 MBs)

The Rise of Darkrai (Japanese: Dialga vs. Palkia vs. Darkrai) will play this Sunday on Cartoon Network from 7:00 to 9:00 PM only ONCE. The release date for the DVD has yet to be announced (HEY! PUSA! Hurry up and tell us so some of the little kiddies can save up their money to buy it when it comes out!).

Base Set in Stores... 10 Years Later - The weirdest thing happened today - I went to Target and there were Base Set booster packs and theme decks for sale! I thought I was seeing things at first, but they definitely had a couple of each (mainly just the Base Set Starter Decks, featuring a 1st edition Machamp card)! We went to another Target because I was so excited and they also had some of the product. Run to your Targets and grab them if you want, because there is an extremely limited supply (like 1-2 theme decks and packs)! The product was probably sitting in a Target warehouse for a long time, which is odd considering that when Pokemon was in its fad stage, it was hard to come across booster packs sometimes. The booster packs and theme decks must had been lost in a warehouse and were just recently found, which happened a few years ago when Wizards of the Coast stores found some Base Set product in the corner of one of their warehouses and distributed it among their stores to sell. Everything is still the original price ($9.99 for theme decks, $3.29 for booster packs).

Redshark Installation - Some people have reported that upon installing Redshark, no [Great Encounters] cards were included in the program. The problem has to do with the installation not overwriting the card data in previously installed Redshark versions, and an [updated installer] is now available that will hopefully fix the problem for the users experiencing this problem. If you still cannot get the new cards to show in the program, please post in this forum thread so we can help you with the problem.

POP 7 Released Next League Season - Not that anyone doubted it, but POP 7 is set for release during the next Pokemon League season. The next season (season 5) features Hearthome City and spans from March 8th to April 12th. Players will be able to earn holo Psychic energy, as Fantina, the Gym Leader of Hearthome City, uses Ghost-type Pokemon in Diamond and Pearl.

We should have POP 7 scans and information either late next week or early the week after, so be sure to keep checking back here!