This Is Not A Chapter - But A Collection Of World Building Elements.
Feel Free To Skip This If Infodumps Are Not Your Thing. These Are Explained As The Story Progresses
This world is strange and there are far too many inconsistencies from Max's memories. As I discover more, I will leave my thoughts and observations here to help refresh my memory as needed:
- The Pokémon world is called Arceus - Yes, named after the Pokémon God.
- The date of my birth was January 4th, 1048 AMF (After Meteor Falls)
- Human growth during childhood has been shortened by two years. This Pokemon world changed it so humans were adults at age 16, while also reducing the growing period to become an adult by 2 years.
- This seems to be so it could fit into the narrative of younger people going out into the world. 10 in the shows, manga, and games becomes 16, and 16 becomes the physical, emotional, and mental equivalent to 18 in our world.
- Pokémon are real, not sure how scientifically, but they are very real - real fur, real scales, real elemental magic, real everything.
- The Pokémon world history is more or less the same from what I can tell. Instead of the massive multiverse theory, however, every region has mega evolutions and that is the only thing they are called.
- The different forms of evolution, Mega and Gigantamax, are just different names for the same phenomenon and both require the use of meteor fragments called Z-stones that can also be used for Z-moves.
- Mega Evolutions also are permanent, so that is pretty rad.
- The events of the games and anime seem to have really happened, all except for those that deal with the multiverse. For some reason, the universe just decided to not deal with that shiz, I guess. Because of this, Ultra Beasts and Pokémon of different dimensions don't exist in this world. I have it on good authority that it has been 20 years since Red, Blue, & Green left Pallet Town (Yes, those are their real names...).
- Most of the legendaries are still around, but not many have been caught. They are actually more numerous than you would think, but usually live in uninhabited areas or otherwise have good means of hiding themselves. Some only have a few records or, well, legends about them and have not been seen in the wild. There are a few notable exceptions, such as Celebi, but those legendaries choose to follow someone and have not actually been caught. It seems Poké Balls other than Ultra Balls are not strong enough to be used on them and the Master Ball has not been released to the public or tested much as they cost a ridiculous amount to make. They were deemed too expensive to sell...or at least that is the story the public was told. (I can't get much info on Master Balls to be honest. Silph Co. is pretty hush hush about them it would seem.)
- Instead of letting 10-year-olds free into the wild to die, this world has public schooling. Sounds boring right? Well...it mostly is. Here is what I know of the schooling system:
- It starts at the age of 5 and continues until age 16. On the first day of school, children receive their starter Pokémon from a list of whatever Pokémon are available from the public breeders. In the 11 years of school, children learn world knowledge such as the universal language (Arcenian), Math, Science, Geography, etc. as well as the basics of living with and taking care of Pokémon.
- At the age of 16 children are allowed to make their first big life choice. They can either become a trainer and take on their regions Pokémon Jr. League or they can study various other jobs either about Pokémon or not. Yes, you can still become an engineer in this world, but you will still have to deal with Pokémon being in and around those areas. Everyone has at least 1 Pokémon. Literally, it is required by law to always have one with you. Usually, regular workers end up with Pokémon found around or pertaining to their field. Like a Machop for construction companies and a Pikachu for electricians - You get the point.
- The Pokémon Jr. League is basically the way the Pokémon games are presented. You follow strict paths with signs and barriers to keep you safe and there is always a rest area or Pokémon Center within a couple of miles of any location. Each region is MUCH bigger than it is shown in the game, but the paths from the game are the suggested official route for the Jr. League. The official route has gotten much larger with many other branches as more and more towns started hosting gyms. There are currently 32 Pokémon gyms in Kanto alone. It is a slugfest of a marathon that has many young trainers battling and learning the ropes. It is not dangerous at all and has both police and Pokémon Rangers patrolling the paths at night to help lost kids find their way. Hell, I heard most towns offer free meals and places to rest for kids in the Jr. League as well as other free items, puzzles, and challenges all sanctioned by the Pokémon League.
