Rules and Other Info.

-No Pokemon or Pokeballs are allowed on arrival to Cyro Island.

-No guns are allowed, or any other type of firearms. However, all other weapons can be used. See below for details.

-Escaping from the island after the boat leaves by means of sea or air will result in a disqualification and a fine by Cyro Corp.

-All types of violence, theft, trickery, and criminal acts are allowed. Normal Kanto laws do not apply. See below for details.

-You are not forced to use Pokemon when battling other trainers. See below for details. However, you must use Pokemon in battles against Trackers.

-The Poke-Survival Tournament is in no way funded, supported, or owned by the Indigo League or Elite 4. The competition is solely run by Cyro Corporation. Cyro Corp. is viewed by most of the public as a criminal underground organization. Cyro Corp. has yet to break any Kanto laws, nor have they committed any criminal acts of any kind.

Detailed Rules Concerning Violence:

In the Poke-Survival Tournament, battling is essential for victory. Although the battles against Trackers are strictly professional and formal, and require Pokemon, battles against other trainers are drastically different. With trainers, there are no rules. Pokemon aren't even required in the battles. Cyro Corporation can not be held responsible for the acts commited by the trainers, and thus cannot be punished after the tournament is over. However, the trainers can. While normal Kanto laws do not apply during the time of the tournament, all illegal acts that have taken place on the island can be punished AFTER the tournament is over, if there is decisive evidence pointing towards a certain trainer. For instance, in a normal competition of any sort, if an illegal act such as murder were to take place during it, the player would normally be eliminated, arrested, and all cash money they had won in the competition would be considered void. In the Poke-Survival Tournament, that is not the case. If a trainer commits murder to another, and it is found out, it will simply be recorded down for future reference. The trainer can not and will not be eliminated or arrested as soon as the discovery of the crime. The trainer will be allowed to continue the round, and even rounds afterward, until the very end of the tournament. None of the cash money prizes will be voided, and will thus be rewarded to them even if they are arrested afterward.

That is why the 2 rules "No guns are allowed, or any other type of firearms. However, all other weapons can be used," and "all types of violence, theft, trickery, and criminal acts are allowed," are both to be taken with warning and at the trainers' own risk. It is common that many of the criminal acts on the island won't ever end up being proven with decisive evidence, such as most of the robbery of Pokemon. This is expected.

Interview with William Staffel, leading Cyro Corporation representative

Q: Hello sir, we really appreciate you taking time out of your day to talk with us.

A: No problem at all. I apologize for us being secretive lately, what with planning this recent competition, the executives tell us to keep our doors closed. No information was permitted to be given out for a while.

Q: We understand. Would it be appropriate to discuss this year's Kanto competition at this moment?

A: Yes, I will most certainly answer what I am allowed to say.

Q: Excellent. Speaking of the competition this year…what was with the change of location? The 3 previous competitions took place in Hoenn-owned territory.

A: Although the first was a rocky start, the latter 2 competitions were pretty big hits. It was a decision of business means and for the benefit of the people. Kanto is home to several heavily-populated cities in the world. We were also aware that there are many Pokemon trainers in Kanto, versus Coordinators and things of the like popular in Hoenn and Sinnoh.

Q: Were you nervous at all that word didn't travel from Hoenn to Kanto about Cyro Corp.?

A: It was a topic at the hands, yes, but we were confident that the tournaments would hold as popular outside of its birth-region.

Q: I am aware that this topic of question comes to you a lot, but I must ask;

A: Ask away.

Q: We're aware of how many Hoenn residents lumped Cyro together with the likes of criminals like Team Aqua and Team Magma…

A: *sigh*…yes, many people are still persistent to believe we've a criminal organization.

Q: What with Team Rocket apparent in Kanto, did this controversy fire up again?

A: Yes, it certainly did. We get hate-mail all the time, but we're trying our best to persuade others to view us merely as entertainers and researchers. That is what Cyro is after all.

Q: I see. Business-wise, is Cyro Corp. in any sort of rivalry against the Indigo League of Kanto?

