Research A Trainer's Guide to Poké-Watching (A.K.A.: A Guide to Monsters and Where to Find Them)

[JES]

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?

Kanto Starters: Bulbasaur-Blastoise #001-#009

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 Butterfree Family: #010-#012

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.

The Beedrill Family: #013-#015

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.

The Pidgeot Family: #016-#018

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.

Hide

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

 

[Pikachu315111]

Starters: Overcapture, or a form of it, to me seems like the more logical thing which explain why starters are rare in the wild yet Pokemon Professors seem to be able to order them on demand. I'm going to guess maybe they were a rare species to begin with, or possibly lived in a reclusive place, and they proved to be more than just the common Pokemon which caused them to be chosen as starting Pokemon. This meant that not only would a lot of wild ones be captured but also probably a complete uplifting of the populations of the starters to selective breeding grounds. This sort of makes them an "artificial" species in my eyes, at one point wild Pokemon they've now been essentially genetically engineered so that they're the perfect Pokemon to be used as starters. And even if there were to be a wild one they'll probably be immediately captured by the first trainer who sees them because starters are so rare.
The only exception are to those in the Kalos Friend Safari though being those are in their middle stages it could be possible those are starters who evolved before being given to a trainer and so sent off to someplace where experienced trainers can go and capture them.

BTW I'm not really going to talk much about the anime in my posts as the anime does whatever it wants. Now the anime sort of support my idea as we've seen a Mudkip breeding ground but at the same time it doesn't as we've not only seen some wild starters but a whole group of them (Ash's Treecko is from a group of wild Treecko). So the anime's status on wild starters is that they're elusive but they exist.

Caterpie family: Migration upon reaching stages of evolution is a possible explanation for some of the odder circumstances. Obviously missing Butterfree in the region just mean they flew off to somewhere else, but missing Caterpie with their being Metapod present does seem odd. It could be that some Caterpie, upon sensing its time for them to evolve, migrate to Unova's Route 12 where they immediately attach themselves to a tree an evolve into Metapod.

How to create spoiler tags: Do the following without the spaces in the brackets:

[ hide ]
Type what you want hidden.
[ / hide ]

Though how did you make the spoiler tab for the Starters?

 

[Codraroll]

I simply think that the Pokémon world is a lot bigger than what we can see in the games, and that the player is rather restricted to where he or she may go. I mean, we need to follow a path at all times, never going more than a few hundred metres away from the track, if that much, while the regions are quite a bit bigger than the area accessible from those paths. We can see thick forests on both sides of the paths, and only venture into the nearby bushes to find Pokémon. As rookie trainers, huge areas of every region are completely inaccessible in the games, and this may explain where all the "rare" Pokémon are.

Look at Kanto, for instance. See that giant forest north and west of Celadon City? That massive mountain range of which Mount Moon is only a small part? Or pretty much the entire shoreline of Vermilion Bay? It wouldn't surprise me the slightest if those are the native habitats of Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, respectively. Well off the beaten track, in a place where few trainers go, and only the Pokémon Professors (and the odd adventurer, much more experienced than the 10-year-old trainers in the games) occasionally venture. In the games, we visit areas that hardly cover 20 % of the region. There is a lot of room for Pokémon to live outside those areas.

Also, just because I've got the time, I think I'll repeat the exercise for the other regions:

Johto: There would be plenty of room for the Chikorita and Cyndaquil families in the region's numerous forests (heck, the area north of Ecruteak alone is half as big as the rest of the region). You'd likely find Totodile lurking in the river just north of the Safari Zone.

Hoenn: You'd find Treecko in the rain forest south of Fortree City, living in trees far outside the reach of trainers. Torchic would probably roam the west side of Mr. Chimney, occasionally venturing down to the foothills of Meteor Falls. Colonies of Mudkip and its evolutions would be living on the shores of some of the numerous uninhabited islands.

Sinnoh: Turtwig would be living in the forest west of Canalave City, or southeast of Veilstone. Chimchar's home is the craggy mountains south of Mount Coronet (the Pokédex explicitly mentions craggy mountaintops as its habitat). Piplup would live along the frozen shores around Snowpoint City.

