Pokemon Regions

[Deleted]

Pokemon Regions

Six regions have appeared in the core series of Pokémon games. They are, in order of appearance, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos. The regions are structured similarly. Typically, a region has its own Pokémon League, comprised of eight Gym Leaders. Once these eight are defeated, Trainers can challenge the regional Elite Four, which may or may not be shared with another, nearby region (so far, Johto does not have its own Elite Four, as it shares it with that of Kanto). Accordingly, each one also has a Pokémon Professor, who teaches new Trainers about Pokémon and gives out starter Pokémon to them. There is usually a villainous team operating within the region that use Pokémon to further their goals.
Though there are many similarities between them, there are some major differences between the regions, such as what Pokémon are located there and what legends there are waiting to be uncovered. Visitors from another region quickly realize that the region they are visiting is far from their home, both in the way of the climate, distance and location; and in the culture of the people there.

Kanto

The Kanto region is located east of Johto, and as revealed by the radio show Sinnoh Sound, is located south of Sinnoh. The Kanto region is home to a lot of Pokémon and has a rich history of creating Pokémon with technology. Researchers of Kanto have been great at their job. A researcher working for the evil organization Team Rocket cloned Mew through its genes and created the Genetic Pokémon Mewtwo. Porygon, the Virtual Pokémon, was also created by humans in Kanto.

The Kanto region features ten towns and cities. There is a wide variety of towns and cities throughout the region; from the large, urban Saffron City to the quiet, quaint town of Pallet. Kanto features a Pokémon League, like most other regions in the Pokémon world. However, since Kanto shares its borders with Johto, it also shares the same Pokémon League. Kanto and Johto are the only known regions that can be crossed with relative ease. Even though Kanto and Johto are culturally and socially different, the two regions are actually very similar in terms of geography.

The majority of the Kanto region are forests and plains. Many of the major Kanto cities are in the center of the region, with close access to virtually every environment such as the sea, mountains, forests, etc. Kanto is mostly dominated by land, but has a large bay in the middle which opens to a sea in the southwest. Kanto has a contrast between urban cities and rural towns. Cinnabar Island is unique in a way that it is built on top of a mountain. The rest of Kanto's cities and towns are generic. Kanto has several mountain ranges, which are mostly in northern and western Kanto. Indigo Plateau and Victory Road mountain range divides Kanto from the neighboring Johto region.

Johto

The Johto region is located west of Kanto, and as revealed by the radio show Sinnoh Sound, is located south of Sinnoh.

1500 years before modern times, the place now known as the Ruins of Alph was built in Johto, and the earliest known system for writing—the modern Latin alphabet—was developed. Although no one knows exactly who built the Ruins of Alph, research indicates that the people in question were an ancient civilization that wished to co-exist with the enigmatic Unown that bear great similarity to the alphabet letters. Not only did that tribe impart messages on the ruins' walls describing the Unown, but they also erected a Pokémon statue for an unknown reason.

At some point later, outsiders began to gather near the ruins. As the Unown were timid creatures, they rejected contact with anyone but the clan that protected them. To ensure the Unown's well being, the Ruins of Alph's inhabitants decided to leave the region, but not without devising complicated puzzles so that one day the Unown could be summoned again. As for the clan, their quest led them to a mountain far to the north, where they met another group of people who had hailed from the Spear Pillar. Together, the two groups built a temple in honor of Arceus, which incorporated elements from both the Ruins of Alph and the Spear Pillar; this collaboration probably has to do with the underlying relationship between Arceus and the Unown. The temple, too, has since been left in ruins and its lowest floor is now known as the Sinjoh Ruins; however, the ritual of honoring legendary Pokémon through dance circulated back to Johto, specifically to Ecruteak City.

Approximately 700 years before modern times, the people of Ecruteak built two nine-tier towers with the hopes of fostering friendship and hope between Pokémon and humans. They were the Brass Tower in the west, which was said to awaken Pokémon, and the Bell Tower in the east, where Pokémon were said to rest. Both towers became the roost of powerful flying Pokémon: Lugia and Ho-Oh, respectively. It is unknown what made the residents revere Lugia and Ho-Oh, but a separate tale indicates that Lugia had previously had an encounter with the people of Johto when it stopped a war on the Whirl Islands, which were a single island at that time.