- You can give up and take on another job path at any point, but only those who receive 8 total gym badges and defeat the Elite 4 from their region can gain the title of an Official Pokémon League Trainer. It usually takes about 2-4 years to complete, but the majority give up and get regular jobs. It is tough and stressful to raise and train Pokémon while being out on the open road and away from family all the time. Not everyone is cut out for it.
- Side Note: Jr. League Champions are allowed to enter into the Regional Championship Tournament. This tournament determines the new MVT (most valuable trainer) in the region and they receive a shit ton of rewards and sponsorships.
- Once you become an Official Pokémon League Trainer, then you have basically graduated and can start your trainer career. This is still only the beginning, however, as your next challenge is to conquer your own and 2 other region's Pokémon Leagues on the much more difficult and challenging Advanced Path. These allow for the gym leaders and Elite 4 to step up the difficulty and fight with some of their real team. As one might expect, it is overwhelmingly harder than the Jr. League and most will spend the rest of their trainer career working towards this goal. Many fail and settle down, but those who succeed become World Trainers.
- World Trainers are those who have overcome much and have shown they are truly one of the best in the world. Only these trainers are allowed to start gyms and compete in the world championship tournaments. They can also challenge any gym in any region for an official World League Badge...which is honestly just for bragging rights. These badges are earned by defeating gym leaders who go all out with their full team - usually the same team they used to become a gym leader. These are some of the most epic and entertaining battles and they sell out arenas when they happen. Most gym leaders hold one every month with a small waitlist to challenge them. A gym leader's reputation is on the line in these, so they hold nothing back.
- Side Note: The Elite 4 for each region are chosen by a yearly vote and are comprised of 4 of the region's gym leaders - meaning there are actually 36 gyms in Kanto currently, but only 32 are open. Most regions tend to keep the same Elite 4 until they retire or unless there is a scandal.
- Pokémon Professors are the leaders of the region's science and breeding programs. They are the face of the region and it is more of a political figure head position than one of scientific or Poké-zoological merit. There are several notable exceptions, however, such as the professors of all of the games. They each have done much for the Pokémon community, but others in previously unknown or unexplored regions (at least to us Earthlings) are much less successful.
- The Pokédex is much more robust and acts as a smartphone/tablet would on Earth. It can do anything from recording seen Pokémon data to watching hot battles on PokéTube (Sigh...are you seeing a theme yet?).
- Pokémon being real presents issues in keeping them locked inside of Poké Balls. Instead of the game's imprisonment-like-system, PC's link to a Pokémon League Ranch where professional Poké-zoologists take care of them. These are usually lead by whomever the regions lead Pokémon Expert is - Bill for example in Kanto. These can sometimes be lead by the Pokémon Professor in the area as well (As they could hold both titles). This is a community service but is in no way free. You must pay for the upkeep and housing of any Pokémon in there. This is inconsequential for most Offical Trainers and free for all World Trainers, but for Jr. League kids, it can be tough to afford. This leads to a much smaller team size and much less of a "Catch 'em All" mentality for most trainers. In fact, it leads many to focus on one group or type of Pokémon since it is easier to care for them if they are all of the same variety.
- Feeding and Taking Care of Pokémon - This is way too complicated to write down, so I will summarize it like this:
- Food & Water - All Pokémon need to be fed and allowed to drink like normal animals - Food is bought in Poké Marts and comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes. All Mart employees can help you find what you need for any type of Pokémon.
- Training - You can't just go killing off wildlife willy-nilly. In fact, most training and practice comes from the literal hundreds if not thousands of trainers on the Jr. trails. Wildlife has strict protections and can, mostly, only be caught. There can even be bans on catching wild Pokémon if their species population is dwindling in that area. This is strictly monitored by the Pokémon Rangers.
- Side Note: Regions keep their Pokémon species to themselves usually. If an invasive species comes, they are caught and released back in their native region by Pokémon Rangers.
