Route
A route, in terms of the Pokémon world, is a passage permitting Trainers to travel from one location to the next with relative ease. Usually what defines a route is a location between two or more cities, however many passageways between cities are too long, thus, this passageway can be broken down into several routes, each joining onto another route at its terminal. Routes are depicted as a long, narrow, and sometimes winding roads, riddled with obstacles such as rocks, trees and even ledges blocking the pathway. Although routes are a barricaded area, they are difficult to maneuver around and are a maze of winding paths that Trainers strive to explore. Route in the Pokémon games, unlike the Pokémon anime are formed as a straight path with two or more termini and therefore depicted as a bordered off, barricaded area. To make this so, there are trees that are so thick that even Trainers cannot penetrate its barrier-like form, surrounding routes acting as barriers to stop players from venturing further, rocks acts as the barriers on water routes. The barriers are there to make it seem as there is only one possible path instead of a wide field going nowhere.
Most routes are associated with tall grass in which wild Pokémon can be found. If the player enters a patch of tall grass, they may randomly enter a wild Pokémon battle. Tall grass is found on most routes of the Pokémon world, with some routes containing more tall grass patches than others. People are generally warned to stay out of tall grass if they don't have a Pokémon due to the possibility of being attacked by wild Pokémon. Some areas in the Pokémon world have larger patches of grass than usual. These patches of grass have grown longer and more widespread than the usual grass patches, hiding many different species of Pokémon. Because of the length and thickness of the grass, it is impossible to ride a bicycle or run through the patches in Generation III.
Pokémon Trainers localize themselves in routes to train their Pokémon. They do this normal by battling the wild Pokémon that live in the tall grass, however, many Trainer wish to gain experience further by challenging other Trainers to a battle, and no matter what their specialties or aims, there is one code that they all follow - when two Trainers make eye contact, they must have a battle. However, not all people traveling through a route wish to have a battle, many just want to get to another town or city easily, and therefore will sometimes help other Trainers with friendly advice. Trainers also carelessly drop items on the ground while passing by a route, and so another Trainer is able to come by and take it. Although, these ground items can be obtained through natural means, items are very often found by Trainers throughout every route. These ground items are called 'Item Balls' because they are spherical containers resembling a small Poké Ball. However, finding items on the ground is not always as easy as seeing it and picking it up. Many items are hidden from view, and can only be obtained by a very lucky chance or, more commonly, through the use of an item finding tool.
Although each region has its own set of numbered routes, there are numerous other passages throughout the Pokémon world, all of which are named, that can be considered routes as well.
Systematization of routes
Numbered route
- Main article: List of routes in the Pokémon world
Up to Generation IV, there are 112 numbered routes in the Pokémon world, all identified simply as Route followed by their number. Routes numbered 1 through 25 (and 26 through 28 as well in Generation II and Generation IV) are in Kanto, routes numbered 29 through 46 (and 47 through 48 as well in Generation IV) are in Johto, routes numbered 101 through 134 are in Hoenn and routes numbered 201 through 230 are in Sinnoh.
Hoenn and Sinnoh's routes do not follow sequentially from the previous generation's focused-on region, likely due to the fact that the regions introduced in previous generations are not able to be visited in games focusing on Hoenn and Sinnoh. This is unlike what was the case with the games of Generation II, where Johto's routes picked up where Kanto's left off, and Kanto was able to be visited. As of yet there are no regions with routes numbered to fill in between Johto's and Hoenn's (which would number 49 to 100) or from Hoenn's to Sinnoh's (which would number 135 to 200).
Isshu's numbering system, on the other hand, follows neither systems. Isshu systematically begins at Route 1, which parallels Kanto's route numbering system. This was made likely due to extremity of the number count or because Isshu was a faraway region, and was reset as Isshu's Route 1.
The numbering of the routes in the Pokémon world may also be a reference to Japan's own national route system, which goes from 1 to 58, then skips directly to 101, and afterwards skips several numbers. Despite this, the routes do not run concurrent with their Pokémon counterparts, and indeed in Japan there exists a Route 135, a Route 231, and so on, up to Route 507. Strangely, the only numbers skipped are routes whose numbers are used in Hoenn and Sinnoh.
