Battle Zone
The Battle Zone (Japanese: バトルゾーン Battle Zone) is a sub-region of Sinnoh located on a separate landmass northeast of the mainland.
Three settlements are located in the Battle Zone: the Fight Area, which holds the entrance to the Battle Tower in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and the Battle Frontier in Pokémon Platinum; the Resort Area, where one can find the Ribbon Syndicate; and finally the Survival Area, home in Platinum to the Battleground and a Move Tutor's home. Six of Sinnoh's 30 routes, numbered 225-230, are on the island, with both Route 226 and Route 230 being water routes.
Despite being closer to Veilstone City, the easiest possible route to the Battle Zone is through Snowpoint City by boat. Because of this, the Battle Zone maintains an open shipping route between Snowpoint City and the Fight Area in transporting cargo and necessary supplies to and from the mainland.
The geography of the Battle Zone is based loosely on the geography of the southern part of Sakhalin, a Russian territory that was previously controlled by Japan.
Geography
The Battle Zone is dedicated to Pokémon battling; many of the Battle Zone's facilities such as the Battle Park, Battle Frontier, and Battleground offer Pokémon Trainers a place to demonstrate their skills, while the island's rugged geography and powerful wild Pokémon provides a physical challenge for Trainers training their Pokémon. Although the Battle Zone has no Pokémon League, the Sinnoh Elite Four come here often to train and rehabilitate their Pokémon. During its early days, the island, which was renowned for its dense forests, treacherous cliffs, steep mountain paths, and raging sandstorms, only attracted the strongest Trainers, who were considered eccentric for gathering at such a harsh landscape. Eventually, the Trainers settled and small communities such as the Fight Area and the Survival Area developed.
There are three settlements located in the Battle Zone: the Fight Area, Survival Area, and Resort Area. Each area is tailored to fit a certain function. The Fight Area is devoted to competitive battling, hosting the Battle Tower, and later, the Battle Frontier, where Trainers gather from all around to the world to exhibit their skills. The Survival Area, which is based at the foot of the rugged mountain range in the north-most part of the sub-region, and is surrounded by thick jungle and steep cliffs, dedicates itself to Pokémon training and preparation; while the Resort Area is centered around Coordinators and Contests, allowing Trainers and their Pokémon a chance to respite.
To the very north of the Battle Zone, there is a mountain range, Stark Mountain, which consists of an active volcano. Due to the dry environments of Stark Mountain and the surrounding mountainous areas, the Battle Zone is subject to warmer climates. A constant sandstorm rages on Route 228 due to the flow of wind down through the mountains. Some of the southern areas of the Battle Zone are very tropical and contain dense jungles.
Settlements
There are three settlements situated in the Battle Zone: the Fight Area, Survival Area, and Resort Area. For all intents and purposes, the three settlements act as towns, however, they appear to be more of a tourist destination and are not considered cities or towns.
| Map | Settlement | Population | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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Fight Area | 31 | A tiny port city where Trainers who love battling more than eating gather. The gateway to the Battle Frontier is located here. Moored at the pier is the ferry to Snowpoint City. |
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Survival Area | 20 | A town where hot-blooded Trainers gather to work out and hone their battling skills. |
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Resort Area | 11 | A town that attracts Trainers who know there are other ways of enjoying Pokémon than battling. |
Landmarks
- Main article: Stark Mountain
The northmost point of the Battle Zone houses Stark Mountain, a mountain range which consists of an active volcano. Many Trainers that travel from Sinnoh's mainland consider the journey up to Stark Mountain to be the most daunting and grueling test of their skill. The volcano rains ash down upon some parts of the Battle Zone. Outside the cavern, is a rugged, seemingly indestructible rock mountain that is thickly blanketed by the volcanic ash it spews. While, inside the mountain, fissures in spilled and hardened lava form enormous caverns. Due to the dry environments of the Stark Mountain and surrounding mountainous areas, the Battle Zone is subject to warmer climates. Only the deepest part of the volcano houses the Legendary Pokémon Heatran.
Routes
Six of Sinnoh's 30 routes, numbered 225-230, are on the island, with both Route 226 and Route 230 being water routes. Each route that connect the areas of the Battle Zone has a uniquely, distinct terrain type which makes traversing the route a physical challenge. Protruding outcrops, windy cliff paths, rugged mountain trails, harsh deserts, rocky waters, and thick jungle-like terrains comprise the routes of the Battle Zone, which trial Trainers and creates an environment inhabited by a diversity of Pokémon.
| Map | Route | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Route 225 | The path makes its way up and down among rocky outcroppings. It is physically challenging. |
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Route 226 | A path that winds precariously along sheer cliffs that go right to the edge of the sea's pounding waves. There is a small island in the bay. An odd man who speaks foreign languages lives there. |
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Route 227 | A rugged and steep mountain path where vision is limited by steadily falling volcanic ash. |
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Route 228 | This rough path is harshly raked by a horizontally blowing sandstorm driven by strong winds off the sea. |
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Route 229 | A seaside path that makes its way through wildly growing trees and plants. |
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Route 230 | A sea route that stretches from west to east. There is an island that is rich with plant life along the way. |
Relationship to Sinnoh
Official sources are inconsistent as to whether the Battle Zone is part of the Sinnoh region.
