Volo

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Volo (Japanese: ウォロ Volo) is one of the Ginkgo Guild merchants and a worshiper of . He is the in the to have the es Ginkgo Guild Member (Japanese: イチョウしょうかい Ginkgo Merchant Guild) and Pokémon Wielder (Japanese: ポケモンつかい Pokémon User).
He claims to be a descendant of the ancient Sinnoh people.Volo: "The blood of the ancient Sinnoh people flows in my veins, does it not?! What is it, then, that you find so lacking in me?!" () He bears a striking resemblance to Cynthia and Cogita, but the relationship between them, if any, is unknown.
==In the core series games==
===Character profile===
Volo is a merchant of the Ginkgo Guild that the player encounters several times over the course of Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Unlike many of the other merchants, he often seems to travel alone, giving the player items and advice on how to catch or battle certain Pokémon, such as teaching them how to use the back-strike while using Poké Balls. Volo is often excited by the player's actions, taking interest in the player's alterations and contributions to the course of history. He has a sense of curiosity, being interested in the lore and myths that may be found around the Hisui region, including the Plates held by the special and Legendary Pokémon around the region. 
Despite Volo's appearance and frequent aid to the player, his kindness is nothing more than a facade, hiding a malicious and clever side to his character. Volo appears to have a deep distaste and grudge for the player, wishing that 's space-time rift had never brought them to Hisui. His interest in mythology and created an intense self-commitment to meet the Mythical Pokémon and overthrow it, wanting to create a universe anew. However despite his negative traits, it is implied that he does care for his own Pokémon, as shown with pictures of him and his at the photography studio in Jubilife Village. This is further implied with Togepi, along with his only evolving through high friendship.
Volo is skilled in Pokémon battles, often challenging the player. He is one of two people to have the most available Pokémon at once in traditional battle, the other being Ingo. He can read the glyphs left by the original Celestica people, and frequently notes the similarities between the journey of the Ancient Hero of Celestica legend and the player character. Cogita remarks that he often shirks his duties to pester her at the Ancient Retreat about Hisui's legends and myths, indicating a lack of interest in his duties as a Ginkgo Guild merchant.
===Appearance===
Volo is a tall blonde man who stands at the height of 6'3" (190 cm). He bears a striking resemblance to both Cynthia and Cogita, which his outfits, hair color and eye color resembling either of the two. Volo has long blonde hair that cascades over left eye. His hair is often tied up in a bun that rests in the back of his head, but when he is not wearing his Ginkgo Guild uniform, this bun is untied making his hair resemble that of the Pokémon . He has thin eyebrows, and his gray eyes are also thin and small and end in a single thick eyelash.
Volo's Ginkgo Guild uniform is largely blue, with yellow and white accents. His top is all blue, ending in puffy furred cuffs around the sleeve and collar ends. Despite the coloring, the design pays homage to Cynthia's long coat and scarf. On the front, Volo wears a white apron and connects to his belt from around his neck and back. This apron reaches down towards his knees in the front, ending in six circular yellow spots. The apron's chest shows the Ginkgo Guild's logo. A brown belt with a silver buckle on the front wraps around his waist holding up his blue pants. These pants are puffy at the knees and are tucked away inside his large and brown rounded boots. Volo wears a furred yellow and blue hat. Volo is always carrying around a large brown backpack filled with multiple merchandise and wares to sell to travelers around the region.
At the Temple of Sinnoh, Volo removes his Ginkgo Guild uniform, appearing in more religious-looking garb, resembling . The pupils of his gray eyes are smaller. He wears a thin white shirt with shorter sleeves and the hem flows down to his right hip. The shirt's collar is golden with the decoration going over his right shoulder. His left shoulder has its own decoration, with a clothing graduating towards yellow hangs down over the sleeve. A Golden belt wraps around Volo's waist with two decorative pieces pointing downward resembling Arceus' wheel-like appendages. Volo wears bright green pant tucked into his sandals at the knees. These open-toed sandals are golden all the way around, including the soles and makes several open cross-hatches down to his ankles. Volo wears two golden cuffs around his wrists, with a single "spike" stretching up against his forearms. He wears a necklace with a gray tear-drop ornament hanging from the middle, resembling Cynthia's coat zipper and Cogita's dress decoration.