- Love & Friendship - Pokémon are not just tools. Use them as such and they will quickly turn on you. Many have died from an angry outburst from Pokémon and it is a huge deal if you treat them poorly - Like spending 10+ years in prison huge. You are taught how to bond with Pokémon from an early age and it is required that you take care of Pokémon correctly once they are caught. If you are found in error, you can be fined or even have your Pokémon taken and released back into the wild by Pokémon Rangers. Pokémon can be outside of their balls anywhere as long as it does not interfere with someone's work, but most trainers only have 1 out at a time. Easier to keep track of them and spend more time bonding with a specific one that way.
- Money - To be honest, trainers have the chance to earn huge amounts of money. Most are just unable to spend it wisely or settle down once they make a small fortune. To properly break this down, I need to separate it into 3 parts again:
- Normal Jobs - People work for money. Some make more for doing more complex things or by being celebrities. Nothing new.
- Competitive Battles - Whenever trainers battle in any league, they do so competitively. Every competitive battle is recorded into each trainer's Pokédex and, thus, shows the odds of winning against the trainer. These numbers are reset each year (within a league championship season) and upon entering into a new bracket. This ratio is seen as both a point of pride for all trainers as well as an indication of your next paycheck. The Pokémon League pays trainers for winning battles based on their win-loss ratio, so trainers are always working on improving. There is a ton of math involved, but the basics break down into good trainers fighting other good trainers to earn lots of money. You can only get money from 1 battle per day per trainer though, so no cheesing the system. It also is a huge incentive for bad trainers to get better. This is so ingrained into the culture that it is seen as rude to ask others for a Non-Competitive Battle unless you are good friends or traveling companions.
- Side Note: Official trainers and above are given stipends each month by the Pokémon League. The higher position you are (Official Trainer < World Trainer < Gym Leader < Elite 4 Member) the more the league pays you. Also, the higher the position you are the better the bonuses become - like in the example of free access to the Pokémon League Ranch for World Trainers.
- Non-Competitive Battles - Mostly used for friends or traveling companions to train against each other - Doing it too often is seen negatively. Gotta make dat money!
There is much, MUCH more to go over, but I think this is a good summary for now. I will edit this periodically as I discover new things.
There is so much left a mystery in this world, but I intend to travel everywhere and search them all out!
Pokémon Professors are the leaders of the region's science and breading programs.
Why yes, baking and frying is much easier with selectively BRED fire pokemon ....
Ha! This made me belly laugh! Thank you for the note - I will fix it now. =D
Man just for say. I keep it in my reading list just because he is the son of Jessy and James lol.
Waiting for more chap before begin to read
I am glad you like the premise! I will be writing more today most likely. =D
@Overload Take your time for do it right and the way you like
Finally a Pokémon story with good grammar yesssssss
I thought this book was cool- then I saw that the main character was the son of Jessie and James, then I though this book was awesome! All I can think of is that Meowth would be our pokemon pet XD
Just found this here! I'm excited to see how your story goes! Wish you best of luck in your endeavour, I'll be back soon to actually read it!
he Pokémon League pays trainers for winning battles based on their win-loss ratio
But where does the Pokemon League's money come from? Tax payers? That's my only nitpick that stood out to me. Doesn't seem sustainable. But holy crap the rest of it. You clearly put a lot of thought into your world. Kudos to you.
Thanks for the comment! Yes Taxes, the league taxes everything under it. All people, businesses, and corporations are taxed, specifically those that relate to Pokemon products. Whether it is sustainable or not...we will have to see.
But what about Pay Day!?!
Thanks for the comment! Paydays are once a month. I leave it vague because I don't want to worry about the exact days of the month for this story. I explain it a bit more in a future chapter.
@Overload Sorry, I meant the move pay day. Is it banned? Does it take money from a designated zone? Does it make money come into existence?
@ryannow Ah! I see. That move really doesn't fit in this world, so I would say probably not. I might make something with Meowth's golden head thing, but I am not sure yet. I will think about it more. haha
Thanks for the comment!
@Overload No problem, I remember watching a game theory vid about how the move could destroy the economy.