Okay, this thread, as was discussed in the Mysteries and Conspiracies threads, is about the native habitats of our favorite monsters, beasts, and critters, and analyzing where they live, and perhaps why.
The plan, due to the number of Pokémon that currently exist, is for me to list one or more evolutionary line every couple of days, and type down any special notes, analysis, or observations that I have on this very post.
And of course, others are free to make their own observations. In this topic, I'll only make new posts to reply to others comments, and to list new Pokémon that I've added.
So, shall we begin?
The plan, due to the number of Pokémon that currently exist, is for me to list one or more evolutionary line every couple of days, and type down any special notes, analysis, or observations that I have on this very post.
And of course, others are free to make their own observations. In this topic, I'll only make new posts to reply to others comments, and to list new Pokémon that I've added.
So, shall we begin?
The first three evolutionary lines have been merged as one topic, due to them being in the same extraordinary boat: you can't find them in the wild in any regions that we have yet visited.
The only region that you can catch any of their kind is in the Kalos Friend Safari. But I get the feeling, due to them always being at the same level, and due to the restricted, ordered nature of the facility, that the Friend Safari isn't build over their native habitat. Rather, I'm under the impression that the Friend Safari is like every other Safari (except for maybe the Great Marsh. I'm under the impression that is a nature reserve, functioning much like one of those reserves in Africa), with Pokémon species from different regions to give trainers there a chance to catch species they couldn't normally find, with restrictions of course (well, those restrictions seem to actually be lessening now in Kalos and Hoenn, but you get the picture).
For the three Kanto Starters, this gives me two possible scenarios:
1) We have yet to visit the region that they are native to, and hence haven't been able to find them unrestricted in the wild.
2) For one reason or another, the Kanto Starters once lived in the wild in a region we have visited (probably Kanto), but are all but extinct now for some reason. I could think of a number of reasons, such as habitat destruction, over-capture, though one unusual reason I favor is that in a past war, the starters were favored as Pokémon given to soldiers, just as how they are favored as Pokémon to give to new trainers. They were probably considered dependable, reliable, loyal, and strong even then. This could mean that the native population was over-captured, or that the enemy nation destroyed the native habitat of the Starters, so that Kanto would lose an advantage or asset. Cruel, I know, but our history is rife with deplorable actions taken by the military to gain an advantage in war, or even to end the war.
Now, on to examples in the anime, which might paint a bigger picture:
It is hard to say if Ash's Bulbasaur started out as a wild Pokémon, or was another abandoned Pokémon like most of the residents of the Pokémon Village, so we can't really go any further with him as an example.
May's Bulbasaur is a more interesting example, once a denizen of the Forbidden Forest, which is apparently somewhere near Fortree City. The Forbidden Forest is so called because the native Pokémon became hostile to humans when they caught too many of the native Grass Pokémon there. To my knowledge, only one Bulbasaur and a wild Venusaur was present, though I suspect that the Bulbasaur that decided to join May wasn't the only wild Bulbasaur. I suspect that this isn't the only area where small populations of Kanto Starters are.
I also have to come to the conclusion that Hoenn is confirmed to be at least one of the regions the Venusaur family is native to, and was probably more common at one time.
A possibly wild Venusaur also appeared in Houndoom's Special Delivery, though I get the feeling that he is just one of those remaining few wild examples, or a stray. Unfortunately, I don't know where in Johto this takes place.
There is also an example of a wild population of the Blastoise evolutionary line, which unlike the Squirtle Squad, were not explicitly mentioned to be strays. It appears that a small population lives on an island off of Cinnabar. This tells me that the Blastoise line is definitely native to Kanto, and that small populations probably remain on remote islands.
I have also determined the habitat of the three family lines, which appears it could be forests, mountainous areas, and the seas and remote islands. This makes the Squirtle family more like sea turtles it seems.
The only region that you can catch any of their kind is in the Kalos Friend Safari. But I get the feeling, due to them always being at the same level, and due to the restricted, ordered nature of the facility, that the Friend Safari isn't build over their native habitat. Rather, I'm under the impression that the Friend Safari is like every other Safari (except for maybe the Great Marsh. I'm under the impression that is a nature reserve, functioning much like one of those reserves in Africa), with Pokémon species from different regions to give trainers there a chance to catch species they couldn't normally find, with restrictions of course (well, those restrictions seem to actually be lessening now in Kalos and Hoenn, but you get the picture).
For the three Kanto Starters, this gives me two possible scenarios:
1) We have yet to visit the region that they are native to, and hence haven't been able to find them unrestricted in the wild.
