Paldea

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Paldea	パルデア地方
	Paldea region

Artwork of Paldea fromPokémon Scarlet and Violet

Introduction	Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Professor	Professor Sada^S Professor Turo^V
First partner Pokémon	Sprigatito,Fuecoco, andQuaxly
Regional Villains	Team Star The Paradise Protection Protocol Explorers(Horizons)

	League
Pokémon League		Paldea League
League Location		Pokémon League

		Pokédex
Pokédex List			Paldea Pokédex

	Animation
Series		Pokémon the Series Team Rocket Expedition which stands by the evils of love and truth Pokémon Horizons: The Series Liko and Roy's Departure The Sparkling of Terapagos Terastal Debut Rayquaza Rising Mega Voltage Pokémon: Paldean Winds POKÉTOON Dragonite and the Special Delivery
Season(s)		Horizons The Search for Laqua

	Games
Generation		IX
Games		Scarlet and Violet

		Manga
Adventures Debut			Speeding! Paldea's Prince of Speed!!

ThePaldea region (Japanese:パルデア地方Paldearegion) is aregion of thePokémon world, and the ninthcore series region to be introduced. It is the central setting ofPokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Paldea is described as "a sprawling region bursting with lush nature and magnificent landscapes". The region is a large peninsula dominated by theGreat Crater of Paldea, a massive geological formation shrouded in clouds and ringed by mountains. The region is also known for its great diversity of biomes:

TheSouth Province has rolling hills, numerous broad rivers, extensive wetlands including swamps and mudflats, olive groves, and canyonlands.
TheWest Province contains steep grassy slopes, high cliffs, and large expanses of sandy desert.
TheEast Province is characterized by wide grasslands, forests, dense thickets, and rocky badlands.
TheNorth Province is home to lakes, glaciers, and a snowy range crowned by a towering mountain, with waterfalls and poplar-lined trails, as well as bamboo forests encircled by jagged, black-tipped peaks.

Paldea borders four Paldean seas, and its coastline includes beaches, sandbars, and scattered offshore islets.

Etymology and design concept

Etymology

Paldea may be a portmanteau ofparadise andArcadia (an idyllic natural landscape), evoking the image of a rustic utopia in harmony with nature. It may also incorporatePangaea (an ancient supercontinent), relating to the descriptions of the sprawling landscapes of the region as well as the open-world concept of the game.

The name of the region may also be derived from παιδείαpaideíā (Ancient Greek for "upbringing" and "education"), given the major presence ofNaranja Academy/Uva Academy in the plot. It may also involveEspaña (Spanish name forSpain),aldea (Spanish for "village"), andparadox (referring to the appearance ofParadox Pokémon). Considering the gastronomic theme of the region, Paldea may also be inspired bypaella, one of the best-known dishes inSpanish cuisine with the aforementioned dish making its appearance inone of the chain restaurants in the region.

Design concept

The map of Europe showing the Paldea region as theIberian Peninsula.

Real-world inspiration

Main article:Pokémon world in relation to the real world → Paldea

Paldea is based on theIberian Peninsula — which comprisesSpain,Portugal, andAndorra — and its shared culture and biome. It draws inspiration primarily from theculture of Spain,^[1] as can be seen in itsarchitecture,cuisine, andmusical influences, along with the sporadic use of theSpanish language by the inhabitants of Paldea as well as in Pokémon nomenclature. Specific references to Portugal with itsarchitecture andlanguage can also be found mainly in western areas of the region.

The role of treasure hunting and exploration in the plot may also allude to theAge of Discovery with Portugal and Spain pioneering early maritime expeditions in that era. The appearance of thetreasures of ruin may also reference early modern cultural and commercial exchanges of the West with China during the period, such as thePortuguese establishment of trading activities in southern China in the early 16th century with the founding ofMacau, followed bySpanish contacts with China starting at the latter part of the century.

The internal code forArea Zero in the game's files also suggest the fictional island ofAtlantis and potentially other suchlost lands and civilizations as a source of inspiration for the area, while the appearance ofParadox Pokémon may be inspired by the concept ofout-of-place artifact (OOPArt).