The towers stood strong for about 550 years, when a lightning bolt struck the Brass Tower. It was engulfed in flames that raged for three days. A sudden downpour finally put out the blaze, but it had already burnt to the ground. Three nameless Pokémon perished in the fire, but Ho-Oh descended from the sky and resurrected them. The revived Pokémon were made to embody three powers: the lightning that struck the tower, the fire that burned the tower, and the rain that put out the fire. When the Pokémon appeared, they struck terror in those who saw their rise. The three Pokémon, knowing their own power, fled, running like the wind off into Johto's grassland. Similarly, both Lugia and Ho-Oh flew away at the sight of the growing distance between people and Pokémon; while they never returned to Ecruteak, they yearned for a person to touch the hearts and souls of Pokémon once more.

Around these times other, smaller events occurred. 500 years before modern days, the Cianwood City Pharmacy, the world's oldest pharmacy, was built. Around 400 years ago, Azalea Town in Johto was struck by a long-term drought wave; after bringing the rain back once again by yawning, Slowpoke gained an honorable position in that town.

Johto has ten cities and towns. These sites act as settlements for people to live and work in a functioning society. The Safari Zone Gate and Frontier Access act as towns, but they appear to be more of a tourist destination and are not considered cities or towns. As Johto has no autonomous Pokémon League, Kanto shares a League with the region, which borders between Johto and Kanto. Because of this, the two regions share a connection with each other, and unlike any other region, they are able to be traversed to with relative ease. Due to this landmass connection, the geography of Johto is relatively similar to that of its neighbor region.

Johto features some unique and scenic landmarks, whether they be natural or man-made. It prides itself towards mythology and tradition features, with most of the buildings, towers, caves, and locations holding a historical background.

Hoenn

The Hoenn region it is located south of Sinnoh. Hoenn was created after Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre were formed. Primal Groudon raised the landmasses and Primal Kyogre filled the seas that would later become Hoenn. The meeting of these two created a great battle for supremacy until it was quelled by Mega Rayquaza, sending Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre into caverns where they rested until they were awakened many years later during the course of events in Generation III or Generation VI. The moving of the continents by Regigigas created Hoenn, and when Regigigas was sent to sleep in the Snowpoint Temple in Sinnoh, Regirock, Registeel, and Regice, the keys to awakening it, were sealed away in Hoenn.

Hoenn has sixteen cities and towns and a Pokémon League. Since the majority of the cities and towns of Hoenn are immersed into nature, there aren't many large cities comparable to Unova's Castelia City or Kalos's Lumiose City, with the largest city being Mauville City.

The Hoenn region is unique and famous for its tropical-like environments. The region does not feature a true mountain range like in Sinnoh and other regions. Hoenn introduced many new natural environments including a volcano, a jungle, a beach, a desert, and many more. The Hoenn region also introduced the idea of routes with differing weather, including constant rainfall, thunderstorms, falling ash, and rays of sunlight.

Sinnoh

The Sinnoh region is located north of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. It is composed of the large mainland, the north-eastern island of the Battle Zone, and several smaller islands on both sides of the region.
Most of Sinnoh's routes are on land, having very few water routes, in vast contrast to Hoenn. The region is divided by Mt. Coronet, roughly comparable to how the continent that Kanto and Johto make up is essentially a contiguous region.