2) For one reason or another, the Kanto Starters once lived in the wild in a region we have visited (probably Kanto), but are all but extinct now for some reason. I could think of a number of reasons, such as habitat destruction, over-capture, though one unusual reason I favor is that in a past war, the starters were favored as Pokémon given to soldiers, just as how they are favored as Pokémon to give to new trainers. They were probably considered dependable, reliable, loyal, and strong even then. This could mean that the native population was over-captured, or that the enemy nation destroyed the native habitat of the Starters, so that Kanto would lose an advantage or asset. Cruel, I know, but our history is rife with deplorable actions taken by the military to gain an advantage in war, or even to end the war.
Now, on to examples in the anime, which might paint a bigger picture:
It is hard to say if Ash's Bulbasaur started out as a wild Pokémon, or was another abandoned Pokémon like most of the residents of the Pokémon Village, so we can't really go any further with him as an example.
May's Bulbasaur is a more interesting example, once a denizen of the Forbidden Forest, which is apparently somewhere near Fortree City. The Forbidden Forest is so called because the native Pokémon became hostile to humans when they caught too many of the native Grass Pokémon there. To my knowledge, only one Bulbasaur and a wild Venusaur was present, though I suspect that the Bulbasaur that decided to join May wasn't the only wild Bulbasaur. I suspect that this isn't the only area where small populations of Kanto Starters are.
I also have to come to the conclusion that Hoenn is confirmed to be at least one of the regions the Venusaur family is native to, and was probably more common at one time.
A possibly wild Venusaur also appeared in Houndoom's Special Delivery, though I get the feeling that he is just one of those remaining few wild examples, or a stray. Unfortunately, I don't know where in Johto this takes place.
There is also an example of a wild population of the Blastoise evolutionary line, which unlike the Squirtle Squad, were not explicitly mentioned to be strays. It appears that a small population lives on an island off of Cinnabar. This tells me that the Blastoise line is definitely native to Kanto, and that small populations probably remain on remote islands.
I have also determined the habitat of the three family lines, which appears it could be forests, mountainous areas, and the seas and remote islands. This makes the Squirtle family more like sea turtles it seems.
Native Regions: Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos
Caterpie
Kanto: Route 4 8-10, 11, 23-25, Pattern Bush on Fortune Island, and Viridian Forest
Johto: Route 30, 31, Azalea Town Ilex Forest, and National Park
Sinnoh: Very limited populations on Route 204 and in Eterna Forest
Kalos: Route 2 and Santalune Forest
Metapod
Kanto: Route 2, 24, 25, Pattern Bush on Fortune Island, and Viridian Forest
Johto: Route 30, 31, National Park, and Ilex Forest
Sinnoh: Small Populations in the Eterna Forest
Unova: Small populations on Route 12
Kalos: Santalune Forest
Butterfree
Kanto: Route 2, 24, 25, and Viridian Forest
Unova: Very small populations on Route 12 and in the Pinwheel Forest Hidden Grotto
Special Notes:
Caterpie and Metapod also live exclusively in the trees of Azalea Town, the Lake of Rage, Route 26, 27, and 35-39. My guess is that they rarely come down from the trees they live in on those locations, hence Headbutting those trees is the best way to catch and/or see them.
Butterfree can seen in a similar fashion in those locations, as well as in Ilex Forest and the National Park.
It also appears they are imported to Kalos for the Friend Safari.
Oddly enough, Butterfree can't be found anywhere in Sinnoh, making one wonder what happens to them. I think that upon evolving, they migrate to other regions. Same thing for Kalos. Odd how Caterpies can't be found in Unova, but their evolutions can.
Caterpie
Kanto: Route 4 8-10, 11, 23-25, Pattern Bush on Fortune Island, and Viridian Forest
Johto: Route 30, 31, Azalea Town Ilex Forest, and National Park
Sinnoh: Very limited populations on Route 204 and in Eterna Forest
Kalos: Route 2 and Santalune Forest
Metapod
Kanto: Route 2, 24, 25, Pattern Bush on Fortune Island, and Viridian Forest
Johto: Route 30, 31, National Park, and Ilex Forest
Sinnoh: Small Populations in the Eterna Forest
Unova: Small populations on Route 12
Kalos: Santalune Forest
Butterfree
Kanto: Route 2, 24, 25, and Viridian Forest
Unova: Very small populations on Route 12 and in the Pinwheel Forest Hidden Grotto
Special Notes:
Caterpie and Metapod also live exclusively in the trees of Azalea Town, the Lake of Rage, Route 26, 27, and 35-39. My guess is that they rarely come down from the trees they live in on those locations, hence Headbutting those trees is the best way to catch and/or see them.
Butterfree can seen in a similar fashion in those locations, as well as in Ilex Forest and the National Park.
It also appears they are imported to Kalos for the Friend Safari.
