Pokemon: A short guide to the whats and whys of Pokemon

What are Pokemon?

Pokemon are creatures that live with humans in the Pokemon world. They range in size and shape, from the little pink insect Pokemon Venipede to the huge legendary black dragon Pokemon Zekrom. At the present time, about 650 Pokemon have been discovered in the many regions where they live, including Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Fiore, Oblivia, Almia, Ransei and many more.

People and Pokemon

In most of the regions, people become Pokemon Trainers. They catch and train Pokemon and battle other Trainers. They go on journeys around the regions. A Trainer's ultimate goal is to enter and win the Pokemon League. To do this they must battle the eight Gym Leaders in the regions, and win the Gym Badges. A Trainer catches Pokemon in Poke Balls. A Trainer can take six Pokemon with them at any one time, but any more will to be sent to the PC boxes, a system created by Bill. At the start of their journey, each Trainer gets a Pokedex, a machine that records information on Pokemon, and a starter Pokemon, so they can battle and catch more. Each region has different starters, because each region has different Pokemon. Of course, a Trainer can only pick one Pokemon from the three Starters, and the starter Pokemon can't be caught in the wild, so the only way to register them in the Pokedex is to trade with other Trainers. The starters are as follows:

Kanto- Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander

Johto- Chikorita, Totodile, Cyndaquil

Hoenn- Treeko, Mudkip, Torchic

Sinnoh- Turtwig, Piplup, Chimchar

Unova- Snivy, Oshawott, Tepig.

In the regions of Fiore, Almia and Oblivia, people become Pokemon Rangers. A Ranger's job is to protect nature, Pokemon and people. They use Capture Stylers to capture Pokemon temporarily, however a Ranger does have a Partner Pokemon that goes with them everywhere. In Almia, Rangers can have quite a few Partners. The Rangers are managed by the Ranger Union in Almia, and taught by its Ranger School. A Ranger goes up in Ranger ranks when they complete missions, and this allows them to use Poke Assists, have more Friend Pokemon with them at any one time and use more powerful Partner Assists. Poke Assists allow a Friend or Partner Pokemon to help the Ranger during a capture. However once a Friend Pokemon has used its Poke Assist, it will go back to where the Ranger found it.

The Ransei region is divided up into 17 kingdoms. They are as follows:

Aurora- the Normal type kingdom

Ignis- the Fire type kingdom

Greenleaf- the Grass type kingdom

Fontaine- the Water type kingdom

Violight- the Electric type kingdom

Chrysalia- the Bug type kingdom

Pugilis- the Fighting type kingdom

Terrera- the Ground type kingdom

Illusio- the Psychic type kingdom

Yaksha- the Dark type kingdom

Cragspur- the Rock type kingdom

Viperia- the Poison type kingdom

Avia- the Flying type kingdom

Valora- the Steel type kingdom

Spectra- the Ghost type kingdom

Nixtorm- the Ice type kingdom

Dragnor- the Dragon type kingdom

The region itself is shaped like Arceus, the Pokemon that created it. There is a legend passed down in Ransei: If any one Warlord can conquer all 17 kingdoms, the Pokemon that created Ransei shall reveal itself. Each kingdom in Ransei has a Warlord, and each Warlord has one or more Pokemon that fight for them. The Warlords and Warriors are the people in Ransei who can connect, or "link" with Pokemon. The Warlords go to battle with each other. If a Warlord loses a battle in their own kingdom, they must surrender that kingdom to the winner. Warriors are other people who fight by the Warlord's side. Unlike in other regions, Ransei's Pokemon only have one set move, which is decided by the species. They also have a unique ability. Even Warriors and Warlords have abilities which they can use to help their Pokemon in battle. If a link gets strong enough, a Pokemon can evolve. Even Warlords can "evolve" if they have a strong enough link with their Pokemon.