Post by Kiki on Jul 10, 2010 17:16:34 GMT -5
Sedora is the ultimate challenge for trainers. It is a monstrous region, full of challenges of a mental, physical and spiritual nature. It is by far the biggest region in the Pokemon world as well as the least known. It resides many thousands of miles off the coast of Kanto and can only be reached by cruise ship. That in and of itself is a three to four month journey, depending on the time of year.
Trainers from outside regions are only invited in if they have completely proven themselves worthy. This region makes all of the Battle Frontiers combined look like child's play. The two most defining features of the region (aside from sheer size) are its deadly geography and its puzzles.
The geography is extremely varied and impossible under natural conditions. However, Mother, the Creator of Pokemon, has allowed these impossible conditions to exist by her own hand. There is a vast range of volcanoes (the red zones) that kills nearly any non-native that enters it. The mountains (brown zones) are nearly 25,000 feet tall toward the center, but closer to 10,000 feet on the fringes. The forests (dark green) are tropical rain forests, most of the day being a downpour of rain with temperatures in the upper 80s or low 90s, humidity always being around 100%. The tundra (gray) at the northern reaches of the region has a constant temperature of -20 degrees, even in the summer time. The swamps (bright green) are about the same as the forests. About the only place to find relief is the plains (purple/pink).These are the only regions with a bearable temperature for normal people. The geography is often the death of non-natives. Trainers are warned before they come to the region that there is a 30-45% chance of their death.
The puzzles are Sedora's second claim to fame. They are often of a high mental capacity and challenge even the smartest of minds. You cannot recieve help, though, from natives of the region unless you have direct family there or you capture Pokemon there.
One thing that makes the Sedora region such a challenge is that trainers invited there can only start out with six Pokemon of their choosing. They have absolutely no access to the Pokemon they caught in past journies on the mainland. They must choose their team wisely or else they could easily perish. Flying, Fire, Water and Grass types are recommended.
There are no real native species to the region. The Pokemon are the normal, well-known species, but they have highly different colorations. Many famous breeders have come from the region or were once trainers that came to the region and found a passion in breeding. There are a few, however, but they are extremely hard to find.
Unlike the main regions, Sedora has an extremely expansive gym system. It consists of eleven gyms. Each is hidden somehow and guarded by a pantheon of puzzles. It can take many months just to figure out the puzzles to get to one gym. Even to get to the next gym, another expansive set of puzzles is required.
There is no League in the sense of the other regions where it is an elimination process. Any trainer that can manage to defeat the eleven leaders has the right to go face the Elite Ten. These are the ten top trainers in the region, making them the top ten in the world. Very few can make it past even the first of the Ten, their skill level is so high.
The region also has an expansive Contest system. There is no puzzle route to get to the Contest halls, like there is for the gym system. However, eight Ribbons, not four, are required to enter the Grand Festival. There are also five judges instead of three. In the actual arena, there are four parts to a Contest. The first is the Appeals like normal. The second is agility through an obstacle course. The third is a Handling Routine. The fourth is the battle segment.
Handling is a technical extreme sport that started in this region, originating in the Contests. But because many began to enter the Contests just for this part of it, the League decided to create a new competition called Pokemon Handling. The concept sounds simple, but it is truly a dangerous thing to do. Trainers and Pokemon combine their natural abilities (be it magic, gymnastics or anything of the like) to create spectacular Routines. Trainers often take hits from their Pokemon's attacks. The more dangerous the Routine, the higher the points. This is not a sport for the inexperienced as many have died over the years.
The region is one of the few places in the world where the Pokemon Pantheon is still observed and worshiped. Several of the ancient temples still stand to the gods and goddesses.