A Battle Girl in the Fight Area implies that Sinnoh is separate from the Battle Zone. In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, she says "Your Pokémon are from Sinnoh, aren't they? They're not what we're used to seeing around here." In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, she instead says "Your Pokémon are from Sinnoh, aren't they? We're used to seeing some of those kinds around here." (Despite this change in the English localization, the Japanese text remains unchanged, and its meaning is closer to the Generation IV English text.)
In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl, a Ruin Maniac in a house in the Resort Area comments that the weather and terrain of the Battle Zone are much harsher than in Sinnoh, implying that it is separate to Sinnoh.[1][2]
In the Western localizations of Pokémon Platinum, a Rich Boy in the Fight Area's Route 225 gate comments "Are you stocked up on Poké Balls? In the tall grass past here, you'll find interesting Pokémon. Like, Pokémon you never see anywhere else in Sinnoh!", implying that the Battle Zone is part of the Sinnoh region. Conversely, in the Japanese and Korean versions, he instead says that the Pokémon in the tall grass cannot be found in the Sinnoh region, implying that the Battle Zone is separate from the Sinnoh region.
In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, a Hiker in the Lentimas Town Pokémon Center mentions that Stark Mountain (a location in the Battle Zone) is in the Sinnoh region.[3]
On the official Japanese Pokémon site, on a page describing the extra features of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the Battle Zone is described as being in the northeast of the Sinnoh region.[4]
In the Pokémon Journeys: The Series episode A Little Rocket R & R!, Professor Cerise tells Ash that they are in "the Sinnoh region's Resort Area", the Resort Area being a location in the Battle Zone.[5]
In the anime
Main series
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
The Battle Zone appeared in A Little Rocket R & R!, where Ash, Goh, and Team Rocket visited the Resort Area. Ash and Goh were looking into the reports of a mysterious Pokémon living there (later revealed to be a giant Magikarp), while Team Rocket was sent there by Matori for a break. However, the real reason for Team Rocket's break was to get them out of Matori's way while her Matori Matrix unit executed a Pokémon-stealing operation, which also took place at the Resort Area. When this was discovered, the operation was thwarted by an alliance between Ash, Goh, and the disguised Team Rocket.
Pokémon Generations
The Battle Zone appeared in The Magma Stone, where Buck and Looker stopped Charon's plan to unleash Heatran to wreack destruction upon the Sinnoh region at Stark Mountain.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Diamond & Pearl arc
The Battle Zone first appeared in Double Trouble with Dialga and Palkia VI, when Volkner invited Flint to help him investigate a giant hole that appeared over the Sendoff Spring.
Platinum arc
Throughout this arc, Platinum challenged the Battle Frontier at the Battle Zone. Meanwhile, Looker, the Frontier Brains, and the Stat Trainers conducted research on the Distortion World and Giratina. When Buck went to Stark Mountain to protect Heatran from Team Galactic, he unwittingly allowed Charon to catch the Lava Dome Pokémon.
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!
The Battle Zone first appeared in Look for Giratina!. Following the attack on the Pokémon League tournament, Hareta and Mitsumi headed to the Fight Area on a boat. Upon arrival in the Fight Area, Hareta met a man with a Dragonite, who revealed himself to be Palmer, Jun's father. Hareta and Mitsumi then headed to Stark Mountain to search of Team Galactic. Eventually, they ended up finding Charon, who had raided Stark Mountain, disturbing the Magma Stone and awakening Heatran, leaving Hareta to battle it.
In other languages
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References
- ↑ Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: "The weather and the terrain here are much more extreme than Sinnoh. I imagine there would be a large variety of Pokémon here." - Explorer (Resort Area)
- ↑ Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: "The weather and the terrain here are much more extreme than what you'll find in Sinnoh. I imagine there would be a large variety of Pokémon here." - Explorer (Resort Area)
- ↑ Pokémon Black 2 and White 2: "The volcano here is the same kind of volcano as Stark Mountain in the Sinnoh region." - Hiker (Lentimas Town Pokémon Center)
- ↑ Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (extra features) | pokemon.co.jp: 殿堂入り後、ライバルに誘われてたどり着くのが、シンオウ地方の北東にあるバトルゾーン。 (After entering the Hall of Fame, following an invitation from your rival, you arrive in the Battle Zone in the northeast of Sinnoh)
- ↑ "This is the Sinnoh region's Resort Area." - Professor Cerise (A Little Rocket R & R!)
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