The Pokémon world exists in several different states. The two most distinct and separated states are the civilized Pokémon world and the savage lands. The civilized Pokémon world is generally safe for human to live. The number of deaths world-wide in these areas from Pokémon average annually to between 1,000-5,000.
It is in this state of the Pokémon world that Ask Ketchum resides. Ash, a Pokémon trainer of age 17, had just finished saving Kalos and finishing 2nd in the Kalos Pokémon League, a part of the Junior Pokémon League. Ash is currently one of the most talked about Pokémon trainers in the world due to his many accomplishments and is considered by many to be a possible Pokémon master candidate in the next ten years. He is oblivious to all of this and more concerned on whether or not he will ever win a Pokémon league championship. Unbeknownst to him, his journey to becoming a Pokémon master was boosted through an Indigo Plateau vote five years prior that granted one Samuel Oak the funds to create Oak University of Pallet Town.
Professor Oak has long been regarded as the leading mind on Pokémon in Kanto if not the whole world. He had long kept his independence from any institution and had personally funded most of his research, but now in his later years he wished to establish a University that would grant him more funds for his research and would allow him to better pass down his knowledge to a new generation. Oak had lobbied the Plateau for years before it finally granted him his wish, around the same time Ash won the Orange islands league. The only catch was that the newly minted Oak University had to field a Pokémon battle team.
It was for this reason that Professor Oak contacted Ash a month after the whole incident with a proposal, go to Alola to study more academic subjects and then join the Oak University's battle team the Tauros.
"But Professor, what exactly is a battle team?" asked a sheepish Ash.
"I can't believe how airheaded you can be Ash. To put it in simple terms it can be the next step on your Pokémon journey, and I think it is the best step for you. It would allow you to reconnect with your family and gain valuable experience battle trainers far more advanced than you currently are" came Oaks grandfatherly reply. "I can send you the basic league pamphlet and the Tauros recruiting brochure if you want?"
"Well what do ya say Pikachu?" Ash said while looking at his partner.
"Let's do it!"
"Alright Professor Oak, Pikachu and I are in! But uh how do I get to Alola?" joyfully said Ash.
Professor Oak just sighed and began to explain where Alola was and the school and house he had set up not only for Ash, but his mother too.
While Ask Ketchum was beginning the next phase of his journey to becoming a Pokémon master, far to the North of Kanto a mistake would lead to the greatest collegiate Pokémon battle team ever being formed, and the mixing of the savage and civilized Pokémon worlds.
The savage lands of the Pokémon world were vastly different from the civilized Pokémon world. Entire species of Pokémon live in the savage lands that prey on humans, and even the benign species are more aggressive and wilder compared to their counter-parts in the civilized world. It is here that many Pokémon trainers go at some point. The military of the civilized Pokémon world is centered at the intersection of the civilized and savage lands. They from a filter keeping dangerous species and individual Pokémon from entering the civilized world and causing chaos. This filter stretches for miles and miles beyond the borders of countries, and on land at least, this filter works. Most trainers, even those in most of the filter area have never even heard of a Vambat, let alone seen one.
Trainers in this filter area divided into three divisions to go along with the non-Pokémon wielding military forces the researchers, the warriors, and the diplomats. These divisions are more commonly known as Mystic, Valor, and Instinct. These divisions explore the savage lands, interact with the small groups of people that do manage to live there, and form bases. This filtered area has become known as Gado.
It is well beyond the border of Gado and the savage lands that an over ambitious group of trainers is traveling hoping to map out the area and possibly find resources allowing Gado to expand. Expeditions like the one they are on are relatively routine for trainers of Gado, having to mark nesting grounds for highly dangerous Pokémon, make note of resources, interact with any locals they run into, and deal with any hyper aggressive Pokémon that they come upon. The reward for those that go on the expedition is proportionate to what has been accomplished.
The desire and greed for a larger reward had cost many trainers and military personal their lives, and it is also what motivates the fateful expedition led by one Ajef of division valor and Sam of division Mystic.
They had planned the expedition thoroughly, they were to march 500 miles north into the savage lands before marching 50 miles west, and then finally returning back to the relative safety of the Gado region. The expedition size was to be slightly larger than normal, with 20 surveyors, 40 military rangers, 20 trainers from each division, and 30 support and communication personal. A grand total of 150 people, the expedition was to embark on June 3rd, or five days before the Kalos league was to begin. Before Ash's first battle a rescue squad was dispatched to find them.
Everything had gone smoothly at first for expedition "The Last One We Ever Need", or properly Alpha Delta 0089, as it was called by the members. The first day covered over 60 miles and the company still had air support from Gado. The terrain at the start of the day was just a grassland that seemed to go on forever, and while they did encounter some curious Bouffalant and Pyroar they were given plenty of room. On the second day what looked like a small hill at one point slowly turned int a mountain, and the grasslands made way to a forest. Once they entered the forest Ajef's company effectively lost air support from Gado, but they were already 110 miles into their 500-mile trek north. They had to clear out a Spinarak nest and put down a rampaging Ursaring. They had even found a river of which they marched next to for the last 10 miles.