A: Naturally, we are business-wise. However, that pretty much just happened by itself. We have no wish to compete against the Kanto League. We're not trying to drive trainers away from collecting badges, we're just supplying another form of entertainment and competitive spirit.

Q: So there are no plans to start a gym and gym-badge system?

A: *chuckles* No, of course not.

Q: Did Cyro Corp. plan anything special in store specifically for the Kanto tournament versus the past Hoenn ones?

A: Yes, but I am not allowed to reveal any details.

Q: Will there be a secret prize for Kanto trainers in the end?

A: As I said, I cannot talk of this subject. But I will say this… there is something special in store for Kanto participants who make it far into the competition. Something not mentioned in the rules, brochure, or anywhere.

Q: What do you think is the hardest element of these tournaments?

A: I personally think that it is frustrating depending on luck. While most of it is skill, there is a portion of luck involved. If you first get to the island and don't get a Pokemon for days, maybe a week, you're dead-meat.

Q: Does Cyro purposely design them to be challenging?

A: This isn't my field, so I don't know much, but when in development for the game concepts, trying to stump trainers was not priority. We tried to make it available for participants of all skill levels. That's why all winners of the first round win a small cash prize. Then, all winners of the second round get a bigger prize, and then the sole person who stays to beat the third round claims the grand prize.

Q: Does the difficulty increase round-to-round?

A: Most certainly. Those who can fend off against trainers and Trackers are definitely skilled trainers. We want the competition to keep up with their skill, so naturally the tournament should become more challenging. In between rounds, we do remove some of the Shrines and wild Pokemon. Also, as time goes on and Trackers eliminate players, eventually only the toughest players remain.

Q: We are intrigued of the amount of strategy involved in the Poke-Survival Tournaments. They don't seem like tests for the mind on the surface, but clearly only the clever will get far.

A: Indeed. We at Cyro definitely want those who are strong and those who are smart to have an equal advantage in the tournaments.

Q: Interesting. To wrap this up…what is in the future for Cyro Corporation?

A: Though I can't say much, we're definitely hoping to go far with the Poke-Survival Tournaments and spread them to all the popular Pokemon regions. We may also plan to make stars out of the Tournament winners.

Q: Thank you for your cooperation.

A: No problem at all.

Entry 1: May 17th, 2009

Dear Diary,

I can't believe my parents are gonna let me go into the Poke-Survival Tournament! It was hard to convince them, but they gave in! I can't believe my puppy-dog eyes still work, even though I'm not a little kid anymore! It kinda sucks because I can't bring my Pokemon with me. And Ratatta JUST evolved too! I'll miss him, but I guess I have to go empty handed! I plan on fetching the boat very early in the morning, I wanna be the first one there! I'll certainly have an advantage then!

-Ryan J.

Entry 2: May 31st, 2009

Dear Diary,

As promised, I got to one of the boats nice and early. It was very fast! The view was nice too. I wasn't expecting the island to be so huge! There was also what looked like a mountain or volcano at the further end. I can't wait to go there.

When I got off the dock, 3 big guys on their bikes gave me some trouble. They wanted to beat me up. I'll be honest to you, diary, I was a little scared, but only because it seemed they worked out a lot. Very big muscles! Luckily the other people getting off the dock helped me escape, and the thugs didn't even bother chasing us. I sat with the large group of people to rest after running. They were talking a lot, but I didn't pay much attention to their conversation. I was talking to a pretty girl who grabbed my hand and had saved me from those thugs. Her name was Lisa. She said she was looking more to make some friends than to actually win the tournament. I told her I'd be her friend, and she smiled and agreed. I was happy to have a friend, I didn't have many back in Lavender Town. Strangely, the group of people seemed to be passing out headbands and hats. When someone offered me one, I said "No thanks,” and he frowned. I don't know what they were for, but he must've thought I was paying attention to their discussion.