Named route
Not every route is known by a number. Some routes have a unique, descriptive name. A named route can be described as a tunnel, a path, a simple cave (where simple implies that the main path of the cave is on a single floor) or a forest that links two different locations. Under this definition, named roads such as Diglett's Cave, Ilex Forest, and Union Cave classify as a route. Locations such as the Rock Tunnel, Viridian Forest, and Mt. Moon do not. Of course, the seventeen named paths and one small cave between the main cities and major landmarks of the Sevii Islands count as routes under this as well.
Types of routes
Terrain routes
Although not official named "Terrain routes" but considered rather "normal" routes, these routes are located on land and are the first most Trainers come across. These routes can come in the form of forests, deserts, plains, mountainous, swamps, beaches or just grassland. As accordance to these routes comes certain weather conditions, which are features implemented onto each route. Most of the time, the route retains a sunny, normal climate, however, sometimes the route can suffer from weather conditions like heavy rain, sandstorm, fog and even snow. These conditions can create an extra effect, not only in battle, but out on the field, for example, heavy fog covers the route in a thick blanket of fog so obstacles and Trainers are difficult to see and can be cleared with Defog. Sometimes clouds gather over Route 213, and the whole area gets darker than usual, while a thunderstorm can be heard on Route 120 thus lightning will strike, thunder will rumble, and a heavy rain will pour down, however, halfway through the route, the thunderstorm will clear and reveal a sunny day.
Most routes are associated with tall grass in which wild Pokémon can be found. If the player enters a patch of tall grass, they may randomly enter a wild Pokémon battle. Tall grass is found on most routes of the Pokémon world, with some routes containing more tall grass patches than others. People are generally warned to stay out of tall grass if they don't have a Pokémon due to the possibility of being attacked by wild Pokémon. Some areas in the Pokémon world have larger patches of grass than usual. These patches of grass have grown longer and more widespread than the usual grass patches, hiding many different species of Pokémon. Because of the length and thickness of the grass, it is impossible to ride a bicycle or run through the patches in Generation III.
Pokémon Trainers localize themselves in routes to train their Pokémon. Pokémon Trainers come in all sorts of classes: Youngsters tend to stay close to home, and Bug Catchers swarm about the Bug-filled forests; Hikers traverse mountains and caves, and Ace Trainers aspire to compete in the Pokémon League. A Trainer's class may reflect their Pokémon of choice, the areas they prefer, their technique, and their level of skill; however, even among their classes, Trainers may vary greatly.
Water routes
- Main article: Water routes
A water route or sea route is a term used to describe a route in the Pokémon world that is almost completely made up of water and can be traversed only by Surfing or by using a marine vehicle such as a boat. Across the four generations of Pokémon video games, the style of water routes has changed very little. Water routes are typically long in length and are located in the ocean. They are also densely populated with trainers, particularly Swimmers with Water-type Pokémon. Depending on the route, there may be islands that allow trainers to rest or obtain items. One trait that is common to every water route is that wild Pokémon can attack at any time, so trainers are required to be alert at all times. Typically, Tentacool and its evolution Tentacruel will be very common.
Because water routes' pathways are only across water and ocean, Surf is required to travel over the bodies of water. When doing so, wild Pokémon may be encountered. Water routes are a very important mechanic of the games and must be used to complete the game, as all main series games to date have required Surf in order to reach Pokémon League where the Elite Four reside. In Generation I, water routes are known as "sea routes". Some water routes in the Johto region have Whirlpools blocking a path; likewise, some in Hoenn have deep spots where trainers can Dive to the ocean floor. Some other water routes contain vast waterfalls which can be traversed with the aid of a Pokémon.
See also
- List of routes in the Pokémon world for a list of all numbered and named routes
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This article is part of Project Routes, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every route in the Pokémon world. |
