Pokémon world
- For other uses, see Pokémon World.
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The Pokémon world is the main planet for the Pokémon franchise, set in the Pokémon universe. It bears some striking similarities with the real world, certainly deriving inspiration from it, but many factors set it apart as a different place from our own world.
History
- Main article: History of the Pokémon world
It is said in many Sinnoh legends that the universe, Pokémon world included, was created by a single Pokémon, Arceus. In a void of nothingness, a single egg came into being, which then hatches into Arceus, the first Pokémon to be in existence. Arceus creates Dialga, Palkia, and possibly Giratina and gives Dialga and Palkia the abilities to control time and space. Giratina is banished into another dimension for its behavior. Then, during very early formation of the world, possibly sooner, Arceus creates Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit to create willpower, knowledge, and emotion respectively, things that are in all modern humans and Pokémon. They dive to the bottom of present-day Lake Valor, Lake Acuity, and Lake Verity, respectively, dubbing the term "the lake trio." Around this time, Mew came into being by itself, containing the DNA of every Pokémon to exist and exist in the future.
Long after, Groudon is formed deep inside the Earth, from magma, Kyogre is formed by the pressure in the deep sea trenches, and Rayquaza is formed by the minerals of the ozone layer. Rayquaza proceeds to fly around in the ozone layer, occasionally coming to rest at Sky Pillar. Groudon and Kyogre then proceed to create landmass and fill the sea, respectively. A chance meeting turns the two into rivals, and a conflict for dominance over the Pokémon World begins. This battle continues until Rayquaza quells it, causing Groudon and Kyogre to retreat to special caverns, where they rest. The Red and Blue Orbs are created to prevent the reawakening of Groudon and Kyogre, and are left at Mt. Pyre for safekeeping. At this time, Mew may have been plentiful and lived in large numbers. Landmasses such as Mt. Coronet are created, and Regigigas moves the continents, forming various regions. The Sinnoh region is created around Mt. Coronet. During this violent procedure, Stark Mountain is created and Heatran is formed in lava. Arceus creates the Adamant, Lustrous and Griseous Orbs before falling into a never-ending sleep.
Many years after, the prehistoric era begins and the first prehistoric Pokémon come into being. Scientists have proven that prehistoric Pokémon roamed the land, as fossils and other archaeological remains have been found to contain the DNA of Pokémon. It is possible that the Mew population may have decreased at this stage, as they slowly gave way to other Pokémon species. Evolution has come, separating humans from Pokémon, to create the first humans.
During the Stone, Ice and Iron ages, the legendary golems are created, and used as keys to seal away Regigigas in Snowpoint Temple. Regirock, Regice and Registeel are hidden in the Hoenn region.
1500 years before modern times, the earliest known system for writing is developed and used at the Ruins of Alph, Tanoby Ruins, and Solaceon Ruins. Archaeologists are currently unsure whether the nearly identical Unown preceded or succeeded the writing system, but it is assumed they share some sort of connection. At this point the Magikarp population mutated and became weaker.
In recent history, 700 years before modern times, Tin Tower and Brass Tower were constructed. These two nine-tier towers were built opposite each other in Ecruteak City. The towers were built to foster friendship and hope between Pokémon and people. The view from the top of the towers was said to be 'magnificent'. In the west was Brass Tower, which was said to awaken Pokémon and in the east was Tin Tower, where Pokémon were said to rest. At the time, an immense silver-colored Pokémon, was said to make its roost atop the Brass Tower, while its counterpart, the glorious rainbow-colored Ho-Oh was said to rest at Tin Tower. However, around 150 years before the games, a lightning bolt struck the Brass Tower. It was engulfed in flames that raged for 3 days. Lugia and Ho-Oh escaped to the skies unharmed. A sudden downpour put an end to the blaze. At around this time, the first Pokémon League competitions started to take place. In the 1990s, the first Pokémon created by scientific engineering, Porygon, is created.
In contemporary history, some years prior to the date, Mewtwo is cloned from Mew, and later escapes and destroys Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Mansion. Soon after, an erupting volcano on Cinnabar Island causes destruction of many areas on the island. Along with that, the leaders of Teams Aqua and Magma reawaken Groudon and Kyogre and they continue their great battle, only to get stopped again by Rayquaza. Groudon and Kyogre retreat to the region of Fiore to rest after their battle.