Oddly enough, Butterfree can't be found anywhere in Sinnoh, making one wonder what happens to them. I think that upon evolving, they migrate to other regions. Same thing for Kalos. Odd how Caterpies can't be found in Unova, but their evolutions can.
Native Regions: Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos
Weedle:
Kanto: Routes 2, 24, 25, Pattern Bush of Fortune Island, and the Viridian Forest
Johto: Routes 30, 31, Ilex Forest, and the National Park
Sinnoh: Small populations in the Eterna Forest and Route 204
Kalos: Santalune Forest and Route 2
Additionally, there is the Pinkan Island in the Orange Islands, thought this is a nature preserve, and thus catching Pokémon here is illegal. They also appear on Murcott Island.
Kakuna:
Kanto: 2, 24, 25, Pattern Bush of Fortune Island, and Viridian Forest
Johto: Routes 30, 31, Ilex Forest, and the National Park
Sinnoh: Small populations in the Eterna Forest
Unova: Route 12
Kalos: Santalune Forest
Additionally, Kakuna can be found on Honey Island of the Decolore Islands.
Beedrill:
Kanto: Route 2 and Viridian Forest
Johto: High up in trees in certain locations.
Unova: Small populations on Route 12 and in the Hidden Grotto of the Pinwheel Forest
In spite of not appearing in the games, a swarm of Beedrill attacked the main characters in what I believe was Santalune Forest. On a similar note, a lone Beedrill attacked Dedene somewhere outside Cyllage City, though I get the feeling that this was more an exception than the rule.
Like Weedle, they also appear to live on Murcott Island of the Orange Islands.
Additionally, like Kakuna, Beedrill can also be found on Honey Island
Oddly enough, a swarm of Beedrill also attack Team Rocket on what I guess is Route 104 or the Petalburg Forest, since the main characters were on the path to Rustboro City. Kakuna also appeared along with the Beedrill.
Special Notes:
Weedle also can be found in the trees above Azalea Town, the Lake of Rage, and Routes 26, 27, and 35-39.
Kakuna and Beedrill can be found in a similar manner in the National Park, Azalea Town, the Lake of Rage, Routes 26, 27, and Routes 35-39.
Beedrill can be found in a similar manner in the Ilex Forest, Azalea Town, National Park, the Lake of Rage, Routes 26, 27, and 35-39.
Kakuna are found quite far from the Poké Transporter in Unova, leaving me to believe they've always lived there, but are far less prolific. I also believe that the reason that Weedle cannot be found in Unova is because the Beedrills there are more protective of their larval stage, similar to how you normally wouldn't see bee larvae outside of bee hives. Same thing goes for Beedrill, unless they were transported, and then migrated to the best suitable habitat they could find, which I guess was Route 12 and later the Pinwheel Forest.
It wasn't until Gen 2 that wild Beedrills could be found, unlike in the anime, and they couldn't be found in the Viridian Forest like in the anime until Gen 4.
It appears that Beedrills also live between Routes 11 and 12, a swarm of which attacked Red and his team during a bike race in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
Weedle:
Kanto: Routes 2, 24, 25, Pattern Bush of Fortune Island, and the Viridian Forest
Johto: Routes 30, 31, Ilex Forest, and the National Park
Sinnoh: Small populations in the Eterna Forest and Route 204
Kalos: Santalune Forest and Route 2
Additionally, there is the Pinkan Island in the Orange Islands, thought this is a nature preserve, and thus catching Pokémon here is illegal. They also appear on Murcott Island.
Kakuna:
Kanto: 2, 24, 25, Pattern Bush of Fortune Island, and Viridian Forest
Johto: Routes 30, 31, Ilex Forest, and the National Park
Sinnoh: Small populations in the Eterna Forest
Unova: Route 12
Kalos: Santalune Forest
Additionally, Kakuna can be found on Honey Island of the Decolore Islands.
Beedrill:
Kanto: Route 2 and Viridian Forest
Johto: High up in trees in certain locations.
Unova: Small populations on Route 12 and in the Hidden Grotto of the Pinwheel Forest
In spite of not appearing in the games, a swarm of Beedrill attacked the main characters in what I believe was Santalune Forest. On a similar note, a lone Beedrill attacked Dedene somewhere outside Cyllage City, though I get the feeling that this was more an exception than the rule.
Like Weedle, they also appear to live on Murcott Island of the Orange Islands.
Additionally, like Kakuna, Beedrill can also be found on Honey Island
Oddly enough, a swarm of Beedrill also attack Team Rocket on what I guess is Route 104 or the Petalburg Forest, since the main characters were on the path to Rustboro City. Kakuna also appeared along with the Beedrill.
Special Notes:
Weedle also can be found in the trees above Azalea Town, the Lake of Rage, and Routes 26, 27, and 35-39.