Unova: Vast, green forests encircle the region on two sides. That's where you'd find Snivy. Tepig would have its natural habitat in the mountains somewhere (like many other Fire Pokémon, there's less stuff to burn there), and venturing into the foothills to find food. Oshawott would reside far upriver.

Kalos: Great forests beyond the mountains leave plenty of habitats for Chespin. Likewise, Fennekin would be right at home living in these same mountains. Froakie would probably live along the region's numerous rivers.


In short, you don't need any great war to explain what became of the starters, or for that matter any other Pokémon without a habitat to visit in the games. The places we can access make up a very small percentage of the total area of the region, so there are plenty of places outside our reach, where powerful or rare Pokémon can reside.

 

[Lady Vader]

Also, there's something else that can explain why certain Pokémon never show up that is partially in-game and partially game mechanics: we simply don't encounter them due to "dumb luck". I mostly say this due to version exclusives. If we play Blue, we never encounter Growlithe, yet in Red, we never encounter Ninetales. Also, depending on which Kanto game you are playing, you have a disproportional chance of encountering one Nidoran gender over another (95%) despite the gender rates being an even 50/50 when breeding. It might be a case of just never happening to encounter a starter, but they are there.

Or what Cod said. I actually like that better, but just wanted to throw out an alternate theory.

 

[Karxrida]

Also, there's something else that can explain why certain Pokémon never show up that is partially in-game and partially game mechanics: we simply don't encounter them due to "dumb luck". I mostly say this due to version exclusives. If we play Blue, we never encounter Growlithe, yet in Red, we never encounter Ninetales. Also, depending on which Kanto game you are playing, you have a disproportional chance of encountering one Nidoran gender over another (95%) despite the gender rates being an even 50/50 when breeding. It might be a case of just never happening to encounter a starter, but they are there.

Or what Cod said. I actually like that better, but just wanted to throw out an alternate theory.

So basically, Gameplay and Story Segregation.

 

[Random Passerby]

Let's talk about Lapras.

Regions

Kanto: Given to you as a gift. You can also catch it in Four Island by Surfing in a cave .
Johto: Union Cave. (One per week)
Hoenn: None
Sinnoh: Victory Road (Surfing. Can only be found after you have the National Dex)
Unova: Village Bridge (Surfing into a rippling water)
Kalos: Given to you as a gift. Also, Surfing at Azure Bay.

Speculations

In the first 5 generations, you can only catch Lapras in Union Cave and Village Bridge before post-game (in all other instances, it is given to you as a gift or plainly not available at all) . From Four Island and Sinnoh Victory Road, we know that Lapras can be found by Surfing in Waters inside a cave. However, the fact that we can only find one Lapras per week suggests that either it is on the verge of extinction or Lapras is not native to Johto at all. In fact, I'd even argue that Lapras is actually not even native to any regions we have seen so far. In Unova, we know that there was no Lapras in Village Bridge when we first went through it in BW but in BW2, there were Lapras in the rippling spots. This is most probably caused by the Poke Transporter incident which explained why there are so many non-Unova Pokemon being found in the region now. Furthermore, the fact that it is only found in rippling spots suggests that it is incredibly rare, meaning the amount of Lapras which got transported is very small.

Then, in Kalos, Lapras can be found in the wild but only at Azure Bay and Route 12. However, Azure Bay is described as a place where Pokemon from distant lands may come to visit. This also explains the presence of Tentacool, Luvdisc, Chincou and Mantyke here in addition to Lapras. Furthermore, it is a 1% chance of encounter, again suggesting that Lapras is not native there or it is almost extinct.

Having said that, I wonder what Silph Sco. and the Old Man are doing with such a rare (and probably almost extinct!) Pokemon .

 

[stage7_4]

On a side note, Hoenn's ORAS games are the only one to explicitly mention invasive species to the region (after Groundon/Kyogre's primal fight before the final gym somebody mentions that new pokemon can be found all over the region due to legendary antics drawing them).