It was the third day that issues started to pop up. A wild Pikachu had entered the camp in the morning, gotten startled and fried some the communication and surveying equipment, it wasn't enough to derail the expedition, but definitely slowed them down. After only 40 miles of traveling and surveying the expedition found themselves outside of a bog still within a mile of the river. Deciding to camp there instead of treading onwards through the night into the bog saved the expedition then, and would be the last wise decision of Ajef.
That night over a dozen members of the expedition were injured fending off attacks from Feraligatr, packs of Houndour and Houndoom, swarms of Buzzills, and other one of encounters with night time predatory Pokémon. The morning of the fourth day they would enter the bog.
Commander Ajef of Valor was a well-respected member of the Valor division and the whole of Gado where he was stationed. He served in the Gado region for over 30 years after finishing top 8 three times during his Junior Pokémon League circuit time. He wasn't a Pokémon master in the strictest sense, but he was one in the eyes of those who served under him. Commander Sam, once his rival in the Junior circuit, had become one of his best friends and had also served in the area for over 30 years. They were about to encounter some Pokémon that were only lightly briefed on, and are some of the reasons for the Gado region.
The dangers of the savage lands can seem exaggerated to some, since info on the most dangerous Pokémon is kept need to know and the deaths in Gado region and savage lands number between 10-30 thousand a year due to Pokémon which while more than tripling the deaths of those in the civilized world, didn't seem so dangerous that entire region was being used as buffer. Most members of Ajef and Sam's expedition fell into this category, and that underestimation would help to prove their downfall.
The mystic scouts and surveyors said that there was a path to be found traversing through the bog with relatively little if any active Pokémon activity, and this was the path that the expedition decided to follow.
Ajef has started to get a bad feeling an hour marching along the path. The bog, hot and humid as it had been all day, was too quiet. In the morning it was full of Pokémon calls, splashing in the water, and movement in the trees, but now it had seemed like everything had gone still. Even the brackish water that they were traversing through had seemed to grow even murkier and the mud thicker. He hoped he was wrong about his feeling, prayed to be even, for nothing good comes from a bad feeling in the savage lands. A bird Pokémon called out, breaking the eerie silence of the bog, and Ajef broken from his thoughts continued on leading the march.
Another ten minutes had gone by, and the oppressive silence had returned. The silence, besides for the splattering of boots and labored breaths of the company nothing made a sound. It was so bad that Ajef swore it was making him hallucinate as the brackish water he was walking through now looked as black as the paved streets of Vermillion. Another few steps struggling now as the Ajef had noticed the mud was incredibly thick in this part of the bog, the first screams tore through the air. Ajef turned to look and see what had happened, but all he saw was the brackish water he thought had turned black, was in fact black now. It was also rising in a wave towering over him and dozen other men, before crashing down and dragging them into the depths of the bog. Ajef never even had the chance to scream as the Pokémon that swallowed him and his companions started to burn away his flesh with acid and bury him deep with the ground.
Indigo Plateau's Brochure on Pokémon Battle Teams
Pokémon battle teams are where potential Pokémon masters are found. A trainer continues their journey from the Junior Pokémon Circuit, to either the professional Pokémon Battle Team league, the master circuit, or a university with a Pokémon battle team. There are of course other options for a trainer to take than these, but the possibility of becoming a Pokémon master really only exists through them. A typical Pokémon battle team match consists of 7 battles, three 6v6 single battles, two 6v6 double battles, and two triple battles (it should be noted in some tournaments the second triple battle is swapped with a rotation battle). Professional battle teams are some of the largest, and most popular forms of entertainment in the world! The collegiate Pokémon battle team season takes place in the fall while the professional season takes place in the spring. This allows trainers the time to go on adventures, study, or even just relax before taking part in the next season. For more information on how collegiate Pokémon battle teams work visit the official website. For more information on how professional Pokémon battle teams work visit the official website.
Kanto Military Files: Vambat
Public Record: A mythical creature that supposedly posses the coloration of a Zubat's wings. The body shape of Woobat, fangs the size of Charizard fangs, and gaseous body of Gastly. There have been zero confirmed sightings in the modern era, and this creature has been classified as a mistaken identity of Zubat. It is often popularly depicted in horror movies, with the most famous being Dracula the Vambat King (19XX).
Gado Briefing: A ghost flying type Pokémon. It is known to be active at night. Preferred prey is humans or fighting types. It will appear behind its prey and inserts its long needle like fangs into its prey. It sucks not just the blood of its prey, but also its lifeforce. Threat level: Exterminate. This Pokémon preys on humans and can also pass along the dangerous disease of bat pox, see Lavender Bat Pox Incident of 18XX. The threat of single individual isn't much, but in large groups or in the presence of its evolved form, Vamcula the threat increases exponentially. Danger: 4.