Thread: The Pokémon League and its Games

I had a conversation some time ago with a friend and we were speculating on how the League actually began, and how the system of battling with Pokémon began. I had envisioned it as being somewhat similar to the Isthmian Games, with parallels to the present-day Olympics.

Thoughts or comments welcome.

Well, we know the Orange League at least is quite old; centuries at least (CF the Ghost Ship episode). Wether or not the same can be said of the other league is more open to debate; I don't remember mentions of competitive pokémon training in the anime (outside Orange) or game going back further than circa the days of Sammy Oak and Agatha.

In one of the manga, I believe Bill mention somethign about being among the first to be allowed to skip out on higher education to go training, but that's a very remote memory that I have no way to verify, so I can be wrong there.

I think it might be a really old tradition. If you guys see all the leagues, they have one thing in common: the flame in the stadium. So I guess Barb's right when she says it all began like the Olympics in our world.

The flame DOES point at an old tradition, true.

So, if we accept the theory that it's similar to our Olympics, how did it start? How did people start capturing and training Pokémon to battle? And from this beginning, then how was the League organized?

When did pokémon catching begin? It's quite obvious the giants in Pokémopolis were captured, but it seems they were not TRAINED, for example. OTOH, we know that by the time of their "age of sails" competitive trainign was in existence (CF Orange Islands episode).

Is there any other reference?

It seems to me that at some point in time, humans and pokemon lived together as equals. I think that in ancient times, pokemon training was more of a partnership between pokemon and human, then as time went on, pokemon became more submissive and humans eventually started capturing them rather than having them join them. Then again, it's been said that even modern-day pokemon and their trainers form close bonds and Lance (anime) certainly demonstrated that even if one captures a pokemon against its will, it isn't necissarily slavery.

That's true. I suppose it took a few centuries for humans to understand that the attacks Pokémon use against each other in battle might actually be their natural self-defense mechanisms against predators.

I think that what I like most about the League is their emphasis on sportsmanship. Not on who won, or which city produces the best trainers, but the emphasis on giving it your all and may the best trainer win.

Bumping this again, because I just watched 'Around the Whirlpool' tonight. They discussed the Whirl Cup and how the contest mainly attracted Water Pokémon trainers. The contest itself begins on one island and carries over to another for the championship round.

What about other types of Pokémon? Are there any special contests just for Grass or Fire Types? What would those contests include? Where would they be held? Personally, I really like the idea of holding a Fire Pokémon battle on a volcano. This is held over from the Blaine episodes on Cinnabar Island.

Also, remember the Fighting Pokémon tournament where Ash's Primeape won. There must be different kinds of tourneys, competitions and such for each different type of Pokémon. It would make sense.

I wonder if there ever was a Psychic/Ghost tournament at Lavender Town in the tower. Or, better yet, in a big spooky Gothic mansion.

One would assume that single type tournaments of every possible type have been run at some point. Didn't we see a Grass type one as well during Johto? Not to mention the Whirl Cup.

My guess is Pokemon (like dogs in the real world) were captured for protection and companionship. Then people started to wonder who had the best guardian and theyd compete. This grew into what is now Pokemon training. Maybe it's a homage to the travelers in the past who depended on Pokemon for their safe passage.

I will also go along with the fact that humans and pokemon learned to coexist, but as is the nature of human beings, some saw that pokemon could be used to obtain power, to use their attacks against others, to make war.

I'm not entirely sure if humans are behind the pokemon war seen in Mew and the Wave-Guiding Hero-Rukario, but it is plain to see that Aaron possessed a primitive form of capturing mechanism, and Rukario thought he was only Aaron's servant, but later discovered he was his friend.

My theory is that in order to satisfy our competitive nature, pokemon battles were invented, and thus pokemon tournaments. I also imagine there are contests even among single type trainers, and that there is a master for each pokemon type in existence. I assume their power would be similar to that of the E4 and Champions, though. It is plain to see that the pokemon world operates on some form of mystical energy, which I believe was utilized by Aaron and the people of Pokemopolis to contain pokemon in ancient times. How old is Kurt? He is the only one that still uses the art of making pokeballs from Apricorns. Since this approach is so naturalistic, I do believe this is how pokemon catching as we know it today was started. The items found in pokemarts in present times, we know were developed later, and at the same time, Voltorb appeared. Some time after that, Mew was discovered by a team of scientists, and the whole Mewtwo story began. Then Prof. Oak invented the pokedex, or so the games say. Thus, the National Dex still begins with Kanto's pokemon. Also, somewhere in that same time, the resurrection machine was invented. With the fact that FR/LG and Ru/Sa/E are in the same time frame, I don't know if the lab at Cinnabar did it first, or if Devon Co. did. If you want to go further than that, I think the Poke Gear was invented some time before the time frame of G/S/C.

Keep in mind that the old man from the Clair episodes said that humans considered Pokemon as their enemies many years ago and the flame (that TR stole),represented the time when Humans and Pokemon started to co-exist.



(or something like that... haven't seen that episode in ages.)