===Role===
====Pokémon Legends: Arceus====
Website blurb: "Volo, one of the Ginkgo Guild’s merchants, is often to be found wandering the Hisui region. He has a tendency to cross paths with you no matter where you travel. He’s got a boundless sense of curiosity and is always interested in unusual finds and unusual people."
Volo is first met in after the gets their first partner Pokémon. Upon leaving the village Volo will offer to battle with his and reward the player with five Potions for their victory. During the player's mission to meet Mai from Fieldlands Camp, Volo appears to tell the player about Back Strikes and how to use them in Pokémon capturing and battle. Later, when the player is about to leave Jubilife Village in order to calm Lord , Volo arrives to wish the player good luck, prays they used Back Strike right, and gives them Super Potions. After calming down the first Noble Pokémon, Volo greets the player upon their return to the village and asks to see the two Plates the player obtained from and , respectively.
Volo makes minor appearances throughout the game, delivering items to others as part of the Ginkgo Guild and encouraging the player's efforts to complete the Pokédex.
When Kamado exiles the player from Jubilife Village, Volo seeks them out and offers his aid. He brings the player to the Ancient Retreat and introduces them to Cogita, a descendant of the Celestica people who has been teaching Volo the mythology of Hisui. Volo accompanies the player to Lake Verity, Lake Valor, and Lake Acuity as they follow Cogita's advice to seek out the Red Chain. He also takes up temporary residence at the Ancient Retreat, offering to sell the player items due to their inability to access Choy's shop in the village. Once the Red Chain is assembled, Volo — eager for a chance to see history unfold — follows the player to the Temple of Sinnoh on their mission to prevent Kamado from attacking / in a misguided attempt to close the space-time rift. He again sells items just before the final ascent to the temple.
After Origin Forme / is captured, Volo enlists the player for a mission to locate the remaining Plates. He splits up with the player to conduct his own research while the player seeks out various Legendary Pokémon and assembles the missing Plates. They later meet up at the Ancient Retreat again, where they discover that Cogita possessed one of the Plates all along, using it as a cutting board while unaware of its true significance. With only the Spooky Plate remaining, Volo asks the player to meet him at the Celestica Ruins. There, he muses about the existence of a Pokémon that could equal Dialga and Palkia, yet was banished to a world on the opposite side of the real one, named . He grows excited and begins to lose his composure at the thought of how close to uncovering the truth about Hisui's mythology he is. Expressing frustration at the state of the world, he explains that he always sought answers when he faced difficulty in his life and asks the player where a creature like Giratina that wants to fight might appear, deducing that it would be the Temple of Sinnoh.
At the temple, Volo observes that it is now ruined, turned into a site where "pillars now turned into spears stab into the heavens". Dropping his false persona, Volo confesses that in order to meet Arceus, he contacted Giratina and had it tear open the space-time rift, which directly caused the Noble Pokémon to rampage and led to the player's arrival in Hisui. He discards his Ginkgo Guild uniform and reveals that he possessed the Spooky Plate all along, demanding that the player hand over the rest so that he may meet and subjugate Arceus, then use its power to destroy and recreate the world. Although he offers the player a chance to stop him by defeating him in battle, he adds that he will not hesitate to use force to collect the Plates for himself. After a long, difficult battle, Volo angrily lashes out at the player, furious that they seemingly arrived from the space-time rift solely to get in his way. However, he excitedly notes the creeping presence of an eldritch being arriving at the ruined temple. Giratina emerges from a portal, and Volo takes control of it, commanding it to strike the player down. A battle against Giratina ensues, but just as it is seemingly defeated, it unleashes its true strength and transforms into its .
