Lore

Hayle operates very differently than the other pokemon regions, and these differences cause many of the interesting events that occur throughout the region. Most notably, these differences revolve around how the league functions as a whole, which affects every single trainer in the region.

In Hayle, there is no friendly professor willing to hand out starter pokemon to any ten-year-old child who decides they want to train pokemon. All starters are distributed to new trainers when they receive their Hayle Trainer License. Without the Trainer License, it is illegal for an individual to own any pokemon or partake in any of the benefits of associated with the league, including access to pokemon centers and pokemarts, both of which are run under the umbrella of the league through the Varro Corporation.

The process for obtaining both a starter and a trainer license is simple: on the first Monday of every month prospective trainers between the ages of 15-20 gather at their local gym. There they will battle the gym leader with their prospective starter pokemon. Most trainers have already formed a bond with their starter from visits to the gym before the challenge itself. This starter pokemon is of one of the types associated with the gym in question. Win this battle, and trainers are gifted the pokemon as their starter and inducted into the Hayle Pokemon League. Lose and they have to try again later. If an individual loses in this battle three times, they are denied their Trainer License permanently and cannot take the test at a future date. Obviously the gym leaders aren’t too harsh in these battles, but they also won’t throw a match just so that a child can be a trainer; it is a test after all.

You’ll notice that I say “one of the types” above when referring to gyms. As in the other regions, there are only 8 gyms in Hayle. However, each gym is represented by multiple types, either two or three, so that each type is represented at least once. For instance, the Wrystone Nature Preserve gym provides potential trainers access to starters of both grass and fire type.

After they are made a part of the league, trainers can do whatever they like. Many choose to take the League Challenge, but many more do not. Most individuals simply like the privileges associated with being part of the league and want to live their lives in the presence of pokemon and explore the region for the first time.

There are all kinds of beasts on any given route, actually hiding in the grass or perched in trees. There are Ratata nests from which the rats will endlessly swarm until the nest is closed. Cute little Shinx run off when hurt to get their Luxray parents. Trainers who defeat the alpha male of a Houndoom pack will earn their respect, trivializing the capture of one Houndour. There will be fights where a trainer's choices will simply be to run or die. Nature will run its course with or without any one person, and travelers will do well to remember that they are intruders in wild places.

All of this to say, there are people and pokemon living in this world, not just trainers hopping from city to city to hit a gym and run along.

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