In 2024,The Pokémon Company collaborated with the real-world theme parkShima Spain Village in Japan to showcase Paldea's Spanish inspirations.^[1]

Thematic elements

The design of Paldea is organized around two complementary concepts that shape the region's identity:

First, it emphasizes the themes of journey and self-discovery, articulated most clearly through theNaranja andUva Academy's "Treasure Hunt", an activity that encourages students to explore the vastness of Paldea in search of their own personal "treasure". In this sense, the characters' narratives are framed by curiosity and discovery, with personal growth at their core.^[2]
Second, Paldea is heavily influenced bygastronomy and theculinary arts, with food culture serving as a central aspect of the region's identity. All settlements and various locations in Paldea are named after culinary terms: meals, kitchen essentials, and cooking techniques and processes, embedding gastronomy into the very geography of the region. This theme further extends into gameplay mechanics, includingpicnics,sandwich crafting, and food-themed Pokémon. Players may also visit a wide variety of establishments, ranging frombars andtaverns torestaurants,bakeries, andstreet food stalls, all of which reinforce cuisine as a defining dimension of Paldean culture.^[3]

History

Prehistory

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

2,000,000 years prior toPokémon Scarlet and Violet, seismic shifts formed theArea Zero Underdepths and droveTerapagos to the brink of extinction, with onlyone known survivor. In a time way before the Paldean Empire's formation, symbols were drawn on the ground, while a large steel plate with more symbols on it is left underground, these can be found at the bottom ofArea Zero, their origin is completely unknown. 1,000,000 years prior, theGreat Crater of Paldea was formed by unknown means.

2,000 years prior, the Paldean Empire began to rule Paldea. The emperor ushered in the Great Age of Exploration by sending expeditions into the Great Crater of Paldea to find thetreasure rumored to lie insideArea Zero. 1,000 years prior, the Paldean Empire fell into decline due to the expense of supporting countless failed Area Zero expeditions.

At some point during the time of the Paldea empire, forts and watchtowers were built to watch on its neighboring countries during times of war. At some point, a merchant from the east travelled to Paldea and sold to the Paldean king four treasures from a faraway land; a vessel, a broken sword, a set of wooden tablets and a set of beads. Thesefour treasures were in reality Pokémon, which, due to the king's greed, were awakened and went berserk, causing a disaster that almost destroyed the kingdom. At some point, after the treasures' awakening, the Paldean king called out powerful Pokémon wielders that managed to defeat each of them and then seal them away in shrines across Paldea.

805 years prior,Naranja Academy^S/Uva Academy^V was founded inMesagoza. 800 years prior, the Paldean Empire unified with its neighboring countries, establishing the modern Paldea region.

200 years prior, the Area Zero Expedition claimed to have become the first exploration team to reach the bottom of Area Zero. Team memberHeath, a famed author and natural historian, published his account of the expedition as theScarlet Book^S/Violet Book^V. The book's contents proved to be so fantastical that Heath and the rest of the Area Zero Expedition were accused of lying and widely discredited. The Area Zero Expedition plantedHerba Mystica, a plant they discovered in Area Zero, in five sites around Paldea in an attempt to cultivate it. They abandoned the project when local Pokémon consumed the Herba Mystica and grew into fearsomeTitans.

140 years prior,Terastallized Pokémon were discovered for the first time in Area Zero. 87 years prior, a research facility was constructed in Area Zero. 10 years prior,Professor Sada^S/Professor Turo^V discovered that the energy emitted by the crystals in Area Zero causes the Terastal phenomenon. The Professor proceeded to invent theTera Orb technology, sharing it with the Pokémon League and the Academy.

One and a half years prior,Nemona passed thePaldea League's Champion Assessment and became the youngest person in Paldean history to achieve Champion Rank.Team Star confronted their bullies at Naranja Academy^S/Uva Academy^V in a clash that caused a scandal for the school. Team Star's leader,Cassiopeia, secretly came forward and accepted full blame for the incident. Recognizing the bullying problem as a failure of his administration, DirectorHarrington gave Cassiopeia a lenient punishment and then resigned along with all other teaching staff at the time. Cassiopeia temporarily returned to their homeland to continue their studies. The other members of Team Star, unaware of why their boss ceased communicating with them, stopped attending classes and maintained the organization while they waited for their boss's return.Clavell and his assistantJacq left their jobs as researchers to work for Naranja Academy^S/Uva Academy^V. Clavell became the academy's director, and Jacq became a biology teacher.Tyme retired as theRock-type Gym Leader ofMontenevera to work as a mathematics teacher at Naranja Academy^S/Uva Academy^V.Ghost-type specialistRyme succeeded her sister as Montenevera's Gym Leader.