In modern history, the Sinnoh region has become unusually colder, due to the strange circumstances occurring across the region. The legendary titans of Sinnoh are also awoken by a villainous team; Team Galactic use a Red Chain forged from the lake guardians to summon Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. Their efforts are halted due to interference from the player. At this time, a rip in time-space has occurred, opening a portal to the Distortion World. Giratina escapes into its dimension along with Cyrus, the Team Galactic leader. The entrance to the Distortion World closes returning the Sinnoh region back to normal.
Culture
Culturally, the many depictions of the world all reflect a popular fascination with Pokémon and their interactions with humans, including catching them, training them, battling them, raising them, keeping them as pets, studying them, and utilizing their varied skills. Several myths discuss the relationship between humans and Pokémon as a very close one, and one folk tale even says that there was a time when humans and Pokémon were considered one and the same.
In a broad sense, Pokémon training is based on the answer to two questions: What should the relationship between a Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon be, and what is the best way to foster this relationship? Depending on their individual viewpoints regarding training, different Trainers follow different methods of training and focus on different areas. It is generally thought that there is no one right way to train, since many methods have valid reasons behind them and their own set of advantages and disadvantages.
However, in particular, many training methods will fall into one of two categories. The first category is methods which focus on the happiness and well-being of Pokémon and developing a bond of friendship. The second category is methods which focus on developing the strength and ability of a Pokémon and being able to control it masterfully. Trainers will often argue about which of these two views is best. In fact, this is a common theme in the canon, frequently supporting the idea that friendship is the most important thing in a Trainer's relationship with Pokémon, and a good Trainer can bring out the strength of any Pokémon with their love and care.
The history of the Pokémon world is notably different from our own, and seems to be dictated primarily between the interactions between humans and Pokémon. There does not seem to be a major world religion, but some believe in the ancient myths based around Legendary Pokémon, so it plausible that the population believes in Pokémon as their religion. Backing this up, most people are generally kind and respect Pokémon. Shinto shrines and crosses have both been seen, however. Also, Brock made reference to the story of Noah featured in the Old Testament of the Bible in Pokémon Shipwreck.
However, there exist many individuals that wish to harness Pokémon for their own nefarious deeds. Some of these people are simply do so for material gain while others hold misguided ideals to help the world. In addition, war is not unknown to the Pokémon world, Lt. Surge having fought in at least one. Firearms and other weapons exist, but are not used as often as Pokémon are.
Pokémon
Pokémon are living creatures that inhabit the Pokémon world that live alongside humans. Pokémon have been seen within this world as being both supplements and replacements for animals and plants that exist within the real world. Most people respect Pokémon and treat them kindly, yet there exist people who take advantage of them and exploit their abilities. Pokémon have feelings and can also understand the human language to some extent. Recreations of natural ecosystems are done with Pokémon. While some Pokémon have abilities that are normal or only slightly distorted from reality, many more Pokémon have abilities that are completely original and have no counterparts within the real world. Other Pokémon are based off of legends that exist in our world such as Ho-Oh being based off of a phoenix.
Evolution
In a Sinnoh myth, it is said that Pokémon and people were originally the same species. Over time, some of these creatures split apart from from the rest and became humans. This theory has been explored many times throughout the Pokémon world, but not proven. Mew is said to be the ancestor of all life: it evolved into the other Pokémon. The first human recording was during the Stone Age, millions of years before the modern era. Biological taxonomies of cellular and genetic structure have revealed that Pokémon are all actually a single species of life form and that the individual differences between each creature are actually subspecies. This can also explain why Pokémon can variously interbreed with each other. This explores the myth of evolution in the Pokémon world and makes a reference to evolution of animals and humans in the real world.
In modern times, Pokémon commonly undergo a process called evolution. During the course of a Pokémon's development, under certain circumstances specific to that Pokémon's subspecies, it may become a different Pokémon. This change is not merely physical, however, as Pokémon of a higher evolutionary stage have different and usually more powerful base stats than their predecessors, may have different moves that can be learned, and sometimes change their types, though usually at least one of the types of the previous form is preserved. Most Pokémon will undergo this process.
