Appendix D: Pokemon Series Primer

Appendix D: Pokemon Series Primer

If this is your first Pokemon game or if you have not played most of the previous generations of the games this primer will help you to gain a basic understanding of the adventure and the regions that it has progressed through.  This does not deal with plot or story lines, it is simply intended to give you a basic overview of the progression.

Kanto Region – Gen I: Green/Red/Blue/Yellow and Gen III: FireRed/LeafGreen

The protagonist is a young preteen named Ash Ketchum who lives in Pallet Town. Mentored by  Professor Oak, and competing against Oak's grandson, the players rival,  the player and their rival choose their Starter Pokemon (Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander) and begin their adventure.

The player will complete their Pokedex, obtain the 8 Gym Badges, and then will battle the Elite Four and finally the Champion.  The enemy in this generation is Team Rocket.

Johto Region – Gen II: Gold/Silver/Crystal and Gen IV: HeartGold/SoulSilver

The events in this generation occur three years after those of the first, in the Johto Region – which is a fictional region modeled after the Kansai and Tokai regions of Japan. 

The protagonist is a young trainer from New Bark Town who is mentored by Professor Elm, the regions Pokemon Professor.  They choose their starter (Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile) and witness a stranger who will become their rival steal a Pokemon from Professor Elm's lab. 

The adventure for this generation is to become the best trainer in Johto and Kanto by capturing and raising Pokemon, completing the Pokedex, defeating the eight Gym Leaders in Johto for Gym Badges, and challenging the Elite Four and the Champion, and then facing off against Red (Ash Ketchum) at Mt. Silver.  The enemy in this generation is still Team Rocket.

Hoenn Region – Gen III – Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

The Hoenn Region is a fictional region based on the island of Kyushu in Japan. 
 
The protagonist (player) is a young Trainer who has recently moved to Littleroot Town. At the beginning of the game the player is mentored by Professor Birch, the region's Pokemon Professor, and after they choose their Starter Pokemon (Torchic, Mudkip, or Treecko) they compete with the Porfessor's son or daughter as their rival, a child of similar age who is also a Pokemon Trainer and who occasionally battles the player and assists them.  This is a friendly rivalry.

There are three main goals in the game – completing the story line, obtaining the Gym Badges and then defeating the Elite Four to become the new Champion, and completing the Pokedex by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain all 386 Pokemon. 

The enemy in this generation is Team Aqua and Team Magma, whose plans include awakening a pair of Legendary Pokemon and goals that could destroy the planet. 

Sinnoh Region – Gen IV – Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

The fictional region of Sinnoh (an island) is based upon the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

The adventure begins in Twinleaf Town, your character's home town.  You are a young neophyte Pokemon Trainer whose mentor,  Professor Rowan, the region's Pokemon Professor, has provided with one of the regional Starter Pokemon (Piplup, Chimchar,or Turtwig).

There are three main goals in the game – completing the story line, obtaining the Gym Badges and then defeating the Elite Four to become the new Champion, and completing the Pokedex by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain all 493 Pokemon. 

Your friendly rival is either Lucas (boy) or Dawn (girl) depending upon the sex you choose when you create your character.  They will assist and challenge you throughout the game.  The enemy in this generation is Team Galactic, who have plans that threaten the safety of the entire world (of course) that you must thwart while at the same time obtaining the Gym Badges, learning to be a Pokemon Trainer, Breeder, and Contest Expert, and defeating the Elite Four and Pokemon Regional Champion to take your rightful place as the best of the best.

Unlike the established formula of the previous games, in the 4th Generation completing the story mode and becoming the League Champion unlocks a new set of islands, with the player having more to do in what is considered to be a follow-on story extension.

As with the 3rd Generation there are special Battle Areas and Tourneys in the 4th Generation games, and extensive use is made of online trading and battling.  This generation is the first to have true online capabilities and represents a major evolution for the series.

– Full Circle –

This brings you full-circle to the Unova Region and the 5th Generation.  As you are currently playing and experiencing this gen we will not risk spoiling it for you by offering details or even a summary.  We will suggest that you take your time, drink in the awesome details and glory of the game, and try to squeeze every ounce of enjoyment that you can.

Once you have finished the game, obtaining copies of the previous generation games is really a good idea, though you should stick with the GBA/DS versions that provide a combination of original and remakes as they allow you to transfer Pokemon from each forward into the next Generation, whereas the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color games do not.

As you play each of the games, it is a very good idea to maximize your play and experience as much as you can prior to moving your Pokemon into the next generation of games, as that process is one-way and you cannot return those Pokemon to their home games after you move them forward!  For that reason you should try to win as many ribbons as you can with each Pokemon prior to moving them!

Enjoy yourself with this rich gaming and story experience, and any time you can combine the games with viewing the TV shows for that region, we say go for it!