One year prior, Professor Sada^S/Professor Turo^V, along with an AI-operated android made in their likeness, created a fully functioningtime machine with the intention ofbringing Pokémon from the past^S/future^V to Area Zero with the intent of creating a special ecosystem there. However, an incident occurred when two of the retrieved Pokémon, a pair ofKoraidon^S/Miraidon^V, got into a territorial struggle that resulted in the Professor's death. This led the robot duplicate to realize that, should the now-dubbedParadox Pokémon escape into the outside world, they would pose a threat to everything around them and began searching for potential candidates from Naranja Academy^S/Uva Academy^V, including the Professor's estranged sonArven, to take part in a hasty mission to shut down the time machine before more dangerous Paradox Pokémon come through.

Contemporary history

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Florian/Juliana, having just moved to the Paldearegion with theirmother, now lives in the small settlement ofCabo Poco and prepares to start their studies atNaranja Academy^S/Uva Academy^V in the region's biggest city,Mesagoza. The academy's director,Clavell, gives Florian/Juliana a choice of one of threefirst partner Pokémon and introduces them to their next-door neighbor and the head of the academy's student council,Nemona. Despite being aChampion-levelTrainer, Nemona also takes one of the first partner Pokémon in her care in order to train a new team alongside Florian/Juliana. While exploringPoco Path, Florian/Juliana encounters a weakKoraidon^S/Miraidon^V, which saves them from a pack of angryHoundour. An academy student namedArven identifies the Pokémon and hands itsPoké Ball to Florian/Juliana.

As Florian/Juliana and Nemona make their way to Mesagoza, she introduces them to theTerastal phenomenon and arranges for Florian/Juliana to receive aTera Orb so they can utilize the phenomenon as well. In Mesagoza, Florian/Juliana saves a girl namedPenny from being harassed by members ofTeam Star, a group of delinquent academy students accused of bullying. They are also contacted byProfessor Sada^S/Professor Turo^V, Arven's mother^S/father^V, who reveals that the Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V Florian/Juliana now travels with was originally under their possession, and asks Florian/Juliana to look after it.

Three days later, Director Clavell initiates the Treasure Hunt, an independent study assignment where thestudents of the academy journey across Paldea in order to find something that they can call their own personal treasure. This allows Florian/Juliana to initiate three different storylines, either simultaneously or one by one.

Victory Road

At Nemona's urging, Florian/Juliana sets out to challenge the eightPokémon Gyms around Paldea. Those who collect the eight necessaryGym Badges may take on the Champion Assessment at thePokémon League headquarters and obtain the Champion Rank. While Florian/Juliana travels around the region to challenge the Gyms in any order they wish, Nemona frequently shows up to support her rival in various ways, most often by battling. Florian/Juliana is also introduced toGeeta, the chairwoman of thePaldea Pokémon League and the region's strongest Champion-ranked Trainer, the Top Champion, as well as several members of Paldea'sElite Four.

Once Florian/Juliana has all eight Gym Badges, they make their way to the Pokémon League headquarters. After passing an interview test, Florian/Juliana battles and defeats the Elite Four and Geeta, making them a Champion-ranked Trainer. Excited by them finally becoming her equal, Nemona challenges them to one more battle, in which she holds nothing back. Defeating her in this battle concludes the Victory Road storyline.

Path of Legends

Arven tells Florian/Juliana about the fivegiant Pokémon known asTitan Pokémon he has read about that reside in various places over Paldea, and requests Florian/Juliana's help in defeating them and collecting theirHerba Mystica, legendary herbs said to have amazing health benefits. During the quest to defeat the Titans, Florian/Juliana's Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V gradually regains its old abilities by eatingsandwiches made with the Herba Mystica. Arven eventually also reveals that he wishes to use the Herba Mystica to help heal his partner,Mabosstiff, who was severely injured a while back.

After all the Herba Mystica have been collected, Florian/Juliana's Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V has recovered all of its former powers, excluding its ability tobattle, and Arven's Mabosstiff makes a full recovery, much to Arven's immense relief. TheProfessor then requests Florian/Juliana to come see them at their laboratory at theGreat Crater of Paldea, with Arven battling Florian/Juliana at his full power to test if they're both ready to take on the most dangerous area in the region. Defeating him concludes the Path of Legends.