Evolution in Pokémon, for most subspecies, is more akin to metamorphosis than to actual evolution. The Pokémon whose evolution is closest to the real-world definition of evolution is Burmy, who takes on a different appearance depending on the environment.
Reproduction
- Main article: Pokémon breeding
Nearly every Pokémon undergoes some form of reproduction. Fully developed, or Pokémon that passed their baby form can breed with Pokémon of the same egg group. Pokémon that have no genders can only breed with Ditto; baby Pokémon and legendary Pokémon cannot breed at all, with the exception of Manaphy and Phione. Like the majority of real animals, most Pokémon have genders which can sometimes be determined by markings and gender-differences. Usually, a trainer's Pokémon will breed in a Pokémon Daycare. It is unknown how a Pokémon reproduces, as no one has seen a Pokémon reproduce. Based on this, it is safe to assume that they only reproduce when left alone.
All Pokémon able to breed lay eggs. Though, nobody has actually seen a Pokémon lay an egg, they apparently appear by the Pokémon. Pokémon usually lay one egg at a time, sometimes, in unusual occasions, lay various eggs at a time. Pokémon eggs are similar to birds' eggs, as they have a hard outer shell that protects the growing, undeveloped Pokémon inside. An egg's shell usually has a pattern reflecting the appearance of the Pokémon inside making each Pokémon egg unique from one another. Pokémon, like animals, are rather protective of their eggs. They sometimes nest them, but usually keep them close to themselves. The growing Pokémon incubates inside its egg until the time come for the Pokémon to hatch. The time it takes for a Pokémon to hatch varies from each Pokémon species and the type of egg. However, placing an egg into a PC will halt the incubation process.
Some Pokémon species have a baby form when they hatch from their eggs. Once in their adult stages, these Pokémon are able to reproduce and continue the cycle of reproduction. Most baby Pokémon can only hatch as a baby Pokémon. However, there are some exceptions. Some Pokémon hatch into a more advanced form most of the time, but can also hatch into a baby form when conditions are right.
Pokémon as food
It is stated in numerous Pokédex entries that some Pokémon eat others, and humans have made references to occasionally eating Pokémon as well. This is encountered mostly with fish Pokémon and cattle based Pokémon such as Miltank. For example, Mom's Cinnabar Volcano Burgers were mentioned, and in Johto, Team Rocket sold "Slowpoketails" that they had cut off live Slowpoke to sell as food. Along with the following, eating Pokémon was also mentioned in many Sinnoh myths, saying Pokémon will be born again if people "Pick clean the bones of Pokémon caught in the sea or stream".
Along with that, Pokémon have been seen to eat each other. As such, wild Pokémon are portrayed to eat one another, in a very animal-like prey-predator system; for example, when they hunt, Pidgeot fly on the surface of the water at top speed to catch unsuspecting Fish element prey like Magikarp, while in other cases, Golbat drinks the blood of its enemies, not just the 'energy' it uses when referring to Leech Life. Haunter and Gengar have been seen to suck the life force from its prey.
Classification
Pokémon have been classified and counted by humans into a numerical system, along with being grouped into a elementary type system. Bill and Professor Oak have developed the first Pokémon numerical system, that allowed Pokémon data to be stored neatly into a Pokédex. When the two started, there were 151 known subspecies of Pokémon (Bulbasaur to Mew). Then three years later, Professor Oak worked with Professor Elm to classify 100 more newly discovered Pokémon, making the number grow to 251 (Chikorita to Celebi). Then, a few more years later, Professor Birch brought another 135 previously unknown subspecies (Treecko to Deoxys) to the Pokémon world, bringing the total to 386. The most recent additions, Professor Oak along with his good friend, Professor Rowan introduced 107 new subspecies (Turtwig to Arceus), bringing the overall total to 493.
In addition, humans have classified Pokémon into different elementary types depending on its strengths, weaknesses, and moves. Each elemental type has three properties: which types of Pokémon it is effective against, which types of Pokémon it is less effective against, and which types of Pokémon it is completely ineffective against. In total, there are 17 types. A Pokémon may have either one or two types. For instance, Charmander is a Template:Type2, while Bulbasaur is both a Template:Type2 and a Template:Type2.