Makes me wonder if each regional pokedex is the "untouched, pristine wilderness" version, while expanded and national dexes are "pokemon potluck" or the after-effects of invasive species.

Hmmm... I wonder if any natural region pokemon became forced out of their former routes due to dex expansion changes in sequels or remakes.

...I might need to do some research on that.

EDIT: Got a theory on why the starters are giveaway-only (Friend Safari not withstanding), what if they're the equivalent of domesticated creatures? The regional starters are just so useful for beginning trainers that they are bred and domesticated to be easy to train but strong "baby's first pokemon" for beginners, to the point of wild populations ranging from non-existant to negligible outliers. They are your literal dogs and cats.

 

[Phione]

According to Bulbapedia, Lapras is in fact almost extinct because its docility makes it an easy target for hunters, so that makes sense.

Now, let's talk about Heracross.

Regions

Johto: Headbutt trees
Hoenn: Safari Zone
Kanto [FRLG]: Pattern Bush
Sinnoh: Honey Trees
Unova: Route 12 and Lostlorn Forest
Kalos: Route 12 (Y only) and Friend Safari

Speculation

So, what can we interpret from this? Heracross is only found living in isolated trees in Johto and Sinnoh, trees that seem to exist only to find very rare Pokémon, and in Hoenn it has to be imported into the Safari Zone. It's presumably in Unova due to Poké Transporter antics, and it's an extremely rare encounter in Y on a Route that's already very close to Azure Bay, the place where foreign Pokémon come to visit... This all seems like Heracross simply isn't a native of any of these regions. That is, until we get to Pattern Bush. Pattern Bush is one of the few places you can find Heracross normally. So what if Heracross is actually a native of the Sevii Islands? Think about it. It would fully explain Heracross's rarity in all other regions, and provide an isolated place for these strange, dangerous insects to evolve like they did. So, that's my theory. What do you think about Heracross?

 

[Trainer10913]

I just want someone to explain why you can find Numel, a magma spewing camel, in the Ilex and Viridian Forests.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Lapras

As Phione noted its commonly known Lapras is an endangered species (though I would assume there are conservation projects for it and they seem to be successful). However another thing about Lapras is that I more see it as an oceanic species than belonging to any specific region. Groups of Lapras has migration patterns spanning multiple regions, but most of the time I would imagine them being out at sea. Now that's not to say some pods wouldn't have settled somewhere for most of the year, but for regions where you can find them but its super rare it's probably because the ones who go to that region are normally our at sea and you just so happened to encounter one who came inland for some reason.
I also imagine many Water-type Pokemon being "oceanic" species can explain not only their appearances in multiple regions but also why there's so many Water-types.

Invasive Species

I don't think the expanded Hoenn dex Pokemon are considered invasive species. Birch explains those Pokemon had a presence in Hoenn thousands of years ago. So it's not them being invasive species but rather returning species. But the question now turns to why they left in the first place. The weather changing Kyogre/Groudon did altered the environment in a way that made Hoenn considered habitable by these Pokemon again. Of course this was only a temporary change so will these Pokemon once again leave over time or had the original reason their species left become no longer an issue and it was just Groundon/Kyogre weather messing just drew these Pokemon back?
Considering these Pokemon were in Hoenn possibly around the time that Kyogre & Groudon fought, could it maybe be that even which originally chased them off? Both Pokemon fought causing damage to the Hoenn land and seas which made it only inhabitable by a few species (the original Hoenn dex Pokemon). Groudon/Kyogre waking up again could have set off a behavioral instinct in the species that originally lived in Hoenn that the environment has changed and went back to see if maybe they could live in Hoenn once more (it could also be only one of the Legendaries waking up that drew them to investigate as they originally left because there were two Legendaries who were both fighting each other).

Heracross

A logical conclusion, Heracross being a species originating of isolated islands who then sparsely spread to the bigger inland continents would explain the rarities. They seem to prefer a type of tree (being they drink tree sap they probably prefer certain kinds more than others). On isolated islands it would be rather easy for a specific kind of tree to grow while on the continents only some areas may be suited for growth of the preferred sap tree and they'd have competition with the other kind of trees competing for growing space. And since sap is their main food source one tree would probably only be able to feed just a few Heracross so they would be very territorial of them, chasing off any other non-familiar Heracross thus making them rarer.