★ Starfall Street ★

An individual referring to themselves asCassiopeia hacks into Florian/Juliana'sRotom Phone and requests Florian/Juliana's help in taking down Team Star in an operation codenamed "Operation Starfall". Director Clavell, disguised as an academy student and using the pseudonym "Clive", joins Florian/Juliana as they make their way around Paldea to take down the five squads of Team Star at their bases by defeating the boss of each squad. During Florian/Juliana's one-man war against the team, they gradually learn more about the team's history. The team was formed by victims of bullying who, rallied together by their mysterious "big boss", decided to finally confront their bullies. However, when confronted 18 months before the events of the game, the bullies fled without even attempting to fight back and dropped out of the academy. Moreover, the then-deputy director of the academy wiped out all the cases of bullying from the school's records, making Team Star seem like bullies themselves. Blaming themselves for having failed to prevent this from occurring, the entire staff of the academy had resigned as a result, explaining why none of the current staff members know anything about the incident.

Eventually, once all five of Team Star's squads have been taken down, Cassiopeia reveals themselves as the "big boss" of Team Star, having started Operation Starfall because the team cannot continue operating in its current way, and tells Florian/Juliana to confront them in the schoolyard at night. At the academy, Clavell takes off his disguise and claims himself to be Cassiopeia, but after being defeated in a battle, he admits he was simply testing Florian/Juliana to see if they'd be ready to face the real Cassiopeia. Florian/Juliana meets the real Cassiopeia in the schoolyard, who reveals herself to be Penny. After Penny has been defeated, Clavell reveals that the Team Star bosses were watching the battle, and allows the team to continue operating as long as they turn their bases into training facilities for Trainers, which they accept. This concludes ★ Starfall Street ★.

The Way Home

After the first three stories have been concluded, Florian/Juliana, Arven, Nemona, and Penny make their way toArea Zero at the Great Crater of Paldea, following the Professor's request. As the group travels to the four research stations around the area to unlock the door to the Professor's laboratory, they encounter primeval^S/mechanical^V Pokémon, which are revealed to have beenbrought to the present day from another era by atime machine created by the Professor, including two specimens ofKoraidon^S/Miraidon^V. At the laboratory's entrance, some of theseParadox Pokémon confront Florian/Juliana and their friends, forcing Florian/Juliana to enter theZero Lab alone while their friends fight off the Pokémon outside.

Inside the laboratory, Florian/Juliana discovers that the Professor is actually a robot, created by the real Professor before they were killed by the second and more aggressive Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V. Theartificial intelligence within the robot, despite being an exact copy of the Professor's memories and knowledge, opposes the original Professor's plan to keep the time machine running, as it would threaten to destroy Paldea's ecosystem with an overflow of Paradox Pokémon. However, since the AI is programmed to protect the time machine, Florian/Juliana is forced to battle it against its will. Once the AI has been defeated, Florian/Juliana is rejoined by their friends, and a program called the Paradise Protection Protocol takes over the robot Professor, as well as locking allPoké Balls not marked with the Professor's ID. Finally regaining its ability to battle, Florian/Juliana's Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V confronts and defeats the other member of its kind, ending the Paradise Protection Protocol's hold over the AI. The AI, however, recognizes that its systems are so integrally connected with the time machine that the machine cannot be shut down as long as it remains present. As such, the AI chooses to travel to another era using the time machine, bidding Florian/Juliana and their friends farewell as it disappears. After the time machine shuts down permanently, Florian/Juliana and their friends decide to take a slow and scenic route back to Mesagoza, concluding The Way Home and the main game.

The Teal Mask

An annual school trip is held by Naranja Academy^S/Uva Academy^V and its sister schoolBlueberry Academy to the land ofKitakami.

The Indigo Disk

Following Florian/Juliana's victory in theBB League in Blueberry Academy, they,Carmine,Kieran, andDrayton are invited to meetBriar, who informs them that she has finally received a permission from thePaldean Pokémon League to enterArea Zero within theGreat Crater of Paldea, her hopes being on discovering theLegendary Pokémon Terapagos within its depths to proveHeath's findings correct. Still wanting to defeat Florian/Juliana, Kieran agrees to come along in the hopes ofcatching Terapagos. Carmine also agrees to join, while Drayton can't be bothered with traveling all the way to Paldea, so he stays behind. Before their departure, Florian/Juliana is met byGeeta andRika, the former whom hands them a mysterious artifact known as theIndigo Disk, which had originally belonged to an Area Zero researcher.