When Giratina finally falls in battle, it reverts into its and flees, causing Volo to fully lose his composure. Denouncing Giratina for fleeing from a human, he cries out in vain to Arceus, desperate to know what qualities it sees him as lacking, and wondering if his defeat means the world does not need to be remade. Volo surrenders the Spooky Plate to the player, telling them that his story ended when he was defeated by them. However, when the player's Celestica Flute transforms into the Azure Flute, Volo realizes Arceus has chosen the player over him and lashes out again, refusing to stay and watch as they realize his dream of meeting Arceus. Before departing, Volo swears that he will discover all of Hisui's mythological secrets and conquer Arceus, no matter how many years, decades, or centuries it takes him.
He is not seen again for the rest of the game. However, Professor Laventon later reveals that Volo visited him to encourage him to finish work on the Pokédex as well as telling him that Giratina had a change of heart after losing to the player and tells him that it would likely be the last time they would ever meet.
===Pokémon===
Volo's Pokémon usage is similar to Cynthia's from her appearance in . His main companion and partner appears to be his , who he uses in battle against the player in every fight, evolving into a by the time they fight him for the last time. Cynthia not only uses a Togekiss in her fight in Platinum, but is known to provide the player with a Togepi . In his second battle, he also uses a which later evolves into a , with it also appearing to be his second main companion and partner, a parallel to Cynthia's own. 5 of the 6 Pokémon in Volo's party are shared with the champion, with replacing the unavailable .
Unlike Cynthia, Volo uses the maximum amount of types that can be used at one time, with 12, each of his Pokémon containing a different type combination.
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=====First battle=====
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=====Second battle=====
Winning this battle is not mandatory, as the story will progress either way.
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=====Third battle=====
Volo summons in its immediately after his main team is defeated. Experience is awarded for battling his main team before Volo summons Giratina, but the player is not given a chance to heal. If the player is defeated by Giratina, they must also battle Volo's initial team again. During this battle, Giratina is filled with terrible might (Japanese: すさまじい力 Tremendous Strength), which boosts all of its stats and causes it to take reduced indirect damage (such as from and splinters). Upon being defeated, Giratina changes into its Origin Forme and heals itself completely, effectively making the second part of the battle against two Pokémon, and the entire battle against eight.
;Part 1
Volo has a single Full Restore and will prioritize its use on his . The player will gain Experience after Volo's party of six is defeated.
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;Part 2
After Giratina's HP is lowered to 0, it will transform into it's Origin Forme, completely recovering HP and removing status conditions it once had. However, any stat drops or stat buffs will remain upon transformation. Both forms are filled with a terrible might. The player will not gain Experience until Giratina's Origin Forme is defeated.
Altered Forme	Origin Forme
 	
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Masters EX===
Volo forms a sync pair with and in Pokémon Masters EX. Volo became a playable sync pair on March 29, 2024.
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==Quotes==
==In animation==
===Pokémon: Hisuian Snow===
Volo made a cameo appearance in Fiery Reflections in Snow, talking to another Ginkgo Guild member at Prelude Beach's docks.
==In the TCG==
Volo was introduced as a in the Pokémon Trading Card Game during the English Sword & Shield Series (the Japanese Sword & Shield Era). It was first released in the Japanese subset and the English expansion, with artwork by kirisAki. It was also released as a and in the same Japanese and English expansions, with artwork by the same artist. It allows the player to discard one of their Benched and all attached cards.
==Gallery==
===Artwork===
Concept art from
===Merchandise art===
 	
Days key art by	Pokémon Trainers merchandise line plush artwork
==Music==
Music related to Volo are arrangements of Cynthia's music from past Pokémon games.
