User:Pokelego999/sandbox/Area Zero

Area Zero is a fictional location in the 2022 video games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It is a mysterious space contained within The Great Crater of Paldea that is in the center of the region, and the origin point of the Terastallization phenomenon. Area Zero has received a positive critical response since its debut.

Description
Area Zero is a mysterious space within The Great Crater of Paldea, obscured from the outside world by a dense cloud layer. The area inside is a vibrant, grassy area, with many hill-like landscapes, bodies of water, and plant life such as trees. Several caves dot the landscape. At the bottom is the opening to a much larger cave. The cave contains the Zero Lab, the Professor's research laboratory, which contains a massive time machine inside, which the Professor used to call Pokémon from the Past and Future, dubbed Paradox Pokémon.

Mysterious crystal-like formations reminiscent of the crystals formed by Terastallization dot the area and become more frequent closer to the bottom. The crystals give off a mysterious energy, stated to be the same as the energy given off from Terastallization, and can improve the performance of machinery immensely, seen in the form of the Professor's AI and their time machine, though its effects only seem to work inside of Area Zero.

Area Zero is stated to have a barrier around it, which prevents the escape of the Paradox Pokémon summoned by the Professor's time machine, though this barrier can be broken by the wild Pokémon, as shown by a rogue Paradox Pokémon managing to break out and escape during the game's events. Herba Mystica is also stated to grow inside of Area Zero, but none is seen inside of it during the game itself.

Four broken and dilapidated research stations exist throughout Area Zero. Each one contains a lock, and when all four are disabled, the Zero Lab can be opened.

In the games
Two thousand years prior to the events of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the Paldean Empire heard rumors of a great treasure buried deep within Area Zero. They sent expeditions, but all of them resulted in failure, eventually leading to the decline of the Empire, with the treasure still undiscovered.

Ten years prior to the events of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Professor Sada (In Scarlet) or Professor Turo (In Violet) attempted to solve the mysteries of mysterious wild Terastallized Pokémon that were found in Area Zero. They discovered the mysterious energy given off by the crystals in Area Zero and were able to create Tera Orbs using them. This allowed Terastallization to occur outside of the Great Crater.

The Professor, using this energy, worked to create a time machine, eventually succeeding. They successfully summoned multiple Koraidon (In Scarlet) or Miraidon (In Violet) from the machine, as well as many other Pokémon from either the past (Scarlet) or the future. (Violet) They had worked together with their spouse, but they eventually walked out on the Professor and their son, Arven. The Professor, stricken, created an AI replica of themselves to help in their research and began neglecting Arven in favor of working further on the time machine. Sometime prior to the events of the games, the two Koraidon/Miraidon got into a territorial struggle. The Professor attempted to stop it, but was killed in the process, with the weaker one fleeing. The Professor's time machine was left active, still summoning Paradox Pokémon. The AI begins to grow disillusioned with the Professor's ideas and subsequently wishes to shut down the device, but finds they are unable to due to their programming.

During the events of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the Professor's AI contacts Arven and the player after all five Titan Pokémon are defeated, asking for them and strong allies to go to Area Zero to help them. Once there, the group discover the Paradox Pokémon, and disable the locks to the Zero Lab. The Professor's AI explains the situation to the player, who agrees to help shut down the time machine. However, the machine's self defense protocols take control of the AI, forcing it to attack the player. After the AI's defeat, more defense systems activate, locking the group's Poke Balls and forcing the AI to summon their Koraidon/Miraidon. The player defeats the opposing Legendary Pokémon with their own, allowing them to shut off the device, with the AI departing for another time in order to permanently shut down the protection protocols.

Reception
Area Zero has been met with a positive critical reception since the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Siliconera highlighted the location's haunting atmosphere, as well as the team up between the player and characters Arven, Penny, and Nemona, calling the endgame "extremely fulfilling." The usage of the area in Arven's character arc also received positive reception, with Jacob Cresswell of CBR.com noting that Area Zero's "otherworldly design" allows for the story to remain "remarkably grounded" despite the story's major twists. Many fans highlighted the creepy nature of Area Zero, and praised the location's overall atmosphere, as well as the music, which was composed by Toby Fox and Gō Ichinose. However, Joseph Andress, writing for Game Rant, believed the area to be a missed opportunity, believing that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, "paid more attention toward making each game's Pokémon unique rather than the area itself," and criticized the lack of change in appearance between versions of the games.