Geography and nature
The Pokémon world looks and acts like the real world in terms of geography. Each have landforms, oceans of water and temperatures to support life - meaning that the Pokémon world is about the same size and same distances from its sun as the real world. However, if the Pokémon world is not Earth, it must be similar, having a similar moon, similar climates, and so on, which explains the similar tides. Many different theories exist as to exactly how the Pokémon world relates to our own.
Humans and nature in the Pokémon world are linked to each other, as many towns are built around the natural environment. A point of interest, unlike the real world, is that people's links with the nature are strong and they never try to affect the natural environment, with the exception of some villainous teams. Some Pokémon such as Groudon and Kyogre can affect and shape nature causing unexplainable droughts, storms and earthquakes that can effect the continental plates.
Structure
The Pokémon world is split into several regions, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh among them. These regions are large landforms much like continents in the real world, that support a large political region. Off these regions are islands that are not part of any region. These islands are grouped together to create one small region like the Orange Islands and the Sevii Islands. 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, and in the culture of the people there. The regions are generally thought to be part of a larger country because of the term National Pokédex, but they are all perhaps part of a world nation. There are only four official regions, yet others such as Orre and Fiore have been introduced in other games. Several small kingdoms have been introduced in the anime as well, most of which keep themselves secluded in remote or difficult to reach areas.
The geography of the regions is strikingly similar to Japan, but in a much larger scale, as seen in the fifth movie (the only time when the entire planet is clearly shown). The Kantō region of Japan is not only identical in name to Kanto in the Pokémon world, it is also very similar geographically; however, the western part of Kanto corresponds to eastern Chūbu. In Japan, the Kanto region is often contrasted with Kansai, which is like Johto, to the west. However, Johto is geographically more similar to the combined region of Kansai and western Chubu. Hoenn is based on the southernmost parts of Japan - Kyūshū and Okinawa - with the latter highly condensed. Sinnoh has been said to be an island like Hoenn, rather than a peninsula. It is based on the northernmost major island of Japan, Hokkaido, part of Sakhalin and Kunashir Island. Regardless, the games have referenced real places on Earth, such as South America, Australia, China, Antarctic, the United States, and the Pacific Ocean, while the anime (and related products) have referenced places such as Hollywood, California, Minnesota, England, and Paris, France.
Climate
Most regions have different climates. Regions and islands like the Hoenn and the Orange Islands further south in the Pokémon world have a warmer climate than northerly regions, possibly due to an equator, much like on Earth. It gets so hot in Hoenn that there is a desert with a raging sandstorm. Meanwhile, the Sinnoh region is cooler than other regions, and becoming colder due to climate change in the region. It is snowing constantly in the northern area of the region. Some Pokémon such as Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza can affect climate and weather.
Weather conditions still apply in the Pokémon world, and as clouds and rain exist, so must the water cycle. Many weather conditions that appear on Earth are also in the Pokémon world, such as rain, hailstorms, snow, fog and sandstorms. Given that plants and trees seem to grow in a normal manner, it can be reasonably assumed that the other major cycles, such as the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle, exist as well.
Environment
The natural environment in the Pokémon world is much similar to the real Earth's environment. Areas with a high density of trees make up forests, landscapes that receive very little precipitation create deserts, while loose broken-up particles of rock make large coastal beaches attracting people and Pokémon alike. The Hoenn and the Sinnoh regions boast many dramatic environments ranging from rainforests to deserts.
The Pokémon world is mainly green and lush, based on factors such as plant structures including trees, shrubs, and grasses. Grass is usually uncontrolled and makes tall grass patches that form prime habitats for wild Pokémon. There is a Sinnoh Myth that explains why Pokémon appear when people walk into the tall grass: When Sinnoh had just been created, a Pokémon proposed that they should always be ready to help the humans. There are also large mountainous areas that tower above low lying land areas. The largest mountain range is Mt. Coronet, which stretches from the top to the bottom of Sinnoh, splitting the whole region in two. Man-made and natural occurrences form caves in the mountainsides that are able to be explored or passed through to get to other cities. Many natural phenomenons appear in the Pokémon world such as snowing ash that covers the area is caused by the nearby volcano that smokes and rains down on the area.