Everyone (except Lisa) immediately stood up, staring at me. They looked angry, and pounded their fists. Suddenly, 2 guys lunged at me, but I jumped out of their reach. Out of fright, I quickly ran away through the forest. I wish I hadn't left Lisa all alone! How selfish of me…

I traveled the island all day. It was very empty and quiet. No people or Pokemon in sight. Luckily, I found one of those ‘Poke-Shrines', which had 1 Pokeball on it. It immediately took it and to my surprise, it was a Raichu! I like Electric-types. I named it Thunder. He quickly grew a liking to me, and we trained a bit. I wanted to see what he could do. He was very powerful! But then I had a strike of bad luck. That group of people must've seen his Thunder attack in the sky, and began to stampede in my direction. Me and Thunder ran as fast as we could, but bumped right into a man in a suit. He was very polite to me. I explained how I was running from the group of trainers. He said, "There's no reason to be frightened. Surely you can fight them off with that Raichu.” I told him I still probably wouldn't stand a chance. Suddenly, I heard them running in the forest, and I quickly hid in a bush. They stopped, asking the man if they had seen a kid. Thank god the man said "No.” He saved my butt! The people began to talk to the man about a team they were making, ‘The Raptors.' They said that they banded together to look out for each other and fight as a team against everyone else. I quietly crawled away, then continued to run until sunset. I sat down for the night and now here I am. I'm starting to think I should join these Raptors. It would be a lot safer than fighting against them….perhaps I'll look for them in the morning.

-Ryan J.

Entry 3: June 1st, 2009

Dear Diary,

Man! Today was quite a day! I'm so tired, hopefully I'll get to right everything that happened before I fall asleep…

I woke up very early in the morning. I'm not sure what time it was, I didn't remember to bring my watch to this island. Thunder and I traveled around in search of one of those Raptors. To my surprise, and relief, we actually ran into Lisa! Man was I glad to see her! I quickly apologized for running off without her, and introduced her to Thunder. I noticed she looked different…but couldn't put my finger on what it was. I soon figured out it was the red headband she was wearing. She had joined the Raptors! I was overjoyed, I could be safe and be with my new friend at the same time! I told her I wanted to join too, and she smiled. I guess she was happy I wasn't going to be her enemy in all of this. We agreed to go off and find the Raptor leader, Rex, to accept me into their leagues. Lisa said she would probably even be rewarded for recruiting me, so that was cool. We ran through the forests, but couldn't find Rex. Luckily, we did run into a Raptor. I think his name was Dominick, or something. We told him that I wanted to join them, and that I was a friend of Lisa's. He was surprised that Lisa recruited someone so quickly, and agreed that Rex would probably reward her. "However,” he said. "Just to be sure, you should make a good impression. And to do that, I suggest you bring him a gift too, Ryan. Meaning a recruit, or Pokemon. Right now he's taking a secret route with his 2 best friends, who are now the 2nd highest ranked Raptors next to him, to our soon-to-be headquarters.” I asked him where the HQ was, but he said even he didn't know. He told me the giant volcano on the island was our best bet, because he had heard them talking about it earlier. He handed me a red headband he was given in case he recruited anybody, and bid us farewell.

So Lisa and I went off to find something. We searched everywhere, but with no luck. We found one Poke-Shrine, but it was empty. I was so pissed! Ugh…Anyway, we continued on, and eventually stumbled upon a group of 3 more Raptors. They said they were an exploration party, sent out by Rex. They were traveling about the island, marking things down and making rough drafts for maps, as well as looking for other trainers and Pokemon. They said that we'd have better luck if we joined their group, and that they'd tell us if they found anything. So we joined their exploration party, and we spread out a bit in search. I let Thunder out of his ball, in case he could sniff anything out. "Okay, Thunder. Now…we're looking for other trainers or Pokemon. Help us find some.” He nodded, so we looked around together. Still no luck. Suddenly, I saw a speck in the sky. It was a rock being thrown up into the air. I ran towards it, and found the rock on the ground between some bushes. It had a note tied to it.

‘We hear several sets of footsteps nearby, to the North. They must be Others, and they may have Pokemon with them too! Come as quickly as possible.