Numel in Forests

This could be a reference to the real life locations both forests are based on, or rather the cities they're next to.
Viridian Forest is based on the Okuchichibu Mountains which are one of the non-volcano mountain ranges in Japan... BUT Viridian City is based on Hakone Town which is next to Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, a park which contains over a thousand volcanic islands; some which are active. They also have hot springs and geysers.
Ilex Forest doesn't seem to be based on any real location but Azalea Town is. Azalea Town is based on Minabe Village which one of the things its famous for is its high quality charcoal called Binchotan. (FUN FACT: The other thing Minabe Village is famous for is a fruit called Ume. Ume have various nicknames, one being Japanese Apricots. Yup, this was the inspiration for the Apricorns!).
So yeah, there is a reason for Numel appearance in these forests but they're pretty obscure if you don't know what the locations in Pokemon are based on. As Codraroll suggested, there are places we don't visit in the region and near both forests there are mountains (possibly volcanic or once were) which is possible where the Numels lived and drawn out by the Hoenn sounds app on your PokeGear (my guess is the app plays a variety of Pokemon cries thought native to Hoenn, one being Numel).

 

[JES]

Sorry that it's been so long since I've made any replies or updates, but I've been too busy to really have enough time to really, you know, do much here. Maybe I'll do the Beedrill line next, or maybe I'll do the Camerupt line next, since someone wants me to do Numel, though I think they're mostly careful not to burn down Viridian or Ilex forest, or perhaps forest fires are just an occasional, natural occurrence. Then again, Pikachu also did some very interesting fact finding.

Random Passerby has already done Lapras, while Phione has done Heracross, so with their permission, I'll probably make those entries ahead of time of the others before their Pokédex number using their notes, add any observations or theories I might have, and call those entries done. Pikachu's facts I think should also be added to the Camerupt family's entry as well.

I simply think that the Pokémon world is a lot bigger than what we can see in the games, and that the player is rather restricted to where he or she may go. I mean, we need to follow a path at all times, never going more than a few hundred metres away from the track, if that much, while the regions are quite a bit bigger than the area accessible from those paths. We can see thick forests on both sides of the paths, and only venture into the nearby bushes to find Pokémon. As rookie trainers, huge areas of every region are completely inaccessible in the games, and this may explain where all the "rare" Pokémon are.

You know what? I think you're right! We probably only see a microcosm of the Pokémon world, and there are probably many species that are rarer because of the inability to reach their natural habitat. Will this be addressed in future games? It would be interesting if it were.

Look at Kanto, for instance. See that giant forest north and west of Celadon City? That massive mountain range of which Mount Moon is only a small part? Or pretty much the entire shoreline of Vermilion Bay? It wouldn't surprise me the slightest if those are the native habitats of Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, respectively. Well off the beaten track, in a place where few trainers go, and only the Pokémon Professors (and the odd adventurer, much more experienced than the 10-year-old trainers in the games) occasionally venture. In the games, we visit areas that hardly cover 20 % of the region. There is a lot of room for Pokémon to live outside those areas.

Also, just because I've got the time, I think I'll repeat the exercise for the other regions:

Johto: There would be plenty of room for the Chikorita and Cyndaquil families in the region's numerous forests (heck, the area north of Ecruteak alone is half as big as the rest of the region). You'd likely find Totodile lurking in the river just north of the Safari Zone.

Hoenn: You'd find Treecko in the rain forest south of Fortree City, living in trees far outside the reach of trainers. Torchic would probably roam the west side of Mr. Chimney, occasionally venturing down to the foothills of Meteor Falls. Colonies of Mudkip and its evolutions would be living on the shores of some of the numerous uninhabited islands.

Sinnoh: Turtwig would be living in the forest west of Canalave City, or southeast of Veilstone. Chimchar's home is the craggy mountains south of Mount Coronet (the Pokédex explicitly mentions craggy mountaintops as its habitat). Piplup would live along the frozen shores around Snowpoint City.