Humans and nature in the Pokémon world are linked to each other, as many towns are built around its environment and they never try to affect the natural environment. Pacifidlog Town, for example, is built on wooden rafts and logs that float on top of a Corsola colony, while Sootopolis City is built in the crater of a hollowed, erupted volcano. An ecosystem is formed when all plants, Pokémon, and people in an area function together with all of the non-living physical factors of the environment. It is said that Pokémon are more in tune with nature than humans.
Physics and technology
Science and technology in the Pokémon world is more advanced than the real world. Technological advances have evolved the Pokémon world, scientists have created way to store Pokémon on computers, send Pokémon around the world, send Pokémon back in time and clone fossils to create prehistoric Pokémon, yet people's lives in the games are simple and very natural. Scientific achievements such as cloning and energy conversion mingle with magical elements such as spontaneous evolution and flowers that can replay a short time sequence, giving one the sense that the Pokémon world is very different from our own. The state of technology conceivably places the timeframe we see in either the present day, or perhaps in the future, but this is merely speculative. Scientists at the Devon Corporation and other companies are still working on more advanced and slightly impossible inventions like a Pokémon Dream Projector that makes a visual projection of Pokémon dreams, Pokémon Speaker that allows communication with Pokémon, and a Pokémon Transformator that turns people into Pokémon (which Bill accidentally did when testing his teleporter). Antigravity machines exist alongside basic means of travel such as bicycles and trucks.
One of the most advanced and commonly used technology used in the Pokémon World is the Poké Ball which transforms a Pokémon into energy so it can be contained in the small ball. In a battle, once the opposing wild Pokémon has been weakened, the Trainer will throw a Poké Ball at it. Assuming the Poké Ball hits it and is not dodged or hit back to the Trainer, the Poké Ball will open, convert the wild Pokémon to an energy form, pull the energy into its hollow center, and then close. The wild Pokémon will then be given the chance to struggle to try and escape the Poké Ball. Poké Balls originated from apricorns, which is a non-synthetic Poké Ball. Old apricorn Poké Balls were able to be unscrewed at the disproportionate top and manually be released, to let the Pokémon out. There are now several different kinds of Poké Balls, each for different occasions, including the infamous Master Ball which is able to capture a wild Pokémon without failure.
Despite the amount of advanced technology available, comparatively few modes of transportation are seen. This may be because the world is often shown through the eyes of a Pokémon Trainer, who usually travel on foot for a variety of practical reasons such as cost and finding wild Pokémon. Or maybe some transportation such as cars and trucks are harmful to the natural environment and Pokémon by the poisonous pollution from the vehicles. The most common transportation used to get to other regions or islands is by sailing by boat or ship, as it is a quick and easy way to get to other lands, while most regions have their own ferry. Also, people can use Pokémon as a mode of transport, such as flying or swimming. They seem, at least in the games however, to be bound to the region they are currently in, possibly due to stamina reasons.
There are moments where the physics of the Pokémon world are stretched to unrealistic degrees, but this is usually for dramatic or comedic purposes. Some common examples are unusual feats of strength and agility, surviving lethal attacks, and hammerspace. A special subset is Team Rocket. They always manage to get launched hundreds of feet into the air. However, people standing five feet away will not even be moved, and Team Rocket never gets seriously hurt from the flight, which would surely kill a normal person.
Trivia
- The existence of foreign Pokédex entries, different Unown markings, and fourth-generation characters like the Meister, Fantina, and Looker might lead to the fact that there are other languages in the Pokémon world (although it is unknown what other language(s) Looker speaks, his speech patterns indicate that he is not a native speaker of the language used by people from the Pokémon nation).
- Regular animals have been seen in some of the older media while regular plants like apple trees or pine trees are still seen often or even daily. There is a possibility that both animals and Pokémon exist within this world in a complicated ecosystem; often real animals are referenced in a Pokédex entry, especially if the Pokemon being referred to is based off of an animal. Humans and plants exist, helping this theory.
