Introduction
Our world is an incredibly vast and diverse place. From the snowcapped mountains of Mt. Coronet to the vast deserts of Orre, the planet we live in is truly a marvel of nature. In this brief guide to the nations of the world, we will detail the society and culture, as well as the geopolitics of various political entities, circa 1912. Ever since this guide book was published, the authors have long been striving to make an up-to-date, quality assessment and summary of the world as we know it. In this, dear reader, we hope that you may find sufficient information to sate your knowledge about our multifaceted and wonderful world.
What constitutes a "Mon"?
The question of what really constitutes a Mon has gone back centuries, with much debate regarding the various sub-species of Mon currently residing in the world. To religious individuals and the devout, a "Mon" refers to any intelligent creature created by our all-knowing and all-seeing creator, Arceus. To anthropologists and societal researchers, a "Mon" refers to any species capable of banding together in a group to build what we consider a civilisation. To psychologists, a "Mon" refers to any creature on the earth that possesses any level of sentience on the third level of the Birchwood Intelligence Scale, as per the most recent scientific studies (A guide to Intelligence and Self-Awareness, Torvalds, 1901) Yet while all of these definitions abound, the most simple answer that most people would accept these days is that a Sentient Mon is any creature that can possess self-awareness, can interbreed amongst each other, as well as the ability to utilise a subset of element-manipulating powers that we call a "moveset". Yet while this definition is common in these more enlightened and progressive times, it was not so in the centuries past.
In times well before the development of the industrial revolution, it was common to divide all Mons by type, but two definitions seemed to hold the most water in public discourse: that Mons were divided into "Anthros" (from a word meaning "person, sentient") or "Gijinkas" (from a word that had roughly the same meaning as the former, yet was used in a different context before the formation of the first Basic Language). These disputes and the nature of anthros and gijinkas made conflict and strife major issues. Anthros, while supposedly more "bestial", given their appearance to ferals, constituted a majority of the population, although they lacked unity. Gijinkas, given their unique appearance (to the more traditionalist Anthro Mons, this was the appearance of a hairless ape), and the lack of any extreme physiological variation, were more unified, although they lacked the numbers to successfully combat the Anthro populace.
The fact that one side possessed the numbers, and the other the coherence, led to an equalisation of power between the two subspecies. This did not mean balance; wars and battles were still fought, although there never seemed to be a winner. Yet with the formation of more intricate and developed societies during the years up to the Industrial Revolution, Anthros and Gijinkas were forced to cooperate in the midst of a changing world, as political and religious intrigue had led to a more complex society that saw no need for the more simplistic definitions of old. This sort of new thinking led to the creation of new nations and societies that went along unconventional lines, such as the Republic of Unova, which had a half-and-half society of Anthros and Gijinkas, as well as the Kanto-Johto Hegemony, which was the result of a unification between the Anthro-controlled Kanto and the Gijinka-controlled Johto. Despite all of this, there are nations that still adhere to the old cultural lines between Anthro and Gijinka, albeit with less internal strife as seen before. Such examples include the Empire of Sinnoh, a far-northern state where Gijinkas are the majority population, and Kalos, where the opposite is true.
Regardless, we can only hope that in such industrialised and enlightened times as these, a better world will prevail.
Anthro Mon
These Mons constitute a majority of the population of the known world. This branch of the species is most commonly found in Kanto, Hoenn, and Kalos. Anthro Mon are distinguished from their Gijinka cousins by their physiological appearance; most Anthro Mon generally resemble upright ferals. It is a common belief amongst more traditionalist and hardline Anthro Mons that due to this appearance, they are naturally the inheritors of the Earth, and that Gijinkas are an alien aberration. However, in recent years, this dispute has been toned down in the face of heavy industrialisation, changes to Religious laws and canons, as well as the creation of complex political alliances, that all but seemed to end the long-standing rivalry between Anthros and Gijinkas.
Most Anthro Mon can be classed into a variety of forms, which can range from the more Gijinka-like to the more bestial. In ages old, this often led to confusion between the Anthro societies and the Gijinka societies. On one end, you had Anthro Mon that, despite certain appearances that only a skilled physiologist could determine, looked Gijinka, while you had Anthro Mon on the other end that looked very close to being feral, despite obvious signs of intelligence. And finally, you had Anthros whose genetic basis lay in some of the more alien-looking Mon, such as the Ghost-types, who were made of pure dark energy. This led to the formation of a sort of intricate hierarchy amongst the Anthros, which often led to much intrigue and division. According to one historian, if there were more Gijinkas in the world, they would have been able to successfully exploit these internal divisions, and successfully become the dominant species.
Despite these divisions, most Anthro Mon were able to develop complex and intricate societies, which evolved into successful empires. One could say this was the result of their strength combined with their intelligence, while not as cohesive as that of the Gijinka, the added strength and manpower of most Anthro societies allowed them to rapidly expand across the World. The first successful Anthro Mon Empire was based in Central Kanto, which eventually grew into the larger Kanto Kingdom. This Kingdom often warred against their Gijinka neighbours, such as Johto and Sinnoh in years past. With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the end of the War of the Bell Tower (1792-1803), the societies of Kanto and Johto unified, creating a vast and prosperous Empire that soon grew to encompass most of the known world. During this period of expansion, the Empire would see the development of new technologies and discoveries in science, which would revolutionise the world. By 1900, the Empire had grown to encompass the Sevii and Orange Islands, as well as the outer colonies of Oblivia and Ransei.
