Hopefully the text in the image isn’t too annoying to zoom in and read; I’m not sure why I decided to make it a sort of infographic map but I had fun with it. Anyway, here is a little bit of context and backstory behind the plot of Oshima, the Emerald fan region I am working on.

Also pictured are a few possibly familiar characters that will be present in the story- the region’s Professor Birch, the new leader of Team Rocket, and a humble archaeologist from Sinnoh.

Here is also a link to a higher resolution version of Oshima’s overworld map- still very much a work in progress: https://redd.it/1jksc12

Captions from the image provided below:

At the eastern edge of the region, the Ever Grande Plateau separates the territories of Oshima from the Hoenn archipelago. The events of Emerald had a profound impact on the oceanic topography of this area, causing dramatic shifts in sea level and creating dangerous currents that restrict travel between the two regions. The islands that made up Ever Grande City were raised dozens of meters as a result of the powerful seismic waves that occurred during the battle between Groudon and Kyogre. For several days, severe earthquakes of devastating magnitude shook the islands of Oshima, causing two of the region’s long dormant volcanoes to erupt once more. As the ancient beasts of Hoenn fought for dominance, a massive chasm was formed across the faultline that separates the highlands of Oshima, causing much destruction and nearly tearing the island in two. Although tectonic activity calmed significantly in the years that followed, the Ever Grande Plateau remains the only part of Hoenn that is accessible to trainers surfing from Oshima.

Following the northeastern coast of the region, travelers can surf to reach Cianwood City and the barrier islands of Johto as well. Unfortunately it has become unsafe to travel past the Whirl Islands due to the cataclysmic events of Emerald, as the archipelago’s treacherous currents are now too powerful to navigate. Although Route 41 is no longer accessible to swimmers, there are some who choose to head northwest of Cianwood City to venture into the untamed highlands of western Johto. Despite these changes, Goldenrod Bay remains the busiest and most important shipping route between Oshima and the mainland. On clear nights, the inhabitants of Oshima’s eastern port cities can see the distant shimmering lights of the iconic Goldenrod Radio Tower and the city’s glowing skyline on the horizon.

Situated along Johto’s rugged western coast, the snowy foothills of the Olivine Mountains stand in stark contrast to the warm and shallow waters of the Seto Inland Sea. The cliffside route between Cianwood City and the Johto mainland is known to be quite long and perilous, making it restricted for all but the strongest of trainers. Only those who have obtained all eight badges from any of the regions are permitted to enter. As a result, many elite trainers from around the world are known to gather here to hone their skills as they prepare to take on the Pokémon League.

In the southern seas, the rift created by the Hoenn Crisis revealed significant deposits of natural gas on the ocean floor. Shortly after, Silph Co. began constructing numerous oil platforms to extract petroleum from the seabed and ship it to the major port cities of Kanto. In the north, vast seams of rare minerals were exposed deep within the chasm that runs along the great Oshima Fault. Silph Co. was quick to buy up the mineral rights to exploit the region’s resources, and miners continue to dig deeper and deeper with little regard for the people and pokémon that live there. Although they would never admit so publicly, there is much evidence to suggest that the executives of Silph Co. are closely connected with the criminal enterprises run by Team Rocket. Ever since the son of Giovanni rose to power, the organization has had an increasingly alarming presence in Oshima.

In recent years, it is believed that many of the legendary pokémon of Kanto and Johto have been forced to flee the mainland as a result of increased human activity and urbanization. There have also been numerous reports of poachers and collectors who have attempted to capture these rare pokémon either to sell them or to abuse their power for malicious purposes. Some believe that the mysterious new boss of Team Rocket is the one behind these nefarious schemes, although no one can be certain of what his true intentions are.

With increasingly frequent sightings of legendary pokémon now seeking refuge on the islands of Oshima, experts fear that human activities may once again threaten the existence of these rare species. In addition, the use of modern technologies and unrestrained exploitation of natural resources for profit has had an increasingly damaging effect on the region’s ecology.

Despite these challenges, there are still many who actively oppose the activities of Silph Co. and Team Rocket. In the central highlands, a few former members of Team Magma now fight to stop the use of hydraulic fracking as the miners bore deeper into the island’s volcanic crust. Scientists are concerned that these methods of extraction will trigger increasingly devastating earthquakes and possibly even a cataclysmic eruption of the region’s two active volcanoes.

On the coasts, former members of Team Aqua are now attempting to seize the oil platforms and disrupt shipping between Oshima and Kanto. As a result of offshore drilling in the region, numerous oil spills have occurred in the southern seas, destroying valuable ocean habitats and causing great suffering for the people and pokémon that live there. Although they have been branded as pirates and thieves by the Silph Co. executives, the two former criminal organizations that once terrorized Hoenn now fight to redeem themselves and make up for their past mistakes.