South Johto Civil War

The South Johto Civil war was a conflict which occurred in the early 2000s, fought between established states and revolutionary forces. The war led to the establishment off two new states; the Pokémon's Republic of Azalea Town and the Socialist Cherrygrove Utopia.

## Background

Johto had been under the control of a central government in Goldenrod for decades. There was increasing frustration within citizens of the region at perceived corruption, police brutality, lack of representation and unchecked capitalism under the government's regime.

In this climate, a group of three activists, Joseph Starly, Sealeon Trotsky and Mao Bronzong rose to prominence. While Starly and Trotsky were both Pokémon, Bronzong was a Pokémon trainer, though all three shared the goal of overthrowing the Goldenrod government and establishing a "dictatorship of the Pokétariat".

## History

### New Bark Rally

Following a rally in New Bark Town in which Starly denounced Professor Elm as a "sniveling traitor and slave-driver, who has kept a Cyndaquil in a Pokéball in his lab for almost 20 years", authorities moved in to arrest the revolutionaries and break up their gathering. Police-employed Weezing were deployed to use Smokescreen, while a Blastoise fired Hydro Cannons into the crowd. An Aggron was sent in to wipe out the revolutionaries but its path was blocked by an unknown individual holding Pokémart shopping bags, who refused to make way for the killing machine.

### War begins

The revolutionaries decided it was only a matter of time before they were arrested or killed and so began a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the state. The three dispersed to different areas, acting as generals. Starly remained in New Bark Town, Trotsky travelled to Cherrygrove City and Bronzong was deployed to Azalea Town.

Bronzong was the first to be victorious. With the assistance of his powerful right-hand Pokémon Proletariat, he quickly overcame the forces of Bugsy and established the Pokemon's Republic of Azalea Town. Trotsky found his task easier than expected, as Johtoan general Faulkner faced a rebellion from within the ranks. Pecked nearly to death by his own Pidgeotto, he retreated to Goldenrod in shame and was demoted to regimental tambourine player.

With the Goldenrod forces struggling to contain the newly victorious forces in Azalea and Cherrygrove, New Bark Town fell to Starly's assaults. Professor Elm escaped to Kanto, but one resident was sentenced to 5,000 years in a gulag after it was discovered she had been spending her son's earnings on dolls without his permission.

## Aftermath

The three revolutionaries now presided over their own states. Despite their common background, the leaders failed to consolidate into a single country. While nominally allied, the state heads soon fell into quarrelling over minor ideological points.

Three years after the end of the war, each of the three were dead. Trotsky, now in hiding in Orre, was assassinated by a Greninja found to be employed by Starly. Starly himself was killed soon after in a retaliatory attack by a suicide Electrode. Bronzong perished after he was poisoned by a disgruntled Ekans. Despite being offered an antidote by his medical staff, he refused this common treatment, opting to treat his condition with a traditional Roselia leaf infusion.

New Bark Town has since returned to Johtoan control and Professor Elm has returned to live in the town where he has a position lecturing at the university.