Gijinka Mon
The Gijinka type of Mon is unique in the sense that their physical bodies appear to adhere to a common template: fur-less, fleshy skin that comes in different hues from brown to peach, a thoroughly similar skull-shape, and a distinguishable lack of digitigrade leg variations on almost every member of this sub-species. The only variations seemed to come in hair colour, as well as the appearance of certain "identifiers" which classed what kind of Gijinka they were. These identifiers often included tails or ears that seemed not to fit with the general body template, but correlated with that of a feral or Anthro Mon. This allowed members of the Gijinka sub-species to identify what type of Gijinka they were: for example, a certain tail shape or ear coloration could mean that you were a Luxray Gijinka or a Swadloon Gijinka. It would be callous to assume that the Gijinka were fully and completely independent of the hierarchy and speciesism that prevailed in Anthro society, whilst Gijinka Societies tended to lack extreme caste-like divisions, "type superiority" often prevailed in place of that, with certain types often lording over Gijinka tribes and nations depending on the situation.
Whilst interbreeding was possible between Anthro Mon and Gijinka Mon (despite cultural taboos), Anthro Mon often birthed their young through eggs, while Gijinka Mon carried their young in a uterus before birth. Evolution, while leading to extreme physiological growth variation in Anthros, did not do much to Gijinkas, other than change some of the "identifiers" or allow them to learn certain new movesets. Other than that, most Gijinkas possessed the same level of intelligence as Anthro Mon, given the societal and historical records of both sub-species (as well as several scientific tests conducted in the 1890s.)
Most Gijinkas played a rather unique societal niche in the parts of history well before the development of industrialised society. Given the lack of caste systems based on physiology, as well as better cooperation between members of the sub-species, Gijinka societies were able to develop advanced forms of government and technology at a slightly better rate than their Anthro cousins. However, the level of isolation between individual Gijinka societies (given the large number of Anthro Mon) made sure, for centuries, that a global Gijinka Empire was impossible. Yet with the creation of the Kanto-Johto Empire and the Republic of Unova in the 1700s, aspects of Gijinka society combined with aspects of Anthro society, creating a hybrid blend of technology and society that ultimately led to the Industrial Revolution, shaping our world as it is today.
Most Gijinka Mon can be found in the regions of Johto and Sinnoh, with significant minority populations in Unova and Hoenn.
Feral Mon
The Feral type of Mon is one of the most commonly encountered types of Mon on the planet, outnumbering Gijinkas and Anthro Mon in the millions. According to the general description, a Feral Mon "is any Mon that lacks a coherent language, as well as the ability of sentience, complex reasoning, or complex abstract thought." However, there have been obvious discrepancies with regards to this definition, based on new research coming out of the Academy of Goldenrod. Of particular note are the more "humanoid" or "anthro/gijinka-like" Feral Mons, such as Gardevoir or Zoroark. While they lack the ability of language, there have been instances where they have been able to develop rudimentary skills such as counting, simple mathematical equations, and tool-using. This new research has blurred the lines between Anthro and Feral, with most Anthro Mon decrying the research as heresy. Some Gijinka Mon took up the opportunity to proclaim their superiority with regards to this, which only added fuel to the fire. The debate ended only following a statement from the Academy that such experiments only produced "aspects of intelligence that you could also find in simple animals, and that these test subjects do not display the same level of cohesion and intelligence that Anthro Mon do have."
Despite the statement, the experience was humiliating for several Anthro Mon, and it continues to fuel pseudoscience and religious debates. Some Anthro Mon have turned the debate around, proclaiming that the research "only serves to tell us who the true people of this planet are." Of even further controversy is the so-called "Feral Alakazam Research Project", which aims to test levels of sentience in what some people consider the most intelligent Feral Mon. Despite official protests by the Church of Arceus, the research, conducted by a team of both Anthro and Gijinka biologists, continues today in Hearthome College.
It is considered a taboo (and in some faiths, tantamount to excommunication) to eat or consume a Feral Mon. Nonetheless, despite whatever legislative actions are being taken, a large underground market exists for the consumption and procurement of Feral Mon meat.
Regular Animals
Regular Animals are usually considered to be animals that lack the metamorphic, psychokinetic, and reproductive aspects that most Mons have. Despite this, regular animals perform a very vital role in the world today-as a form of nutrition and sustenance. Popular animals that are used for meat consumption include cows, chickens, and pigs. Eating certain regular animals, such as cats or dogs, is often considered a taboo in most cultures. Almost all regular animals have been domesticated; predatory "wild" regular animals are extremely rare, having fallen out of their position in the food chain following the spread of Monkind, approximately 100,000 years ago. Of course, it is still possible to find a lion or a tiger in the Castelia Zoo, but other than that, "wild" regular animals are extinct in the wilderness.