According to several Sinnoh myths, this region was the first of all the regions in the Pokémon world to have been created. In a void of nothingness, a single Egg came into being, which then hatched into Arceus, the first Pokémon to be in existence. Arceus created Dialga, Palkia, and possibly Giratina, and Arceus then gave Dialga and Palkia the abilities to control time and space, respectively. Giratina was banished to another dimension for its violent behavior. Then, during the very early formation of the world, Arceus created Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit to create willpower, knowledge, and emotion respectively, things that are in all modern humans and Pokémon. They dove to the bottom of present-day Lake Valor, Lake Acuity, and Lake Verity, an act which earned them the name "the lake trio". At that point, Arceus created the Sinnoh region and Mt. Coronet divided the region into two sections. During this violent procedure, Stark Mountain was created and Heatran was formed in lava. Arceus finally created the Adamant, Lustrous and Griseous Orbs before falling into a never-ending sleep at the Hall of Origin.
Around this time, Mew was thought to have come into being by itself, containing the DNA of every Pokémon to exist and exist in the future. Human habitation of Sinnoh is estimated to have begun when Sinnoh was created, as said in myth. It is stated that Pokémon and humans led separate lives, but always helped each other. They supplied each other with goods, and supported each other. A Pokémon proposed to the others to always be ready to help humans, and that Pokémon be ready to appear before humans always. Thus, to this day, Pokémon appear to humans if they venture into tall grass.

Later on came the events of Floaroma Town. According to the townspeople, Floaroma Town was once a barren and desolate hill. People started planting flowers around it to cheer up the place, but nothing would grow. Then, someone expressed thanks for a blessing of nature, and the whole hill burst into bloom. It is theorized that Shaymin was the cause of the sudden burst of flowers, given it being the Gratitude Pokémon, and its ability to "instantly transform ruined land into a lush field of flowers," according to its Pokédex entry.

Sinnoh has fourteen cities and towns, as well as three "areas", and a Pokémon League. These sites act as settlements for people to live and work in a functioning society. The Fight Area, the Survival Area and the Resort Area all act as towns, however, they appear to be more of a tourist destination and are not considered cities or towns. These three "areas" are located off Sinnoh's mainland and on the Battle Zone, which is considered a sub-region of Sinnoh and is implied by some living on the island as a different region altogether, not unlike how the Sevii Islands are considered a separate region from Kanto and Johto. Thus, Sinnoh has a total of eighteen settlements all over Sinnoh, the largest amount of sites in the Pokémon world so far.

Sinnoh is home to many unique landmarks and areas of interest. These come in a range of tourist attractions such as the luxurious Hotel Grand Lake and the exciting Pal Park, to many natural phenomena such as the four deep, blue lakes and the vast, dense Eterna Forest. But, the central landmark of the Sinnoh region is Mt. Coronet. Standing in the middle of Sinnoh and extending from the northern wilderness to the southern tip of the region, Mt. Coronet splits Sinnoh into two halves. It is truly best defined as a mountain range, with the highest peak shrouded in legend, perhaps being the highest mountain in the entire Pokémon world. The Spear Pillar is situated at the highest point, an ancient shrine to Pokémon which is in ruins. Several of its pillars are still standing, all pointing skyward. The legend of the creation trio is deeply connected with the mountain, as is the plot of Team Galactic. A stained glass window in the Foreign Building in Hearthome City depicts the mountain with a bright shine, representing the Spear Pillar and possibly depicting the creation of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Its place in Sinnoh has caused variation in the species of Shellos and Gastrodon, which have different coloration depending on the side of Sinnoh they are native to.

Unova

The Unova region is a region of the Pokémon world. It is far away from the four other large regions, and the Pokémon which inhabit Unova are diverse and different from those of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh.

