Pokemon being native to regions other that the one they were introduced in?

[theflamelord]

I got to thinking about this while breeding eevee, back in gens 1 and 2 we were told that eevee were really rare pokemon that you almost never saw, and it was true, eevee was one of the rarest non legendaries to have yet since unova they run amok everywhere, not only that but its also the first time you can catch them in the wild (The pokemon garden in gen IV doesnt count because the owner had them put there) So maybe even though they were introduced in Kanto they're actually native to Unova? any other pokemon you think might be native to other regions? ((Yeah i know the meta reason is because gamefreak wanted them to be easier to get, but its still fun to speculate :}))

 

[Karpi]

I decided that Beldum is native to the Sinnoh region. You never get one in the wild in Hoenn, Steven gives it to you. And he may even say something about how he traveled to find Beldum. And then you can find them in D/P/P, so yeah.

 

[Figgles]

Meditite and Medicham are a lot more common in Sinnoh than in Hoenn.

 

[Muur]

I find it pretty stupid tbh. Ash goes to Kanto, all of a sudden there's magically Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokemon running around. Or all the old Pokemon suddenly turning up in Unova.

 

[CrystaI]

I never understand the way of thinking of "if a Pokemon is introduced for the first time in a region, then it must be native to that region". If goes by this logic, then very obviously GenI Pokemon should be (or must be) native to Kanto, GenII Pokemon must be native to Johto, GenIII Pokemon must be native to Hoenn..... goes all the way up to the current GenVI and including future generations.

Then how about cross-gen evolution? GenI Pokemon breeds babies that are not GenI Pokemon, or Pokemon evolves into a Pokemon that is not in the same generation as it was. If goes by such logic, then it makes very great contradiction.

Not only from the game view, but even from the anime view, such logic is stupid. Misty's Togepi egg was originally found in Kanto; Houou in the very first episode fly around the sky of the whole world; many bird-like Pokemon, also Butterfree, were know to fly across the ocean to a warmer place (speculated to be different region) when winter comes. So there is no evidence from any source clearing stating a Pokemon is native to only one specific region.

Besides, when a Pokemon can travel freely to different regions and dwell in different places, there is nothing to be "native to one specific region". Just like many common animals in real world. Cats, dogs, pigeons, swallows, butterflies, etc. are everywhere in the world, where they are so abundant that not even the zoologists nor the historian can find their origins. Only for the very rare animals, or the animals that require specific habitat environment that is nowhere else in the whole world, then such animals are then really native to one specific area.

 

[Drakon]

There's also the possibility that they were introduced -- either deliberately or accidentally.

 

[Silverwynde]

There's also the possibility that they were introduced -- either deliberately or accidentally.

That's what I've often thought. I figured that the older Gen Pokemon that showed up in Unova during White 2 and Black 2 were originally released by their trainers. They simply adapted to their new environment and thrived.

I also have the theory that Golett wasn't native to Kalos; they were brought over by traders and used as unpaid laborers. They either got fed up with their treatment and fled into the wild or they were released by their captors and were stuck there. But in either case, they weren't native to the region.

 

[BlackButterfree]

Eevee is native to Kalos, since in Unova and Sinnoh they're found in man-made "prisons" (a park and a garden, respectively). Riolu are farmed in Unova, but wild in Kalos, not to mention Lucario is revered there as the first Mega Evolution, so safe to assume it's native to there as well.

I would say that a Pokémon is native to wherever it's most bountiful. Which would make Ivysaur, Charmeleon and Wartortle natives to Kalos as well, due to the Friend Safari. Or Skarmory a Hoenn Pokémon (which most people low-key thought it was, let's be honest)

I wouldn't be surprised if despite Sinnoh being the place where our world originated, Kalos was actually the place where Pokémon were created.

 

[Treble Tech]

I agree with Pokemon being native to where they're most plentiful. However, I always got the feeling that the Friend Safari was artificial as well, due to the fenced-off areas of grass and how the available Pokemon are separated into different groups, plus the sheer volume of different Pokemon available in the same area.

And yeah, even today I have trouble remembering that Skarmory was introduced in Gen 2, it just always seemed like a Hoenn Pokemon.

 

[MMMMMMMMMMMMM]

Slugma and Sneasel are only found in Kanto in Generation II.

 

[SirOni]

I've always thought this idea was interesting. Applying it actually makes Kanto feel even more barren than it already is considering a lot of impressive Pokemon are only found through trade, off the mainland, or in the Safari Zone.