-Exploration Team'

"Alright, Thunder, let's go get em!” I said. No response. That was strange, so I looked behind me, only to discover Thunder was missing! I called for him softly. I didn't want to yell or it would alarm the group of trainers and scare them away from the other Raptors. He still didn't come. I was caught between 2 crossroads. I really wanted to go with the other guys to find those trainers….but I had to find Thunder! Such a bad time to run off! I ran through the forest looking for him. Finally, I saw him in the distance. "There you are, Thunder! I've been looking all over for ya!” I said. "Don't run away like that!” But then I discovered he had found a trainer. An Other, has the Raptors called them. I guess Thunder must've ran off because he picked up his scent….afterall, I told him to go and find Others. Anyway, I was thrilled to have met the guy. Surely recruiting him would've been a great present for our leader. I offered to let him join in the most polite way I could, but he refused. And he mocked the Raptors as well! He called it a "little club”, treating me like a little 6 year old, just like everyone does! I hate that guy! Anyway, I knew the drill. If they don't join, we gotta beat them. I knew Thunder was very powerful, so there was no way we could lose.

I told Thunder to attack the nerdy kid. It would likely knock him unconscious, so I could drag him back to the HQ. Sadly, the guy's Abra jumped out and took the hit for him. Ugh…if only it hadn't gotten in the way, meddling into my plan! That was when I noticed the lumps in his pocket. He had other Pokemon too! I knew the smart thing to do would be to get reinforcements, so I told Thunder to handle him while I was gone. I ran off as quickly as I could, leaping over bushes and dashing between trees. I had to find Lisa and the others. When I found them, they were talking to Others. I told them about the situation. They said that they had successfully recruited the Others, so they were going to begin taking them back to HQ. Lisa agreed to come with me. She said, "I hope your Raichu was able to hold the guy off…otherwise, you made a stupid choice just leaving it alone. I wouldn't be surprised if your Raichu was stolen, and the guy gone.” I reassured her that Thunder was very powerful, and that he could take anything. ….but apparently, that wasn't the case when we got there. The nerdy kid was holding Thunder hostage! Thunder looked tired and weakened, but seemed to be catching his breath and regaining his composure while sitting down. I can't believe that kid and his Eevee were able to battle Thunder! Lisa and I ran right up to him, running right into his trap. He had a Poliwhirl hiding in the bushes, and now if we or Thunder made any hasty movements, it was going to Hyrdo Pump us. I feel so mad for falling into such an obvious trap! I'm SO STUPID! He said he'd let us go if we did everything he said. He wanted us to take our headbands off and give them to him. I have no idea why he would want them Maybe he wanted to put the headband on, to pose as a Raptor? Perhaps he was planning to spy on us, and sneak into our HQ? Anyway, he also wanted to take Thunder. I just couldn't allow that! He couldn't take our uniforms AND my Pokemon! I tried to object, but Lisa stopped me. She spoke for both of us, saying we'd comply. I didn't understand why, at the time. However, I began to think that maybe this meant she thought that we could escape from him somehow, without leaving Thunder behind. Lisa's pretty smart, from what I can tell. However, she kept nervously glancing at me. She was kind of saying ‘Ok, I got us out of trouble, now you take it from here,' without talking out loud. I understood what she was trying to say, and I wasn't going to let the kid get away with it anyway. With the right timing, I commanded Thunder to shock them, and pushed Lisa and I out of the Hydro Pump's way at the same time. My plan was a success! I told Thunder to shock him again, just like I did before, but this time none of his Pokemon could take the hit for him. Sadly, right as Thunder was attacking, he used his Abra to teleport away. So cheap! He may of gotten away this time, but I hope I meet him again, so I can kick his ass! Thunder can't be beaten!

I was reunited with Thunder, but now I didn't have anything to give Rex as a present. Lisa, although reluctant, said we should just head towards Mt. Cyro, our soon-to-be HQ, anyway. After all, a present wasn't necessary, we were just trying to make a good first impression. So now Lisa and I are venturing our way to Mt. Cyro, and we'll probably make it there by tomorrow or the next day.

-Ryan J.