Unova: Vast, green forests encircle the region on two sides. That's where you'd find Snivy. Tepig would have its natural habitat in the mountains somewhere (like many other Fire Pokémon, there's less stuff to burn there), and venturing into the foothills to find food. Oshawott would reside far upriver.

Kalos: Great forests beyond the mountains leave plenty of habitats for Chespin. Likewise, Fennekin would be right at home living in these same mountains. Froakie would probably live along the region's numerous rivers.


In short, you don't need any great war to explain what became of the starters, or for that matter any other Pokémon without a habitat to visit in the games. The places we can access make up a very small percentage of the total area of the region, so there are plenty of places outside our reach, where powerful or rare Pokémon can reside.

For the most part, I think you're right. Except I think that Chimchar is more of a forest Pokémon, who is clearly adapted to climb and swing like it's RL counterparts. They probably only use Fire moves as a last resort to avoid harming the trees they live in, and probably use punches and kicks to defend themselves.
I also see Tepigs and Fennekins living deep in forests, similar to wild boars and foxes. They again probably only use Fire type attacks if they feel they have to, and clearly have control over their fires unlike the Charmander line.

EDIT: Got a theory on why the starters are giveaway-only (Friend Safari not withstanding), what if they're the equivalent of domesticated creatures? The regional starters are just so useful for beginning trainers that they are bred and domesticated to be easy to train but strong "baby's first pokemon" for beginners, to the point of wild populations ranging from nonexistent to negligible outliers. They are your literal dogs and cats.

That is a possibility. It would explain why they can't be found in the wild. Though if that were the case, then I would imagine there'd still be the wild equivalent of wolves, tigers, lions, and wildcats, from which each of the starters were domesticated from. Plus, Charmeleon and Charizard are pretty aggressive and battle-hungry for a domesticated species. I'd think that such characteristics would be weeded out during the selective breeding for pets to be given to children, even if those pets are expected to fight other pets.

Oh, and I forgot about the Poké Transporter incident. I have to give credit to Random Passerby for being the first person to bring up this point. Maybe that would explain why Metapod and Butterfree can be found in Unova, but not Caterpie (other than the fact that maybe Caterpie just live high enough up in the trees that they are hard to spot. Actually, this also happens in real life. I've seen caterpillar droppings on the ground below trees, but spotting the actual caterpillars themselves is difficult). It could be that only Metapod and Butterfree were accidentally transported. Give it a generation, and Caterpie would probably start to appear as well. Either that, or the Butterfree will instinctively know that they are not in one of their breeding grounds, and will migrate to where their habitat is.

Update: I have added the Beedrill family.

 

[vzxt]

You know what? I think you're right! We probably only see a microcosm of the Pokémon world, and there are probably many species that are rarer because of the inability to reach their natural habitat. Will this be addressed in future games? It would be interesting if it were.

Is referencing the anime valid? Because if we take a look at where Ash has found/captured wild starter pokemon we can definitely say there are some areas that aren't accesible in the games.

Bulbasaur: It was caught by Ash in the hidden village sort of like the pokemon village of Kalos so it was probably abandoned or a stray. Later we get the Venasaur mysterious garden episode were we can see there is a Venasaur evo-line community in a forest, if we follow the episodes we find that the location of this forest is near to O-Hina Town which we see in the following episode. The town is located somewhere between Fuchsia City and Cinnabar Island, which locates this forest between Fuchsia City and O-Hina town (Ash and Co. were on their way to cinnabar). Considering Fuchsia Town has a Poison-type gym it makes a lot of sense having this grass/poison pokemon have it home near this city.

Charmander: I think the over-capture/near extinction theory fits well with this one as there is a natural reserve specific to Charizards in Johto, The Charizific Valley. This natural reserve is located between Violet City and Azalea town. The anime says it is a place were Charizards train and hone their skills but it can easily double as breeding grounds. The fact this reserve is located in Johto rather than in Kanto reinforces the idea of over-capture as the reserve is rather hidden and isolated from the people that would want to capture a Charizard... Kanto people. It is also possible they lived near cinnabar island and the eruptions we see happen in the anime/games destroyed their habitat or made it more difficult to access.

