Shinju

In the last decade, the land of Shinju has made a complete economic resurgence. For many years, it was little more than a vacation hotspot and safari area for the wealthy and intrepid, but the recent success of the endemic Iden Corporation has made the region a formidable economic power. Though the region’s popularity is young, it has attracted many powerful trainers because of its diverse and robust Pokemon population and the perks of being a renowned trainer in an economically prosperous land. Due to this high concentration of native Pokemon, is relatively treacherous to explore in its entirety. While the tropical southern cities of Shinju are fully modern and industrial, the country becomes less developed as you move north. Up by the snow-capped Monzae Mountain, there are a few villages that have remained relative unchanged for hundreds of years. The only visitors these villages in the shadow of the mountain get are Iden Corp surveyors and powerful trainers looking to take on the Shinju Pokemon league's Elite Four high on the slopes of Monzae. Though not as prestigious as the Kanto-Jhoto Pokemon league, the Shinju Pokemon League is rapidly gaining a reputation one of the world's foremost challenges for a Pokemon trainer, and the completion of some of the gyms is required to explore the more feral regions of Shinju. Even the lowest of the Iden Corporation surveyors must have access to a few gym badges in order to legally explore the area, so the culture of battling is deeply ingrained with the average Shinju resident.

Shinju's battling culture exists in part because of the wild nature of the northern islands, but also because of its rich mythological and cultural history surrounding the powerful Pokemon that inhabit the region. Partnership with Pokemon has long been a necessary part of basic survival in the region, so a code of honor has grown around Pokemon battles. These edicts have found their way into the law of the country, and disobedience surrounding these laws(most commonly attacking an unwilling trainer with your pokemon) is generally among the most grave offense.