In Area Zero, Florian/Juliana, Carmine, Kieran, and Briar travel to theZero Lab, where the purpose of the Indigo Disk is revealed as a method of redirecting the facility's elevator even further below than thetime machine room and into theArea Zero Underdepths. Traversing through the crystal-filled cave, Florian/Juliana learns of the nineteenth Tera Type, called theStellar Tera Type, which consists of the power of every othertype combined and is possessed by some wild Tera Pokémon living in the cave. At the very bottom of the cave, the group discovers a crystal that Briar says is the dormant form of Terapagos. Once Terapagos awakens, it tries to approach Florian/Juliana, but Kieran, refusing to allowanother Legendary Pokémon to join Florian/Juliana instead of him, swiftly catches Terapagos with aMaster Ball.

Eager to see Terapagos in action, Briar urges Florian/Juliana to battle Kieran. Florian/Juliana accepts, but despite Kieran using Terapagos against them, he still loses. Briar realizes that Terapagos is not at its full power and tells Kieran to use hisTera Orb on it. Doing this, though, unintentionally causes Terapagos's power to overflow and go out of control, even breaking its own Master Ball when Kieran tries torecall it. Florian/Juliana and Carmine are forced to battle Terapagos, though Carmine quickly loses, with Terapagos absorbing away anyTerastal energy used by Florian/Juliana to Terastallize their Pokémon. Following Carmine's repeated urging, Kieran finally teams up with Florian/Juliana, allowing them to overpower Terapagos. This time, Kieran is fine with Florian/Juliana catching Terapagos, reconciling with them as the group returns to Blueberry Academy, ending the main story of The Indigo Disk andThe Hidden Treasure of Area Zero as a whole.

Following the journey to Area Zero's depths, Briar publishes a retelling of the expedition ina book, giving a copy of it to Florian/Juliana as a gift. After receiving it, Florian/Juliana can visit theCrystal Pool in Kitakami, causing Terapagos to emerge from itsPoké Ball and a strange mist to appear. From the mist emergesProfessor Sada^S/Professor Turo^V, who seems to have somehow beentransported there through time and space.Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V emerges from itsPoké Ball, happy to see its former owner again. TheProfessor becomes fascinated by various things Florian/Juliana tells them about, especially the information presented in Briar's book. Wishing to study it further, the Professor trades it for their cherished copy of theScarlet Book^S/Violet Book^V before the mist disappears and they are transported back to where they came from.

Mochi Mayhem

After the Florian/Juliana received a phone call fromArven inKitakami, asking if he could visit them attheir house atCabo Poco, they meet Arven, along withNemona andPenny, who had overheard his phone call and insisted on coming along. Florian/Juliana'sMom gives them a letter fromKieran, informing them that he's taking a break fromBlueberry Academy and is currently residing at his home inMossui Town. The letter also includes tickets for the player and their friends, who are all feeling happy about the idea of getting to visitKitakami, so they depart there immediately.

Geography

Demographics

The Paldea region has a population of at least 1523, excluding Trainers outside of settlements, Team Star Bases, and walking NPCs except for Los Platos and Mesagoza.

Notable locations

Paldea has twelve cities and towns. Instead of routes, Paldea is divided into four provinces, each with three areas (except for the South Province, which has six). At the center of the region is theGreat Crater of Paldea, which housesArea Zero.

Unlike previousgames, none of the cities and towns in Paldea have slogans.

South Province

Located in the southern region of Paldea is thehometown of theplayer and theirrival, three other settlements, and Paldea's largest city:Mesagoza. The city is surrounded by a large river basin that splits into three smaller rivers that head out to Paldea's seas. The region is mostly grassy with several small ponds and beaches, as well as a cave. To the southwest is an an agricultural zone with a large olive orchard, and an elevated area, accessible via a large cavern, containing the top of a large waterfall and a leaning watchtower that stands in a pond. To the southeast is an area with rocky terrain, a small region covered in wetlands, and a hidden beach. The southern sea is mostly empty aside from a sandbar and a couple tiny islets. Though the Settlement is primarily contained within the East Province a small portion ofArtazon is also considered to be within the South Province.

Settlements

Map	Name	Population
	Mesagoza	756
	Cabo Poco	9
	Los Platos	24
	Cortondo	43
	Artazon	85
	Alfornada	47