Squirtle: There seems to be an island near Cinnabar were the Squirtle evo line lives. We can see this island in ep 60 of the anime. If squirtles are similar to irl sea turtles then that island is the place were they go to lay eggs then return to the sea. They probably do not approach the surface that much making it hard to find in the wild except for this egg laying island.

The johto starter also have specific locations were they can be found in the anime and all this locations seem to be very restricted areasin the games following a straight path without deviations. I'll add them later if you want.

 

[Karxrida]

Is referencing the anime valid?

The anime kinda does it own thing and likes to occasionally flat-out BS stuff, so I wouldn't call it a reliable resource.

 

[jordanthejq12]

IIRC the anime's explanation for starters is that they can be found in special breeding grounds hidden well away from prying (i.e. Team Rocket) eyes, raised specifically to be starters. That sounds plausible to me.

 

[vzxt]

The anime kinda does it own thing and likes to occasionally flat-out BS stuff, so I wouldn't call it a reliable resource.

I know it is not very reliable but it is a resource. Which is better than just speculating on where you think this pokemon would live in the unaccesible areas of the games as some people have done in previous posts.

EDIT: Wait. The OP references May's bulbasaur, so I guess the anime is ok for reference?

IIRC the anime's explanation for starters is that they can be found in special breeding grounds hidden well away from prying (i.e. Team Rocket) eyes, raised specifically to be starters. That sounds plausible to me.

Brock gets a mudkip from one of those facilities. They only hatch and raise the pokemon there, the pokemon league gets the eggs from a secret location. There is no mention of this in the games.

http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Starter_Pokémon#In_the_anime

 

[JES]

Is referencing the anime valid? Because if we take a look at where Ash has found/captured wild starter pokemon we can definitely say there are some areas that aren't accesible in the games.

I've been referencing the anime, if only to be thorough. And yeah, I know that all of Ash's starters were probably owned at one point, except for maybe Bulbasaur, but it is hard to say. There weren't any other wild Bulbasaur in the Pokémon Village, so I assume that we're looking at a stray. And the mysterious garden where all the Bulbasaur evolves in clearly a place where they gather for their evolution ritual. I glanced at the episode information, and I remember reading that this is where trained Bulbasaur go to evolve.

On second thought, I'm done researching references in the anime and other sources, except for rare Pokémon.

Anyhow, it's Friday, so it is time for a new evolutionary line, the next one of which is: Pidgeot.

 

[thdhted]

Huh, Pidgeot.
Pidgeot, and its prevos are often found in or around forests, and due to pidgeot being considered a popular Pokemon according to its Dex entry from Ruby/Sapphire

This Pokémon has a dazzling plumage of beautifully glossy feathers. Many Trainers are captivated by the striking beauty of the feathers on its head, compelling them to choose Pidgeot as their Pokemon

This may mean that most pidgeot have already been caught, and the ones that aren't are hiding deeper in the woods/forests.
Another thought is that pidgey and pidgeotto are not particularly powerful Pokemon, and generally hang out in areas with weaker Pokemon, preventing them from gaining enough experience to evolve.
Its dex entries also make many mentions of it flying at mach 2 speed. I'm not sure about you, but I'd find anything flying that fast to be near impossible to see for more than a few seconds, let alone catch.

 

[jordanthejq12]

Its dex entries also make many mentions of it flying at mach 2 speed. I'm not sure about you, but I'd find anything flying that fast to be near impossible to see for more than a few seconds, let alone catch.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The Dex isn't completely unreliable, but it's safe to say it exaggerates a lot.

 

[thdhted]

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The Dex isn't completely unreliable, but it's safe to say it exaggerates a lot.

That is very true. The only reason I thought it was worth mentioning was the fact that several of its dex entries say something about how fast it is. Still, the dex may exaggerate, but it still pretty much says that pidgeott is very fast.

 

[Darth Manaphy]

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The Dex isn't completely unreliable, but it's safe to say it exaggerates a lot.