Basic Biological Traits
There are a variety of traits that unify all Mon. These include the ability to use movesets and the ability to interbreed within certain genetic groups. Another capability that we often see in most Mon species is the ability to Evolve. While the correct scientific term should be "metamorphosis", the term "Evolve" has been used as most Mon often grow more complex biological functions in a way that can be described as similar to Biological Evolution. In this paragraph, we detail the various cultural and biological aspects of the three traits that unify all Mon: Moves, Interbreeding, and Evolution.
Movesets and Types
Most Mon are able to learn the ability to use various psychokinetic or superpowered physical powers that can be used to manipulate the environment around them, often with significant variations. The first compendium of all known movesets and types came in classical antiquity, when Theodricus of Sootopolis City, an Anthro Manectric, composed his Historia Mundi. Whilst crude and archaic by modern standards, it served as the unified guide to all types and moves well until the invention of the printing press. In the 1600s, another intellectual by the name of Martin Voussier, a Gijinka Greninja from the Lumiose University, came up with a new compendium of known types, this time adding the so-called Ghost, Dragon, and Fairy types to the list. While this was met with ridicule and a vague threat of excommunication from the Church of Arceus, the types mentioned here eventually gained credence in scientific jargon in the early 1700s. Today, there are multiple types listed in the modern version of the full Compendium, which will be listed as follows, as well as their date of inclusion:
A "-" sign denotes the years B.C.E. A year without that sign denotes a year C.E.
-Normal (-375)
-Flying (1200)
-Fight (1456)
-Poison (1573)
-Ground (-281)
-Rock (104)
-Bug (273)
-Ghost (1702)
-Steel (1196)
-Fire (-375)
-Water (-375)
-Grass (-375)
-Electric (1000)
-Psychic (-375)
-Ice (-375)
-Dark (1496)
-Dragon (1702)
-Fairy (1702)
However, there can be mixes or hybrids of said types. Common examples include the Fennekin Evolution Line (Fire, Psychic, catalogued 294 BCE) or the Zubat Evolution Line (Poison, Flying, catalogued 1673), and so on and so forth. However, hybrids between incompatible types, such as a Fire-Water type, are impossible, and are left to the imagination.
Evolution
Most people are quick to confuse the term "Evolution", usually because of its two meanings: the biological progression of a species over time, or the metamorphosis that most Mons undergo when reaching certain stages in life. Here, we will discuss the latter definition, and its implications on society and culture in general.
Morphic Evolution is often the result of the physical Mon body adapting and changing over time. In Anthro Mon and Gijinka Mon, the changes can be noticed in appearance, more so in Anthro Mon, given the similarities between them and their Feral cousins. Distinguishing evolution in a Gijinka Mon can be a little bit tricky, given the fact that their growth is progressive rather than metamorphic, and that age is the prime distinguishing factor amongst Gijinkas. Rather, to deduce the evolutionary nature of a Gijinka, one needs to look at the subtle changes in their "identifiers" (i.e., ears and tail), or their moveset abilities. Usually, a more powerful move means that the Gijinka is of a higher evolutionary level; this also corresponds with age.
In Anthro Mon, Morphic Evolution is similar to what we see in Feral Species, with great changes in the physiology of the body. This, like Gijinka Mon, also corresponds with age, although age timelines in Anthro Mon can correspond to various stages within their morphic evolutionary pattern. Evolution in both Anthro and Gijinka Mon can be accelerated in various ways. While age ranges and general maturity still correspond to the evolutionary stage of a Mon (a 5-year old Empoleon is technically impossible), it is not unheard of Mons using various drugs and enhancers to become a second or third-tier evolutionary stage before thirty.
Evolutionary stages can be described in roughly four stages: infancy, basic evolution, and one of either two tiers. While Two-tier evolutionary families are the most common, it is not unknown to see Single-tier or Non-evolving families of Mon. Of further interest are those evolutionary families that branch out from evolution such as the Poliwhirl Family, which can evolve into two forms. By far, the most documented example of a branching evolutionary species is that of the Eevee, this evolutionary family can evolve into a variety of forms based on type (Fire, Grass, Dark, Water, Psychic, and Fairy are included). This has led leading geneticists and biologists to determine if the Eevee may be some sort of biological link amidst types, and further studies are being made into Eevee's evolutionary forms and their potential implications on the science of breeding and heredity.
Sometimes, a Mon can choose not to evolve, given certain conditions and pressure. Most sentient Mons have the ability to repress certain evolutionary aspects using a combination of mental and physical pressure; in recent years, this has been accelerated through the development of synthetic medicines. Repressed evolution amongst untrained ferals is rare, but not undocumented. Geneticists and scientists continue to research the potential implications on feral intelligence that this may have.
Based on current genetic research, approximately 90% of all Mon, whether feral, anthro, or gijinka, are connected to each other through Evolution. Theories as to why Evolution happens as a form of maturity rather than a general age progression amongst species had been hotly debated by scientists from all the great academic centres of the world.