Games 	Location 	Song name 	Composition 	Arrangement
 	Battling Volo at Jubilife Villageand the Solaceon Ruins 	Battle! (Pokémon Wielder)* 	This is an arrangement of a song from the Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Super Music Collection, which properly attributes the original composers/arrangers. 	Unknown
 	When Volo reveals histrue intentionsat the Temple of Sinnoh 	Volo* 	 	Unknown
 	Battling Volo atthe Temple of Sinnoh 	Battle! (Volo)* 	 	Unknown
 	As Volo calls forth Giratina 	Giratina Appears!* 	This is an arrangement of a song from the Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 Super Music Collection, which properly attributes the original composers/arrangers.	Unknown
 	Battling Volo'sAltered Forme Giratina 	Battle! (Legendary Pokémon)* 	 	Unknown
 	After Volo's Giratinabecomes its Origin Forme 	Battle! (Giratina's Revival)* 	 	Unknown
Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release.	Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release.	Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release.	Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release. 	Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release.
==Trivia==
* Volo shares many similarities to Cynthia:
** 20, where the player must meet up with Volo, is called The Researcher of Myths, a title by which Cynthia also refers to herself.
** In his final battle, Volo wears a necklace with a teardrop-shaped ornament that resembles the ornament on Cynthia's coat.
** In the final battle against him, Volo shares five Pokémon with Cynthia's team: , , , , and . Like Cynthia, Volo will always begin the battle by sending out Spiritomb.
*** The only Pokémon that Volo does not use from said team is , as it is not present in Legends: Arceus. He instead uses .
** The music that plays before Volo's final battle begins is an arrangement of Cynthia's battle theme. His final battle theme is an arrangement of Cynthia's encounter and battle themes.
** After his final battle, Volo vows to meet , and in , Cynthia meets Arceus during the Sinjoh Ruins event.
* Volo is the first main antagonist of a core series game to not be affiliated with a villainous team or equivalent organization, as the Ginkgo Guild does not have any role in his scheme and his only allies are Giratina and his own Pokémon.
* Volo's claim that he is willing to even take centuries to locate and conquer Arceus, and his goal to subjugate Arceus in order to create a peaceful new world, is similar to Team Galactic and their ambitions. In Platinum, Cyrus's plans to accomplish this goal using and are disrupted by the intervention of Giratina.
* Volo's appearance once he removes his Ginkgo Guild uniform makes a number of references to Arceus.
** His hair is styled after Arceus's head.
** He wears golden accessories reminiscent of Arceus's own markings.
** He dons clothing called a chiton similar to that worn by ancient Greeks. , the central God of the Greek pantheon, may be one of the inspirations for Arceus.
*** In addition, the movie Arceus and the Jewel of Life, which stars , has a Greek-inspired setting.
** Volo's haircut and outfit, in various colors, can be purchased by the player character after obtaining : the Sinnoh Outfit, Sinnoh Sandals, and Sinnoh-style haircut.
==Names==
Language 	Name 	Origin
Japanese 	ウォロ Volo 	From volō (Latin for "I wish") and possibly the philosophical statement (I wish, therefore I am)
English, German,Brazilian Portuguese	Volo 	Same as his Japanese name
Spanish 	Volus 	Similar to his Japanese name
French 	Percupio 	From percupio (Latin for "to wish greatly")
Italian 	Ethelo 	From ἐθέλω ethélō (Ancient Greek for "to wish")
Korean 	월로 Volo 	Transcription of his Japanese name
Chinese () 	望羅 / 望罗 Wàngluó 	From 望 wàng / mohng (to hope) and transcription of his Japanese name
Chinese () 	望羅 Mohnglòh 	From 望 wàng / mohng (to hope) and transcription of his Japanese name
Russian 	Воло Volo 	Transcription of his Japanese name
Ginkgo Guild Member	
Pokémon Wielder
==References==
==Related articles==
Category:Legends: Arceus characters
Category:Trainers with unique classes
Category:Trainers with Legendary Pokémon
Category:Criminal masterminds
Category:Pokémon: Hisuian Snow characters
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