I've always figured maybe something like using Quick Attack or something like that would be Mach 2. Peregrine falcons fly at 389 mph (about Mach 0.5) when it goes on for an attack dive. So, I can see Pidgeot's attack speed being Mach 2.

 

[jordanthejq12]

I've always figured maybe something like using Quick Attack or something like that would be Mach 2. Peregrine falcons fly at 389 mph (about Mach 0.5) when it goes on for an attack dive. So, I can see Pidgeot's attack speed being Mach 2.

Wait. A Dex "exaggeration" actually makes sense?

Yes, it does. The Dex only gets two to three sentences to describe a mon, and between this limitation and some wording issues, it's very possible. So perhaps, while the Dex should be taken with a grain of salt, you need not dismiss it entirely.

 

[Darth Manaphy]

Wait. A Dex "exaggeration" actually makes sense?

Yes, it does. The Dex only gets two to three sentences to describe a mon, and between this limitation and some wording issues, it's very possible. So perhaps, while the Dex should be taken with a grain of salt, you need not dismiss it entirely.

And actually, if you think about it, it would make sense that it gets No Guard too for its Mega Ability. It's moving so fast that it can easily land hits but at the same time, it can't really get out of the way so any Pokemon that aims can hit it

 

[Random Passerby]

Don't have the time to check Bulbapedia now but there could be something interesting about Ditto's habitat.
RBY: Cinnabar Mansion and Cerulean Cave (remember the Ditto - Mew - Mewtwo theory? Yes, I know it has been debunked by Game Freak but still,)
GSC: A certain Route with the Day Care. Please do not go there.
Other games: Don't remember lol.

 

[stage7_4]

Ditto:
Gen 6: Mirages in ORAS, Pokemon Village & Friend Safari in XY
Gen 5: Giant Chasm, Unova
Gen 4: Route 35, 47, Cerulean Cave, and special places like the custom Safari Zone, Trophy Garden, Pokeradar...
Gen 3: Route 13, 14, 15, Cerulean Cave, and the Pokemon Mansion. Also Desert Underpass in Emerald.

Generally Ditto seems to be in rare spots and associated with areas with legendaries. But there are a couple of oddballs, like route 13-15 in Kanto (that's the stretch from Lavender Town to Fuchsia City).

I've got a question. While we know the mechanical reason, why are the "first routes" are mostly populated by the regional bird, small rodentish critter, and maybe the regional bug? Why are the common-mons drawn to the starter towns?

Thinking back, most of the starter towns are coastal, but not all of them (exceptions being XY, B2W2, and maybe ORAS? Shinnoh has a lake, does that count?) They are near a plains-like route too, for the most part (ORAS' first route is more wooded, or marshy but that might just be my take on the art design).

 

[JES]

Ditto:
Gen 6: Mirages in ORAS, Pokemon Village & Friend Safari in XY
Gen 5: Giant Chasm, Unova
Gen 4: Route 35, 47, Cerulean Cave, and special places like the custom Safari Zone, Trophy Garden, Pokeradar...
Gen 3: Route 13, 14, 15, Cerulean Cave, and the Pokemon Mansion. Also Desert Underpass in Emerald.

Generally Ditto seems to be in rare spots and associated with areas with legendaries. But there are a couple of oddballs, like route 13-15 in Kanto (that's the stretch from Lavender Town to Fuchsia City).

I've got a question. While we know the mechanical reason, why are the "first routes" are mostly populated by the regional bird, small rodentish critter, and maybe the regional bug? Why are the common-mons drawn to the starter towns?

Thinking back, most of the starter towns are coastal, but not all of them (exceptions being XY, B2W2, and maybe ORAS? Shinnoh has a lake, does that count?) They are near a plains-like route too, for the most part (ORAS' first route is more wooded, or marshy but that might just be my take on the art design).

Dittos are we're obviously transported from a faraway place by Hoopa to the Mirages in Hoenn, while Dittos are also captured and/or bred for the Safari, and also secretly for the Trophy Garden.

Sorry that I haven't been able to do any more entries for weeks. I've been busy trying to get a job.