In mythology, Unova was created by uniting the warring peoples of the land by twin heroes. They used a single dragon sometime more than 2500 years ago. The brothers started to argue over their beliefs; the elder brother sought truth and the younger brother sought ideals. Their arguments split the single dragon into Reshiram, who sided with the older brother, and Zekrom, who sided with the younger brother. Since they were both born from the same dragon neither could defeat the other and the brothers declared that there was no right side. However, eventually their sons continued the fight and both the dragons started to battle again, destroying the Unova region with their fire and lightning powers before disappearing.
Sometime after the original dragon had been split into Reshiram and Zekrom, one of the two brothers and their respective dragon created the Relic Castle, which was the seat of a new civilization for people and Pokémon.
Also at an unknown point in the distant past, a civil war broke out in Unova that caused an intense forest fire. The many Pokémon that lived in the forest became trapped, though luckily the Swords of Justice came in to save them—Terrakion moved away boulders that blocked their escape route, Virizion used its nimble movements to protect Pokémon from looming flames, and Cobalion led the scared Pokémon out of the forest. These Pokémon would later become responsible for ending the war before disappearing into myths. According to Lacunosa Town legend, a long time ago, a large meteor came from the sky containing a terrifying monster. It was said that at night, the monster would appear in the town along with the cold winds and take away humans and Pokémon to eat them. The residents of the town surrounded Lacunosa Town in a wall to keep the monster out, and a rule was then set on the town that forbade anyone from leaving at night and encouraged people to stay in their homes. While residents no longer believe this old story, they still stay inside of their houses at night to this day. The legendary monster, Kyurem, was really a remaining third Pokémon created when the primordial dragon had split into two. A legend says Thundurus and Tornadus once raced across Unova, tearing up the lands with their respective weather-controlling powers, not caring about settlements and creatures in their path. Landorus, seeing the massive destruction the pair had brought to the region and its inhabitants, is said to have punished them so that they would never repeat their actions. Meloetta once entertained the people of Unova with song and dance, but when sorrow filled the hearts of people, Meloetta lost this melody and its red shoes.

Given that Unova is spread across three strips of land divided by two rivers, a number of bridges and an underwater tunnel exist to allow free movement across the region. Each of them has its own characteristic features and are even popular tourist attractions; they are:
Skyarrow Bridge
Driftveil Drawbridge
Tubeline Bridge
Village Bridge
Marvelous Bridge
Marine Tube

Kalos

The Kalos region is shaped like a five-pointed star, with one of its biggest cities being Lumiose City to the north-central part of the region. It features a vast network of rivers and waterways snaking through much of its landscape, cities and towns. North-east of Lumiose City, lies a mountain range where more frigid temperatures exist, extending down into the plains below. Western Kalos features a vast ocean, where the shore side city of Shalour City lies in the middle of a cove.

Kalos has sixteen cities and towns, and a Pokémon League. Like in Unova, the routes of Kalos start counting again from 1, likely to represent its geographical isolation from the previously introduced regions. There are 22 routes in total.

The geography of Kalos varies greatly within the region. The region is naturally bordered by a vast ocean to the west and northwest, and the eastern and southern borders are formed by mountain ranges. These borders give Kalos its signature star-like shape, as a large peninsula reaches out to the sea in the northwest, creating one point, and elsewhere the coastline, mountain ranges and rivers create the remaining four points. Kalos is made up of three distinct divisions, all with their own unique characteristics in both geography and Pokémon; Central Kalos, Coastal Kalos and Mountain Kalos. Lumiose City is located near the point where all three areas meet.

Central Kalos is located in the centric and southern parts of the region. The area is dominated by large forested plains with multiple rivers crossing it. Several towns are surrounded by walls of some sort, and there are also many old castles and châteaus. Many important human settlements and landmarks are located here, such as the player’s hometown, Santalune City, a portion of Lumiose City, and the Parfum Palace.
Coastal Kalos is located by the vast sea in the western parts of Kalos. The mainly explored area is a strip between mountains and the sea. This strip is dominated by rocky shores in the southwest and lush beaches and forests in the northwest. Most human settlements are located by the sea. The peninsula in the northwest is known for its menhir stones. There are many important locations, such as the Reflection Cave, Geosenge Town, and Shalour City with its Tower of Mastery.

Mountain Kalos is located in the eastern reaches of the region. The area is largely mountainous and the temperatures tend to be cooler than in the other parts, with some routes and settlements having snow covering them. To the north there is a marshy area that is said to be haunted. However, the settlements are plentiful, and there are some important landmarks, such as the Kalos Power Plant that is built on a harsh wasteland, the Poké Ball Factory in Laverre City, and the Pokémon League. Kiloude City is located outside the three divisions, and is only reachable by train from Lumiose City.