Kakuna and Beedrill can be found in a similar manner in the National Park, Azalea Town, the Lake of Rage, Routes 26, 27, and Routes 35-39.
Beedrill can be found in a similar manner in the Ilex Forest, Azalea Town, National Park, the Lake of Rage, Routes 26, 27, and 35-39.
Kakuna are found quite far from the Poké Transporter in Unova, leaving me to believe they've always lived there, but are far less prolific. I also believe that the reason that Weedle cannot be found in Unova is because the Beedrills there are more protective of their larval stage, similar to how you normally wouldn't see bee larvae outside of bee hives. Same thing goes for Beedrill, unless they were transported, and then migrated to the best suitable habitat they could find, which I guess was Route 12 and later the Pinwheel Forest.
It wasn't until Gen 2 that wild Beedrills could be found, unlike in the anime, and they couldn't be found in the Viridian Forest like in the anime until Gen 4.
It appears that Beedrills also live between Routes 11 and 12, a swarm of which attacked Red and his team during a bike race in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
Native Regions: Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos
Pidgey:
Kanto: Routes 1-3, 5-8, 11-15, 21, 24, 25, Bond Bridge and Berry Forest of Kin Island, Five Isle Meadow, and Viridian Forest
Johto: Routes 29-32, 34-37, Ilex Forest and National Park, and also live on Pudgy Pidgey Isle of the Whirl Islands and a few appeared outside the Ice Path in one episode, on what I assume is Route 44, Alto Mare, and in the Dragon Holy Land, which can only be accessed through the Dragon's Den.
Hoenn: Small population on Route 229
Unova: Limited population in White Forest
Kalos: Routes 2 and 3
Pidgey also appear on Pinkan Island of the Orange Islands, which due to the native's unique color, is a nature preserve off-limits to catching. Then again, if you want to catch a pink Pidgey, you clearly have too much time on your hands.
Pidgeotto:
Kanto: Routes 2, 5-8, 11-15, 21, 24, 25, Viridian Forest, Bond Bridge and Berry Forest of Kin Island, and Five Isle Meadow
Johto: Routes 37-39 and 43
Pidgeot:
Other than appearing on an unnamed isle in the Orange Islands, and probably on Route 203, it appears that wild Pidgeots are non-existent. This is the first fully evolved Pokémon so far, which appears to have no set natural habitat. My guess however is that they fly wherever they please, and nest high up in trees where it is too difficult for most trainers to even bother making any effort to catch them that would be worth it.
Notes:
It is also possible that the Pidgeys found in White Forest originated from the Poké Transporter incident.
I think I'll just stop looking at anime examples except for Pokémon that are rare. It is taking too long, and giving me a headache. If anyone else wants to research wild appearances in the anime or other sources, feel free to do so.
Pidgey:
Kanto: Routes 1-3, 5-8, 11-15, 21, 24, 25, Bond Bridge and Berry Forest of Kin Island, Five Isle Meadow, and Viridian Forest
Johto: Routes 29-32, 34-37, Ilex Forest and National Park, and also live on Pudgy Pidgey Isle of the Whirl Islands and a few appeared outside the Ice Path in one episode, on what I assume is Route 44, Alto Mare, and in the Dragon Holy Land, which can only be accessed through the Dragon's Den.
Hoenn: Small population on Route 229
Unova: Limited population in White Forest
Kalos: Routes 2 and 3
Pidgey also appear on Pinkan Island of the Orange Islands, which due to the native's unique color, is a nature preserve off-limits to catching. Then again, if you want to catch a pink Pidgey, you clearly have too much time on your hands.
Pidgeotto:
Kanto: Routes 2, 5-8, 11-15, 21, 24, 25, Viridian Forest, Bond Bridge and Berry Forest of Kin Island, and Five Isle Meadow
Johto: Routes 37-39 and 43
Pidgeot:
Other than appearing on an unnamed isle in the Orange Islands, and probably on Route 203, it appears that wild Pidgeots are non-existent. This is the first fully evolved Pokémon so far, which appears to have no set natural habitat. My guess however is that they fly wherever they please, and nest high up in trees where it is too difficult for most trainers to even bother making any effort to catch them that would be worth it.
Notes:
It is also possible that the Pidgeys found in White Forest originated from the Poké Transporter incident.
I think I'll just stop looking at anime examples except for Pokémon that are rare. It is taking too long, and giving me a headache. If anyone else wants to research wild appearances in the anime or other sources, feel free to do so.
Oh, and does anyone know how to make spoiler tabs? I want to leave only the Evolutionary Line exposed, while making the routes and notes hidden, otherwise, this post is gonna grow way faster than a Snorlax at a buffet!
Edit: Thanks Sakuretsu. Adding spoiler tabs
Edit: Thanks Sakuretsu. Adding spoiler tabs
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